the october 2006 issue - Dr. Charles Best Secondary

October 2nd, 2006
Volume 10 Issue 1
2nd Annual T
erry Fox Run at Charles Best
Terry
By Echo Reporter Cynthia
Assen
On Friday, September 15th,
Chris Tse doing his Best Buddies
duty.
Dr.Charles Best Secondary students and staff either ran or walked
the school Terry Fox run in
Mundy Park. A lot of us hear the
same thing every year about Terry
Fox. He founded the Marathon of
Hope, and planned to run across
Canada. But not as many people
fully understand how important
Terry Fox was, and still is.
While in the hospital after
being diganosed, he had spent
quite a bit of time with younger
children who were also diagnosed
with cancer. He talked a lot to them
about what they wanted to be when
they grew up. It saddened him to
realize a lot of them would not live
long enough to accomplishing their
dreams. He left the hospital determined to do something to give them
more hope. Hence, the Marathon of Hope began. Terry began
his journey on April 12 1980 by
dipping his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean. He also took two jugs
of ocean water. One as a souvenir
and one he planned to pour into
the Pacific Ocean, where he would
end his run. He wanted every Canadian to donate at least one
dollar.Terry ran for 143 hard days.
Averaging about 26 miles per day.
That’s a marathon a day! He had
to run through rain, hail, sun, wind,
and snow.
But he kept going.
Some people tried to run him
off the road.
But he kept going.
People told him what he was
trying to do was impossible.
But he kept going.
Unfortunately, on September
1st 1980, Terry was forced to end
his run in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
His cancer had spread to his lungs.
He returned to Vancouver
for treatmen and on June 28 1981
Terry Fox died from the disease that
for cancer research and awareness.
At the beginning of his run, many
people thought that was impossi-
Carly Williams, Amber Macdonald, Teresa Lawson, Hasheem Hakeem and
Ned Peach
he had fought so hard to find a
cure for. It was only one month
short of his 23rd birthday. Even
though Terry Fox was unable to
complete his run, he succeeded. His
dream was to raise 1 million dollars
Students walking in from the run.
ble to do.
His cause raised over 400
million dollars worldwide. Thanks
to his courage, dedication, and determination, hundreds of people are
winning their battles against cancer. Thanks to him, less people have
to have their limbs amputated.
Thanks to him, more children can
live to see their future.Thanks to
Terry Fox, more cancer patients
have hope.
The 2nd Annual Terry Fox
Run at Best was a success. Students enjoyed themselves and the
assembly was short and sweet, not
feeling the need to portray the
deeds of Terry Fox that we have
heard all throughout our schooling
years. All students had to concentrate on was the Marathon of Hope.
Terry Fox’s Marathon of
Hope inspired a nation, and eventually the world, to rise to its feet
and continue his mission to fight
the sickness that affects so many
of us. He has been honoured in
numerous ways, from the Order of
Canada and the Terry Fox Memorial to having schools and a mountain named after him. But his greatest legacy is that every year in September, millions across our country and across the world take part
in what has become an annual
event to raise money for cancer research. Terry Fox is a true Canadian hero
Sam Freedman- first runner back
Dr
elcomes New Principal, Mrs. Mary O’Neill
Dr.. Charles Best W
Welcomes
By Echo Reporter Jordyn Delville-Pratt
interview with one of the newest
additions to the Charles Best staff.
E: What schools have you
previously worked at?
Mrs. O’Neill: This is my first
principalship, I previously worked
as a vice-principal at Riverside, and
Maple Creek Middle and was an
administrative assistant at Pinetree.
E: Why did
you decide to
come
to
Charles Best?
Mrs. O’Neill: I
didn’t decide
to come to
Best, this is
where they
told me that I
would
be
going.
I
applied for a
principalship,
though one
opened up
Photo by Tara Staples
At the beginning of the
semester there was a constant buzz
in the air as students tried to figure
out who the new principal was.
Excitement was ended as
assemblies started and Mrs. Mary
O’Neill introduced herself to the
student body by grade. The Echo
was fortunate enough to set up an
Principal Mrs. Mary O’Neill
here, and I was given the position.
I wanted to work at a high school,
so it worked out perfectly.
E: What do you think so far?
Mrs. O’Neill: I think that it is a
fabulous school. The kids are
terrific, the staff is amazing, and the
parents are friendly. I was really
impressed when I saw a student ask
his friend where a class was, and
another student who was
approaching volunteered to show
him where it was.
E: What goals do you have for the
school?
Mrs. O’Neill: Well other than the
two school goals- literacy and
education transition plans- we
hope that with advisory we can
help the students with their
portfolios, teach them how to fill
out a passport, a tax income sheet
and just try and help them get ready
for the next step. Everybody
leaves [Charles Best] and they have
to be prepared for it.
E: What are your views on the
portfolio?
Mrs. O’Neill : I think that it is
important for students to celebrate
what they’ve learned It is important
and I think that all students should
seriously consider doing one.
E: I don’t think that many of the
graduating students this year are
going to bother doing them.
Mrs. O’Neill: I think that it is
understandable, but rather shortsighted. This is supposed to be a
celebration of what students are
learning- not counting every little
point, so in that aspect there were
definitely some concerns with the
portfolio. However, I think that the
ministry should change some
aspects but still keep the portfolio.
The portfolio is very important and
I think that universities with start
to look at your portfolio as well as
your GPA, but I don’t know. It is
just a good thing to complete.
E: Thank you for your time.
Mrs. O’Neill is a welcome addition
to our school, and it will be
interesting to see how her
leadership and goals benefit our
school throughout the year.
Profile:
Education: Notre Dame (high
school) in Vancouver and then
to SFU and UBC
Grew up in: Burnaby
Time in Coquitlam: Has lived
in Coquitlam for 26 years.
Favourite Food: Bread. French
bread, multigrain; any kind.
Favourite Place Visited: Italy
Best High School Memory:
Being in the school play
Favourite Song: What a
Wonderful World- Louie
Armstrong
EDITORIALS
Page 2
Monday, October 2nd, 2006
cartoon by: Cynthia Assen
and Brendan Batchelor
The W
orst of Best: Unfair
Worst
Portfolio
by Echo columnist Katie Glover
I’m willing to bet that near
the end of July, many senior high
school students began to celebrate.
All across British Columbia, students breathed sighs of relief and
rejoiced for they had just received
excellent news: the dreaded and
despised Portfolio was cancelled.
Their suffering was finally over- or
so they thought.
On September 13 th, Mrs.
O’Neil announced to the Grade
12’s that the Portfolio would still
be affecting Charles Best’s seniors.
She explained that District #43 supported the notion that Portfolio
world be worth 75% of Passport to
Education, which has a $500 value.
District #43’s position is inherently unfair. How can the cancelled Portfolio still affect the Passport to Education? The Ministry of
Education found that the Portfolio
would be too much trouble for the
graduating class of 2007, so why is
District 43 still defending it?
The real injustice is that this
is not the case in every school district. District 43 has decided to force
grade 12’s to complete the Portfolio if they wish to receive the Passport to Education. However, in other
The Rant:
Potter vs.
Pope
by Echo columnist
Devon Henderson
W h e n
someone is being
described as the
“King of Darkness” and “the
Devil”, most people think of Hitler,
or
Ozzy
Osbourne. Well
according to the
Pope’s personal
exorcist (that’s
right, personal exorcist), the person that is the greatest threat to
our society is non-existent and
entirely fictional. The demon that
I speak of is…Harry Potter? When
I first heard of this ongoing battle
between the church and Harry
Potter, I was rendered temporarily
speechless. How paranoid must a
person be to think something as
completely innocent as Harry Potter can convert kids to devil worship? Clearly these nutcases
haven’t actually READ the
books in question. These books
are about a classic battle between
good and evil, and guess who
wins… GOOD! Harry doesn’t
spontaneously sprout devil horns
or start parading around with a
pitchfork! His friends don’t run
around burning Bibles! There’s a
difference between reading between the lines and hallucinating.
I’m confident in saying that extremely few of the millions who
have read the books have decided
to take up witchcraft. But just for
fun, let’s pretend that there was
an underlying message in the
Harry Potter books. Let’s just say
that (and of course this is an extremely hypothetical situation)
Harry’s actions do slightly resemble those of demons. You would
school districts, students are rewarded the Passport simply based
on their GPA alone. This gives an
incredible advantage to the students who do not have to complete
the ludicrous Portfolio. Instead of
wasting their time completing the
Portfolio, they can focus their time
and energy on achieving excellence
in their academic subjects. The students in District# 43 may work just
as hard or harder than the students
in other districts but because they
chose not to complete their Portfolio, they do not receive the rewards
they deserve. Why should the
Grade 12’s in the Coquitlam District
be punished for not completing the
foolish Portfolio?
The Government of British
Columbia cancelled the Portfolio for
all Grade 12’s for a reason. The Portfolio should be truly cancelled
throughout the province. I desperately encourage all Grade 12 students to write to District #43 and
point out the injustice of the inequitable Passport opportunities. You
can email your complaints to
tpeach@sd43.bc.ca . All Grade 12’s
deserve what they were promised,
a Portfolio-free year.
have to be intentionally twisting
the text to create the illusion that
Satan was any sort of influence
on these books. Unfortunately,
this is exactly what some people
are doing. Take a look at this excerpt from Harry Potter and the
Philosopher’s Stone: “To the well
organized mind, death is but the
next great adventure.”
Okay. Seems simple
enough. That particular sentence
happens to be in a fairly lengthy
paragraph spoken by Harry’s
mentor and school headmaster
Albus Dumbledore. Most who
read that paragraph would read
that sentence and move on, but
not the anti-Potters of the world.
According to Paw Creek Ministries, that quote “intrigues kids
with a false sense of death and
life after death”. I read that book
when I was nine; I don’t remember being particularly hung up on
the idea of life after death or expressing interest in Wicca witchcraft, nor do I imagine would any
other nine year old. The most disturbing thing is that Harry Potter
books are actually being banned
from schools. You’re kidding. I
think that taking books like Harry
Potter from kids is nothing short
of robbery. THEY’RE GOOD
BOOKS. People read them because they enjoy them, NOT because it opens new doors for sorcery! Since kindergarten, adults
have been encouraging us to read
for pleasure, and not just for
school. Finally, a book comes
along that is engaging to young
people, and we’re told that it’s a
sin to read it! Do these people
honestly believe that the world
would be a better place without
Harry Potter?
In my opinion, these
books are the best things that
happened to literature in the last
ten years, not the Anti-Christ, so
lighten up.
The W
orld As W
e See It:
World
We
“Sorcery Children”of Congo
by Echo columnist
Lauren Jeanneau
When tragedy strikes, it is
only human nature to look for somewhere to lay the blame. Tragedy is
overwhelming, inconceivable and
incomprehensible; we soothe ourselves by blaming anyone or anything we can. We try to blame God
or karma to keep searching for the
truth. This human nature is almost
inevitable. But when does this natural act start to become inhumane
and deadly?
Throughout Congo, the risk
of AIDS is growing at an alarming
rate. Thousands of fatalities occur
everyday and are causing a chain
reaction of hopelessness and confusion throughout Congolese societies. This exceptionally high
death toll is a tragedy that no one
seems to understand. In their grief,
the highly superstitious communities of Congo seek an explanation,
and so they look down and blame
the most vulnerable members of
their society.
Today, when adults become
infected or die from AIDS, Congolese family members often turn to
religion for an answer, willing to
accept a spiritual explanation rather
than a logical one. In these societies, religious leaders ‘diagnose’
the family’s tragedy as “sorcery”.
In this wicked twist of reality, the
religious leaders tell the families
that this sorcery is not performed
by a supernatural spirit (as commonly argued), but by their children. To me this sounds unconscionable, but the Congolese adults
who revere their religious leaders
believe every word they’re told. As
a result, their children are accused
of witchcraft, and fall victim to the
tortuous “cure” that is enforced.
In misguided attempts to “relinquish the demons” from their souls,
an “exorcism” is performed on the
children. Essentially, innocent and
unaware children are mercilessly
locked away in dark basement
rooms deprived of food and water
or alternatively beaten repeatedly.
It’s hard to believe that these are
the ones that get off easy. It is not
uncommon for the accused children
to be slashed by knives and razors,
ultimately ending their lives. Those
who are lucky enough to escape
begin to wander the streets, merely
trying to survive. But left defenceless and alone, these children become easy bait to pedophiles. Unfortunately, more often than not,
these heinous individuals are the
ones carrying HIV’s, therefore infecting the children and leaving
them with the disease that caused
their displacement in the first place.
The number of “Sorcery Chil-
dren” on the streets today is staggering. There are 25,000 innocent
children in Kinshasa (the capital
city of Congo) alone, and sixty percent of them have been accused of
performing witchcraft in some form
or another. Of the 3,000 homeless
children, 80 percent are forced out
of their homes for the same reason.
What has the world come to? There
are thousands of inculpable children that could be experiencing life,
but instead, find themselves living
on the streets over an infantile and
senseless accusation. While the
extreme efforts put forth by multiple relief organizations are admirable, only one in ten children manage to be rescued.The small per-
The Echo Is...
Page 1: Jordyn Deville-Pratt, Matt
Newton
Page 2: Elizabeth The, Devon
Henderson
Page 3: Amber MacDonald,
Cynthia Assen, Josh Bloomfield
Page 4:Tara Staples
cartoon by Cynthia
centage of children fortunate
enough to be found are taken in
and provided with food, shelter and
assistance from the Faradja Center,
a small non-profit organization that
specializes in helping permanently
take kids out of the streets. Over
time, the center’s goal is to provide
every single child a respectable
Foster home, ultimately changing
their lives forever. World Vision is
among the most successful relief
organizations to assist and manage
with such a successful plan on a
world-wide scale. This commendable Christian relief organization
helps with everything from physically taking children off the streets,
to running “Sponsor-a-Child” programs, to holding charities. With
over 14,000 staff members and volunteers in over 100 different countries, World Vision is truly taking
the major steps that lead to effective change. While the majority of
us cannot go so far as to adopt a
less fortunate brother or sister, educating ourselves, as well as the
Congolese people on this horrendous subject can help to prevent
even further allegations against
these innocuous victims of abuse.
Becoming proactive and donating
to this cause can also help to prevent this senseless abuse from continuing to happen.
As a society, we have formed
our own little niche, separating ourselves from the rest of the world.
Atrocious things are happening all
around us, but we can’t seem to
get over the fact that we got
grounded from going to last nights’
“party of the year.” Perhaps we are
naïve and ignorant; maybe we just
don’t care about the issues that
don’t affect us. Either way, barbaric
and outrageous things are happening throughout the world, and nobody seems to care. Until something changes, these poor victims
will continue to cry out in distress,
and their tears will drown all hope
that things could ever be different.
Page 5: Leslie Bouillet
Page 6: Kim Hession,
Kathryn Majdanski
Page 7: Chris Tse, Mike Noble,
Brendan Batchelor
Page 8: Leanne Feichtinger,
Zana Jiwa
NEWS
This years Best Buddies pose for a group photo
page 3
Pictures By: Yearbook
Monday, October 2nd, 2006
Best Buddies W
elcome Grade Nines
Welcome
Written by Echo Reporter:
Matt Newton
Late in the 2005-06 school
year, over forty current grade 11 and
12 students went on a retreat to
Loon lake to prepare for an important task: making the new grade
nines’ transition between Middle
School and High School easier.
Months later, on August 31st,
these Best Buddies led over 200
new students through the halls of
Dr Charles Best Secondary, giving
them a more thorough orientation
than they had previously experienced to the place where many of
them would be spending the next
four years of their academic career.
“They did awesome,” Ms
Dhillon, who along with Ms
Blakeway runs the Best Buddy program, said of this years’ buddies.
“This year’s buddy leaders are very
committed; they showed up to all
the meetings before school
started… and are excited about
working with the grade 9’s throughout the school year.”
According to Ms Dhillon,
who has been doing similar programs at one school or another for
the past eight years, the Buddies
are teacher-elected, after which
they are asked to a meeting where
the program is explained to them.
“We meet with all [of the] nominees,… to tell them what their responsibilities are, and then if they
are still interested, they can fill out
a formal application. Based on that seemed really sweet.”
list Ms Blakeway and myself make
So what did the grade nines
the final decision.”
think of the Best Buddy program?
Once accepted, the Best “[My Buddy] answered all my quesBuddies attend a two-day retreat tions and she was very nice and
at Loon
kind.” said
lake, which
new-to-Best
was “really
s t u d e n t
fun” acB r i a n n a
cording to
Townsend of
grade 11
one of her
B u d d y
Best Buddies.
Jessica
To w n s e n d ,
Heathwho came to
M u r p h y.
Best despite
“We did
the majority of
things like
her friends
a
high
going to Cenr o p e s
tennial,
course, beshared a concause you
cern many
like had to
other grade
trust [each
9’s had. “I
other] and
didn’t want to
it was really
get lost,” she
scary.”
said. A male
Wantgrade 9 who
ing to make
wishes to rethe transimain anonytion for the
Grade 9’s try to pop the balloon
mous had simigrade nines
lar trepidation
easier, her
towards “getadvice for them is “Just to stay true ting lost.” Jennifer, a fellow grade
to themselves and not let anyone 9, was concerned because of “how
else pressure them or tell them who big the school is.”
to be.” She said that many of the
One thing she did not share,
new students “…were really out- however, was the belief that her
going, and the majority of them Best Buddy had been a great help:
“All she said was ‘don’t worry,’”
Jennifer said. When asked if she
would feel comfortable going to her
Best Buddy for advice; she offered,
“Maybe… it depends.” Jennifer’s
friend Lauren agreed with
Townsend’s simple “yah,” but admitted that she doesn’t remember
who her Best Buddy is.
Although the Best’s youngest grade is now fairly used to their
present surroundings, the Buddies’
duties aren’t done yet.
As well as recently helping
out with the Terry Fox Run, they’ll
be checking in on the grade nines
to make sure they’re adjusting well.
Says grade 12 buddy Mike Noble,
“Nothing too out of the ordinary.”
These Buddies have definitely
made the transition to high school
much more easier
Meghan Nicholson and Nicole Ponsart
Best Players Stage Auditions
for Metfest
By Echo Reporter: Cynthia Assen
The Drama Department is
once again up on their feet and getting ready to present to us yet another fabulous production!
This year’s play, “Mike’s
Case” will be about a teenage boy
with unresolved personal issues,
who tries to get his friends to help
him figure out his problem.
It will be performed without
using props except for 8 black
boxes. The actors and actresses will
be miming out most of the scenes,
while a character narrates.
Auditions were held on
Thursday, September 14 th with
about 40 students showing up. It
was a big success and everyone
who attended did great. Unfortunately, there are only 13 roles in this
play.
Mr. Case gave some advice
for students who would want to
audition for future plays. “Have
fun, but not at the expense of the
audition. Pay attention. Breathe.”
As for those who didn’t
make it in the cast of “Mike’s Case”,
audition again for other productions that come around! Don’t
think just because you didn’t make
it into this one that means you’re
horrible at acting. Mr. Case casts
people who he thinks will fit best in
the play. This doesn’t necessarily
mean students who can act extraordinarily well will unquestionably
get a role. To be part of a Best Production, you really need to be willing to put in a lot of time and energy, especially the last couple of
days before opening night. There
are rehearses for most days of the
school week, and you also have to
have the time to memorize all your
lines. Being part of a play is very
fun but it takes hard work and a lot
of commitment.
If you absolutely love being
around the stage you could also
find other ways to be part of the
play. For example, you can ask if
you can be an extra, or help out with
stagecraft. Just find a way you can
be involved.
Tibet’
ibet’ss Inspirational Leader
Visits V
ancouver
Vancouver
By Echo Reporter:
Josh Bloomfield
Students from Charles Best
recently had a chance to visit with
the Dalai Lama, the spiritual
leader of Tibet when they attended an event on Friday September 9, called “Nurturing Compassion” at the Orpheum Theatre. The theatre was filled to the
roof by the 2,800 students from
schools all over the Vancouver
area. The Dalai Lama along with
his great sense of humour had
the young audience captivated
for nearly two and a half hours
with his message of compassion
and tolerance along with his
laughter. It was a very interactive
experience for the students who
decided to take the trip. Stephen
Boles from Pinetree emceed the
event, and Students were able to
share their own experiences of
compassion and ask the Tibetan
Buddhist leader questions.
Twenty-two students attended from best. Aaron
Robinson said “It was a truly inspiring experience; he’s like the
Yoda of our time.” When asked
why he thought it was so important to meet with young people,
the Dalai Lama replied, “The
past is past and the future is coming.” The Dalai Lama really believes that it is crucial for him to
get his message through to
young people. After many words
of advice he got up and took a
bow. The crowd responded with
a standing ovation to show their
appreciation. Despite criticism
from China for traveling to Canada’s west coast he still gladly
made the trip. The Buddhist
leader is only the third person to
receive an honorary Canadian
citizenship. His Vancouver trip
concluded with a few more talks
and then he was off to the States
where he is now speaking. For
the students of Best this was an
opportunity of a lifetime, and
ones who went will surely not
be forgetting this soon.
NEWS
October 2nd, 2006
SPEAK OUT - What was the Best Part of your Summer?
Page 4
Ben Pearson Grade 10
“Playing Super Smash Brothers”
Carly Kristensen Grade 12
“Tree planting with my hippy
friends.”
Devon Macdonell Grade 10
“No school”
Maurie Kowalski Grade 12
“Going to Europe”
Pearse Rogan Grade 9
“Wake boarding and tubing in
Osoyoos”
Charles Best W
elcomes 10 New T
eachers
Welcomes
Teachers
by Tara Staples
Marina Chugunova
Subject: Science 9, Physics,
Math.
Best high school memory:
Physics teacher from grade 6.
Favourite song: “Hotel California” - The Eagles
If you were an animal,
which one would you be and
why?:
Horse, some people find
them created better than humans.
Word that best describes
you: Curious
Ken Ipe
Lorraine Johnson
Subject: Student services,
learning assistance, and skill development.
Best high school memory:
Winning a music scholarship, and
playing volleyball and basketball.
Favourite song: “Unchained
Melody”
If you were an animal, which
one would you be and why?: Tiger,
because of their beautiful colours.
Word that best describes
you: Friendly
Laura Epp
Subject: English
Best high school memory: I
hated high school; I was the shortest, most obese, poorest, brownest, kid in the school with the thickest glasses.
Favourite song: “Be thou my
vision”
If you were an animal, which
one would you be and why?:
A chameleon, they stay out
of trouble.
Word that best describes
you: Consistent
Subject: Math
Best high school memory:
Grade 12 band field trip.
Favourite song: “Happy Together” - The Turtles
If you were an animal, which
one would you be and why?: Dolphin, because they’re smart, fun
and like to swim.
Word that best describes
you: Enthusiastic
The winner of the student
counsel elections for the year 2006
and 2007 are Aaron Robinson and
Melanie Arvello. They have put
together a strong student council.
This year is going to be full of more
activities and fundraisers. Their
goal is to make this school year more
fun for everyone.
Last years’ student council
had some great ideas of activities
and fundraisers that worked well
for the school. This year they will
most likely repeat the hot dog sales
made a lot of money that was used
for great activities such as sprit
days and school dances. Every
year the students always complains
about having more then just two
school dances and Aaron and
Melanie are going to try and make
that happen this year. Best will be
trying to hold four school dances
this year. They will also keep up
the sprit on the holidays, like Halloween and Christmas, trying to get
the student body into the festive
sprit. This years’ student council
have new ideas for the up coming
year, they would rather have one
sprit day each month then a whole
week of sprit in the spring. They
Daren Fridge
Subject: Shore marathon
program
Best high school memory:
Going to provincials for basketball.
Favourite song: “New York,
New York” - Frank Sinatra
If you were an animal, which
one would you be and why? :
Lion or bear, bear because
they’re hairy, or a Lion because my
astrological sign is a Leo.
Word that best describes
you: Dedicated
Phillip Jeaggle
Subject: Drafting 9, Electronics 9, Science, and Tech 11.
Best high school memory:
Graduating
Favourite song: “My Next
Thirty Years”
If you were an animal, which
one would you be and why? :
Dog, because I could lie on
the couch.
Word that best describes you:
Fun-ish
David Devaney
Subject: Socials
Best high school
memory: Skiing at Manning
Park.
Favourite song: “Babba
O’Riely”- The Who
If you were an animal,
which one would you be and
why?:
Lion, because they’re in
charge.
Word that best describes
you: Emotional
Monica Nguyen
Subject: Math and English
Best high school memory:
Production of “Grease.”
Favourite song: Something
grunge.
If you were an animal,
which one would you be and
why? :
Monkey, they’re always up
to something.
Word that best describes
you: Patient
Sophie Viswanathan
Subject: Science and Math
Best high school memory:
Playing on the basketball team.
Favourite song: I like Latin
music.
If you were an animal,
which one would you be and why?:
A deer, to be free and gentle.
Word that best describes
you: Happy
Olivier Major
Subject: French Immersion;
Socials 10, PE 9
Best high school memory:
Basketball club senior AAA.
Favourite song: “Ring of
Fire” - Johnny Cash
If you were an animal, which
one would you be and why?:
Cougar, because they’re furious, strong, and beautiful.
Word that best describes
you: Energetic
Student
Council Has Big Plans For The New School Year
by Amber Macdonald
are hoping that more of the students
will join in the activities that they
have planned since they are more
separated. They also have new holiday ideas planned for this year to
keep up the involvement of the student body. They will also be pushing sprit assemblies, to give our
school just the sprit it needs.
Another one of the goals student council has is to promote
school sports and clubs, by trying
to encourage more of the students
to attend our sports teams games
and tournaments right here at best.
The Student council will be putting
up posters of the important
upcoming games and will keep a
calendar updated of what’s happening with our school sports
teams; check it out to see what
teams you can watch!
Grad is one of the main
concerns for the seniors at this
school. The student council will
be working hard with the grad
council to give them the BEST
graduation ever. Melanie says”
Come on, this is our last year, of
course we will want to leave with
a Big Bang!
How ever student coun-
sels’ biggest ambition this year is to
get everyone involved, to get seen
and to be heard, bringing more talent shows and battle of the bands
this year.
If you have any ideas for the
year 2006-2007, to make it better then
the last talk to either Aaron or Mel.
They would like nothing more then
to hear from you. Considering this
is your school and your year too.
The student voice is very important,
and they can’t give you everything
you want if you don’t speak up. So
get out, tell your ideas and make
them reality.
Monday,October 2, 2006
GRADE 9 SUR
VIV
AL GUIDE
SURVIV
VIVAL
Page 5
Desperate to be Cool in High School? Always Be Yourself... Or Just Be Me!
Greetings, freshmen. This
little bit of useful information that
you’re about to read is a welcome
gift from me to you. So actually read
it, or I’ll smack you when you get
here next year. Ahem. Moving on.
You know what confuses me
sometimes? From the very beginning of school, when we were eating
Play-Dough in kindergarten, all the
way till now, when we’re bumming
around in high school, they constantly tell us to be different.
Who’s “they” you ask? Well,
“they” is teachers, principals,
coaches, parents. Be original, they
say. Be yourself, they say.
But almost all the time, their advice seems to go unheeded. Take
notes, freshmen. When you get to
Charles Best Secondary, you will
automatically be labeled upon entry
into our glorious school.
Consider the following choices,
and then choose the person that
you would most like to be labeled as.
Note that a student can belong to
one or more groups.
·
Jock A (athlete with little to
·
Emo (they’re like punks, exno brain matter)
·
Jock B (athlete with a normal cept with darker clothes and more
amount of brain matter)
·
Jock C (athlete
with abnormally large
Chris Tse ponders the meaning of life
amounts of brain matter)
·
Nerd A (child
genius complete with
thick glasses and no social life)
·
Nerd B (smart kid
with social life)
·
Geek (Dungeons
and Dragons addict who
brings a Gameboy to
school)
·
Galactic Geek
(anyone obsessed with
Starwars, Startrek, and
star-fighter games)
·
Barbie Dolls
(watch the movie “Mean
Girls”. Enough said)
·
Students with a
future in the sex-trade
business (this kinda describes itself, doesn’t it?)
·
Skaters (simply
put, a boarder or a kid
annoying)
who dresses like one)
·
Asians (if you’re Asian, then
·
Punk (skater, just to the exyour problems are solved)
treme)
Photo by Kimberly Hession
By Echo Columnist
Chris Tse
Smashin’ Fashion Advice: Survive High School
Welcome to Charles Best
Secondary, home of the Blue
Devils and most of the time,
attended by a rather well dressed
population.
Of course we have the usual
“wannabe black” white boys
and a few groups of rather
underdressed girls, but for the
most part, our student body
dresses in whatever they are
comfortable in.
We’re an eclectic group, with
looks from skater to punk to
preppy to those of us who just
don’t care.
Now, I can’t really tell you
how to dress because as long as
you’re comfortable in whatever
you’re wearing, that’s all that
really matters.
All I have to say is if you’re
dressing
to
impress
someone…don’t.
There is no one at this school
worth compromising your individuality for.
Do as you feel, be your own person, and don’t mimic someone else’s
style because they’re supposedly
Photo by Leanne Feichtinger
By Echo Columnist
Leslie Bouillet
Jessica Atnikov and Leslie Bouillet
“cool”.
As soon as you copy, you’re no
longer cool- you’re just a clone.
To me the uniqueness of one’s
outfit is much more interesting than
a bunch of people who look exactly
the same.
For those of you who still want
some advice, I asked one of my
closest friends and rather savvy
dresser for some tips.
Here they are…
Jessica Atnikov’s Tips to Fashion Survival:
1. Be unique- if you can name five
people who have the same shirt
you’re about to buy, back away.
2. Wear appropriate clothing for
your body type.
3. Don’t try too hard, be yourself.
Conventional style is overrated; create your own style.
4. Now for the boys- G-Unit is not
cool, it really should be called GUnot.
5. Pants: Don’t have them falling
off your ass; that is in no way attractive, but then again don’t wear tight
girl pants. They’re meant for girls for
a reason, they look better on us.
Learn Best’
Best’ss Hallway Etiquette from an Expert
By Echo Columnist
Leanne Feichtinger
It’s happened to the best of
us: you’re walking down the hall, to
your next class when suddenly the
person in front of you stops to talk
to their friend.
You crash into their back, taken
aback by the suddenness of their
stop . Confusion sets in. You
backpedal, trying desperately to find
a way around the monstrous traffic
jam that is “Our School Hallways”.
Unfortunately, in our increasingly
crowded hallways, there often isn’t
a way around the suddenly stopped
students.
Crowds of kids gather in the
narrowest and busiest hallways in
our school. If you’re going to stop
somewhere to discuss your weekend plans, could you move out of
that doorway please? And off the
stairs?
Or even just move to the side
of the hall, so you’re not blocking
the middle of the hall?
Our school isn’t equipped to
handle the herds of kids stopped in
the halls.
If you’re going to be leading
a group discussion, move it to the
caf. If you suddenly spot your best
friend in the hall, don’t stop without
warning and give the person behind
you a mouthful of your hair. Can’t
you walk and talk?
Hallways are for moving,
transporting kids to their next class.
If you manage to navigate your way
through the cramped , crowded halls,
you might find you have another
challenge: getting through the group
of kids who have decided to conglomerate in front of your classroom
door to catch up on the latest inschool gossip.
If there is one thing that
would improve our school enormously, taking only a small amount
of effort (other than a coat of paint),
it’s that everyone just keeps moving
through the halls.
It doesn’t sound that challenging, but for many it is. If you start
grade 9 on a good foot, then hopefully by the time you graduate, your
feet will still be moving!
·
FOB Asians (if you’re a FOB
Asian, then your problems are just
getting started)
·
Normal everyday’er
(these students fill in the
cracks between the groups
mentioned above.
They’re athletes, musicians, artists, and punks, all
rolled into one.)
??? (This could be you.)
If you actually chose a
group that you would like to
belong to, then congratulations, you’re more gullible
than I thought.
In any case, here’s where
I’m supposed to tell you that
the best group to belong to is
the ??? group, and that you
should be yourself and be
unique and all that lions-andtigers-and-bears-oh-my
happyland stuff.
But because I care about
you freshmen soooo much,
I’m just gonna lay it out for
you, straight up.
If you want to be cool in
high school, there’s only two people that you should try to be: yourself, or me.
If you have no idea who I am, feel
free to look me up in the dictionary
under “the epiphany of cool”, or in
Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
Being me might be easier for you
Asians to pull off, seeing as how
you share the same rough ancestry
as I do, but white kids, don’t give up.
Turning Asian is but an attitude.
If you’ve got it, you’ll never lose
it.
So, I’ll sum up exactly what’s been
said so that your little freshmen brains
can process it. Only losers can be
labeled.
If you truly desire to be high school
cool, follow your heart (or whatever
they say in Disney movies these
days.) Or be like me. You won’t
regret it.
I might even let you chill with me
if I deem you worthy. For those of
you who found this little pshbang
discriminatory, or racist, or offensive, I have but one thing to say: get
used to it.
This is high school, dear children.
So shut up, or get beat up.
But if you’re with me, you’ll never
get beat up.
Dear Abby
... Best Edition
Abby...
By Echo Columnists Katie Glover and Elizabeth The
Dear Elizabeth,
I’m so excited about Grade Nine! I can hardly wait for the open
campus, school dances and of course, the cute boys! With fewer rules,
I’ll finally get the chance to wear make-up and “experiment” with life
as a teenager. But seriously, will the teachers yell at us if we come to
school in our bathing suits?
Yours Truly,
Excited
Dear Excited,
Whoa, slow down there! You’ll be immediately asked to cover up
if you dare waltz around in your yellow-polka-dot-bikini. Yes, as
secondary school students, we are given added freedoms, but, as
lame as this may sound, you’re still expected to demonstrate a level
of respect. If you want to avoid the evil stares and bathroom stall
comments from the older girls, avoid taking such drastic measures
to attract unwanted attention. Do you really want to give off a bad
impression? Or would you rather be known as a friendly, confident
individual who others can look up to?
Dear Katie,
Next year I will be going to high school and I am really scared.
I have heard horror stories from my older brother that the older grades,
especially grade 12’s, are really horrible to Grade 9’s. He told me that
this one Grade 12 pushed a Grade 9 down the stairs just because she
was in his way. Apparently the grade 12 pushed her so hard that she
broke her leg! How can I avoid the older grades when they are always
in the hallways?
Truly,
Terrified
Dear Terrified,
You should be scared. Your older brother is telling the truth,
we hate grade 9s, almost as much as we hate grade 8s. There’s really
no way to avoid it. As for the girl that broke her leg, it was totally her
fault, she was walking way too slowly, picking her nose, and she was
wearing a belly shirt and Dorinhas; EW! But truthfully, there is no
need to be frightened of the older grades. They were all Grade 9’s too
and were probably afraid just like you. There are some immature
older students who might try to play tricks on Grade 9’s, but this is
rare, and it is especially uncommon for older students to be violent.
It is more common for Grade 11 and 12’s to be helpful. You have
probably heard of ‘Best Buddies’, who are a large group of grade 11
and 12 students who wish to help you, not harm you. Just be sure you
are not doing anything that will intentionally annoy other students,
like clogging the hallways, being excessively noisy and dressing
ridiculously inappropriately. Just be sure to be as respectful as you
would be to anyone in the school, even your fellow grade 9’s. The only
way you’ll get in trouble, is if you’re causing trouble, so just chill and
get to know the school.
ENTERTAINMENT
Page 6
Monday, October 2nd 2006
By Echo Columnist
Brendan Batchelor
“I’m #@%$&*# dead man,”
an exhausted Z.P Theart lamented
to The Echo, “We play again tomorrow night…in Seattle I think,
and after that we’ll have our first
day off in about a week.”
Despite the rigors of touring
with a heavy metal band,
DragonForce’s lead singer was still
able to lead his troops into battle,
putting on a stunning performance
at Vancouver’s Croatian Cultural
Centre on September 12th.
“HORSE The Band” took the
stage first with their unique brand
of Nintendo Metal (which included
a rather enthusiastic triangle
player).
After playing their opening
song “Birdo,” the band introduced
themselves by declaring: “We are
HORSE The Band, and we are from
the future!”
Their wacky and vigorous set
closed with “The Cutsman” an inimitable song that had the crowd
chanting along to the breakdown
in which the only lyrics are “Cut,
Cut, Cut, Cut!”
Next up were New England
natives “All That Remains” who put
on a good technical show which
included their single “This Calling”; however, they severely lacked
stage presence and had the crowd
longing for the end of their set.
Finally, at approximately
9:15pm, the sold out crowd got
what they had been so eagerly
awaiting as DragonForce took the
stage opening with the lively tune
“Storming the Burning Fields” from
their most recent album “Inhuman
Rampage.”
The dynamic guitar duo of
Herman Li and Sam Totman were in
perfect form, cranking out solo after blistering solo (although the latter became noticeably and increas-
ingly inebriated as the night
progressed).
Z.P Theart sounded just
as brilliant on stage as he has
on any recording, belting out
such fan favourites as “Fury Of
The Storm”, “Operation Ground
and Pound”, “Soldiers of the
Wasteland”, and their renowned
hit single “Through The Fire and
Flames.”
To finish off the night,
DragonForce played their classic anthem “Valley of the
Damned.” Z.P then sincerely
thanked the audience for attending the concert as the band
stepped to the front of the stage
to take one final bow.
This incredible concert
was a great bargain with tickets
going for an astonishing $20.
The intimate atmosphere of
the Croatian Cultural Centre made
it one of the best heavy metal
shows to come to Vancouver in re-
Provided by Band
DragonForce Puts Croatian “Through The Fire And Flames”
cent memory.
With DragonForce slowly
gaining international notoriety, you
can bet that their venue will be sig-
nificantly larger and their ticket
prices more exorbitant the next time
they grace Canada’s Western shore
with their rock n’ roll.
Review of Summer 2006 CD Releases Movies of the Summer
By Echo Columnist Kathryn Majdanski
By Echo Columnist
Mike Noble
on a scale of 1-5
Billy Talent II
The much anticipated release
of the summer was Billy Talent II.
Contrary to the last album, I found
this one much slower and slightly
disappointing.
The first two songs “Devil
in a Midnight Mass” and “Red
Flag” are amazing, and it almost
seems as if Billy Talent is trying to
find a heavier sound than they had
before.
But, after listening to the rest
of the record, “Falling Leaves” and
“Worker Bees” were the only other
songs worth listening to. In my
personal opinion, the other nine
songs on the album are much less
appealing than most of those on
the last BT release. Billy Talent is
becoming more main stream, and
though they still have a distinct
sound, their music has gone downhill dramatically.
Audioslave: Revelations
I can honestly say that I have
never enjoyed silence as much as I
did after listening to this CD. Although Audioslave has a unique
sound, this album is so redundant
it’s repulsive.
Each chorus has about three
words that are repeated and over
again, and every song’s chorus
sounds exactly like the last. It
seems as if no thought went into
writing this album.
One song which actually
sounds better than the other eleven
on Revelations is “Sound of a
Gun”, but the chorus lacks the same
diversity as because ‘sound of a
gun’ is repeated over and over
again.
I only would recommend
buying this album if you were looking for a cruel and unusual way of
torturing somebody.
Alexisonfire: Crisis
Released on August 22,
Alexisonfire’s fourth album brings
a new sound .
With Dallas Green singing
more in the songs, this album creates a fresh new face for the band,
despite his voice getting slightly
repetitive.
Also, George Pettit’s screaming is much easier to understand
and sing along to. Not much has
changed about the theme of their
music; AOF is choosing to stick
with the darkened suburban theme.
And the album is worth buying for the song “This Could Be
Anywhere in the World”. In this
song, a clear picture is painted of a
once happy city that has been overcome with tragedy.
So remember kids, buy Crisis
and support these talented Canadian musicians.
bad-ass performance, and delivers
a line which had the theatre in
The movie industry was cheers. There is a great amount of
booming this summer, as theatres action in the movie and for the plot
were filled with swashbuckling pi- line; I’ll give you three guesses on
rates, Nascar racers who thought what it is.
My personal favourite this
they were on fire, and snakes on
planes. This summer was definitely summer, and my choice for sleeper
not a sleeper, despite what people hit of the summer was Little Miss
may have said. The first major re- Sunshine, starring Steve Carell. In
lease was Pirates of the Caribbean a departure from his normally over
2, which continued the adventures the top antics, Carell plays a gay
of Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner suicidal genius whose dark sarand Elizabeth Swann. This time casm provides many funny moaround, the trio encounter the leg- ments to the movie. Go see this
movie.
endary Flying DutchBut with
man, captained by the
the
good,
maniacal Davy Jones,
comes the bad.
but don’t let me spoil
Miami Vice did
the movie for you. Definot live up to
nitely a must see movie.
the hype , and
The next notewas more diaworthy release in the
logue than acsummer was Talladega
tion. Pulse
Nights: The Ballad of
Cast: Little Miss Sunshine
also wasn’t
Ricky Bobby. Another
that scary, but
great comedy spawned
by Will Ferrell’s crazy antics. He I guess if you liked The Ring 2,
portrays a Nascar racer, who is ob- you’d like it. The Wicker Man was
sessed with speed and finishing a stereotypical horror, with semifirst. However, though Ferrell’s scary moments. It’s a rental at best,
wacky performance is entertaining, but only if Snakes on a Plane is out
Sasha Baron Cohen - aka Ali G, who
plays Ricky Bobby’s French nem- Top 5 Movies of the Summer
esis - truly steals the movie in terms
1. Little Miss Sunshine
of humour.
2: Pirates of the Caribbean 2
The next release is the
Dead Man’s Chest
Internet Promoted Snakes on a
3. Crank
Plane, which hit the theatres Au4: Snakes on a Plane
gust 18 th, much to my delight.
5: Talladega Nights
Samuel L Jackson gives his typical
Keane Member “Under the Iron Sea” W
ith Drink and Drugs
With
By Senior Editor
Kim Hession
After releasing their straight
to number one sophomore album,
Under the Iron Sea, Keane was
headed for a second and highly
anticipated North-American Tour.
With sold-out stadiums across the
continent, Keane were getting
ready to “conquer the world”. The
tour was nearing, it’s opening date
on September 7th in Chicago, when
the band cancelled several concert
dates, due to Chaplin suffering from
the ever so over-used excuse of
“exhaustion”.
Tim, Richard, Dominic and
Tom Chaplin all grew up in the same
small town of ‘Battle’, in southern
England. Inspired by Tim’s ability
to play Buddy Holly tunes on his
piano, the band moved to London
in hopes of signing a record deal.
Two years and one band
member later, the band tired of working dead-end jobs, and decided to
move back to the countryside for a
little recuperation.
Turns out that the move
worked, because in May of 2004,
the band released their first album:
“Hopes and Fears”. They sold five
million copies, won two Brit awards
and were nominated to win a
Grammy.
Naturally, the intense touring schedule was taking its toll, so
they took a bit of a break and went
back to recording “Under the Iron
Sea” in New York from October, to
December, 2005.
Their fan base had grown im-
mensely since the release of the second album, and fans, including myself, were getting ready to belt out
songs from both records when the
band would take the stage in Vancouver. Only one week after having
cancelled several tour dates due to
exhaustion, Chaplin announced
that he was “having to deal with an
increasing problem with drink and
drugs, and the time had come to get
the professional help I need to sort
myself out.” Chaplin has entered
himself into a private clinic, and will
not return to the road until the doctors involved in his treatment feel
he is ready.
Tim, Tom’s band mate is
supportive: “Obviously it’s crucial
that Tom is given the time to get
better properly…That’s why, between the three of us, we’ve decided to cancel the North American tour.”
The tour is postponed until
further notice, and refunds are
available to those who purchased
tickets.
SPORTS
Page 7
Year of the Duck: The Echo’
Echo’ss NHL Predictions for 2006-2007
Monday, October 2nd, 2006
Northwest Division
Western Conference
Central Division
Chicago Blackhawks: A young
team, look for the Hawks to be good
in the years to come, but this year,
their lack of experience will be their
downfall. WC Ranking: 14th
Columbus Blue Jackets: With
the addition of ex-Canuck Anson
Carter, along with the arrival of Vancouver’s own Gilbert Brule to feed
sniper Rick Nash, Columbus will see
their first playoff berth in club history. Their only question mark is if
goaltender Pascal Leclaire can prove
himself an NHL starter. WC Ranking: 7th
Detroit Red Wings: After losing
Yzerman and Shanahan, the Dead
Wings will see a severe drop in the
win column if goalie Dominik Hasek’s
groin isn’t on form. However, young
talents Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel
Datsyuk will keep Detroit in the
playoff picture. WC Ranking: 6th
Nashville Predators: Adding fire
power in the form of Jason Arnott
and J.P. Dumont along with the return of a healthy Vokoun will ensure
the Predators a Central Division title. An underrated defence led by
Zidlicky and Timonen will justify
Nashville’s attacking style. WC
Ranking: 3rd
Colorado Avalanche: With weak
goaltending from Jose Theodore and
barely any defensive depth, the Avs
will miss out on the playoffs for the
first time in over ten years. WC Ranking: 11th
Edmonton Oilers: With the loss
of key players including Pronger
and Samsonov, the Oilers aren’t left
with much to work with; they should
have won the Cup when they had
the chance. WC Ranking: 10th
Minnesota Wild: The normally
frugal Wild made a splash on draft
day by adding Slovak sniper Pavol
Demitra to play alongside fellow
countryman Marian Gaborik. Additional offensive and defensive additions include Parrish, Carney, and
Johnsson. WC Ranking: 4th
Vancouver Canucks: Many questions surround the Canucks after
coming off a disappointing season
that saw them miss the playoffs for
the first time since 2000. The trading
of controversial power forward Todd
Bertuzzi allowed the Canucks to gain
much needed stability in net with
canucks.com
St. Louis Blues: We have almost
nothing good to say about this team.
The “Grandpa Line” of Tkachuk,
Weight and Guerin will be completely
ineffective and have St. Louis singing the blues once again. WC Ranking: 15th
Calgary Flames: Alex Tanguay’s
added offensive punch will take pressure off Jarome Iginla. With a solid
defensive core anchored by rookie
sensation Dion Phaneuf and spectacular goaltending from Kiprusoff,
the Flames will sit atop the Northwest Division. WC Ranking: 2nd
Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks: Bringing
Pronger to an already solid defense
will bring the cup to Southern California for the first time. Other
strengths include solid goaltending
from Bryzgalov and Giguere with
scoring up front coming from
Selanne and McDonald, along with
a crop of young stars in Perry, Getzlaf,
and Ryan. WC Ranking: 1st
Dallas Stars: Questionable freeagent signing Eric Lindros will be
counted on to replace Arnott.Unless
Turco stands on his head, even the
consistency of captain Mike
Modano won’t put the Stars in the
playoffs. WC Ranking: 9th
Los Angeles Kings: The Kings’
new goalie? Dan Cloutier. End of
story. WC Ranking: 13th
Roberto Luongo
Roberto Luongo, though the
blueline in front of him has undergone a massive overhaul. After losing Ed Jovanovski to Phoenix, veterans Ohlund, Mitchell, and Salo will
be heavily relied upon to help out
Luongo. The Canucks will also see
an infusion of young talent with
roster spots becoming available to
fill the places of Jovanovski and
Carter, among others. Jesse Schultz,
Rick Rypien, and Alex Burrows are
just a few of the potential newcomers that could crack the line-up.
Sophomore centre Ryan Kesler will
need to prove he’s worth the $1.9
million he signed to in early September. Ex-Montreal Canadien Jan Bulis
will probably take the place of de-
Scott Neidermayer
regain elite status in coming years,
but their lack of depth and experience puts them in eighth in the West
this season, just barely making the
playoffs. Whether they go farther
than that lies on the shoulders of
captain Markus Naslund. WC Ranking: 8th
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
New Jersey Devils: In order to be
successful in the new NHL, the Devils need to change their defensive
style. Their success this season depends upon whether 5’7 sniper
Gionta can match last season’s goal
total. EC Ranking: 6th
New York Islanders: The Islanders have become the biggest joke in
the NHL after switching GM’s within
a week for no apparent reason and
then signing under-achieving goalie
Rick DiPietro to a 15 year $67.5 million contract to go along with captain Alexi Yashin’s albatross deal,
which is thankfully now half over.
We would have loved to put them
last, but their offensive depth will
get them a few more wins than Washington. EC Ranking: 14th
New York Rangers: Last year, the
Rangers’ Cinderella story ended
early with a first-round playoff exit.
This season, the Rangers will be
taking no one by surprise with allworld sniper Jaromir Jagr leading the
charge and King Henrik holding the
fort in goal. The Rangers also gained
veteran leadership by signing
Brendan Shanahan. EC Ranking:
1st
Philadelphia Flyers: With Keith
Primeau officially done for good, the
Flyers will look to Swedish magician
Peter Forsberg and sniper Simon
Gagne to dominate offensively. Look
for Antero Nittymaki to emerge as a
bonafide NHL starter and carry the
Flyers to short-term playoff success. EC Ranking: 5th
Pittsburgh Penguins: The Pens
boast arguably the best center tandem in the league in the form of
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin,
which makes them our dark horse to
make the playoffs. However, they
also harbour the weakest defence in
the NHL, and unproven goaltending
will most likely be their demise this
season. EC Ranking: 12th
Northeast Division
Boston Bruins: The Bruins have
a decent offensive unit headed by 21
year-old Patrice Bergeron, and with
the addition of Zdeno Chara, the
Bruins gain stability on the back
end. The goaltending pair of Tim
Thomas and Hannu
Toivonen will need to be
solid in order for the
Bruins to achieve success down the stretch.
EC Ranking: 8th
Buffalo Sabres: Save
the losses of Dumont,
Pyatt, and Grier, the Sabres have an almost identical line-up to that of last
season. With Ryan Miller
coming off a break-out season, look
for the Sabres to duplicate their success of last year and go deep into the
playoffs once again. EC Ranking:
4th
will be dominant again this season,
starting with goaltending sensation
Cam Ward. Look for Eric Staal to
continue his dazzling play, along
with a strong return from Erik Cole.
EC Ranking: 2nd
Florida Panthers: The Panthers
gain offensive depth with the addition of Todd Bertuzzi, but Alex Auld
nhl.com
San Jose Sharks: The Chee Choo
Train will keep chugging and
goaltender Vesa Toskala will come
into his own, carrying the Sharks to
a solid berth, assuming Joe Thornton
can duplicate his Hart Trophy-winning season. WC Ranking: 5th
parted Carter on the Sedin line. Bulis
will definitely see some power play
time, an opportunity he was never
given in Montreal, and is expected
to make a significant contribution to
Vancouver’s goal output. This is a
team that has potential and could
Joe Thornton
Montreal Canadiens: This
storied franchise is nowhere near
the glory of the old days, but remains the most respected hockey
club within the league. By adding
set-up man Sergei Samsonov, the
Habs have shown that they are committed to winning, and the tandem of
Cristobal Huet and David Aebischer
in goal will ensure that Montreal
makes the playoffs. EC Ranking:
7th
has some big shoes to fill in the stead
of Roberto Luongo. A lack of defensive depth will leave the Panthers on
the outside looking in come playoff
time. EC Ranking: 11th
Ottawa
Senators:
With
goaltender Martin Gerber arriving in
the nation’s capital, the Senators
will have a solid back-end to complement their lethal offensive attack.
The Sens also added Tom Preissing
on defence to fill the void left by the
giant on skates, Zdeno Chara. EC
Ranking: 3rd
Washington Capitals: Even “The
Gr8 One” Alexander Ovechkin can’t
rally this team of minor leaguers to
any success whatsoever. They are
the worst team in the league by a
mile, though it’s not really anyone’s
fault. Management has committed
to rebuilding from the inside, so let’s
be patient and just watch Ovie do his
thing. EC Ranking: 15th
Tampa Bay Lightning: Although
full of potential, the 2004 Stanley
Cup champs will miss out on the
playoffs this season due to a lack of
depth at most positions. EC Ranking: 10th
Trophy Winners
washingtonpost.com
With the NHL season fast approaching, the hockey experts at
The Echo bring you our guaranteed
predictions for the upcoming year.
We definitely advise you to go and
bet all your money on our sure-fire
picks, as we bring you team by team
previews. Now without further adieu
(and all jokes aside) here are the
Echo’s official 2006-2007 NHL season predictions.
Phoenix Coyotes: With a line-up
centered around washed-up players, the Coyotes will miss the playoffs
for the second year in a row under
the command of Wayne Gretzky.
WC Ranking: 12th
www.mightyducks.com
By Echo Reporter: Brendan Batchelor;
input from Senior Editor Chris Tse and
reporters Farhan Devji, Mike Noble, and
Zane Jiwa
Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin
Toronto Maple Leafs: Although
they gain hopefully solid
goaltending in the form of Andrew
Raycroft, the Leafs have minimal
talent up front and will miss the
playoffs once again. EC Ranking:
13th
Southeast Division
Atlanta Thrashers: Atlanta
boasts a dangerous attack in the
form of snipers Ilya Kovalchuk and
Marian Hossa, but they lack defensive depth and will rely on Finnish
League MVP goalie Kari Lehtonen
to backstop them to the playoffs. If
Lehtonen’s groin goes, so does
Atlanta. EC Ranking: 9th
Carolina Hurricanes: Winning
the Stanley Cup last year, Carolina
HartTrophy(mostvaluable player to his team):
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh
Penguins
Rocket Richard Trophy
(most goals in the league):
Alexander Ovechkin,
Washington Capitals
Vezina Trophy (best
goaltender in the league):
Mikka Kiprusoff, Calgary
Flames
Norris Trophy (best
defenseman in the league): Scott
Niedermayer, Anaheim Ducks
Art Ross Trophy (most points in
the league): Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Calder Trophy (rookie of the
year): Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh
Penguins
Stanley Cup Champions:
Anaheim Ducks
Darkhorse Team: Minnesota
Wild
And there you have it, the Echo
staff’s official 2006-2007 NHL season predictions. Hopefully this year
will be a good one for all hockey fans
out there as we will see if the new
post-lockout rules can stand the
test of time. Oh, and don’t really go
and bet all your money on our predictions. We were kidding…
SPORTS
Page 8
Monday, October 2nd 2006
Sr
eam Doesn’
ourney
Sr.. Boys’ Soccer T
Team
Doesn’tt “Even Break a Sweat” at T
Tourney
By Echo Reporter Zane Jiwa
The senior boy’s soccer
team dominated in their first tournament of the year, going 3-0-1
(wins-losses-ties) in the Langley
Tournament, which was held on
Tuesday September 12th and Thurs-
Photo by Zane Jiwa
Alex Veres handles the ball skillfully.
day September 14th.
“The boys played well and
worked well as a team,” stated
coach Mr. Napoletano.
After starting out Tuesday
with 1-0 and 2-1 wins, the team kept
Sports Shorts
By Echo Reporter
Farhan Devji
A New Era: Hockey
This fall, Charles Best Secondary will start a new chapter
in its extensive and prestigious
history of school athletics. For
the first time, the Blue Devils will
hit the ice, starting what is sure
to be a long and successful era
of Best hockey. When Mr.
Roemer (team sponsor) was
asked about his expectations for
the team, his response was brief
yet to the point. “Don’t fight,
don’t be a goon show, show
some skill,” and straight out of
Don Cherry’s books, “Play
hard.” Stay tuned to see if the
boys live up to these demands
in their inaugural season.
Running is Fun
By Echo Reporter
Farhan Devji
A sport that traditionally
falls under the radar in our
school is cross-country, although its reputation is slowly
but surely gaining well-deserved respect amongst the
Best student body. The team
coached by Mr. Ewert and Mr.
Mushens has set some high yet
realistic goals for the 2006/2007
season. With five returning seniors, the team hopes to qualify
a girl’s team for the provincials,
as well as some individual boys.
One of the returning seniors is
Chris Tse, who is always outspoken about the fall sport.
“Cross-Country is not a sport
for weak people; it requires
dedication, commitment, heart
and an extreme lack of mental
capacity.” The season started
September 13th but for anyone
still interested in joining the
sport of all sports, the team practices on Monday afternoons
and Friday mornings with races
on Wednesdays.
rolling, as they went on to a big 4-1
win before finishing the tournament
with a 0-0 tie. Alex Veres, who finished the tournament with a team
leading two goals, said “It was a
good start…I didn’t even break a
sweat.”
Scott Duncan, Kresimir
Bebic, Curtis Sim and Matt Beers
all finished with one goal apiece.
Scott Redwood had a strong performance, racking up two shutouts
and all three wins.
The tourney was a great
building block for the team, who
play their first league game of the
season Tuesday, September 19
against Gleneagle. The first home
game of the season is on Thursday, September 21.
“I’m looking forward to having a successful season, by being
one of the top teams in the Fraser
Valley and hopefully making the
provincials,” explained Mr.
Napoletano. The junior boy’s soccer team was also involved in the
tournament. They finished with a
1-4-0 record while playing against
other senior teams.
Photo by Zane Jiwa
Rhys Parsons slide tackles the ball away from a Port Moody player with assist from Scott Duncan.
Sr
olleyball Starts
Season with a Bang
Sr.. Girls’ V
Volleyball
as that team is a big cross town ri-
By Echo Reporter
Kelsey Davis
The senior girls’ volleyball
team kick started the 2006 season
with a top 20 finish at the SFU Senior Girl’s tournament at Harry Jerome
Sports Complex on September 15th
and 16th.
The team, featuring five
grade 12’s, seven grade 11’s and
one grade 10, started off the tournament at Simon Fraser gym with a
strong game against Holy Cross Regional High school. The girls won
the first match and third match, in
the best of three series. The team
continued on their role, beating
Brooks Secondary School two
straight. The final game of the
round robin play took place at Harry
Jerome Sport Complex, against
highly ranked Little Flower Academy. The girls fought hard, but lost
the game, putting them second
place in there pool.
Despite the previous day’s
tough losses, the girls picked up
there game play for the playoff
round and devourer each team in
their path, putting them into the
consolation final. After upsetting
Earl Marriot, Elgin Park and Holy
Cross, the senior girls played their
final game against local rival,
val.”
Senior
setter
Julie
McDowell and rookie, Chelsea
Eades the youngest team member,
both played remarkable in the set-
Photo by Kelsey Davis
Susan Jameson returns serve from opposing team.
Pinetree Secondary. The loss of the
first match in the series proved not
to discourage the Best girls, who
came back to win the third and final
set 15-9.
“The girls really came together as a team,” said senior girls
coach Mr. Raabe. “The last game
against Pinetree was the highlight,
ter’s position and outstanding passing was noted by Lauren Pineau
and Kylie West throughout the
whole tournament.
Senior power hitter and
team captain, Stacie Jones was also
a stand out, not only for great play,
but leadership qualities.
“Stacie is such a leader, I’m
Charles Best Swim T
eam Still Afloat
Team
By Echo Reporter
Nicole Ugali
Beginning a new school year
means learning new things, experiencing new situations, and also
joining new sports teams, like the
swim team, sponsored by Ms.
Bazley. Best probably has the best
sportsmanship in the district and
winning 4th place last year in the
provincials with our water polo
team (also sponsored by Ms.
Bazley) gives us reason to hold our
heads up high. Although the water
polo team isn’t until spring, Ms.
Bazley is hoping for increased participation from her swim team members.
Despite the fact that aquatic
sports at Charles Best are considered a mainstay, there was a moment when Ms. Bazley thought
there might not have been a swim
team at all this year. With so few
people signing up, participating
and committing to the team, hope
for success seemed to be sparse.
“We started off with 4 people, (not
enough to make an official team)
but thankfully later on the week, 2
more swimmers signed up, probably
saving the team.” Because squeezing your way through a season
with a 6-member team is tough, Ms.
Bazly plans to promote the swim
team more within the school.
She encourages and recommends new students to join, considering it is an expensive sport
outside of school, whereas in
school all expenses are paid for. If
you are interested in joining the
swim team this season please ask
Ms. Bazley, the assistant coach and
sponsor. The practices take place
Tuesdays and Thursday mornings
6:30 am – 7:30 am, where the team
does drills and endurance swims.
Even though the early practices
seem brutal, all the dedication and
hard work are well worth it, as Best
begins competition in district and
provincial meets soon. The season is a short one; 6-12 weeks.
Ms. Bazley is hoping to do
better this year than the last even
though Charles Best did excellent
last year. She states, “I came back
to organize the team this year because of the dedication shown by
students. Local coaches will be
brought in to help coach the swim
and water polo teams. Hopefully,
we can improve on last season’s
performance.”
I think I can speak for Charles
Best when I say that we are excited
to see where the Blue Devils end
up this year in the standings. It’s
time to sink or swim.
really glad she is our captain this
year,” said grade 11 middle Maeve
Cyr.
Tanya Gavieres, Darian
Miyata and Barb Kraan also demonstrated strong games all weekend.
Official league play begins in
two weeks and high standards are
in place for the team. The senior
girls team finished 3rd last year at
the Provincial Championships and
won two tournaments during the
2005 season.
With another two weeks of
practises approaching, the girls are
now preparing to defend their title
in the annual Kootney Classic tournament, held up South Slocan. The
tournament kicks off September
29th, and all the girls are pumped for
the road trip.
“This team definitely has
potential,” stated Cyr.
Mr. Raabe had the final note
on the season to come. “After this
weekend, the future is looking good
for these girls.”
MVP
By Echo Reporter Chris Tse
Photo by Leanne Feichtinger
This month’s MVP is Julie
McDowell, a setter on the senior
girls’ volleyball team. At the SFU
Senior Girls’ High School tournament, held recently on September 15th and 16th, Julie displayed
outstanding sportsmanship,
leadership, and work ethic, as she
led the team with sets and several timely kills. Julie also runs
for the cross-country team.