The CAMROSE BOOSTER, April 10, 2018 – Page 8
St. Pat’s Tournament of Books begins
Stephen Hawking 1942-2018
Few people are more internationally recognized than Stephen Hawking. It is interesting to ponder what made him famous. Was it his somewhat unique circumstances of living as a limitless mind in a body constrained by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis? Or was it the sheer excellence and impact Peter Berg, Science, of his research on cosmolUniversity of Alberta ogy? After all, who is not Augustana Campus fascinated by black holes, or the seemingly counterintuitive phenomena of relativity, or contemplating the beginning of our universe and whether there was a “time zero” where things emerged out of nothing? There was a beauty to Hawking defying the medical experts who predicted a short life for a remarkably gifted young man. Luckily, they were wrong and the world is all the richer for the mark that this physicist left on us. Without a doubt, Hawking has given a boost to cosmology and theoretical physics unlike anyone else in the last few decades. More importantly though, he has inspired laypersons of every ethnicity, creed, and religion (including atheists, of course) with an interest in cosmology. This happened in part due to his capacity to think beyond his own research field of cosmology and ask questions of great relevance to society. What could go wrong with artificial intelligence? Is genetic engineering safe? What are the risks of climate change? And, emerging from the pondering of these serious questions, should we prepare to leave the planet? In a way, only Einstein had the same influence on society as a physicist. Was Hawking as eloquent, wise, witty and intuitive as Einstein? Perhaps not but he became a celebrity nevertheless, whether he wanted to or not. It is all the more surprising that Hawking never received a Nobel prize. His work on black holes and space-time singularities broke new ground and his quest to understand the universe wholly through universal laws was as ambitious an idea as one ever finds, but not very humble. His two key contributions will have a lasting impression on physics and science: the physics of black holes and the Big Bang. Hawking showed that black holes possess a temperature and radiate energy at an extremely small rate which came as a surprise to many physicists who considered black holes as objects from which nothing can escape. In addition to “Hawking radiation”, he studied the conditions of the universe at very high density and temperature, developing so-called singularity theorems that support the Big Bang theory of the universe. Physicists are now trying to find the right quantum mechanical theory to extend Hawking’s work and bridge the gap to the beginning of time. Hawking was both extremely intelligent and very human, reflecting often on the meaning and purpose of life. A firm believer in facts and reason and a lifelong atheist, he reminded us to “look up at the stars and not down at your feet”, to look at the grander things at play and beyond our own small horizon. He also thought of brains as computers that stop functioning when we die, making life after death an untenable proposition. Whether one shares this view or not, we would certainly all agree with him in that “it would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.”
Lori Larsen, Camrose Booster Camrose St. Patrick Catholic School kicked off the Tournament of Books with a flare on April 24. Grade 3 student Brynne Pearson broke through the banner leading a parade of students with books around the gymnasium. By Lori Larsen
St. Patrick Catholic School in Camrose opened the 2018 Tournament of Books to a host of cheers, as Grade 3 students ran the newest selection of books into the gymnasium. St. Patrick School initiated the Tournament of Books as a fun and exciting way to inspire students to continue the joy of reading. A total of 16 books were selected by vice principal and Grade 3 teacher Michelle Nanias, then purchased by the St. Patrick Parent Council. As the books are read to the classrooms throughout the
upcoming month, students will have an opportunity to vote on their favourites. At the end of the event, the tally of votes will be taken and the winning book will be announced. Last year’s winner was The Bear and the Piano, written by David Litchfield. To further promote the excitement of reading, Nanias invited author Litchfield to join St. Pats in a Skype interview. “He Skyped with us all the way from the U.K.,” said Nanias. “The students were able to prepare questions to ask him and he
showed them how the illustrations were done.” Aside from classroom teachers reading the books to the students, the school will be welcoming ‘Mystery Readers’ to come in and share their own take on reading the books. After the Tournament of Books is over, the books will take up permanent residence in the school library. The students and staff of St. Pats have found a another way of tweaking imagination and extending the arms of learning through the wonderful world of books.
Lori Larsen, Camrose Booster Grade 3 student Emeryson Hafso, left, holds up one of the selected books, The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors, while vice-principal Michelle Nanias holds the microphone for Miraya Legare who holds up Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox.