Volume 4, Issue I - Christ the King Catholic Secondary School

BY STUDENTS, FOR STUDENTS
JAG-WIRE
Volume 4, Issue 1
Newsletter Date
Ctk Writers
Friend Fest 2006
Editors
Melanie Bechard
Imre Gams
By Amber Bannerman-Maxwell
Assistant Editor
Allison Hill
Staff
Amber BannermanMaxwell
Larura Broadley
Fabiana
Claire Faver
Steven Kanichis
Adam Lannan
Evan Read
Meagan Rodi
J.D. Shippel
Kristen VanHaeren
Inside this issue:
Claire Faver’s journey
from South Africa
6
An Ode to Jaguars
3
The Forgotten Grade
2
Le Club Français
5
Senior Girls Basketball
9
Candid Camera
9
A Contribution to Make
You Cry
11
Friend Fest, an
exciting event designed
for the grade nine students. In the past this
event has gone by other
names such as Fun Fest,
but even though the
name changed the tradition of exciting games did
not. This year’s activities
included nineteen creative stations such as
Blind Obstacle Race,
Hoop Soccer, Assembly
Line, and Pipe Game. All
of these games were run
and designed to help
spark and build friendship between the newest
members of our school
family. The day was a
blast for those involved
due to the lovely weather,
the fact that they were
out of class, and the air of
friendly competition.
In the midst of all
Enjoying Friend Fest
the fun, each grade nine
class had to present their
cheer at the Cheer Station. A big congratulations and a pizza party
goes to Ms. Bailey’s Beauties who were voted as
the best cheer. Two more
pizza
parties
were
awarded for the most
points
accumulated
thoughout competing
in the games. With
forty-one points each,
Ms. Santoni’s class
and Ms. Zamperin’s
class both won the
pizza party for most
points.
A big congratulations goes out
to all those who participated and had fun
doing their best, and a
large thank you to all
those who spent time
and effort organizing
and running this successful event.
Thanks
especially goes to Mr. Edwards and his Peer Tutoring Class who organized and ran Friend Fest,
and to Mr. VandeValk’s
grade ten class.
Call for Writers
Do you like to write stories, articles, or poetry?
Have you ever considered
a career in journalism? If
so, the Jag-Wire is the
perfect way to pad your
portfolio and impress future schools and employers. Joining the newspaper staff guarantees article ideas and a very im-
pressive by-line. Students
who cannot commit to meetings are welcome to e-mail
ideas or articles to [email protected] at any
time. Being part of the JagWire is a great way to get
involved and informed about
a place where you will be
spending four years of your
life. Everyone is welcome to
participate. Regardless of
your Literacy Test score,
you can have an opportunity to speak to the entire
school.
The Jag-Wire
always has been and always will be the newspaper by students, for students.
PAGE 2
J A G -W IR E
V O L U ME 4 , I SSUE 1
Music Downloading
By J.D. Shippel
The music industry generated eleven billion dollars last year.
In this industry, there are many
different levels of power and occupation. On the top are the record
companies, followed by artists and
their agents, and so on. At the bottom of this pyramid of power are usthe consumers. While we may be on
the bottom, we do make a big difference. We go to the concerts, we buy
the CD’s, we buy the movies and
merchandise, etc. If the consumer
didn’t exist, neither would the industry itself. The record companies
realize how important our money
is… and they get angry when we
don’t give it to them.
“Illegal” music downloading is
becoming an issue in music culture.
these networks, it’s easy to see why
The RIAA (Recording Industry Asthe music industry is getting on the
sociation of America) has been suoffensive.
ing people for illegally sharing thouAs far as anyone knows, this
sands of music files
practice is illegal in
with thousands of
Canada as well. I
other people.
can see why many
“To fill a thirty GB IPOD it could
Though people are
people may turn to
being sued, only
this option, though.
cost around $6000– if you
people that share
Songs can get very
choose to do it legally”.
1000 songs or more
expensive, at least
were ever charged.
in my opinion. WebThe way they do
sites like Puretracks
this is by P2P (peer to peer) proand Napster sell songs for ninetygrams that let people download
nine cents each. If you love music
songs from other user’s computers,
and want to fill up your IPOD, it’ll
for little or no cost. The record comcost a lot of money. To fill
Continued on page 3
panies don’t make any profit. Since
Continued from page 2
there are so many people that use
Welcome to Christ the King All Grade Nine Students
Welcome back…everyone
who is coming back, of course. To
the grade nines- welcome to CtK.
Although many of you had already
heard about this fabulous school, it
just isn’t the same until you are a
part of it, and we are happy to welcome all of you to grade nine.
I’m sure you have discovered already just how great it is to
be here at Christ the King. With the
school year already in full swing,
I’m sure you have found plenty of
activities to join. Football season
has started, as well as art club and
more. We love spirit at this school,
so make sure you come to the games
and are a part of it! Be involved,
grade nines! This is the year to try
out for anything and everything. If
you don’t now, you will probably (as
many former grade nines have) regret it. Also, work hard, many perks
come with that. Honour roll students get a free brunch, and some
field trips go downtown to Toronto.
Voice your opinions! If you
have something on your mind, say
it. Let your grade representatives
know because we love hearing what
you have to say!
So welcome to Christ the King! It’s
going to be a great year.
Grade Thirteen
By Laura Broadley
As I try to understand the
stress that I have placed upon myself by coming back for a fifth (and
hopefully final) year of high school,
I realize that I'm not really sure of
where we stand as the "grade thirteens" of CtK.
The majority of us are
eighteen years old and can sign ourselves out. I don't really know
what to think about that, because
it’s the last scholastic responsibility
that our parents have passed onto
us. We get to decide if we come to
school or not and that responsibility
is a major wake-up call saying that
we are accountable for the path
of our own lives.
That anxiety about adulthood that most of us had is evident
in the fact that we are all back at the
place where we feel if we're still here
then we haven't really grown up yet.
Although I've heard the regret about
this fifth year flying through the
atrium, there was a reason why they
decided to stay. Yes, some of us didn't
graduate, but I saw most of the grade
thirteens standing in the gym
Continued on page 3
V O L U ME 4 , I SSUE 1
a thirty GB IPOD it could cost
around $6000- if you choose to do it
legally. On the other hand, you
could turn to P2P programs, some of
which, like Limewire, are free.
Then, you could fill up that IPOD
for no cost. I’m sure most people
would lean toward the cheapest
route
I think that the answer to
this dilemma is to drastically lower
the costs of music. Suing people
isn’t going to make much of a difference because there is always going
to be someone that continues to risk
a lawsuit because they just can’t
afford to spend all that money on
music. I think that the music industry should rethink its strategy. I
would be perfectly happy to purchase songs that were ten to
twenty-five cents. I don’t think that
Usher or U2 would notice the difference if music was dropped to
twenty-five
J A G -W IR E
PAGE 2
cents. Why do we need to give them
all of our money when they already
have millions and millions of dollars
in their bank accounts?
I think the industry has to remember that we are their customers, and should be valued. The consumer should be able to negotiate
with the vendor. Obviously, there
are many people who are unhappy
with the standard the industry has
set. These illegal programs wouldn’t
exist if they were perfectly happy
with paying ninety-nine cents a
song. I think that we need to be appreciated a little more. Besides, I
think those companies owe us a
little something for that eleven
billion dollars.
Most students can hardly afford to purchase music legally… can the music industry offer an alternative to illegal downloading?
What is a Jaguar?
By Kristen Van Haeren
The Jaguar is the largest
and most powerful cat of the Western Hemisphere, especially on
Guelph Street. They are powerfully
built and contain all the required
elements for victory- muscular
shoulders and legs to carry the
weight of heavy burdens and
stresses of any game or practice,
and a thick coat, tan in colour spotted with black rings and blue uni-
Grade Thirteen
Continued from page 2
last June.
I think I can speak for a lot
of us when I say that it is rough
coming back, but I can also say with
confidence that if we do what we
came here to do and finish, we will
realize that we didn't really do it
any differently than anyone else; it
just took us a year longer.
forms, which keeps them camouare losing and run the drills until
flaged when they are trying to
the buzzer rings. The Jaguar is also
sneak up on their opponents.
a symbol of beauty, reaching victory
The Jaguar
with style and
is a symbol of power,
originality and not
able to push themrubbing
it
in
“The Jaguar is a symbol of
selves to the limits
other’s faces.
power, able to push themselves
Continued on
and give every chalpage 4
lenge all they’ve got.
to the limits and give every
They keep
their
challenge all they’ve got”.
heads up when they
Write All About It!
E-mail your articles, comments or
ideas to:
[email protected]
For a “spot” in the Jag-wire
PAGE 4
J A G -W IR E
V O L U ME 4 , I SSUE 1
Ode to Jaguars
Continued from page 3
The Jaguar was worshiped and
honored as a god years ago by the
Aztecs, the Olmecs, and the Maya
for their playing ability and ways of
their game.
The name “Jaguar” comes from
a native Indian word meaning “the
killer that takes its prey in a single
bound”, looking at each challenge as
an opportunity for success, and
working toward each goal to the
best of their ability. Since the Jaguar is such a powerful cat and
skilled at staying out of sight and
hunting, they have a dinner menu
with many choices, ranging from
monkeys, deer, birds, snakes, to a
GDHS school mascot or two.
The Jaguar’s hunting strategy
is to remain low to the ground and
keep their eye on the prey, or the
ball, at all times. Their regular
hunting times are around dusk and
dawn, but they throw in a few three
o’clock games every now and then.
Jaguars catch their prey by ambushing them single handedly or as
a team, and once they are committed, they never look back.
The Jaguar’s unique hunting ability leaves little room for op-
ponents and is usually only threatened by human activities that endanger their school or their team, in
which case no human or animal
could stand in the way of the Jaguars fighting for what they want.
So now you know what a Jaguar is, but now you must answer
the question…are you a Jaguar?
Christ the King is filled with over
1500 students each containing a
part of what a Jaguar truly is. This
school needs each and every student
to take a stand, work hard, and
never give up just like the Jaguar
has been known to do throughout
history. So let’s relive history and
be the original, powerful, and hardworking Jaguars that we are and
lead our school to victory.
Pirates!
By Evan Read
Many see the Caribbean as a
gorgeous vacation spot with sandy
beaches and lush vegetation providing a peaceful place to relax.
However, a few hundred years ago
the Caribbean was hardly as tranquil a place. In fact, it was kept
quite active and full of adventure
with a sea full of treasure-laden
Spanish Galleons and privateers.
This is the setting for Sid Meier’s
Pirates!, an action-packed and
adventure-filled game sailing the
high seas of the Caribbean. With
Pirates! gamers can now immerse
themselves in a world of sailing
and high seas robbery in a beautifully rendered Caribbean environment, brought to life with a soundtrack of marvelous music from the
time period.
Pirates! takes place during
the 1600’s at the peak of piracy in
the Caribbean when Spanish Galleons were routinely captured and
looted. However, such activities
are made greater in Pirates! with
a very open ended gameplay style
to suit any pirate. The game places
you in command of a small pirate
sloop in the middle of the Caribbean, where you must loot sailing
ships, raid cities and towns, search
for hidden treasure and court the
daughters of the Caribbean Governors, to make a name for yourself so
as to become the most renowned
pirate in all the Isles. The game provides players with highly realistic
naval combat using beautifully detailed sailing vessels of various sizes
and types, from tiny 8-gun Sloops,
to 48-gun Man-of-Wars.
In order to truly take in the
scope of this game, one needs a very
well rendered gameplay environment, and Pirates! provides exactly
that. The sailing vessels are quite
acutely detailed as well; with much
effort put into rendering the ships to
look perfect, with full rigging, multiple gun ports, and wonderfully
adorned stern cabins. If ever one
was to feel like they were in the period, this game truly does it.
To accompany the great gameplay, and shining graphics, is a nice,
appropriate soundtrack of period
songs and invigorating battle
marches. When entering any settlement a piece is played in accompaniment to the factional alignment of
that community, such as a religious
hymn when entering a Jesuit Missionary or French accordion tunes
playing upon entering a French port.
And what sailing adventure would
be complete without a grand drum
march when your mighty warship
Continued on page 5
A screen shot of Pirates!
V O L U ME 4 , I SSUE 1
J A G -W IR E
PAGE 4
Le Club Français
By Steven Kanichis and Melanie Bechard
Le Club français a commencé
avec un rêve- un rêve de faire cette
école non seulement anglaise, mais
française aussi.
Maintenant, ce
rêve est une réalité. Dans notre
école vous aurez la chance d’apprendre les avantages de parler une
deuxième langue.
Avec nos membres,
le Club français a choisi
un comité.
Félicitations
au
comité et aux membres du Club français!
Premièrement,
le
Club français organise
une journée de carrières. Les élèves de neuvième et dixième années
pourront parler aux professionnels
qui utilisent le français et l’anglais
dans leur emploi. Aussi, nous faisons la promotion pour l’organisation d’échanges étudiants avec les
pays d’Europe. Si vous voulez organiser des activités et apprendre de
la langue et la culture françaises,
écoutez aux annonces
pour la prochaine réunion du Club
français. Des
nouveaux
membres sont
toujours bienvenus, et vous
ne devez pas
pouvoir lire cet
article
pour
vous joindre.
The French Club is organising
a French-themed Career Day. Students from Grades Nine and Ten
will be able to speak to professionals who use both the French and
English languages for their jobs.
Also, it promotes student exchanges
to countries across Europe. If you
would like to help organize activities for your school or learn more
about French language and culture,
listen to the announcements for the
next meeting of the French Club.
New members are always welcome,
and you do not need to be able to
speak or even understand French to
join.
French lives on at CtK
Difficult Courses
By Melanie Bechard
We all have one- a certain subject that will always be our weakest, no matter how many hours we
spend highlighting notes, memorizing formulas, or begging our older
brothers and sisters for help. Sometimes, it seems that there’s pretty
much nothing you can do to improve
your situation; after all, everyone
has his or her own talents or lack
thereof.
Fortunately, you’re not
Continued from page 4
comes crashing down upon your
foes?
Pirates! brings together all that
Sid Meier’s known for in a remake
of a classic computer game. Not
only are you given a nice little history lesson, but you are given the
opportunity to live out the pirate in
all of us. Whether pillaging or fencing is your forte, one will be truly
immersed in the world of Privateers
and sailing vessels with Sid Meier’s
Pirates!.
alone- the Jag-Wire has consulted
understand it regardless of their
both staff and students for tips on
willingness to stay out of summer
how to resurrect the mark of your
school. Most of us have probably
worst subjects.
grouped ourselves into the second
Math
category one time
or another, but
When it comes to
don’t give up the
math, it seems there
“… everyone has his or her
war against Pascal
are two types of people:
and Gauss just yet.
those who are natuown talents or lack thereof”.
Continued
on
rally gifted at it, and
page 6
those who will never
PAGE 6
J A G -W IR E
V O L U ME 4 , I SSUE 1
Difficult Courses
Continued from page 5
Math help is available every
Wednesday for one hour after
school. Even if your marks don’t
improve much as a result, showing
your dedication just might be the
reason your teacher was looking for
to bump your mark from a 49% to a
50%. Also, don’t forget that all
teenagers need three important
things: sleep, food, and community
service hours. There are usually
many students willing to tutor their
peers for a small fee or simply for
community service. Student Services will try to pair you with a tutor in your neighbourhood, so you
have a great opportunity to make a
friend and get the mark you were
hoping for.
English
Whether you love it or love to
hate it, no one can deny that reading a wide variety of books improves
your comprehension and writing
skills, so if you finish this article,
you’re already on the way to tackling Shakespeare. Also, try and
finish your essays and projects early
so your teacher can briefly look
them over before you hand them in.
French and Italian
Watch your favourite movies in
another language. Buy a novel or
magazine and read it over. Basically, the more you see and hear
another language, the better your
accent and comprehension become.
Lucky you- finally, a valid excuse to
study and watch television at the
same time.
Social Studies
Memorizing your notes is the
most useful thing you can do to help
yourself when studying subjects like
history or geography. Of course,
even if these are your favourite
classes, we all know that attempting to read and memorize a textbook generates about the same
amount of excitement as reading
the dictionary. Study with a motivated pal to keep you on task, and
highlight your notes in different
colours. Not only is it harder to fall
asleep when looking at a fluorescent
pink and yellow page, but you also
don’t waste time reading things
that you don’t need to know.
Remember that although everyone
has some weaknesses, we all have
the equal opportunity to do our best
and achieve our goals. Good luck
with this semester, and never forget
that hard work beats brilliance and
talent any day of the week.
Out of Africa
By Claire Faver
I am out of Africa. South Africa,
to be specific, and I have never in
my life been more out of Africa.
When I first stepped out of the airport to walk beneath that threatening March Canadian sky, I was
overwhelmed by emotions which I
have never felt before…
I have learned a great
many things since that cold night in
March, when I first set foot in this
country. I have learned that when
excitement and apprehension combines, it creates the most venomous
concoction of feelings which humankind has yet to find names for. I
have learned that there is such a
thing as a “snow shovel,” and that
pumpkin could be put into a pie and
eaten as dessert. I have learned
that people all over the world are
different, and yet still so much the
same… I have learned to say
“Wassup” instead of “Howzit,” to
say “Seeya” rather than “Cheers.” I
have learned that a “braai” is in fact
called a “barbeque,” and that a
“jersey” is actually a “sweater.” I
“snow tires” or “snow anything” is. I
have learned that you could get
even hated that little red maple leaf
funny looks from people when you
that seemed to be sniggering at me
say “litter” insnidely wherever I
s t e a d
o f
went. All of my initial
“...home, just like beauty,
“garbage,” when
enmity,
however,
can also be found in all
you say “Come
slowly began to dissiand fetch me”
pate this summer, on a
corners of the world; one
instead of “Come
trip to our nation’s
just has to know how to
and pick me up,”
capital: Ottawa. It was
and
I
have
here where I not only
embrace it”.
learned a lot of
learnt the most valuother things too, but I’m sure you
able lesson of my journey into Canget the gist of it now!
ada thus far, but also where I made
To put it mildly-and I’m not
a rather profound deduction about
going to lie, lying only complicates
life itself.
.
matters- I hated it here at first.
Beauty can indeed be found
How I missed my old school and my
in all corners of the world; one just
family and friends back home. How
has to know how to look for it. By
I missed just simply blending in,
the end of the first day of our trip,
without getting peculiar looks each
my parents suggested that we take
time I opened my mouth. How I
tour a of the city. Of course, I opmissed having a conversation that
posed fervently, but due to adamant
contained at least less than twenty
persuasion I was forced to relent.
Continued on page 7
“pardons?” I hated the weather here
and I hated having to know what
“snow shovels” or “snow boots” or
V O L U ME 4 , I SSUE 1
J A G -W IR E
PAGE 6
Out of Africa– Life in a New Country
Our tour took us to this
park that just seemed to appear
before us miraculously, and it was
here where I made my marvelous
deduction. The crazy thing is, it
wasn’t even anything I’ve never
seen before; guess you could say it
was one of those mysterious moments of clarity that dawns upon
you every once in a while; where
everything in this incoherent world
momentarily makes sense.
.
There were sets of lovers
strolling hand in hand under the
bruised and bleeding sky, savouring
that last bit of sunset. When I
looked skywards I saw that the
clouds had formed into long white
swirls, resembling thin straws.
Even God seemed to be embracing
the deceiving Canadian sky, because He was sipping up the sunset
as though it were some exotic cocktail. And then there was a fountain:
the sound of water lapping against
stone created a kind of soundtrack
to this unlikely heaven that was the
park, deep in the heart of Ottawa,
with the distant chime of church
bells reminding me that time waits
for no-one. In the midst of it all,
holding it all together like the centre-piece of a dream catcher was
this homeless man. I saw that even
he had a kind of “beauty” about
him: he just seemed to be at such
peace with the world, despite his
circumstances, and then I saw that
he wasn’t really homeless-not entirely, because the park was his
home, and it was beautiful. And
then it hit me: home, just like
beauty, can also be found in all corners of the world; one just has to
know how to embrace it.
Since that day, I am slowly learning
to embrace all that is Canadian.
Instead of fighting the waves of
change, I am now beginning to
“surf” the tide of the white and
navy-blue sea that is Christ the
King School. I am even making
friends with the delightful little
maple leaf that is always displayed
so proudly for all to see. Everyone
here is so proud to be Canadian; the
pride is so contagious that it eventually just has to rub off on people…
I still call a “text message” an
“sms,” and I still say “about” instead of “aboot,” and why say “nice”
when “lekker” just sounds so much
more colourful? I still haven’t mastered the art of the North American
twang and I still haven’t used a
snow shovel, but I am sure that in
time all of the above will change…
One thing that will never change
though, are my roots. To have
grown up in Africa is a privilege; an
experience which I would have
never traded for the world…
therefore, I will always proudly be a
child out of Africa.
A Word on Friend Fest
By Fabiana
It was my privilege to have
been able to interview some grade
nines about how Friend Fest 2006
went. I found out that everyone who
participated had a great time.
Interview with Brittany Adams,
grade nine
What was your favorite part of the
day?
“I enjoyed hoop soccer, station 13”.
If you could describe Friend Fest in
one sentence how would you describe
it?
“Friend Fest was a great way for all
the grade nines to interact with
each other and to make new
friends”.
Interview with Monica Ponte, grade
nine
Did you enjoy Friend Fest this year?
“Yes, Friend Fest was a blast”.
What was your favorite part of the
day?
“I liked the Pictionary game; it was
the funniest”.
To Be Continued
PAGE 8
J A G -W IR E
V O L U ME 4 , I SSUE 1
A Unique Adventure
By (Flight Sergeant) Evan Read
At first glance the Air Caunique opportunity
det Program may appear to be just
to train to receive
a group of people who meet once a
your
Glider
and
week to march around and polish
Power Pilot’s licenses
boots. Those of us who have experito truly let you soar
enced the program firsthand know
the skies above.
that is far more than that; it proAs Air Cavides youth with important skills
dets, you are put into
that help further them in their lives
a team-based envinow and in the future. The Royal
ronment where eveCanadian Air Cadets is one of the
rything is accomleading youth groups in Canada
plished through acLearning to fly with Air Cadets– fun, free,
with thousands of members across and
tions as a team unthe country, offering membership to
der the direction and
anyone from age 12-19. Joining is
supervision of a few individuals. It
ment in the world’s job market.
quite easy to do and opens the gateis this time spent with others that
On top of providing valuable skills,
way to an incredible adventure.
ultimately results in the formation
the Air Cadet program provides a
The Air Cadet program
of a camaraderie that cannot be
number of unique experiences.
does a marvelous job of advancing
obtained anywhere else.
Through cadets you are
and improving a number of skills of
The Royal Canadian Air
given many opportunities to travel
each and every cadet. Air Cadets
Cadets is a youth organization that
across the country through cadet
teaches its members to become
provides local teenagers with imporsummer courses. Not only are these
strong confident leaders through
tant life skills, unique and incredicamps free; they also teach you
classes and a hierarchal structure
ble experiences, and a wide array of
teamwork skills, and allow you to
with ranks similar to those in the
strong friendships. In our times,
make many new friends and even
Canadian Forces. It gives youth the
finding a career requires a lengthy
some money. These camps can take
confidence to stand in front of their
and distinguished résumé, and with
you to Alberta, Quebec, and Nova
peers and subordinates and lead
Cadets service that can be quite
Scotia, and if you are lucky, Britain,
them- a valuable skill that is imporeasily achieved with a plethora of
France, Germany, the United
tant to have in any career. Through
volunteer time and community
States, Singapore and many more.
nationwide competitions cadets
work. Whether you are looking to
In addition to the ability to travel,
master the art of public speaking
become a strong leader, a confident
cadets can also participate in many
and learn to perfect their dress and
speaker, a skilled pilot, or just
activities and teams including a
deportment. It is such skills that
someone looking to make new
Cadet Band, Air Rifle team, Drill
help build cadets into strong indifriends, Air Cadets is the place for
Team, and Bush Survival exercises
viduals bound to become very sucyou.
just to name a few. To cap it all off,
cessful when they look for employas an Air Cadet you are given the
What You Said About Friend Fest
Continued from page 7
If you could describe friend fest in
one sentence, how would you describe it?
“Friend Fest was a good way to
meet new friends and have fun with
old friends”.
Interview with a Station Leader
Why did you decide to help out with
the activities this year?
“I wanted to help out and give back.
I wanted to welcome the grade
nines to their new school”.
If you could describe friend fest in
one sentence, how would you describe it?
“Friend fest was a fun experience
even though I didn’t get to participate. Helping out is nice”.
It was unanimous that Friend
Fest was a success for another
year. Everyone enjoyed himself or
herself and had fun while participating in the games and getting out of class.
V O L U ME 4 , I SSUE 1
J A G -W IR E
PAGE 8
The New Recruits
By Allison Hill
It was like being in a
dream; the haziness of reality
blurred on the edge of my vision as I
soaked in that glorious Bermudian
sun. The beaches were soft, with a
rose tint, and I had never seen water so blue. I lazed all day…every
day, soaking up the sun, the culture, and quite gluttonously taking
in the cuisine. I was in no way prepared for what waited for me when
I got back from my relaxing vacation.
I had received the call, the
letter from Mr. Bertin at the beginning of August calling for some
“fun” preliminary basketball practices the week before school started.
Bermuda had refreshed me, mind
and soul. (Notice how I left out
body, because I basically became
walking jelly).
It was fun! More fun than I
had all summer! It felt so good to
have that mass of rubber and air in
my hands, feeling the familiar
ridges and joyously listening to the
sound it made contacting the floor
of the court…but apparently simply
admiring the equipment of the
game did not constitute a ‘practice’.
There was the running, the jumping, and the simultaneous running
and jumping. Before that practice
started, I figured I was in pretty
good shape; it turns out I was delusional. Every practice left me huffing and puffing, and badly in need
of a shower!
There were only four senior
The Year So Far...
basketball veterans on the court;
three former eleventh graders, and
one victory lap grade twelve coming
back to play a final season. It was a
bizarre feeling, being the senior girl
on the team. I always had someone
to give me direction, to tell me what
to do. I regret to say this, but it left
me free of initiative and I became
lazy in the leadership department. I
then realized that it was my responsibility to start stepping up, to take
initiative. I started to wonder, how
did the other girls make it look so
easy? Last years seniors only had a
handful of us to deal with; this year
there was an astounding turnout
and I realized that the veterans
were greatly outnumbered.
PAGE 10
J A G -W IR E
V O L U ME 4 , I SSUE 1
Senior Girls Basketball
As anyone should know,
Senior Girl’s Basketball has been
lacking in popularity in the last few
years in terms of tryouts. There has
been low attendance rates, which
made me believe that I wouldn’t
have to work as hard. I figured that
I just had to show up and I was
guaranteed a spot on the team.
Again, my delusions returned to me.
Upon attending that first practice I
quickly had to detoxify my thinking
and start competing. These girls
fresh from “Camp Bailey” were athletes in every sense of the word.
Well-coached from their junior
years, they did very well in each one
of those tryouts, and they made me
work harder then I ever believed I
had to.
The attitude they brought
to the team was inspiring! They
were so positive, upbeat and showed
an obvious love of the sport. They
were basketball players through
and through. Not only did they
bring a great attitude, but they also
brought new talent. I can watch
Brittney Metcalfe swish the ball
from behind the three point line!
New talent, attitudes, and
camaraderie aside, we still have a
long way to go before success. We
have the makings of a great team,
but we still have to shake off the
summer rust. From what I can see
of the “New Recruits”, there is potential as to give me hope of a spectacular season.
Senior Girl’s Basketball in
action
New Season, New Chances
By Adam Lannan
Later this February, Miami, Florida is going to host one of
the year’s biggest parties… Super
Bowl 41. However, we first have to
make our way through the regular
season and eventual playoffs and
focus on a season which has already
begun. Living near a major city
(Toronto) without an NFL team,
local sports fans are provided with
an interesting opportunity, the
chance to devote their loyalty to one
of any of the NFL’s 32 teams for any
reason. However, before you start
jumping on the Steeler’s bandwagon
just because they won last year,
bare in mind this is a new year and
a new season which will likely produce new results and a new champion.
In my opinion this year’s
AFC champion and Super Bowl
team is bound to be the Cincinnati
Bengal’s. This Cinderella team will
likely make it to the Super Bowl
because of its talented tandem of
QB Carson Palmer and WR Chad
Chad Johnson of the Bengals (left) and Shaun Alexander of
the Seahawks (right).
Johnson. Together these two players will likely carry the Bengal’s to
a championship because of a passing display which is unrivalled by
any other quarterback/wide receiver
tandem in the league.
On the other hand, this
year’s NFC champion and other
Super Bowl team is going to be the
Seattle Seahawks. Now before you
start calling this an easy pick because of their Super Bowl appearance last year, remember that Seattle is also home to an equally im-
pressive one-two punch… QB Matt
Hasselbeck and RB Shaun Alexander. Together this quarterback/running back duo will step up
and come through when it’s crunch
time.
However, in terms of the
overall champion, my pick is the
Bengal’s. I think if the Super Bowl
came down to these two teams Cincinnati’s air display would outdo a
talented Seattle ground attack.
That’s right- the Seahawks are destined to be the runner-up for a sec-
V O L U ME 4 , I SSUE 1
J A G -W IR E
PAGE 10
A Poetic Contribution, Jennifer
By Meagan Rodi
Don’t try to tell me no one
loves you. Don’t try to say you’re
alone when I’m standing right beside you. Stop hating yourself for
who you are. If you could just see
yourself in my eyes… It’s so frustrating for me to stand back and
watch you hurt yourself so horribly.
I know you’re hurting and can’t
seem to find anyone who will listen.
Sure, everyone hears you, but no
one ever really listens.
I’m not going to tell you you’re
not alone or that I know exactly
what you’re feeling, because we
both know that’s not true. I have
‘dark days’ as you always called
them, but they never lasted two
years, like yours. I know everyone
thinks you’re just like James, going
to commit suicide any day now. I
know James was your best friend
for six years, and neither of us
really know why he did it. I do know
that your life doesn’t have to be the
same. He couldn’t see a way out,
but I’m showing you the path you
can take right now.
All I’m asking you to do is
trust me because you can’t trust
yourself right now and I think you
know that too. All your nights of
tears and suffering, I’ve experienced
too, whether you choose to believe
me or not. ‘Why are you crying?’
mom would ask every night she
caught me alone on my knees. ‘I
don’t know,’ I’d say, and it was the
truth. I did try. I tried everything;
praying, talking, thinking on my
own. But every challenge ultimately
gave me the same answer- I’m so
miserable and I have no idea why. I
live in a safe house, go to a nice
school, if any school can be called
that, and have parents who love me,
right? I never did discover why I
cried so much, but it doesn’t matter
to me now. Now I can go months
without shedding a single tear.
Work doesn’t make me cry, not being able to reach the glasses doesn’t
make me cry, not being able to run
further doesn’t depress me.
It took me five years to realize that no one else cried themselves to sleep at night, thinking
about that book they had to read, or
the work they had to do the next
week. Everyone else slept at night,
had real friends, took time out for
themselves. I never could understand how anyone could enjoy this
hell we call life. Now I realize that
everyone experiences loss, stress,
and frustration, just as you and I
do.
You may believe that life is
not worth the agony and pain you
feel when you watch the rain, see
an old woman struggle, or listen to
the cries of a hungry child. But you
have to trust me, the sun does
shine. We may not see it very often,
but we have to have faith in this
horrible place, how else could we be
expected to survive?
We have to remember our
days on the beach, those cheesy
blonde jokes mom used to tell, and
of course, our days as Indians and
Cowboys (I always knew when you
were cheating). We have to give
time to our chances of love and happiness. We have to believe that if we
can get through
this day, the
next won’t be so
hard. We have
to have strength
for those who
need it more
than we do. We
have to fight for
justice
whenever we see the
chance,
and
raise our children to do the same.
We must accept that we cannot face
this cruel world alone, and take the
offers of help whenever we receive
them. We must appreciate the colour of the trees in the fall, the special moments we share with others,
and each and every minute we have
to spend with the ones we love.
You have to be strong for
me, for mom and dad, for James,
but especially for yourself. Next
time you pass a struggling woman
with nothing to live for, realize the
‘paradise’ it is we truly live each
day. Think of the thousands of children who die every day without the
choice to go on. Think of the soldiers
risking their lives, and the many
who are dying this very second to
give you the opportunity to even
make the decision you are considering. Think of the abused children
who try to see the beauty of life past
the bruises and screaming, the babies who aren’t even given the
chance to take their first breath of
life, their last having preceded it.
I’m not calling you selfish or wrong,
I’m just asking you to realize just
how good we both have it. If you
take nothing else from this attempt
to reach you, please take this; you
cannot fight who you are, and
there’s really no use in trying. I
know you can survive what you
think is this torture you feel you
have to endure every day as soon as
you wake up every morning, but I
don’t know if you appreciate just
how much you’ve already overcome,
and how little you
have left to struggle
through.
Whether
this leads to the end
or not, please know
how much you’re
hurting us all right
now, and how you’re
scarring
yourself.
Consider our love for
you, even if you
doubt it, and allow
yourself one more chance, whether
you feel you deserve it or not.
Your scared but loving sister,
Monica.