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

By students, for students
Volume IV, Issue III
December 2006
Ctk Writers
Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
Editors
Melanie Bechard
Imre Gams
By Jacqueline Gubiani
Santa paid an early
visit to Georgetown on
Sunday, November 12th
when Georgetown held its
annual Christmas Parade. I decided to come
out to support our school.
I was glad to see many
students also came out to
show school spirit as we
marched down to the fairgrounds cheering all the
way.
Students
were
dressed in school sweaters and uniform jerseys. I
think I might have seen a
few wearing the actual
uniform!
Georgetown had some
pretty fabulous floats to
show off. Our float was
Assistant Editor
Allison Hill
Staff
Sarah Dunlop
Claire Faver
Phil Faver
Ben Flikkema
Jacqueline Gubiani
Chanel Jakobsons
Steven Kanichis
Enjoying the Santa Claus Parade
decorated in blue and
white with carolers singing Christmas carols
down Guelph Street.
Other floats included
cross-town rivals Georgetown High, Halton Hills
School of Dance, and of
course,
the
Shriners’s gocar ts
ma de
their
yearly
appearance.
The most anticipated float
of the night was
when Old Saint
Nick appeared
to wave “Merry
Christmas” to
everyone
who
came out.
It was a great night
and not too cold to walk
through
Georgetown.
Everybody who came out
did a fabulous job.
Un Voyage Français
Nina Mazzé
By Lucy Schmidt, Chanel Jakobsons, Sarah Dunlop
Victor Pek
Lucy Schmidt
Kristen Van Haeren
Inside this issue:
Jenny’s Story
3
Why Weed?
2
Christmas Concert
2006
4
Vendredi le 29 novembre, les classes françaises sont allées à Toronto où nous avons visité
l’Office national du film.
Nous avons vu le film
“Les Choristes”, un bon
film qui a gagné un prix
Lumière pour avoir été le
meilleur film étranger.
Dans ce film il y a
une école pour les jeunes
garcons qui sont très méchants. Beaucoup de garcons n’ont pas de parents.
Ils sont orphelins et ils
sont mauvais. Clément
Mathieu est arrivé à l’école chargé avec la surveillance de ces garçons.
Il se sentait mal à l’aise
avec les autres professeurs et les élèves.
Il n’aime pas le directeur de l’école qui est
cruel avec les enfants. Il
frappe les garçons beaucoup.
Le directeur de
l’école est très agressif et
ces methodes de discipline ne sont pas acceptables. M. Mathieu com-
mence la chorale pour ces
garçons. La chorale est
magnifique! M. Mathieu
decouvre Pierre qui a une
voix incroyable.
M.
Mathieu aide les enfants
avec la musique. Pierre a
une belle mère. Quand
M. Mathieu la rencontre
il l’aime beaucoup. Elle
est très belle mais elle
aime un autre homme.
Le professeur devient
triste.
Continued on page 2
PAGE 2
V O L U ME I V , I S S U E I I I
Le Toronto Français
Un autre garçon arrive à l’école:
La chorale a amélioré la vie de tous
Mondain. Il est un enfant méchant.
les étudiants.
Il est un criminel qui maltraite les
Nous recommenderions ce film
autres garçons. Ensuite, le direcà nos amis. Le film est très émoteur accuse Mondain d’avoir volé
tionant et bien fait.
l’argent de l’école. Il va en prison.
Après le film, nous avons visité
Mondain est responsable pour un
le Collège Glendon. Voilà huit chofeu dans l’école.
ses que nous avons apprises penÀ la fin du film, M. Mathieu est
dant le tour:
congédié parce qu’il y a un feu à
1. On ne doit pas parler français
l’école et le direcpour aller au collège
teur pense que
Glendon.
c’est la faute de M.
2. On peut faire
Mathieu. Il laisse
les cours en français
la chorale et l’école
ou en anglais.
mais il amène le
3. Le collège
plus petit garçon,
Glendon
est une
Papineau, avec lui.
section
de
l’univerIl devient un prosité
York.
fesseur de musique
à une autre place.
4. C’est mieux de
Le Collège Glendon
vivre dans une résidence pour la
première année.
5. La majorité des cours sont au
sujet des arts, des langues et des
politiques.
6. Le collège Glendon et l’université York ne sont pas dans le même
endroit.
7. On peut louer des livres de
n’importe quelle bibliothèque de
l’université,
Quand on connait la langue française, on a beaucoup de bonnes opportunités.
En conclusion, c’était un voyage
fantastique et merci aux professeurs Brun del Re, Piovesan et
Continenza qui l’ont organisé.
Why Weed?
By Claire Faver
From the Great Pyramids of
Giza to the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle; from the Grand
Canyon to the Great Barrier Reef….
the list of the many wonders of the
world seems endless.
But of all the mysteries in this
world, something which still baffles
me every time I think about it is the
simple, yet apparently difficult
question to answer: Why do the
young people of today find such immense pleasure in smoking “the
green stuff”?
Weed, alternatively known as
marijuana, cannabis, grass, or even
more commonly, “pot,” has become
the new favourite pass-time and
hobby for many teenagers throughout North America. In most, if not
all high schools, weed has become
as easily available as candy is, and
“good,” middle-classed teenagers are
buying it just as frequently.
Contrary to popular belief,
studies have shown that weed can
in fact cause a range of harmful
long-term effects on the body and
mind. These include sexual dysfunction and damage to the brain’s
memory functions. I acquired that
bit of “useless information” by doing
a swift little Google search on my
computer; something which, just
like marijuana, is readily available
to most, if not all teenagers. Yet,
despite the vast amount of knowledge, facts, and warnings about the
dangers of smoking pot that are out
there, too many to mention of my
teenaged counterparts still choose
the “joint” above rationality, and
really, just mere sensibility!
It saddens me to think that, in
all probability, at least more than
half of our next generation is bound
to be a bunch of cowardly
“potheads” who would rather choose
to be as high as kites for most of
their lives than to have to deal with
the realities of the real world. They
would rather live a life of hallucination and dependency while real life
around them goes on.
In my pursuit of some more
“useless information” on this topic, I
also learned that smoking weed is
just one step away from moving on
to more hard-core
drugs such as cocaine and heroin.
Think about it: one
step away from being a full-blown
drug addict! This
can surely not be a
very appealing thought, yet, for reasons beyond all comprehension, the
little green leaf still prevails!
Exhausted parents the world
over can but only shake their heads
as their children puff themselves
away into some green world of fantasy, and begin to walk, or rather,
fly, the green path that leads to selfdestruction. Sad as it may be, there
comes a time when they can but
only stand back, shrug their weary
shoulders, and say, “Hey, whatever
flies your kite.”
V O L U ME I V , I S S U E I I I
PAGE 3
A Figure in the Shadows: Jenny’s Story
By Phil Faver
From the cold, dark, derelict
shell of some abandoned building
emerges a small, ragged- looking
figure, barely identifiable in the
midst of the gathering shadows of
twilight. As this figure comes into
view, I see her wild, raven-black
hair blowing furiously in the vicious
autumn wind; one hand is buried
deeply in the pocket of her torn
jeans, the other clutches almost desperately to the remnants of a cigarette. As the figure approaches me,
I see an almost forced smile momentarily brightening up her pretty, but
cold face and dark-ringed eyes. This
is “Jenny.” With my heart brimming
over with anguish, I listen to her
story.
Jenny, who is currently 18
years old, is one of the thousands of
homeless teens eking out an existence on the streets of Toronto. For
the past two years, she has made
the harsh, unforgiving streets her
home. With icy blue eyes- which
have grown cold over time, yet still
retaining just a glint of childlike
innocence- Jenny tells me how,
when she was just 16 years of age,
her dad committed suicide and tore
her whole world to shreds in the
process. Horror-stricken, I listen as
Jenny tells me how, after her mom
remarried, her stepfather sexually
molested her night after night, robbing her of the childhood innocence
which today is nothing more than a
mere shadow in her stony eyes.
Needless to say, life at home for
Jenny was completely and utterly
miserable. “Miserable” turned to
“unbearable,” and soon Jenny took
to the streets in an attempt to start
a new life for herself.
With a touch of pride, Jenny
tells me about her “street family:”
other homeless teens whom she befriended and now considers as her
only “real” family. She tells me how
people from the “outside world” call
them the “Wolf Kids,” claiming that
they “live like wolves”, moving
around together in “packs” and
“hunting” for food and space by
night. I was just beginning to contemplate how terrible that soundedfor a teenager, a human being- to be
compared to an animal, when Jenny
enhances my shock by telling me
what it is that she does for a living:
prostitution.
With her blue eyes searching
everywhere, unable to meet mine,
Jenny tells me how she has no
choice but to sell herself, her dignity, almost every night so that she
can have food to eat and clothes on
her back. Probably reading the
shock on my face, she quickly reassures me that it is not all that bad,
and that sometimes, every once in a
while if she makes enough money,
she can afford a motel with clean
sheets and a roof over her head as a
“treat” for a night or two. Just as I
was thinking how painful it must be
for her to “sell herself” like that
after all the pain she has been
through with the sexual molestation at home, Jenny looks up at me,
smiles and says shrewdly, “Hey, if
you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!” and
tries to laugh heartily at herself.
But I could see the hidden pain
seeping through the cracks of her
broken smile. I could hear the cry of
the beast echoing from the depths of
her laughter…
And so, this is the shocking reality that is Jenny’s story. For a
moment I just sit still, reflecting on
all that I have just heard, pondering
this gruesome truth that is a teenager’s life. I tell myself that this is
no life for a young person, that
when I was 16 years old, instead of
merely clean sheets and a roof
above my head, my idea of a “treat”
was going to the movies or going
ice-skating with my friends, or licking on an ice-cream on a hot Saturday afternoon with my toes in the
pool as though all was right in the
world…but after tonight’s visit with
Jenny I now know that all is not, in
fact, right in the world. Why couldn’t Jenny’s parents just take responsibility for her, and love her
and be there for her? After all, they
were the ones who brought her into
this world. Should a home not be a
place of safety and comfort and
sanctuary to return to at the end of
a long, hard day instead of an unbearable hell to run away from?
Tonight, in one world, I will be going home to a cooked meal and a
warm bed and parents that love me.
Tonight, in another world, Jenny
will be auctioning off her dignity to
the highest bidder.
Her cigarette butt drops to the
ground from between her shaking,
bone-like fingers. She stamps it out
with her tattered sneaker, flashes
me another one of her impaired
smiles, then the ragged figure that
was Jenny disappears into the
night, becoming one of the shadows
that seemed to be hounding her life.
PAGE 4
V O L U ME I V , I S S U E I I I
La Journée des Carrières
By Steven Kanichis
Le 22 Novembre était une
journée très impressionnante et
importante pour notre école et notre
communauté. Durant cette journée
il y avait beaucoup de choses qu’on
a apprises. Par exemple, quelles
sont les bénéfices de la langue française au Canada et pourquoi est-ce
que ces bénéfices existent-ils?
Pendant la Journée des Carrières, on a appris que de connaître
seulement une langue au Canada
ne suffit pas. (Même si cette langue
est une langue très utile!). Canada
est un pays bilingue, et en plus, un
p a y s
mu l ti cu l tu r el .
On a entendu quelques histoires qui nous ont données une perspective tellement différente de la
est-ce que je n’ai pas commencé à
apprendre le français?” Rappelezvous, qu’il n’est jamais trop tard
pour apprendre le français comme
deuxième langue!
Un grand merci à:
• Mlle. Glasier et le trois danseuses
• John Forcier : Le système de son
• Le défilé de mode : Jaclyn Manley
et le groupe
• Tous les autres bénévolats
French Lives on at CtK!
langue française. Aussi, on a entendu que beaucoup d’invités qui
sont venus nous parler, n’auraient
pas un emploi s’ils ne connaissaient
pas la langue française. Vous, vous
demandez maintenant “Pourquoi
Christmas Concert 2006
By Melanie Bechard
Combine your love of music on
Thursday, December 21, with a
chance to support your school’s musical Jaguars and leap into the
Christmas spirit at Ctk’s much anticipated Christmas Concert. The
Music Department usually only has
two such concerts every year, so this
is a rare chance to be impressed by
the dazzling talents of the staff and
students. The Senior Band, Junior
Band, Choir, Gospel Choir, guitar
class, and grade nine music class
have all worked diligently for
months to prepare stirring medleys
and Christmas classics. The proceeds of this event fund the one of
the largest and fastest-growing departments of the school, which constantly requires new instruments to
support the musical ambitions of
hundreds of Ctk students. Buy a
ticket during your
lunch,
attend
what is sure to be
an amazing concert, and support
your friends in
the Music Department so band
geeks can continue to rule the
world!
Write All About It!
E-mail your articles, comments or
ideas to:
[email protected]
For a “spot” in the Jag-wire
V O L U ME I V , I S S U E I I I
PAGE 5
Senior Boys Basketball– Monthly Report
By Ben Flikkema and Victor Pek
With a quarter of the
season over, the Christ
the King Jaguars Senior
Boys Basketball team (22), sits in third place, tied
with Acton High School
in the Halton North Division Standings. Coming
off a convincing 87-62
victory over the Milton
District Mustangs on
December 11th, the Jags
appear poised and ready
for a playoff run. “We are
looking to build on from last year,
and to be competitive in all our
games,” said Coach Mr. Biturajac.
In their most recent win, CtK
had 5 players score 10 or more
points. Steve Ples and Dan Witczak
led the team with 18 and 16 points,
respectively. Expectations are high
for this year’s squad, as the thick of
the season approaches. Their fast-
paced offence accompanied by a
pressing defence exhibits tremendous potential. According to Coach
Biturajac, the Jags are focused on
“implementing a high pressure defense, and an up tempo offense”.
The Jaguars’ next home game
will be played on December 18th.
Come support your team as they
host the E.C. Drury Spartans (0-4).
The two teams have met before, on
November 29th. The Jags emerged
triumphant in close contest, narrowly edging the Spartans 53-50.
Game time is set for 3:30 p.m.
Christmas Poetry
Lest We Remember
By Nina Mazzé
By Kristen Van Haeren
Snow is falling
Children Playing
The presents
Under the Christmas
Tree
The lights shine
Don't matter
He's Not
Here with me
By the fire
All alone
Lying under
The mistle toe, and
Reading Letters
I feel his pain
It's Christmas eve
And He's so far away
He's a soldier
Overseas
Fighting a war
So peace can be achieved
I'd fight for him
If he'd come back home
'Cause I'm fighting
A war on my own
Santa come
Down my chimney
Please
Bring my baby
Back to
Me
I have been just
So good this year
I just want my baby
Near
We remember test scores and test questions
We remember formulas and calculations
We remember dates and times
We remember our teachers and their expectations
We remember paragraphs and sentences
We remember appointments and meetings
We remember numbers and letters
We remember holidays and greetings
We remember people and faces
We remember rules and regulations
We remember consequences and punishments
We remember streets and their locations
We remember so many things in life
Dealing with present-day activities and responsibilities
That we forget about our past
And all of its liberties
The fighting and horrors
In the wars we once shared
Play a part in the present
From all the lives that were spared
Lest we remember those soldiers
That laid their lives down for ours
The fights they endured
Coming out with tragedies and scars
Let’s remember our life cycles in science
And formulas in math as we were taught
But let us keep in mind Remembrance Day
And the wars that were once fought