Holiday Recipe: Snowballs

Today, we have something a little different for you.  Since today has given the Surrey area a little snow for the first time this season, "Snowballs" are an excellent treat that can help you prepare for the holiday season.

Ingredients:

1 Cup           Chocolate Chips

1 Cup           Butterscotch Chips

250g             Cream Cheese (softened)

250g             Mixed Candied Fruit

4 Cups          Miniature Marshmallows

2 Cups          Unsweetened Coconut

Instructions:
1.  Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips in a double boiler, stirring frequently.
2.  Stir in cream cheese until melted and well combined.
3.  Remove from heat and stir in marshmallows and mixed fruit until well coated.  Avoid melting the marshmallows.
4.  Shape into balls and roll in coconut.
5.  Place on wax paper and chill thoroughly.

And there you have it; a simple and delicious holiday dessert to match the weather outside!

Deck The Halls

This past Friday, Marco Ovies (grade 12,) the Marketing Executive of Sulli’s Student Council, agreed to an interview about Deck The Halls, our annual winter festivities.  He was able to give a behind-the-scenes view of this year’s event, as well as a brief insight into why Deck the Halls and similar events are so important.

The December calender: a work in progress.

Firstly, the main purpose of Deck The Halls is “to give [the school] holiday spirit and make everything more festive.”  Marco says “we want everyone here to be having a great time.  …You’re here for learning, but also, you want to enjoy your high school experience.”  In fact, Student Council’s function is to add that spark of fun and a little variation to the regular schedule of your school day.

The creation of the gingerbread doors in downstairs B wing.

This year in particular, Marco says that more time than ever was put into Deck The Halls, with the goal of making this year the best holiday season yet.  B Wing has been decorated with gingerbread men and gumdrops on the walls.  When venturing into the basement, one would notice the distinct flair of Dr. Seuss, and a portrayal of Who-ville.

The archway leading into Who-ville.

http://journeycommunitychurch.com/come-visit-whoville/

In the past few years, Student Council has spent several weeks preparing decorations to put up around the school for countdown to winter break.  Some days, dedicated students would even stay at the school until 10pm to prepare.  And it certainly seems like their hard work has payed off, with a dwindling number of days until break, festive banners all over the school, and tinsel strung across the hallways.

So, congratulations to the hardworking members of Student Council, and may little-to-no homework be given to any of Sulli’s students!

The giant snowflakes in B wing.

Marco Ovies is an executive on this year’s Student Council.  As the head of marketing, his duties include making banners for various school events and writing the announcements for any Council-run events.

All pictures are taken by Sulli Scholar photographers, unless otherwise indicated.

2Jacketz Literary Rap Concert

This past Thursday, Sulli’s own 2Jacketz Nation hosted an event in the library, a fitting place to hold a Literary Rap Concert.  After noisily lining up in the foyer, we gleefully filed inside the library, and crowded up to the stage, which was, in actuality, just all the desks available pushed together.  Once everyone was packed inside, Mr. Begg hopped up onto the stage and gave a brief intro, occasionally interrupted by himself and his assistant Horatio (based on the Shakespearean character) throwing ring-pops into the crowd.  Obviously, this was so we could become as blinged up as they were.  Then the first piece began, a poem written and performed by Gatzby (based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald character).

“There has never been a day when I can walk down the street with blank eyes.

I saturate, associate, yeah, create narrations about the mundane inclinations of life.

And juxtapose the decrepit with the prose, which unscrolls itself before me,

A movie reel of parnassum beauty, projecting its fantastical hues upon the clouded expanses of the city.

You see, words have always been a part of me.

From the fumbling syllables and clunky consonants of second grade reading lessons,

To the pilgrimages made to the dust-shrouded bookshelves of the clouds

Those syntaxes have stitched themselves into the synapses of my mind.”

After the opening act, the official rap concert began.  The Wolfpack, assisted by Hazelle David, performed a slightly… modified, (and considerably cooler,) version of the Reading Rainbow theme.  It was great.

The event concluded with Mr. Begg presenting to the crowd a copy of the 2Jacketz comic book, telling the story of his defeat of Santa Claus, the greatest menace our world has ever seen.  Just then, said Great Menace turned up behind the crowd, proclaiming that Mr. Begg’s account of events was dramatically different than the truth.  He then challenged Mr. Begg and 2Jacketz to a battle, which will occur at the Winter Extravaganza this year.  Presumably this fight is to the death.

It’s time to pick sides:

“Santa And The Elves” or “Begg And 2Jacketz.”  May the best team’s name be honoured throughout history.

The Grad Boat Cruise

The Grad Boat Cruise is an annual event held for all the grade twelve students in which they go on a boat, party, and then try not to fall asleep during our classes the next day. I’m proud to tell you that the event went off more or less without a hitch, and to share some of my favourite moments.

First of all, when the bus arrived at the docks and we crowded off, we were incredibly dismayed to find a total lack of shelter from the cold, so penguin huddling commenced in a poor attempt to retain any amount of warmth.  After we were able to board the boat, (which was considerably warmer,) students slowly made their way to the outer portion of the middle deck to reenact Titanic. It’s worth mentioning that once the boat started moving, going outside became even riskier and colder.  It was about as miserable as one would think, when one is standing outside in 1°C (feels like -2) weather on a moving boat.

The party itself was excellent, and featured pizza and chips, two of the main food groups required by teenagers.  The dancing went exactly as well as can be expected, when it involved females in very high heels on a heavily rocking boat.  I heard that one person went down, but that is no more than rumour at this point.  After a certain point, most of the heels that were walked onto the boat ended up piled against the walls.  Music-wise, the selection was excellent, and the DJ was great.  Finally, the lower deck was almost entirely deserted for more-or-less the whole cruise, so refuge from the loud music and could be found there whenever the party got a little intense.  Overall, it was a very good event.

I attempted to take some pictures at the event on the high quality camera I brought (my iphone).  First of all, I saw most of the normal things you’d see at such a party.

Dancing.

More dancing.

A very cool dj.

That unique feeling of victory that comes from winning at arm wrestling on a boat.

A terrible staged photo from the only two people who agreed to have a clear picture of their faces put online.

Despite being crowded, loud enough that I almost lost my voice entirely, and at certain points rather like a pinball machine of people crashing into each other as the boat rocked, the grad boat cruise was really a fantastic party.  I’d highly recommend attendance next year for any grade 11s.

Trans Day Of Remembrance

In the wake of Remembrance Day, another event occurs each year to commemorate lives lost, though with considerably less fanfare.  This past friday was Trans Day of Remembrance, a day to recognize the violent acts committed against Transgender people.  Trans Day of Remembrance was started in the US 17 years ago, after trans woman Rita Hester was murdered in her home.  Despite the improvements in awareness of trans issues, the rates of hate crimes against trans people are still obscenely high.

According to National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, a data collected from 16 US states showed that 72% of the victims of all reported hate murders in 2013 were trans women, a status that seems to incur ridiculously amounts of hatred.  Transgender people are twice as likely to be unemployed than cisgender people (those whose sex assigned at birth matches their gender).  In the workplace, 90% of trans people reported being harassed or discriminated against.

A noteworthy group for trans (as well as other LGBTQ) teens between the ages of 13 and 21 is Youth For A Change, a group founded in 2012 for the purpose of offering support to teens in need.  They work in the area of education, visiting schools to inform students about queer issues, healthy relationships, and queer-inclusive sex-ed.  Youth For A Change has also helped in formulating school board policies to protect queer students.  For the past year, they have partnered with QUIRKE, a writing collective for queer elders, to exchange prompts and written pieces.  The project is in the process of being published as an anthology.

Youth For A Change holds open meetings on monday nights from 6:30 to 8:30, during which anyone can drop in.  The meetings are held at the Newton Youth Resource Centre, on 76th Avenue and and just off King George.  Any member of the LGBTQ community within the age bracket is welcome to attend.

A Day To Remember

Sapper Jennifer Labrador lays a Canadian flag at the grave of fallen soldier in a military cemetery in Calgary.

Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press, 2008

Remembrance Day has the unique power to bring people together by commemorating lives lost across 52 countries, (almost all of the Commonwealth,) while serving in the line of duty.  If there is one thing that any part of the world can relate to, it’s the feeling of loss when a loved one marches away, then the unique dread while waiting for the news of their possible return.  As November eleventh approaches, people begin to reflect on how the actions of those no longer with us have shaped the lives we lead today.  At the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour (11:11) two minutes of silence are held in honour of the people who never got the chance to see what their sacrifice had done for the world.

Though Remembrance Day was originally established as Armistice Day to acknowledge the date hostilities ceased at the end of World War I in 1918 “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month,” it has evolved to encompass all lives lost in the line of duty since then.  Some notable Canadian acknowledgements of the lives lost in war include the World War Books of Remembrance in the Memorial Chamber of our Parliament building.  The books, which are open to public viewing, list the names of the Canadians who lost their lives in both World Wars.

The First World War Book Of Remembrance.

Veterans Affairs Canada

Also in Ottawa is the Canadian War Museum, a stark grey building meant to represent the horror and desolation of war.  However, the roof of the building is one of the increasingly popular “Green Roofs,” a device symbolizing the period of growth, relief, and regeneration that follows a war.  The inside of the museum is made of angled stone and concrete, providing a cold atmosphere, with an uneven floor meant to unsettle the visitor.  In the museum is the Memorial Hall, which vaguely resembles a concrete safe from the exterior, but the inside is made of concrete blocks that allude to tombstones.  A single window in the wall is designed to allow a beam of sunlight to show through and land on the headstone of the Grave of the Unknown Soldier, but only on November 11th at 11am.

A view of the museum at night.

Source

An aerial view of the museum, including the green roof. 

Source

The exterior of the Memorial Hall.

Source

A view of the Gravestone in the Memorial Hall on November 11th at 11:00am.

Source

Here at Sullivan Heights, assemblies are being held on November tenth, hoping to encourage students to reflect on the events that occurred so long ago, while still being incredibly relevant to the lives we lead today.  The eleventh is a statutory holiday in British Columbia, and consequently, schools are closed.  In years past, the school drama program has performed a piece thematically appropriate to the occasion, and the famous poem “In Flanders Fields” has been presented.  Additionally, the school choir will be performing in this year’s upcoming Remembrance Day Assemblies.

A Day At SFU

Since last week’s article was focused on UBC, I decided to direct this one toward another prominent university in the area; Simon Fraser University.  SFU may not have been around for as long as UBC, but since the university was established in 1965, it has become one of the most reputable institutions in the area.  With campuses in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey, SFU can be reached from multiple places in the Lower Mainland, making the high ranked university easily accessible.  Receiving fourth place in Sciences and Engineering in a 2012 study by the Higher Education Strategy Associates assessing Canadian universities, SFU ranks highly in Canada.  It also achieved ninth place in Social Sciences and Humanities, still a high ranking out of the 61 universities included in the study.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mraneri/2015/04/09/getting-ready-for-the-ipo-lite-5-things-to-know-about-sec-reg-a-plus/

But besides the details of SFU’s quality of education, it’s important to note that a celebrity visited SFU on October 8th to receive an honorary doctorate of science.  Yes, this celebrity was none other than celebrated educator Bill Nye the Science Guy.

http://viewmixed.com/throwback-to-the-greatest-scientist-and-teacher-of-the-90s-bill-nye-the-science-guy/13843 

Yes, Bill Nye visited SFU to get this honorary doctorate, with the important parting words of “Change the world,” directed to SFU students.

Besides this celebrity endorsement, SFU boasts impressive architecture, especially at the Burnaby campus.  The pond and greenery are often surrounded by students at any given time.

http://www.sfu.ca/~jtmulhol/

It is also necessary to mention the Trottier Observatory and Science Courtyard, opened in April, a major part of SFU’s science outreach program, as well as being used by astronomy students.  To see the latest images from the observatory, this website posts them along with descriptions from Dr. Howard Trottier, the founder of the observatory.  Approaching nights when various astronomical events are occurring, people who follow their events page can be notified of “Star Parties” in which guests can go to the Burnaby campus and set up their own telescopes.  Of course, those without telescopes can go as well to use other peoples’.

Simon Fraser University holds the promise of a high quality education, multiple campuses for easy access, and a flourishing sciences program.  If all this, along with smaller, more manageable class sizes, sounds appealing to you, SFU might be the place for you!

A Day At UBC

Well, grade twelves, we’re reaching the end of the line.  Yes, the great big world waits for us, and for those who are interested in post-secondary, admissions are starting up.  Now, there are many great post-secondary institutions in the lower mainland, but I feel the need to talk about one in particular, since the application is lengthy, and completing it sooner rather than later would be highly advised.  For the benefit of those considering attending the University of British Columbia in the next few years, this article will detail a few highlights of the campus, as well as provide a general overview of the university.

The University of British Columbia, located approximately an hour away from Sulli, boasts an impressive campus, with a focus on doctoral programs as well as containing extensive research facilities.  McClean’s well-known university rating program puts UBC in second place in the “Medical/Doctoral” Universities, after McGill, in their 2014/2015 season.  The Higher Education Strategy Associates did a study in 2012 assessing Canadian Universities, and placed UBC first in both Science/Engineering and Social Sciences/Humanities.

UBC happens to contain the headquarters of TRIUMF, originally based off the term “TRI University Meson Facility”, which is Canada’s leading subatomic particle research centre, working in nuclear physics.  It was initiated by the UBC, SFU, and UVIC, but has now been expanded to contain nineteen different universities.  It also has a particle accelerator, which is very cool.

TRIUMF’s Particle Accelerator.

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-scientists-use-large-particle-accelerator-to-visualize-properties-of-nanoscale-electronic-materials

For the more botanically inclined, UBC happens to feature two excellent attractions that one can spend hours roaming.  The UBC Botanical Gardens are a massive tract of land, featuring examples of almost every type of vegetation in the area, as well as many from elsewhere, with neat little labels and information plaques.  The gardens also have something called the Canopy Walkway, providing an excellent view of the forest, while a long ways off the forest floor.

The afore-mentioned canopy walkway.

https://tourismvancouver.app.box.com/s/nmz8cn3t3rltsk4pouju9mcichsi20sx

The campus also contains the recently established Beaty Biodiversity Museum, containing ridiculous numbers of specimens organized in rows upon rows of cases.  The museum also holds "Way Cool" talks, during which various scientists come in and become incredibly excited about things, while also teaching you about them.  Also, the main entry of the museum contains a whole blue whale skeleton.

It’s also the whale’s first birthday.

Now, I’m in no way saying that the University of British Columbia is the best option for post-secondary for students currently attending Sulli, but if you want lots of nice green spaces, a top rated education, and if you also like skeletons of large aquatic mammals to greet you as you walk in the door, then this is just the place for you.

*The UBC Botanical Gardens and Beaty Biodiversity Museum websites are currently down for maintenance, but should be up within the week.

The Canadian Federal Elections

Amidst all the stress and apprehension that comes with being a grade 12 student and facing your transition into the “real world,” a very important event for our country has been almost entirely overlooked by grads.  Yes, the 42^nd Canadian Federal Election is coming up, and few students seem to have thought about it.  After briefly interviewing three grade 12 students (real names not included), the only answer shared by all three was “No, I have not thought about the upcoming federal elections.”  From that point on, their opinions differed.

Jane, age 16, (not their real name,) thinks they comprehend how voting and the electoral system works, and how their vote will carry weight in deciding upon the country’s next governing body.  John, age 17, understands as well, but not due to the school’s Planning 10 course.  Fortunately, John found the Social Studies courses, especially Socials 11, very helpful in explaining the electoral system.  Jill, age 17, mentioned that since they turn 18 after the elections, they would not have to think about them for another four years.  Jane likes the idea of a candidate who would make post-secondary less expensive, making it easier for more people to get higher education, while John simply hopes for a candidate who does not compromise their morals.

Despite the fact that few grade 12 students will be old enough to participate in the upcoming election, being someone on the brink of entering adulthood means that we should at least be thinking about it..  One of the most prevalent trends noticeable in analysis of elections over the years is the consistently low number of people aged 18-24.  In 2011, only 38.8% of people in that age group participated in the vote, though this was an improvement of 4.9% over the previous election in 2008.  Young adults often feel that their voices are not being heard; that what they think does not matter.  As soon as one is old enough to vote, they should begin carefully considering the candidates and what they stand for.

I highly recommend that all grade 12 students begin to examine the various parties vying for the place to form Canada's next government.  Even if you're not yet old enough to vote, the decisions made by whoever is in power still affect you.  The current political parties with seats in the House of Commons are the Conservative Party (currently in power,) the New Democratic Party, the Liberal Party, the Bloc Québécois, the Green Party, and the Strength in Democracy Party.  Eight independents also sit in the House of Commons.

Sources: http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=rec/part/estim/41ge&document=report41&lang=e

The Sullivan Heights GSA

Leaving elementary school behind can be a scary transition for new secondary students.  Fortunately, there are many resources put in place to make the journey a more comfortable one.  Future students tour the school, meet the teachers, and are given bucket-loads of information.  Yet coming to high school is still scary, and sometimes, support networks are necessary.  For students identifying as lgbt+ (for the purposes of this article, the term “queer” will be used,) finding a place to fit in can be even more important.

This week, I sat down with the President of Sullivan Heights’ GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) to learn more about the club, its members, and what they are trying to accomplish.  Alex Westhaver, grade twelve, has been president for four years, as well as co-founding the club with former Sulli student Jasmine Broeder.  This group aims to educate both queer students and their non-lgbtq counterparts, as well as offering support for their growth into adulthood.  Alex believes that the GSA’s presence in our school stands to say, “We believe that it is important to support our students as people, no matter … who they are.”  The club meets in Mr. Dewinetz’s room every Wednesday, as a place where you can share your ideas and meet people you can relate to.

However, the club lives up to its name in providing a space where students who are not members of the queer community can also become educated on issues faced in today’s society.  On the topic of non-queer students, “everyone can join,” Alex says.  Contrary to what one may believe, to join GSA, “you don’t have to commit to [it] every single week or [to] one single identity, because identities are always changing.”

Alex has stated, “I think it’s really important to have queer specific spaces, but it would be my dream if the entire world could be an alliance between not just gay and straight people, but between human beings as a whole.”  The Gay-Straight Alliance of Sullivan Heights may be just one group, in just one school, but every single person who can find a place to fit in makes its existence worthwhile.