IRISH BASKETBALL HCAA CHAMPS!
By: Francesca Mangiapane with Ms. O'Brien
Notre Dame’s Senior Girls Basketball Team is in the midst of another standout season. With five returning players, and two senior standouts, ―Payton Hughes and Melina Delulio― from last year’s epic and undefeated OFSAA win, our team this year is living up to last years OFSAA Gold Medal season. Mrs. Vaughan, our Senior Girls coach said, “this [year’s] team is incredibly ‘OFSAA’ worthy”, due to their dedication and hard work in all games and practices. Our ladies have been encouraged by many on the path to the to the grand trophy, with strong crowds at both Sheridan College and at home in our own gym. In all the games and tournaments that have been played, the girls have been impressive, their only loss coming against a fierce Jean Vanier team. |
When asked about the early season setback against Vanier, Coach Vaughan sounded upbeat stating that Jean Vanier “earned that win” and outworked Notre Dame, using tactics of incredible preparation and fearlessness. They (Vanier) took risks and accomplished an excellent game plan. Although this may be the season’s lone disappointment thus far, Coach Vaughan believes
this to be a “teachable moment”, one in which the girls learn and discover their true potential. When facing tough competition, such as St. Thomas Aquinas and Jean Vanier, and their upcoming OFSAA competitors, our school anticipates seeing the girls display their talent, heart and discipline, turning their wealth of potential into another Championship.
After purging their ghosts of their earlier loss against Vanier by defeating them in HCAA Championship, and soundly defeating King’s Christian College just this week, our girls have set their sights on repeating as OFSAA Champs. |
Regardless of where the season goes from here, our girls have a lot to be proud of. Right now, our Senior Girls Basketball team is the pride of our community! #GOOOOOOIRISH!
ND IRISH - FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS
By Travis Flippance
Notre Dame Athletics are back, and our #NDPride is as prominent as ever! School spirit and support has accompanied both the Junior and Senior Football Teams throughout their Championship Seasons. This past week, the Fightin’ Irish Junior Football team visited McMaster Stadium to face off against the Assumption Crusaders for the Tier 1 Halton Championship in front of a crowd of more than 350 spectators, the majority of whom were enthusiastic Notre Dame fans, cheering our team along to a 26-10 victory. In addition, the hard-hitting Senior Football team played at Tim Horton’s Field in front of 200 fans, defeating the Loyola Hawks 18-14 for the Tier 2 Halton Championship. For the Senior Irish team this Championship capped a successful season, ending with a total of six wins and four losses. Led by Coach Woz, Coach Zvonar and Coach Montoya, the team demonstrated incredible perseverance and grit as they faced tough opponents, showing |
improvement each week. The team wowed the home crowds of more than 250 supportive Notre Dame fans during their two floodlight games. One of the floodlight victories was won in honour of beloved coach and friend, the late Joe Luciani; the Irish defeated St. Thomas Aquinas in the inaugural Luciani Bowl, a game to be played against these two schools on an annual basis. Nathan Langley, the team’s running back, exhibited incredible athletic ability throughout the season, which was recognized through his reception of the MVP Award for both the Halton Championship game and the Luciani Bowl. In addition, the team's quarterback, Evan Vathy displayed impressive skill this season through his continuous execution of passes, runs and reads, while seasoned
veterans Adam Kranz, Kenny Smith, Lucas Ferreira and Shaiene Baker anchored an extremely talented team. A considerable number of our senior football players have received attention from University Scouts and plan on using the skills and knowledge they have acquired here at ND throughout their post-secondary years.
Our Junior Irish’s dream season saw them finish with a 6-1 record on their way to becoming the first Tier 1 Junior Champions in HCAA history. The future looks bright for ND football with this talented group set to stick around for quite a few years to come. Led by a skillful coaching staff, Coach Nason, Coach Oullette, Coach Demedeiros and Coach Male, the team has developed skill, character and perseverance |
which allowed them to dominate their opponents. The Junior Irish capitalized on their brotherhood, taking the moniker of #team28for11, seeking the 11th Jr. Football Championship in our school’s 28 year history. Led by Captains Sam Oullette, Owen Lacroix, Jayden Brooks and Jayden Griffin, the boys should be proud of their impressive season! The members of the Fightin’ Irish Junior Team are excited to continue developing their football prowess and maintain their fearsome reputation in the upcoming football seasons.
Although the season has come to an end, both Senior and Junior players have set the tone, encouraging #NDPride and the #QuestforChampionships for the remainder of the year! #GOOOOOIRISH!
Although the season has come to an end, both Senior and Junior players have set the tone, encouraging #NDPride and the #QuestforChampionships for the remainder of the year! #GOOOOOIRISH!
Take Your Kids to Work DayBy Salvatore Ariganello
Take Your Kid to Work Day has been an annual event at Notre Dame for 23 years. The program provides Grade 9 ND students with an opportunity to see what their parent or guardian does at their workplace. The program was launched in 1994, and is the most recognized career readiness program in Canada, with more than 200,000 students visiting workplaces across Canada each year. By attending their parent or guardian’s workplace, Grade 9 students can get an idea of what career they may want to pursue. It benefits Grade 9 students as it encourages them to consider what they might choose to focus on during and after their time at Notre Dame. Additionally, it inspires Grade 9 students to succeed. I had the opportunity to visit my mother's place of employment, Pattison Outdoor Advertising. I learned what my mother does for a living and how the company functions by visiting the variety of departments. I visited marketing and business development, sales, information technology, human resources, digital operations, and production. This helped me explore my future career options. My favourite part of the day was talking to the Vice President of marketing and business development. I enjoyed this because I am interested in the role of the Vice President in helping the business become successful. The market and design team creates campaigns to attract new clients and monitor and improve the success of the company. Other ND students also really enjoyed their day at their parent or guardian’s work place. A Grade 9 student who went to her mom's work said “overall the day was a great experience and really educational”. Another Grade 9 students that went to her sister’s work loved it. She said, “I really enjoyed the experience of going to work with my sister. The day really made me consider a career in early childhood education.” Another source that loved Take Your Kid to Work Day said the day “was a blast! Learning about what adults take part in, in their everyday lives was super cool.” Based on the information I have collected, it is safe to say the Take Your Kid to Work Day program is a success. It has taught many students about an average day the field their parent or guardian works in and has helped students choose their future career path. I hope this program will continue to help the youth of future generations in deciding their future career paths. Vertical Divider
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Autumn Leaves ListenBy Julianna Marr
If autumn leaves could talk, What would they say? Would they grunt when they finally hit the ground Or just scream the whole way? Would leaves yell and shake their stem At people who blatantly stepped on them? Or the people who sweep them away, Would the leaves make them pay? If autumn leaves could laugh, What would tickle their funny vein? Would it be a dirty leaf joke Or a friendly round of fall-on-the-human’s-head game? Would a leaf giggle at a neighbouring tree Left stark naked by the gusts of wind from across the sea? Would they chuckle when their leaf buddies go red? Or when their leaf parents read them “Five Little Leaves Jumping on The Bed”? If autumn leaves could fall in love, How would they do it? Would they find their love by flashing their colours Or would they use their charm and wit? Would a leaf literally fall for their one and only Falling from the tree to the ground where their love waits lonely? Would they seek the most colourful leaf out? Or would it one day strike them, which leaf to whom they were devout? If autumn leaves could write, Would they write about me? About my insane imagination? Or my strange curiosity? Or would they say, “Of course we don’t talk, silly, you must be thinking of flowers. We leaves have learned to listen, those blossoms can go on for hours!” So autumn leaves can’t talk, laugh, love, or write… Whatever helps you sleep at night. |
At Home with Monsters
By: Julianna Marr
A tall, pale figure. Skin, hanging off bone. Round, red eyes that sit embedded in pale hands. Slits for eyes. The Pale Man from Pan’s Labyrinth was the first thing I saw when our Grade 11/12 art classes walked into Guillermo Del Toro’s At Home With Monsters exhibition at The Art Gallery of Ontario. Pacific Rim, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Crimson Peak and The Shape of Water were all films directed by Guillermo Del Toro. There were elements of each film sprinkled throughout the exhibit, as well as a variety of pieces that belong in Del Toro’s Bleak House, a house completely decked out in weird and warped artwork. The purpose of the exhibition was to recreate Bleak House, which I think The AGO did an amazing job of executing. |
My favourite part of the show was the massive walls. One wall was decorated in book covers from creepy stories such as Edgar Alan Poe’s Tell Tale Heart. Another room had two monstrous walls, which swallowed you in an array of colourful comics. You name it--Star Trek, Star Wars, X-Men, Batman—it was all there, shining in its pop art glory. The last wall that I encountered in the exhibit was by far the most jaw-dropping. It was in the Frankenstein Room, and from far away it looked like a wall of random book covers. However, as I got closer, I started to see that every single book cover was Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein… There were hundreds of them—I didn’t know there could be so many editions of a single book!
Another thing I loved about the exhibit was that there were a variety of art forms. The sculptures, paintings, drawings, projected images, and murals all flowed together so nicely. Every work was depicting things I could never have dreamed up, each as twisted as the last. To see all of these creepy and abnormal creations was surprisingly satisfying. It got me in the Halloween spirit, that’s for sure.
Getting a glimpse into Guillermo Del Toro’s Bleak House was an incredibly unique experience. I am not obsessed with the scary realms of imagination by any means, however the creepy creatures really intrigued me because of how they were displayed. Edgar Allan Poe once said, “There is no beauty without some strangeness”. The art of Bleak House was beautiful because it was strange and mysterious. There is nothing more fascinating than seeing the beauty that hides behind walls, beauty that lingers in the dark corners of a room. If you want to be at home with monsters, you know where to find them.
Another thing I loved about the exhibit was that there were a variety of art forms. The sculptures, paintings, drawings, projected images, and murals all flowed together so nicely. Every work was depicting things I could never have dreamed up, each as twisted as the last. To see all of these creepy and abnormal creations was surprisingly satisfying. It got me in the Halloween spirit, that’s for sure.
Getting a glimpse into Guillermo Del Toro’s Bleak House was an incredibly unique experience. I am not obsessed with the scary realms of imagination by any means, however the creepy creatures really intrigued me because of how they were displayed. Edgar Allan Poe once said, “There is no beauty without some strangeness”. The art of Bleak House was beautiful because it was strange and mysterious. There is nothing more fascinating than seeing the beauty that hides behind walls, beauty that lingers in the dark corners of a room. If you want to be at home with monsters, you know where to find them.
#Pink Day 2017
By: Daniella Lopez
To sum it up, Pink Day was an absolute success. Pink flooded the hallways of ND, as everyone was dressed in a shade of pink. The day was filled with laughter and fun, which even spilled into the night. But I won’t get ahead of myself just yet. The Junior Girls Field Hockey team won their way to the finals. Students were outside cheering them on, laughing, smiling and just having a good time rooting for our girls. Everyone was so excited about the basketball buyout, which was a first in a long time. But before the game started, |
the annual walk around the field began with our beloved Kilt Krew leading the way, displaying our ND flags.
The bleachers were packed with everyone from our school, who were out to support the ND Senior Girls Basketball team. The Kilt Krew and SSA lead the students in the cheers. The game was a close matchup and went past the bell time. Luckily, there were still many people who stayed after school to cheer on the girls and celebrate the last minute win. The stands erupted with cheers as the final buzzer went off.
And let’s not forget about the food! Loads of pink day treats were for sale, from cupcakes and cookies to pizza and pink lemonade. The refreshments came in handy, as the gym was very hot.
Now let’s get back to the sports. Did you forget about our football teams? Both the Junior and Senior Football Teams played games after school. The Junior Boys beat Corpus Christi, making pink day just that much better. And afterwards, the Senior Boys took on Bishop Redding. The game, which was the second floodlight at ND and first Pink Day floodlight, was a success! People came out from schools across Burlington, and even Hamilton. Everyone was enjoying barbequed hotdogs and hamburgers while the Kilt Krew and SSA lead the cheers once again. It payed off as the senior boys won their second floodlight at ND. Everyone was celebrating on the field, laughing, jumping, enjoying music and having a good time.
All in all, I would say Pink Day was a major success. ND took the win in every single game played. Lots of money was raised and hopefully, a new tradition of having a Pink Day floodlight will come to Notre Dame.
The bleachers were packed with everyone from our school, who were out to support the ND Senior Girls Basketball team. The Kilt Krew and SSA lead the students in the cheers. The game was a close matchup and went past the bell time. Luckily, there were still many people who stayed after school to cheer on the girls and celebrate the last minute win. The stands erupted with cheers as the final buzzer went off.
And let’s not forget about the food! Loads of pink day treats were for sale, from cupcakes and cookies to pizza and pink lemonade. The refreshments came in handy, as the gym was very hot.
Now let’s get back to the sports. Did you forget about our football teams? Both the Junior and Senior Football Teams played games after school. The Junior Boys beat Corpus Christi, making pink day just that much better. And afterwards, the Senior Boys took on Bishop Redding. The game, which was the second floodlight at ND and first Pink Day floodlight, was a success! People came out from schools across Burlington, and even Hamilton. Everyone was enjoying barbequed hotdogs and hamburgers while the Kilt Krew and SSA lead the cheers once again. It payed off as the senior boys won their second floodlight at ND. Everyone was celebrating on the field, laughing, jumping, enjoying music and having a good time.
All in all, I would say Pink Day was a major success. ND took the win in every single game played. Lots of money was raised and hopefully, a new tradition of having a Pink Day floodlight will come to Notre Dame.
Mémoires de Six MotsErnest Hemingway wrote a six word poem which reads: « For sale : baby shoes, never worn ». A few students from the Grade 10 Extended French Class here at Notre Dame have written their own poems and stories in only six words. Enjoy.
Une équipe, plus comme une famille. – A. B. Travaillez fort et attendre les résultats. – Anonyme Vous pouvez trouver la beauté partout. – Anonyme La mer, l’amour et la mort. – Anonyme Tu tombes, je serai là – Plancher – F. C. Il marche encore pendant qu’elle vole – M. C. Rangez vos livres s’il vous plaît. – E. N. Vertical Divider
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International Foods Day! By Emily Nobes
As the smell of deep fried pickles and freshly baked cupcakes filled the spectrum, students flooded into the cafeteria. They strolled down the rows of stands, showcasing a selection of foods from various countries around the world. Notre Dame’s first ever-International Foods Day took place on October 25th, 2017. The event was the result of weeks of hard work from the MIH (Make it Happen) team, Mrs. Dussin’s culinary classes, and Student Council. To enjoy the event, students could buy tickets for a dollar each, which could then be exchanged for the international cuisine prepared by culinary students in the kitchen of ND. The cost of dishes ranged from two tickets to five tickets. The countries featured included Canada, USA, Italy, Poland, Mexico, France, Thailand, and a selection of food from various other regions in Asia. |
Students enjoyed their extra long, school-wide lunch by sampling food from various stands, spending time with friends, and catching up with peers who normally eat during the different lunch block.
Over all, International Foods Day was a great success. Everyone left full of both food and excitement for more exciting scheduled for the year.
What food did you enjoy? What do you want to see next year?
Keep an eye out for a post on insidend.ca on Instagram asking for your feedback!
Over all, International Foods Day was a great success. Everyone left full of both food and excitement for more exciting scheduled for the year.
What food did you enjoy? What do you want to see next year?
Keep an eye out for a post on insidend.ca on Instagram asking for your feedback!
Two Perspectives on Stratford
By: Jayden Griffin
This past October, Mrs. Munro and Ms. Gera’s Grade 10 English classes were given the opportunity to travel to Stratford, Ontario to attend a production of Romeo and Juliet. Once we arrived, we were given the option to choose to get off the bus at a restaurant for lunch or head to the downtown area where we could shop. My friends and I got off at the restaurant. The city looked amazing. Stratford is a cool combination of old architecture and new technology. We had an hour to spare, so we walked around the town, taking in the magnificent scenery. There were so many interesting little shops where you could browse cool knick-knacks. |
As we got closer to the theater, I realized how lucky we were to get tickets to see the play because there were so many other students in Stratford. When we arrived at the theater, we could see just how large it was. Knowing people traveled from around the world to see this play, and that we got the chance to see it with school is unbelievable. It was a very professional presentation and everything was set up perfectly. The play had clearly been rehearsed many times. You had to pay close attention to the play, or you would miss some of the important details.
It was a great production and I would definitely see it again if I had the chance. I believe it has helped me in my English class because I can now connect the acting to the written play. Overall, I believe that this trip was truly amazing and would recommend it to everyone who gets the opportunity to go.
It was a great production and I would definitely see it again if I had the chance. I believe it has helped me in my English class because I can now connect the acting to the written play. Overall, I believe that this trip was truly amazing and would recommend it to everyone who gets the opportunity to go.
By Olivia Colman
This past October ND’s Grade 10 English classes attended Stratford’s production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. On October 18, the students of Mrs. Gera, Mr. Safranyos, and Mrs. Munro departed Notre Dame for the presentation of one of Shakespeare’s most tragic love stories. We left on the buses at 9:45, after receiving the intimidating ‘no nonsense’ speech from our teachers. They reminded us that we were privileged to have the opportunity to explore Stratford on our own but that we would have to follow some rules. After the hour and a half drive we arrived in Stratford and then we were dropped off to have lunch wherever we pleased. This was a great |
chance to wander around Stratford and see the quaint town and all its history. Students dined at pizzerias, shawarma places and other restaurants until 1:20, which was when we had to meet at the Festival Theatre. The walk from the centre of the town to the theatre was quite beautiful. We passed a lake and saw lots of wildlife.
The play commenced at 2:00. We were spread out across the theatre but all of the seats had perfect views of the stage. I thought that the design of the set resembled exactly what Shakespeare was trying to express. However, the director added his own unique ideas to the production, which made it more enjoyable and suspenseful. The director used light to add suspense, making it dark when there were scary or gloomy scenes and making it lighter when the scene had a happy tone. This helped us understand what the director was trying to portray during certain parts of the play. At the intermission we brought our energy levels up with candy that was available at the concession stands. The ending was sad and tragic, as the pair of lovers both died.
I believe every single student thoroughly enjoyed the play and learned something. This opportunity has helped us in understanding the play, which we are reading right now, and it will forever be an amazing memory from our time at ND. On behalf of all the Grade 10 students that got the opportunity to enjoy this trip, we would like to thank all of the teachers who made this experience possible.
The play commenced at 2:00. We were spread out across the theatre but all of the seats had perfect views of the stage. I thought that the design of the set resembled exactly what Shakespeare was trying to express. However, the director added his own unique ideas to the production, which made it more enjoyable and suspenseful. The director used light to add suspense, making it dark when there were scary or gloomy scenes and making it lighter when the scene had a happy tone. This helped us understand what the director was trying to portray during certain parts of the play. At the intermission we brought our energy levels up with candy that was available at the concession stands. The ending was sad and tragic, as the pair of lovers both died.
I believe every single student thoroughly enjoyed the play and learned something. This opportunity has helped us in understanding the play, which we are reading right now, and it will forever be an amazing memory from our time at ND. On behalf of all the Grade 10 students that got the opportunity to enjoy this trip, we would like to thank all of the teachers who made this experience possible.
BEST BUDDIES, FOREVER FRIENDS
By Emily Nobes
It’s no secret that Notre Dame has an amazing selection of clubs, teams and activities that run all year. However, there are few that offer the same life-long friendships, valuable lessons, and kindness as Best Buddies. According to the Best Buddies website, the national program “brings together high school students in the hope that they will develop a lasting friendship”. Ms. Vanderkooy and Ms. Sneyd run the Best Buddies program here at ND. Sierra Consentino, Maria Azer, and Emily Perrino assist with the program, as they exhibit both the leadership skills and responsibility needed to aid with planning and executing the activities Best Buddies hosts throughout the year. |
Program members, who are ND students with additional needs, are paired with high school peer groups. These peer groups spend time together at group activities, talking, laughing, and forming friendships that change everyone involved for the better.
Best Buddies has existed at Notre Dame under the supervision of various teachers over the past 8 years. In 2014, Ms. Sneyd and Ms. Vanderkooy became involved, the same year that Ms. Sneyd began working at ND.
“What I have witnessed in the past four years,” Ms. Sneyd said to inside ND in an interview, “in terms of the development of friendships, the increase in confidence and the pure joy shared amongst peers, it’s second to none.”
Throughout the year, Best Buddies puts on several events for members, including a daily “Lunch and Hang”, where buddies are paired up with their peer buddies to eat lunch together, socialize and play games. Best Buddies also organizes socials. Peer buddies are paired up as Mass Buddies, they join the Best Buddies dodge ball team, and can attend outside socials such as class trips, semi-formal, and the end of year prom. Best Buddies also holds an exam camp at the end of each semester, where peer buddies organize a day of camp activities for buddies to enjoy which include arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, and dance parties.
“The exam camp is always a highlight of the semester for everyone involved,” Ms. Sneyd said.
There are currently approximately 60 active members in ND’s Best Buddies program. Interested in getting involved? Best Buddies always welcomes new members! “This is an incredible opportunity to give back to the community, meet new fun and like-minded people, and to make a difference in the community,” Ms. Sneyd said, “one thing that I can guarantee is that you will evolve as a human being, and that you will learn more from your buddy than they will ever learn from you!” “My favourite part of being a Best Buddy was that warm sensation of illuminating someone’s life. Watching happy faces, genuinely enjoying the whole process. Matching names to people and taking part in such a wonderful mission,” Chris Choi, a former ND student and peer buddy, commented. |
Best Buddy Kyle said he “loves dancing with [his buddies] and hanging out with them at lunch,” and that they “make him feel very loved.”
All in all, Ms. Sneyd would like you to know that “being a part of Notre Dame’s Best Buddies program will raise the confidence and joy in life of anyone involved, and will help you to appreciate what is truly important in life!”
Want to learn more? Visit us at http://bestbuddies.ca/!
All in all, Ms. Sneyd would like you to know that “being a part of Notre Dame’s Best Buddies program will raise the confidence and joy in life of anyone involved, and will help you to appreciate what is truly important in life!”
Want to learn more? Visit us at http://bestbuddies.ca/!