Students and staff from Marymount Academy received word the last week of January that their participation in the attempt to set the World Record for the Largest Practical Science Lesson at Multiple Venues this past October was a success. The event had a record number of participants – over 17,000 Canadians at 121 different locations across the country taking part in the science lesson. After reviewing all the information, data and video submitted, Guinness has confirmed that the record was in fact set and the attempt was successful. As some events and data were exempt, the official total of participants is 12, 701 and 88 different locations. Students at Marymount Academy had the opportunity to participate and teacher Lise Callahan organized the event for the grade 7,8,10 and 12 students.
“It was a really unique event for our students,” Callahan stated. “Just at the school level, our students really jumped on board and had a lot of fun working through the experiments and applying their science knowledge. Having learned that Marymount Academy’s participation in such a large record setting attempt was successful, it makes our the event even that much more exciting on a much, much bigger scale! Working through all of the set up, organization and follow-up, being a part of the inclusion into the Guinness Book of World Records definitely makes it all worth while!”
Category: Student Achievement
The Scales of Justice work in favour of St. Charles College
The grade twelve law class at St. Charles College is celebrating victory after winning the City Mock Trial Championships January 14, 2013 at the Sudbury Courthouse. There were fourteen teams from all four Sudbury school boards competing for the coveted Justice Patricia Hennessy Trophy. Cardinal Miranda Goudreau won the Best Defense Advocate Award for her work on the drug possession and trafficking trial. Goudreau says “I have learned to live and breath Law all semester and it was nice to see all our hard work has paid off. I have never taken part in anything that has compared to this experience and this amount of work.” Teacher Jaime Sauve says “the team set itself above the rest because the oral presentation was excellent and the group came up with loopholes in the case that other groups had not considered.” This is the second time in three years that Sauve’s class at St. Charles College has taken the top prize. There will be no rest for the weary. The team must continue to work towards competing at the Provincial Championships in Toronto this April.
St. Francis Students Take First!
Two St. Francis Catholic Elementary School students have won first prize in the Remembrance Day contests held by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 564. Megan Ierino won first place in the poster contest, and Margan Taylor won in the literary contest. Congratulations to both girls!
St. James Students Demonstrate the True Meaning of Christmas
The Fantastic Fours and Terrific 4/5’s at St. James Catholic Elementary School got into the Christmas spirit early by packing gift boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Families went out and purchased items such as: hygiene products, clothing, toys, and school supplies. When all was said and done, the two classes filled 47 boxes. Inside each box was a letter of hope to the child that will be receiving the gifts. The St. James staff is very thankful for the generosity and support of the students and their families. Together they showed the true meaning of Christmas – how it is better to give than to receive!
“Our Dreams Matter Too” to St. James Students
St. James Catholic Elementary School was recently recognized for its participation in “Our Dreams Matter Too” – a walk for culturally based equity for First Nation children. The walk is organized to say now is the time for First Nation and non- Aboriginal children to work together to ensure all children in Canada receive equitable, culturally based services that help them succeed and feel proud of who they are. The project began as a result of the school’s vice principal, Dan Stargratt introducing the Grade 7/8 FI class to “Shannen’s Dream” which is a student and youth focused campaign designed to raise awareness about inequitable funding for First Nations children, and encourages supporters to write letters to their Member of Parliament, to the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, and to the Prime Minister of Canada. The students then brainstormed and came up with the idea of getting involved with the “Our Dreams Matter Too” initiative by having all Grade 4- 8 students at St. James write letters to the Prime Minister to look at federal school funding. This past June, the St. James students presented their letters to Member of Parliament Glenn Thibeault to bring to Ottawa. This past October, the students were sent a certificate of appreciation from the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada for their participation in the initiative. The students are Chris White, Katrina Cayen and Enara Iturregui.
Bishop ACCSS Student Jumps to New Heights
Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School student Leah Blanchette is quite a busy girl. Not only is she a dedicated student, she is also quite an accomplished equestrian whose dedication to her sport takes up quite a bit of her time outside of school as well. According to her mother, Kate Blanchette, Leah is a quiet girl and “knowing Leah, not many realize her accomplishments as she is so modest about her success.”
Leah completed on the “A” circuit national level the past season and that has meant a lot of time away from home and school with her coach Cathy Inch. Leah and her horse Jinjovan AKA “Joe” train out of Foothills Farm in Chelmsford. Most days involve at least 10 to 12 hours of practice, or showing in the ring and Leah spends at a minimum 5 days a week with Joe and her coach.
Leah and Joe have qualified for the Royal Winter fair, which is the Canadian Equestrian championships, to be held in Toronto starting Nov 2nd. Not only have they qualified, but they have managed to be pinned in all 4 of their divisions (Junior Hunter, A equitation, Junior Medal, and Jump Canada Medal) and they will go to nationals with finishing their qualifying season overall 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place standing. The Royal Winter fair is Canada’s premier equestrian show and is a platform for future Canadian Olympians as well as internationally known champions. Equestrian sport is the only Olympic sport where both men and women compete as equals.
Dave Soehner, principal of Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School is extremely proud of Leah. “We are blown away by Leah’s dedication and passion for her sport,” Soehner said. “ We support her efforts 100% as she embodies the true Gator spirit, and wish her the best of luck with her upcoming championship.”
While she is competing, her trips in the ring can be watched on the Royal Winter Fair website, live feed. Leah and Joe will be in the ring on Friday Nov. 2, 3rd and again for Jump Canada finals on Nov 6th.
Surpassing Science Expectations Across a Nation
Students at Marymount Academy had a very unique opportunity on Friday, October 12, 2012. Classes from four different grades took part in what could be the world’s largest science lesson. Students from a grade 7, 8, 10 and 12 science class took part in the attempt at a world record for the largest practical science lesson with the hopes of inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records. Alongside thousands of other Canadians, different groups took part in this activity across Canada as the official launch of National Science and Technology Week 2012 through Science.gc.ca.
Following strict guidelines, students had to sign in, and the entire activity was documented with time-stamped video and pictures to ensure the group was following the outlined rules. After a brief video introduction from Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, the students watched another short clip that demonstrated the two different experiments – “the Kissing Balloons” and “the Water Mister”. Using simple materials such as balloons, string, plastic cups and water provided at each table, the students then worked together in groups to perform both experiments and document their findings. Working in the school’s cafeteria, giggles and laughter could be heard throughout as each student worked through their part of the experiment. Marymount science teacher Lise Callahan was the organizer for the event and made sure she followed all outlined instructions for her students to be included in this monumentous event. “It seemed pretty simple at first,” Callahan remarked. “Just sign up the students and provide the materials… however, I quickly realized that it was a much more involved process. We have to ensure that everything is done properly to be included in the world record attempt. The students have been quite excited leading up to this event and we are thrilled to be a part of it! At Marymount Academy, we have really outstanding students and knew that their level of enthusiasm for this project would be really high. I am proud of our school for participating and can’t wait to see if we do actually set the record!” All of the participants have to have their results sent by October 19 and would find out soon after if their attempt was successful for inclusion in the Guinness Book of World Records.
St. Raphael Students Work to Establish New World Record
Grade 8 students from teacher Marilyn Barbeau’s class prepare to lead St. Raphael Catholic Elementary students in an amazing 30 minute Science feat. On October 12, 2012, the students will work to establish a new Guinness World Record for the Largest Practical Science Lesson at multiple locations. Thousands of Canadian students will take part in this endeavour at the same time all across Canada. Stay tuned to learn if this industrious student body gets into the record book. For more information, you can visit Science.gc.ca.
Marymount Academy Student Experiences a Summer of Science
This past summer, one Marymount Academy Student had the opportunity of a lifetime. Sandy Qiu, a grade 12 student, spent six weeks taking part in the elite Summer Immersion Program at the Deep River Science Academy in Deep River, Ontario. What started off as a suggestion from one of her friends, resulted in her participation an intensive co-op program focusing on hands on science. At this academy, exceptional high school students actively participate in research, perform experiments, as well as listen to guest lecturers on various science topics. The students also had the opportunity to participate in numerous recreational activities and meet like-minded students from across Canada. All of the successful participants in the program are awarded two high school co-op credits in acknowledgment of their hard work and dedication. Qiu’s project, titled, “Antimony Adsorption on Zirconium Hydroxide in Aqueous Solutions” was completed alongside a University tutor and Scientific Supervisor.
Deep River Science Academy Program Director, Danielle Martin was pleased to have Qiu as part of the science program. “Sandy Qiu was a wonderful addition to our program this summer,” Martin stated. “ She was an excellent ambassador of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and we hope that her attendance instils a sense of pride within your Board. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful student with us this summer.”
Qiu felt that it was an exceptional experience and was glad to have been chosen to take part in it. “It was great to be able to be a part of such a unique program,” Qiu stated. “I was so fortunate to be selected to be one of the participants and it was really an outstanding experience. It is definitely something I would like to continue with in the future.”