Welcome and Welcome Back - Silverthorn Collegiate Institute

PHOTO TAKEN BY MARK SYPTEK
Fall into Autumn!
Camp Manitou 2012
SINDHUJAA GANESAMOORTHY
embraced the day’s wet conditions and
remained optimistic. Though the weather was
On September 17th, several S.C.I. students
wild, spirits were high as everyone eagerly
boarded buses and headed up north to Camp
awaited that night’s activity: Gym Riot. Just
Manitou. Upon arrival, they discovered that
before the highly anticipated event, the field
their beloved camp was being used to film a
was a sea of people dressed in red, pink, orange,
movie. The fact that the barn, the central
green, blue, gold, purple, and black. For the
destination for evening activities, was off
duration of the night, teams performed their
limits, didn’t stop students from embarking
cheers, screamed their hearts out, and
on their life changing week. On the first day,
demonstrated their pride and devotion to their
campers got acquainted with the camp
colours. Just as the night wound down, cries of
environment and the atmosphere grew bright
joy rang through The Hanger when the green
with excitement. Lunch was eaten, tours were
team was crowned the winner of this year’s
given, and games were played. After a long
Gym Riot. The week progressed and the bond
day of activities came to an end, students
between campers, counsellors, and leaders grew
began to look forward to their next day at
stronger. From rotations during the day and
camp.
dance invitations at lunch to the following
The second day came rolling in, accompanied night’s activities (campfire and the dance/talent
with some pretty stormy weather. Campers, show), new friends and everlasting memories
activity leaders, counsellors, and teachers
REPORTER
SCI VIBES
VOL. 12 y ISSUE # 1
October 2012
SCI VIBES
The
Controversy of
School
Uniforms
BRITTNEY CULMONE
REPORTER
Silverthorn is the type of school
that allows you to express
yourself in any way you wish.
What if one day that freedom
was suddenly taken away?
Imagine one day you were
given a mandatory uniform to
wear and no longer had the
option to wear what you chose
to school.
Now this could be a good thing,
or it could be a bad thing. A few
of the pros would be that students
would no longer have to worry
about what to wear every day, it
would
also
eliminate
the
competitiveness fashion brings.
Another “perk” would be the
money saved as students would
no longer have to spend hundreds
of dollars on clothes every year
and season. Some may disagree
with the fact that it saves you
money. It truly depends on your
life style. Some may want a
selection of clothes specifically
for the weekend and evenings
therefore, buying a uniform on
top of that would end up costing
you more money. Another con of
having a uniform would be that
you would not be able to express
yourself in the way that you wish.
Many school boards believe that
by forcing students to wear the
same uniform can influence the
students to behave in a more
civilized way and cause students
to have better focus in school. A
problem with that would be that
not being able to express yourself
the way you wish which can
cause the students in uniform to
rebel more than the students who
already have the freedom.
Religion can also play a
part in the uniform decision. In
some cultures, certain restrictions
on how individuals dress are
common. By bringing uniforms
into public school, this would
take away part of their cultural
decisions.
Certain schools that
currently have a uniform policy
have one day every other month
called a “Civics Day”, allowing
students to take a break from
their everyday uniform — while
still following the dress code.
Some believe this is a good thing
as it is a compromise, while still
allowing the students to have
something to look forward as
well.
In the end, everyone has
their
own
opinion
about
uniforms, some for and some
against. If public schools were
assigned uniforms, would you be
happy? If one day you came to
school and everyone was wearing
uniforms
would
you
be
comfortable? In the end, it is all
about you.
SCI Features
were made. On the very last day
of camp, students packed up and
headed to their group debrief to
end their week at Manitou. Teams
shared their favourite moments at
camp together and thoughts on
what they learned about one
another that week. Team bracelets
were handed out, hugs were
exchanged, and a slideshow of the
week’s highlights was presented.
Shortly after, the campers
boarded their buses to make their
journey back home.
“The bond that links your true
family is not one of blood, but of
respect and joy in each other's
life. Rarely do members of one
family grow up under the same
roof.” This quote by Richard
Bach
describes
what
is
experienced by many – if not all –
people
who
attend
Camp
Manitou. Though we are not
related, perhaps with a few
exceptions, camp truly creates a
family. Starting the week off as
individuals and as strangers who
believe we have nothing in
common with one another; we
progress to become one large
family. At Manitou we meet
people whom are exactly like us,
find joy in things we never
thought we would find joy in, and
in some cases, rediscover
ourselves. Though Manitou was
several weeks ago, it is wonderful
to see teammates exchange smiles
and greetings in the hallways at
school. Bonds from that week
remain strong, showing that the
Camp Manitou experience never
truly leaves a person. Whether
you were or will be a camper in
the future, you are reminded that
bonds will never break so long as
you try to keep them strong.
OCTOBER 2012
U.S.
Presidential
Election: The
Breakdown
MARINA POPOVIC
REPORTER
th
On November 6 , 2012, US voters
will be heading to the polls to vote
for their 57th president. This year,
the presidential candidates are
Barack Obama for the Democratic
party, Mitt Romney for the
Republican party, Gary Johnson
for the Libertarian party, Jill Stein
for the Green party, and Virgil
Goode for the Constitution party.
Being Canadian, we do
not have the opportunity to vote
for a president because we are a
Constitutional Monarchy. It is
very interesting, entertaining and a
little bit frustrating to watch U.S.
citizens and politicians battle for
the job of President of the United
States.
Nominating
candidates
and electing a president is a very
long and complicating process. It
works on many levels. First, a
state has a primary election within
parties which is called an indirect
election. Unlike Canada, voters do
not directly select the candidate
for the presidential role. This
election determines how many
‘delegates’ each party will have
for their national convention.
A national convention is a
special type of convention in
which the purpose is to select a
nominee from each party to run
for President. The parties each
have only two types of delegates
at the convention: pledged and
unpledged. Unpledged delegates
are allowed to vote for any
candidate at the election. But,
pledged delegates must vote in
agreement with their state party
rules.
SCI VIBES
Once the parties have
selected
their
presidential
candidates, they go into an active
political arena against each other.
They explain and sell their
political views and platforms. The
candidates will spend many days
on the road with their teams trying
to convince the citizens of the US
that they are the proper candidate
for the job. The nominees will
debate against each other in a
televised program.
After their campaigns,
U.S. citizens will have the chance
to vote for their choice nominee.
Unlike Canada, the president is
not selected by popular vote, but
by ‘electoral votes’. Each state has
at least 3 of these votes. In total,
the U.S. has 538 electoral votes,
and to win the presidency, a
nominee must receive a majority
of the electoral votes.
This year, the two major
candidates
are
from
the
Democratic
and
Republican
parties, Barack Obama and Mitt
Romney. It is expected for one of
them to win. If Barack Obama
wins, it will be his second term of
presidency.
As the hat of North
America, we wish our southern
neighbours to successfully elect
whoever is best for them and we
hope to continue our prosperous
link with the United States.
A Simple Guide
to Surviving the
2012 Apocalypse
VALENTINA MIHAJLOVIC AND MARIJA
BULAJIC
REPORTERS
All right ladies and gents, I’m sure
you’re all aware of the impending
apocalypse, but don’t sweat it
because we have compiled a list
of all the necessary items you’ll
need to survive. “The number one
thing you need to know is that
Australia, New Zealand, Great
Britain, the U.S., Africa, South
America, and Europe are the best
places to be during the end of
days”
(http://safespots.info/).
What you might wonder is where
are Asia, or Canada on this list?
Well, I guess it’s time to pack our
bags and move, because the
internet told us all this wonderful
information, and as we know, the
internet is never wrong. You also
might want to build a bunker on a
pristine block of wilderness, and
make sure to equip it with plenty
of magazines, Scooby-Doo BandAids, a snuggie, and most
importantly your laptop with WiFi, because hey, you gotta’ tweet
such an epic event, #2012! The
last,
and
absolutely
most
important thing you are going to
need if you want to survive, is to
act like Will Smith from ‘I Am
Legend’. Good luck!
OCTOBER 2012
Our interview with
Mr. Bubulj:
1. I teach history, law and
philosophy.
2. Twenty-six years. I’ve been
teaching here since 1999, 14
years.
3. You need to strive to find your
purpose in life. Also, never lose
sight of human goodness and what
is possible.
4. I remember a student setting a
toilet on fire about seven years
ago. He set one of the staff room
toilets on fire and we were forced
to go into a lockdown. It was
really horrible because of the
smell that remained afterwards,
and now the staff bathroom doors
are locked.
5. I believe that you can never
step in the same river twice. I
don’t believe in wishing to repeat
any moments in life, but rather in
looking back on memories, seeing
the mistakes that were made, and
moving on.
6. I have a tie that was once my
father’s from his wedding day. Its
navy blue and it serves as a
memory for me.
7. I was staff advisor for the
debate society one year and we
went to a mock G20 Summit
where one of our students put on a
really big show for everyone. At
first we were all embarrassed but
he managed to make a great
impression at the meeting. I didn’t
join many teams or clubs in high
school. However, I didn’t really
join anything until I reached
university, so I recommend that
students join organizations early
in high school if that is what they
are interested in.
8. If I had the chance, I would go
to Ancient Rome. It was a very
multicultural city at the time and
had the most advancements. Also,
there
were
many
famous
characters around Rome at that
time, like Julius Caesar, who
would be interesting to see.
SCI VIBES
9. I’m looking forward to the year
in general. There are challenges in
every year, both academic and
otherwise and I anticipate the
excitement of a good challenge.
Getting to Know
our Teachers…
CAITLIN CRUX AND LIZ MCELROY
STAFF REPORTERS
Welcome back Spartans! For the
first issue of the year, we chose to
focus on the History Department
and two of their fantastic teachers,
Ms. Chong and Mr. Bubulj, who
kindly allowed us to interview
them.
QUESTIONS:
1. What are the subjects that you
usually teach? What are the
subjects you are currently
teaching?
2. How long have you been a
teacher? How long have you been
teaching at Silverthorn?
3. What advice would you give to
all graduating students?
4.
What
is
your
most
embarrassing/favourite/best/funny
moment of the year overall?
5. If you could re-do any moment
in your life, what would and when
would it be?
6. What’s your favourite article of
clothing? (eg. Your signature
piece)
7. What is the weirdest team/club
that you have ever been involved
in as a student and as a teacher?
8. If you could travel to any place
and time where and when would it
be?
9. What is one thing you are
looking forward to this school
year?
Our Interview with
Ms. Chong:
1. I usually teach History for the
grade 10s, HSP for grade 11s and
this year I am also teaching
Genocide for grade 11s.
2. I’m not answering that
question. I have been at
Silverthorn for 12 years.
3. Go to all your classes and stay
organized!!
4. A memorable moment would
be going to the semi-formals and
proms that Silverthorn hosts. I
always go to them –it’s nice to see
everyone dressed nice and looking
grown up.
5. I maybe would redo my course
selection for grade 13. I would not
take the two maths and two
sciences that I did, but include
French and Classical Studies.
6. I like pointy shoes. They are
retro-styled (from 50s and 60s)
and make me feel professional.
7. I was on the school band
throughout high school and I
played the French Horn.
I
enjoyed it though it many people
took typing instead which is more
practical. For the Christmas
assembly about 5 years ago, Mr.
Stefaniuk and I were included
with a club’s play and went on
stage. It was visually funny!
8. I would revisit Paris in
Amsterdam – I went when I was
17 and really enjoyed myself.
9. The semi-formal. It’s the first
big event and I like to go and
observe with the other teachers.
OCTOBER 2012
Five Upcoming
Movies
KHADIJA SETAK
REPORTER
1. Fun Size (Starring Victoria
Justice)
Coming Out: October 26, 2012
Genre: Comedy
Rated: PG-13
Summary:
When
Wren’s high school
crush invites her to
his Halloween party,
she is more excited
than ever. Her plan
to attend his party with her best
friend April, however gets crushed
soon enough when her mother puts
her in charge of her younger
brother, Albert, for the night.
Upset, Wren takes Albert trick-ortreating, but soon loses him in the
crowd. Forced to find him though,
Wren and April adjourn into a
crazy search for Albert, meeting
new people and going through
unusual experiences that complete
their night.
Opinion: Based on the trailer, Fun
Size seems like the perfect
Halloween comedy of the month.
Wren and April are funny
protagonists to watch, though are
not nearly as amusing as Albert.
Fun Size has a high school based
plot that will leave you feeling
high-spirited making it is a perfect
match for those who enjoy
Halloween, but do not like the
genre horror.
2. Lincoln (Starring Daniel DayLewis)
Coming out: November 9, 2012
Genre:
Biography,
Drama,
History
Rated: R
Summary: During the time of the
Civil War, President Abraham
Lincoln strives to put an end to
American slavery. Determined, he
goes through the process of
SCI VIBES
convincing millions of people of
his opinion. A nonfiction tale
about politics, determination and
success, Lincoln, retells the
inspirational story of President
Abraham
Lincoln
and
his
accomplishments.
Opinion: For people who enjoy
non-fiction
and
educational
movies, Lincoln is the best
upcoming
movie
for
you.
Historical and motivating, Lincoln
is sure to leave a permanent mark
on you.
3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking
Dawn - Part 2 (Starring Kristen
Stewart and Robert Pattinson)
Coming
out:
November
16,
2012
Genre:
Adventure,
Drama, Fantasy
Rated: PG-13
Summary:
Sequel to The Twilight Saga:
Breaking Dawn – Part 1, Bella
Cullen is adapting to her life as a
vampire. Her daughter, Renesmee
Cullen, is everything everyone is
talking about in the household.
However, after a vision, the
Cullens are faced with the threat of
the Volturi and they must do
everything they can to protect their
beloved new clan member.
Opinion: Romance and fantasy
fans are bound to watch the grand
finale of the Twilight Saga.
Featuring
vampires
and
werewolves, Twilight fans are sure
to be either happy or disappointed
with the sagas final movie. Watch
and see!
4. Red Dawn (Starring Chris
Hemsworth, Josh Peck and Josh
Hutcherson)
Coming out: November 21, 2012
Genre: Action
Rated: PG-13
Summary: A war raises in the
United States as North Korean
soldiers bomb the country. In
result, the protagonists struggle to
save their hometown from
complete destruction by forming a
guerilla fighting group. Training
themselves, they find themselves
face to face with war, and they
must win it in order to resume their
old lives.
Opinion:
An
action-packed
adventure, Red Dawn also features
some of our all-time favorite and
well-known actors such as, Chris
Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson.
This upcoming film is an excellent
choice for audience that enjoys
war-based plots.
5. The Silver Linings Playbook
(Starring Bradley Cooper and
Jennifer Lawrence)
Coming out: November 21, 2012
Genre: Comedy,
Drama
Rated: 14A
Summary:
Released from his
mental institution,
Pat Solitano, a
former
teacher,
moves back into his parent’s house
and attempts to get back with his
ex-wife. However, Pat finds
himself struggling to keep up with
the normalcy of the people around
him. But things get even more
challenging when he meets
Tiffany, a secretive girl with issues
of her own. Pat finds himself
drawn to her though, and together,
the two overcome their obstacles
together in a humor-laced plot.
Opinion: With humorous dialogue
and a moving plot, The Silver
Linings seems like the most
dramatic movie in the upcoming
two months. Presented by Bradley
Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence
(who starred in The Hunger Games
and House at the End of the
Street), this movie is an amusing in
tale that shows development over
time and the growth of fondness in
life.
OCTOBER 2012
It’s All in the Stars
PUNEH JAMSHIDI AND EMILY MOCEK
REPORTERS
Aquarius (January 20 February 18)
Pisces (February 19 - March
20)
Your thoughts are likely to turn
to setting goals for the future,
particularly concerning your
career. This would be a great day
to start thinking about ways to
make that happen.
Aries (March 21 - April
19)
This month is about to get
extremely busy. Get started
on that project you’ve been
putting off before it’s too
late!
Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
You’ve been so busy socializing
these past few week that you
may
have
inadvertently
neglected one special person in
your life. Try to rectify that
today.
Gemini (May 21 - June 20)
It’s possible that big change is in
store for you in the near future. If
you’ve been toying with the idea
of moving, today you may get
some news that motivates you to
make your fantasy a reality.
SCI VIBES
People are impressed with your ability
to take on anything. However, your
busy schedule may distract you from
what is truly important.
Capricorn
(December
January 19)
22
-
You will have an argument with a
close friend. Remember that not all
relationships are meant to last.
Leo (July 23 - August 22)
Be careful when taking advice from
family members or friends. They
may not have your interests at heart.
Virgo (August 23 September 22)
Don’t plunge headfirst into work
mode. The cleaning and tidying up
can surely wait for another day.
Today, spending time with friends
and family should be your main
priority.
Libra (September 23 October 22)
Don’t close yourself off to new
opportunities. You never know
which experiences will open doors to
the places you have always wanted
to go.
Scorpio (October 23 - November
21)
Things are going well
and life has never been
this good. But watch out, some may
confuse your happiness with
arrogance.
Sagittarius (November 22
December 21)
You could be feeling quite lazy
today and you definitely deserve to
feel this way! You deserve some
time off after all the activities of the
past week. Give yourself the gift of a
true day off.
Fall Activities
MARIAM NOUSER
REPORTER
Hey SCI! Hope you all had a
wonderful summer. As we all
know, sports is a pretty big part of
SCI. Our upcoming fall sports
season will be exciting. Some of
our teams have had successful
seasons in the past and hopefully
they will continue their success this
year.
Our Junior Girls’ Basketball
team is entirely new; players and
coach included. We see great
potential with this new lineup!
The Senior Girls’ Basketball
team hits the court with some new
players and some of last season’s
veterans as well as returning coach,
Mr. Clifford. We wish them a very
successful season!
The Cross Country Crew has
consistently seen many talented
runners emerge over the years –
hopefully the trend continues!
Junior Boys’ Volleyball … their
successes in previous seasons have
made SCI proud! We know you
will make do it again this year!
Senior Boys’ Volleyball team has
a talented group of seniors this
season who bring a lot of passion
and skill to the court. Here’s to an
outstanding run!
Junior Boys’ Football … SCI
coaches welcome a whole new
lineup of players this year. We are
sure their enthusiasm and energy
will serve the team well!
OCTOBER 2012
Entertainment
You will probably encounter a
bit of opposition along with
today. Even those who are
usually right behind you will
seem uncooperative. Try not to
let this faze you too much.
Cancer (June 21 - July 22)
Halloween
Costume Ideas
MONICA LOUIE
REPORTER
This year don’t get stuck
being a boring witch or
“myself” for Halloween.
Here are some Halloween
costume ideas that are
anything but ordinary.
Boys:
• NFL football player - XL
NFL jersey, shoulder
pads, war paint on both
of your cheeks!
• James Bond - Wear a tux
and gel your hair into the
same hair-do, “It’s Bond,
James Bond”
• Batman – At Walmart for
$39.67
• Soldier – at Amazing
Party & Costume for
$44.99 and draw on your
war paint!
jeans, thin headband,
flip-flops, and peace
signs everywhere!
• Roaring 20’s Dancer – at
Amazing
Party
&
Costume for $31.49 and
blood red lipstick
• Cheerleader from Glee at Amazing Party &
Costume for $49.49.
Think cute and preppy.
Stores:
www.amazingpartystore.com
www.walmart.ca/en
Pictures:
http://www.footballfanatics.co
m/NFL_TShirts/Nike_New_Orleans_Sai
nts_Legend_Authentic_Footb
all_Font_Performance_TShirt_-_Ash
http://www.amazingpartystore
.com/storefront/productdetail.
aspx?idproduct=74377&idcat
egory=2326
Girls:
• Nerd - thick strapped
tank top, high waist
jeans, nerd glasses with
some masking tape on
the bridge of the glasses
(you can buy some from
‘Claire’s’ or pop out the
lenses
of
RealD3D
glasses from Cineplex)!
• Hippie - Loose tank,
bandeau
(underneath),
worn and torn skinny
SCI VIBES
OCTOBER 2012
Upcoming
Events
Upcoming Events
Wednesday,
October 31
Halloween!
Wednesday,
November 7
Dear Albert and Alf,
I want to join a lot of sports teams and clubs this year, but I have a lot of really hard
courses. How do I balance my school work and extracurricular activities?
- Over Achieve-her
Over achieve-her, what you need to do is
prioritize and schedule-ize! Obviously, school
comes first, but that doesn’t mean you can’t
enjoy the school’s extracurricular activities as
well! Plan out your nights so that you can fit in
homework and activities and make a plan with
your coach or club head about how you will
balance your two worlds.
-ALBERT
Grade 9 Take Your
Kid to Work Day
Sunday,
November 11
Like always, Albert, you are
completely wrong! What you
really should do is follow
your heart. Maybe your true
calling is writing in the
school newspaper or playing
volleyball. Don’t forget about
academics, but don’t let them
take over your whole life
outside of the classroom.
- ALF
Remembrance Day
Tuesday,
November 13
Diwali
DDTuesday,
November 13
Mid-Term Report
Cards
Dear Albert and Alf,
I want to ask this cutie girl in my Chemistry class to the semi, but I don’t know
how! HELP!!
- Chemi Semi
Well, you two obviously have chemistry together,
hopefully in more ways than one! Strike up a
conversation in class asking her about the science
homework, then; casually ask if she’s going to
Semi-Formal. Pop the question right then so she
doesn’t
get
taken!
-ALBERT
Editors:
Credits:
Muna Abshir
Caitlin Crux
Liz McElroy
Emily Mocek
Marina Popovic
Sindhujaa Ganes
Monica Louie
Sophie Vaccarino
Megan Eves
Puneh Jamshidi
Khadija Setak
Mariam Nouser
Valentina Mihajlovic
Marija Bulajic
Brittney Culmone
SCI VIBES
No, no no! What you really
have to do is write her a
lovey-dovey letter expressing
your true feelings for cutie
girl. Slide it in her locker and
hope for the best! If she
doesn’t start acting weird
d
k h
t S
i!
Friday,
November 16
PA Day
May 2012
Tuesday,
November 20
Parents’ Night
Special thanks to:
Administrative Staff
Caretaking Staff
Mr. Hall
Ms. Chong
Ms. Bubulj
Mr. Iskander
www.imbd.com
www.walmart.com
OCTOBER
http://safespots.info/
www.amazingpartystore.com
2012