Relatable and Absolutley Beautiful: A Review of Our Town
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By: Julianna Marr
Tears were shed. Laughs were shared. Loved ones found each other and were married. Loved ones died and their love became eternal. Moons rose and fell. Flowers bloomed and faded with the seasons. School bells rang. Locks were secured. The observance of passing time grew more tiring and tiring until—it was gone. Several thousand days passed in two hours. What at first seemed mundane, quickly turned into a beautiful story of raw humanity. The ability to develop a story so beautiful astounds me. Thornton Wilder, the author of the play Our Town, could not have strung together a more poetic and relatable script. |
Mr. Cordeiro with the cast of Our Town
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The cast really did the script justice, as Wilder’s beautiful words truly resonated with the audience. I left my seat with my head spinning and my eyes wet; the simple beauty of what I had just seen enraptured me. For the unlucky individuals that did not have the chance to see the play, I will try to help you to imagine the sentiments the performance stirred on opening night, December 7th.
I was very excited to see the play, and sat right up front where I could hear and see perfectly. When The Stage Manager, played by Nick Simao walked onstage, I knew the play was about to start. The play is a play of a play… if that makes any sense at all. If it doesn’t, it will soon! The Stage Manager narrates the play Our Town, that town being Grover’s Corners. It was like we were in present time in Grover’s Corners, looking back on the past of the town—to 1901 to be exact. Throughout the play, The Stage Manager had several conversations with the audience, explaining the ins and outs, the history and the hidden gems of Grover’s Corners as it evolved over twelve years. Interwoven was a story that followed the lives of the Webb and Gibbs families, who were neighbours.
I was very excited to see the play, and sat right up front where I could hear and see perfectly. When The Stage Manager, played by Nick Simao walked onstage, I knew the play was about to start. The play is a play of a play… if that makes any sense at all. If it doesn’t, it will soon! The Stage Manager narrates the play Our Town, that town being Grover’s Corners. It was like we were in present time in Grover’s Corners, looking back on the past of the town—to 1901 to be exact. Throughout the play, The Stage Manager had several conversations with the audience, explaining the ins and outs, the history and the hidden gems of Grover’s Corners as it evolved over twelve years. Interwoven was a story that followed the lives of the Webb and Gibbs families, who were neighbours.
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Their children, George Gibbs and Emily Webb, experience life once it truly begins: after falling in love. The three acts are as follows: Daily Life, Love & Marriage, and Death & Eternity. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say this: the concept of loss, and they ways human beings cope with loss, was beautifully haunting. A few of the scenes in the play reminded me of the famous Dickens novel, The Christmas Carol. I will not attempt to uncover the many themes of the play, that is something you’ll have to find out for yourself, but the quote on the ticket says it all: “Do human beings ever realize life while they live it—every, every minute?” |
What was so enrapturing about Our Town was that it was relatable. Every person in the audience could identify with at least one character. There was the father who loved his daughter, the mother who was overwhelmed to see her young boy become a man, the awkward boy who became a loving husband, and the young girl who lived an almost full life. There were a couple lines in the play that really resonated with me. The first was a quote by The Stage Manager, “I want you to try and remember what it was like to have been very young. . And particularly the days when you were first in love; when you were like a person sleepwalking, and you didn’t quite see the street you were in, and you didn’t quite hear everything that was said to you. You’re just a little bit crazy. Will you remember that, please?” I could practically hear every person in the audience sigh with nostalgia as they travelled back through time to remember their first love. It was a beautiful moment. Another line that I will remember for years to come was when The Stage Manager said, “people are meant to go through life two by two”. Maybe it’s because I’m a hopeless romantic, but I appreciate the truth in these words. I believe that as God’s children, we absolutely dread being alone, and to physically have someone that we love there beside us through all of our days is vital. What I took away from this quotation was that when you finally find someone who makes you happy, never let them go. Treasure every beautiful moment with your partner.
The actors that brought the script to life were tremendous. Nick Simao was suave and eloquent as he played the part of The Stage Manager. He delivered Wilder’s wise words beautifully, giving them a chance to stand on their own as they rang out in the silence of the audience. Raina Kitchen did a beautiful job bringing the character of Emily Webb to life. Her performance was raw and natural. Mitch Callaghan played the part awkward George Gibbs splendidly. His subtle mannerisms and trembling voice were amusing and relatable. Everyone gave such convincing performances. The whole shebang made possible by the actors, directors, lighting/props/set crew, Ms. Paradis, and the people outside of the Drama department like the construction class and the Art & Photography teachers Mrs. Tolan and Mrs. Jazvac, was a roaring success. I hope everyone involved relished in their success as the audience cheered with wide smiles and glistening eyes when the curtains closed.
The actors that brought the script to life were tremendous. Nick Simao was suave and eloquent as he played the part of The Stage Manager. He delivered Wilder’s wise words beautifully, giving them a chance to stand on their own as they rang out in the silence of the audience. Raina Kitchen did a beautiful job bringing the character of Emily Webb to life. Her performance was raw and natural. Mitch Callaghan played the part awkward George Gibbs splendidly. His subtle mannerisms and trembling voice were amusing and relatable. Everyone gave such convincing performances. The whole shebang made possible by the actors, directors, lighting/props/set crew, Ms. Paradis, and the people outside of the Drama department like the construction class and the Art & Photography teachers Mrs. Tolan and Mrs. Jazvac, was a roaring success. I hope everyone involved relished in their success as the audience cheered with wide smiles and glistening eyes when the curtains closed.
Co-operative Education @ ND
Co-operative Education (co-op) is a unique learning opportunity for students, which extends classroom learning into business, industry and community. Our ND co-op program has provided students with the opportunity to experience the workplace and discover the knowledge required to make informed decisions about post-secondary choices, and beyond. Co-op students are increasing their self-knowledge while developing transferable skills. Our students are learning the importance of attitude, teamwork and personal management skills in the workplace.
Travis Flippance on Cooperative Education |
Skylar Garland on Cooperative Education |
Important, preparatory, worthwhile and pre-eminent; these are words which, after having taken this course, have all become synonymous with co-operative education. Co-op is much more than an opportunity to acquire high school credits outside of the classroom; it reaps numerous benefits many of which are unknown by the majority of the student body. I would highly recommend co-operative education as it allows a student to become immersed
in a field which they may one day pursue; this is the reason as to why I enrolled in co-op. The ability to become familiar with a profession that you are interested in is absolutely crucial as it allows you to determine whether or not you truly have a desire to pursue that particular occupation at the post-secondary level, and beyond. In turn, this career knowledge gained through co-op will help the student enroll in a suitable post-secondary program, after high school. Also, co-op students make connections and acquire career mentors which may ultimately be helpful while navigating the worlds of post-secondary education and beyond this, the world of work.
Throughout my co-op placement, I have been going to Mount Royal IDA Pharmacy, where I have been exploring the field of pharmacology. As a pharmacy tech, I have various responsibilities, from assisting customers, to assisting with the filling prescription orders. Being immersed in such an environment has allowed me to further my interest in pursuing a career within the medical field. On a daily basis, I am able to discuss the medical field with medical professionals. My colleagues are able to offer helpful advice and accommodating points of view. The opportunity to acquire knowledge about and to be immersed in a professional field of interest is available within any co-op placement. Ultimately, when pursuing a career, whatever it may be, the best time to start is today, through co-op. Vertical Divider
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This semester, I am a co-op student at Tech-Con Automation ULC. At my placement, my experiential learning includes the areas of web development, .net programming, system administration, database management, and security analysis. When I am graduate from high school, I plan to attend Sheridan College, where I will pursue software engineering.
I took co-op so that I could fulfill my SHSM requirement while gaining on-the-job experience which I can use in the future to increase my chances of getting a job I want. I wanted to know for sure what I was getting myself into before I signed up for university courses that would lead me to a programming job, and this was the perfect opportunity. When I am at co-op, I design and program web applications and windows programs for various technological implementations at Tech-Con. My day-to-day duties also include maintaining my real-world and virtual workspace, as well as checking various system status messages.
I've learned through my co-op, I’ve learned that programming can be both fun and interesting; it’s made me want to go into the field of computer science/engineering more. Going to this placement has also forced me to learn things that I would have never learned on my own.
I would recommend co-op to other students because it allows you to get real world experience instead of daydreaming about what it might be like. I used to do programming as a hobby and thought, “This is fun to do, I wonder if it would be fun as a job?”, now I know. It’s also enjoyable to get to do what you love for two periods a day. |
Semester One Cooperative Education Employers
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Big Drum Industrial
Bunzl CIM Metals Co-ordinate Industries Define Hair Design Habitat for Humanity HYOS Industries JBMH Karo Hair Design |
Mount Forest IDA
Notre Dame Horticulture Program Osborne & Sons Royal Botanical Gardens St. Timothy Staples Tech-Con Automation ULC The Village of Tansley Woods TSN Radio - Hamilton |
On behalf of Notre Dame Cooperative Education students and staff, we thank the employers for providing wonderful learning opportunities. Mrs. Gatza & Mr. Barbati, Co-op Teachers
S.T.E.M lives at ND
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By Emily Nobes
Everyone knows that ND has an impressive fleet of clubs, teams, and activities that welcome students into the heart of our community. A new club joined our impressive line up this year called the STEM club. Mr. Mikitzel has organized the club, with assistance from his ever-growing team of teachers. Notre Dame’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math club has hit the ground running, welcoming more than 65 determined students to date, and counting. “STEM is a combination of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math,” Says Mr. Mikitzel to InsideND, ““ but it is so much more than that, we |
combine these elements to help solve challenges in our community while keeping in mind our Catholic Social Teachings.”
STEM was brought to Notre Dame to explore and demonstrate “the 4 different components [of STEM] and how they might be important in the 21st century.” Science surrounds us, technology touches everything, engineering tackles societies challenges, and math is a tool used everywhere by everyone.
STEM is a warm community of diverse students that supports those interested in pursuing a future in STEM by supporting the development of necessary STEM skills. STEM students develop skills like empathy and compassion, creativity, and collaboration.
STEM was brought to Notre Dame to explore and demonstrate “the 4 different components [of STEM] and how they might be important in the 21st century.” Science surrounds us, technology touches everything, engineering tackles societies challenges, and math is a tool used everywhere by everyone.
STEM is a warm community of diverse students that supports those interested in pursuing a future in STEM by supporting the development of necessary STEM skills. STEM students develop skills like empathy and compassion, creativity, and collaboration.
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Currently, the STEM club is working on their Rube Goldberg machine. According to Mr. Mikitzel, the machine is “like a giant mousetrap that starts off with a rolling marble and triggers all kinds of wacky contraptions,” which works to accomplish an end goal. The end goal for ND’s STEM club is lighting up a Christmas tree. If you want to see some Rube Goldberg machines in action look it up on YouTube, and keep an eye out for NDs machine on there in the coming weeks!
STEM also works with the community to share their love of science, technology, engineering, and math. Their passion will be shared on February 24 at a parent student STEM |
2 months, 6 trophies! #NDPROUD
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conference here at ND. Students that attend elementary schools in our community interested in STEM are welcome to learn about the club from enthusiastic members. The 'Invention Convention' on April 17 will provide hopeful future STEM club members with the opportunity to collaborate with current members to create something amazing.
In addition to working with the community, STEM also gives members an opportunity to explore the world of science, technology, engineering and math outside of ND. Members do so by partaking in field trips. Thus far, STEM has gone to University of Waterloo for Computer Science Day and to McMaster Engineering Technology to visit the Learning Factory. If you have missed these don’t panic! There will be many more chances to explore STEM fields in the near future.
Since STEM covers such a diverse amount of subjects, skills, and topics, it takes a talented team to run it. Mr. Bozzelli, Mr. Cychner, Mr. Giusti, Ms. Kelly, Ms. Kerwin, Mr. Mikitzel and Mr. Nason are the current faces of the club. As interest continues to grow, the club’s fleet of capable advisors will too. When asked about his vision for the club, Mr. Mikitzel said, “once we are up and running, other teachers and students will be leading, especially with our feeder schools.”
So, why is it wonderful to be a member of the STEM club? Besides the amazing community and array of new experiences and opportunities, STEM offers benefits for years to come.
“Many of our students are interested in going to university and college in one of the STEM fields. In recent years, we have noticed a trend where these schools require a profile of community involvement and leadership so high marks are not enough.” Says Mr. Mikitzel.
STEM is also excited about future opportunities within the community and is currently looking into multiple projects, including helping with the construction of community gardens. The club is also looking forward to the projects in the coming months within the school, which include teaming up with the horticulture club for some projects in the green house.
“By providing students with an opportunity to mentor our family of schools in STEM, we can fulfill 21st century learning goals, while helping our ND students achieve their current aspirations and post-secondary goals.“
Interested in joining? Talk to one of the teachers involved, attend a meeting, and talk to the members! STEM is all about giving opportunities to everyone who wants to go achieve their goals.
See you there!
In addition to working with the community, STEM also gives members an opportunity to explore the world of science, technology, engineering and math outside of ND. Members do so by partaking in field trips. Thus far, STEM has gone to University of Waterloo for Computer Science Day and to McMaster Engineering Technology to visit the Learning Factory. If you have missed these don’t panic! There will be many more chances to explore STEM fields in the near future.
Since STEM covers such a diverse amount of subjects, skills, and topics, it takes a talented team to run it. Mr. Bozzelli, Mr. Cychner, Mr. Giusti, Ms. Kelly, Ms. Kerwin, Mr. Mikitzel and Mr. Nason are the current faces of the club. As interest continues to grow, the club’s fleet of capable advisors will too. When asked about his vision for the club, Mr. Mikitzel said, “once we are up and running, other teachers and students will be leading, especially with our feeder schools.”
So, why is it wonderful to be a member of the STEM club? Besides the amazing community and array of new experiences and opportunities, STEM offers benefits for years to come.
“Many of our students are interested in going to university and college in one of the STEM fields. In recent years, we have noticed a trend where these schools require a profile of community involvement and leadership so high marks are not enough.” Says Mr. Mikitzel.
STEM is also excited about future opportunities within the community and is currently looking into multiple projects, including helping with the construction of community gardens. The club is also looking forward to the projects in the coming months within the school, which include teaming up with the horticulture club for some projects in the green house.
“By providing students with an opportunity to mentor our family of schools in STEM, we can fulfill 21st century learning goals, while helping our ND students achieve their current aspirations and post-secondary goals.“
Interested in joining? Talk to one of the teachers involved, attend a meeting, and talk to the members! STEM is all about giving opportunities to everyone who wants to go achieve their goals.
See you there!
The Sr. Dodgeball Finalists
Dodgeball Hits NDBy Daniella Lopez
Blackout, The Easy Targets and Pace Pushers… Can you guess what these names all have in common? You guessed it… DODGEBALL! Notre Dame’s annual dodgeball tournament returned this year with many teams participating in the high-energy event. Teams prepare for the big day for days or even weeks in advance! Teams have to organize a team name, choose members and pick a team outfit. All of this preparation only adds to the buzz of excitement that hangs in the ND air in the weeks leading to the big day. The day begins with a gathering of teams in the gym. Teams face off against each other in intense dodge ball battles until the best of the best reach the quarterfinals, where they compete for a spot in the semi finals. The most skilled battle their way to the finals, where two junior teams and two senior teams face off for the crown. Then finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for arrives… the finals, the buyout, the highlight of the whole event. Students pack the gym with anticipation as the last teams standing prepare to compete for gold. This year Mr. Cordeiro, who led a wonderful prayer, opened the final game. The ND leadership class then took over, playing a video for the excited fans that explained the preparation that went into the organization of the beloved event. The finals finally begin, with the junior teams facing off against each other. It was Blackout versus Downward Spiral. The game was intense but after two rounds Downward Sprial came out on top. Next, was the senior game. Competing for supremacy was the Pace Pushers and the Vegetaballs. The rounds were intense but the Pace Pushers came out with the W. The day was absolute success. Lots of teams signed up and an impressive percent of the student body turned out to cheer on their peers. All of the hard work the leadership class dedicated to the event paid off, and I know I speak on behalf of all of ND when I say I cannot wait until next year! 
Dodgeball Organizers with the Funds Raised
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David Suzuki Challenges Us to Change the World!By Emily Perrino
On Tuesday November 21, nine members of Notre Dame’s Eco Team attended the Connect the Dots Conference at the Art Gallery of Burlington. The conference was organized to provide David Suzuki with a platform to voice his message of hope and inspiration in reference to green goals being set and met by Canadians. Suzuki planned to do so by delivering a speech, and deliver he did! Despite the age gap between eighty- something year old Suzuki and the youthful audience, Suzuki effortlessly connected with everyone. He bridged the gap with his great sense of humour, lightheartedly poking fun at ripped jeans and Donald Trump. Suzuki began his speech by discussing the evolution of human thought processes. During the earliest days of human civilization, humans understood that they were one with nature, not separate from it. Fast-forward a few thousand years to today, and you’ll notice a complete change in thought. Now, humans’ see themselves the center of the universe and independent from the force of nature. Suzuki went on to explain that this “anthropocentric” way of thinking was responsible for devastating our Earth. The signs of climate change are all around us: rising sea levels, warmer temperatures, extreme natural disasters and glacial retreat. However despite the signs, we still somehow think climate change will not impact us. We really couldn’t be more wrong. So… David Suzuki challenged the audience. He challenged us to change the world… a pretty mammoth task for a group of teenagers if you ask me! But he didn’t stop there. Instead, he went on to tell us how to change the world. We all know making a positive and impactful change is hard because of political and economic opposition. However, Suzuki said change is possible because you can change politics and the economy because people control both. So you may be wondering just how we change the government’s stance on the environment. Well I’m here to tell you it’s simple. We vote for those determined to reduce our negative impact on the environment. And what about those of us unable to vote? Well, we demand our parents’ vote for those people! Because if there is one thing that matters most to our parents, it is not the well being of the economy, but the well being of their children. If we can all join together, the young and the old, and convince those in power to prioritize sustainability, then change might actually become a reality. Suzuki’s passion was inspiring. He made us believe that maybe, just maybe, we could achieve change. His speech rekindled my hope in a better future. It will take a lot of hard work, but as Suzuki put it, “humans are the most powerful species in the world”, and its about time we put our powers towards something positive. |
Notre Dame Students Take D.E.C.A by Storm!
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By: Emily Nobes
DECA is the premier international business association for students in Ontario, Canada and the world. This year was the first year Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School sent a team to compete at DECA Regionals. The event was held at Iroquois Ridge High School, where over 1,400 students competed in a variety of business categories. We are proud that 2 of our students, Arjun Snider and Emily Nobes, qualified for the 2018 Provincials competition to be held in Toronto. Emily finished top 10 in the category of Apparel and Accessory Marketing and Arjun won first overall in the Principles of Finance category. We wish them good luck in their quest to make it to the international event in Atlanta. Emily was asked to provide a firsthand account of what it is like to participate in the Regional competition for the first time, and we would like to share her account with you. If you had asked me at the beginning of the year what DECA was, I wouldn’t have had the slightest idea. Even as I walked into the first meeting, I had no clue what was in store for me. I soon, however, learned what DECA was all about. It is club that created a competitive business environment for high |
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school students (or, as DECA calls us, “Emerging Leaders”). I quickly decided that this club was for me. I entered myself in the Apparel and Accessory Marketing category. Before I knew it, I was writing the 100 question multiple choice marketing exam before heading off to regionals with my ND DECA team on November 24.
While the rest of our peers enjoyed their PA day, we made our way to Iroquois Ridge High School. We set up shop in the school cafeteria and prepared for the next 8 hours. I checked in thirty minutes before my 9:50 AM call time. So at 9:20 I walked to my prep room, ready to jump into action. Little did I know, I would end up waiting for the better part of an hour to be called upon. Waiting gave me an opportunity to talk to my fellow competitors, which was both fun and helpful in reducing my pre-competition anxiety. When they finally called my name, myself and the 5 other students in my group entered the prep room. It was a lot less intimidating than I thought something with the name “prep room” would be. We were refreshed on the rules, and soon our 10-minute preparation period with the judges began.
My case study outlined a department store that was struggling to sell shoes, but was seeing success in dress and women’s athletics sales. I was asked to share my ideas on how to increase both shoe and dress/athletic sales in my role-play. I tried to fit as many ideas as I could onto the sheet of paper that I had before it was time to begin presenting. I was worried about not having enough material, but I ended up going over time in my role-play (oops). I greeted my judge, presented my ideas, answered the judge’s questions and left, feeling mediocre about it. I really didn’t know what to expect at the awards ceremony in the afternoon.
I had a few hours to kill before the award presentation, so I took the opportunity to get to know my DECA team mates, who I had never really spoken to previously. After a long conversation about aliens and skateboards, they called us into the gym for the individual event awards. My event, AAM, was first. With each one of the top ten names that were called my enthusiasm dimmed a little, so when the presenter called my name, I was a bit shocked, but mostly excited. After fighting my way through the bleacher crowd and shaking the presenters’ hands, I walked back to my seat with a huge smile on my face. I never imagined that I would have enjoyed DECA so much and have been so successful in something I signed up for on a whim. So, while at times it was stressful, I can’t wait to do it again this year at provincials, and for the next years to come.
While the rest of our peers enjoyed their PA day, we made our way to Iroquois Ridge High School. We set up shop in the school cafeteria and prepared for the next 8 hours. I checked in thirty minutes before my 9:50 AM call time. So at 9:20 I walked to my prep room, ready to jump into action. Little did I know, I would end up waiting for the better part of an hour to be called upon. Waiting gave me an opportunity to talk to my fellow competitors, which was both fun and helpful in reducing my pre-competition anxiety. When they finally called my name, myself and the 5 other students in my group entered the prep room. It was a lot less intimidating than I thought something with the name “prep room” would be. We were refreshed on the rules, and soon our 10-minute preparation period with the judges began.
My case study outlined a department store that was struggling to sell shoes, but was seeing success in dress and women’s athletics sales. I was asked to share my ideas on how to increase both shoe and dress/athletic sales in my role-play. I tried to fit as many ideas as I could onto the sheet of paper that I had before it was time to begin presenting. I was worried about not having enough material, but I ended up going over time in my role-play (oops). I greeted my judge, presented my ideas, answered the judge’s questions and left, feeling mediocre about it. I really didn’t know what to expect at the awards ceremony in the afternoon.
I had a few hours to kill before the award presentation, so I took the opportunity to get to know my DECA team mates, who I had never really spoken to previously. After a long conversation about aliens and skateboards, they called us into the gym for the individual event awards. My event, AAM, was first. With each one of the top ten names that were called my enthusiasm dimmed a little, so when the presenter called my name, I was a bit shocked, but mostly excited. After fighting my way through the bleacher crowd and shaking the presenters’ hands, I walked back to my seat with a huge smile on my face. I never imagined that I would have enjoyed DECA so much and have been so successful in something I signed up for on a whim. So, while at times it was stressful, I can’t wait to do it again this year at provincials, and for the next years to come.