the april fools 2008 issue

Tuesday April 1st, 2008
Volume 12 Issue 6
Computer Crash Erases Students’ Marks
By Echo Reporter
Kelsey Davis
Dr. Charles Best
administration returned to
school following Spring
Break to a very serious
school problem.
On Friday, March
28th, the pro-intergraded
database virus, “Javabug” was discovered in
twelve school servers
province-wide, infecting
the Inter-marks Program to
record grades; Best was
one of these schools. As
a result, the school
computers suffered a
massive crash tha thas
erased all student history
records,
including
semester one final marks
and all marks entered into
the computer in semester
two up to March 23rd.
marks. For students, this
means any and all marks
updated into computers
this school year have been
lost.
All data loaded into
Inter-grade was wiped
clean, including marks
sent to the Ministry of
Education prior to
provincial exams in
January. Inter-marks,
updated into Best’s
computers six years ago, is
also used by two other
District 43 schools:
Heritage Woods and
Centennial.
“We
are
absolutely shocked this
happened, “said William
Fence, School District 43
computer specialist. “ We
upload the best anti-virus
systems into all district
computers,
so
for
something to get through
and destroy records; well
that is quite unexpected.”
After a weekend of
consultations with District
43 Superintendent, Tom
Grant and Education
Minister, Shirley Bond,
Charles Best Principal,
Mrs. O’Neil, has decided to
rely on students to replace
the lost grades. Charles
Best will be asking for
students help and sincerity
to restore misplaced marks
later this week.
“Students will be
asked to come and meet
with office staff and give
their final semester one
grades to the secretaries.
We trust our students and
know they will use the
“honesty policy” while
going through this
process. In this case, we
really have no other
alternative.”
Charles
Best
teachers are being asked to
give over any and all
grades they have recorded
in their own record books,
but since almost all
teachers
rely
on
computers or have
discarded semester one
mark books, a student’s
word will be heavily relied
Office staff will
work overtime over the next
week to input marks back
surpass their 49.8% GPA.”
“I think this is their
best option and I for one,
plan to use the honesty
policy. Anyone who doesn’t
“W
e will be asking students to self report their
“We
lost grades to the office staff all this week. W
e
We
trust our students and know they will use the
‘honesty policy’ while going through this
process.”
Charles Best Principal, Mrs. O’Neil
on. If possible, old
report cards are to be
returned to the school to
get an accurate idea of
where students’ grades
were following the crash.
If reports cards are not
available or have been
“destroyed,” the “honesty
policy” will be the next
accurate option.
Students are also
being asked to return hard
copies
of
January
provincial exam marks they
received in the mail to the
school, as ministry
computers have now lost
all record of student’s final
grades recorded, including
provincial exams, from
grades ten to grade twelve.
Minister of Education,
Shirley Bond, is asking all
affected students to mail
back their recently released
provincial exam marks as
quickly as possible.
starting with grade 12’s, as
universities are looking for
second semester mid-term
marks. Meeting will begin at
8:30am and continue
through till 12:30 for last
names A-M. 1:00-3:05 will be
last names N-ZGrade 11
students will follow the 12’s
Wednesday morning at 8:3012 for last names A-M and
12:30-3 for N-Z. Grade 10’s
will begin Thursday morning
at the same times, followed
by nine’s on Friday
morning, beginning at 9am.
Students are asked
to be prepared with semester
one report cards, provincial
exam grades, as well as the
interim report cards
distributed on March 1st.
is clearly isn’t working hard
into the computer as
enough in school,” said
quickly as possible.
Grade 9, Collin Campbell.
Though the
All
students
honesty of Charles Best
should
be
prepared
to begin
members doesn’t seem to
marks
update
tomorrow,
be an issue with admin,
students are
far
more
concerned.
“This
Wednesday, April 2nd
Grade 12’s
is pretty much
8:30-12:30 Last Names A-M
a dream come
1:00-3:05 Last Names N-Z
true for every
student,
Thursday, April 3rd
Grade 11’s
except those
8:30-12:30 Last Names A-M
who already
have 100%,”
1:00- 3:05 Last Names N-Z
said grade 11
student,
Friday, April 4th
Grade 10’s
Alyssa Scott.
8:30-12:00 Last Names A-N
“The smart
12:30- 3:00 Last Names O-Z
kids get higher
up in the 90’s
Monday, April 7th
Grade 9’s
and the dumb
9:00- 12:00 Last Names A-M
o n e s
miraculously
12:30-3:00 Last Names N-Z
Student Meeting T
imes
Times
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
Editorials
Page 2
Kwaka Protest Against
Bullying Causes a
Fracas in Sin City
by Echo columnist Jonathan Ng.
In an effort to dissuade our youth from picking on their peers, the
province of British Columbia has proclaimed February 27th “Anti-Bullying
Day.” It seems that even crooked politicians are warm to the idea of being
nice to one another—at least in school. Premier Campbell himself, a former
victim of bullying due to a slightly scandalous mug shot, hails: “Nobody
likes a bully! We all have to stop bullies in our schools and around the
province.” But is the Liberal policy really a step forward?
Not everyone is impressed with the idea of an “Anti-Bullying Day.”
“They’re tampering with evolution!” said Professor Kwaka of the University of Phoenix at a protest rally at the Las Vegas campus. Kwaka, who
majored in taxonomy, protests that bullies are a part of the modern day
“survival of the fittest,” and that kids who get picked on should either
learn to adapt or not reproduce. “If the kids are getting bullied, that’s their
own fault. The world doesn’t need them anyway.” Kwaka stressed that
contrary to popular belief, it isn’t the nice empathetic computer geek that
advances the
world, but the burly
insensitive
bullies. “We need
bullies. Without them, all we’ve
got are weak
little nice guy characters. What
we truly need are
men of action
that are prepared to
squash any
feeble liabilities to
evolution.”
Professor Kwaka gave
his hypothesis
claiming that if British Columbia
accepted bullying
rather than
shunning it, the
percentage of
mentally
and
physically
tough students
would increase
by 88%. “I’ve conducted countless studies and
they all tell me
one thing, bullying
is the way of
life. Just imagine a
jungle with no
predators. Think
about it—just
because one species preys on
another, doesn’t
mean the jungle animals legislate predators into extinction.”
As the crowd of a hundred people cheered and whistled, Kwaka
went on to explain that leaders are all bullies, and followers are the individuals that were unable to cope with torment. “We need more leadership
in our day and age. No more shall we embrace the weak and ostracize
antagonization. Premier Campbell should realize that bullies are the future.
Let evolution take its natural course.” Professor Kwaka left the stage to a
roar of applause leading the rowdy crowd to the Golden Gate Hotel and
Casino for biscuits and tea. Sadly, only 22 members of the rally made it
through the 2.6 kilometer march.
In response to the protest, Premier Campbell called Professor Kwaka
a “bully”.
The Echo Is....
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Kelsey Davies
Lorena Russo
T
ed Carr
Ted
T
ara Staples
Tara
Devon Henderson
Omar Chu
Farhan Devji
Zane Jiwa
by Echo columnist Tara Staples
Warning: Dr
Dr.. Charles Best Infested with PDA
PDA’’s
by Echo columnist:
Lorena Russo
Valentines Day is notorious for PDA’s, also known as
“Public Display of Affection Couples.” Unfortunately for some
PDA’s, Valentines Day is every
day. Anyone can spot a PDA couple when they see one. They’re
always touchy feely, making out
in public, sometimes even fondling
each other. Walking through the
halls of Best, you can see the
PDA’s everywhere. Even if you try
to walk faster, you just can’t escape them. Up against lockers, in
doorways, under stairs, in bathroom stalls. Soon they’ll be found
lurking in our classrooms or hanging from our ceilings.
If you want to have an
intimate make out session with your
lover, think about going somewhere
a little more private. Seriously, why
can’t some couples wait until after
school when they can go home and
do whatever they please when no
one is watching? The nastiest are
the young ones that look like dog’s
licking each others faces in front of
the whole student body. You wonder what’s going through their heads
if they think “It’s ok” to push each
other up against the vending machines and share an intimate kiss.
Or to suck each others’ faces off in
front of all the grade 12’s. Everyone in the school wonders what
compels PDA’s to be PDA’s. Is
there some sort of pheromone in
our school’s air that makes all couples want to jump each other? It
must really be love if you have your
partner pinned to a classroom door
as you suck their neck like a vampire. If you’re really in love and need
to hold and touch each other all day
long, could you at least keep it PG
and leave the tongue for after
school. Sadly our school is infested
with PDA couples, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
New Graduation Requirements
by Echo columnist Omar Chu
The Minister of Education, Shirley Bond, excitedly introduced the latest set of graduation Requirements,
last week. While there were several minor changes including upping the hours of vigorous activity to 120
hours and the work experience to sixty hours, the major
shock was the new obligatory weight standards. As of
September 2008, male students must weigh between 72
and 82 kilograms (approx. 160-180 pounds) while females
must stay between 63 and 72 kilos (approx. 140-160 lbs)
to graduate. “With the world coming to B.C. in 2010, we
want our citizens to look their very best,” Bond told the
media. “I am positive that this program will bring our
desired results.” Students will be weighed publicly sev-
eral times a year in their homeroom class to help track
their progress. For those currently over the standard,
the government will supply information on eating well
and leading healthy lifestyles. For those beneath the
standard, the government will issue chocolate pudding. There is, however, an exception to the rule. “We
understand that if athletes want to be in peak condition for their competitions they may need to weigh
outside these new guidelines.” Therefore, athletes that
are in National sports programs or are on at least four
school athletics programs will be excused from his regulation. Otherwise, students are going to have to slim
down or forget their gown.
Page 3
By Echo Columnist
Ted Carr
News
Grad Mice Infest Best
The repercussions of last
year’s grad prank may result in a
school closure. Last June, a handful of grade 12 students released
dozens of mice all around the
school. Since then, the mice have
reproduced like wildfire and
have been discovered in
several walls and crawl
spaces on the first and second floors, including the cafeteria.
Earlier this
month, hundreds of mice
were found in the school cellar and the cafeteria storage
room. Mark Hayes, the head
custodian said, “As far as
we can tell, the rodents
haven’t infected any of the
cafeteria food, but this whole
mess is still under investigation.” The Ministry of Health
have conducted thorough
examinations over spring
break so far have found no
signs of contamination.
“The mice have created numerous tunnels throughout the
school walls; it’s like one big maze!
The only way we’re going to get
rid of these mice is to get rid of
these walls and poison the suck-
ers,” said Jay Lincoln, maintenance
manager of District 43. To fumigate
and exterminate the mice, the
school will be shut down from April
12-19th while the exterminators and
a demolition team disinfect the
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
tion will issue vaccination shots to
all students. “It is our number one
priority to make sure the students
receive these vaccination shots as
they will prevent any illness that
may occur. Although
infections are extremely unlikely, the
safety of the students
is our number one concern.” Ms. Front, medical officer of Children’s
Safety Board also said
“this is a necessary
precaution…all students are expected to
be inoculated.” Returning students will
not only have to deal
with toxins, they will
also have their school
year running into the
first two weeks of summer due to lengthy disinfection process.
When asked exactly how long
this would take, exterminator Eric
Warn said: “How long the demolition will take is anyone’s guess, it
all depends on the actual amount of
mice we’re dealing with.”
school. Chemicals such as Tetrazide
and Necroxide will be sprayed into
the walls and a massive tent is to
be draped around the exterior of
the building to confine the toxic
fumes.
Later this week, administra-
AT
oast to T
ealess T
ea
Toast
Tealess
Tea
By Echo Columnist
Jon Ng
The Tealess Tea—what a
delightful irony. Normally just another fluorescently lit classroom,
room 105 was dimmed down to candle light giving off a ubiquitous
sense of tranquility. This casual
event saw a wide range of guests,
from Mr. Stuart to Mr. Jiwa, showing their acknowledgment to the
skill development department by
socializing while enjoying a cup-
cake and fruit punch. It was without question an afternoon of splendid joy as everyone who entered
the room felt welcome to be a part
of a day meant for Best students.
These Best students took the time
and effort to set the room up to
spend the day in different scenery—one of care free rejoice. Hats
off to another great Tealess Tea.
By Echo Reporters
Lorena Russo and Ted Carr
What’
What’ss the Best April Fools
joke you’ve ever pulled?
Tyler and Malcolm
Gavin
I put a fart machine in my
teacher’s desk.
Pulled a fire alarm.
Joey
Callum
I put A5-35 in a toothpaste
tube.
I fed my dad laxative
cookies then put saran wrap
on the toilet seat.
How do you plan on having fun in the sun?
Sarah
Spend a lot of time at the
beach.
Jordan
Tan naked on my roof.
Lorena and Alissa
Mexico!!!!
Andrea and Stephanie
Hang out with friends.
NEWS
Tuesday April 1st, 2008
Page 4
Students’ T
alent Showcased
Talent
at Fine Arts Night
by Echo reporter Tara Staples
It was a record turnout for Dr. Charles Best Annual Fine & Performing Arts Night which
took place on Thursday, February 28th; a large number of students and their families joined
together in the small gym to admire the artistic and creative accomplishments of their
peers. A number of outstanding pieces were displayed that included a variety of medias
and styles from drawing and painting, photography and graphic arts, to dramatic scenes
and musical performances by students from the drama and music departments. The event
began at seven, with an opening performance by the junior and senior jazz bands, welcoming
the audience. The performance was both ambitious and impressive. Following up, the
choir belted out a number of songs, leaving attendants in awe with their medley of tenacious
and harmonious compilations. After the choir’s performance, cast members from ‘You’re a
Good Man Charlie Brown’ took the stage, presenting the musical’s hit self-titled song,
giving the audience a taste of the drama department’s upcoming spring play. After a half
hour intermission to view the colourful artwork, and tasty treats, the audience returned to
their seats (or standing positions) to enjoy scenes performed by Drama 9 students and a
particular memorable scene from ‘School Daze’. Overall, the event was needless to say,
successful and extremely enjoyable for the whole family.
Dollar a Day Campaign wins $8,000 Grant for Homeless
by Echo columnist Matt Newton
Last September, I went to a meeting
over coffee with a few good friends
who were talking about an idea that
could mean huge change for
Vancouver. All six of us were eager
to do something to provide relief to
the urban poverty crisis, and the
“Dollar a Day Campaign” was born
out of that desire. The concept is
sound, and the mission is bold:
“Empowering people to eliminate
poverty.” We began with a core team
of six: Coquitlam Alliance youth
pastors Jon Morrison and Dave
Smith, Port Moody Secondary
students Cameron Dailly and Jessica
Wiebe, UVic student Kristie Burkett,
and myself. We set out on a youthrun initiative like none before, to make
permanent changes in Metro
Vancouver.There is a dire need in the
lower mainland for outreach; the
homeless population of the
downtown eastside has reached over
2000, is expected to triple from what
its size was in 2006 by the time the
Olympics roll around, and the United
Nations recently declared our
homeless epidemic a Canadian crisis
that demands the attention of our
nation. Furthermore, low-income
housing residents are being illegally
already doing amazing things to
help those less fortunate with us,
rather than attempt to establish
evicted with 24-hours notice in the
tri-cities as well as Vancouver,
which is causing a dramatic
increase in the amount of displaced
people.
What makes this campaign unique
is that it aims to raise capital for
established ministries who are
our own. The organizations
benefiting from the campaign are
Union Gospel Mission, Hope for
Freedom Society, Potter’s Place,
Covenant House, and Nightshift
Street Ministry, all of which have
remarkable stories on how they
persevere through diversity in the
pursuit of helping the poor. For just
one month, November 2008, people
are encouraged to donate a dollar
for each day for a total of $30. 100%
of this money will then be
distributed to these ministries. We
believe that everyone wants to
help the homeless, but don’t have
an effective way to do so; this
campaign enables people to make
a manageable contribution that,
accumulatively, will make a huge
impact.
Thus far, the campaign has been
very fortunate in its reception. Our
launch event, Some Strings
Attached, raised over $2000 in
freewill offering, which CP Rail then
generously matched. We were then
given a $2000 donation in order to
make
a
website
(www.dollaradaycampaign.com).
Most recently, Cameron, Dave and
myself travelled to the cold, hard
tundra of Caronport, Saskatchewan
for YouthQuake, a youth
conference that holds an annual
competition to donate money to
youth-run initiatives. Cameron and
I spoke in front of over 1300 people,
who then voted on which of the
initiatives would win the top prize.
The next day, the results were
announced, and we went home with
the maximum grant of $8000, all of
which will go to the campaign.
Our most recent event was focused
on developing the Dollar a Day team,
rather than raising funds. The Dollar
a Day training day was held in early
March, and involved all members of
our team speaking, as well as
presentations from representatives
from four of the five involved
ministries. Positions within the
campaign were explained and
explored, and all in attendance were
worked with to brainstorm unique
ways they can be involved. We
walked away from that day with a
much larger Coquitlam team as well
as quite a few municipal delegates
who will build Dollar a Day teams in
their respective cities.As for the
future, we are currently planning to
speak and hold training days in other
cities as well, and promoting Dollar a
Day through a variety of interesting,
effective ways. From now until
November 2008, we have a lot of work
ahead of us but we are optimistic and
enthused for what’s yet to come.
Entertainment
Page 5
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
Celebrity
Look-Alikes
Photos by Lauren Jeanneau
Mr. Case
Charlie Brown
Oprah
Oscars Lower Standards
by Echo columnist Devon Henderson, who is very angry at
Lauren Jeanneau for dropping the ball on this one
Much to my dismay, I was
scheduled to work the night of this
year’s Academy Awards. Luckily,
the television at the bar of the restaurant by which I am employed had
the awards on. This meant that as I
was shucking copious amounts of
oysters (oh the joy), I
could hopefully catch
some moments of the
Oscars. Unfortunately, I
only had the opportunity
to look up twice during
my shift. Let me tell you
what I saw.
The first time I
snuck a peek at the
screen, I thought they
had put it on the wrong
channel. After all, why
would Miley Cyrus be at
the Oscars? Oh right,
because she’s a superawesome triple threat
who is just oozing with talent. It’s
not like she’s just another gadget
in the Disney machine that was
given a TV show because Daddy
is a washed up country singer and
she has a voice that can be strategically manipulated by a computer
to sound almost good. Honestly,
there should be snipers positioned
along the red carpet to monitor travesties such as this. If no one’s up
for the job, I’m not busy, I’ll volunteer. Once I had fully taken in what
I was seeing on the TV, I returned
to my oysters. However, given my
state of rage, I successfully shattered about ten perfectly good
Effingham oysters. Tragic.
About an hour and a half
later, once I had recovered from the
Miley Cyrus incident by convincing myself that I was hallucinating,
I looked up again. Overall, this was
not a wise decision. The word
“Norbit” was dominating the
screen. Of course, I thought this
was a commercial, especially considering
that
“Norbit” is a film in
which
Eddie
Murphy demonstrates his acting
prowess by dressing up as a woman.
Now there’s a concept that’s never
been done before.
Naturally, I was
disappointed once
again. “Norbit”
was nominated for
an
Academy
Award. I suppose
that, given the
nomination was for achievement in
make-up, it really could have been
worse. But then again, when
”Norbit” is released on DVD, it can
now have the caption “Oscar Nominated” placed on the cover. When
that happens, and happen it will, I
will personally commit crimes of the
arsenic nature on every movie
rental store in the lower mainland.
Could the Academy come up with
no other nomination for make-up?
They had to resort to “Norbit?”
Cheers for that one Oscar.
Needless to say, I will not
be watching the Oscars next year.
At least not until they name me the
Official Sniper of the 2009 Academy
Awards.
Mr. Jones
Mr. Baker
Duncan Webster
Homer
Simpson
Bob Saget
Mr. Smith
Steve Carell
Entertainment
Page 6
Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
Country
Country,, Hard Rock, and Folk: The Echo Reviews It All
Dolly Parton:
Backwoods
Barbie
By Echo Columnist
Ted Carr
A strange thing happened to me
as I listened to Backwoods Barbie…
I developed a crush for an older
woman named Dolly Parton.
The funny thing is, before I heard
this album, I thought Dolly was dead.
Now, I’m no fan of country music,
but I know good music when I hear
it, and this album is full of it!
Dolly opens the album up with the
song “Better Get to Livin’,” which
instantly engages the listener with
her cute voice offering advice on
living a better life. Line after line, this
upbeat song is full of guidance:
“Don’t sweat the small stuff, keep
your chin up, just hang tough, and
if it gets to rough fall on your knees
and pray…”
“She Drives me Crazy,” a Fine
Young Cannibals cover song appears on the album and is one of my
favorites. It’s hard to believe how
old Dolly Parton really is when you
hear just how beautiful she sings
these pop country songs.
The title track Backwoods Barbie
is undeniably catchy and I found it
hard to get the chorus out of my
dead: “I’m just a backwoods Barbie,
too much makeup too much hair,
don’t be fooled by thinking that the
goods are not all bad.” The song
begins with the telling of her youthful aspiration to be pretty like the
models and her Barbie dolls. It’s safe
to say that her dreams have come
true, because, at age 62, Dolly’s as
beautiful as ever.
“You ask me not to wear cologne,
shell know you’ve been with me By Echo Columnist
alone, and you can’t take our secret Ted Carr
No longer simply a man and his
home…” Dolly’s boy troubles are
revealed in the song “Cologne,” guitar, City and Colour’s Bring Me
when she confesses her love for a Your Love proves just how much
married man who leaves her hurt Dallas Green has evolved as a musievery time he leaves her bed to head cian.
From the drum kit to the harmonica,
back to his wife’s.
Before the albums curtains close, City and Colour use a variety of
Dolly sings about her search for instruments and have broadened
love in the song “Somebodys Eve- their horizons to create an album
with entrancing instrumentals
rything.”
Refusing to settle for anything wrapped around flawless vocalizing
less than great, Dolly declares that and inspirational lyrics.
Every song has it’s own story and
she would even wait a lifetime to find
true love: “I want someone to come each creates a different mood. “The
alive when they lay eyes on me, have Death of Me” reveals Dallas’ love
a lust within there touch, a passion for whisky, and the depressive
binges that come with it.
far beyond belief.”
While the songs lyrics are a
Backwoods Barbie is an album for
anyone who can appreciate good downer, the guitar work and vocals
music when they hear it. Not only is are upbeat and cheery. “Body in a
it a great album, it’s a mood-enhanc- Box,” (from what I got out it) is about
ing supplement! With just 1 listen, I the day you die turning out to be the
can guarantee you’re mood will lift best day of your life: “We celebrate
dramatically. So give it a go, have the lives of the dead like the man’s
best party only happens when he
some fun and crank these tunes.
dies.” The song contains a very
(April fools!)
short harmonica melody which adds
to the song’s polish.As if Dallas’
voice alone is not enough, Gordon
Downie from the Tragically Hip is
featured in the song “Sleeping Sick-
City and
Colour: Bring
Me Your Love
Be Kind, Put Me Out Of My Misery
By Echo Columnist
Lorena Russo
Ouch, definitely not one of
Jack Black’s finest. The previews
made this movie look like it would
become incredibly popular, but
the movie itself was a dud and
entirely different than the
previews made it out. “Be Kind
Rewind” is about a cheap video
store about to be shut down. The
city wants to improve the
neighbourhood and make it as
beautiful as the rest of the city;
unfortunately, this means the
video store is to be closed. The
man who owns the store has been
living above it for years, and his
friends who work at the store will
do anything they can to keep it in
business. When the owner leaves
town, he depends on his
employees to run the store until
his return.
Jack Black, one of the
employees, is suddenly struck by
lightening, and soon discovers
every video in the store he
touches, erases. Panicking and
scared, they come up with a plan:
to film their own version of every
video in the store.
“Be Kind Rewind” wasn’t a
terrible movie, but I would expect
more humour especially seeing as
Jack Black stars in it. The theatre
as a whole laughed three times - I
counted. Not only was this movie
not that funny, but the storyline
was ridiculous. The movie had
more to do with the store having
to close down than it did making
the funny videos. It was almost a
bad drama film rather than a
comedy. I would give this film 2
stars. I’ve seen worse movies, but
I’ve also had twice as many
laughs in other Jack Black movies.
ness,” and every word he sings is
like magic; his voice flows so well
with the tone of the song.
More than ever before, Dallas’
personal life is incorporated into the
songs, and “The Girl” is a perfect
example. It’s a love song inspired by
his own appreciation for his girlfriend’s patience as he follows his
dreams as a musician. Considering
the majority of the songs on the
album are of a sad and miserable
nature, it comes with no surprise
that album ends with their most sentimental song yet.
“As Much as I Ever Could” tops
off the album with passionate lyrics
emanating from deep in this man’s
soul: “As the storm grew fierce, and
danger was certainly near, I knew
there was nothing to fear…”
A year or two ago, Much Music
said that Dallas Green would be:
“The Next Bob Dylan,” and after
hearing this album, I completely
agree.
Dropkick
Murphys: The
Meanest of
Times
By Echo Columnist
Josh Armstong
The Meanest of Times is
DKM’s first CD on their very own
label, Born and Bred Records. The
Dropkick Murphys, who hail from
Boston, are one of the only bands
out today that truly have a unique
sound. Mixing hard rock, Scottish
and Irish instruments and a tad of
folk, they achieve an interesting
blend of styles, and amazingly, they
have been able to retain this sound,
instead of falling into the pit of commercialism that many other alternative bands fall into by letting their
own musical style bleed into mediocrity. The music produced by this
combination is an amazing brand of
Celtic punk much harder than any
other bands, including Flogging
Molly.
One of the most remarkable songs
on the CD, “Flannigan’s Ball,” based
on an old Irish pub tune, is in my
opinion, the best song on the CD. It
retains everything great from their
current and past music, from the
bagpipes to fascinating lyrics to fast,
memorable guitar. The quality is also
found on the rest of the album, as it’s
definitely the best they’ve made
since “Blackout,” and possibly their
best yet.
Many of the songs are based on
some of the band’s members’ childhood experiences growing. From
“The State of Massachusetts,“
about an unfit drug-addicted parent
losing her children to the government while “Loyal to No One“ examines a narcissistic man who cares for
no one but himself. With such serious subject matter, it’s odd how
Dropkick Murphys retain their party
atmosphere. The light music and
serious tone of the lyrics form an
odd but compelling juxtaposition.
One thing I still miss, however, is
a song like “Skinhead on the Mtba”
or “The Spicy McHaggis jig,” songs
that transform a CD, by involving
other styles of music like ska into the
mix, always with incredible results.So
whether you like hard rock or folk,
you can find something you like in
the Dropkick Murphys.
Sports
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Page 7
A common theme with the senior athletics teams at Charles Best
this year has been disappointment,
but not failure. The Senior Girls
Volleyball squad came within one
game of extending their four-year
Provincial streak; the Senior Boys
basketball team failed to qualify to
the Fraser Valley’s despite being
ranked 12th in the province in the
week leading up to their demise
and now, thanks to their 14-13 defeat at the hands of rival New
Westminster, the swaggering Senior Boys Lacrosse team can be
added to that list. The loss marks
the second year in a row that Best
came up short to New West in the
semi-finals.
Going into the fourth quarter
with a comfortable 11-6 lead, it
appeared as though the boys were
destined for an appearance in the
District Finals; however, within a
five minute stretch, New West won
7 consecutive face-offs, and proceeded to score on each possession. In large part due to the play
of Tor Reinholdt, who recorded 3
goals and 3 assists in the game and
according to Coach Fridge,
“played the game of his season,”
Best made a last ditch comeback
attempt but “the turnovers and
pressure to score was too difficult
to overcome.”
“We have always known it
would come down to this as the #3
Unexpected
By: Echo Hall of Famer
Farhan Devji
Vancouver is a city inhabited
by an abundance of bandwagon
jumping, swaggering, knee-jerking human beings, otherwise
known as Canucks fans. Before
going on any further, I’ll acknowledge that by writing this article I
may very well fall directly into this
category. As a regular Team 1040
listener and frequent reader of the
infamous Canucks.com forums, it
is made painfully obvious day after day that these “fans,” which
they like to call themselves, lose
every grasp of reality when it
comes to their adored team.
Take this for example. Over the
past weeks, the subject of the Vancouver Canucks 07/08 unsung
hero has taken full force through
the media airways. Ryan Kesler
(the next Mike Modano), Alexander Edler (the next Nicklas
Lidstrom) and Alexandre Burrows
(the next Vincent Lecavalier) have
repeatedly appeared as top candidates for the award. You need not
look further to find the leading
supporter of the three players
listed above. Kesler (who many
“fans” thought should have been
sent packing to Philly two summers ago after signing an offer
sheet worth 1.7 million), Burrows
(who many “fans” thought was
the second coming of Jarkko
Ruutu) and Alexander Edler (who
many “fans” thought should have
been traded for a rental player at
last season’s trade deadline) are
all having career seasons and have
established themselves as
seed in the tournament. This one
will stick with me
for awhile,” said
Coach Fridge.
Despite coming
short of their hefty
goal to be the best
in the province,
the team certainly
shouldn’t
be
hanging their
heads. Taylor
Morrison- who is
coming off ACL
surgery- Rhys
Parsons, and
Brad Haddon –
among others,
battled through
injuries all season
along and according to Travis
Cornwall, the
boys have nothing to be ashamed
of.
“Our biggest
Travis Cornwall rips it passed Heritage Woods defender Scott Constable
problem all season
was that we
the grade 12’s were the essentially
Scharnberg, Dennison and
weren’t playing as a team, but in
the foundation of the arsenal. The
Neufeld holding the fort on the
the New West game, we put all the
experience that the young guns
back end.
pieces together in the first 3 quarreceived this year will prove to be
“The biggest thing that needs
ters, proving that we were better as
invaluable as they will undoubtto happen for these guys is their
a team than New West,” he said.
edly contend for the number one
work ethic needs to be consistent
This was in large part due to the
seed next season. It is expected
game in and game out,” said Coach
young guys stepping up and findthat Dinsdale and Church, who
Fridge. “They have a lot of swaging a common ground with the
already have college scholarship
ger and that is fine but each team
grade 12’s. The grade 11’s played
offers, along with Steele and
will be gunning for these guys next
more of a run and gun style while
Simons will lead the offense with
season. The importance of coming
to compete each game and practice
is going to be important.”
As for Cornwall, Morrison,
Reinholdt, Parsons, Haddon – who
despite never getting much recognition, was an incredible defender
and a consummate leader – along
with the rest of the seniors, they
can take solace in the fact that they
helped field one of the best lacrosse teams in school history.
andidate for Unsung Hero Award Champs Conquer Junior Boys
bonafide NHL’ers in the process.
However, it is a general consensus
that these three players have been
among Vancouver’s top performers this season, so how does that
make them unsung? Perhaps, it
might be helpful to take another
look at the definition of “unsung
hero” before you are dumbfounded
by my nominee.
Unsung hero: Not honored or
praised; uncelebrated. Don’t tell
me that Kesler, Edler, and Burrows
have been uncelebrated this season. Forget Obama and Clinton
because Kesler, Edler and Burrows
have been all deemed next President of the United States at one
point or another this season by the
Canucks faithful (despite the fact
that only Kesler hails from below
the 49th parallel). A more suitable
candidate for unsung hero might
be Aaron Miller, possibly Byron
Ritchie or Mike Weaver, players
that do not receive adequate recognition. Get the point? The unsung hero should be a player that
is actually unsung, so that raises
the question, who is the Canucks’
unsung hero? (Drum roll please).
How about Markus Naslund?
Yes, that one. The same overpaid,
over aged, underachieving, cliché
spewing Markus Naslund. No, this
isn’t my attempt at a dismal April
fools joke and no I am not consuming any illegal substances as I write
this brilliant piece (may Aldous
Huxley rest in peace). Naslund has
been ripped apart for not providing enough offense, yet he has
surpassed the 20 goal-mark for a
ninth consecutive season and is
second to only Daniel Sedin for
the team lead in goals. The native
of Örnsköldsvik, Sweden has
been continuously criticized for
not putting the puck on net
enough, yet oddly enough, he
finds himself second to only Daniel Sedin for the team lead in shots.
Above all, the captain has drastically adapted his game to that it
fits into Coach Alain Vigneault’s
defensive oriented system, a feat
that is easier said than done.
Even I’m not enough of a bandwagon jumping, swaggering,
knee-jerking human being to say
that Markus Naslund has earned
his hefty 6 million dollar pay check
this season; because he hasn’t.
However, he certainly shouldn’t
be considered the scapegoat that
he has been made out to be either.
Markus Naslund is Vancouver’s
07/08 unsung hero, because despite what the so-called experts
might say, he has been just that.
Echo Hockey
Pool
Standings
Samantha Hof
Mr.Napoletano
Ryan Budd
Shayne Lachlan
Cody Johnson
Matthew Kirk
Brendan Batchelor
Mr. Murray
Katelyn Hicks
Mr. Wiebe
Manny Haider
Tommy Kirkley
Mr. House
684
671
664
664
664
659
656
652
641
641
635
635
633
By Echo Reporter:
Omar Chu
The Charles Best Junior
Boys enjoyed home field advantage throughout the B.C. High
School Field Lacrosse Championships, but unfortunately they
couldn’t make it past the semis.
The team opened the tournament March 5th with an impressive
11-1 win against Centennial, but
over the next two days they struggled to match that opening statement, finishing the round robin
with a 2-1-1record. March 6th, they
played back to back games, a 4-4 tie
against Heritage Woods and a 7-5
loss to New West. Friday the 7th,
the boys catapulted themselves
into the elimination round with a 65 win against Claremont. Unfortunately, they lost 7-5 in the semifinals to the very same Claremont
team, the eventual champion and
the team that they had previously
defeated.
“I was disappointed,” lamented
Middie Elliot Godman. Attacker
Marcus Stanford was at a loss for
words. “We tried hard,” he finally
managed.
Photo by Omar Chu
By: Echo Hall of Famer
Farhan Devji
Photo by Farhan Devji
Déja V
u All Over Again - New W
est Edges Best in Semi-Finals
Vu
West
Re-W
riting Charles Best History- One T
eam at a T
ime
Re-Writing
Team
Time
Photo by Zane Jiwa
Photo by Zane Jiwa
Michelle Choi dipsydoodles around an opposing defender.
By Echo Hall of Famer
Zane Jiwa
This last month has been a
month to remember for the Charles
Best grade nine girls. Entering this
season with scattered expectations, this underrated team took
their game to a new level, and
ended the campaign on a high
note. “We made Charles Best history!” an enthused Coach Edgell
stated when asked about the
team’s play in provincials, which
saw our girls string together a very
respectable 2-2 record. “The
whole team played so well. I’m
proud of everyone. We all worked
so hard throughout the year, and
what a great ending,” the coach
added. For those who are oblivious to what has taken place over
the month, the Dr. Charles Best basketball program is starting to shine,
unlike the gloomy spring weather.
With this year’s Senior Boys team’s
early playoff exit and the Senior
Girls’ dissapointing season, the one
bright spot this year has been the
spectacular play and miraculous
finish of the grade nine girls. This
girl’s team was the first grade nine
Michelle Choi takes a running shot.
team in Best history to advance
from the Fraser Valleys to
Provincials; even better was the
result at the Provincials. Hosted
by Gleneagle, this Provincial tournament consisted of four games,
and saw our school finish in tenth
place. “I think that even though
people might not think that 10th
place is such a great accomplishment, our team goal at the beginning of the season was to just make
provincials. We ended up finishing a lot better than this,” forward
Cassie Sparvier stated. This tenth
place finish does not only mean that
the grade nine girls were ranked
tenth in the province, it also marked
the first time a Charles Best basketball team has ever finished the season with a ranking of this stature.
While the whole team played extremely well, a few players were
chosen for individual awards.
Cassie Sparvier, Christine
Jenkins, Kelsey McManus,
Michelle Choi and Victoria
Mahaffey picked up “Player of the
Game” awards, while Shaila Gunn
and Victoria Mahaffey were recognized as Most Valuable Teammates.
While these awards distinguished
some great individual play, Coach
Edgell made it clear that “the
awarded players couldn’t have
done it without the play of their
team-mates. It was a team effort.”
Sparvier echoed the coaches comments, saying “We all wanted to
stand out, individually and as a
team, and although I was named
Player of the Game, I think our
whole team should have been recognized for it’s outstanding play
this whole weekend. We will never
forget this weekend, because we’ve
made grade nine girls history at
Charles Best,” Sparvier finished.
By Echo Reporter Omar
Chu
The Grade 9 Boys Basketball team had a historic season.
It’s too bad that it came to an anticlimactic end. The first Charles
Best Grade 9 team to ever make it
into the Fraser Valleys the boys
took 3rd Place, insuring themselves
a place in the Provincial Championships, held at the Mennonite
Educational
Institute
in
Abbotsford. While the host team
started provincials by playing in
front of hundreds of cheering fans
with a band, cheerleaders and a
commentator, the Blue Devils
opened the game in a dark, abandoned elementary school gym
against ninth seeded Handsworth.
Best started out slow, and was
never able to catch up, losing 5041 and relegating themselves to
the consolation round. There
they beat 16 seeded Wellington 49-41 before losing by
identical 45-42 scores to Dr.
Knox and Magee, the top
teams in the Okanagan and
Vancouver respectively.
The final two games
were even more painful, considering the fact that the
games were decided on
missed buzzer beaters. Six
foot guard Matthew Gibson
struggled with describing the
success of the season. “Well,
it was our goal to make
Provincials, but when we
made it, we didn’t do too well.
Then again, there were also a
lot of good teams like RC
Palmer, who beat us by 30 in
the regular season.”
Matthew
Gibson
puts
up up
a mid
range
jumper.
Matthew
Gibson
puts
a mid
range
jumper.
Photo by Omar Chu
Photo by Omar Chu
Grade 9 Boys a Slam Dunk