a newsletter for the families of st michael’s choir school · an entertaining musical showcase,...

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We are always pleased with the positive attention our school receives. For the second year in a row, our school has been ranked as the top school in Ontario by the Fraser Institute. We are proud of our talented students who work so hard and we are proud of the teachers who strive to bring out the best in their students. When asked about our school‟s success, I speak about the role of the arts at the heart of a rounded edu- cation and make a point of mentioning our strong partnership with par- ents. Our school‟s success owes much to the high level of commitment of every family to the mission of the school „to educate boys to become men through the service of sacred music‟ – a mission anchored in our faith. More gratifying than numerical assessment, our graduates, „Christian men for others‟, are a powerful testimony to the education they have received at St Mi- chael‟s Choir School. As parents and as teachers, we view them as the true measure of our school‟s success. Early in March, after two days of filming and recording for our Christmas special, our community enjoyed a wonderful celebration with our chancellor, Cardinal Collins. After the March Break, we hosted the „Witness Cross‟ which is making its way through every school in the board. This month, success was observed in the classroom, at the Toronto Science Fair, on the volleyball court with the Junior Elementary team bringing home the pennant, with the start of the Lego program and at an entertaining musical showcase, „Concept Lounge‟. At the end of April, our senior choristers are heading off to Nova Scotia for what promises to be another memorable tour. But before that, April begins with Holy Week. The boys have been learn- ing and rehearsing music in anticipation of the various services connected with this, the high point of the liturgical year. May the celebration of the Resurrection inspire hope in each one of us. On behalf of the entire staff, I wish you all a joyful Easter. The Sword of St Michael The ceremonial sword of St Michael, used in various school ceremonies, is a rich symbol. It signifies the spiri- tual knighthood to which the brotherhood is called, reminds us of the spiritual battle and inspires us to be „sharp‟ in all that we do as we live out the vocation to be a man for others. It is housed in a beautiful case in the front hall which was created and donated to his alma mater by Marco Corrente, Graduate of 2000. Principal’s Greeting SMCS Newsletter A Newsletter for the Families of St Michael’s Choir School Our Mission: S t . M i c h a e l ’ s C h o i r S c h o o l i s a C a t h o l i c C o m m u n i t y w h o s e p r i m a r y m i s s i o n i s t h e e d u c a t i o n o f y o u n g C h r i s t i a n g e n t l e m e n . A t t h e c e n t r e o f t h e c o m m u n i t y ’ s a c a d e m i c e f f o r t t o m a k e t h e u n i v e r s e i n t e l l i g i b l e t o g r o w i n g m i n d s i s a n e x p e r i e n c e o f m u s i c f o r t h e p r a i s e o f G o d i n J e s u s C h r i s t ——————————— St. Michael’s Choir School 67 Bond Street Toronto, On M5B 1X2 Telephone: (416) 393-5518 Fax: (416) 393-5880 [email protected] CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS APRIL/ MAY, 2012

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Page 1: A Newsletter for the Families of St Michael’s Choir School · an entertaining musical showcase, „Concept Lounge‟. At the end of April, our senior choristers are heading off

We are always pleased with the positive attention our school receives.

For the second year in a row, our school has been ranked as the top

school in Ontario by the Fraser Institute. We are proud of our talented

students who work so hard and we are proud of the teachers who strive

to bring out the best in their students. When asked about our school‟s

success, I speak about the role of the arts at the heart of a rounded edu-

cation and make a point of mentioning our strong partnership with par-

ents. Our school‟s success owes much to the high level of commitment of

every family to the mission of the school – „to educate boys to become

men through the service of sacred music‟ – a mission anchored in our

faith. More gratifying than numerical assessment, our graduates,

„Christian men for others‟, are a powerful testimony to the education they have received at St Mi-

chael‟s Choir School. As parents and as teachers, we view them as the true measure of our

school‟s success.

Early in March, after two days of filming and recording for our Christmas special, our community

enjoyed a wonderful celebration with our chancellor, Cardinal Collins. After the March Break, we

hosted the „Witness Cross‟ which is making its way through every school in the board. This month,

success was observed in the classroom, at the Toronto Science Fair, on the volleyball court with

the Junior Elementary team bringing home the pennant, with the start of the Lego program and at

an entertaining musical showcase, „Concept Lounge‟.

At the end of April, our senior choristers are heading off to Nova Scotia for what promises to be

another memorable tour. But before that, April begins with Holy Week. The boys have been learn-

ing and rehearsing music in anticipation of the various services connected with this, the high point

of the liturgical year. May the celebration of the Resurrection inspire hope in each one of us. On

behalf of the entire staff, I wish you all a joyful Easter.

The Sword of St Michael

The ceremonial sword of St Michael, used in various school ceremonies, is a rich symbol. It signifies the spiri-

tual knighthood to which the brotherhood is called, reminds us of the spiritual battle and inspires us to be

„sharp‟ in all that we do as we live out the vocation to be a man for others. It is housed in a beautiful case in

the front hall which was created and donated to his alma mater by Marco Corrente, Graduate of 2000.

Principal’s Greeting

TCDSB

SMCS Newsletter A Newsletter for the Families of St Michael’s Choir School

Our Mission:

S t . M i c h a e l ’ s

C h o i r S c h o o l i s a

C a t h o l i c

C o m m u n i t y

w h o s e p r i m a r y

m i s s i o n i s t h e

e d u c a t i o n o f

y o u n g C h r i s t i a n

g e n t l e m e n . A t

t h e c e n t r e o f t h e

c o m m u n i t y ’ s

a c a d e m i c e f f o r t

t o m a k e t h e

u n i v e r s e

i n t e l l i g i b l e t o

g r o w i n g m i n d s i s

a n e x p e r i e n c e o f

m u s i c f o r t h e

p r a i s e o f G o d i n

J e s u s C h r i s t

———————————

St. Michael’s Choir School

67 Bond Street

Toronto, On M5B 1X2

Telephone: (416) 393-5518

Fax: (416) 393-5880

[email protected]

TCDSB

TCDSB

CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS APRIL/ MAY, 2012

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SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 2

I continue to marvel at how quickly the time passes at St. Michael‟s Choir School.

March, although delightfully interrupted by the week-long holiday, was filled with excit-

ing events. First and foremost was the celebration welcoming Cardinal Collins to the

Cathedral as our Chancellor. The Cardinal reminded us that music plays an integral

role in the beauty of liturgy, assisting all to come closer to God. Thank you to staff,

parents, and boys for making this event a memorable “moment” for all.

The piano recital season ended with some impressive performances from the boys. I am eagerly

awaiting the organ and voice recitals which take place later in the year. Please remember that all are

invited regardless of whether your son is on stage.

The DVD recording days, in early March, were spectacular. Despite the pressure of a very tight

schedule, the boys and their conductors were completely on their game. Even the weather cooper-

ated allowing the boys to walk from the school to St. Paul‟s Basilica without having to brave the ele-

ments. You can expect an exceptional video/audio product to be broadcast next December. Pre-

orders for this unique DVD will be taken sometime in the fall.

Holy Week is upon us and I invite you to attend the special services at the St. Michael‟s Cathedral.

On Wednesday evening April 4th, the gentlemen and alumni sing the Tenebrae Responsaries com-

posed by Msgr. Ronan. This service of prayers, readings and music is one of the most moving cere-monies of the Lenten season. If you have never been to a Tenebrae service please consider attend-

ing this year. You can find the schedule for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter

Sunday on the Cathedral‟s website. www.stmichaelscathedral.com

A number of parents have called to enquire about the new Child‟s Art Credit for tax season. I

would like to make sure everyone is clear about the CRA directive. “Fees charged for programs that

form part of a school's curriculum will not be eligible.”

Finally, a word about ITALY‟13 – the auditorium was packed at last Thursday‟s announcement about

our trip next year. Very soon, the packet of information will be available on-line. Please be re-

minded that deposits for this trip are due this month. Your deposit of $300 is fully refundable until

June 8th. I remain hopeful that we will have a large contingent of Choir School boys and family mem-

bers arriving in Rome next April.

1 wish for your family a week of prayerful reflection and a most blessed and happy Easter season.

Most sincerely,

W. Edward McCall, SMCS „79

Choral News

Executive Director’s Message

CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS APRIL/MAY, 2012

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CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS APRIL/MAY, 2012

Dr. J. Cichocki „77 presents his composition to Cardinal Collins Cardinal Collins and Cellino Trozzo

WELCOMING THE CARDINAL - OUR CHANCELLOR

SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 3

Harry Hodson „60- Director & Principal - 1980-2004

David Gatchalian „87 - Co-President of CSAC

Dan Smith „71 - Principal - 2000-2001

Barbara Grisé, Barry White - Principal, Cardinal Collins,

Edward McCall „79 - Executive Director, Jerzy Cichocki „77

Giacomo Tarascio „99

Mr. White‟s Welcoming Address

Barry White, Jo Anne Davis, Cardinal Collins, Edward McCall Edward McCall, Cardinal Collins, Barry White Jerzy Cichocki

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SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 4

CHAPLAINCY AND STUDENT LEADERSHIP

CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS APRIL/MAY, 2012

The Witness to Faith Cross has come and gone, but great memories were made

during its presence! On March 19th, St. Michael‟s Choir School celebrated its first day with the Toronto Catholic District School

Board‟s Witness to Faith Cross. The grade 9 and grade 3 classes held a prayer service at the chapel that included

singing hymns and more complicated repertoire, as well as readings from sacred scripture. Well done to the

grade 3 students who recited the prayers of the faithful! The students were conducted by Grade 9 students;

Manuel Piazza, Baxter Baltazar and Christopher Paties and accompanied by Grade 10 student, Angus Fung.

Along with the prayer service, and in the spirit of the board‟s Year of Witness, our Grade 9 students organized a

street patrol. They made sandwiches before they set out into the streets of our community. All of the sand-

wiches were handed out to disadvantaged people throughout the streets and in shelters. The students finished

the patrol by carrying the Witness to Faith Cross to St. Paul‟s Elementary School to pass it on to the students

there. After seeing first-hand the poverty all around the community, many of the students became much more

thankful for what they have.

The grade 9 class would like to offer a warm thank you to all those who helped in making the prayer service and

street patrols possible. Your help and support is much appreciated!

Written by:

Alex Morano and Jacob Rumsey

Grade 9

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SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 5

STUDENT VOICE

CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS APRIL/MAY, 2012

PATRICK PARRO - PRESIDENT STUDENT COUNCIL 2011-

Student Council Report

You know it‟s the second busiest time of the year for students when the month of March

comes around! March gives us the beginning of spring, the start of many rehearsals in

preparation for the Spring Tour, the multiple celebrations in Holy Week, as well as the nu-

merous tests and assignments due before midterms.

The month of March has been a very productive month for the Student Council internally. Throughout the

month, Student Council has been meeting to plan events to further incorporate and develop the House Sys-

tem into student life for the remainder of the school year, as well as to plan for its continuity in future school

years. At least 2 more house events are planned for the remainder of the school year so keep a look out for

when they will be held!

Aside from that, we also worked hard in hosting, for the 1st time since 2008, Concept Lounge, held on Friday,

March 23, 2012, in our school cafeteria. The event turned out to be an enjoyable night for all in attendance.

Dance acts, rap acts, and acoustic acts were among some that hit the stage (or shall I say, cafeteria floor) that

night. Thank you to all students, staff, teachers, volunteers, and performers, and especially Mr. Woodger &

Mr. Rodrigues for making this night happen.

Mark your calendars and be sure to join us for Jam Night 2012: Friday, June 1st, 2012 at 7:00 PM in the audi-

torium! Auditions begin soon, and tickets go on sale beginning in May!

St Michael‟s Choir School Documentary

A half hour documentary about St Michael‟s Choir School was produced recently by Fountain of Love and

Life and was aired in March on Salt and Life and on Fairchild TV (Chinese channel). The documentary, in

Cantonese with English subtitles, can be viewed on YouTube at: http://youtu.be/e3unkKstyxw

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SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 6

Welcome Message to Cardinal Collins from Co-President - David Gatchalian

Your Eminence, students, staff, teachers and parents…what a joyous occasion we celebrate today as a Choir School Family.

To the students, these occasions are indeed “moments” that hopefully one day you will look back on and remember well. Not so long

ago, I remember the excitement that I felt as a young chorister going to Varsity Stadium and waving wildly to the newly-elevated Cardinal

Carter. And a few years later, I also remember singing in the cathedral for his Holiness Pope John Paul II. In fact, the entire school sat

up in special bleachers all the way across where the organ loft used to be. And on his way out, when his Holiness stopped to thank and

acknowledge the choir, we clapped and cheered as loud as we could! Indeed, what a “moment” that was.

Your Eminence, I can tell you that you too create a similar level of excitement and would like to share a story with you about my little

one, with whom you do carry “rock-star” status.

Before he became a chorister, as a family we would come and listen to his older brother at the 10am Sunday mass and the little one

would frequently ask if “ABC” was going to be there. Now “ABC”, your eminence was my son‟s nickname for you, which of course

stood for “Arch - Bishop Collins”.

Now, if you were celebrating mass, at communion time, we actually would cut across to the centre aisle, ducking to avoid usher detec-

tion while tripping over other parishioners and then budding in line, just so that he could receive communion from “ABC”. This of

course, would take place in full view of his older brother who would be watching us the whole time, just shaking his head, from up on

the sanctuary.

So thank you, your Eminence, on behalf of the parent community for taking time that you do take, to speak with, and connect with the

boys; to celebrate with, and relate to them. As a choir school family, we are excited and proud to congratulate you on your elevation

to the College of Cardinals.

Now, the only thing is with your new post, my little one can‟t refer to you as “ABC” anymore, but he‟s figured out a new nickname for

you, C2.

CSAC NEWS

APRIL/MAY, 2012 CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS

ALUMNI NEWS

Stephen Hegedus „98, bass baritone is playing the role of George Talbot in Pacific Opera Victoria’s pro-

duction of Gaetano Donezetti's Maria Stuarda from April 12th to 20th at the Royal Theatre in Victoria,

BC.

Gordon Mansell ‟75 is the Executive Producer and Artistic Director of ORGANIX presenting

concerts featuring alumni Philip Sarabura ‟77 and David Simon „11

David Simon will present an Organ Recital as part of ORGANIX at the Church of the Holy

Trinity, May 7th, 2012 - 12:15 – 1:15 p.m.

For programme information see www.organixconcerts.ca

Maestro Philip Sarabura will conduct the 32 piece ORGANIX Festival Orchestra at the Opening Gala

Concert on May 9th, 6:30 pm. at St. Paul‟s Anglican Church

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The following beautiful poem was sent to us, written with love and admiration by alumnus Bernard O’Grady

The Man with the Baton The black & white robe flowed so freely

the smile came so easily an intensity mixed with compassion

and the rare glow of genius All these combined to make the Choir School

what it was to me as a boy and as a young man

That understanding, recognition, respect flowed my way in a river of love and music

Barrett was ~ the man with the baton with which he conducted faith, humanity, dedication, honor and humor!

Oh! Laughter the key to it all!

The key to unlock the mysterious notes and make them flow into

celestial rhythm and harmony! We called him ‘Father’

He ranked higher – We loved him as our dear Brother

And strive to be that ‘man’ in all our dealings

with one another ~ Bernard O’Grady

Class of ‘70 something or other

Kevin Hearn of the Barenaked Ladies On Tuesday, April 10th, alumnus Kevin Hearn ‘87 of the Barenaked Ladies and his band Thinbuckle will be the opening act for Kat Goldman's CD release performance at Hugh's Room. All are encouraged to come out and support Kevin in his solo venture. Tuesday April 10, 2012 Tickets: $20 Advance/$25 Door (includes HST) Performance: 8:30pm For further information about Kevin please visit his website at: http://www.kevinhearn.com/

SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 7

CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS APRIL/MAY, 2012

ALUMNI NEWS

REMINDER - TENEBRAE St. Michael’s Cathedral

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 – 7:30 pm

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ATHLETICS

SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 8

APRIL/MAY, 2012 CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS

SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 8 SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 8

The Athletics Corner

Jr. Elementary Volleyball (Grades 4/5/6)

Congratulations to the Jr. Elementary Volleyball team for their tremendous efforts and exquisite

display of skills at the Divisional tournament on Wednesday, March 21st, 2012. The team came in

second place in the round robin and made it to the

finals against St. Sebastian. The finals came down to

a heart stopping 2 sets to 1 with a score of 17-16 in

the third set which made for a very entertaining

match for all spectators involved. The team showed

great determination, sportsmanship and team spirit

throughout the entire tournament, deserving of a

Championship Pennant. We are all proud of the boys for their hard work in bringing home

the 2011-2012 Jr. Elementary Volleyball Championship

Pennant.

Congratulations to all team members for a terrific season.

Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6

Liam Gallagher Jack Flannery Thomas Clifford

Vincent Gatchalian Martin Licht Timo Lahteenmaa-Swerdlyk

Adrian Radic Gabriel Mikina David Ribeiro

Joseph Pongonthara Stefan Vercillo

Luc Randmaa

Luigi Scaramuzza

Mr. G. Tarascio

Jr. Elementary Volleyball Coach

Intermediate Basketball - Elementary The intermediate basketball team, grade 7 and 8 boys, won second place to the divi-sional tournament and then moved on to the regional tournament at St. John‟s

School. The team went up against St. Sebastian in a winner move on and loser go

home game. The score was tied at half time and again at full time thanks to two free

throws by William Gatchalian with no time on the clock. (You can see it on Youtube!

“The Shot SMCS vs. St. Sebastian”) In overtime the two teams went back and forth

but in the end St. Sebastian eked out a one point victory. Congratulations to all the

boys on the team for a great season.

Intramural (High School) Basketball League The high school intramural league culminated with our own version of “March Mad-

ness” with the first place Huskies eking out thrilling one point victory 38-37 over

rivals the Wolves. The high school league began just before Christmas and continued

through the months of January and February to the playoffs at the beginning of March.

There are four teams in the intramural league and each team has 7 to 8 players. Every

team plays once a week after school with teacher referees, running score board,

scores and published statistics. This year was a very successful one and we hope that

even more boys will come out and play next year, especially the boys who will

be coming into grade 9.

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CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS APRIL/MAY, 2012

SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 9

FRENCH CORNER

FRENCH PUBLIC SPEAKING CONTEST AT THE CEC

Félicitations à nos élèves. Ils ont travaillé fort pour présenter le meilleur

discours possible. We are very proud of all the students who represented

our school at the « Concours d‟art oratoire » on Thursday, March 1st,

2012. The following students were finalists in the Junior categories: In the

category of Core French, Christian Sforza placed 2nd with “S’il vous plait,

ne fumez pas!” In the category of Extended French, Calum Murray placed

2nd with “La cuisine”.

We are pleased to announce that Nicholas Wanstall came in 1st place at

the TCDSB Finals. On Saturday, May 12th, 2012, he will be representing

the TCDSB at the Provincial Level in the Festival d’art oratoire at York

University‟s Glendon Campus. We wish him all the best and Bonne Chance!

A special thank you goes to everyone involved especially Ms. Broadhurst and Mrs. Lam for coaching our finalists and for judging the

speeches.

Merci et bon travail!

Congratulations to Liam Benson!

We are very proud of Grade 10 student Liam Benson who has won a $5000 scholarship in the 7th National Essay Contest presented

by French for the Future!

In his 1000-word essay entitled Le futur de l’espace : la frontière de l’infini!, Liam tackled the question:

Selon toi, à quoi ressembleras le monde dans 15 ans?

(How do you see the world 15 years from now?)

Liam‟s essay was selected from among submissions from a wide range of students from Grades 10-12, in pro-

grams ranging from Core French to French Immersion. Many of our own students also competed in this

contest and are encouraged to enter again next year.

The National Essay Contest offers over $200 000 in scholarships ranging from $2000 to $20,000 to five different Canadian universi-

ties.

Félicitations Liam!

H. Dakin

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St. Michael‟s Choir School CN Tower Climb in Support:

Liam Bishop in grade 11 climbed the CN Tower last year in 12 minutes. He is challenging the SMCS Eco-

Club and the entire school community to climb the CN Tower to raise money on behalf of the World

Wildlife Federation. Step up to the occasion! By taking part in the CN Tower Climb for WWF, you will

help to preserve our living planet for now and for future generations. Liam is challenging our climbers to

better his amazing time of 12 min. Please consider sponsoring our team by clicking on the link below,

SCROLL down to our list of climbers and click on a name or on the St. Michael‟s Choir School and send a

donation electronically. http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?teamID=272260

For more information visit our website www.cntowerclimbSMCS.tumblr.com

Thank you on behalf of all our excited climbers!

F. LoCurto

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Our School Eco-Club team is proud to announce its upcoming event. During

Earth Month the Eco-Club is encouraging students and their family to moni-

tor their eco-footprint. We are asking each family to complete the attached

survey and return it by Monday, April 9. Throughout the month Eco-Club

will be providing helpful hints and suggestions that will improve our Eco-

footprint by encouraging students to promote environmentally friendly habits

and healthy dieting choices. In May we will hand out the same questionnaire

we hope to see an improvement and a much lighter footprint.

PLEASE PRINT, COMPLETE AND RETURN THE SURVEY TO

MAIN OFFICE BY TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2012.

Sebastien Duckett, Gr. 8 Student Leader

GRADE 8 SCIENCE FAIR Congratulations to Grade 8 Science Fair participants Martin Halek, William Gatchalian and Jacob

Brozyna. They represented our school and school board at the Toronto-wide Science Fair this

past Saturday, March 31, 2012 at the University of Toronto.

William won a silver medal for his project “Who Blue the Cheese”, and Jacob won a gold

medal for his project “All Shook Up”. In addition, Jacob‟s project was one of 21 projects that

has been chosen to represent Toronto at the Canada-wide Science Fair in Prince Edward Island.

He will be travelling in May to compete against projects from all over the country. Congratulations to him and we wish him the best of

luck at the National Science Fair.

CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS APRIL/MAY, 2012

SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 10

ACTIVITIES AND SPECIAL EVENTS

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SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 11

APRIL/MAY, 2012 CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS

ACTIVITIES AND SPECIAL EVENTS

CONCEPT LOUNGE EVENT - MARCH 23 2012 - CAFETERIA

Evan Hudson - Grade 11

Jordan Nigro - Gr. 8

Martin Gomes - Gr. 9 and Xavier de Souza - Gr. 11

Daniel Cowan - Gr. 11

Sam Codrington - Gr. 11

Sam Codrington - Gr. 11 & Andrew Fekete - Gr. 12 Nico Valenzuela Gr 12

Liam Bishop - Gr. 11 - Brian Malczyk

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SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 12

Social Justice – Gerard Mannella:

On March 8, the Social Justice Club (Human Rights Division) went on a field trip to the Free the

Children office and the Me to We store on Carlton St. While there we learned many things about

what the organization does. We met the team that organizes Free the Children school groups in

Canada, United States and many other countries as well as the people that run the Me to We Mobi-

lizers, which is a group of students that take action on social justice issues outside of school. We

also met a group of people that are responsible for the Me to We speakers. Overall it was a very

interesting experience that I found to be very enriching and really fun.

Social Justice – Mr. Lewis

On March 29, the Social Justice Club (Relief Division) organized a Bake Sale in support of the Martin

Aboriginal Education Initiative, a charitable organization that supports education for Aboriginal stu-

dents across Canada (www.maei-ieam.ca). After collecting the generous donations from the Grade

3- 8 students, the Club was able to raise $250.00. A big thank you to all parents and staff who sup-

ported the event! For April, please get ready to clear out some old bookshelves for our Social Jus-

tice Club (Equality) Book sale in support of the Angel Foundation for Learning.

Science Fair – Mr. Lewis

Eureka! Our talented Grade 8 researchers found innovative ways to astound the elementary

students, high school judges, and even two reputable doctors at our annual Science Fair on

February 28. Projects ranged from Earth Science experiments to computer simulations, and

from bacteria colony formation to light scattering observations. After an exhausting day of

speeches, reports, and judging, the top 6 teams qualified for the City Science Fair at the Uni-

versity of Toronto. Representing our school is Jacob Brozyna (All Shook Up), William

Gatchalian (Who „Blue‟ the Cheese), and Martin Halek (Hydraulic Lifting Exosuit Prototype).

All the best at the Cities!

Bridge Building Competition – Mr. Lewis Two bridges represented SMCS for our fourth consecutive appearance at the PEO Scarborough Bridge Building Competi-

tion. Derek Li and Robert Amato‟s “Il Trebor” bridge amazed the judges by scoring 90%, earning the students 3rd place in

the Judging category. Erik Gillis‟s “Spartan Bridge” did quite well in the Performance category by holding up 175 times its

own weight, placing it 11th overall. Congratulations to the two teams for their participation!

CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS APRIL/MAY, 2012

Social Justice

Derek Li and Robert Amato

Jacob Brozyna

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SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 13

MESSAGE FROM THE CATHEDRAL

APRIL/MAY, 2012 CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS

St Michael‟s Cathedral had the privilege of hosting the Witness Cross here at the Cathedral, on Monday March 19th. The Grade

9 class hosted the Grade 3‟s in St. John‟s Chapel and Theresa was there to represent the staff of the Cathedral. She was very

impressed with the service after which the Cross was carried into the Cathedral to remain during the 5:30 pm Mass and the

7:00 am Morning Mass. It was moved into St. John‟s chapel for the 8:00am mass on Tuesday. People asked questions about the

cross and were interested in the story and pleased that it was able to be in the Cathedral for a short time.

On Tuesday March 20th Theresa and Father Roselle took the Grade 8 boys to Queen of the Apostles for their retreat to pre-

pare for Confirmation. What a beautiful way to celebrate the first day of Spring - wonderful location, new friends, good food,

lots of activities and an opportunity to learn more about Confirmation. The boys joined 12 students from St. Michael‟s Elemen-

tary school and 8 students from surrounding schools who worship at the Cathedral. Mr. White and Mr. Lewis also at-

tended. The accompanying photo is of all the students before boarding the buses to go home. Comments from the students

were very positive and Father Roselle and Theresa look forward to beginning the weekly sessions with the Confirmandi in a

couple of weeks.

We will be handing out Students names in a couple of weeks and asking our Congregation to pray for a particular student dur-

ing their preparation time. Please select a name and pray for the individual student.

In last month‟s newsletter, Mr. Mc Call noted that the Grade 8‟s would be arriving home from their tour on May 5 and were

encouraged to attend Sunday mass - although excused from singing. However, I would just like to point out the we expect

the students to attend their weekly confirmation class. The Saturday night group will meet on Sunday for that one week.

A reminder that we will be offering a parent session, Raising your Teens in Faith, in the Parish Hall on Sunday April 22nd from

1:00 – to 3:00pm (the same time as the Confirmation classes). Although this has been arranged for the Confirmation parents all

are welcome.

The staff here at the Cathedral wishes all parents and students a blessed Easter and we look forward to celebrating this most

holiest of weeks in song and prayer.

Fr. Michael Busch

Page 14: A Newsletter for the Families of St Michael’s Choir School · an entertaining musical showcase, „Concept Lounge‟. At the end of April, our senior choristers are heading off

APRIL/MAY, 2012 CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS

SUPERINTENDENT:

Mr. M. McMorrow

(416) 222-8282 Ex. 5371

TRUSTEE 2011-2012

PARTNERS IN EDUCATION

WARDS 1. PETER JAKOVCIC 2. ANN ANDRACHUK - CHAIR 3. SAL PICCININNI - VICE-CHAR 4. PATRIZIA BOTTONI 5. MARIA RIZZO 6. FRANK D’AMICO 7. JOHN DEL GRANDE

8. TOBIAS ENVERGA

9. JO-ANN DAVIS (416) 512-3409 10. BARBARA POPLAWSKI 11. ANGELA KENNEDY 12. NANCY CRAWFORD STUDENT TRUSTEE -ANDREW WALKER

Special Up-Coming Choir School Events

SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 14

April 4 Tenebrae - 7:30 P.M.

April 11 High School 2 Semester Mid-Term Report Cards Home

April 11 CSAC Meeting - 7:00 P.M.

April 18 High School Parent-Teacher Interviews

April 18 Senior Tour Information Night 7:00 P.M.

April 25 - MAY 5 Senior Tour - Nova Scotia

April 19 Pre - Sr. Tour Concert at St. Leo‟s Church - Oshawa

April 20 Civvies Day, High School - Late Start - 9:00 A.M.

May 9 Jr. Tour Information Night - 7:00 P.M.

May 17 - May 19 Junior Tour - Podium Ottawa

May 25 Spring Concert - 7:30 P.M. - Cathedral

May 28 - 31 EQAO TESTING