Winter Issue 2015 - St. Elizabeth Catholic High School

ST. E TIMES
VOLUME 10WINTER ISSUE
S
NEW
Willy Wonka’s “Semi” Chocolate Factory
Vanessa Pummer
Phototos by Bianca Zanotti
and Vanessa Pummer
What is this Wonka some
kind of fun house? Why,
are you having fun? On November 28, 2014 the Grade
11’s attended their Semi
Formal and were transported to Willy Wonka’s
magical chocolate factory.
As the Grade 11’s entered
the Royalton Banquet Hall
the anticipation could be felt.
Girls who had spent hours
getting ready and months
picking the perfect outfits;
boys who were simply excited to have a good night with
all their friends. Waiters
walked around with green
concoctions in martini
glasses with candy sprinkled
around the rims. A table set
in the center of the entrance
with containers filled with
different candies for the
guests to guess the amount
of candy in each, hoping to
take the container home as
a prize. All were then invited into the main hall and
as soon as they entered the
feeling of a candy wonderland was quite apparent.
The centerpiece for each
table was a beautiful purple Wonka hat with huge
lollipops sticking out and
a chocolate bar was placed
on each plate. The DJ then
announced that under a ticket allowed for the be- candy on the centerpiece.
single plate on each table holder to take home the This brought a roar that was
was a golden ticket. This
heard across the hall along
with screams of excitement
from those who found the
ticket under their plate.
After dinner the DJ began to play music. Some
made their way to the dance
floor, while others decided
to make use of the photo
booth that had been set up.
The photo booth allowed for
quests to take photos with
their friends and have them
printed in minutes, which
was a nice souvenir to take
home. When asked how she
enjoyed semi Andreya Klobucar had this to say, “Semi
is really amazing because
of the this photo booth and
because my friends are here
and it’s just simply amazing.”
The energy for the rest of
the evening was great and
everywhere one turned people looked like they were
having an amazing time.
Whether they were at the
photo booth, leaving their
hearts on the dance floor
or just having a great time
talking with their friends.
As Willy Wonka would say,
“If you want to view paradise, simply look around and
view it. Anything you want
to, do it; want to change the
world... there’s nothing to it.”
S T. E
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Trivia club is buzzing
Demetria Avrena
Grade 11 student John
Macdonald
is
someone who
would love to
impress
with
all of his newly learned facts.
“I like testing
my knowledge,”
Macdonald says.
“I like seeing
what I know and
learning
what
I don’t know.”
The St. Elizabeth trivia club
gathers
every
Tuesday
after school and
practices
answering different varieties of
questions, buzzers in hand anxiously waiting to respond.
Ms. Coniglio started the
trivia club three years ago
with former teacher Ms.
Fazzari.
Both teachers
thought it would be fun
for students to compete
against each other by an-
swering a set of questions Macdonald is more in- citing and interactive way, with local schools withfrom diverse subject areas. terested in the science all the while making new in the school board. Then
in the spring, the
club plays against
public and catholic
school boards in
Toronto for a regional tournament.
“Exhibition games
definitely ask for
the students to be
well
rounded,”
Coniglio
says.
Macdonald gets a
wave of exhilaration whenever he
gets the chance to
compete
against
other
schools.
“I like to test my
knowledge against
other people I
know are as smart
as me… or even
The trivia is based on ge- and history topics, es- friends and teammates. smarter,” he says, laughing.
ography, history, literature, pecially world history. “You
don’t
necessari- Any student is welcome to
sports, math and pop culture, “Looking at the greatest ly have to be a genius or join the trivia club; pracwhich is Ms. Coniglio’s people who have ever lived really strong in a certain tices are every Tuesday in
f a v o u r i t e t o p i c . is interesting,” he says. subject area,” Coniglio Ms. Coniglio’s classroom.
“I love questions about Coniglio believes the triv- says. “We play for fun.”
pop culture, which is ia club is a great way for Practice is vital, however,
really fun for the stu- students to learn and gain as members compete in a
dents as well” she says. knowledge in a more ex- number of exhibition games
Yoga yourself into
a stress free zone
Valentine Semella
Every Thursday after
school Ms. Volpe leads
the complicated stretches of yoga in the dance
studio
until
3:30pm.
This yoga club started
10 years ago because Ms.
Volpe was looking for a way
to relieve stress. The idea of
yoga came to her mind when
she thought of exercise and
wanting to deepen a spiritual connection with herself.
About 20 people, staff
and students, participate
in the yoga club. Some are
very committed members.
Yoga is an excellent way to
relieve stress and the pressure coming from completing school work and projects
on top of getting enough
sleep for the next day and
maintaining a social life.
Yoga is a calm place
that helps to center and
tone one’s body. It also
helps raise your self-esteem and clear your mind
of unnecessary thoughts.
For teachers, yoga can
help you relieve the stress
that comes with marking 500 tests and assignments and dealing with 120
out-of-uniform
students.
We can learn many life habits and lessons from participating in weekly or even
daily yoga. Yoga teaches
one to be patient and kind.
Others will only respect
us if we respect ourselves.
Yoga teaches you to ac-
cept who you are with all
your perfect imperfections.
“Yoga doesn’t care.” Says
Ms. Volpe “Yoga will accept anyone and everyone no matter what stage
your body might be in.”
Ms. Volpe will continue
to teach yoga until she’s
100 years old. It’s obvious
that Ms. Volpe has a serious passion for yoga and
it is certainly recommended to all staff and students.
NE
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Let’s scare the hunger in our own backyards
Toni Pascale
THORNHILL - When St.
Elizabeth’s Free The Children club got the go ahead
to do a food drive this year,
they were ecstatic. We Scare
Hunger is a campaign that
the Free The Children organization encourages students to do during the year.
Their biggest message is
that school clubs should
pay as much attention to local initiatives as they do to
global initiatives. They state
that many people go hungry
in our own backyards, and
that we can help.
This year, in order for students to wear their Halloween costumes, they were
asked to bring in a non-perishable food item and the
homeroom with the highest
food to student ratio would
win a breakfast.
Students were given from
October 28th to November
3rd to collect as many food
items as possible. The buzz
around the school was nonstop. Homeroom teachers
were determined for their
classes to win, and they
came up with all types of
strategies to motivate their
students.
The top seven classes in no
particular order were Ms.
Young, Ms. Scodellaro, Ms.
Mancuso, Ms. Berze, Ms.
Sorbera, Mr. Han, and Mr.
Sniatenchuk. The top two
classes were awarded with
a breakfast for their homeroom. As a school community, we collected almost
1700 food items for North
York Harvest Food Bank.
In addition to this, Scribbles
For Success supported Free
The Children’s campaign
in a big way. They had a
bake sale on October 31st in
which all of the proceeds went towards
Free The Children’s
We Scare Hunger
campaign. There was
a variety of different
Halloween themed
desserts being sold,
along with a decorate your own cupcake station as well
as a candy jar guessing game. During all
three lunches, students and teachers
swarmed around the
tables to purchase the
delicious treats being
sold. The clubs raised about
$300 from this incredibly
successful bake sale.
The school community
responded well to both of
these fundraisers and methods of awareness. The Free
The Children club was very
proud of the amazing suc-
cess of We Scare Hunger St. Elizabeth was very proud
and hopes to continue this to help make a difference
campaign in future years.
for families this Halloween.
We Scare Hunger was an
rewarding campaign for
students to participate in
because it helped to raise
awareness about hunger in
our own backyards.
A Specialist High Skill Summer
Gabrielle Reyes
THORNHILL – During the
month of July, Canada’s
Wonderland, The McMichael Art Gallery and The
Harbourfront Centre offered students of St. Elizabeth the opportunity to earn
two credits and a Red Seal
on their diploma – minus
the schoolwork – through
the Specialist High Skills
Major (SHSM) Program.
In partnership with these
placements, nineteen Grade
11 and 12 RAP students had
the opportunity to partake
in this brilliant opportunity
and immerse themselves in
various artistic and cultural
scenes.
Working along side young
children as camp counselors, the majority of the
students taking part in the
SHSM Program found
themselves working at the
various art camps at the
Harbourfront Centre and
the McMichael Art Gallery.
Grade 11 students, Liana
Girardo and Alana Sardellitti, state
that they came out
of the experience
with more than
they bargained for.
“I enjoyed the opportunity to work
in a fun environment and meet new
people who share a
common interest in
the Arts,” says Sardellitti about the
Harbourfront Centre; “And I gained
valuable work experience
and learned how to work
better with children,” added
Girardo.
However, summer camp
wasn’t the only summer activity these students found
themselves experiencing.
Finding himself at a very
popular summer destination for students and adults
alike, Edison Dietrich was
one of the students placed
at Canada’s Wonderland
this past July. When asked
what types of jobs he had
the chance to experience,
he noted that he “basically
worked as a technician,”
working as a roller coaster
technician, a costume designer, a dive technician, a
live sound technician, and
as stagehands.
“Overall it was a great experience with new opportunities to gain skills which
has and will benefit me with
my future career. It helped
greatly when choosing a
career to follow. SHSM at
[Canada’s] Wonderland has
given me a whole new view
of what I am getting into for
a career,” states Dietrich.
The SHSM Arts and Culture Program is a Ministry-approved program designed to meet the needs of
students who want to pursue an apprenticeship, college, or university studies
or employment in the Arts
and Culture sector. In addition to this, the program
prepares students for a successful transition into said
post-secondary opportuni-
ties surrounding the arts and
culture. With the guidance
of Mr. De Rose, students
in this program learned
valuable lessons about the
workplace and about the
different pathways leading
to post-secondary career
options.
In addition to being exposed to these opportunities,
all students in the SHSM
Program receive standard
First Aid and WHIMS training – courses that are often
costly – for free. Although
students were required to
complete a weekly journal
of what they had learned
and a final cumulative performance task, all of this
was done independently
with minimal time spent at
the school location.
If you are interested in discovering more about what
the SHSM Arts and Culture
Program has to offer, students are encouraged to visit the Guidance Office and
see Mr. De Rose for further
details.
NE
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Mental health will stop the shooting
Vanessa Giralico
ETOBICOKE - On September 23rd, 2014, North
Albion Public school in
Etobicoke was struck with
tragedy. 19 year old Hamid
Aminzada was stabbed to
death as he tried to diffuse a
situation between two other
students.
A 17-year old appeared in
court alone, with no familial
support; the school had reportedly been working with
the student on mental health
concerns. The student was
found guilty of second degree murder after turning
himself in on the night of
the attack.
Father of the victim Sabir
Aminzada brought his family to Canada two years ago
from Afghanistan in hopes
of a safer life and good education. Aminzada sobbed
openly as he said he was
now afraid to send his other
children to school.
The tragedy at North Albion has re-opened discussion about Jordan Manners.
The 15 year old was gunned
down by a peer nine years
ago at C.W. Jeffreys in Toronto. Manners was the first
student to die in a school
building in Toronto, only
the second in all of Ontario.
The cause of this senseless
act of violence is largely
unknown. Two individuals were tried in court and
found not guilty, and lawyer
Julian Falconer concluded
that budget cuts made to
social workers and support
for at-risk students played a
role in the incident.
The first act of gun violence in an Ontario school
occurred in Brampton in
1975 when 16 year old Michael Slobodian brought
two rifles to Brampton Centennial Secondary School.
Slobodian killed a teacher
and a classmate, then injured 13 others before turning the gun on himself. A
note was found in his bedroom detailing revenge as
his motive and his intention
to kill two specific teachers
and anyone who got in his
way. Slobodian was described as a reserved student and was known to keep
to himself; there were no
signs suggesting he was an
at-risk student.
After both shooting tragedies the school board and
Canadian government took
initiative to improve safety in schools; Slobodian’s
rampage prompted Canadian gun laws to be made
more strict, while Manner’s
death fuelled funding and
awareness toward bullying
prevention. It is clear after
the tragic death of Aminzada that high schools are in
need of improved mental
health awareness and support.
Although Ontario school
boards do currently employ
mental health nurses, many
families are unaware that
this service is available. As
well, psychological testing
and evaluations through the
school boards often take a
year of waiting due to lack
of availability and high demand. This may be an issue caused by lack of provincial funding and must
be addressed. Schools are
currently in the process of
improving support for neurodiverse students, particularly those with learning
disabilities. This support
due to two shots to the abdomen at point blank range.
One of the reasons for the
death of the soldier was that
he was not carrying a weapon.
For symbolic reasons, Cirilo was not allowed to carry a
weapon and lost his life for it.
The shooter, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, a 32-year-old Canadian born convert to radical
Islam, opened fire in Centre
block Parliament Hill. After
the shooting by the War Memorial, Zehaf-Bibeau proceeded to the parliament building. Shortly after entering the
building he was shot down at
the parliament library by Sargent-at-arms Kevin Vickers.
Vickers is a 58 year old retired
RCMP officer, and this was
the first time he has ever fired
a gun, let alone killed someone.
A construction worker who
was nearby at the time of the
shooting, saw the gunman get
out of a Toyota Corolla holding a shotgun. He had earlier
hijacked the vehicle at gunpoint. The gunman then rushed
past a woman with a stroller,
toward the War Memorial. He
harmed neither the woman nor
the child.
A Twitter account associated
with the terror group The Islamic State (ISIS),
tweeted a photo of a man that
fit the exact description of the
shooter that was later identified
as Michael Zehaf-bibeau. This
attack was the second of what
could be many terrorist attacks
on Canada. Three days before,
Pictured Above: Hamid Aminzada
and awareness must span to
students with mental illness
as well.
During the school year,
many students are under
immense amounts of stress.
When combined with the
hormones present during
teen years this can lead to
spirals of anxiety and depression within students,
with seemingly nowhere to
go for help. It is important
for schools to communicate
with parents and students in
order to make them aware
of the services available
and provide resources to
families in need. Parents
and teachers must be aware
of how to identify signs of
mental illness or distress in
students in order for a dialogue protocol to be established between parents and
teachers to ensure that accommodations are made.
Helping and protecting
students with mental illnesses begins by providing
families and teachers with
opportunities to learn and
receive help with matters
concerning mental heath.
It is clear from Hamid
Aminzada’s sacrifice that
mental health awareness is
the next step in improving
the safety and wellbeing
of high school students all
across Ontario.
Canada ready to protect its people
Drew Stobie
OTTAWA - On Wednesday
October 22nd, two people lost
their lives in a shooting on
Parliament Hill in Canada’s
capital. After what people believed to be a terrorist attack,
the deceased are Cpl. Nathan
Cirilo and the shooter, Michael
Zehaf-Bibeau. Shortly after
10a.m. the first shot was fired
at the National War Memorial.
Cpl. Cirilo was standing
guard by the Tomb of the unknown Soldier, and was killed
by the solitary gunman. Cpl.
Nathan Cirilo was a 24-yearold reservist with the Argyll
and Sutherland Highlanders of
Canada, as well as a father.
Despite the best efforts of
emergency responders and the
help of a tourist who was nearby, the soldier died in hospital
extremist Martian Rouleau ran
down two soldiers in SaintJean-Sur-Richelieu, Quebec
before he was shot and killed.
One soldier was killed and the
other was injured. Rouleau
was also a convert to Radical
Islam, just like Zehaf-Bibeau.
Both of these men tried to
travel to Turkey this past summer to join ISIS but their travel documents were revoked
and seized.
On November 14th, Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader
of ISIS made an audio
statement that ISIS will fight
to the last man. He specifically
singled out the United States
and its allies Europe, Australia
and Canada as, ‘stumbling between fear, weakness,
inability, and failure.” He says,
“America and its allies are terrified, weak, and
powerless.”
At first Prime Minister Steven Harper did not believe the
attacks to be the work of terrorists, but after these events
and statements he has changed
his opinion. The terrorist
threat level in Canada has been
changed from a low to a medium level threat. This is the first
time in four years that the level has been changed, and the
highest since 9/11.
The government cannot predict if there will be more attacks from ISIS or from any
other terrorist group, but if
there are more attacks they assure that Canada will be
ready to protect its people.
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Thursday aftenoon in the Dance Studio
NE
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“Y”: You Should Care About Politics
Frances Poblete
TORONTO – Oct 27, 2014 the
Mayoral election occurred and
John Tory won with 40 % of the
vote, Doug ford with 34% and
Olivia Chow with 23%.
“Voters want their elected officials to get down to work on
the priorities that matter most to
them: better transit, more jobs, an
end to the gridlock that is choking our streets,” Tory said in his
victory speech. This is critical information to have knowledge on,
although most of generation” Y”
or so called the “Net Generation”
probably do not know the depth
of the mayoral race. Therefore,
Elections Canada proved that in
2011 only 37.4 per cent of eligible voters in the 18 to 24-year-old
demographic
voted.
Transportation, fare cost,
healthcare,
education and
employment
are the major
topics that are
part of the debate between
the
candidates. Each
and
every
topic affects the youth immensely. Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development
(OCED) proved in and article that
“Youth’s labour market difficulties vary a great deal by region,
gender, social class, and education level, but
there is general concern in Canada
over the labour market conditions
faced by youth.” Furthermore,
having the knowledge and background on all of the issues can
serve
greatly on future
pathways with
carrier choices because the
insight on the
required jobs
and availabilities in the
future will be
given. Thus,
as Benjamin
Franklin said
“an investment
in knowledge pays in the best interest.”
Youth only concern themselves
with politics when it gets entertaining (Rob Ford) although the
decisions being made will have a
greater affect on them than anyone because the youth are the
future. It is evident they should
have a part in the say on how to
govern the city. Therefore, having excessive knowledge on politics can help on how youth can
get their voices heard. Through
effortless acts this can be accomplished from reading to observing
the daily news.
Knowledge is power. The importance of understanding in depth
the necessity of voting and its
candidates is that it gives access
to opportunity and advancement.
Therefore, decisions today affect
the people of tomorrow.
Youth manipulated into joining cause
Michael David
IRAQ - Formerly known as
Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the Islamic
State is the newest global threat.
These ideologically influenced
terrorists just want to watch the
whole world burn in sharia law
that is. Spreading their so called
caliphate all over Iraq and Syria while gaining almost 30,000
foreign fighters from across the
world, and even a dozen from
Canada.
The United States is playing a
big role in taking out this militant
group. They are leading a wide
coalition that is trying to destroy
the Islamic State. Countries in
the coalition include Canada, The
United Kingdom, and Australia.
Countries in this coalition are
participating in airstrikes against
the Islamic State, humanitarian
airdrops to those under siege,
and the arming of different rebel
factions that are fighting the Islamic State.These radicals love
forcing the conversion and executing non-muslims. Having taken large swathes of eastern Syria
and western Iraq, they control an
area the size of Ontario. Having
its strongholds in ar-Raqqah and
Mosul, this group has made its
mark across the world. From plots
to kill mass amounts of people in
coalition countries such as England and Australia, which were
thankfully foiled, to carrying out
smaller attacks such as the parliament hill shooting in Ottawa and
the hit and run in Quebec against
Canadian soldiers. They claim
that they are spreading Sharia law
and their Islamic Caliphate, but
these radicals are not a representation of Islam at all and are just
money-loving terrorists.
The fight against the Islamic
State is on going. The Islamic
State really started to come forward as a large terrorist organization in mid -2013 when there was
not much stability in the Middle
East.
The main groups fighting
against the Islamic State are the
Free Syrian Army, the YPG and
the Peshmerga(the army of Iraqi
Kurdistan). These groups are
backed by coalition countries
who are airdropping munitions
to them. Also, Middle eastern
countries hold a role in taking
down the Islamic State with air-
strikes coming from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and
the United Arab Emirates. However, they also
play a big role by funding the militant group.
Qatar has been accused
of supporting the Islamic State with millions of
dollars of funding, and
of course Qatar denies
all allegations supporting
this notion. But, the claim
against them only makes
sense since Qatar would
want to protect itself and
is all about importing and
exporting oil. It just so
happens that the Islamic
State has plenty of oil.
Erdogan, Turkey’s president, is
also supporting Isis by showing
fear. Instead of joining the coalition and saving thousands of
lives, Erdogan went ahead and
bought a $600 million dollar
presidential palace with taxpayers’ money. Turkey has been in
much controversy because of its
handling of its borders. Almost
half of the Syrian-Turkish border
is currently controlled by ISIS.
Turkey, a member of NATO, is
also facing much controversy for
not stepping in to help the people
of Kobani. Kobani has been under siege by ISIS from all sides
for almost 3 months now, however, the situation is progressing and
coalition airstrikes are of much
assistance. But, credit has to be
given where credit is due.
Turkey has also been of much
help by accepting over 150,000
displaced refugees from Syria.
The situation in Syria would be
much worse without the assistance of Turkey. Also, Turkey
has its own problems to deal with
which include their fight against
the PKK. The PKK is another
Kurdish group fighting ISIS but
it is on the United States’ terror
list for its past radical activities
against Turks. Another fact, all
the foreign fighters coming from
Saudi Arabia become suicide
bombers instead of real jihadists.
The other fighting in the Syrian
civil war consists of clashes between Syrian government forces
and its allies and the opposition
groups. Just like the situation in
Libya with Gaddafi, the civil war
in Syria will not stop until the
dictatorship is ousted and the Islamist groups are defeated. Bashar
al-Assad, Syria’s president, has
been named a dictator by the international community and has to
be ousted for some of the fighting
to stop. But, the situation is not
simple since there is the Assad
Government backed by Iran and
Russia, and the opposition groups
backed by the United States. Also,
with the situation in Ukraine, the
constant airspace breaching by
Russian warplanes, and the Nuclear tests by Iran, North Korea,
and India, its almost as if another
Cold War is on the rise.
After Iraq’s parliamentary election at the end of April, ISIS
knew that conditions on the
ground were ripe for an all-out
push on the Iraqi government’s
weak points. American airstrikes
are not only targeting ISIS, they
are also targeting groups such as
the Nusra Front, Khorasan and
The Islamic Front. The Syrian
Civil War has also been spilling
into Lebanon where The Islamic
State has organized many suicide
bombings. Hezbollah, an armed
group based in Lebanon, vowed
to help defeat ISIS in Lebanon
and help the Syrian Government
with dealing with its enemies.
The United States has been hesitant to help arm Lebanese Troops
because of their bad relationship
with the Israeli Government,
an ally of the United States. It
is important to know that the allies are gaining on the terrorists,
which is great news. Sunni Muslim tribesmen, Shiite militia fighters and Iraqi security forces have
all joined together to fight off
ISIL Unity between these forces
are key to fighting off ISIL.
ISIS, also known as IS, ISIL, and
the Islamic State, is obsessed with
money and slaughtering innocent
people. Selling oil from refineries
in Iraq and Syria, to the sex trafficking of Yazidi women; yazidis
are a very tiny ethnic minority in
Iraq. They do not represent the
Islamic religion at all which supports and encourages peace. Their
religion is based on war and not
peace. It is frightening to see that
many radical groups in the middle east are pledging allegiance to
ISIS. The Islamic State is fighting
in vain, for absolutely nothing.
Eventually, they will be stopped.
However, if the youth continue
to be manipulated into joining a
cause they know nothing about,
this will remain an ongoing battle.
NE
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news
Massachusetts feels loss of three killed in explosion
Vanessa Giralico
and other media is still public and became
In addition, two of Dzplatforms.
He largely popular in the after- hokhar`s friends, includwas known to be math of the bombing; his ac- ing Tazhayakov, have been
recluse, associ- count boasts 61.7 thousand charged for disposing of evated with a rad- followers although it has idence. Dzhokhar`s knapical Mosque in been inactive since April sack full of fireworks and his
his area, and had 17th, 2013. Popular tweets laptop were removed from
previously been include the likes of “I’m his dorm room and disposed
investigated by a stress free kind of guy of. Dzhokhar also allegedthe FBI for sus- (@J_tsar Tsarnaev)”, and ly bragged to Tazhayakov
pected radicalism, “I always brake for squir- about knowing how to build
as early as 2011. rels”, as well as other under- a bomb in the weeks before
He had even been whelming statements and the attack. This informap h o t o g r a p h e d jokes. Overall, Dzhokhar’s tion, coupled with the firewith a flag known twitter feed is exactly like works, a main component
Pictured Above: An image captured by an onlooker following the to be associated that of any normal teen; un- of the homemade bombs,
with Al-Qaeda, remarkable. One tweet after points in the direction of
detonation of the bomb.
but the FBI was the attack alluded to the in- Dzhokhar`s guilt.
BOSTON - On January 5th, was filmed by a bystander
The tragedy of the Boston
2015, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev during the shootout and fea- unable to take action due to cident; “Ain’t no love in the
lack
of
concrete
evidence
of
heart
of
the
city,
stay
safe
Marathon
bombs cannot yet
will plead not guilty to 30 tures police shouting to one
federal charges, including another while firing several terrorist activity. Dzhokhar people”. This statement is be laid to rest; Dzhokhar
using a weapon of mass de- rounds toward the Tsarnaev was known as a gentle, laid hardly to be expected from will face trial on January
Dzhokhar`s
struction. Dzhokhar and his brothers. At the beginning back stoner who enjoyed a terrorist; this inconsisten- 5th, 2015.
late brother Tamerlan, a rad- of the clip, a distant voice girls and sports. Good look- cy is a contributing factor to mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeical Muslim, are responsible can be heard shouting; ing, popular among friends the doubts some hold about va, says she ``feels nothing`` about the incident
for the bombing of the Bos- many on social media be- and girls, and captain of his Dzhokhar’s guilt.
school’s
wrestling
team
two
Adding
to
the
suspicion,
and regardless of whether
ton Marathon on April 15th, lieved this muffled voice
2013. The blast resulted in to be Tamerlan shouting at years in a row, there was it has been revealed that Dzhokhar is sentenced to
3 deaths and over 250 in- police: “Chill out! Chill out! presumably nothing suspi- less than two hours after capital punishment, she
juries; if convicted, the 21 We are coming out!”. Al- cious about Dzhokhar, al- the blast Dzhokhar sent a feels she has already lost
year old could face capital though due to the poor qual- though his mother has said text to college friend Azmat both of her sons. ``I can tell
ity of the audio and lack of that Tamerlan`s words were Tazhayakov denying his you one thing, that I love
punishment.
Though none of this in- transcription, this could not ``law`` for the pair. Howev- role in the attack. “Don’t go my son...and I keep loving
formation is foreign to the be confirmed. This incident er, it has been revealed that thinking it’s me you cooked him``. Certainly, the peogeneral public, many have prompted many to doubt the gun used by Tamerlan bastard”, although after be- ple of Massachusetts feel
lost sight of the tragedy whether the brothers were on April 19th to kill an MIT ing captured by authorities the loss of the three who
and are unaware of the new guilty. Not long afterwards, officer was not Tamerlan’s Dzhokhar readily admitted were killed in the explosion
information that has been the clip was re-released gun, but was bought by Dz- to being involved in the and has not lost sight of this
revealed since Dzhokhar with enhanced audio and it hokhar from a close friend. incident, but has chosen to awful tragedy.
was detained on April 19th, became clear that the voice Evidently, Dzhokhar was plead not guilty.
as
2013 after a police shootout presumed to be Tamerlan not
gentle
or
where Tamerlan and an of- was in fact a police officer
Pictured Below: An image of the aftermath of the tragic bombing.
ficer were killed. New in- shouting for the brothers o r d i n a r y
formation concerning Ta- to “Give it up! Give it up! as he was
merlan’s radicalism, police Get out of the car!”. How- portrayed.
recordings, and registry of ever, the clear tape was not the gun used by Tamerlan largely circulated on social M a n y
on April 19th has surfaced media, and young people m a i n since Dzhokhar’s arrest, on social media remained tain their
though these revelations are in favour of the Tsarnaev’s s u p p o r t
Dzinnocence, oblivious to the of
lesser known.
hokhar
’s
In the aftermath of the real recording.
Many people believe that i n n o shootout, a video titled
“New Shootout Footage of Tamerlan was the master- c e n c e .
1st Boston Bomber” circu- mind behind the attack, as His twitaclated on several social media portrayed by the likes of ter
c
o
u
n
t
platforms. The blurry clip Rolling Stone magazine
Spor
S T. E
TIMES
ts
HEART OVER HEIGHT
was shown by the team,
and we moved the ball to
get everyone involved.”
Although the team lost
Luca Rotondo
key leaders that graduated
THORNHILL- On Novem- last year, their absence alber 6th, the St. Eleizabeth lowed a whole new line of
Senior Boys Basketball
team headed into their first
tournament of the season
with high hopes from their
coach, Mr. Atletico. As a
dedicated coach, Atletico
has brought St. Elizabeth
great success with many
banners and trophies won by
the Boys’ Basketball Team.
When asked about his
proudest moment as a
coach, Atletico stated, “My
proudest moment as a coach
would be last year when
we won the YRAA Championship. I was most proud
because this is the group of
guys that I started with the
year before. Seeing them
grow up, become leaders leadership to shine through.
and rise to the occasion When asked about the leadwas really significant.” As ership during the first game,
the team grew and became AbeMenelik Ermeyes was
stronger over the years, their quick to say that Grade 12
success grew immensely. Forward Indiana RotonAlthough the tournament do had shown that he was
resulted in a loss, the team a key leader on the squad.
played with great enthu- Ermeyes stated, “He was
siasm and learned many quick to help people when
things about themselves. In they messed up, not to emthe first game, the dedica- barrass them or anything,
tion and togetherness from but to improve upon their
the team was very evident skills. He was like a secduring the first half. Grade ond coach on the court.”
11 Guard, Jayson Quines
Also, new leaders were
stated, “We came out with the key to the team’s rallies
a certain enthusiasm and throughout the games, and
energy that wasn’t able being able to have multiple
to be matched by the oth- leaders on the court proer team. Great leadership pelled the team during their
struggles. Throughout the
duration of the first game,
the boys showed great initiative and wanted to play
as a unit with little guidance
from their eager coach. All
14 players were very eager
is what is going to fuel the
basketball team’s success. It
resulted in scrappy defence
and hard work to rally themselves back into the game.
Both games were a hard
fought battle, yet neither
to win their season opener, so a team-wide togetherness was in full effect.
Throughout the duration of
the tournament, the teams
weakness of rebounding
was exposed many times
which led to their downfall.
When asked about how
much the team’s size was
a factor to the outcome
of their games, their head
coach had this to say: “Size
has always been a challenge
for us, so what we have to
do is outwork everybody.”
This was not their first encounter with bigger and
stronger teams and it will
definitely not be their last.
The energy from the players
resulted in a win. However,
at the end of the tournament
the players had their heads
held high because they gave
it their all, but the ball just
didn’t bounce in their favour. The team will use this
as a learning experience,
and use it to grow as a team.
Working hard does not
only apply to the players,
Mr. Atletico as well stood
his own as he partook in
an off-season camp to expand his basketball knowledge. When asked about
how he would prepare for
the start of the season, the
head coach was eager to express his passion for learning on and off the court.
Atletico stated, “Each
summer, I always try to
expand my knowledge and
learn. Learning is a big
part of what I do. I had the
opportunity to go to team
America’s Camp and pick
the brains of NBA and University coaches, trying to
help us here at St. E.” With
the offseason expansion,
Atletico has also been able
to pick up on key players who excelled not only
during their tournament,
but also during practice.
He brought up many familiar names when asked
about which players have
been putting their all into
both practices and games.
“You can always tell about
the guys who are really
committed to the process,
and continue to put in time
and effort. One is Indiana
Rotondo, who is constantly
working in the gym trying to
meet his goals. Melvin Legaspi and Christopher Guerra have also come in with
something to prove and with
incredible levels of focus.”
The leadership from these
players excelled the team
to a great start to their season. As well as these individuals did by taking the
outcome of the game into
their own hands, when
the final buzzer went, the
team’s efforts were not
enough for the win. Hopefully, the team will come
back stronger and ready to
win their next tournament.
EN
& NT
TS
AR INME
TA
TER
S T. E
TIMES
Junior Meets Senior
Rosa Pierri
THORHILL - On November 5, 2014 St. Elizabeth
held the exceptional fall
Art Show at the local Mac
Donald House. Having a
wide range of the Regional Arts Program students
from Grades nine through
twelve display their exceptional art work from semester one throughout the walls
of the house. As viewers
came and went there were
plenty of dining desserts
and the lovely Mr. Fernandez accompanying the evening on his acoustic guitar.
The varied media studied
artwork intrigued the observers throughout the evening creating discussions
and connections through
the pieces of work. This
night allowed the Visual Art students to display
their work professionally and be proud of it.
Mrs.Estibillo, Mr.Chetty
and Mr. Paolini started up
the night with their motivating speeches of how the
program has developed so
beautifully throughout the
years. “The artwork keeps
tremendously
improving
each year because there is
always a set standard from
the year before. It is truly
impressive” said
Mrs. Estibillo. In
other words Mr.
Paolini
stated
that “The baby
raps look up to
the senior raps
for guidance and
motivation
so
that they can top
that standard.”
The Visual Art
RAP
students
are more like a
family then a
community, stated the teachers.
“Ability is inherent but the work
ethics is something
worked
upon”stated
by Mr. Paolini.
The location being the Mac Donald House
is significant because it was
owned by a former member of the Group of Seven.
Having that art historical
background as well as the
fact that it is a perfect size
to showcase all artwork. It
allows a simple yet unique
show to be presented. Mr.
Chetty commented on the
fact as to why this show is
so important to the seniors
as well as to the juniors,
“Being a part of something,
and being supported. It is
also about passing the torch,
having the Grade twelve’s
show their work and having the grade nines build
off of that so that future
generations will improve.”
The art show takes place
at the beginning of the so
as to introduce and welcome the Grade nines into
the Visual Arts family
and to make them feel a
part of the group. Pictured Above (Left to Right): Sierra Datri, Isabella Suppa, Mr. Paolini
The Mac Donald House
Art Show varies every year
based on the locations visited by the students. This
year the juniors went to
Washington instead of Ottawa so the concept was much
different from years past.
In addition, Mrs. Estibillio
spoke for all the Art teachers
saying that this art showcase
is their favourite because of
the fact that it is self obtained
and it has a more so casual
intimate feel. it is a Visual
Arts Exhibition for the visual artist, not just out there
for a wide spread audience.
The 2014 Mac Donald Art
Show was a beautiful night
with magnificent work that
reflected the talents of the
Regional Arts Program.
The support the students
obtain is enormous but
even more incredible is how
much a student can improve
from Grade nine to twelve.
Pictured Above (Left to Right): Mrs. Estibillo, Mr. Chetty, Mr. Paolini
A&
E
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Showcasing St. E. talent
Nicole Trezzi
THORNHILL - From singing to acting, St. Elizabeth’s Variety Night showcases the school’s utmost talent in the performing arts. On November
5th 2014, St. Elizabeth’s Student Council held
their yearly Variety Night at the YCDSB Centre
for the Arts.
The show started at 7:15pm and was lively all
the way up to 10:00pm. Tickets for the show
were being sold in front of the cafeteria for $5 a
week in advance while students from all grades
rehearsed their acts. If anyone was not able to
buy tickets in time, they were being sold for $7
at the door.
The show started with Mark Ricci performing
a comedy act, and he delivered it well. Kimberly
Blaho claims: “Mark made me laugh so hard I
almost fell out of my seat!” Mark did a collection of jokes and impressions that made the audience laugh at every line. The show contained a
range of acts such as singing, dancing, and even
acting.
Jessica Copetti and Emily Briell performed an
astonishing scene about two strangers stuck in
an elevator together and the plot twist made the
audience gasp in surprise as they watched one of
the characters stab the other with a pocket knife.
Nicholas Macedo describes the show as: “very
exciting and the amount of talent the school has
is unbelievable.”
Variety Night ended with a band called Return
with Elixir playing “Hanging on a Line” an original piece and “Locked out of Heaven” by Bruno
Mars. They ended the night with a memorable
performance and kept the energy level up. They
made it feel as if the audience was part of a mini
concert.
Variety Night was definitely a great night for
students, teachers, and parents. The best part
about it is if anyone missed it this year, they can
always come next year!
A&
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
E
Daniela Torres
THORNHILL - The grade
eleven R.A.P. vocal students
performed St. Elizabeth’s
annual ‘Broadway Bound’
on Tuesday November
25th. The show took place
from 7:00pm – 9:00pm at
the YCDSB Centre for the
Arts. Every student from
the grade eleven R.A.P. vocal class performed a musical theatre piece on stage
to their peers, friends, and
family. The goal of the event
was to donate all the money
they made to “Because I am
a Girl”.
The theme of the night
was “Diamonds are a Girl’s
Best friend”. The stage was
a simple black background,
ready to turn the stage into
the story of the characters
they were portraying. The
hosts, Julia Corrano and
Because I am a girl
Julian Jacob, were
entertaining and set
the mood at the beginning of the show.
Each performer was
alluring and exciting to the audience.
The night was built
to make the audience feel as though
they were in New
York City watching
a Broadway show.
Emma
Noonan’s
performance “Ain’t
There Anyone Here
for Love” from
Gentlemen
Prefer
Blondes, made the audience believe she was on
Broadway, using live characters and comedy. Daniela
Biggart’s performance of
“Don’t Cry for me Argentina” from Evita was heart-
warming. Through Daniela’s acting and movements,
the audience was moved
and could feel the emotions
Daniela felt.
Broadway Bound is an
annual show at St. Elizabeth, and it gives the grade
eleven R.A.P.
vocal students a
moment to perform. They are
inspired to perform every year
because
they
are able to participate in triple
threat. During
triple
threat,
the R.A.P. vocal, drama, and
dance
classes
alternate for a
week each and
learn each other’s craft. This
gives them an opportunity to experience other arts.
This is what inspired the
vocal class to perform as
well they did. “It was chaotic, but we all came through
with dedication and hard
work.” (Margarita Cid)
Each year, Broadway
Bound picks a charity to
raise money for and this
year all their proceeds went
to “Because I am a Girl”.
“Because I am a Girl” is a
charitable organization that
helps give girls in poor regions a voice. Their main
goal is to eliminate gender
discrimination and give
girls equal rights. They help
give girls enough to eat, a
safe environment to live in,
and an education. To learn
more about this campaign,
to donate, or to sponsor, go
to becauseiamagirl.ca. At
the end of the night, performers raised over $1000.
The night was a success; it
showcased their talents and
helped make a difference
with their musical gifts.
three minutes. All the films
were about anti-violence
and living in a safe environment.
In third place was the short
film Hero, which was about
standing up to gang violence and raising awareness.
In second place, was the
short film One Call which
was about making one
phone call to save the life of
a victim being bullied. First
place was given to the short
film Neighborhood Watch
which was about two men
who were the local neighborhood watch who ended
up helping a boy who was
being bullied. Neighborhood Watch was made into a
comedy however, it still got
the message of anti-violence
across. The two directors of
the film won an opportunity
to be on the morning show
‘Canada AM’ to talk about
their film.
The film festival was successful at uniting the community in its awareness of
anti-violence.
Community unites
against violence
Meghan Stolte & Daniela Biggart
VAUGHAN - On Friday
November 14th, The York
Regional Police held a youth
film festival. Its purpose
was to raise awareness for
anti-violence and get the
community’s support. They
wanted to send the message
that unity and creates a better environment for all.
“The point of this film festival is to get to community
involved and united. United happens to be the name
of our movie. We used the
community in our project
to show that the superhero
couldn’t do this alone and
the community needed to
stand united in order to
help,” stated Officer Tony.
The film festival was held
at Colossus Theatres in
Vaughan. Colossus Theatre
was transformed into a red
carpet event where the directors got to experience a
“Hollywood like” event. The
viewers were treated with
free food, free popcorn, and
a free picture with the superhero created by the York
Regional Police.
The police created their
own movie to show at this
special screening. Their
movie United was based on
the superhero they created.
In the movie the superhero
was faced with the difficult
task of trying to fight off 5
evil villains at once. When
he realized he couldn’t do it
alone he called on citizens
to help him and they succeeded at fighting the evil
villains together. The citizens were played by actual
people from the Newmarket
area.
In this competition, there
were 9 contestants who all
made their own short films.
The films had a time limit of
A&
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
E
MOVIES, MOVIES, MOVIES
A
A
What’s so great about Gatsby?
Jessica Copetti
Many people ponder at the
thought of what it takes to
make a successful film.
Most importantly, how to
make the movie memorable. Baz Luhrmann’s 2013
adaptation of Fitzgerald’s
masterpiece captures the
lifestyle in the “roaring
twenties.”
The 2013 film The Great
Gatsby follows Nick Carraway, a trying writer who
comes to New York City
in 1922. Unknowingly, he
moves next door to the millionaire Jay Gatsby, who
secretly intends to recreate
the past, rather than living
in the present.
The Great Gatsby star’s
no other than Leonardo DiCaprio as the well-driven
Gatsby. Along with Tobey
Maguire, Carey Mulligan
and Joel Edgerton as Nick
Carraway, Daisy Buchanan
and Tom Buchanan.
With Baz Luhrmann’s
Moulin Rouge and Romeo
+ Juliet’s (1996) success,
fans of the novel might have
rested easy when hearing he
would direct the soon-to-be
fifth film adaptation of F.
Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great
Gatsby. Although the film
brings pleasant visuals and
extraordinary costumes, the
acting was to question.
“I hope she’ll be a foolthat’s the best thing a girl
can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”, said by
Daisy Buchanan, played
by Cary Mulligan. Mulligan embraces her character
as the seemingly innocent,
confused woman who cannot decide between two
wealthy men. While she
looks the part, Mulligan
fails to grasp the cynical
and shallow nature of Daisy. In the novel, Daisy appears fickle, bored and sardonic with her marriage and
situation. To Gatsby, he sees
her as a paragon of perfection. With playing her character as a monotone, plain
lady, it’s easy to suggest that
Carey Mulligan was not the
highlight of the movie.
“Can’t repeat the past?…
Why of course you can!”
said by Jay Gatsby, played
by Leonardo DiCaprio. Differently than Robert Redford’s take of Gatsby in the
1974 film, DiCaprio brings
energy and charm to the
tragic hero. The actor emphasizes Gatsby’s mysterious past, creating a false
character from James Gatz
to Jay Gatsby which showcase’s his long hope for
winning Daisy’s interest.
Even though DiCaprio uses
most of the characteristics
of his character from the
book, he lacks the sophistication and confidence that
Redford grasped.
The most memorable scene
of the film included the
confrontation of Daisy and
Gatsby’s affair to Tom (Joel
Edgerton), her husband. The
character changes of DiCaprio, from the calmness
to the uncontrolled wild
side of Gatsby highlighted
the struggle to maintain the
love from Daisy.
The cast helped create the
mood and atmosphere of the
film, indicating to viewers
that the 1920’s was a time
of celebration and growing
hardships. The soundtrack
to the movie (well known
single “Young and Beautiful|”, sung by Lana Del
Ray) captures the mixed
emotions of love and betrayal from the characters,
especially that of Daisy and
Gatsby’s relationship. Another smart decision to increase the success of the film
was to include the usage of
Art Deco (an architectural
art style) to fill the screen
with beauty that touches the
hearts of audiences.
Will this remake of Fitzgerald’s novel remain in the
public eye forever? People
reading the book may not be
so eager for another flimsy
phantasmagoria.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s illusions were not very different than that of Gatsby’s.
The author creates an understanding of people’s
lives and illogical desires
through the character. This
allows readers to realize
that appearances could be
deceiving. It captures the
dream in a time where it has
descended into decadence.
As Fitzgerald stated, “We
beat on, boats against the
current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”- The
Great Gatsby.
Maleficent
Meghan Bromley
1 hr 37 mins - Action,
Adventure, Family
Director: Robert
Stromberg
Writers: Linda
Woolverton, Charles
Perrault
Stars: Angelina Jolie,
Elle Fanning
One word to describe Maleficent would
be magnificent. The film directed by Robert
Stromberg paid great tribute and put a new twist
on the classic fairytale Sleeping Beauty. With
Jolie playing the lead role of Maleficent, the
wicked godmother, we get to see her side of the
story and how she became to be so “wicked”.
She begins the film as a very powerful good fairy
due to her big and strong wings. These wings
aid her when fighting the kings army during various battles. To her dismay she is betrayed and
stripped of her wings from whom she believed
to be her true love Stefan. Stefan turns in her
wings to the King in exchange for becoming the
new King. During the film, Maleficent takes it
upon herself to get revenge on King Stefan and
curses his newborn daughter, Princess Aurora
played by Fanning. As she watches the little girl
grow, she grows fond of her and creates an unbreakable bond until she tries to lift the curse and
realizes she cannot. Will Maleficent be able to
revoke the curse and save Aurora? Or will the
curse she placed upon the girl herself take her
life and will she lose the one person she truly
did love? Maleficent is available on dvd as of
November 4th, so make sure to pick up a copy
of this enchanting family movie that everyone is
sure to enjoy!
Vintage
MODERN
VS
F
A
Sofia Capista
S
from the internet; twitter.
Interview with
Andreya klobucar
S: What are some vintage
shops that you’ve been to?
S: Where’s your go-to
place for vintage clothing?
A: Here’s the scoop, this is
the secret. Don’t tell anyone; just tell the world,
okay? Shop at Value Village, ‘cause there are some
pieces there that are vintage
and look really adorable
and highest price is like $5.
A: For vintage clothing,
I like to shop all over because there are a variety
of different places that always bring in new pieces
and I always like to make
sure that it’s original or…
uh, cheap. I like to go to actual vintage shows that are
happening all over, mostly in downtown Toronto.
S: And how do you hear
about these vintage shows?
A: I hear about them
Interview with
Melissa Marzetti
S :
H
times I’ll dress grungy,
I
O
I guess. Sometimes I’ll
dress really boho or cutesy. It all depends on time
period. Sometimes I mix
time periods together.
S: What’s one vintage outfit
that you absolutely adore?
A: My polka dot dress with
Dr. Martens and frilly socks
with my vintage briefcase.
S: What do you think
your
clothes
say
about your personality?
S: When did you start
wearing vintage clothing? Do you mix it with
some modern pieces?
A: I like to express my
individuality through my
clothes because I do not
have one particular style
of clothing. Sometimes
I’ll dress preppy, some-
A: Well, I have to say my
mother took me, two years
ago to value village to get
something for a Halloween costume and we saw
these really cute dresses
Where’s your go-to place
for modern clothing?
M: I go to H&M because
they’re affordable yet fashionable and that’s
what I live for. I
go to Forever
XXI and for
more important
items; I go to places like
Zara and TopShop. I love
TopShop! It’s my favourite.
S: Do you
think
that
your
personality is shown through
your clothes and style?
M: No it’s not. I don’t
know. I feel like I like to
play up different things.
Sometimes I want to be
edgy, sometimes I want to
be sweet, but I’m not that
person, I’m just doing what
I want with my clothes.
S: The person you
want to be that day?
M: Yeah…and movie characters. I love to dress up
not like the movie characters but inspired by them.
I also like to dress according to where I’m going.
For example, when I went
to Tuscany, Italy I made
sure I wore a countryside
appropriate outfit consisting of overalls, a striped
shirt, and a fedora hat, with
cute, non-sensible shoes.
S: What’s one modern
outfit that you adore?
M: A pair of ripped skinny jeans paired with men’s
loafers and a plain grey
jumper with a collared shirt
underneath, and a statement watch/arm jewelry.
S: Have you always worn
modern clothing? Or do
you wear vintage as well?
M: Umm, when I was
younger, I didn’t necessarily wear modern clothing but whatever I liked.
It wasn’t always relevant
or fashionable; I probably
looked like a crazy cat lady
‘cause I just put stuff together and my mom let me
wear it. Now I see trends
and I kind of go by that but I
add pieces that are my own
style. I don’t shop vintage.
I wish I did but I don’t.
S: Has
fluenced
anyone inyour
style?
M: Yes actually. My main
inspiration is Alexa Chung;
N
that were from the 1950s.
At first I thought it was
gross that people wore the
clothes already and my
friend doesn’t like it at all.
But now I think that it’s
more fun to have certain
pieces that have been worn
by other people because
they carry a story with
them and I feel like I can
continue that story. I
don’t only wear vintage, because I like to
wear all kinds of styles.
S:
What
modern
stores do you shop at?
A: Forever XXI because
there’s so much variety!
Brandy Melville has some
really good sweaters.
I adore her. I adore her hair,
I adore her beauty, and I
adore everything she ever
talks about on twitter and
Instagram. She has a 70s
vibe so she inspired me to
watch some 60s and 70s
videos about all these pop
stars and celebrities in that
era. Something else that
influenced me, is a book
called How to be Parisian. In this book there
is a lot of writing about
how the French women
dressed; they add a lot of
navy blue and black, with
men’s dress shoes, men’s
coat but in a feminine way
without tons of makeup.
Natural and plain and I
kind of aspire to be that.
Sofia Capista
Interview with
Cristina Giliberto
S: Where is your
go-to
place
for
modern
clothing?
C: Well Forever XXI
is the go-to place now;
very hip, a lot of different styles for different
likes. Umm, but that’s
not really my go-to
place. For me, it’d be
somewhere like Aritzia or Zara but that’s
not always realistic.
You can’t always just
walk into Aritzia and
Zara and just buy whatever you want ‘cause
it’s a little more expensive, so the ideal
place which is good for
the affordability and
all that kind of stuff
would be Forever XXI.
S: Do you think that
your style reflects
your
personality?
C: I think definitely.
Not only my style, but
everyone’s style is reflective of their personality. It really defines
who the person is, but
it also kind of depends
on my mood too like
if I’m feeling kind of
sad one day or whatever, I’ll want to wear
something black and
gloomy, but if I’m in
a good mood and I’m
feeling adventurous,
I’ll try different styles
and different things so
I’m open to that stuff.
S: When did you start
wearing modern clothing? Was it more recent?
C: I feel like almost
when I was younger
I was influenced by
what everyone else
was wearing, I didn’t
have my own style and
I was kind of just going with the up to date
style was at that time
but I feel like just at the
beginning of grade 10 I
started to get my own
style and doing my
own modern thing. But
otherwise I was always
thinking “Oh I don’t
know if I look right in
this ... I don’t know if
people are going to
judge me in this.” Now
I’m still fitting the modern ideal but kind of just
doing my own thing.
S: Do you have any influences on your style?
C: Yeah, definitely. I
have lots of influences.
My friends; I’ll see my
friend and maybe I’ll
think that I wouldn’t
be able to pull off what
they’re wearing or I
didn’t know if it looked
right but then I’ll try it
and realize that it actually looks cool. Also
celebrities definitely!
You know trying differ-
ent things, seeing it on them
first and them
modifying to
fit me and my
p e r s o n a l i t y.
S: What are
some of these
celebrities that
you look up to in
the fashion world?
C: My top one would
probably be Kylie Jenner. Kim Kardashian
too but I’m not going to
go buy Hermes shoes
and a Gucci wallet but
you know modifying
it. For example, the
jean on jean; I saw her
do it and I tried it and
it looked pretty good.
S: So you go
with the trends?
T:
The
trends!
S: Have you always
followed
the trends? Or is
it more recent?
T: No, my whole life.
Interview with
Thomas Genga
S:Where’s your goto place for clothes?
T: I actually go to
any store and just
scope out the place;
H&M for example.
S: Do you think
that your style
Interview with
Victoria Matia
represents your
personality?
tray
yourself?
T: I don’t know. I
T: Yeah of course just wear whatever
your style rep- I like, so I’m porresents your per- traying myself as
sonality. It’s your who I am and you
choice of how you can decide what
want to portray that is for yourself.
yourself to others.
S: What’s one
S: So how do you of your favouthink you por- rite
outfits?
S: Has anyone influenced your style?
T: Proabably khakis, black tee, a
beanie, and Docs. T: Anyone I look up
to. Anyone famous
S: Do you just wear in the media. Or
modern
pieces? even my cousins or
Or do you wear my best friends and
vintage as well. that’s what influences what I wear.
T:
Just
whatever is in style.
your personality is re- S: What is your fa- S: Have you always worn
lated to your clothing? vourite vintage outfit? vintage clothing? When
S: Where’s your go-to
did it start? And do you
place for vintage clothing? V: Oh yeah for sure V:
A
white
top mix modern and vintage?
and the type of mu- from H&M, grey pleated
V: Huhh, oh my gosh! I’m sic that I listen to also. shorts from H&M, black V: It’s kind of a mix of both.
going to say Kensington
sheer tights, renaissance I kind of make them more
Market. There’s this really S: What kind of mu- tote from the National Gal- classic and easier to wear
great shop called Courage sic do you listen to? lery Museum in England, in a setting where I’m 16. It
My Love. They have the
black Raybans, pearl ear- kind of only started when
coolest shoes from every V: A lot of 60s vibe, styles rings from Tiffany’s, cream I started listening to bettime period and they’re and so that usually re- pointy toed boots from ter music in high school.
in the best condition. lates to the clothing I buy. Courage by Love, cream
fringe kimono from a thrift S: Have you had any inS: Do you think that
shop and my dad’s black belt. fluences as to why you
wear
vintage
clothing?
V: Yeah, so many! So my
older sister’s really cool and
alternative and stuff but
she’s a lot more bohemian
than me. But she’s a really
big inspiration to me. I really like London fashion so
I really like Alexa Chung.
UR
YO
E
V
H A S AY !
S T. E
TIMES
What came first, the chicken or the egg?
Bianca Zanotti
I am sick and tired of reading articles, editorials, and
blogs about body image - the
way an individual perceives
his or her body. I am sick
and tired of reading that the
media is to blame for shoving stick-thin models down
our throats and that teenagers are most vulnerable of
falling into this unhealthy
societal pressure. I am sick
and tired of hearing about
young girls starving themselves, downing pills, or
exercising themselves into
skeletons. Headline: It is
not the media alone. It is not
teenage girls alone. Look
around. Our society, from
men to women, youth to seniors, is self-obsessed, and
our self-obsession drives
companies and the media to
market images and products
we want. When we turn the
mirror and blame to ourselves, then and only then
will we find some real solutions to the issues of body
image and eating disorders.
Too often, society blames
the media as the main culprit towards negative body
image. In 2009, 87% of
Canadians thought that, in
general, advertising was too
focused on young women
being sexy and not enough
on their abilities and intelligence. Yet, teenagers continue to be the largest growing consumer group, buying
into all the products with
their parents’ money. Victoria’s Secret, the #1 global
lingerie company, recently
released a new line named
Body with the slogan, “The
Perfect Body.” After public
social media pressure, they
changed their slogan to “A
body for every body.” However, the photos and models
did not change - stick-thin,
flat-stomached and no bigger than size 2. Victoria’s
Secret saw a spike in their
sales and will continue to
dominate the lingerie market. The radio is filled with
ads for fad diets for women
and men, and these people
continue to buy up the new
fads. All of this reminds
me of the chicken and the
egg question. Is the media
to blame for negative body
image and eating trends, or
is society pushing for products? If you read the majority of articles and writing on
the topic, you might lean to
the latter – the media. But
we are the media – human
beings who work, live in
communities, and send children to schools. We, society, are the only solution to
changing the tide on negative body image and growing eating disorders.
Andreya Klobucar, a Grade
11 at St. Elizabeth, exclaims
her disgust on ‘ideal’ body
types when she says, “How
am I supposed to be happy
with who I am when I’m
constantly being bombarded with images of abs, butts,
and perfect people. And it’s
everywhere – in social media, when you talk to people,
in Meghan Trainor’s song,
“All About That Bass.” I
don’t think it’s only the media though. They reflect
what we want to see and
hear.” Klobucar’s statement
rings true in the case of TV
personality Rebecca Judd, a
weather presenter on Australia’s Channel Nine. She
was criticized for posting a
picture of herself in a bikini while she was pregnant.
How dare she, the reviews
and comments said. Social
media was abuzz - Twitter,
Facebook, etc. “We wonder
why there are so many nasty, negative Internet trolls
out there and we also wonder why so many women
have body issues – ummm,
probably because they read
The Daily Mail.” She goes
on to say, “Let’s not use
women’s bikini shots and
tell the audience that someone’s too thin or too fat and
thus that makes them a bad
role model. I would argue
that the only bad role models are all those who continually judge body types.”
It is true – “the effect of media on women’s
body dissatisfaction, thin
ideal internalization, and
disordered eating appears
to be stronger among young
adults than children and adolescents. But the real risk
for the negative effects of
media is in teenage years,”
says the National Eating
Disorders Association. As a
result, we, as a society must
find ways to communicate
positively balanced messages for teens – at school,
home, in recreation, and
sports activities. The only
way to do that is to speak
out and change the media
messaging. Media, whether newspaper, TV, radio, or
online, serves the public.
Sales of advertising and
commercials depend on
people watching, listening,
or reading their products.
And when people speak
up, media responds. A few
years ago, a popular character on a Disney children’s
show said, “I could just
eat you up – well, if I ate”.
Immediately, parents complained about the negative
messages this sent children
- that not eating is okay. Disney star Demi Lovato, who
suffered from bulimia and
eating disorders after being deemed “too fat”, criticized Disney’s decision to
incorporate such a line into
their television programs.
Immediately, Disney apologized and has since worked
hard to eliminate any form
of negative body image and
eating disorders from their
programming. Dove soap
has had its most successful
campaign and sales by focusing on everyday regular
women – saying we are all
beautiful. Based on public
pressure and feedback, they
made a decision to not focus on ‘perceived’ beautiful
bodies but ‘real’ beautiful
bodies. In all of these scenarios, regardless of who
is to blame, society can
change media messaging
and consumer products by
speaking up.
I would love to read articles, editorials, and blogs
about our role – yours, society’s, and mine – in promoting healthy body image.
I would love to read about
examples of how everyday
people, groups, companies,
and the media are working
to influence teens, adults,
women, and men in achieving their desired state of
health. I would love to hear
about young girls eating
healthy and naturally, men
and seniors exercising to
their desired level. Because
headline: Negative body image and the resulting eating
disorders are not the blame
or responsibility of the media. We are the solution to
slowly turn the messaging
and reality around.
HY
S
HAVE YOUR SAY
Bringing Back The Good Ol’ Grade Thirteen
Bianca Zanotti
In 1983, the Ontario government eliminated Grade
13, the mandatory fifth year
of high school. Today, over
31 years later, a majority
of the students interviewed
in our own St. Elizabeth
halls overwhelmingly say,
“Bring it back, please.” Although the reasons to bring
back Grade 13 vary, student answers generally fell
into three themes: an extra
year would provide them
with more emotional maturity; this emotional preparation would help students
better plan their University
course selection and career
path; and an additional year
would probably also increase student success.
Ask any grade twelve students applying for university or college and most will
answer, “I don’t even know
what I want to do with my
life”. Most admit they are
not emotionally prepared
to enter the real educational or job world, so choose
to return for a ‘victory lap’.
This is not surprising. In
2009, Kathleen Wynne,
then Minister of Education
and now our Premier, stated that, “They [graduates]
may go back because emotionally they’re not ready.
They may go back because
there’s some courses they
wanted to take that they
didn’t have a chance to”
(The Canadian Press, 1).
Michelle Ruby, from the
Brantford Expositor found
that, “On average, 40-50%
of high school students return for an extra year of
study” (Ruby 1). Based on
responses from the St. Elizabeth students interviewed,
and these quotes, if half of
graduates are returning for a
fifth year of high school, the
government should at least
consider the possibility of
reintroducing the missing
fifth high school year.
Reintroduction of Grade
13 will not only provide
an extra year for emotional growth, it will also give
students a chance to better
determine what they wish
to pursue in their lives, or
get a clue as to what sort
of post-secondary education they wish to continue
on to. Alyssa Lue, a Grade
12 student states, “I feel as
if everything has arrived
so quickly from Grade 9.
It will take me a while to
decide what school I want
to attend, what programs I
wish to get in to, and what
specific career path I wish
to take after post-secondary
school. Grade 13 is good in
the sense that I would have
time to assess my priorities
after high school; it will
give me an extra year to
take classes that would help
me get into programs such
as business management
and teaching so I can go on
to be a dance teacher or the
owner of a dance studio. “
Those who know what
they want to do with
their life completely disagree. Students like Martin Zaanoni believe, “High
school should only last
four years because it gets
students to post-secondary
school faster. This allows
students to get out in the
workforce quicker and, especially with the available
job opportunities in today’s
society, getting out of high
school would benefit a lot
more students in terms of
those who wish to get a job
faster.” A majority of students interviewed, though,
still feel that planning our
entire career future is extremely hard in four years
of high school at the age of
17 – a year before we can
legally vote in an election.
Not only will Grade 13
emotionally prepare students, it will prepare them
intellectually as well. A
study from University of
Toronto “blamed the elimination of Grade 13, in
part, for a growing number
of students who are poorly trained for university.”
(Brantford Expositor, Mon-
day September 19, 2011).
This is because teenage
brains are still developing
analysis and planning skills
during these years. In 2009,
the Ministry of Education
reported a 69% graduation
rate of students who completed high school within
four years. Those who returned to high school for
a victory lap increased the
graduation rate by over 10%
(The Canadian Press, 1).
This basic statistic displays
the effect that one-year
makes on graduation rates –
all because students had an
additional year of emotional
maturity, planning and educational preparedness!
Education is more than
speeding teenagers through
high school to get to University – it should be about
taking the time to prepare
future leaders properly.
However, because students
feel so rushed into passing
their classes and getting into
a note-worthy university or
college, high school education is like a drive through.
“I don’t even know what I
want to be when I get out
of university or college! I
am nowhere near mature or
informed enough to decide
on my future. I am being
rushed. I want to make the
most of University. Bringing back grade 13 will defi-
nitely give me that one extra
year to help me understand
what my future goals are,”
says St. Elizabeth Grade 12
student, Erika Pistillo.
Of course, in our halls,
there are many students
who are eager to leave high
school, knowing exactly
what they wish to pursue in
the long run. But, for most,
there is also a sense of confusion and unpreparedness
for the next four years of
post-secondary school. As
one student said, “I guess
this is why most people are
spending so many more
years in University, paying
for one degree, then another, or a Masters.”
The reintroduction of
Grade 13 had a surprisingly positive response from
a majority of the grade 12
St. Elizabeth students interviewed. Students agree the
extra year would help them
become more emotionally
prepared, better plan their
future career options, and
develop the educational
skills to succeed when they
finally get to University. Although this is a small sample, the Ontario government
should consider a survey of
all the province’s Grade 12
students to explore bringing
Grade 13 back.
this positive presumption.
In practice, running is dirt,
sweat, and tears, albeit not in
the glamorized sports movie
fashion. Imagine this.
The race begins with a gun
blast, and at once the gangliest teens are in the lead. You
and the rest of the competitors hurry behind like a herd
of sheep, splashing through
unexpected puddles and
dodging rogue branches.
Following the initial sprint,
your breath is short as you
try to reconcile with your
past self: “Am I even good at
this?” and “Why did I think
this was going to be fun?”.
Stopping is not an option,
though. Crazy moms with
cameras are on the horizon
and you refuse to be the
floundering photo-bomber.
Soon after you slip into autopilot, the hill is approaching. Inspirational sayings replay in your mind. Examples
include “It’s now or never,”
and “In it to win it”.
You dash up the hill and
blast past three opponents,
two of which quickly surpass
you after resuming the course
but one who does not. You
crown yourself the top dog!
With lungs gasping for air
and heart pumping madly,
you enter the woods while
fighting to reclaim your former energy. You focus on the
runners ahead, vowing to not
look back.
Eventually, you hear cheering around the corner to the
finish line. Competition is
intense. Primal instinct overrides your thoughts.
Your legs and arms are suddenly pumping, propelling
you faster than you thought
possible towards the blessed
end.
Alas, the end is an illusion.
Running is simply a fight between the body’s desire to
give up and the mind’s desire
to persevere.
The relief of finishing is temporary because we are heroes
and we will choose to run
again, and again, and again.
We choose to challenge and
we choose to survive.
Cross country is life. It is
ruthless, deceitful, and messy
but requires faith.
Poetic triumph reigns.
Refusing to be floundering photo-bomber
Olivia La Caprara
Most students respond to
the idea of cross country with
an immediate bout of public self-shame. “I can’t run!”
they declare, followed by a
look of mortification.
With that view being the
popular opinion, why did the
prospect of running through
mud, rain, and forest inspire
the involvement of a mere
0.33% (yes, 6/1800) of the St.
E student body this year?
The answer, in my opinion,
lies not with a love of repeatedly performing the same
motion for minutes on end
but a love of poetry. Be they
aware of it or not, runners
double as poets. There is a
constant narrative underlying our actions and decisions.
We crave to be the hero in
our own stories.
Runners revel in the glory
of surpassing our boundaries and realizing the magnitude of our human potential.
Each stride takes effort, and
each incline is a battle; mentally and physically. Running
clears our thoughts and allows us to be present in the
moment, succeeding in society’s latest quest for “mindfulness”.
The reality of cross country,
however, is far from
HY
HAVE YOUR SAY
S
Trying to catch a break with a broken mind
Lauren Iaccino
A teenager’s mind is constantly overwhelmed by
many issues. This is true
of stress, anxiety, and other mental disorders. A large
source of stress emanates
from high expectations. In
addition, teens are faced
with issues regarding their
social lives. Highschool is
known to be the best four
years of a teenager’s life,
but unfortunately for many,
these four years are filled
with mental anguish.
A large source of stress
emanates from high expectations. This is true as
teens are faced with hours
of homework, CPTs, and
assignments. The transition
from elementary school to
high school is very intimidating. Younger teens often
worry about being bullied by
older students, not knowing
where their classes are, and
having to sit alone at lunch
because their schedules are
different from those of their
friends. As these social aspects of highschool are
stressful, schoolwork is one
of the main sources of stress
in teens. For example, teens
often have to manage their
time effectively to complete
homework and assignments
to the best of their abilities.
However, time management
is not always the issue.
Lauren Iaccino
Often there is too much
work and not enough time
to complete it. The amount
of work eventually increases, along with a teen’s level of stress. Unfortunately,
many teens are too overwhelmed to try to complete
their work, which results
in missing deadlines, failing courses, and skipping
school.
Not only does the work
alone cause students stress,
many teens feel pressure
from their parents to do
well in school. Parents often want their children to
become lawyers, doctors, or
authority figures. This puts
a great amount of stress on
a teen who needs time to decide who they are and what
career they want to pursue
in the future. When parents
try to control their teen’s
life, it causes them to rebel
against their parents, resulting in conflicts. Additionally, many teens who feel
stress from their parents and
schoolwork often have trouble choosing a university,
college, or career path. For
example, many teens who
are overwhelmed, stressed,
and are not receiving great
marks feel that they are not
intelligent enough to pursue
a successful career. Many
universities have high ex-
pectations and teens often
feel defeated when they
do not get accepted to the
school or even when they
cannot apply because their
marks are too low.
In these times, it is important for teens to receive
support from peers, parents,
and teachers. It is unfortunate that many teens do not
get to enjoy their highschool
years due to the stress and
pressure they feel, and
many times they do not receive the help they need.
In addition, teens are faced
with issues regarding their
social lives. This is true of
peer pressure and temptation. In many situations,
teens feel as if they are not
accepted at their school,
they do not have many
friends, or they are not
getting the support and attention that they need. It is
common for a teen to feel
troubled due to social issues
at school. However being
overwhelmed by troubling
feelings causes teens to
put themselves in danger.
Many turn to smoking, doing drugs, self mutilation,
and drinking alcohol as a
way to cope with their feelings. Teens who use these
coping methods are aware
of the harmful effects they
will have on their bodies,
and unfortunately, they feel
as if it is the only way to
manage their social issues.
Also, physical aspects of
the human body are one of
the most important aspects
to a teenager.
A recent survey in Ontario shows that 55% of males
and 68% of females in high
school say that their appearance is a significant factor of
stress. It is understandable
that teens stress over their
appearance in high school.
Their bodies are growing
and maturing, new relationships develop between two
people, and teens want to
have a lasting impression
on the people they meet.
Unfortunately, many teens
have a poor body image,
develop eating disorders,
mental disorders, and are
overall unhappy with their
bodies due to the unrealistic
image of perfection that is
provided by the media.
Teens are constantly bombarded by images of men
and women with bodies of
gods and goddesses. Although it is important for
teens to be educated on their
health and their bodies, especially during adolescence,
it is not healthy for teens to
constantly see and hear the
“perfect body image” being
glorified and idolized.
The idea of a perfect body
is unattainable and teens
should strive for happiness
and health instead of perfection. Additionally, staying healthy and keeping
a positive mindset can be
difficult for teens to do. For
example, many teens have
to balance school, work,
extra-curricular activities,
family commitments, and
their social lives. It is easy
for teenagers to completely let go of themselves due
to stress and being overwhelmed by all their commitments. However, asking
for help, getting frustrated,
and being stressed out is
acceptable and encouraged.
Most importantly, teens
must understand that focusing on happiness will bring
success.
To conclude, high school
is known to be the best four
years of a teenager’s life,
and unfortunately for many,
these four years are the opposite. A large source of
stress emanates from high
expectations. In addition,
teens are faced with issues
regarding their social lives.
Overall, it is important for
teens to enjoy their high
school years, as they will be
over sooner than expected.
Majority does not rule
Over the past few weeks, the newspaper team ventured out to survey 50
students at St. Elizabeth. The team
was interested in the students’ interests. Yes, the generic questions such as
‘What’s your favourite type of music?’
and ‘What’s your favourite food?’ were
asked among others.
These questions may seem boring to
the average student, especially when
asked nearly every first day of school.
However, topics such as music, movies, and food can say a lot about a person. They distinguish personalities,
attitudes, behaviours, and overall interests. After all, when attending school,
these questions are essential in discovering the diversity and uniqueness of
all students at St. E’s.
Michael David, a member of the
newspaper team, was asked his opinion
on surveying students about their interests. “I think it’s good that we get to
ask kids about what they like, especially if they’re really into music or something because they’ll talk about it with
a lot of passion. It’s nice to be asked
questions about the things you like.”
Students definitely showed enthusiasm
and interest in taking the survey.
Out of the music genre, Hip-Hop /
Rap was the most popular. Aside from
St. E’s survey, statistics show that 62%
of teens in North America enjoy listening to rap and hip-hop music and it is
easy to understand why. The music is
exciting and different and many students at St. E’s agree. “Rap is great, my
favourite artist is Eminem, he’s such an
inspiration and he fought really hard to
get to where he is now” said grade 9
student Brendon Corgnale.
Aside from the common questions
regarding favourite music, movies,
and food, the team asked students two
questions that are not asked very frequently. These questions were ‘If you
could go back in time to any decade,
which one would you choose?’ and ‘If
you could live anywhere in the world,
where would it be?’
Although not the most profound of
questions, they definitely got the students thinking a little harder than they
had expected. About 42% of students
said they would like to live in a European country while
others preferred
living in Canada or the U.S.
Grade 12 student
Alex Grenci said
he would like
to live in Italy,
“it’s a beautiful
country and has
amazing food”.
What better way
to eat spaghetti and meatballs
while sitting on
a balcony in Venice overlooking the
gondolas?
When all the data was collected, the
conclusion was made that St. Elizabeth
has a group of very unique students. In
this particular case, majority does not
rule, because all students at St. E’s have
a place to fit in, no matter what their
interests may be.
Graph: Favourite Genres of Music at St. Elizabeth
S T. E
TIMES
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S T O LU M
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Julia Carrano
Robin Noronha
Q: Hey Jude, why do
all my friends hate me?
A: Hey Low in Spirit,
if these people do not treat
you with the respect that
you deserve, they are certainly not, “friends.” I have
learned over the course of
high school that surrounding
yourself around people who
do not appreciate you will not
only make you miserable, but
completely shatter your confidence.The most important
thing to remember is that no
one deserves to feel devalued,
and that includes you. If you
do not feel respected by these
people, I suggest that you
take some time to reflect upon
yourself and find new friends.
Sometimes being alone is the
best solution because you discover new things. So, I say
that you try some new things!
Discover your morals and
find what interests you. Based
on what you discover about
yourself, find people with
similar interests or beliefs.
These are the people that are
going to be your real friends;
the people who are going to
treat you the way you deserve
to be treated. Even if this
might take time and it might
be painful, never feel alone
because you always have us!
Stay strong Low in Spirit,
and only give your time to
people who appreciate you.
Q: Hey Jude, I’m feeling stressed with a lot of
things. For one, my boyfriend is acting strange and
not talking to me. Secondly,
I’m having trouble maintaining all my school work
with my new job. Thirdly, I think my best friend is
doing drugs. Any Advice?
A: Hey Worried Warrior,
these situations are extremely
difficult, so I completely understand why you are feeling
anxious. The first thing you
need to do is talk to your best
friend who you think is doing
drugs. This needs to be dealt
with first because your friend’s
health may be at risk. Find a
Hey Jude
place where you and your
friend can meet and have an
open discussion about how
you are feeling. The main idea
is NOT to offend them in any
way, so ensure that you do not
make it sound like you are meddling in their lives or believing
rumours that you have heard.
You have to approach this
gently. It is obvious that you
really care for this person so
I highly recommend that you
remind them of that. If they
really are a true friend, they
will see that you are hurting
and will tell you the truth.
Next, I know managing
school and work at the same
time is very difficult. I suggest two things: change your
availability and prioritize. If
you work too many days of
the week and you feel like you
are falling behind in school, let
your manager know. Your job
is only part-time and because
you are still a student, school
always comes first; it is your
manager’s job to understand
that. So, I would definitely
change your availability so
that way, during the week,
you have one or two days off
to focus on your school work.
Secondly, in terms of organizing your school work, you
need to prioritize. See what
needs to be completed first
based on when it is due and
how much time you will need
to do it. For example, if you
have a CPT due and a math test
on the same day, plan to finish
your CPT a few days sooner
that way you have time the previous night to study for your
math test. Or utilize the time
you have during your math
class to finish your review and
ask questions, and then finish
your CPT that night. Staying
organized is challenging but if
you use your time wisely, you
will be on the path to success!
Finally, let’s talk about this
boy situation. First thing is
first, you need to remember
that every relationship is complicated and boys can sometimes be difficult. I definitely
would not talk to him about
it right now. Remember that
a guy is only as invested in
you as the effort he puts into
your relationship. If he does
not put in any effort, he clearly
does not care about the relationship. So don’t try to push
him to do anything – live your
life and give him the space
to come to you. If things do
not work out with him, it is
his loss. You are a great gal!
Q: Hey Jude, why is it so
hard for people to be in uniform at a uniform school?
A: Hey Obedient Observer,
students have a love-hate relationship with uniform. We
love it because in the mornings,
it eliminates the worry about
picking an outfit. But, we hate
it because it restricts us. We all
want to show our individuality
and specific additions to our
uniform will reflect the person
we want people to know us as.
However, that is why we
have civvies days, so we can
wear what we please and present who we are. Speaking
from experience, I have made
numerous friends just because
the apparel I wear on civvies
days, specifically sweaters
from concerts. It makes a
statement about who I am as a
music lover, and every time I
wear it, I look forward to connecting with other people in
the school who like the same
artist. So in regards to showing our individuality, it should
be done on civvies days. Also,
being out of uniform has a lot
to do with comfort. Most will
argue that yoga pants are more
comfortable in comparison to
dress pants, and that on a cold
winter’s day, the St. Elizabeth
uniform sweaters will not
make them as warm as hoodies
do. But the bottom line is that
we are in a uniform school.
As teenagers sometimes if
you tell us not to do something,
we will do it. It is just some
feeling of entitlement that we
have and that everyone experiences when they are our age.
However, regardless of why
we rebel, like you said, it IS
a uniform school, and we
have to abide by the rules.
Q: Hey Jude, there’s this boy
that I have a major crush on
but he barely even acknowledges my existence. What
do I do? P.S, like seriously he’s so hot and I’m not
A: Hey Hardcore Crusher,
let’s clear some things up here.
Firstly, if he isn’t giving you the
time of day because you aren’t
“hot” then he probably isn’t
worth it. Far too often us teenagers focus all of our time and
energy on our crushes until we
realize it wasn’t worth the time.
Secondly, don’t just admire
from a distance, sure, he may
be good looking, but what’s he
like as a person? Do you like
what’s beneath the surface? So
go talk to him and get to know
him. I know that this takes a
lot of courage but you’ll never
know until you try. Take some
time by yourself and really
think “is this guy worth it?….
really”. If he is, then girl, go
for it! but never change who
you are for a guy. If he isn’t interested in who you are then
it’s his loss. Don’t settle for
anyone who doesn’t fully accept you for you. I know how
tricky crushes can be, we can
all relate to that. I’m sure that
everyone has had a crush that
just drains the life out of them.
So the only advice I can give to
you is to to not let this crush
totally crush you. Crushes can be fun, so have fun!
Q: Yo Jude, Sup mahn. I’m
pretty outgoing and loud but
I’m having trouble making
friends. what do I do?
A:
SupMahn,
Hmm, being an outgoing person can be challenging sometimes because it can seem like
everyone around you is unenthusiastic or just quiet in general. Being an outgoing person
myself I know how frustrating this can be. The best thing
to do is to join school clubs
and find people who share
the same interests as you!
St. Elizabeth has so many
different clubs for honestly
anyone. Great friends don’t
just come out of no where you
really need to get involved and
meet new people, then put that
outgoing personality of yours
forward. I’m sure you are a
total catch. It’s never too late
to join a club and this newspaper has so many articles on all
kinds of different clubs in the
school. Reflect upon yourself
and figure out what you are interested in and work from that.
The last piece of advice I can
give you is to put effort towards
being kind towards others. If I
have learned anything it’s that
people who are kind are truly
beautiful and the kind of people I would want to be around
forever. Thanks for writing to
us, go explore your interests
and meet amazing new people!
Q: Hey Jude why do I exist?
A:
Dear,existentialist
I’m going to start with the
best answer I can give you for
this question, God has a plan
for you. That plan could be
to love, to be loved, to meet
someone and inspire them or
to be inspired. You are on a
journey, just like everyone else
and you exist to discover yourself, your passion and become
the best person you can be. I
believe that our interactions
and experiences shape who we
become. We exist to come into
people’s lives and share our
ideas and thoughts and impact
them in a positive way. We are
young and there is an entire
world out there for us to discover once we finish school.
We are only in the first
chapter of our lives, the reason we exist could be waiting for us in the future, or it
could be right in front of us,
we just need to look around.
.T
MS
ITU
S
TEACHER FEATURE
then.) Looking back, that A: I am inspired every
was one of my better
day by the students I meet.
Q: How did you become a decisions.
Some students are so smart
teacher?
and work so hard that it
Q: If you weren’t a tech- inspires me to try to do
A: Back in the 70ís young er, what would you be? the best job I can. I know
people did not have the
that sounds cheesy, but we
same kind of pressure
A: I enjoy reading mys- have such a great bunch of
that students have today.
teries and crime drama
students at St. Elizabeth.
Entrance into university
so I imagine I could be
was not as competitive or a good private detecQ: What is the best part of
expensive.
tive. I know that sounds being a teacher?
Unlike today, students
fanciful, but I am just
did not worry about getting imagining. Also, I think A:The best thing about
a job after graduation. I
I would have liked being being a Guidance counselstarted off in business
something like a forest
or occurs when a student
then switched to computer ranger because I do enjoy comes to see me for advice
science. After graduation the out of doors.
or information and when
my husband and I decided
they are leaving they say,
to go to teacherís college
Q: Who would you say “Thanks a lot. You have
(it was only one year back inspires you?
Indiana Rotondo
really helped.”
The hardest part is
when I see students making poor decisions and
I am unable to persuade
them or make them see
that they are going down
a road that will be more
difficult for them then it
has to be.
FUN STUFF!
OMG! I’M SO RETRO!
(THE WORD SEARCH)
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HAVE
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Gabriel Giuliani
HOROSCOPES
S T. E
TIMES
Aquarius
(January20-February 18)
Much pressure will be put on your shoulders Aquarius. Gather all your strength and energy, and face the
world with all your might. Confidently express yourself and take opportunities as they come your way.
Relationships: During 2015 your love life will become
stabilized and grounded. Go with the flow and don’t be
afraid to jump into new experiences with open arms.
Lucky Numbers: 21, 31, 41
Pisces
(February19-March 20)
This year you will be more of a demand Pisces. This will
cause you to be aggressive, bold and action-oriented.
Make sure to get all tasks done in a constructive way. Your
impulsive nature shall take a rest for the year 2015. Do not
hesitate to turn to close loved ones in times of weakness.
Relationships: There will be more involvement in
your relationships during 2015. You will find confidence to express your feelings and inner desires
more easily and comfortably. Those in a confused
state of affairs, as to choosing their ideal partner, will
find the knowledge to make the right decision now.
Lucky Numbers: 42, 31, 60
Aries
(March21-April 19)
This is a good year for you Aries! Many opportunities will
be given to you. You will near your goals with minimal
obstacles. Strength to overcome obstacles will be in your
favour.
Relationships: Luckily for you Aries there will be much
love in your life. You will have a better appreciation for
your spouse and see them in a new light! You may feel as
though your partner is not as committed to you as you are
to them, but with your intense effort you will be able to
work wonders. Be bold and don’t be afraid to be assertive.
Lucky Numbers: 1, 11, 21
Taurus
(April 20-May 20)
2015 will be a good year for you Taurus. You will
work to your full potential and your greatest qualities
such as stability and patience will bring you good rewards. Although your efforts may go unnoticed or unappreciated, continue what you have been doing for
the success and appreciation will come at a later date.
Relationships: Your relationship in 2015 shall deepen
and get enriched to a greater extent. Love, home relationships and romantic relationships will be more of a priority.
Be sure not to let ego and self-esteem interfere in your
relationships. Let there be both giving and receiving in
your relationship. Lucky Numbers: 56, 43, 12
Gemini
(May 21-June 20)
This year you’ll enjoy life to the fullest. You wild
Gemini! 2015 will bring you major personal changes.
You shall settle down in life. No more trials or temptations! Avoid misconceptions about life. The end
of the year promises some luck and fortune for you.
Relationships: Your love life will boost your self-esteem
and instil you in a new satisfaction with life. Do not be
afraid to be bold and daring when making decisions regarding love. If you are single be sure to keep your opinions open. More opportunities will arise mid year Gemini. Just be patient! Lucky Numbers: 21, 36, 18
Cancer
(June 21-July 22 )
This year you will work your hardest to make sure that
you fulfill and reach your desired goals. You will meet new
people that will impact your life personally and
professionally.
Relationships: All you single Cancers will have much
enjoyment this upcoming year. For those Cancers in a relationship your relationship is surely to smoothly continue
Lucky Numbers: 15, 27, 59
Leo
(July 28-August 22)
2015 will be filled with multiple rich opportunities for new
projects in all areas of your life. You will be able to find
answers to all unanswered questions. Bury all past burdens
and work toward a brighter future.
Relationships: Try to express your true feelings. Feel confident enough toyour partner. Do step back if you feel as
though you are taking a step in the wrong direction. Always be sure not to make a promise you can not keep. Lucky Numbers: 66, 75, 49
Virgo
(August 23-September 22)
There will be major changes in your personal and financial
life. All efforts will end in success. Count your blessings
and let your brain do all final decisions. In general a quiet
environment is predicted for you.
Relationships: You are compelled to make a change, but
make sure you move in the right direction. Overall, love
shall be present in 2015 for you Virgo. Lucky Numbers: 2, 6, 10
Libra
(September 23-October 22)
This year shall be problem free for you. You will be able
to make positive advancements in your life. Work toward
achieving you major life goals.
Relationships: During 2015 your relationship with your
significant other will flourish. Expressing your true emotions will come without hesitation. You will both experience better communication in your relationship. Good
Luck!
Lucky Numbers: 30, 36, 9
Scorpio
(October 23-November 21)
Your passion to achieve your life ambitions shall spark up
once again. Take this opportunity seriously and act accordingly. Be sure not to allow your personal and professional
life interfere with one another. Always be sure to set time
aside for you and your family. Family is important.
Relationships: Your love life for 2015 shall be more exhilarating. Major changes are likely to occur and you will
get the opportunity to show your true self to your partner.
Modesty and honesty always work best in relationships
for you Scorpio. Better communication shall go a long
way.
Lucky Numbers: 14, 24, 33
Sagittarius
(November 22-December 21)
You shall have better confidence in yourself and your
abilities. Be sure to prioritize your ideas and ideals before
taking action. There is said to be some good-luck in relationships this 2015 year Sagittarius. Look forward to later
2015 for over the course of time things shall brighten up.
Relationships: Your flawless looks shall score you some
fine looking love in 2015. Keep a positive attitude and let
your confidence take control of you. Allow yourself to
ponder into new experiences.
Lucky Numbers: 17, 21, 26
Capricorn
(December 22-January 19)
Your creative skills and talent shall take you into the limelight! There will be much growth and development in your
skills. A positive boost of excitement and encouragement
will be present this year.
Relationships: Just as deep as the sea your love life will
be calm and quiet. Sorry for the lonesome nights Capricorn.
Lucky Numbers: 60, 42, 13
Scan the QR Code above
to see if this quiz can guess
your Zodiac sign!
Staff
Demetria Aravena
Daniella Biggart
Megan Bromley
Sofia Capista
Juila Carrano
Michael David
Johnpaolo Fera
Vanessa Giralico
Gabriel Giuliani
Lauren Iaccino
Robin Noronha
Toni Pascale
Guiliana Pisani
Rosa Pierri
Frances Poblete
Vanessa Pummer
Tristan Ramos
Indiana Rotondo
Luca Rotondo
Valentine Semella
Drew Stobie
Meghan Stolte
Daniela Torres
Nicole Trezzi
Bianca Zanotti
Layout
Gabrielle Reyes
Andreya Klobucar
Kelly-Jean Arizo
Editor
Ms. Rotondo
Some images courtesy Google.com