the trojan
TRANSCRIPT
The Trojan Volume 6, Issue 3 7 Feb. 2019
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Static Shift ...................... 2
A Place in the Middle .. 3
Parent of Today —........ 4
A Comic .......................... 5
Stressed Out? ................ 5-6
Poetry .............................. 7
Duke of Edinburgh …...8
Photos…………………….9
Editor: Jacob
Cenerini-Palmer
Layout Editor:
Michael Avila
Advisor: Ms.
Cathrine Wall
Vincent Massey
Collegiate
Recently, Vincent Massey’s handball team has been building up their firepower at an exponential rate for this year’s season by means of intense workout, steel-determination, and their burning passion for victory.
This year is the final opportunity for grade twelve students in the team to ultimately redeem themselves from the defeat of last season, and the one following after that, and they plan to do so by winning the championship with months of learning from failures and strenuous training. Maykel, a per-son planning to become a goalie once again, said, “There are many tough players, even smart ones as well, but one has yet to break through my iron wall of defence.”
Maykel’s quote brings great confidence and motivation to the handball team, and Cedric David follows that up with a saying of his own, “Mistakes we made last season are now our benefit. We need to maximize the opportu-nities that we have to get stronger as the season is upcoming.”
Handball team sign-ups begin in March, no tryouts required! New play-ers wanting to try handball are encouraged to sign up, even if you have no experience. By signing up, you are destined to win a trophy for VMC!
The Handball team’s promising redemption By Michael Avila
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Ben Lagoda and Maykel Avila exercising in the
fitness centre. Picture credit: Toby Vanderwater.
2 Volume 6 Issue 3
It seems another Canadian
marvel is poised to take the mu-
sic industry by storm. The
Static Shift, a diverse trio hailing
from Alberta, has been opening
eyes and turning heads as of
late.
Primarily influenced by the
classic rock genre, The Static
Shift are slowly but surely
gaining popularity, mostly due
to their participation and subse-
quent victory on the Canadian
reality television show, The
Launch, where artists on the
rise are able to showcase their
often-overlooked talents. The
Calgary-based band consists of
Mitchell Brady, frontman and
guitarist, Keone Friesen on the
bass and harmonica, and Isaiah
Stonehouse, who provides the
steady drum beats and insulat-
ing backing vocals. Debuting at
the ripe age of 14, The Static
Shift have since created 2 full-
length albums and have earned
opening slots alongside artists
such as Juno winner Colin
James, Billy Talent and Kansas.
Their style is similar to that of
the 60’s and 70’s and their mu-
sic is no different.
The Static Shift’s latest al-
bum, Common Bliss (2017), is a
beautiful amalgamation of
genres, sounding both classic
and modern, which is a common
theme throughout the band’s
discography. The introductory
track, “Green Rover”, is teeming
with intricate guitar riffs and
runs, coupled with a striking
bass line. Brady’s vocals are
reminiscent of rock legends like
Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin
and Jack White of The White
Stripes. The titular track,
“Common Bliss”, is a homoge-
nous mixture of folk, rock and
blues, with an inventive har-
monica solo. The ambitious runs
and trills of the electric guitar
mold exquisitely to the constant
deep, full tone of the bass, and
the jazzy beats of the drum hold
it all together gracefully. The oc-
casional rasp present in Brady’s
vocals is tasteful and adds depth
and emotion to the somewhat
Eagles-esque song.
The Static Shift has Queen’s ec-
lectic range of genres, Led Zep-
pelin’s sound, mixed
with the best of bands like The
Black Keys and the aforemen-
tioned White Stripes. At the
moment, a rock revival is on the
rise, and missing out on this
promising trio would be
devastating. All in all, it would
be wise to keep an eye out for
budding, talented artists like
The Static Shift.
The Static Shift: Rock Revival By Sydney da Silva
Static Shift concert.
The Static Shift members.
3 Volume 6 Issue 3
Most people ride them to go to Hawaii, Mexico or the Baha-mas. Me, I grew up on the metal flying machine. Going back and forth, back and forth between two places so similar yet so dif-ferent around 103 times throughout the past 5,754 days. To others it might be a dreaded hunk of metal. I see it as a con-nection, as a choice, as freedom; but also as a trap, giving the sen-sation of being stuck in between two important people. Having a strong relationship with such an experience since 3 months old is disorientating.
One side of the one hour and 45-minute trip is Mother. She’s warm and comforting, yet strict and exasperating. She is burnt dinners, BDI ice cream, helping the elder family members in need. She is the majority of my life. She is storming upstairs and slamming the door, she is the beautiful frosty morning walks to school after a snowfall. Moth-er is countless sleepovers with friends, she is moving from house to house, she is stressing about exams, she is breakdowns and breakups; she is heartfelt and heartbreak. Mother is the colours of the changing leaves that fall from the trees; she is the unpredictable Mother Na-ture. She is hurrying to get to a destination yet taking walks and ignoring the small computer strapped to our bodies. Mother is helping others, by holding the door or grabbing something off of a tall shelf. The desire of wanting to go to university mixed with wanting to stay un-der Mother's wing. The yearning to explore. That is Mother. The metal place, it has two sides. One full of all the excite-ment as a child on Christmas
morning, the other sad, painful and gloomy. The mixed emo-tions are confusing; how can one thing be so amazing yet so dreaded? Going to Father is the fidgeting in my seat, rehearsing the safety precautions along with the man or woman because you know it like the back of your hand. It’s staring out the win-dow at all the beautiful views, not wanting to blink scared you’ll miss something amazing. It’s reading a book and listening to Footloose on repeat, or draw-ing in a black sketchbook. It’s the feeling of nervousness of seeing someone for the first time in what feels like a millennium when the announcer says, “prepare for landing”. On the other hand, going to Mother, it’s squeezing Father tightly not wanting to ever let go, it’s seeing him the only time he cries. It’s stepping on the metal bird and getting shivers down your spine, it’s that distinct smell that punches you in the face as soon as you step foot on the metal. It’s looking through your tears at the seat numbers, and sitting down hoping no one sits next to you. It’s blocking out every sound and person around you, and staring blindly out the win-dow. It’s wishing you had one more day with him. It’s praying that you fall asleep so that you don’t have to bear with the sick-ness bubbling in your stomach. It’s getting off and seeing Moth-er, rushing to her and crying on her shoulder. That is how one thing can be so amazing yet so dreaded.
Father: he is slightly warmer weather. He is playing video games for all hours of the day. He is going on walks to Tim Hortons every morning, and
walking to get lunch. He is Christmas dinners spent eating Chinese food meant for 5 be-tween 2 people and watching Futurama laughing so hard your sides hurt. He is waking up at 5:30 every morning with no alarm, walking downstairs and watching Friends or Vampire Diaries. Father is the giant water park or Galaxyland or the ice rink all in one mall. It is either warm sunny summers or crisp winters, no in between. He is either one week or three at a time. He is hours spent drawing together at the table, or days spent at conventions. He is cof-fee or ice caps. He is car rides spent singing as loud as possi-ble, he is the thump thump of drums. He is the home to a step-mother, who cooks outstanding dinners. He is my first hockey game: Edmonton Oilers V.S Chi-cago Blackhawks, Hawks won! Father is the sensation of never wanting to leave; the sensation of wanting a real family. Then realizing… I have the best fami-ly, although it might be a little broken, but last time I checked broken crayons still colour the same.
We all have a place in the middle, somewhere or some-thing that connects us to two things important. It may be that car ride to dance lessons, or that exhibition game, but no matter where that “middle” is for you, even if it’s something you dread, cherish it. It is a bond between you and what’s important to you. Love what you have, and work for what you want. And always have faith in your “middle”: it will help you achieve your goals.
A Place in the Middle By Piper McLennan
4 Volume 6 Issue 3
Going online, it isn’t hard to
find people of any particular in-
terest or disinterest. So it
shouldn’t come as a surprise
when parents go online to talk
about their quarrels with be-
coming parents. You hear so of-
ten how great and rewarding be-
coming a parent will be but hear
nothing of what it’s like to regret
those children which were sup-
posed to enrich your life in the
first place. “I’m a good parent…
I want to do a good job, and I
want my son to have a good life.
I do love him. I just wish that
someone else would be actually
enjoying the process of raising
him, since on an objective and
subjective level, my own life is
just markedly less enjoyable
since he came along,” shared the
young mother Kate Ng.
So when we see so many par-
ents who wish that they could go
back and change the decision
that they made to have children,
is it too much of a reach to as-
sume that there are parents out
there who cannot see that they
also shouldn’t have had chil-
dren? Not all people should be-
come parents, and since we live
in a society where we are con-
stantly told that children are the
best part of our lives and that
they are our future, it becomes
taboo to talk about the people
who shouldn’t become parents.
Everyone finds it easy to ac-
cept the fact that people with
addictions to drugs and alcohol
shouldn’t have kids, or convicted
felons need to go through multi-
ple legal hoops to regain custody
of their children. But why don’t
we do all of that before someone
has a child. That way we can
avoid all of the children in foster
care and drastically improve the
quality of life for children.
It not solely about the quality
of life for the children that
should determine whether
someone should become a par-
ent. It should also be their abil-
ity to show love for their child
and not force unideal practices
on to them. A parent who
doesn’t let their child out of
their sight and doesn’t let them
become independent until they
turn eighteen is just as bad as a
parent who leaves their child
alone at home for most of the
day. “Your child's old enough to
stay home briefly, and often
does. But is it okay to leave her
and her playmate home while
you dash to the dry cleaner? Ab-
solutely not,” stated parent Ske-
nazy Haidt.
This new type of “helicopter”
parenting is part of why kids
these days tend to rely more on
their parents instead of their
own intuition, which is exactly
what their parents want. But
what this means is that when
these kids grow up to start their
own family, they won’t have any
idea what to do because they will
have relied on their parents for
everything and they will do the
same when it comes to raising
their own children. “If you raise
your children, you spoil your
grandkids. If you spoil your chil-
dren, you raise your grandkids,”
an unnamed parent stated.
My own parents are guilty of
the kind of parenting that actu-
ally manages to be a mixture of
under involved and helicopter
parenting. It is only when heli-
copter parenting fits their own
agenda of making sure that I
don’t cause them any trouble
that they use the tactic. Other-
wise if I need them to help me
with feeding myself, or applying
to jobs or going to my after-
school activities, it’s all of a sud-
den “not their job”. My parents
have repeatedly told me without
hesitation that I wouldn’t be
where I am today without them,
and while that may be partially
true, does it really matter when
my mother has told me that I
don’t have any human rights in
my own house and my dad has
told me that he doesn’t love me?
Becoming a parent shouldn’t
be something that you get a
right to by birth. It should be
something that is taken into very
serious consideration. If you
have children for any reason
other than to raise a new pro-
ductive member of society, then
you are only having children for
yourself and not for them. Let
our children become better than
us, not become subservient to
us.
Parent of Today, Enemy Tomorrow By Anonymous
5 Volume 6 Issue 3 Comic
A Comic By Ayala Kaganovitch
Feeling Stressed? You’re Not Alone By Mia Le
Feelings of stress and anxiety are part of life. Some levels of stress can actually be good for us, as the right kind of stress encourages us toward change and growth. However, when stress and anxie-ty exist for an extended period of time, they can become a burden or even a health risk. First of all, we have to define stress. So what is stress? It’s a body’s reaction to a challenge. Though stress is often perceived as bad, it can actually be good in some respects. The right kind of stress can sharpen the mind and reflexes. It might be able to help the body perform better, or help you escape a dangerous situation. According to the American Psychological Association, there are three types of stress: acute, episodic acute and chronic. The first one is also the common stress often found in people: acute stress. It’s the result of recent or anticipated stressors. Acute stress can be both positive and negative. For example, the excitement before a fun event is a type of positive acute stress, or getting into a car accident is negative acute stress. As long as the acute stress doesn’t last for extended periods or occur too frequently, there is nothing wrong with suffering from acute stress. It happens to all of us, and it passes with time. The second one I want to mention is episodic acute stress. This kind of stress con-tinuously pops up, sometimes in a pattern. It’s accompanied by worry and anger about things that are happening to you and around you. If you have a “type A” personality, you might be especially prone to this. Episodic acute stress is a recurring type of stress, happening over and over. The last one is chronic acute stress which can be thought of as never-ending stress that relentlessly wears away at you. If you don’t see an end in sight, if you are facing something that has no way out, then you are likely to be suffering from chronic stress. This type of stress eventually begins to affect your health, and can lead to a heart problems, strokes, or even cancer among other issues. Chronic stress definitely requires reaching out for help (Cohen, 2019). As a student, I used to suffer from acute and episodic stress before my exam or when I couldn’t have the mark that I expected. There are four types of symptoms of stress: physical, emo-tional, cognitive and behavioral. Physical symptoms start with expressions like headaches, clenched teeth, fatigue, nausea, irregular bowel movement, flushed skin….. If your emotions change like hav-ing less than normal patience, feelings of sadness or depression, feeling overwhelmed, trouble coping with life’s issues…. you are having emotional symptoms. Cognitive symptoms like impaired concen-tration, trouble with remembering things such as homework assignments or deadlines, chronic wor-rying, anxious thoughts or feelings….. And the last one, behavioral symptoms like changes in eating
6 Volume 6 Issue 3
and sleeping habits and increased use of drugs and tobacco… (Cohen, 2019). For some students, stress makes them want to flee their classes, so truancy, suspension, and expulsion are always around the corner (Gleeson, 2016). In Viet Nam, we have a totally different education system than Canada: “ I have 13 subjects in a semes-ter” (Phuong, 2019). These numbers prove one thing, that the percentage of students in stressful situations is climbing higher and higher. It also affects the education quality in many countries which put too much stress on students. Students all respond to stressors in different ways, and not all students will find the same situa-tion to be stressful. However, there are several common situations that tend to stress anyone out. There is too much focus on academic outcomes and a very narrow view of success with a one size fits all approach that ne-gates individually. There is too much testing and competition, as well as comparisons between kids. Since 2000, governments around the world have started to change the policy to get better outcomes, to become more and more competitive, and any joy students may get from their studies ends up being sidelined (Gleeson, 2016). As an international student, I think living away from home also causes students stress. The first few weeks of school can create a stressful environment like new friends, a new environment, and new accommodations. There is also a change in the support environment when there is a big test, bad day or confusing situation…. Family members and old friends are not readily available for support and if they are, only through the phone or computer. Besides, there are other issues like academic requirements, test anxiety, and financial problems. Many students have to work part time to pay for their tuition fees when their parents can’t afford it. The tui-tion fee in many universities in North America is very expensive, so for some students, it’s also a reason to make them feel stressful (Cohen, 2019). My friend in Viet Nam told me that if he couldn’t get the mark that his teacher wants, he would punish him by taking him to a special room where he doesn’t have any freedom and it’s like a prison. His parents want him to study in a specialized school just to show off to their friends and don’t care about what he thinks. “I think it’s the pressure from the marks. We always try to get good marks and when we can’t get them, we feel very sad and depressed” (Phuong, 2019). One thing I realize through this evidence is the awareness of the parents about stress in students is very low. They have a very narrow vision about success. They have to care for their children more instead of forcing them to do what they want. Stress can create a negative impact to students and to society. School related academic stress and burnout decreases student academic motivation and increases drop-out rates. Australian early school leavers earn ap-proximately $27,500 less a year than school completers. People with higher rates of education report fewer illnesses and better mental health and well-being. In 2014, there were almost 38,000 early school leavers aged 19, costing Australia $315 million a year. Dropping out can also have wider social impacts, like repeated inter-generational problems of low academic outcomes, unemployment, poverty, less participation in the political process and contribution to the community (Pascoe, 2018). More and more students have problems with mental health. People who experience depression symptoms have poorer educational achievement and diffi-culties concentrating. Students who feel stressful are very likely to smoke or drink alcohol, and associate with peers who commit crimes. If this continues, the community will be full of poorly educated people. There are several resources available to help you deal with student stress. Trying to find a way to calm down? Choose any relaxation technique that can help you reduce the symptoms of test anxiety. Try to get used to test-taking conditions: study in the same classroom or building where you’ll take the test or practice prob-lems under time conditions. Learn to study more effectively: get a tutor to explain what you don’t understand or find someone to double check your work…. Getting enough sleep, doing yoga, exercising regularly, thinking positive and talking to someone about your problems are also the solutions to get away from stress.
Parents shouldn’t put too much stress on their kids; they should encourage them to do what they love. They need to remember that this narrow definition of marks, success … doesn’t describe who they are. About the schools, they should reduce the amount of homework for students and encourage their students instead of forcing them to do this or that. Also, they need to create more outdoor activities for students to relax after school. Nowadays, with tons of competitions each year, the time between resting and studying of students has been out of balance, which in the long term will have a negative effect on the health and psychology of stu-dents. The government and the school should find a better way to change education so that every student feels comfortable when they go to school. Everything will be more effective without pressure and stress. As for the student’s side, they also need to be self- balancing their life so that they don’t get stressed easily and study bet-ter.
Volume 6 Issue 3 Poems 7
Safety Off By Sydney da Silva
Thunderous footsteps echo through the halls
Like the bullets launched from the smoking gun.
Vibrant lifeblood stains a child’s overalls.
Someone’s brother, sister, father, loved one.
Faceless souls ignored by those who matter most,
Who enable the death of innocence.
The fallen watch from above, hopeful ghosts
Dream of someone to fight the wickedness.
Closing our eyes to the horrors of life
Because the truth confirms our deepest fears.
We call upon deities, “please end our strife,”
But our false prayers oft fall on empty ears.
We all have the power to change the world
But the holes in our lives may not be purled.
Too Often By Nardin Soliman
Too often have I stood on the sidelines
Too often have I avoided the stony shores of the sea
Too often have I missed the passing stars
Too often have I not taken risks
Too often have I limited my imagination to what is real
Too often have I gone through the repetitive loop of a day
Too often has it been too often
For what does a caterpillar have to offer the world
If it never stops to improve
And when will life become pearled
If I never go past what’s approved
Too often is the day spent dreaming of the night
And too often have I let myself believe that it’s alright
Volume 6 Issue 3 Kudos 8
Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award Ceremony By Sophie Lawall
The provincial Silver award
ceremony for the Duke of Edin-
burgh award was held on No-
vember 15th at the Lieutenant
Governor’s house. Among the 25
young people receiving this
award were three current Mas-
sey students, Raina Vukovic,
Annie Jiang, and Abigail Gillis
and me, a Massey Graduate
from last year.
Any young person living in
the British Commonwealth may
complete the Duke of Edin-
burgh’s Award by completing
weekly physical activity, com-
munity or volunteer service, and
a skill of their choice, as well as
a camping trip. The number of
weeks and the length of the
camping trip depend on the lev-
el of the award that someone is
working towards. For the Silver
award, a participant must have
26 hours of the weekly activities
(one hour a week for 26 weeks)
and a camping trip of at least
two nights. At Massey, Ms.
Goodwin leads the program.
The awards themselves were
presented by the Lieutenant
Governor of Manitoba, Janice
Filmon, and a representative of
the Duke of Edinburgh’s Mani-
toba Division, Heather McFay-
den. The ceremony was a chance
for parents, relatives, and
friends, as well as Award Partici-
pants, to celebrate at least six
months, and, in many cases,
much longer, of work towards
achieving this award.
For myself, I did the award
through Girl Guides, and a large
part of my service as well as my
camping trip were through them
as well, but my experiences at
Massey also helped me to earn
my award: hours spent in Tech
Crew went towards service, and
Writers’ Guild provided extra
motivation to actually write for
my Skill component, Creative
Writing.
Raina Vukovic, Abigail Gillis, Sophie Lawall and Annie Jiang.
Volume 6 Issue 3 Pictures 9
On Friday, November 30th, Mr. Carvey allowed himself to be
taped to the wall as a fundraiser for prostate cancer research. Great
sport Mr. Carvey, and we raised over $200.00!
Mario Costantini, Chris Nolan, and Givan Mehra
On Friday, November 23rd, VMC’s Student Council was proud to host Chris
Nolan to our annual TADD, Friends For Life presentation.
Mr. Carvey is being taped to the wall by VMC students.
Unforgettable Moments, 2018
Volume 6 Issue 3 10
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