Summer-2021-V3

Summer 2021 The Blue Devil is in The Details National anthem: should it stay or should it go? Continued on page 4 Tips for next year’s Grade 12s from one of this year’s Continued on page 4 The halfway point of gender equality in a pandemic Continued on page 10 Mr. Barghout on his First Year at Laurier Zain Khurram transfer, all he has had to say ways to stay connected online Grade 11 has been positive. He admits through story circles or virtual this has been a strange year to clubs. He also wants to empha- Mr. Barghout became our say the least, but he is getting size the importance of exercis- newest Vice Principal in Sep- to know the Guildwood com- ing and going outside. tember after being transferred munity and is very glad and “Limit your screen-time as from David and Mary Thom- proud to be a Blue Devil. He much as possible. This is an son Collegiate Institute, serv- is extremely impressed by the important time in your lives, ing nearly 3 years as an English student community at Laurier, Curriculum Leader. Since his Continued on page 2 especially how we still found 2 New VP Reflects on the Year going outside is vital for your He has fond memories of his Mr. Barghout is such a fan mental and physical health youth, riding the Scarborough of poetry, that if you remember during these unprecedented RT from Ellesmere station, this past Halloween, he dressed times” said Mr. Barghout over and attending Winston Chur- up as Edgar Allen Poe to give a Zoom call. chill Collegiate Institute. His out candy to the Laurier stu- “Let the little things go, and fondest memory is his group of dent body. He got into poetry try not to stress about home- when he watched a Simpsons work or other urgencies in life. Halloween special which fea- Keeping a routine and sticking tured Poe’s “The Raven”. The to good habits will ease a lot of “Scarborough parody inspired him to write the pressure and fatigue online his own pieces which ignited school can carry.” is in my blood. his passion. He also enjoys jog- Once the pandemic has ging in his local area whenever subsided, Mr. Barghout hopes I love the peo- he gets the chance. to introduce clubs revolving His favourite poets include around two of his passions, ple who help Robert Frost, Walt Whitman, wrestling and poetry. While Maya Angelou, Mahmoud these two clubs may contrast Scarbrough Darwish, and Khalil Gibran. one another, he truly believes His favourite wrestlers include that they can be life changing move. They Jordan Burroughs, Frank by helping to bring the best Chamizo, and one of his for- out of a student, either on the are open to mer students, Dillon Williams, mat or through a spoken word who is now a national cham- piece. He shared a story about help, kind, and pion. a recent refugee arriving from As a final message, Mr. Syria at his old school. The handworking. I Barghout wanted to say that refugee was timid, and did not we need to look for the light speak or interact much with am proud to be and for the joy in our everyday the school’s students and staff. lives. It can be hard sometimes, But through a poem, they were from Scarbor- but take it one step at a time. In able to share deepest experi- the words of poet Robert Frost, ences and connect with other ough’’ take the road less traveled, it students. makes all the difference. Mr. Barghout also hopes he can assist with a gradual re- friends, nicknamed the “Unit- opening of the school’s library ed Nations” because they all so students can pick up and came from different cultural drop off books safely as well as backgrounds. He reminisced spend time in it as a commu- over the fact that he got to nity. experience many great cultures Mr. Barghout grew up in simply by visiting his friends’ Scarborough like many of us. houses. 3 20 Million Reasons Why Laurier Champions of Change include Maternal and Newborn The financial support Various Grades Child Health, Prevention and received from donors goes Plan International is an Treatment of HIV, Accelerated directly towards a wide variety international organization ded- Learning Programs for out-of- of necessities such as educa- icated to advancing the equal- school children, Child Mar- tional materials, victim support ity of girls and improving the riage Protection and several systems, and maternal health lives of children. Working in other initiatives. The installa- programs all across the globe. more than 70 countries around tion of these programs in com- In Rwanda, maternal health the world, their primary ob- munities continually empowers programs have helped thou- jective is to empower youth and creates change in the lives sands of pregnant women. By and communities to tackle the of many young children. training healthcare workers, root causes of discrimination. A young girl who was pos- Plan was able to change the Here at Laurier, Champions itively impacted by this cam- lives of 826 babies who were of Change is one of the many paign is Sen, a Vietnamese stu- born prematurely. nationwide high school clubs dent who was falling behind in It is not only large corpora- affiliated with Plan. the sixth grade. This was not a tions and businesses that can The 20 Million Reasons concern for the people around participate in this program. Campaign aims to “unleash the her because she was expected You as an individual can do so potential of 20 million chil- to marry and eventually drop much to help others around dren’’ by 2022. It is an unprec- out to fulfill “domestic duties the world. Donating to Plan edented initiative to raise $100 at home.” Fortunately, Plan Canada is only one of the million by Canadians, and it is established a ‘girl’s rights club’ ways to support their causes. predicted that they will achieve in her community in order to By educating ourselves, we $750 million of total impact help children like Sen. In this can help to spread awareness for children worldwide. Plan’s club, Sen discovered that girls about their initiatives. Stay goal is to advance sustainable can study just like the boys in informed and educated about equality and to create a world her community. She eventually what is happening in the world. where everyone can have the developed a love for learning You have the potential to help same rights and freedoms and found the courage to tell empower and improve the regardless of their gender or her parents that she wanted lives of 20 million children situation. This campaign tar- to pursue an education rather too! You can help exercise their gets areas of health, education, than be married. rights to an education, better and child protection. Each area With the support of the 20 healthcare, and sanitation. Join focuses on creating programs Million Reasons Campaign, Laurier Champions of Change to improve and ensure the girls can find the ability to to get involved and to learn health and safety of children recognize their own potential more about other initiatives around the world. It helps by learning to be persistent. by Plan International. You can communities invest in sectors The campaign has given young help educate others and bring such as healthcare and disease women hope for a future in awareness to this initiative by prevention to ensure children higher education and the stepping up and taking action can get valuable knowledge knowledge and resources to today! and life skills. These programs develop leadership skills. 4 This Song Again, Eh? Anjali Mookerjea patriotism, the better. There’s Half the time the anthem doesn’t Grade 12 also the argument that schools even have lyrics when it’s played. Before I start the article, let in Ontario are, for the most part, What are we supposed to be feel- us pause for the playing of the government funded. So it makes ing patriotic towards then? The national anthem. O Canada, Our sense that they would want to acoustic guitars? Home and Native Land - I’m just encourage students to respect the There’s also the issue of why the kidding with you. Unlike the government. anthem is only played in schools. TDSB, I’m not under mandate At this point, you may be Surely, if the Ontario government from the Ontario Ministry of Ed- thinking that this sounds pretty was this committed to fostering ucation to either begin or end any good, right? At worst it’s a couple patriotism amongst Ontarians, of my writing with the national minutes out of your day and at then it would be far more com- anthem. But imagine if I was... best it will transform you into a mon in our day to day life. But Thats no joke. According to the model citizen, the poster child of think about the last time you Ministry of Education, all public democracy and public education. heard the anthem outside of an elementary and secondary schools What’s the issue? educational setting. Not every day. must either start or end the day by Well, believe it or not, many Furthermore, schools aren’t playing O Canada. people do take issue with that. For unique in their being government The Ministry justifies this starters, not all provinces actually funded. Libraries, TTC vehicles, rule with the argument that the require the anthem to be played in government buildings, and public anthem fosters patriotism in stu- the way Ontario does.

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