VALENTINES DAY AT NOTRE DAME!

​By: Colleen Forbes
Love came early for the students and staff here at ND just a few short weeks ago! 

Because Valentine's day falls on a Sunday this year, ND's student council made the executive decision to have Valentine's Day activities on Friday February 12th, just 2 days shy of the love holiday. 

The exciting day commenced with the dress up civvies, where students (and staff if they desired) came to school dressed in their finest clothes. Student Council made it quite clear from the first day of the Valentine's Day Activities Announcements that not a jean or t shirt was going to be allowed on school premises that day.

Based on the amount of dresses and dress shirts that Student Council member Leanne Young saw throughout the day Friday, she seemed quite pleased with the students effort

"It's always been ND's tradition to have a Dress Up Civvies Day the day of the Valentine's Day Activities, and every year the students never fail to disappoint me" The Grade 11 Student Rep said.

Once Students had gotten to their first period classrooms, they anxiously awaited the arguably most exciting part of Valentine's day: The rose deliveries! They are single roses students can buy for a special someone or friend that comes with a little message card they can write on. Students then pay $3 for the rose to be delivered for them, and whoever is lucky enough will have a rose delivered to them!

Despite a few bumps in the road while packaging them up, Student Council was able to successfully deliver them at the beginning of first period, making many students' days, including Grade 9 student Kate Lockington.  "This is obviously my first year experiencing the rose deliveries, and I actually did end up getting a rose from my friend, which made my day a little more great!"

Many students also happened to notice the variety of decorations that adorned the spec (the main entrance of the school) walls on that Friday.

Student Council was once again the masterminds behind the decorations that definitely got their notice by everyone as soon as you walked in the front doors of the school.

"That was actually a last minute decision from our Prime Minister. We realized just before we left the night before that it would be strange to have the Spec undecorated for a holiday that's so influential in our school community. With only about seven of us left at the end of the night, we got in done in about fifteen minutes, which is not bad considering how much we had to do" , Matteo Palarchio said of their hard work the night before February 12th. Palarchio is a Grade 12 student at ND as well as the Student Council Treasurer for this school year. 

The festivities continued on throughout the day as some teachers decided to hand out candy to their classes, watch movies or perhaps celebrate Valentine's Day with their students in their own way! 

Many students were also able to celebrate at lunchtime or perhaps through after school plans they had previously arranged.
Despite the fact that the Valentine's Day Activities weren't held on the actual holiday itself, it's easy to say that many students enjoyed themselves no matter how they celebrated that day. 
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No matter where February 14th happens to fall on the calendar within the next few years, it's easy to assume that everyone at ND will always celebrate it in the best of ways, no matter what day the festivities fall on! 

ND SENIORS DANCE WITH SENIORS

(Continued from Front Page​)

Most of that Friday morning was spent decorating the retirement center’s cinema room in red, white and pink décor and making corsages for the residents. It was hard work but well worth it. As the residents started coming in, the students sat and spoke with them, enjoyed a nice snack and even a short dance. The week of dance lessons for the students had paid off. Some students experienced tender moments with the residents they spent time with. One student, Stefan Arsovic, had a wonderful experience with a lady named Helen. The two spent most of the afternoon talking and dancing together and developed a close bond, so close that when it was time to leave, Helen wanted to marry Stefan so he could stay. This moment touched Stefan and made him realise how much of an impact he and the other students had had at the dance.
 
The tender moments and the dance was made possible by the Chaplain at Notre Dame, Wayne Lachapelle, who organized and ran it. Mr. Lachapelle had been previously running these dances for many years at other schools. The first dance involving Notre Dame students was held last year and was very successful. This year was equally successful and it is expected that there will be another one next year to look forward to.

ND SENIOR GIRLS VOLLEYBALL HAS OFSAA POTENTIAL

By: Leanne Young
 
Highly athletic, skilled, hardworking and passionate, the Senior Girls’ Volleyball team have been victorious in many games against the many different schools across Halton.
 
After winning set after set, game after game, and tournament after tournament, they have finally made it to the playoffs.
 
Our team is made up of 13 determined girls, including a handful of REP players. Fantasizing about their OFSAA dreams, the girls have endured tough morning practices (up to three days a week) as well as late games.
 
Despite their winning streak and perseverance, the girls recently suffered an unfortunate loss against Thomas A. Blakelock in the quarter-finals. Tired from a long day, the girls’ energy wasn’t at its usual level in the Blakelock gym. Our team’s enthusiasm dropped even further after multiple put-downs made by the opposing school’s audience. All of this, on top of Blakelock’s constant smashing hits, lead to Blakelock’s victory and put the Irish further away from their  OFSAA dreams.
 
However, there is still hope. Depending on Garth Webb’s soon to be determined ranking, the Irish may still have another shot at making OFSAA.
 
Good luck girls, and GO IRISH!

UPCOMING EVENT:  GIRLS NIGHT IN

By: Leanne Young
Calling all ND GIRLS!
 
ND’s annual ‘Girls' Night In’ is coming up on March 3rd!
 
‘Girls'  Night In’ is an amazing event that tries to empower young girls of all ages who attend. Every year we’ve had almost every girl at Notre Dame come out in their pink or theme colored t-shirts, and it's been largely one of the most successful and memorable events from ND throughout the entire school year!
 
In previous years, we’ve had a guest speaker share passionate stories about her own struggles and accomplishments, as well as a spectacular dinner included with desserts. Yoga and team activities would follow and raffle prizes and swag bags are given out to every girl!'
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Girls' Night In, Thursday March 3rd 2016
This year, however, calling upon a selected committee of girls to organize the event, we have revolutionized our traditional ‘Girls Night In’ and made it even more memorable!  This year’s ‘Girls' Night In’ is going to be more exciting, more interactive, more memorable and more fun than ever before. We’ve included workshops you can attend by choice, our most popular ones are currently self defense and henna, as well as a Zumba session right after school with energetic music to get everyone pumped up.
 
A huge shout-out to our amazing organizing committees and girls for planning such a fantastic event! Girl Power!

ND'S JAZZ COMBO AND STAGE BAND PERFORM AT REGIONALS

By: Leanne Young
On Tuesday, February 16th, ND’s very own Jazz Combo and Stage Band went to Redeemer College to perform at the annual Golden Horseshoe Music Festival, a region wide qualifier for Musicfest Nationals. Both bands performed their amazing repertoire before a panel of adjudicators and received their rankings, as well as critique for perfection. Consisting mostly of grade 9’s, the Stage Band earned a bronze award, a remarkable achievement since it was the first time a majority of its members had performed live on stage.
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The Jazz Combo, consisting of dedicated members who have proven to excel at a senior level of musical experience, performed as returning award winners to receive a silver award. As a result of their outstanding silver plus performance at both last year’s regional festival and nationals, they have been invited to perform again at this year’s nationals, held in Ottawa!
Congrats to both bands and may their talents shine through their instruments
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Make sure you come check out their amazing music at the next coffee house!