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CONFEDERATION SECONDARY SCHOOL
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- Keshia Chante
& Evolutionary Band Help Local Elementary Students Celebrate
Reading
- Mme Helene Berthiaume's French
Immersion Students From Confederation Secondary School Write About
Their Trip To Europe During The March Break 2007
- Kelsey Patterson Has
Chance To Earn Bursary By Volunteering Her Time To
Recruit Blood Donors
- Tasha Devost
Follows Her Heart In Deciding On The Right Career Path
- Confederation
Secondary School Music Program Runs State-Of-The-Art Recording
Studio
- Confederation Secondary School Students
Help Fill The Shelves Of Local Food Banks
- Pet Palace Takes In
Co-op Student From Confederation Secondary School
- Spaghetti
Dinner Tickets For Valley East Lions Charity Days Now Available From
Confederation Secondary School Travel Group
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Keshia Chante
& Evolutionary Band Help Local Elementary Students Celebrate
Reading |
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One
of Canada's fastest rising music stars will joined Confederation Secondary
School's Evolutionary Band to promote literacy in Rainbow Schools on April
20, 2007.
Keshia Chante, on the right, was in the audience when this year's
Reading Rocks Concert hit the stage at about 1 p.m.
Above, she is shown in the middle of the picture with sunglasses on top
of her head, acknowledging the introduction of the band by Norm McIntosh,
Music Director at Confederation Secondary School and director of
Evolutionary.
Grade 3 to 8 students at Redwood Acres Public School, Pinecrest
Public School, Valley View Public School and C.R. Judd Public School who
reach their monthly reading goals were in attendance. You can see some of
the crowd in the photos above and below. Over 1,000 students attended the
event.
"Keshia Chante is a name kids recognize. She is already an
accomplished Canadian artist despite her young age (18), an excellent role
model for young people," says Evolutionary's Music Director Norm
McIntosh.
During 'Reading Rocks', Keshia congratulated the students on
recognizing the importance of reading and encouraged them to read often in
the years to come. will promote the value of a good education and will
talk about the importance of reading." While at the school she was
interviewed for a documentary on Evolutionary - the Real School of Rock
and spent about an hour before the concert "hanging out" with
members of the band."
Keshia Chante was a 2006 Juno nominee for R&B/Soul Recording of the
Year - a Juno Award she won in 2005. She has many honours to her credit
including Urban Music Awards, the Rising Star Award and a Canadian Radio
Music Award. Her self-titled debut album produced a number of Top 10 radio
singles including "Shook-The Answer," "Unpredictable,"
"Bad Boy," "Does He Love Me" and "Let the Music
Take You." Keshia's debut album surpassed Gold sales in Canada.
Currently signed to Sony/BMG Canada, her latest album "2U" is
already garnering attention in Canada and in the United States. |
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"Promoting reading among children has become a
tradition for Confederation Secondary School," says Principal Mike
Mirka. "Our entire community benefits when children improve their
literacy skills, the very foundation for learning. Every year, 'Reading
Rocks' gets bigger and better with the support of professionals in
the music industry and our very own Evolutionary Band."
Participating schools have implemented a number of strategies to
encourage reading among their students including book clubs, daily silent
reading programs, night time reading at home, book bags, guest readers in
schools, reading buddies, and independent reading incentives. Each school
has developed an individual plan to promote reading that involves
students, parents/guardians and community members. School Councils have
provided invaluable support for the program since its inception, ensuring
ongoing success. |
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Above, Keshia is shown with the most important person in
her life - her agent and mother, Teresa Angnelo. Behind them is
Confederation's Tiffany Roberts.
Keshia was only 13 years old when she started her professional career
as an entertainer. When she turns 19 on June 16, 2007, she will have lived
what observers would call an amazing period of growth and development, not
only as a singer, but also as a person.
"My fondest memories of elementary school are of talent shows and
school plays," Keshia recalled. "I remember what it was like
being in school. You are exposed to everything, but the thing I loved the
most was reading. It is something that I still do a lot and I would do
anything to help promote reading to school children. That is why I am here
today."
Although Keshia required a tutor during her final year of secondary
school, missing over 150 days while on tour, she is still proud of the
fact that she graduated with her classmates and ended up with an average
of 98% in both math and english.
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Keshia knows that her career on stage will one day come to
an end, but she is becoming an expert in the business side of the
profession as well. "I have a number of goals that I set for myself,
and one day I want to be involved in the marketing and branding of other
young singers, helping them on to successful careers."
Indeed, Keshia is constantly growing and evolving despite her young
age. Her 2nd album is coming out in December and she is working on her 3rd
single. She also had a diamond jewellery line coming out soon.
The message she left with the members of the Evolutionary Band and with
the students who were on hand to celebrate reading was clear. "Follow
your dreams and cherish your education. That is one thing that noone can
take away from you.
We will all be watching Keshia's career unfold with great interest - a
remarkable talent, and a more remarkable young lady. |
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Mme Helene Berthiaume's French
Immersion Students From Confederation Secondary School Write About
Their Trip To Europe During The March Break 2007 |
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Written by Adam Leger:
To go to
Europe
is a great trip on its own, but to go to
Europe
with your friends and classmates makes it the trip of a lifetime.
On March 7th I was on my first trans-Atlantic plane
ride, it took me from Pearson International to
Frankfurt
in just one night, or morning if you go by their time.
From there, after a few hours wait, we flew trans-continental over
a few select countries to Roma, the capital city of
Italy
. Our first real day in
Europe
was filled with sight-seeing: we visited the
Vatican City
, the smallest independent state in the world.
Our next stop was the Coliseum,
where the gladiatorial contests took place.
We also saw the old ruins of
Rome
, the traffic in
Rome
, the Spanish steps, the packed subways, or as they call it, the Metro,
the Trevi Fountain. That
evening, we all went back to the
Vatican City
to see it lit up at night. Our
next visit was to
Assisi
, a town in
Italy
where great olive oil is made. We stopped there on our way to
Florence
, the leather capital of the world, where great wallets and purses are
made. After leaving
Florence
, we crossed the French border after dropping by to see the Leaning Tower
of Pisa. The first day in
France
was spent traveling to another county,
Monaco
(the best country, after
Canada
, in the world, as far as I’m concerned). Also while in Nice, we visited
a chocolate factory, a perfume factory, and the
Mediterranean Sea
. Our last two days were spent
in
Paris
, shopping, visiting the Louvre, the
largest museum in the entire world, the
Eiffel
Tower
and a few select cathedrals. The
trip was capped off by another trans-Atlantic
plane ride, my second one in two weeks, and a not-so-great plane meal.
The trip to
Europe
that I experienced was fun and unforgettable.
I would do it ten thousand times over. With the same great people:
students and teachers. It truly was the trip of a lifetime. |
Written by Chris: During the March break in 2007, my
fellow French Immersion classmates and I visited
Europe
. We visited
Italy
and
France
, two very remarkable countries in their own right.
In
Italy
, we toured around
Rome
,
Vatican City
, the region of
Tuscany
,
Assisi
,
Pisa
and
Florence
. In
France
we visited Nice,
Versailles
and
Paris
. It was an extremely
memorable experience and the memories of the trip are definitely going to
stay with me my entire life. The
values and the culture of
Europe
are quite different from those in
Canada
. For example, the
Europeans’ main meal is usually around lunch hour, and the equivalent of
our lunch is their dinner. This
shocked the students in the group because we were not used to this
routine, and we had to get used to it for our time spent in
Europe
. The architecture of the
buildings was amazing, and the houses and buildings do not resemble those
of
North America
, but rather of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
There were pillars carved out of marble, and the churches were as
immense as our biggest one in
Canada
, but in
Europe
they are in every small town. This
was an eye-opening experience because even in the small towns we visited,
there was a huge cathedral, with remarkable carvings, paintings, and
tapestries. This trip
definitely will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I recommend
everyone to visit
Europe
. As far as I am concerned, it
is the most technologically, culturally, and sociologically advanced
continent on Earth. |
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Kelsey Patterson Has
Chance To Earn Bursary By Volunteering Her Time To
Recruit Blood Donors |
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Seventeen year old Kelsey Patterson, a Grade 12 student at
Confederation Secondary School in Val Caron, hopes to enter
the University of Guelph in September 2007 in search of an
eventual PhD in Psychology. In order to help raise money for
her education, Kelsey has volunteered to participate in the
Bloodstock 2006 Program with the Canadian Blood Services
Sudbury Branch.
According to Brandy Duhaime, Communications Specialist in
Northeastern Ontario with the Canadian Blood Services, in
order to meet the challenge of collecting blood during the
summer months, Canadian Blood Services invites Grade 11 and 12
students in the City of Greater Sudbury to become blood donor
recruiters. Student recruiters, like Kelsey, are then required
to sign up a minimum of 25 blood donors who will donate
between July 4 and September 1. If successful, the student's
name is placed in a raffle for Education Bursaries of from
$250 to $1000, to be used upon graduation from high school.
For Kelsey, it has been quite an experience. "I find
it very rewarding to talk to people about donating blood. For
example, one unit of blood can be used for up to three
different patients. A lot of people are not aware of that. I
plan on becoming a regular blood donor and will be giving my
first donation on my 17th birthday." Kelsey was true to
her word and is shown above with Health Worker, Shiela
Gravelle, who gave Kelsey a birthday to remember. Kelsey gives
the thumbs up to show that everything was great afterwards.
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Tasha Devost
Follows Her Heart In Deciding On The Right Career Path |
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Tasha Devost, a Grade 12 student at Confederation Secondary School, is
shown in the school's recording studio with Lianne Caron, a Grade 11
recording engineer in the background.
Tasha has always dreamed about one day being a famous
performer.
"When I was little I was always singing and dancing, pretending to
be a famous star," she reflected. "As I got older I continued to
build up more and more interest in music. I've played the sax for five
years and the keyboard for a year. I'm also in the Confed band."
However, when she took the first part of the Music program last year,
Tasha discovered something.
"I realized my own personal limitations when it came to
performing, and know that it would be unrealistic for me to try to get
into a career on stage, but when I took Mr. McIntosh's music class I
discovered that I could still make a career out of my passion for music on
the technical side," this very mature young lady explained.
"I've decided that I am going to go to college next year to become a recording
engineer," stated Tasha. "What I've found is that I totally
enjoy editing and adding technical enhancements to a recording. The best
part of it is when you let a person listen to the CD that you have just
worked on. When you see how good they feel about the creation you have
worked on, it gives you a real special feeling. I know this is what I want
to do for a living and I am so glad I took Mr. McIntosh's music course to
discover what I can do with my life." For Tasha, performing magic
by editing and adding special effects to a recording gives her as much
satisfaction and should lead to a very rewarding life in the music
industry. If you link to the CAREER
PLANNER web site you will see that Tasha is taking the right steps to
ensuring a great future.
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Confederation
Secondary School Music Program Runs State-Of-The-Art Recording
Studio |
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"A Solid Music Program Helps
Students In Many Other Disciplines" According to Norm McIntosh, Music Director at Confederation Secondary
School who doesn't hesitate a bit when asked what he likes most about music.
"I love live bands," he exclaims. "There is just
something about a live band which captures the essence of music and that
is why I have devoted my entire career to this segment of the
industry."
Norm is shown with one of the students in his Music class, Lianne
Caron, who is a "Recording Engineer" in the State-of-The-Art
Recording Studio that was built with the help of a $23,000 Trillium Grant
from the Valley East Lions Club. Lianne, who is in Grade 11, watches
carefully while two students from Pinecrest Public School (see article
below) record their song for a CD that was being produced by the class.
Approximately one group or individual per week comes to the studio each
week The school asks for a donation of $25 per hour, which includes the
time in the studio to record the music, complete editing and technical
refinement of the recording, transferring the music on to a CD and the
finished product ready to take home in about two weeks. For about $50 you
can record an entire CD and walk away with a professional product that is
as good as you will get anywhere!
"This studio is one of the best kept secrets in Valley East,"
McIntosh declared. "We use professional equipment and recording
software that is currently used in over 80% of the recording studios in
the country. The studio is large enough to accommodate an 80 person choir
or a single performer. We even record our Evolutionary Band here."
Despite the technological advances being made in the industry, Norm feels
that as long as young people are encouraged to develop an "ear for
music" there is no fear that computer generated music will replace
live performances. However, he feels that music programs in schools in
Ontario must continue to be funded and even expanded or students will lose
a lot more than the chance to play in a band.
"It has been well documented that music students do much better in
other curriculum areas. Because music is such an exact science, it
develops a desire for perfection in a young person. For example, if you
have a 100 question test in math and you get 90 correct, you will get an
'A' and feel good about yourself. However, if you have a 100 note musical
piece and you make 10 mistakes, the end result will be terrible and you
will certainly not get an 'A'," explained McIntosh.
"Another thing working in a band teaches you is team-work. If you
have a 24 member band, the group is only as good as the weakest player.
Therefore, you see a lot more cooperation and encouragement as stronger
players help the weaker players become better. One person off key can
destroy an entire performance, so there is definitely a commitment to
working together as a team," McIntosh went on.
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For more stories and photos
about the Confederation Recording Studio...
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Confederation Secondary School Students
Help Fill The Shelves Of Local Food Banks |
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Anne Unwin, 2nd from the left, Director of the Good
Neighbours Food Bank in Hanmer, and Charlie Larmondin, of the Capreol
Lions, gratefully accept cheques from Stephanie Moyle, left, and Laura
Cirelli, far right. The 16-year old Grade 11 students from Confederation
Secondary School were presenting each of the two organizations with
cheques amounting to $320. The $640 was donated from the staff of the
school. This was on top of the 1257 food items that were already picked up
from the school following a two-hour canvassing blitz in the communities
of Valley East and Capreol on December 7.
Stephanie and Laura are both Ministers of Public Affairs with the
Student Parliament. They along with fellow Grade 11 classmate, Amanda
Alcock, 2nd from the right in the photo below, spearheaded the food drive,
which has been done annually for the past 24 years at the school.
Ms Tiffany Roberts, who teaches Grade 10 and 12 English, was the
Co-Chair of the initiative along with Ms. Pat Miller, a Special Education
Teacher at the school. |
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In recognition of the volunteer work, the three girls were
also awarded with special Certificates of Volunteerism from Ray Bonin, MP
for Nickel Belt.
According to Larmondin, "When we lost our high school in 1996, it
left a big hole in our Christmas food drive campaign. However,
Confederation Secondary School immediately took up the slack and ever
since then has included us in their annual drive."
Some students canvassed for food in Capreol during the blitz, thanks in
large part to the free bus transportation that was provided by Northway
Bus Lines for the event. The Capreol Lions will deliver 74 Christmas
hampers to needy Capreol families.
Other companies that deserve special thanks for their contributions on
"blitz day" include:
- Valley Growers who donated one hundred 10 pound bags of potatoes;
- Tim Hortons (both Val Caron and Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre
locations) for providing timbits, hot chocolate and cookies to the
canvassers;
- Canun International for providing the boxes in which to pack the
food:
- Northway Bus Lines for providing free bus transportation for the
canvassers.
Amand Alcock commented, "It is sad to see that this is needed, but
it is nice to see that people in the community were so generous."
According to Laura Cirelli, "I was surprised at how much time was
involved in organizing this food drive, but it was worth it because we
were so successful."
For Stephanie, it was a very rewarding experience. "Everyone
worked hard and it all came together. It was very satisfying to see the
results."
Ms Roberts and Ms. Miller were very proud of the students for their
efforts to make Christmas a little bit better for so many people. However,
everyone involved agreed that more must be done by the community to
address the underlying problem of poverty that inflicts so many people in
our society today. Canada is a land of abundance, so it is not acceptable
that so many people have come to depend on food banks for
sustenance.
Once again, however, the students of Confederation Secondary School
have come forward when needed and it was much appreciated by Ann Unwin and
Charlie Larmondin as well as the people they represent.
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Pet Palace Provides Coop Student With A
Great Practical Experience |
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Lisa Froemmel, owner of Pet Palace on the left, is shown
with, Janeen Guenette, a Co-op student who has been working every
afternoon from 12 noon to 3 p.m. at the store since September 2005. Her
last day was to be January 26, 2006.
Janeen graduated from Grade 12 at Confederation Secondary School in
June 2005, but like so many of her peers, decided to return for a 5th year
to take several other courses, and in Janeen's case, get some practical
experience through the school's coop program.
"I would like to give recognition and credit to the entire staff
at Pet Palace and thank them for taking me for my coop course,"
stated Janeen. "This has been a wonderful experience that I would
recommend to all high school students when they are in Grade 11 or
12."
Janeen will be attending the Cambrian College Building Bridges Coop
Program in September.
"I love animals," explained Janeen when asked why she wanted
to work at Pet Palace. "I've owned 6 hamsters, 6 birds, 3 rats, and
tons of fish. Besides, the store is within walking distance of my home and
Lisa has known me since I was very young."
Co-op students are expected to perform all of the duties and
responsibilities of a regular staff member, while under the supervision of
the staff. Therefore, Janeen not only had a chance to work with the
animals, she was also very helpful with customers and learned everything
there is to know about running a retail pet store.
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Janeen developed the above display board as part of a
presentation she made to her teacher, Mr. Earl Cote, and during an open
house at Confederation Secondary School. There were over 30 students in
the co-op program during the first semester, so it is evident that more
and more students are taking advantage of this opportunity. Students who
participate in a co-op program receive 2 credits towards their Secondary
School diploma. |
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SPAGHETTI SUPPER DINNER TICKETS
FOR VALLEY EAST LIONS CHARITY DAYS NOW AVAILABLE FROM CONFEDERATION
SECONDARY SCHOOL GROUP |
The Confederation Secondary School
French Immersion Educational Tour group is now selling tickets to
the Spaghetti Supper which will be one of the highlights of the Valley East
Lions Charity Days being held at the Centennial Arena in Hanmer on
Saturday, September 9, 2006. Tickets are only $6.00 each. For this
you get a full plate of spaghetti, salad, a bun and coffee.
Companies, businesses and organizations are encouraged to consider
purchasing a whole table of eight seats for only $48.00. The food
for the Spaghetti Dinner is being provided by Desjardins' Food
Basics so that the entire proceeds of the event will go to help the
Travelling Group.
If you are
interested in purchasing tickets to support the Confederation
Secondary School French Immersion Educational Tour, you can contact
Gisele McCue at 969-3996.
In the above photo, Gisele is shown putting the final touches to the
display table at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on September 2.
Two of the students who will be going on the trip next March were on
hand for the day selling tickets. The students, Chris Burns on the
left and Ian Henri on the right, are both going into Grade 11 this
year. They are looking forward to the trip which will take them to
France and Italy during the March Break.
Other fund-raising activities will be held during
the year so that the students can earn money to pay for the trip,
but more importantly so that they can develop communication and
employability skills which will benefit them in their quest to
become prepared for a career after they complete their formal
education.
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