The Romero Reader

THE ROMERO READER

IN THIS ISSUE :

April 2015 Issue No. 8

Principal:

Ms. Mancini

Vice-Principals:

Ms. Frate

Mr. Sanborn

Archbishop Oscar Romero, page 2

Voices That Challenge, page 2

Black History Month, page 3

Encounters With Canada, page 3

Social Justice Symposium, page 4

Christmas, pages 4, 5

Blue Mountain, page 5

Perspectives, page 6

Toronto Zoo, page 6

Math Program, page 7

Young Author, page 7

School of Business, page 7

Christmas Tech Project, page 8

Exhibit at CEC, page 8

Angel Foundation, page 8

Skills Canada, page 9

Romero Art, page 10, 11

Stone Soup, page 11

YMCA Program, page 11

Romero Raiders, pages 12-13

THINKfast, page 14

Town Hall, page 14

Editorial, page 15

Movie Commentary, page 15

Comic Corner, page 16

Looking Ahead, page 16

Puzzle Challenge, page 16

Romero Students and Staff United for THINKfast, page 14

Romero Art Club Work on Chair-ity, page 11

justices which take place around us, brings with it the grave responsibility of speaking out against them.

Archbishop Oscar Romero

Voices That Challenge

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 2

Despite losing both his legs from his pelvis down at the age of five, Spencer described his childhood as ‘normal’, until people started to see him differently. He was bullied and ill-treated as an outsider. He tried to respond to the negativity with a positive atti-tude and he was even moti-vated to be part of the cheer-leading team in high school. When Spencer moved out of his parent’s house because he had landed a well-paying job, he purchased everything he could afford, just to look cool. However, he soon came to the realization that, although he had everything, he felt an empty hole in his heart. When he heard about “Me to We” philosophy and the Free The Children organization, he de-cided to change the course of

If we are worth anything, it is not because we have more money or more talent, or more human qualities. Insofar as we are worth any-thing, it is because we are grafted on to Christ's life, his cross and resurrection. That is a person's measure. Archbishop Oscar Romero, March 4 1979

his life, sell his belongings and become a motivational speaker. As a result of his con-victions, Spencer was able to climb Mount Kilimanjaro last year to help raise funds for Free The Children. If Spencer found so many ways to help others, we can all find a way.

Lunch at the sympo-sium was more like dinner and a show; while eating, students participated in a sing-along and a talent show. It was lots of fun! After lunch, the stu-dents broke into different workshops delivered by repre-sentatives from different social justice organizations. By the end of the day, one last speaker, Greg Rogers, had said something in his speech that stood out the most. Greg quoted a line from Popeye:

the months to come. The words in our school emblem represent the life and work of our patron. Archbishop Oscar Romero believed that it was only when the poor and “voiceless” became equal in social standing, power and economic wealth to upper classes, that El Salvador would become a true com-munity. Oscar Romero spent most of his life seek-ing justice for the op-pressed, poor and perse-cuted. Archbishop Romero believed that the knowledge of the in-

By Ms. Mancini

On February 3, 2015, Pope

Francis declared Archbishop Oscar Romero a martyr (i.e. martyrdom ensues only if someone was killed in hatred of our faith). Archbishop Oscar Romero was assassi-nated on March 24, 1980 after devoting much of his life to speaking against the viola-tion of human rights and the perpetuation of poverty in El Salvador. Archbishop Ro-mero’s martyrdom will pave the way for the beatification of Archbishop Romero in

By Joanna Gaitan-Ruiz & Anna Nguyen

On March 10, 2015, a group

of six leadership students at-tended the Voices That Chal-lenge Conference. It was a wonderful experience for all, mostly due to the inspirational speakers. The first speaker, Spencer West, spoke about his life experience and resiliency.

“ I can’t takes it anymore” which signified that he ex-perienced one of those “I can’t takes it anymore” mo-ments. The morality behind it is that “it is not okay to do nothing”.

Black History Month

PAGE 3 THE ROMERO READER

wide celebration with a Carib-bean lunch, music, games such as Mancala, an African stone game, and the performance of an African dance taught by a professional instructor and performed by Romero stu-dents. These activities facili-tated the appreciation of and participation in various Afri-can-Canadian traditions. In partnership with Chaplaincy, the library hosted a Black His-tory Film Festival featuring movies and documentaries such as The Help, Ruby Bridges, Scottsboro Boys and Selma, Lord Selma, which all deal with themes of overcoming chal-lenges and the strength to fight for civil rights and the appreciation of human dignity

By Céline Ferreira

For the month of February,

the Romero community held various activities in honour of African Canadians who have and continue to contribute to world history and to Cana-dian culture. First, each day during morning announce-ments students read historical biographies of Black Canadi-ans such as Mary Ann Shadd; she was an activist and was the first black woman to pub-lish a newspaper-The Provin-cial Freeman - to vote in a na-tional election and to obtain a Law Studies degree from Howard University. Second, we enjoyed a community-

The Grade 12’s also went on a trip to watch the recently released Oscar-nominated film, "Selma", that focused upon Martin Luther King Jr.’s work with citizen activists and SNCC (Student Non-Violent Co-ordinating Committee) to achieve equal voting rights for African-Americans in the town of Selma, Alabama, and in the Southern United States. This movie depicted "Bloody Sun-day", the 50 mile march to the capital city of Montgomery and crossing over the Edmund Pettus Bridge where state troopers injured and hospital-ized many of the protestors. To commemorate this historic event that occurred 50 years

ago, thousands gathered just last month at the Edmund Pet-tus Bridge in the US, to stand in solidarity, to recognize how far the actions of those citizens years ago have impacted soci-ety and to remember that there is still much to overcome to achieve equality amongst all people. Although society dedi-cates a month to inform others and to honour black lives, Black History is part of our Canadian history, and we at Romero seek to include and acknowledge the contributions of African-Canadians through-out the curriculum.

Romero Students’ Very Own Encounters With Canada!

By Ms. Oswin-Groh

Romero’s very own grade 9

students Brenda Aleman, Nicole Matiling and Shania Phillips took advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity last week, participating in the Arts and Culture program of Encounters With Canada. This unique bilingual program al-lows Canadian teens aged 14 – 17 to meet young people from across the country in our nation’s capital, Ottawa. The opportunity is funded by the federal government’s Cana-

dian Heritage department along with bursaries offered by both Encounters With Canada and the TCDSB.

Brenda, Nicole and Shania took part in bilingual hands-on workshops, presen-tations and excursions, allow-ing them to explore career options, meet fellow Canadian teens from all of Canada’s provinces and territories, de-velop their civic leadership skills and learn about Canadian institutions all while having a blast! Some of their favourite experiences included multilin-

gual concerts, a tour of the National Art Gallery, a haunted tour of Ottawa, shop-ping in Quebec, graffiti art and much more. Brenda and Nicole both stated, “This was a week that we will never for-get; we met life-long friends from all across Canada. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience!”

Encounters With Canada offers a different theme every week of the school year and bursary amounts and opportu-nities vary depending on enrol-ment in each week. Students

interested in this opportunity in the future should see Mrs. Oswin-Groh for more details. Vive le Canada bilingue!

By Victoria Veiga

I was given the privilege to

attend multiple seminars at St. Michaels College campus at the University of Toronto, along side other students. I was able to hear a lecture that was presented by the Water Brothers. The brothers, Tyler and Alex, created a show that airs on TVO regarding their adventures around the world while bringing attention to social justice and water issues. They showed some specific episodes that went into deeper detail on third world

Social Justice Symposium

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 4

having plastic-free oceans. We began to realize the sim-ple ways in which we can help and respect the earth and pre-vent the destruction of our natural resources. I truly en-joyed the seminar and wish to help spread their message.

Contests and Competition: Romero’s Christmas Spirit

By Kyle Carrasqueira-Vieira

In the heat of contests and

games, feelings of angst and aggressiveness are common, especially if a potential reward is at stake. Thankfully, the friendly competitions that take place at Archbishop Romero do not manifest those feelings. Christmas spirit, as well as Christmas sportsmanship, was prevalent during the month of December as various charity events and games went on to help amplify the enthusiasm of the season. The Decorate-a-Door contest ran again this year, the fruits of which could be seen from a simple walk around the school. For the unfamiliar, the

contest runs every December, and each homeroom class is asked to participate in deco-rating its door. It is com-pletely optional, but there was an excellent turnout this year. Four members of the Student Council are assigned to judge the doors, using the rubric provided to them. This year's winner was Ms. Yousef's class, with their in-ventive “Santa Stuck in a Chimney” door. The clever 3D design played a big role in their victory. The door itself also had attached lights that were fully functional. Close runners-up included Ms. Ratz's “Elves on a Shelf” door, which contained pictures of each student on it. “I was completely impressed by the creativity, skill, and collabo-

social issues, such as unsanitary living conditions, non-usable water, and small rural commu-nity struggles. Their main focus is to address the issues and raise awareness.

They also feel very strongly towards water issues. They are compelled to make our generation aware of how irre-sponsible and abusive some of our everyday actions could be, causing negative effects to the earth. Throughout the seminar, they asked the audience differ-ent questions provoked us to think deeper about the issues they were presenting, such as

ration of the students,” said Ms. Tramonte, one of the organizers of the event.

BRINGO is also another Romero tradition. Non-perishable food items are collected and donated to the Daily Food Bank. Opera-tion Christmas Tree — Adopt a Family is also another opportunity for Romero to demonstrate its generous spirit. These initiatives re-mind us of the true meaning of Christmas.

The Christmas breakfast at Romero was also an enjoyable community event. The staff got busy early in the morning preparing a delicious breakfast for all the Romero students and various visitors from the community.

PAGE 5 THE ROMERO READER

A Joyous Christmas Concert at Romero

By Kyle Carrasqueira-Vieira

December 16, 2014, marked

the annual Christmas Concert at Archbishop Romero. While a Christmas Concert is by no means an event exclusive to Romero, this year’s perform-ance was exceptional and par-ticularly well received. The usual songs, dancing, and act-ing were excellent, and some surprises were thrown into the mix.

The concert began with hosts Willon Buckmyre and Erald Osmani welcoming everyone while adding hu-mour. The first performance was Ms. Farley’s Grade Nine class, with their rendition of “Twelve Days of Christmas”. It was closely followed with a guitar solo by twelfth-grader Gavin Soliman. Gavin's guitar talent would later be used in the other musical perform-ances of the concert.

As an appropriate follow-up to an emotional guitar performance, the next act was a drama skit by Ms. McKetton’s class. It was a comedic piece, satirizing courtroom drama with a Christmas-y twist.

Musical talent has always been abundant at Ro-mero, students and teachers alike. Nothing can exemplify this statement more than Jas-min Amalathasan's singing performance accompanied by Mr. Danner on the piano. Of

course, Jasmin’s colleagues are also talented, and they eagerly demonstrated this at the concert. Her perform-ance was followed by the Romero’s Choir with a soul-ful rendition of “Let it Go”. But it did not stop there; Romero graduates Andy Sanchez, Fransisco Flores, Brandon Borg, and Liam Robinson returned to the stage united as their band Broken Point. Their return was met with excitement and applause.

The musical talent continued to pour off the stage with RANT, the band of Randy Sousa, Brian Caravela and Bruno Capela; they treated the school to their first ever live perform-ance. “It was nerve-wracking, actually all of us were nervous,” said Randy Sousa, the frontman of the band. “In the end, it was fun. Definitely worth it.”

Did someone say dancing? The concert would not be complete without a demonstration from our dance crew. The Romero Dancers treated the crowd to some impressive moves, all choreographed to hip-hop beats, which was quite the display of physical skill and artistic talent. To add to this artist ability was the final performance of the day. It started with Ms. Presotto and Ms. Tramonte dancing to a Demi Lovato song. The crowd went wild with ex-citement as the dance acts

continued with some teachers in various outfits. Some acts included Ms. Araujo & Ms. Sette dancing to Pharrell Wil-liams’ “Happy”, Mr. Zambri & Mr. De Santos dancing to a Frank Sinatra tune, and Ms. Perkins-Ball with Mr. Speed dancing in Raptors memora-bilia. The teacher perform-ances were a surprise and highlight. In the words of one unnamed student, it was “the funniest thing I've seen all year.”

For some people, the concert was their first real view of the varied talents pos-sessed by the students and teachers of Archbishop Ro-mero. For others, it was their last chance to contribute to a high-school concert before graduating. For everyone in general, it was an entertaining and joyous concert.

By Daryl James Fonacier

On February 25, 2015, Mr.

Nguyen and Mr. Myskohlid took 45 students on a ski trip to Blue Mountain for snowboard-ing and skiing. Down the mountains they went, enjoying what winter has to offer. Mr. Nguyen said, “These are great trips, which build school com-munity.” The trip was such a hit that the teachers organized a second excursion to Blue Mountain for some students who did not have a chance to go the first time. Next year they hope more students will partici-pate in this opportunity as it is a great way to cope with the snowy, cold winter days in the city.

Winter Fun

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 6

By Margarida Moreira

On December 17, 2014, Ms.

Maalouf's Anthropology, Soci-ology and Psychology class embarked on an excursion to the Toronto Zoo. The aim of the trip was to further our knowledge about physical anthropology by studying dif-ferent primates and relating their behaviour to human be-haviour.

The tour itself looked at the similarities and differences between humans and non-human primates, as well as the similarities and differences between families/genera/species in the primate order. This included visits to the lion tailed macaques,

Anthropology Lesson at the Toronto Zoo

Perspectives Conference

By Ms. Lopes

On February 19, 2015, while

U of T students on reading week were completing assign-ments and preparing for ex-ams, over 600 high school students were on campus for Perspectives: Challenges,

Ideas & Responses, an annual TCDSB Gifted Program Con-ference. Students had the chance to visit U of T’s St. George Campus and ex-perience university life.

The day started at Convocation Hall, U of T’s ceremonial auditorium.

tard oil. This research would offer an inexpensive cure for a disease which currently mainly affects people in developing countries. Afterwards, each student at-tended two workshops of their choice delivered by U of T professors. The students were given a wide range of topics from which to choose. The day also included a presentation regarding U of T programs, tuition fees, and student services. They even got to taste the campus’ cafete-ria food for lunch. Overall, it was an interesting and infor-mative day.

In this historical venue, Jessie MacAlpine, a 2nd year student in Life Sciences and the key-note speaker, delivered an engaging and very personal talk about the relationship between creative thinking skills and philanthropy. As a child, she had always been curious and encouraged to develop her keen observations skills. Early on her own ques-tions about science related observations lead her to take the initiative to contact labs and request their support in terms of space and equipment for her own personal research. At the moment, she is re-searching a possible cure for malaria with the use of mus-

orangutans, white-handed gib-bons, ring tailed lemurs, west-ern lowland gorillas, ba-boons, and marmosets, among other animals.

We were all aston-ished with how primates act and interact with each other and how exceptionally similar they are to humans. This trip helped our class to further understand the concept of evo-lution visually and theoreti-cally. Overall, it was a fun and educational trip!

PAGE 7 THE ROMERO READER

By Mr. Sgrignoli

The math department

would like to acknowledge the following three grade 9 students: Brenda Aleman, Eric Dao and Trina Mar-rast, for earning medals for completing the entire on-line KnowledgeHook math

program. KnowledgeHook is an educational software com-pany that our school board is closely working with and piloting in several high schools. Our three Romero stu-dents are part of a small group of students who fully completed the program and earned a maximum score.

KnowledgeHook Math Program

Romero Girls Get Real Business Experience at Rotman School

By Kyle Carrasqueira-Vieira

On November 21, 2014,

Stacey Piques, Kelly Augusto, Bruna Soares, Adriana Arantes, Cynthia Mendez, Daniela Olarte, and Nicolette Rocca were invited to a busi-ness conference at U of T's Rotman School of Manage-ment. The conference is called SheBiz and it is a non-profit conference for young women interested in business

or business-related fields. The once-a-year event invites schools from all over To-ronto, from both the TDSB and the TCDSB to attend their forum. This year, over 320 students took part in or-der to learn and discuss the challenges that come with being a female in an office environment.

The students were able to listen to professional speakers talk about their ex-periences, as well as engage in educational activities such as a

mock trading pit. They also learned how they should present themselves to create the best impression possible. In addition, the girls are now eligible for stu-dent membership with Women in Capital Markets (WCM), the organization that hosts the event. This provides them with access to mentors within fields like ac-counting, finance, and invest-ment banking.

The seven Romero stu-dents who attended represented Romero well, according to Ms. Presotto, who accompanied

them on the trip. She also notes, “It was excellent for the kids to be there, in a conference that was directly related to them.” She adds, “It's wonderful to be in a class about business learning theory, but when real busi-ness connections present themselves, they should be grabbed with both hands.”

Romero Student Wins OECTA Young Authors Award

By Ms. Coscarelli

Ana Villegas has received

the OECTA Young Author’s Award in the 11-12 Nonfic-tion category.

Ana submitted an essay entitled “Immortality Subzero – Cryoethics in the Context of Mary Shelley’s

Frankenstein. In the essay, Ana explains how Victor Frankenstein, a young scien-tist with a curiosity for the secrets of natural philosophy, brings to life an extremely ambitious idea: to artificially

create a human being. In

doing so, Victor plays the role of God and interferes with the natural order of life, failing to foresee the conse-

quences of his actions. Ana demonstrates how Shelley’s Frankenstein is still applicable today, especially in this era of scientific innovation: “It is a moral tale that explores the dangers that ensue when sci-ence is practiced without con-sideration for the ethical di-lemmas that could potentially arise with it.”

Congratulations Ana!

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 8

By Mr. De Santis

This is the second of

four installations that Romero has completed for this particu-lar project; the first one was completed on October 4th at one of the world's largest out-door art exhibits – Nuit Blanche. The Romero team that took part in this installa-tion on December 3rd con-sisted of Mr. Giulio De Santis, Mr. John Zambri, Marcelo Maltez, Hugo Vieira and Daniel Bernardo. The boxes were installed in the main boardroom and around the main staircase of the TCDSB CEC. It took the team

Students Install Exhibit at the CEC

The 2014 Christmas Technological Education Project

By Mr. De Santis

Mr. De Santis' grade 10 tech-

nological education class manufactured, painted and built a "larger than life" sleigh and reindeer for the 2014 Christmas Season. The sleigh was used to store all dona-tions from this year’s food drive and was placed in the main hallway for all to enjoy. "This project not only show-cased the skill levels of all the students involved, but most importantly, it demonstrates the collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving skills that these kids possess. They will continue to develop these skills so they can thrive

and succeed in today's work world. Also, these skills re-flect all aspects of the 21st Century Learning Model." "Together, as a class, we set a project completion date and the kids worked hard during class and after school, managing their time, in order to meet the demands of the deadline. I am very proud of my students' hard work and dedication throughout this project, and even more proud of their accomplishments.”

approximately five hours to complete. Everyone at the CEC, including myself, were impressed at the work-ethic and well-mannered behaviour that our grade 10 students exhibited during this installa-tion. The display will be there until approximately May.

THANK YOU!

Archbishop Romero is pleased to announce that The Angel

Foundation for Learning, the charitable organization devoted to assisting students within TCDSB schools, has ap-proved our school’s funding request in support of our excur-sion to Camp Olympia.

Serving TCDSB students and making a positive difference, we congratulate The Angel Foundation for Learning for help-ing students since its inception in 1987.

Donations to the Foundation are welcome and can be sent to: The Angel Foundation for Learning, 80 Sheppard Avenue East, Toronto, ON M2N 6E8. Tax receipts for donations of $10.00 or more will be issued. For more information about the Foundation visit www.angelfoundationforlearning.org

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 9

Romero Shows Talent at Skills Canada

By Mr. De Santis

On March 7, 2015, Romero

students competed in the 8th annual TCDSB Skills Compe-tition, which was held at Lo-cal 27 in Woodbridge. There were approximately 85 com-petitors from various schools. With 18 representatives, Ro-mero had the largest group of student participants. Individual Carpentry: *Orlando Correa Da Cunha *Andrew Pibiri

Cabinet Making: *Brandon Ryan *Steven Gonzalez Teams of Two Carpentry: *Bruno Branco & Hugo Costa *Manuel Polanc & Angelique Evans *Leanne Gazzellone & Sarah Gomes *Kaliyah Luztono & Linda Romero *Marcelo Maltez & Hugo Vieira Home Building: *Jeffrey Brito *Fernando Ferreira

place. Jeffrey Brito, Fernando Ferreira, Andre Fonseca and Johnathan Gomes were also awarded 3rd place for Home Building. I am very proud of these 18 students for many reasons: for taking part in these very prestigious com-petitions, placing top 3, mov-ing on to the provincials, and spending countless hours prac-ticing in the shop after school. I am looking forward to the next round in April and for the provincial competi-tions in May.

*Andre Fonseca *Johnathan Gomes Romero students competed very well. Orlando Correa da Cunha came in 3rd place in Individual Carpentry, qualifying for the next round at Humber College in April. In Cabinet Making, Brandon Ryan came in 1st place and Steven Gonzalez Pena came in 2nd place. Brandon automatically moves on to the provincials in Wa-terloo. In Teams of Two Car-pentry, Marcelo Maltez and Hugo Vieira came in 3rd

Pan Am Games

By Gayathri Kajenthiran

On February 26, 2015, my

peer Renze and I were given the opportunity to attend a multicultural and multimedia event — known as the Pan Am Games. We are grateful to Mr. Silva for the chance to attend this influential sporting event.

At the beginning of the introduction to this event we each held a flag of a country to represent multiculturalism and equality. Next, we were placed at different stations to

experience Pan Am spirit. Our day was very eventful as we participated in many ac-tivities: sitting volleyball, which tests teamwork and focus; fast break lacrosse, which demonstrates the skills required for a lacrosse player; and athletics relay, which uses hoola hoops as a hopscotch grid to test agility and team-work. We also met Pan Am athletes; one of which I re-member is Marcy Spencer, a professional boxer. Many per-formances were also held at the event by students from schools within the TCDSB, such as Jean Vanier’s march-

ing band, and dancers from Father John Redmond and Cardinal Carter.

Many students have become even more excited for this summer’s Pan Am Games because of this event; some may even volunteer. We look forward to the many athletes and visitors who will be in our great city this July.

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 10

Marisa Pereira Leanne Gazzelone

ROMERO ART

Photos: Céline Ferreira

Nicolette Rocca

Catarina Cruzeiro

Diana Madureira

Noel McArthur

PAGE 11 THE ROMERO READER

By Céline Ferreira

The Toronto Catholic Dis-

trict School Board will be

having an art display focusing

on the safety and security of

our community. Chairs were

selected as the symbolism for

this project. Ms. Pimentel's

art club has taken a chair and

painted it to symbolize that

charity unites us all. The

members stayed after school

over several days to accom-

plish this task. These mem-

bers are: Marisa Pereira,

Carine Pereira, Alyssa

Oliveira, Celina Oliveira and

Ms. Russo.

By Mr. Scopelliti

Stone Soup, the afterschool

program that invites students to learn recipes and serve those recipes on a budget, has been hard at work preparing for their culminating compe-tition at Huber College. Ms. McKetton, the students, and

myself have had a satisfying first term thus far, but we are anticipating an even more enjoyable term in the spring. Some recipes that the stu-dents have made include: stuffed chicken with asiago, hand-made meatballs with pasta, New York-style cheesecake, and Shepard's pie. I can speak from my

many years of eating experi-ence, that the students in Stone Soup have cooked some very tasty meals. They presented their dishes using some restau-rant standard practices, and from the looks of it, these students have it in them to become great chefs.

Romero Art Club Work on Chair-ity

Keep Calm and Cook

By Ms. Oswin-Groh

Are you 16 or 17 years old? Are you interested in having a paid full time job this summer? Are you interested in learning

French while meeting other students from across Canada? If so, then the YMCA Summer Student Work Exchange Program just might be for you! This national exchange program brings together teens from across Canada giving them the opportunity to improve their second language skills while gaining valuable employment experience through a work placement during their 6 week exchange. Students from English speaking communities across Canada travel by VIA rail to French speaking commu-nities in Quebec and are hosted by families who have children travelling to English speaking Canada. Hosting a student in return is preferable as the program aims as much as possible for reciprocal exchanges, but this is not mandatory. Students are given 35 hour a week jobs in non-profit organizations and paid the provincial minimum wage. They are also connected through a YMCA supervisor with the other students (usually about 10) in the same community for social activities a few times per week.

If you are interested in the program for this summer, it is not too late to apply. Visit www.summer-work.com or see Ms. Oswin-Groh for more information.

YMCA Summer Student Work Exchange Program

By Daryl James Fonacier

On February 12, 2015, Ro-

mero hosted its second pep rally. Staff and teachers were all invited to this exciting

event, which began with the introduction of our mascot—Rocky the Raider—in dou-bles! These two characters battled it out by loudest cheer, best dance and a test of strength at arm wrestling! Every school team was pre-sent and the Romero students showed a lot of support by cheering for the team mem-bers. They work hard with their coaches to perform their very best and deserve the sup-port of our school. Next, vol-untary students were brought down for an all out dance battle, best winning the prize.

ROMERO RAIDERS

Go Romero! Pep Rally

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 12

By Rocco Scopelliti

This year marks a very historic

moment in the history of the TCDSB; for the first time ever, high schools in our catho-lic board get the chance to compete in an indoor soccer championship. This inaugural event also marks the first time coach Scopelliti and coach

Varsity Indoor Soccer

Tickets won prizes as well; students won several different items such as raptor shirts and brand new soccer balls. Teachers also participated in a competition that involved smacking their face in a plate full of whip cream. We thank all those who helped organize the pep rally and all the sup-port received from the stu-dents.

Butera get to put their unique training minds together to lead the Raiders to a champi-onship…yes, that’s right, a championship! No doubt it would be a momentous occa-sion if the boys go on to win this first ever-amazing ex-perience. So far, the season

has been successful, and we look forward to a great play-off run. The lads have already shown that they understand how to embrace a challenge, how to play when trailing, and how to hold on to a lead. These Romero Raiders are the real deal.

Undefeated Champions

By Daryl James Fonacier

Romero’s senior girls’

basketball team had a great season. With the help of the coaches, Ms. Sette and Mr.

Cassano, they achieved a per-fect 10-0 win-loss ratio in our division. The team moved on to the championships against Notre Dame and became champions. The team made progress and worked hard along side the coaches. Our school is proud to have such a hard-working and dedicated team. The Romero commu-nity was happy to cheer the girls on. Way to go Raiders!

By Daryl James Fonacier

We would like to thank Mr.

Silva for taking the time to coach the Junior Boys’ Volley-ball team. We wish the boys success in their games.

Junior Boys’ Volleyball

PAGE 13 THE ROMERO READER

ROMERO RAIDERS

Romero Swim Team

become part of our very first swim team. Our Romero swimmers showed incredible improvement in their tech-niques with the help of their coach, Ms. Maalouf, who guided them in doing the front crawl, back crawl, but-terfly, and breaststroke. Practices started in October

and were held every Monday and Wednesday at Bishop Mar-rocco Thomas Merton in preparation for our final swim meet at the end of our season in February. Although many had never taken place in a swim meet as large as the one at the Etobicoke Olympium, it was a success as everyone did

By Sabrina Neves

This year at Romero, students were given the opportunity to

Senior Boys’ Basketball

By Mr. Cassano

Basketball season has come to

an end and we couldn’t be more proud of our Senior Boys’ Basketball Team! It was a chal-lenging season with 4 wins and 6 close, nail-biting losses! The

team played hard and put to use all their skills and abili-ties to make it to the finals in the playoffs! Our boys played well; they fought to the end—making some amazing plays!

In their first match, Frances Lieberman was their opponent. It was a slow start for Romero, but the boys were able to bounce back in the second half to finish them off and advance to the next game! The next team

they faced was the “beasts from the east”, 1st place St. Pat’s. It was an epic battle; the teams hustled back and forth, putting everything on the line and the Raiders prevailed once again! The finals were hosted at Se-neca College where we were matched to play our archrival, James Cardinal McGuigan. Ironically, the same team we faced off against last year at the finals. It was another nail-biting game filled with great shots! We were just shy of

reaching that gold medal but we proudly took home the silver!

The Raiders showed determination, good sports-manship and heart, from the beginning of the season to the very end. When you see our boys in the hallways, con-gratulate them on a great sea-son. They have made us proud! Can’t wait till next season! Go Raiders Go!

By Mr. Kelly

The Himalayas would be

envious of the Senior Girls Volleyball season; peaks and valleys of Shakesperean pro-

portion. Fifteen bold stu-dent athletes began the season under the consistent leader-ship of grade twelve student Kaitlyn Wheeler. Among the talented squad were four grade nine girls hand selected by coaches Aucoin and Kelly to ensure the future success of the team. 4 wins and 4 losses landed the Raiders in fourth place after the regular season setting up a playoff duel versus Dante. Proving no match, the Dante side were sent packing

in short order. The next play-off date saw the Romero vol-leyballistas travelling to league leaders Henry Carr, the win-ner to advance to the TDCAA semi finals. The girls fell just short of their goal, and though Timbits were some consola-tion, the season had come to an end along with their hopes of yet another volleyball ban-ner to adorn the gym. Thanks to all the girls for their hard work and dedication. Well done!

By Céline Ferreira

On April 9, 2015, the team

competed in the TDCAA Bad-minton Championships. Out of 32 schools, Romero won the most gold medals. All the play-ers performed their best and competed well. Rita Zha, Danica Aloyon and Chrizza Olarte have qualified for OFF-SAA. Mr. Rumazza and Ms. Kim are proud of all the play-ers. Best of luck to the girls.

Girls’ Volleyball

his or her best and encour-aged each other. Throughout the season students learned that although swimming can be an individual sport, their fullest potential can be reached with their teammates by their side, and they have Ms. Maalouf to thank.

Badminton

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 14

THINKfast 2015

By Ms. Lopes

On February 27-28, 2015, 34

students participated in Ro-mero’s seventh annual THINKfast event. THINKfast, a Development and Peace ini-tiative, is a 24-hour fast. The staff and student participants began their fast on Thursday, February 26, in the evening and ended on Friday, February 27, sharing a communal meal. The goal of THINKfast is to bring youth together to create awareness for and discuss so-cial justice issues at local, na-tional, and international levels. This year the student leaders decided to focus their attention on homelessness in Toronto. The students had the

The 24-hour fast is an opportunity for students to express their gratitude for what they have and be in solidarity with those who have less, inspiring them to learn how they can make a difference in their commu-nity and in the world. This was an opportunity to remem-ber Archbishop Oscar Romero who dedicated his life to fight-ing against injustice.

opportunity to develop their awareness of some causes of and solutions for homelessness through games, viewing of a film, group discussions, an adapted stations of the cross reflection lead by our chaplain Ms. Perkins-Ball, and presenta-tions. The students heard di-rectly from Mike Burnett from “Youth Without Shelter” and Jane Roy from “Out Of The Cold” who attended the event to speak to the students about their work, as well as share their experiences and insights on the issue. Prior to the event, the students had raised funds through sponsors. The total amount raised, $790.00, was shared with the two organiza-tions that were present.

By Kaitlyn Alexander

Mr. Silva’s Grade 10 En-

riched History class organized Romero’s first Town Hall meeting. It took place on March 31, in the school li-brary. The class noted that the purpose of Town Hall is to allow students to share their opinions and ideas re-garding specific school issues.

The meeting went exceptionally well. The topic for last month’s Town Hall was Romero’s Time Capsule. Students gathered to discuss what items and artifacts would best reflect Romero in 2015. This is in preparation for the closing ceremony of Archbishop Romero’s 25th anniversary. The next time the capsule will open is in 2045, when Romero cele-brates its 50th anniversary.

Grade 10 HEMS Lead Town Hall

Town Hall was an idea presented by administra-tion. Ms. Mancini provides the issue or topic for discus-sion each month, and then the students prepare for its pres-entation. The school commu-nity is encouraged to partici-pate in these meetings. As one student presenter, Jasmin Amalathasan, noted, “This event is a good opportunity for our voices to be heard.”

Town Hall is just another platform in which students can voice ideas and concerns, and work together to problem solve and create a more positive atmosphere at school. Student Council rep-resentatives are also a voice for the student body.

Come out to our next Town Hall meeting on April 15, 2015.

Fräulein Maria, a singing nun who becomes the nanny to the von Trapp children. She even-tually wins the hearts of Cap-tain von Trapp, played by Christopher Plummer, and his seven children, and together they make beautiful music. However, the bliss comes to an end after the German an-nexation of Austria. The von Trapp family is threatened when the Nazis call the Cap-tain to duty. With the help of a family friend and a few nuns, the family escapes into the mountains and the audience is left watching the family walk into the horizon to start their new life.

The Sound of Music is based on the true story of the von Trapp family. Although

By Ms. Coscarelli

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on

kittens…The hills are alive with

the sound of music…Doe, a deer, a

female deer; Ray, a drop of golden

sun…

These lyrics have been common melodies synonymous with The Sound of Music. This year one of the most successful movie mu-sicals in history celebrates its 50th anniversary: The Sound of Music. It first captivated audi-ences in 1965 and has contin-ued to draw in viewers ever since. The story takes place primarily in Salzberg, Austria during World War II. The film stars a 29-year-old singer and actress named Julie Andrews as

some of the events and details of the real story have been romanticised and embellished, the actors are successful in demonstrating the authentic emotions the real members experienced: resentment, fear, love, relief. After the von Trapp family escaped, they made their way to Stowe, Ver-mont (U.S.) where they estab-lished their lives and remained

until they died. Maria Agatha Franziska Gobertina von Trapp was born on September

28, 1914, and died on Febru-ary 18, 2014. She was the sec-ond-oldest daughter and was portrayed as "Louisa". Maria was the last surviving sibling. Today, children and grandchil-dren of the von Trapps run the lodge that is located in the

PAGE 15 THE ROMERO READER

MOVIE COMMENTARY: The Sound of Music - Celebrating 50 Years

mountainous and pictur-esque countryside, reminis-cent of that in Austria, wherein visitors can learn about the family history.

The Sound of Music has had a lasting cultural impression. The proof is in the many stage productions that have been performed since its debut. It is a be-loved movie musical that will continue to captivate audiences for years to come.

EDITORIAL: Joyous Lenten and the Easter Season

Ms. Perkins-Ball

God’s loving presence has

been expressed in many differ-ent ways during this time. First, we began Lent on Ash Wednes-day with a Liturgy of The Word in our school auditorium. This was a new experience for us, celebrating in this setting, and the emphasis on community was demonstrated in the circu-lar seating pattern where we could see each other face to face and recognize each other as part of the Romero family. We were reminded during the

words spoken, that each one of us matters, that our words and actions matter, as we grow in mutual care and respect each day. Next, we began the Lenten Acts of Charity, with many students and staff volun-teering to give of their time and efforts to help beautify the physical building and surround-ings. Students happily washed windows, cleaned lockers, cleared the litter from outside the school property, all in an effort to keep our “day home” at Romero a positive and wel-coming environment. Students in the grade nine Religion class sold popcorn to raise funds for our sponsored child, and others gave of their time to wash and

organize donated uniforms so that future students will have access as there is need. There were so many other acts of giving that took place and continue on a regular basis—it is inspiring!

All this we do in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Why? Not for acknowledgement, but because we know we are loved unconditionally by God and we are called to share this love with others through our actions. We experienced this love through our liturgies at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, through the music of our

band and Choir, the Scripture readings, the encouraging homilies, student art that was displayed and most especially, receiving Communion to-gether. However, I think the most profound picture of God’s love I will leave with you this blessed Easter Season is that of a little child, my friend’s two year old son, leaning on his mother’s shoul-der, eyes half-closed in rest, smiling in joy and peace and acceptance. He knew in his heart he was completely loved.

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

Instructions: Give the correct answer to the following four questions and if you are the first to submit an answer sheet with all answers correct, you will be awarded a prize of $25 and a cafeteria cookie.

Question One: A Logic Problem: What question should the princess ask?

A princess visits an island inhabited by two tribes. Members of one tribe always tell the truth, and members of the other tribe always lie. The princess comes to a fork in the road. She needs to know which road leads to the castle, so as to avoid the fire-breathing dragon and rescue the prince from the wizard holding him captive in the castle (although the princess doesn't know it, the south road leads to the castle and the north road leads to the dragon). Standing at this fork in the road is a member of each tribe, but the princess can't tell to which tribe each belongs. What question should she ask to find the road to the castle? Give your answer and clearly explain your reasoning.

Question Two: Kenken

Complete the Kenken puzzle (similar to Soduku but with math rather than logic only).

Question Three: Kenken

Complete the Kenken puzzle.

Question Four: Statistical Challenge

Suppose that McGill University Cancer Centre was able to provide you with the following statistics with regard to a particular low risk group of women (age, medical history, etc): the chances of women in this group having breast cancer is 0.75 %; that a woman in this group who actually does have breast cancer, the probability of a positive mammogram is 85 %; and also, that if a woman in this risk group does not have cancer, the probability that the results of the mammogram will still show a posi-tive result is 8%; what is the probability that a woman from this group, who has a positive mammogram, actually has cancer? For your answer to be acceptable, you must show your work and your answer must be within 1.5% of the expected answer. All numbers in this statistical challenge are hypothetical and not related to any re-search.

Submission of Answers

Your answers need to be submitted to Mr. Corrigan, on paper, by delivering the answers to him in room 133B (or sliding them under the door if he is not available). If you want to ensure that you are the very first to submit answers, you may email Mr. Corrigan at corriganromer@gmail.com and include in your email the top rows of numbers of the two Kenken puzzles, and the final answer of the Statistical Chal-lenge. The timing of the emailed versions would be used in case of an apparent tie.

If not all of your answers are correct, you will be informed that “while some answers may be correct, not all of the answers are correct”. You will not be told which ones are correct or incorrect. The contest will end 3 p.m. June 1. If no correct an-swer has been submitted, the $25 will be put toward a subsequent contest.

Newsletter Team

Contributors: Kyle Carrasqueira-Vieira, 12 Céline Ferreira, 12 Daryl James Fonacier, 12 Teachers: Ms. Coscarelli Ms. Lopes

Ms. Connors' Comic

Corner

Looking Ahead

Mr. Corrigan’s Challenge

Semi-Formal - April 17 New York Trip - April 22 - 24 Arts Alive - May 7 Victoria Day - May 18 Final School Mass - June 2, 4 Prom - June 5 Exams - June 15 - 19 Graduation Mass and Breakfast - June 23 Graduation Ceremony - June 24