The Highlander BERNICE MACNAUGHTON HIGH SCHOOL - MONCTON NEW BRUNSWICK - THURSDAY, MAY 1ST 2014 DEPRESSION: MORE COMMON AT BMHS Than You’d THINK Being bipolar (not being able to control your moods) is also another branch of depression. Both of these, if left untreated, can lead to suicidal depression, the more severe form of depression. This is when you start doubting if your existence is really need on this Earth, and you may start contemplating killing yourself. If you get to this stage, you must seek help immediately. Anxiety is another mood disorder that plagues our society. When linked with depression, it can become quite cumbersome. Richard also has anxiety disorder. “Both [depression and anxiety] work together to make everything altogether just a massive jumbled mess, and a lot of people don’t get phoTo crediT: Tegan Frazee it, and [understand] how bad it is. For school work, my depression makes it so that I can’t even leave my By: Tegan Frazee house, and with anxiety added to that, it’s near impossible. phoTo crediT: TEGAN Frazee epression is a state of low mood. People who suffer So with the near impossibility of going to school, I can’t do from depression may feel anxious, empty, worried, work, or even get caught up. Your grades drop, and then Dworthless, irritable, guilty, and/or restless. These you feel even worse about everything.” people may lose interest in activities that they might have Don’t allow depression to linger, if you think you may be once found quite enjoyable, experience a loss of appetite, experiencing symptoms of this illness, you should seek insomnia or excessive sleeping, fatigue, loss of energy, medical help as soon as possible. If you are simply saying or aches and pains, as symptoms of this mood disorder. that if you give yourself time, you will be able to snap out of Approximately 5% of teens suffer from major depression, it, then you need to reconsider, because clinical depression and 8.3% suffer from depression for more than a year, may stick around indefinitely, if not treated. according to suicide.org. Jordan Richard, a grade 12 student who was diagnosed with depression early last school year described it as a WHAt’s inside? being a ‘nightmare’. “It’s hard enough getting out of bed BMHS SPELLING BEE........................................PAGE 2 in the morning, let alone go to school. People look at you INTERVIEW WITH AN ALUMNUS ..................PAGE 2 differently, as if you are incompetent, but you get used to it. ADVICE TO THE NINES.....................................PAGE 3 Depression is a terrible mental illness that you never grow DRUG USE ATBMHS? .........................................PAGE 4 accustomed to, and it’s no joke.” CAFÉ UNDERGROUND 2014 .............................PAGE 4 Depression is an extremely complex disease, and it can be BEST COFFEE IN MONCTON? ........................PAGE 5 caused by a multitude of reasons, ranging from someone MODEL UN 2014 ...................................................PAGE 6 who was abused as a child to drastic changes in your life, BMHS STUDENTS READ? .................................PAGE 6 to genetics. There is also a long list of different types of ANIME LOVERS AT BMHS ................................PAGE 7 depression; atypical (often called chronic or Dysthymia) is LIVING WITH ADHD ..........................................PAGE 8 the most common, and least severe form of depression. CELEBRITIES we’ve LOST THIS YEAR ......PAGE 9 page 1 - The highlander - march 2014 BMHS SPELLING BEE By: meaghan Beale n April 11th, BMHS held its 2nd Annual Spelling Bee, which acted as the culmination of a school-wide OLiteracy Awareness Week. The Spelling Bee attracted the patronage of over 40 students who were then able to experience speaking on stage in front of a group of their peers. In addition to experience in public exposure, students were provided with a unique opportunity to increase their literacy skills in a casual environment. Participants were also awarded prizes of books, gift cards, games, certificates, and medals which were donated by BMHS’ Student Government, Chapters, and Tech Knowledge Solutions (TKS), who have each been sponsors of the event for two consecutive years. The Spelling Bee provided an optimum setting for students to hone a number of unique skills. “Some people are incredibly skilled in experimenting with chemicals, solving algebraic formulas, sports, etc.,” said second year Spelling Bee Committee member, Asma Hamam, “And I think that it would be a shame that we don’t celebrate all skills and INTERVIEW WITH specialities.” After six rounds of play, Nate Unger established himself as A BMHS ALUMNUS the winner of the Spelling Bee. Justin Roy and Jesse Roy By: KaTrina leger took 2nd and 3rd place respectively in the seventh round. “Winning was very nice,” said Unger. ohn Leger is a former student of Bernice McNaughton High School. He graduated in 1980, when the school The Spelling Bee committee hopes to make the annual event was only a trade school. At the time he was here at a permanent fixture in student life. “We hope it will be an J BMHS, it was almost all boys and only few girls in the even bigger success next year than it was this year,” said school; in fact, there was only one girl in his graduation grade 10 student Lori Mombourquette, “literacy is not the class. importance of the words but the importance of the ideas they portray.” Leger stated “I was at BMHS for two years and took machine shop.” He also mentioned that he regrets not going to his senior prom. Leger, when asked if he remembered who his homeroom teacher was, and he replied “Mr. (Harry) Dole was my homeroom teacher.” Near the end of the interview, he also mentioned that he 2014 finalists did not keep in contact with anyone from his graduation Jesse and class. He now works as a courier at Purolator, where he Justin roy has been for the past 20 years. Spelling Bee participants pose with their certificates. (photo credit: meaghan Beale) page 2 - The highlander - march 2014 of the point of it.” Similarly, Prom Committee member Maeve Murphy has two pieces of advice for incoming freshmen: “Get involved in anything and everything you can, and work hard in school. Don’t slip behind in your marks… I learned that the hard way.” Alex Pattison, a graduating student, echoes Murphy’s suggestion to get involved, adding that his first experience with extracurriculars was joining BMHS Drama in eleventh grade during the drama club’s production of Grease, in which he opened the performance with a musical number. “In ninth grade, before Grease, I was so shy and innocent,” he joked. “There’s not a lot of opportunity outside of high school to do these things; join all the clubs while you still can.” While graduation day approaching is almost too much excitement to bear, for most students, they will be facing a very troubling problem—as many of us begin to ADVICE FROM BMHS’ go off to university, we’re forced to lose some connections that we’ve had our entire lives. OLDEr “SIBLINgs” For Tegan Frazee, her friendships are a high priority: “I’m What if the grads of 2014 could speak going to miss my friends so much. Everyone’s going all to their grade nine selves? over the place, so we’ll rarely see each other, if ever. Also,” Frazee added, “I’m going to miss having money… By: MAYA mUTTer because when I go to university, I’m going to be so broke.” Student Government member Meaghan Beale has some ernice MacNaughton’s 2013-2014 school year is connections she’ll be forced to let go of as well, perhaps quickly coming to a close, and many graduating the most tragic of all… “I’m going to miss my parents doing Bstudents are taking time to self-reflect on their senior my laundry for me.” year and their high school experience. One way or another, the time everyone has spent here at BMHS has impacted With all of the jokes aside, BMHS has been the center them, and some grads are returning the favour by making of our lives for the past four years, and in the case of the most of these final months… as well as revisiting their grad student Marla Rogers, there were some wise words freshman year. learned from experience to be shared with both the grads and the incoming freshmen. “I was super naïve about everything in grade nine, but also excited about school and reading and friends and my “High school isn’t the movies; The Breakfast Club will life,” twelfth-grade student Emily Buck shared. “Overall, never happen. Try and reinvent yourself, and try to find [grad year has] been enlightening. I’m far more aware of your way in the world, but the true change won’t happen the world now.” until later in life. Do the things you like. Be creative. Be different. But don’t hate yourself for the way you look, the So what advice would Buck give her freshman self now? grades you’re making, or any other reason. High school is “Grad year has been pretty amazing. It’s opened my scary, but it’s a time to enjoy yourself.” eyes to the real world, and it’s exciting and terrifying. If I saw my freshman self now, I’d say that life gets easier, Graduating class of 2014, do not go gently into that good better and most stressful… but it’s worth it. I’ll miss the night… let’s make the next fifty days some to remember familiarity of [high school], mostly, but part of growing up for the rest of our lives.