#NDFrench Wins CASLT
Video Competition
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Congratulations to our ND French students! Mlle Molinaro’s grade 10 French students are the grand prize winners of the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers “Languages Build” video contest! A special thank you goes out to Mlle Miklavcic, Mlle Milicevic, Mme Tayler and her grade 9 French Immersion students for their help and participation in this project. Our students and staff shared their experiences learning French and how they have or will benefit from learning a second language. Our students did an excellent job highlighting the importance of French language and culture in Canada! |
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Click the image above for details!
Notre Dame Social Justice Ukraine FundraiserAs high school students, it may seem as though there are few options when it comes to leading impactful initiatives. But here at Notre Dame, our students, staff and greater community came together and raised just over $6000 dollars for the Canadian Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal.
Compelled by the desire to help in any way they could, the Social Justice club along with two special teachers; Ms. Vanderkooy and Ms. Obrovac took it upon themselves to collaborate with student groups to raise awareness and money about the War in Ukraine. The campaign was kicked off with a graffiti board where students were encouraged to write or draw messages of support and hope. This was paired with the first of many fundraisers, popcorn sales, which was hosted by #NDLife students and enjoyed by all. Business Leadership stepped up to the call for action by donating the proceeds from its pizza sale along with one of Notre Dame’s biggest school-wide events, the dodgeball tournament to the fundraising campaign! Throughout the past several weeks, Social Justice club members spent hours making and selling buttons for “Peace in Ukraine”. These buttons were popular within the school, the community and even purchased by the Honourable Pam Damoff who visited Notre Dame to see first-hand what Notre Dame has done to stand in Solidarity with Ukraine. Social Justice Club Leaders; Abby Irwin and Trinity Adams were also able to chat with the Honourable Katrina Gould, who purchased buttons at the “Stand with Ukraine” Rally in Burlington on March 6th. While we all witness the human suffering in Ukraine and grapple with our collective sense of helplessness, this successful awareness and fundraising campaign has given our students an outlet and sense of purpose. Finally, this important initiative could not have been accomplished without the support of Notre Dame families and alumni, whose donations highlighted the impact that the entire ND community can have. Vertical Divider
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ND Swimmer Ella Jansen to Compete at
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#NDMediaArts
At Notre Dame we have creative and skilled artists across many mediums, check out some of the digital wizardry from our students in #NDMediaArts!
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"Flat Lay" Assignments from Mr. Pugliese's Media Arts Classes. Students were tasked with creating a display to represent various aspects of their personalities!
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Students in Mr. Pugliese's Media Arts classes created
Social Justice Themed Collages! Click the image above for a closer look at these hand-woven tapestries, and the artists who created them!
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#NDEnglish - Poetic Interpretations
For this assignment, students were assigned a poem to study, analyze, and then communicate how they saw the development of Identity & Sense of Belonging in a thematic essay communicated in a one-page media form.
Click each of the poems below to view interpretations by Notre Dame Students!
Click each of the poems below to view interpretations by Notre Dame Students!
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Tiny Home Update
Over the Easter weekend 'Notre Dame Tiny Homes', led by Mr. Nason and his awesome crew, hosted representatives from the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nations including Chief Veronica "Cha-Cha" Smith, Senior Representatives from Habitat for Humanity, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen (Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion) and MP Pam Damoff.
Some takeaways include:
Senior members from Habitat for Humanity, Chippewa of Nawash Unceded and our 2 guest MP’s left with a wonderful feeling that Notre Dame is not only a community that produces but also a community that cares. Look for us on Instagram and Inside ND to continue to see the wonderful work we are working on. Vertical Divider
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A Typical School DayStudents in Grade 10 English were asked to write about a real or imagined day in your life in which you use color imagery to describe the setting and the events that happen, as the author did in the Prologue.
By Samuel Roy Sharif (Grade 10) A typical school day. Awaken from several ear-ringing red noises, agitation is felt – as per usual. The feeling of wishing to be back in my slumber, to dream in the darkest blues. To drown in a sea of dreams. Repeating the same routine every day, this part of the day is usually a blur. Grayed out, vision made foggy. Every little comment or question deeming irritating as the sun tries to rise, forming the first yellow of the day. In my eyes, I tend to want to blur everything out. Now is the time for when I wake up. Should I say for when I really wake up. Every day, always running late. Little by little, the clock ticks. Each passing minute, an increase in stress. That is, until I arrive at school, or so I think. Rush to class, don’t want to be late. Attendance mandatory, I should not want that “late” box to be clicked next to my name, on the list of names. Then familiar faces. Faces that spark little glimpses of yellow. Yellow. A rather soothing color. Needed within a day to survive it. But wait. Focus. Pay attention. Lesson and teachings, assessed later on such. Must pay attention. Raising hands for participation points. Sometimes what follows are moments of embarrassment. Not getting the answer right, or being told I was “close.” Not being heard and having to repeat. Ah. That one humiliates the most. Internally dabbed with the redness of frustration, I wish to black everything out. For people to not notice the mistake just made. To reverse time, undo the time elapsed. That is until those overthought thoughts subside. Back to normal. Gray, that is. The same thing every day, but always something new. Whether that is a dab of red or yellow onto the picture that is illustrated of that day, something always has to be different. But then I see breakfast and lunch. The day passes and school comes to an end. Homework. Giving tints of red, though whitened to orange. Why? Because I know it must be done. Discipline. Do it to get it done. Majority of the afternoon taken by the screen, the desire to close my eyes heightens. I get to do so. A nap, a purple variant of those blues. A slumber that peaks at exhaustion, though falls before exploring a deep sleep. A slumber leaving me disoriented, yet so collected all at once. Continue work. Exercise. Provide the body with nutrition. Remain consistent. Objective: Reach those deep blues, explore those seas. Every day, the same goal. Reaching to go under the blanketing covers, though often stopped by a barricade of a screen. Eyes fixating onto an addicting video. A moment of realization. Realization of the day to come and that daybreak will soon hit. One more red. Telling myself that I should have slept more, rather than glue my eyes to a screen. Lightened to an orange. No point in argument, knowing rest was now imperative. Shutting my eyes, an anxiety about what beholds tomorrow appears. A wish to withdraw those thoughts. No, scratch that. Erase and move to trash, the drawing of the previous day. Mind now resetting to a blank page. A typical school day, repeated and drawn all over again. |
Magazine Covers by #NDMedia Arts!
Graphic Design students in Mr. Piccoli's Media Arts classes created these 'Magazine Covers'! Hot off the presses!
Notre Dame Students on Overcoming Adversity
One of the central themes in our grade 10 novel study is Overcoming Adversity. We’ve all faced an obstacle or challenge AND we’ve all defeated these moments. Students were asked to share one obstacle in life which they have had to overcome. Connections to the novel and advice to readers are also included.
TemporaryBy Sam Sharif
Temporary. That’s how I felt everything was some time in between the years of 2014 and 2017… Temporary. A concept of life that I once ingrained in my mind to think of as horrid. Yet now, my perspective has changed. There was a period in my life where I continued to move. Places. Locations. I moved; as soon as I got close to many friends, grew connected to different schools, and even when I had become attached to the country that I grew up in; the country that has played a significant role in developing who I have become. The most significant move of them all was the first. Going from Thailand to the Philippines. I despised having to say goodbye to all my childhood friends and neighbourhoods, but I had to. I constantly questioned: “Why couldn’t we stay?” But I asked this quietly. I felt as if I was in no position to ask such a thing. To voice my opinions and to defy such a crucial decision. Either way, I eventually tried to be accepting of my situation; any other negative emotion being forced aside. I tried my hardest to keep an open mind and allow myself to accept my circumstances; to indulge in this new chapter of my life – despite feeling as though the whole book was just ripped out of my hands. Fighting StressGrowing up, almost everything made me stressed out. From going to school, communicating with new people, and trying new hobbies. It seemed as if I could never just live in peace.
It all started in grade 6 when teachers started getting tougher, pressure from my dance instructors began to build and I started comparing myself to my older sister who always seemed perfect. Each day felt like an internal competition to be better while everyone in my life was in the audience watching, waiting for me to mess up. As years progressed and I continued to ignore my constant stress, it only started to build. I didn’t feel like I could reach out to anyone because of my internalized idea that that would be lazy and just taking the easy way out. It seemed as if my stress was standing over my shoulders, challenging me and waiting for me to break. Throughout quarantine, I decided since I had the time I would focus on integrating things that make me feel at peace into my life. Each day I would dedicate some time to do something I enjoyed like baking, walking, and reading until eventually I found my stress was being released. I finally felt like I had taken a deep breath after holding it for so long. |
He Said.It’s not everyday you hear that a child's father lives in another country, but is still married to his wife and tries as hard as possible to keep connections with his kids. Hi, I’m Erin Petrsoyan, and this is my story.
I was 7 years old. March 6th. The first time he left. Language barriers was his excuse. But he’ll be back soon. It’s just temporary, I’m sure of it. There’s no problem with trying new things out, I mean, who am I to tell him to stop pursuing his dreams. 4 months have passed and the time has finally come. Our smiles were like sunshine, lighting up the airport. There was running, crying and laughing. The feeling of relief was inevitable. He said he was back for good although it only took him 3 months to make the decision to go back. Better job opportunities, he said. But don’t worry, I’ll be back soon, he said. Although I hate to admit it, seeing kids play soccer, learn how to ride a bike, and go for walks with their dad didn’t make me happy anymore, it made me feel jealous. When he’s gone, it might not seem like a long time, but mentally, it feels like it’s been decades. In reality, it’s been 4 months. It was the day he came back where he shared the news that basically broke my heart. It came out of nowhere. It came at me like the speed of light. He bought an apartment. He likes it there, he said. I knew it wasn’t temporary. I knew this was going to happen. I just tried to make myself feel better by saying it wasn’t. - Identity & Sense of Belonging -Have you ever felt like something about your identity doesn’t belong or fit in with everybody else’s? Have you ever felt inferior to someone or to others simply because of who you were? Have you ever struggled for a sense of belonging?
When you are struggling for a sense of belonging, you feel as if you were almost as small as a mouse. You feel inferior to almost everyone around you. You don’t seem to fit in with everybody else, and if anything, you may even want to change yourself so that you could at least meet their expectations. Most individuals begin to struggle for a sense of belonging in society after comparing themselves to what they believe is the “social norm” and trying to fit in to reach those “social standards”. What makes these individuals struggle to feel like they belong are the owls in society. The owls that are constantly staring with their wide-open eyes. The owls that can judge you with their eyes speaking louder than words yet making no sound. |
Boys Basketball Battle Adversity, End Season On High Note
After beginning their season back in November, your ND Jr. Boys Basketball Team finished their campaign on April 1st, capping off the longest season in High School History with a narrow 62-59 loss to St. Francis Xavier in the HCAA semi-finals.
While this end result is respectable in itself, more context must be provided in order to fully appreciate just how impressive their feat truly was.
The boys began their season 0-5, including some pretty lopsided losses to a few formidable opponents. Then came a nearly two-month pause—from Christmas Break in mid-December, to Mid-February—where no teams were able to practice or play, and the boys had to sit and stew on their winless record. Coaches at Notre Dame have seen a lot in their day (especially Woz), and it is not unheard of for players/teams to start showing a lack of commitment when a season gets off to a rough start, drags out for months, and the going gets tough.
When this happens, you have two choices: lay down and fold, or keep fighting and working. It takes a certain amount of fortitude and "stick-to-it-iveness" to choose the latter, but the boys did just that. Never was there a significant dip in attendance at practice, nor were there signs of negativity and getting down on each other during games. The boys just stuck with it, stayed positive, and kept working hard. That was their choice.
While this end result is respectable in itself, more context must be provided in order to fully appreciate just how impressive their feat truly was.
The boys began their season 0-5, including some pretty lopsided losses to a few formidable opponents. Then came a nearly two-month pause—from Christmas Break in mid-December, to Mid-February—where no teams were able to practice or play, and the boys had to sit and stew on their winless record. Coaches at Notre Dame have seen a lot in their day (especially Woz), and it is not unheard of for players/teams to start showing a lack of commitment when a season gets off to a rough start, drags out for months, and the going gets tough.
When this happens, you have two choices: lay down and fold, or keep fighting and working. It takes a certain amount of fortitude and "stick-to-it-iveness" to choose the latter, but the boys did just that. Never was there a significant dip in attendance at practice, nor were there signs of negativity and getting down on each other during games. The boys just stuck with it, stayed positive, and kept working hard. That was their choice.
Inevitably, their perseverance eventually paid off with some results. They went on a 3-game winning streak in late February, helping earn a playoff berth in March where they would face the #1 seeded Holy Trinity Titans in the quarterfinals, who most expected to win. However, in true March Madness fashion, the boys busted the brackets of the millions of fans who had filled out a Halton Junior Boys Basketball bracket—not to mention the thousands in attendance in Holy Trinity's gym (including the SWAT team, who must have heard there was a thorough beatdown happening in the gym at the hands of the Notre Dame Jr. Boys Basketball team)—upsetting the top seed to advance to the semifinal.
After a grueling journey that began with plenty of adversity and ended up lasting nearly 5 months (but somehow felt longer), the boys had earned their way all the way to the semifinals. This made their final result—a narrow 3-point loss to St. FX in those semifinals, who went on to win the Championship—all the more impressive, and worthy of recognition in the April Issue of InsideND.
Kudos to the boys on a hard-fought season!
After a grueling journey that began with plenty of adversity and ended up lasting nearly 5 months (but somehow felt longer), the boys had earned their way all the way to the semifinals. This made their final result—a narrow 3-point loss to St. FX in those semifinals, who went on to win the Championship—all the more impressive, and worthy of recognition in the April Issue of InsideND.
Kudos to the boys on a hard-fought season!
Wellness @ NDA message from Nicole Pietroiusti, Notre Dame's CYC!
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InsideND: En FrancaisThis month French students in Mlle Miklavcic and Mlle Milicevic's Grade 9 classes are participating in Manie Musicale de Mars 2022, a worldwide March Madness in FRENCH! Every few days students vote on songs by Francophone artists from around the world in the hopes that the song they chose will win it all. Special shout out to Jenny C in Mlle Miklavcic's period 2 class for having a perfect bracket so far!
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