The Elmwood Eagles have been very busy this term! We have participated in many games and matches. To get our Eagles ready for the tough competitions there has been tons of training and practices. This year we had our first snow boarding team that competed against students from other schools across Ottawa! They had an excellent season, as did the Elmwood ski team. Grade nine student Lauren Rapp came home with a silver medal after competing in a ski race this season. Also, the junior and senior volleyball teams were in very competitive divisions this year, and both had great seasons. The badminton team had a great season as well, consisting of junior and senior teams with singles and doubles players. They played against many other schools and had great matches.

Our senior school rugby team just arrived home from the CAIS tournament in St. Catharines, and it gave them great game practice before their season started. The senior school soccer team has been training for their season for quite some time and their games have recently started. And after a long winter of indoor training the rowing team is finally getting out to train on the water! They are training hard and looking forward to the regattas coming up this spring.

Not all the athletic involvement in Elmwood takes place in the gym or on the field. The Elmwood Athletics Councils meets every Tuesday at lunch and are very busy with events that are taking place in this term. The senior school athletics council is starting to plan the spirit afternoon that will be taking place May 27th. There will be new activities to allow students to compete against the other houses and to show their house spirit.  The senior school athletics council is also working on the end of the year Athletics Banquet that will be taking place on May 26th – so mark your calendars! It will be a jam-packed event with great food, a guest speaker, and awards recognizing many athletes of all grades in the senior school. We hope to see you all there!

This year, the annual Father Daughter Dinner Dance was an amazing success, taking all the girls and their fathers back to the 1950s Hollywood Glam at the Chateau Laurier. Some of the many things that fathers and daughters did this night included walking down the red carpet, taking pictures with dads, sitting at the tables of famous celebrities like James Dean, Audrey Hepburn, and Grace Kelly, and having a great time on the dance floor with friends. Father Daughter made us all feel like a glamorous Hollywood star, and left everyone with some incredible memories.

This year, Taylor Cuconato and I had the opportunity to work on the Father Daughter Committee alongside several mothers to plan the event. Taylor and I had a lot of fun with the committee, meeting once a week at lunch choosing the theme, the menu, invitations, decorations and so on. When entering the Chateau Laurier, it was a fantastic feeling to see all that hard work pay off and to see the unbelievable transformation of the ballroom. Of course, none of this could have happened without the help of the mothers who coordinated the event! A special thanks goes out to Raquelle Dupuis, Danielle Cuconato, Nancy Greenley, Barbara Berks, Lori Timmins and Pilar Bryson. I know that next year’s event will be just as memorable and spectacular as this year’s and encourage any students who have an interest to become involved with planning next year’s Father Daughter Dance.

Shortly after midnight on December 5th, Alex Vincent and I were at the Ottawa Airport waiting for a flight from Vancouver to arrive. On that plane, there were two girls from New Zealand, Lizzie Ross and Katherine Graham, who would be staying with us for the next two months.

Katherine and Lizzie are from Otago Girls’ High School (OGHS) in the city of Dunedin, on the South Island of New Zealand. They were here at Elmwood for December and January, Lizzie living with me and Katherine with Alex.

The two weeks of holidays were a great opportunity for me to spend time with Lizzie and to get to know her. As the host families were encouraged to share our Christmas traditions with our guests. I introduced Lizzie to my extended family and to a whole bunch of holiday activities, ranging from a Christmas carol sing-along in the park to a Boxing Day sleigh ride through the woods. And of course, there was an extra stocking on the fireplace on Christmas morning.

A couple weeks later, we went to Mont Tremblant for a ski weekend. We were able to introduce Lizzie to many of our Canadian winter activities, such as snow tubing, cross-country and downhill skiing, and of course skating on the canal. We made sure that Lizzie had to opportunity to try poutine and Beavertails, and one of my cousins even showed her how to shuck oysters from PEI.

Lizzie and Katherine also had a good chance to experience life at Elmwood. They attended classes, had some homework to do and got involved in lots of extra-curricular activities from various Holiday madness to Spirit Week. The highlight for both of them was the Silver Duke of Ed dog-sledding trip – they had a blast!

Although we were each a little bit worried about how the exchange might go, Lizzie and I got along really well and became good friends. Although she comes from the other side of the world, it was easy for us to relate to each other. It was so much fun to show her all that I could about life in Canada. Now I can’t wait to go stay with her in New Zealand this summer. If you are someone who enjoys travelling and meeting new people, then an exchange is for you!

Even though we are approaching our final semester, there are still tons of exciting things going on at Elmwood. Just the other week, Wilson Head Alyssa Hartvich put on a fabulous Wilson Carnival, complete with a Ray’s Reptiles visit, popcorn machines and carnival booths. Also recently, Free the Children Club hosted Thursday Lunch Live entertainment. For a small fee, students went to the auditorium to watch their teachers perform skits from The Incredibles, Scooby Doo, American Idol and much more. I believe I speak for the audience when I say I was blown away at the success of the teachers’ performances, which could easily be gauged by the amount of laughter happening in the auditorium.
Events we are eagerly looking forward to in the next few weeks include; Spirit Afternoon, Annual Auction, Prefect Elections and Arts Night.

We all had a taste of the Spirit Week with the modified Spirit Afternoon at Camp Elmwood early in the year; it will be fun to have the full experience in May, especially for new students!

The Bollywood Ball themed auction is certain to make for an evening of enjoyment in pretty dresses and smart suits, and a formal occasion for the community to mingle.

After exam time comes graduation, and for some that means graduating from the middle school to the senior, or maybe it’s just graduating from one grade to the next, but for the grade twelves it’s a bittersweet time. After years of getting to know each other, the teachers, the nooks and crannies of the school and the perfect study spots, it is only in the final months that we truly appreciate our experiences and the level of attention and academic support we each individually received during our time here.

Good luck to the incoming class of Prefects and grade twelves, we’re excited to visit and see how you decide to apply your leadership roles in the school. To all of you who are graduating into another year at Elmwood, make every effort to become as involved in Elmwood as possible; it is YOUR school. You realistically spend the majority of your days at school, make it your home and get to know the place. Whatever you choose to do, do what you like and HAVE FUN!

In the early hours of the morning on Monday, November 8^th, many of the grade 11s were at the airport, ready to catch our 7am flight to Washington District of Columbia. This trip, Elmwood’s first grade trip outside of Canada, would prove to be a great success.

Upon arriving in Washington, our first stop was Arlington National Cemetery. The cemetery is located near the city, in the state of Virginia. The cemetery is beautifully taken care of. It is the resting place of Presidents John F. Kennedy and William H. Taft, prominent historical figures, as well as members of the US army, navy and air force.

After Arlington Cemetery, we made a quick stop at the US Marine Corps Memorial, and then we went to Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon is not actually in Washington DC, like Arlington Cemetery, it’s in Virginia, across the river. Located in the beautiful New England countryside, and set high on a hill overlooking the Potomac River, this estate once belonged to the first president of the United States: George Washington himself! We toured the house and explored the grounds at Mount Vernon.

Later that night, we got our first glimpse of the city. We went on a night tour, where we saw many of Washington’s beautiful landmarks and monuments lit up. We visited the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial, and we saw many others from inside the bus.

On Day 2, we went to the US Capitol Building. The architecture of this building is truly stunning. We toured the inside and we saw both the past and current US senates. Then, we went to the United States Holocaust Museum. This was a very solemn part of our trip, however the museum was extremely well done and very thought provoking. Later that afternoon, we saw the White House. Although we couldn’t go in, we posed at the gates where we took many pictures.

Afterwards, we visited Ford Theatre, where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The Theatre also housed a museum dedicated to celebrating his achievements. Before we went to dinner, we were given some time to shop. As you can probably imagine, most of the grade 11s were overjoyed, especially since there was an H&M and a Forever 21 nearby, as well as many souvenir stores. Dinner was at the Hard Rock Café.

On our final day in Washington, we visited the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials, and the memorial to the women who were involved in the wars. We also went to the Smithsonian Museums. These are a collection of many cool museums. There was lots to choose from and so little time, so we couldn’t see everything. Most of us visited the Natural History Museum (where we saw huge dinosaur skeletons and the world’s largest diamond) as well as the Air and Space Museum. Some of us also went to the Sculpture Garden, and the Smithsonian Art Galleries.

Finally, we had to say goodbye to Washington and head back to Ottawa. We arrived home at around 11:00pm that night. The grade 11s had an incredible trip, and we all got to know each other a little bit better. We would like to thank Ms. Angell, Ms. Neale and Mme. Moses for coming on the trip with us, as well as our tour guide, Daryl, and our bus driver, Jim. This year’s grade 10s should be getting very excited, because this truly is the trip of a lifetime!

Congratulations – to some it may seem like school has still just begun and to others it may seem like we have been back at school for ages, but we’re more than one third of the way through and have already accomplished quite a bit.  Mid-term report cards have been mailed so we all know where we need to focus ourselves in the coming months. Athletics have been bringing home medals, councils have been hosting conferences, academics are thriving, and extra-curricular clubs are filled with eager, dedicated members. Two houses have already hosted their house event and assembly. This goes to show that what we as a community have accomplished in the past months is outstanding.

During the first assembly I spoke about the importance of getting involved and emphasized the significance of getting involved in an area that is of interest to you. It is evident through the accomplishments thus far that the community has been involved in the events, clubs and teams that are of true interest. Without being genuinely interested, it is impossible to achieve the successes at the current level. Now is a really good time to reflect on our contributions so far and evaluate how we can improve while going forward.

When asked the common questions, Why Elmwood? It’s an easy answer. We are a community. In lieu of the recent tragic events, it proves the strength and the love we have for each other. The sad passing of such a contributing member to our middle school left the whole school grieving. Without any knowledge of how to react to such an event, the girls identified this as a time to come together and show our love for one another. The biggest message we learned from a visiting counselor was talk. Talk to each other, talk to a parent but keep talking and we can get through this. The most rewarding healing comes when you reach out to help others; especially those in need.

The stretch from now until closing ceremonies will be busy. There are two more house events, lots of house games, and new initiatives to look forward to. At our current rate of participation, anything is possible and the school remains open to new ideas. An idea is only a thought until you take action, and in an ever-changing world, we know the importance of keeping up with the times. We’re a leading edge school and with that comes the willingness to try out new initiatives. Bring it on!

Spotted: Your favourite celebrities during the Easter holiday. After all, what is celebration without celeb?

Let us know how you celebrated Easter in the comments below!

Il y a une certaine controverse avec la nouvelle interdiction des sacs à dos à l’école. Les sacs posent des risques pour la santé et la sécurité, mais leur interdiction pose de nouveaux défis.

Les corridors d’Elmwood—Les élèves et les professeurs se dépêchent pour arriver à temps pour leur prochaine classe.  Les corridors sont étroits et il n’y a pas beaucoup d’espace pour passer, particulièrement quand les élèves portent de gros sacs à dos.

L’école a donc introduit une nouvelle règle cette année : interdiction de sacs à dos dans les classes et les corridors. Ces sacs posent deux problèmes: les élèves portent trop de poids sur leurs dos, et les sacs bloquent les passages en cas d’urgence.

Habituellement, les élèves emportent environ quatre cahiers, deux livres, leur ordinateur avec ses câbles, ainsi que quelques crayons. Une étude pour déterminer le poids que les étudiants portent dans leurs sacs a conclu qu’en moyenne, un étudiant porte 22% de son poids sur son dos. Des sacs aussi lourds causent souvent des blessures et des problèmes de dos. Cette simple information suffit à faire comprendre pourquoi l’école a décidé d’agir.

L’édifice d’Elmwood contient des parties qui sont très vieilles et vraiment petites. Les salles de classe sont pleines de pupitres et de chaises, mais aussi de tous les sacs à dos sur le plancher et sur les bureaux. En cas d’urgence, les sacs à dos sont des obstacles dans le chemin des élèves et des enseignants. Comme cela pose une menace à la sécurité, il est compréhensible qu’Elmwood ait agi.

Mécontentement

Néanmoins, les élèves ne sont pas toutes contentes des nouveaux règlements. Caitlin Rogers affirme par exemple que « nous avons beaucoup de choses à apporter et c’est vraiment difficile de les porter dans nos bras. Mes choses tombent toujours et j’ai beaucoup de difficulté à ouvrir les portes quand mes bras sont toujours pleins. Ça serait beaucoup plus facile si on pouvait transporter toutes nos choses dans un sac à dos ». Avec la quantité de choses dont les élèves ont besoin pour leurs classes, ce règlement est-il pertinent? Les brassées trop chargées représentent aussi un risque et un danger. Si les étudiantes ne peuvent pas voir au-dessus de la pile de leurs livres, elles ne peuvent pas voir où elles marchent. Notre école est pleine d’escaliers et avec une vision obstruée, les filles risquent de tomber et de se blesser.

Un autre problème avec l’interdiction des sacs à dos est que les élèves marchent avec une mauvaise posture à cause du poids qu’elles supportent. Cette posture peut causer des problèmes de santé autant qu’un sac à dos trop lourd.

Ces règlements résolvent le problème d’espace mais causent d’autres problèmes. Au bout du compte, les sacs à dos sont-ils vraiment si dangereux?

By looking through hand sanitizer, I saw some bubbles and after I started to think about to reflect something on them. Then I got the idea of reflecting the outside view on those bubbles.

First, I dropped some hand sanitizer on the mirror and I formed little thick circles. Then I brought the mirror near the window. After changing the position of mirror, in order to get a better view from outside, I took some photos and I chose the best one.

Everywhere around the world, the New Year rang in at midnight on December 31st, 2009.  Most of us were safe with our families, playing, eating, laughing and enjoying our time together away from school, and, for our parents, work. But what is interesting is that the New Year doesn’t begin on January 1, 2010 for some populations of this world.  In fact, their New Year begins a little later than January 1, 2010.  Yet, they still have the same amount of fun with parents and family as we do here.

The Chinese New Year starts anytime between late January and mid-February of each year.  This year, 2010, the Chinese New Year will begin on our Valentine’s Day, February 14th! The Chinese New Year 2010 is the year of the tiger.  (Each year is named for an animal.)

What is different from our own new year celebration is that this Chinese festival usually lasts for two weeks. In China, towns and villages are decorated with colored lanterns, flowers and posters with new year greetings. Families clean their houses to sweep away the bad luck of the past year. They also pay their bills, paint their doors and window frames red and decorate their homes with flowers. They eat seafood and dumpling dishes which brings good luck and success. At midnight, families light fireworks until the morning!

On the first day of the new year, people put on new clothes which means they throw out the bad luck. They take gifts to friends and relatives which is usually special rice flour cakes and fruits like kumquats and oranges. Adults also give small red packets of money (called hung-pao or lay shee) to children.

There are dragon and lion dances down city streets. Celebrations end with the lantern festival where businesses hang lighted paper lanterns outside their shops.

This year, 2010, the Chinese celebrate the year of the Tiger.  Tigers are known for their beauty, grace and awesome power.  Humans and animals admire tigers as much as they fear them.

Everyone who turns 12 this year, this is your year!  Enjoy the whole year.  May you roar through the year unafraid and proud of everything you do.