ND's 'Venture'
​Leadership Conference Inspires!

From the Business Leadership Class

By Danielle Gravina (Business Leadership CEO)
On May 3rd, Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School hosted their 16th Annual Business Leadership Conference. 
For the past fifteen years, the Business Leadership class has been successful in running a conference that serves to inspire and motivate the leaders of tomorrow. Through this year’s theme Venture: Dare to Discover, the leadership class of 2019 was able to share this experience with the community once again.

This year, along with Notre Dame student attendees, the leadership class also hosted grade 8 students from St. Marks, St. Timothy’s, and St. Gabriel’s and students from our neighbouring high school, Assumption. Many HCDSB board members recognized the magnitude of the conference and were able to attend, such as Director of Education Pat Daly and Superintendent of Education Camillo Cipriano. The leadership class was also very lucky to have Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward in attendance too. 
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#FridaysforFuture @ ND

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By Sierra Pearce
On Friday, May 24, the second Global Strike for Climate Change Action took place. The movement started by Greta Thunberg, and dedicated to demanding drastic climate action from the world governments, has gone from a single student protesting each Friday, to millions of weekly protests worldwide, and even larger global strike events. While the first strike in March was a resounding success, this strike was met with even larger numbers of support. Our school participated in the strike by doing our “Strike the Lights” as usual on Friday, along with a special announcement. Since the strikes began, government changes in many countries are already happening.


May 24 marked the second Global Strike For Climate. Strikers demanded governments to act appropriately for the climate crisis and take dramatic action before it’s too late to reverse the damage we have caused to the planet. Thunberg initially began protesting by sitting outside of her local parliament building each Friday, and now has gained worldwide support. The second global strike had millions of protesters in over 119 countries, including Canada. 
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A Student's View

By Alessandra Auletta
On May 3rd students at Notre Dame got to participate in the Business Leadership Conference - 'Venture', where they listened to inspiring speeches that encouraged them to step outside of their comfort zone and try new things. The conference included a breakfast, a speaker of the students choice, and an inspirational speech from Olympic Gold Medalist Haley Wickenheiser. 

 The conference started off with a wonderful breakfast made with the help of student and teacher volunteers. Students got a chance to enjoy an amazing buffet full of fruits, eggs, sausage, and much more! 

 After breakfast, students went to the assigned rooms where they would listen to the two speakers of their choice. The speakers inspired students to be brave, confident, independent, and successful. All speakers spoke about the importance of 'being yourself' and 'never giving up'. As the speeches ended and students went to the gym, they left feeling both touched and inspired to do great things. 

Notre Dame's May
*ATHLETES OF THE MONTH*
​*TEACHER FEATURE*

'Health & Wellness' on the Menu at the 1st Annual ND STEAM Conference

 By Emily Nobes
For months the wheels turned;  Logos were designed, speakers were contacted, booths were put in order. The STEAM Executive laboured over colour schemes and lunch time logistics as STEAM Club Members put the finishing touches on their portable greenhouses and planted the seeds that would soon grow into their own gardens for our guests to admire. Then, finally, it was here; Notre Dame's first ever STEAM Conference, Health and Wellness Edition.

    A few months prior, the idea to host such an event was sown as the group brainstormed how they could display the wonderful portable greenhouses that they had spent the year designing, prototyping, and building, and how they could continue to share STEAM at ND’s talents with the community. It was decided that the club would put together a conference that would adhere to this year’s “Health and Wellness” theme, decked out with community lead booths, guest speakers, free food, and amazing people.

Perspectives: Looking Back

By Rachel Piche & Megan Hughes
​
688 days. 990 720 minutes. Four years.

High school is the epitome of growing up. Beginning with the nervous first day jitters, followed by that awkward stage of contemplative self-discovery, leading all the way to those final moments of pride and relief as a new chapter of your life comes to a close, high school is by far one of the most influential times of our lives. For better or worse high school prepares us for the challenges that lie ahead and shapes us into the people who we are destined to be.

It seems like only yesterday when we first roamed the halls of ND. So much fear and excitement coursed through our veins as we experienced a whirlwind of emotions. Stressed and afraid there was so much to “get right”. How will we do well in school? How will we make friends? What will people think of us? We were so consumed with the idea that a first impression was all it took to make or break our high school experience; however, looking back four years later it has become apparent how skewed our mindset was. We have come to the realization that what is truly important is how we view ourselves not how others perceive us.  The most defining moments of our lives stem from our failures, as it is our missteps that give us insight into some of the most valuable lessons in life. The bottom line is that high school equates to so much more than just academic success. It is a process of trial and error that aids us in navigating the journey of life.
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We asked our Grade 12 Students to summarize everything they have learned at Notre Dame...  in 6 Words (or so!)...  Here is what they came up with!

Care but keep moving
 
Don't be afraid of your voice
 
Always be improving
 
Worrying gets you nowhere
 
Seriously don't wear non-uniform socks
 
Focus more on yourself, less others
 
Don't let your dreams be dreams!
 
The Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell
 
It's Not Like High School Musical.
 
Worrying Gets You Nowhere
 
Take Every Opportunity You're Given
 
Memorize, Pass Test, Forget Everything, Repeat.
 
Chemistry is quite difficult
 
Senioritis is a thing
 
Wait, is this on the test?

Career Day at Notre Dame

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By Gabriel Millar
​Grade 10 students at Notre Dame were given a very special opportunity this past month to learn about the different career pathways available to them, and hopefully get a better idea of what pathway appeals to their own personal skill set. At this years Career Day, grade 10 students got out of class to listen to guest speakers from all different pathways (University, College, Apprenticeships, and the Workplace). By having speakers with diverse work and education experience, students could get a better idea as to what pathway may be a good fit for themselves in the future.

Career Day was organized by Mr. Barbati and Ms. Gatza, with the help of the Business Leadership High Skills Major students. At the start of the day, students were asked to select two speakers out of a list of twenty, for which sessions they would attend. Each student went to a total of three sessions, the third of which was chosen by the events organizers to ensure that each student was given a diverse schedule with speakers who would be of interest to them, as well as speakers who would challenge their interests.

Many of these speakers were former Notre Dame students themselves, creating a connection to the current students and providing them with the ability to give practical and relatable lessons. One highlight of the day was when Mr. Barbati talked about how this day was an excellent eye opening experience for the grade 10 students, giving them an opportunity to see where they could be in a few years. 

ND Rugby is
​OFSAA Bound!

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By:  Daniella Lopez
Another year, and another opportunity for the Irish Girls Rugby Team to achieve success at OFSAA. 
The Lady Irish played their first game of the season on April 23rd at Christ the King where the girls would manage a narrow, 15-14 win, their closest win of the season.

 Not all games were this close however,  the largest margin of victory the Irish accomplished was against Assumption, where they won 51-0, absolutely crushing their opponent in all facets of the game. 

The lone home victory for the ladies came against Corpus Christi with the final score being 25-15. The Lady Irish later played a home game against St Thomas Aquinas, where they came up short, 22-10,  (the only loss of the season, so not bad). And so, with the regular season coming to an end the ladies would finish with a record of 3-1.  

ND Lacrosse
​Season in Review

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​By Daniella Lopez
Started from the bottom and now they're HCAA champions. Who? You might ask, the Varsity Boys Lacrosse Team. 

The boys started off their season on April 24th, playing against Corpus Christi at the Notre Dame field. Winning 10-9, this would foreshadow the numerous close games the Lacrosse Team would be a part of this season.

As the season progressed the boys would end up losing the next two games, 8-4 against Bishop Reding and 5-3 against Christ the King. Thus, placing them third in the eastern division with an overall record of 1-2. 

But everyone loves a good underdog story and if you’ve ever heard someone say the regular season doesn’t matter, the Notre Dame Lacrosse Team is here to prove that theory true. 

InsideND's May Sports Update

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Reporting by Nathan Cook & Samantha Takacs
This is Mr.Montoya coming at you with the Sports Update for May, 2019. May was a hot month for Irish Athletics as we have two teams on their way to OFSAA withy Girls Rugby squeaking in by coming back from a three-score deficit to beat Blakelock in the GHAC championships.

We also have soccer girls going to OFSAA. The girls had an excellent season, and finished second. They won the HCAA double championship in penalty shots against St. Thomas Aquinas, and they won the GHAC championships also in penalty shot shootouts versus Corpus Christi. We look for more noise from both of those programs.

May also saw the boys lacrosse team win an HCAA championship, edging out Bishop Reading by a score of ten to nine. That's all the Championships for May.

Baseball -  The nasty spring weather shortened the baseball season this year.  Graduating Team Leaders Charlie Lisac and Brant Boye have been fixtures on the team and will be missed!

Sr Boys Soccer - Lead by newcomer Andre Neptune,  the boys had a strong season and look forward to building on their success in years to come!

Jr Girls Soccer - After an undefeated season, the girls came up short in the Semi-Final match.   Standout players include Abbey Yakiwchuk, Jocelyn Brooks, Stephanie Geady and Adrienne Griffin.  

Jr Boys Soccer - went to the Semi-Final match this season lead by team leaders Carson Davison.  The future looks bright for our Boys Soccer program!

Softball - Is enjoying a strong season,  despite some questionable spring weather!  Team leader Melanie Page has left it all on the field for Lady Irish!

Ultimate Frisbee - Had a fun season,  competing hard in a couple of tournaments in a rebuilding year.  Special shout-out to team leader Maya Gonsalves for a strong season,  her leadership will be missed going forward.