Table of Contents Page
“ At its heart, Grease is a joyful celebration of youth accompanied by a lot of the catchiest tunes ever written for a modern musical. ” –Mr. Nicks
Principal’s Message
4
WEX & Yearbook
5
Learning Commons
6
Modern Languages
8
English Department
9
Creative Writing
10
Special Education
12
Science Department
13
Physical Education
14
Home Economics
16
Business Education & Design
17
Fine Arts Department
18
Extracurricular Activities
20
2015 Calendar
22
Regional Skills Canada 2015
23
Musical Director
2
Spring Newsletter 2015
Eric Hamber Secondary
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Work Experience (WEX)
Principal’s Message
See where our Grade 11 and 12 Work Experience students have been placed! Current Grade 10s can sign up for Work Experience 11 (XAT-11WEX) by handing in a Program Plan ASAP. Pick up a Program Plan from Mrs. James (Dance Studio/Room 309) or Ms. Kartsonas.
What are the benefits? • Explore career options and make informed educational choices
As you will read throughout this issue, we are wrapping up yet another successful school term, filled with wonderful opportunities and impressive accomplishments by so many of our students. I commend our dedicated staff for their ongoing efforts in their classrooms and through the many extracurricular activities they provide. Parental involvement is another key component in making Hamber such an extraordinary school and all of us appreciate the support from our parent community. Looking forward to the final school term, I would like to provide you with advance notice of what promises to be an exciting addition to a Hamber tradition. This year will see the return of our biannual Spring Carnival and planning for that special event is already underway. New for 2015 is the proposal to align Carnival with a Car Free School Day. Eric Hamber is one of three Vancouver secondary
schools working with the City of Vancouver to explore innovative ways to improve student safety and to promote alternative modes of student transportation, including walking, cycling, and use of transit. Connecting these two events will provide the option to use the school parking lots and Willow Street for many of the carnival activities. June 12th is our tentative date, with activities beginning at noon and continuing on throughout the afternoon. Expect to hear lots more about Carnival and Car Free School Day as we expect that most clubs and many of our school programs will want to become involved in this joint venture. One of Hamber’s newest clubs is the Bicycle Maintenance club and this group is already planning to help make it easier for all Hamber community members to take part in the Car Free School Day, Bike to Work/School week (May 25–29th), as well as regular, safe bicycle use.
Road work on Willow Street is nearing completion and we hope the work on 33rd Avenue will be finished before long so that we can experience the full benefit from the changes being made. Most noticeable for Hamber, will be the safe separation of pedestrian, bike, and car traffic between 33rd Avenue and the school’s main entrance. The new Willow Street bike lane will connect with a new bike lane on 33rd and provide an important link to the Heather Street bike route. We are already noticing an improvement in traffic flow on Willow Street, with fewer illegal U-turns and an overall reduction in traffic volume. Thank you to everyone who has found alternatives to dropping off and picking up students at the school’s front door—your choices are improving safety for everyone (and having students walk a few extra steps each day is good for their health too)!
• Experience the demands and rewards of workplace participation. • Develop attitudes and skills appropriate to the workplace. • Obtain references and contacts beneficial for future employment • Increase confidence and self-reliance • Use those hours earned in the program to fulfill the 30 hours required in Graduation Transitions • Earn four graduation credits.
Ms. James WEX Coordinator
Yearbook 2015 The Yearbook Crew has a monumental task every year: to document student life, from September to June, all within 260 pages. This group of dedicated individuals from Grades 10-12 is involved in every aspect of Hamber, from clubs to sports, and from academic events to special initiatives, getting to know the people within these walls in an attempt to seek out the unique stories of our school community. “We are thrilled to announce that last year’s Yearbook, Blueprint, is a co-winner in the Canadian Yearbook Review, a national organization that evaluates yearbooks based on all elements of yearbook: design, colour, typography, stories, photography. This is the sixth time in the last seven years that Hamber has placed first in the country. We are extremely proud of our achievements. Congratulations to the Yearbook Crew on another exemplary book!”
Ms. Poon Yearbook Advisor
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Spring Newsletter 2015
Eric Hamber Secondary
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Graphics, Revolutions and Poetry—Oh My!
Learning Commons Term 2 has been very busy in the Library Learning Commons! The excitement has come from numerous classes booked in doing research and project work, to special events with staff and students, to the creation of our very first official logo.
The end of 2014 saw Ms. Leechik-Belonio’s Grade 9 students learning all about the elements of graphic novels, including structure, layout, panel transitions, simile, metaphor, and manipulation of time. After selecting and reading a graphic novel, students then created their very own graphic novel incorporating the elements from the unit. Way to go!
Special Events
Some of the other classes using the Library Learning Commons included Mr. Scaglione’s Grade 8 (Middle Ages) and Grade 11 (Victorian Era), Ms. Mohammed’s Grade 9 (French Revolution), and Ms. Leechik-Belonio’s Grade 11 (Poetry through the Ages). We look forward to a busy Term 3!
We were proud to collaborate and host the Visual Art Opening & Guitar Performance in December. Over two weeks, contemporary art created by Hamber students was on display in our Presentation Lounge. The art show closed with a lunchtime guitar performance that was very well attended. We are excited to be hosting another art show in the Spring. In early January, hundreds of new fiction and non-fiction was presented in the first annual New Books Display. Staff and students were invited to socialize and mingle while perusing our great new resources purchased this fall. Come see us if you are looking for something new and exciting to read!
Graphic novel display, in the Learning Commons
Grade 7 Clubs Day We also welcomed parents on the Grade 7 information night, as well as Grade 7 students for a special Clubs Day. Hamber clubs set-up booths and displays throughout the Library Learning Commons, and Grade 7 students from our feeder schools were invited to come see all our great clubs. An exciting event for all participants, and surely the start of a new tradition.
Logo Contest
Ms. Lemmon & Mr. Appel sneaking through the dense fields of the learning commons.
Grade 7s visiting Hamber Clubs
Students in Ms. Schoenfelder’s EDP 12 class were asked to create the first ever logo for the Library Learning Commons. Big congratulations go to Karmen L. for her winning design! Many thanks to all students who participated.
Ms. S. Lemmon Learning Commons Librarian
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Spring Newsletter 2015
Eric Hamber Secondary
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Z. Andrew
Sydney L.
Erin M.
SPANISH
MANDARIN JAPANESE
Modern Languages Modern Language classes French, Japanese, Mandarin and Spanish opened their classrooms and welcomed visiting Grade 7 students on January 22nd. Our guests were treated to games, calligraphy, facts and communicative and cultural lessons about the target languages. Hamber Modern Language students enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their skills and curiosity for learning language. The event was a success and teachers look forward to meeting these new students next year.
Ms. Goolieff
Spanish Teacher
FRENCH
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
Friday, February 13th was going to be a lucky day for one Poetry in Voice contestant. Students from Challenge English 9; English 11 Gifted; Studio English 10, 11, 12; Creative Writing 11; and World Literature 12 had spent several weeks working on selecting poems, understanding them and then learning one poem to recite to their classmates. Individual classes held a class contest to select a winner who would then go forward to the school contest. News of the contest spread to other students who asked their English teachers if the contest could be opened up to interested participants. So we came up with the idea of a ‘wild card’ entrant. There were fourteen students vying for this wild card spot and the winner, Sanarya Al-Jaf, got to go to the final school contest.
The Poetry in Voice Finalists, along with their chosen poems were the following eloquent eight: •Sanarya A. “Wolf Lake” – Elizabeth Bachinsky •Elaine A. “Jack Would Speak Through the Imperfect Medium of Alice”—Alice Notley •Azlen E. “A Satirical Elegy on the Death of a Late Famous General”— Jonathan Swift •Eloise H. “Wolf Lake”—Elizabeth Bachinsky •Hanna J. “fluorine” —Rita Wong •Sydney L. “I Am the People, the Mob”—Carl Sandburg •Erin M. “Wolf Lake”—Elizabeth Bachinsky •Andrew Z. “These Poems, She Said”—Robert Bringhurst
We were lucky to have three experienced judges be responsible for the difficult task of selecting the top three finalists. Our school principal, Mr. Grant, Grade 9 Counsellor, Ms. Gates, and UBC Associate Professor (English Department), Kevin McNeilly. Whilst the judges were making their final deliberations and the excitement in the Drama Studio was reaching a new peak, guitarist Tejay L. was able to calm everyone down with a beautiful solo piece.
Finally, the time came to announce the winners:
First Place: Second Place : Third Place:
Erin M. Sydney L. Andrew Z.
Erin M. received her Poetry in Voice School Champion plaque and Pulp Fiction Book Prize from last year’s winner (and Student Council President), Robert C. Erin M.will now advance on to the CanadaWide On-line Semi-finals. We wish her luck and are very proud of her powerful performance! A big thank you to all our participants, judges and English teachers for a super poetry recital! The Oratorical speech contests for Grades 10 and 11 are next— stay tuned for information in the next newsletter!
Ms. B. Panesar
English Department Head
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Eric Hamber Secondary
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Creative Writing 11 Prior to participating in the Poetry In Voice competition, Mrs. Leechik-Belonio’s Creative Writing 11 class had a lot of practice performing poetry in front of their peers during their Slam Poetry Café presentations. After transforming their classroom into a Poetry Café, the amazing creative writers performed their own original, captivating, spoken word poems. Smiles, tears, and experiences were shared, as they sipped on hot chocolate and snapped their fingers in appreciation. Although they wish they could share every passionate poem performed in class, these are a couple slam poems that gave them goose bumps and left the class wanting more verses, more poetry. We present to you two of Hamber’s finest slam poets: Manjur M. and Andrew Z.
With the same mouth that inhaled one too many pills.
Andrew Z., Creative Writing 11
I let my severed skin speak for me,
I come from a home built of walls that stand like silent stories.
And I let the voices of others speak for me.
I am made up of words stuck in the throats of songbirds.
I cannot compose passionate prose the same way
Letters of praise and complaint collect like dust
That they sing eloquently in perfect harmony.
Until they reacquaint themselves with my composed tongue.
I am use to hearing the voices of others
I nibble on these words
That I forgot I had my own.
And taste the foreign soil their laced roots were planted in.
I make these choices each day, and still I pray
Sixteen years later, they don’t feel any more familiar.
To God, that I am making all the right ones.
My mother once said
My silence does not speak for me unless I say so,
The fire erupted in an inferno;
That the mouth is the body’s second strongest weapon.
And it is time that my symphony begins to play.
Manjur M., Creative Writing 11
It shone through our eyes.
That night, I counted the faded wounds on my wrist,
I will open my mouth and watch as the words
When I first saw your face,
Bliss.
Each one haunted with memories of words unspoken.
Drown the room in surround sound,
It was as if I were witnessing the sun rise for the very first time.
But as time ticked by,
I saw them as doors, leading me to places
Hear my thoughts all around, and fail to slow down.
It was blinding,
I knew that the inferno was losing its intense heat.
That could give me more than I could ever ask for.
My throat is more than just flesh under skin,
But I couldn’t cover my eyes.
When I told you I loved you,
I have felt the pain of a thousand gunsh ots,
It’s a place to begin a second time;
One.
Ms. Leechik-Belonio English Teacher
Vision
I let the bleakness in my eyes speak for me,
You hesitated before you replied.
Dealt with my finger behind the trigger,
To make this voice truly mine.
When you looked at me and you smiled,
Day by day,
And still, I forget to wear my bulletproof vest.
Let’s pretend that the melody ends,
You had lit sparks in my head like the embers of a campfire.
Hours on end,
I believed her because the blackened bruise
And the music grows soft.
Two.
Always fighting, until finally,
Was from a fist just confused about what to do.
I am no longer afraid because I know
Your voice rang in my ears,
Two parts of the song that we created
She has learned to swallow unkind words;
I am made to serenade,
Like a perfectly tuned orchestra of violins,
Refused to harmonize.
To let them find a new person to disturb.
And so, I sing.
Playing their best piece.
And I knew that the fire had died completely.
And I—I am nothing like her.
Three.
The hot embers are keeping the wounds alive,
The knuckles of my father’s worn hands
When in your presence,
With you being my only medicine.
Must hurt like broken bones,
Thousands of butterflies would fly in the fields of my heart,
When you finally told me that it was over,
But you don’t understand
Making me feel like the luckiest guy in the world.
My wounds stung as if you were pouring hot water on my
That I still love him.
Four.
burns.
He stood by me and listened
As your fingers interlocked with mine,
You weren’t even there to tell me in person, but miles away,
As I choked on rehearsed white lies that night at the hospital
A scorching flame started deep within my soul,
Your light shines for another guy.
My arms squirming vines,
Undoubtedly,
Craving to touch the light in your face.
I knew it was time to cover my eyes.
Five. When your lips met mine,
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A Voice Truly Mine
Spring Newsletter 2015
P O E T RY CAFE Eric Hamber Secondary
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SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT The Skills Development/Learning Strategies Centre continues to support students with varying learning differences and study skills. After having completed some formal training, peer tutors are putting into practice what they have learned to better accommodate our students’ individual learning styles and strengths, while equipping students with practical study habits. Our staff and peer tutors continue to support students in proactive time management, organization, and academic preparation. We have a strong team and enjoy working together to help students thrive. The Learning Assistance/ Life Skills (L.A./L.S.) district program have continued with field trips, swimming, cooking, and academic work. It has taken a while to settle down after the winter break and get into the swing of things. The students are enjoying woodworking and are working on
their third project. The Life Skills district program continues to work with students on individual programs based on the student’s desired and achievable goals after considering the students current level of achievement. Strategies are then developed that work toward achieving goals. This process involves creativity so that practical and enjoyable programs are developed for each student. During Term 2, the Senior Learning Assistance Class (L.A.C.) district program has continued to focus on their academics using modified and adapted programs in Socials, Science, Math and English. The L.A.C. students have received additional support in these courses from Grade 12 peer counsellors and tutors. Gigi L., Dylan S., Onyx Y., Julian W., Nick M. and Malcolm—are to be acknowledged for the tremendous support they have given the students in the
L.A.C. program both academically and socially. The L.A.C. students continue to monitor and care for the birdfeeders in the school garden. Many birds (especially hummingbirds) are enjoyed by the student population in the school garden. This Term, the Junior Learning Assistance Class district program is very fortunate to have Bruce M. come in every week to teach them the practices of Mindfulness. Mindful practices offers great benefits in terms of strengthening their emotional balance, resilience, and interpersonal effectiveness. In Social Studies, students are researching different countries around the world and expanding their knowledge outside of North America. In Science, students are researching the different planets that orbit our solar system with an exciting trip to Science World in February to solidify their knowledge
The HAmBEr Science t-shirt made its debut in January 2015. Hamber students were invited to participate in the “O Chemis-tree” Contest in December. The students had to identify a solution based on the colour. The winners from each grade received the new HAmBEr Science t-shirt. Alexander W., Joani V., Silas T., and Lena Y. all won by correctly identifying the chemicals by the colour. Even Constable Stokes was able to correctly answer
Hamber students had another chance to win the HAmBEr Science t-shirt in February with this riddle: Solve the following problem: 6x – 8i > 3(2x – 8y)
the quiz and won a t-shirt!
where y = Science
There is another Science contest for theMonths of April and June. Follow @hamberscience on Instagram to get the latest updates on the science contests and other science news.
and research findings.
Ms. Mcelhone
Resource Teacher
Our colourful Chemis-tree. Can you figure out what each of the solution contains. Is it iron? Copper? Cobalt? Nickel? Phenolphthalein in base?
t
artmen
e Dep Scienc
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Spring Newsletter 2015
Ms. Dowle Science Department Head
Eric Hamber Secondary
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Physical Education Senior Girls Field Hockey 2014-2015 The Senior Girls Field Hockey team had a very successful season at the start of this school year. The team was a mix of veteran players and players new to the sport, but due to collegiality between the athletes and team work on the field, the group came together to mesh well and overcome barriers. The team hit the ground running in the Lower Mainland Championships. The first round found Hamber giving an extremely hard-fought battle to the eventual champion McMath; this left them in a door-die situation where they had to win their game against Prince of Wales to earn a berth to Provincial Championships. In the pouring rain, the team rose to the challenge. Hamber
fell behind at the half but stormed back in the second behind goals from Avril B. and Josefine D. Gritty play from goalie Shyann G. and the defensive line of Madeline F., Selisa S., Olivia C. and Soleil W. kept the opposition out of Hamber’s end which allowed for the Griffins to emerge victorious! The team then headed on to the City Championships to defend their title. Facing a strong Magee team, Hamber was relentless on the attack. It was a scoreless game at the half, but Avril B. deflected the ball into the net to put Hamber up 1–0 in the second. Magee then answered with 10 minutes left in the game. This could mean only one thing: golden goal overtime. After about five minutes of extra time, Hamber
earned a short corner and Josefine D. sent a scorching shot into the back of the net to give the Griffins the win! This is the second City Championship for Hamber and the first back-to-back title in this sport for the school. The seniors, Emma P., Conny B., Alex I., Olivia C., and Laura G., have been amazing leaders on the team this year and had the exciting opportunity to play their final games in a Hamber uniform at the prestigious BC AAA Provincial Championships. Congratulations on an amazing season!
Ms. Polukoshko
Coach
Hamber Cross Country 2014-2015
Senior Girls Field Hockey Team
Eric Hamber Cross Country Team
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Spring Newsletter 2015
Our Cross Country team this past season was small but mighty. We got off to a racing start on the trails and kept on running all the way to the zone finals. Led by our captain, Walker H. (Grade 12), our team worked hard and supported each other. Due to the late start of our school year we were dedicated to getting into shape fast. Our team trained hard each week with the help of our alumni coach, Lance K., and our training partners Sam P. and Andrew E. On November 1st, 2014 Walker H. and Janey M. participated in the Provincial Championships in Victoria. Walker finished 114th, while Janey finished 65th; both finishing below the average time for their age groups! Congratulations to the whole team: Walker, Janey, Megan, Patrick, Isabel, Robert, Chin, Brian, Caton, and Nicole. Thank you for representing Hamber with such impressive sportsmanship and athleticism this season…Keep on running!
Ms. McEachern Coach
Senior Girls Basketball
Senior Boys Basketball
Table Tennis Team
The Senior Girls Basketball team has worked very hard this season to improve their skills and game play. At the end of November, the team played in the Joker’s Classic Tournament where they placed fourth followed by a trip to GP Vanier where they won two of three games. Following a strong showing at the Britannia tournament where they also won two of three games, the girls were ready for the Midtown Showdown. The team is now preparing for the City Championships with hopes of heading to the Lower Mainland Championships. Seniors Daisy Q., Conny B., Courtney L., Sarah N. and Frances B. have shown leadership and dedication in their final season and have represented Hamber basketball well for the past five years.
The Senior Boys Basketball team has had one of its most consistent seasons in recent history. This is largely due to the strong backbone of dedicated Grade 12 athletes who have played five years of basketball at Hamber. The boys had several very good wins versus Top 10 Single A teams this season and some great performances versus some of the top AAA and AAAAA teams. The boys posted a 3rd place finish at a very competitive GP Vanier tournament and an 8th finish at the VPD tournament. Through it all the senior boys placed 4th in the City Championships and won the Sportsmanship award! They also qualified for the Lower Mainland Championships. Way to go!
The table tennis team may be small in numbers but they have determination. This year’s team formed because of the initiative of Philip N., Samson T. and Marco M.. The other team members are Tomohiro K., Jonathan C. and Mark Y.. There was a slow start to the season as the first two games were forfeited by the other side. Disappointed by the lack of competitive playing at first, the team then began to see action and have played several Vancouver schools. The team earned 7th place in the BC Provincial Table Tennis Tournament and made the semi-finals in the City Championships. The team would like to acknowledge Ms. Bains, Mr. Lam and Ms. J. Chan for sponsoring the team.
Ms. Polukoshko Coach
Senior Boys Basketball Team
Midtown Showdown On January 22–24th, Eric Hamber opened its doors to sixteen of the best senior boys and girls basketball teams for the 5th annual Midtown Showdown basketball tournament. The energy in the gym was electric as the stands were full of students in maroon and blue, cheering for their beloved Hamber teams. The Griffinsnation was out in full force and, on the first day, had the
support of 125 Grade 7 students from feeder schools. Teams travelling in from all parts of British Columbia to attend were treated to the best of Hamber’s hospitality and were witness to some exceptional basketball. The tournament is run by the Athletic Leadership 11/12 class and is a showcase of amazing talent at our school. The Hamber teams fared well, placing 2nd and 3rd in the tournament. Ben B. and Conny B. were
Ms. Chan
Applied Skills Teacher
Senior Girls Basketball Team awarded with top defensive player honours while Sam J. and Donna Mae M. were acknowledged as most inspirational for the Griffins. Wheels are already in motion to make the sixth annual Midtown Showdown even bigger and better!
Ms. Polukoshko Coach
Eric Hamber Secondary
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Home Economics In January the Home Economics department welcomed Grade 7 parents and the students at Hamber. The parents received an overview to the Home Economics program and met some students who were practicing their Skills Canada Competition in Baking and Fashion Design. Our Grade 7 feeder school students had the opportunity to learn to sew buttons on cloth and/or sample Chinese green onion pancakes. The department looks forward to seeing this new group of Grade 8s in the fall. The department also welcomes Ms. Beaton who will be teaching two blocks of Baking 10 for Ms. Lee who is on maternity leave. We wish Ms. Lee all the best for the arrival of her first child. The Global Gourmet senior foods classes are enjoying a culinary tour of Asia and learning how to cook in a wok, make dumplings from scratch, experience the different types of rice in the Asian rice buffet and taste test a variety of soy sauces. This will be followed by some international buffets and Latin American cuisine. The junior foods classes are busy learning about the versatility of rice and pasta—foods that are high in carbohydrates and that fuel our bodies with energy. The Baking 10 classes
have just started to learn the baking basics and will focus on techniques used to make breads, cakes, cookies and both sweet and savory pastries. Thank you for the new knives—the Home Economics Department would like to thank all staff, students, and their families for donating their Safeway stamps. Your generousity has contributed to the acquisition of seven knives. Two of these brand new knives were used in the Skills Canada Competition. Thank you for a great gift! The Social Psychology 11 classes produced their own personality theories after studying the classics. Using daily habits and personal preference as well as developmental stages, they crafted some unique theories about personalities. Their next unit focuses on relationships where they will examine attraction theories and the causes of prejudices and how to deal with discrimination. The Family Sociology 12 class role-played a wedding ceremony and reception and discovered the cost of getting hitched through their wedding consumer research projects. The AP Psychology 12 class presented their group projects on the six human senses
Business Education and shared fascinating activities to test our senses. This class is now absorbed on learning and memory. Will understanding why we forget make us able to remember better? The fashion and textiles students are preparing for the upcoming Hamber Fashion Show on Thursday May 14th. The junior textiles students have made pants, skirts, t-shirts and blouses/shirts. The VCC (Vancouver Community College) fashion department gave a presentation to the district Fashion and senior textiles student on their fashion program and a demonstration on block printing. These students are preparing their collections and repurposing projects to be debut at JUXTAPOSE—this year’s fashion show. Tickets are $12 each and will be on sale around mid-April. This year will debut a new stage that was designed and constructed by Mr. Yu and some of his students. We hope to see you there. Don’t miss the excitement of a new stage and new fashion!
Ms. J. Chan
Elliot L., Christy S., Allison W., Angela H., Shewta J., Tyler N. There were 3500 students and 750 international teams who entered The NFTE’s World Series of Innovation Challenge, an international competition where students work in groups to come up with a new, innovative product or service to address a market niche and for a chance to win a prize of $2500. Hamber had six teams from the Business Education 10 classes make it to the Top 10 in their respective categories. After a second round of eliminations, one Hamber team made it to the finals. Nicole H. Michelle L., Gamay N. and Zorka S. Reborn was a Top three category finalist in the Coca Cola Baby Boomer Challenge. On February 10th, 2015, we learned our Hamber
team was selected as one of the winning teams! Congratulations to all six teams and an extra pat on the back to the winning team for a job well done! Go Hamber! A group of dedicated and hardworking Hamber Marketing 12 students won the Enactus Business Competition hosted by UBC Sauder School of Business on February 21st. Students received hands-on experience in creating a sustainable product with the guidance of UBC’s Spend It Right team leaders. Students took glycerin produced an eco-friendly soap. Students were responsible for researching, planning, developing, creating, testing, marketing, and
packaging their product. They were also tasked to develop and present a sustainable business model. The Marketing 12 class took the project on and developed Amber by Recentia—a soap supply business that focuses on collecting used cooking oil from local restaurants, converting it into biodiesel, making soap out of the glycerin and selling the soap back to the restaurants. The entire Marketing 12 class helped in the beginning stages of the project, but the core group consisted of Shweta J., Elliott L., Tyler N., Christy S. and Allison W., as well as Gary M., Angela H., Ken W., Cherry C., Ariel L., Nicky L. and Brian L. The presenters delivered “an innovative, comprehensive and well thought out” plan. The judges were impressed with the out-of-the-box thinking, the presentation and the packaging of our product. Congratulations, you’ve done Hamber proud with your “Clean Hands. Clean World.” idea. Huge thank you’s to Ms. Dowle and Ms. Schoenfelder for their assistance in the chemistry lab during the product development phase!
Ms. Hayes
Business Ed Teacher
Applied Skills Teacher
Design Electronic Design & Publishing 11 students were working hard during the month of February to create effective self-portraits. Students used Adobe Illustrator to apply their hard work, dedication and determination layer after layer into their Vectorised image. Job well done, EDP 11 you should all be very proud of your accomplishments, I know I am!
. Emily W
Andrew H.
Ms. Schoenfelder
Vanessa X.
Business Ed Teacher
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Spring Newsletter 2015
Allison C.
Eric Hamber Secondary
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Art Department Ceramics
The students new to ceramics have learned to make pinch pots, gourds, coil works and slab boxes. These are the basics of ceramics that everyone must learn before they go on to making more personal creations. In Term 2 the ceramics lab will be more of a putting into practice the skills learned in Term 1. The projects will be more theme based so that the students will be able to make a piece that is more personal and more in the style that they chose, rather than being directed to doing. We will welcome back Mr. Smith, our student teacher from UBC who will be working with techniques of scraffito, using slips in different coloured oxides to make name plates. Great project to learn this style of decorating as well as helping Mr. Smith learn the name of the students he will have for the next ten weeks. Term 2 and 3 students will learn how to use the Wheel to throw pots, plates and mugs. Although most think this is an easy thing to learn, most find out it is more than difficult and requires a lot of patience and care. Our senior ceramic students who have already worked on the wheel will continue to hone their skill and will make lovely pieces for display and also for our Mother’s Day Ceramics Sale coming in May.
Mr. Smith will be taking both the Junior and Senior Photography courses as well. He has four years extensive experience as Communications/Video Director for Rugby BC that he is going to share with us. We are looking forward to learning many new manipulative techniques from Mr. Smith.
LAC Art
The students have made so many artworks since September, ranging from Art Portfolios, drawings with chalk, pastel and pencil crayon, to wax resist leaf drawings that were then enhanced with many mediums and finished with gold leaf and glitter. They made tissue lanterns that we lit for Daylight Savings Celebrations, and for creating a warm, inviting room, they made paper chains, 3-D snowflakes, and snow lanterns! Recently, they were working on lino prints, they ended up with many bandages being used. But, they all thought it was worth it when the final product was finished, the cuts looked fabulous. We are now working on fingerpainted weaves that look truly sensational and sensual with all the vivid shiny Ms. Adamovich colours woven together. Art Teacher
Come by the Art Room 135 and see some of the amazing artworks on display! Our Visual Art program is a place where students create in an atmosphere of relaxation, encouragement, and support no matter what their ability level is. All they need is imagination, and a desire to create, together it flows into making artwork that is truly inspiring, for now and for many years to come.
Photography Moving from Digital Photography to Dark room Photography in January, the students are learning the dying art of processing their own 35mm black and white film and enlarging their negatives to make prints. The magic of this process and the many ways of manipulating the negatives and paper development to create impressive images, creates a love for Photography that can last for a lifetime. Many students have been moved by this course to choosing Photography as a life career. At the very least the students in this course learn how to become better photographers, and how to train their eyes to taking more artistic, creative shots for all the thousands of photos they will be taking in the years to come. David Z. (Grade 12) Photography
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Eric Hamber Secondary
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Extracurricular sport...it a t s ju ’t n is ting “Dragon Boa water.” lesson on the
Compassionate Leadership Club The Compassionate Leadership club was fortunate to host a Free Children presentation “Give where you live” which promotes philantrophy and volunteerism. Approximately 200 students and their teachers heard and saw the dynamic presentation from Amanda and O’Neil who flew in from Toronto. In the afternoon both Amanda and O’Neil ran a workshop for 18 Hamber students to develop a vision of how they could promote volunteerism at Hamber and what projects they may be interested in starting to make the world a better place. The club is focused on completing the fundraising for building a well in rural China that was hit by an earthquake several years ago. After that, the club will be looking to support another long term project somewhere in the world. A special thank you to Cherry C., Ken W. and Alicia Z. for organizing this event. On April 16, the club will be leading the school in Vows of Silence –to raise awareness of those who cannot speak for themselves. Around the world, there are those whose voices are not heard. They are the girls who are denied an education because of gender inequality, school fees or the need to stay home and care for younger siblings. They are the child labourers or the children growing up in poverty. They are the students who are bullied at school. Every one of them has a voice that needs to be heard. The club is asking everyone to take a silent stand so they can speak out. Please join them in this campaign.
MathChallengers On Saturday, February 14th, 2015, five teams of Grade 8 and 9 Hamber students competed against other Lower Mainland schools at the Regional MathChallengers competition at UBC. After two rounds of individual competition and one round of team competition, one of our Grade 9 teams placed 3rd in their pool, while one of our Grade 8 teams placed 4th in their pool, receiving an Honourable Mention. Individually, Grade 8 student Daywell Q. placed 4th overall and has been invited to compete as an individual at the Provincials at SFU on April 11th, 2015. Grade 9 students Riku H. placed 7th, Eric W. placed 8th, Jeffrey D. placed 9th, and Leo S. placed 10th. What a great accomplishment having four Grade 9 students from one school in the Top 10! Our Grade 9 team has qualified to compete at the Provincials as well. Congratulations to all the students who competed at the Regionals and represented Hamber so well!
Ms. S. Chan Math Department Head
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Spring Newsletter 2015
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Baking for Humanity This club has been meeting every second Thursday to bake cookies or bars for those less fortunate living on the Downtown Eastside. Their efforts and thoughtfulness have been much appreciated by the Harbour Light Mission and other groups servicing this needy community. If you have any baking ingredients that you do not need—please drop them off to room 106 for the club to use. All donations would be much appreciated. Special thanks go to Sophie T., Hayley E. and Joanne H. for organizing the members and the ingredients to bake and to the Teed family for faithfully delivering all the baked goodies to their destination downtown.
Seams of Love Seams of Love club members have been very productive. They finally finished repurposing the mountain of used Tourism BC uniforms into wearable garments for the less fortunate. Just as the Tourism BC mountain of uniforms left, the Vancouver Aquarium pulled up with two truckloads of their used uniforms for the Seams of Love members to remove the aquarium logos and to remake into wearable garments for those in need. By the look of the new mountain of uniforms, the club will be busy keeping those clothes out of the landfill and making someone’s life just a little warmer.
Dragon Boat Season in Full Swing The Eternal Dragon team is faithfully keeping continuous company with the waters of False Creek. There is no rest for those who want to achieve their very best. The team is also sacrificing junk food in hopes of gaining the edge over their competition. The team has shown reliability, commitment and self-discipline and this has resulted in great improvement on the water. Parents came to a meeting in January to review team expectations and dates for upcoming regattas. The team is now learning race strategies and techniques in preparation for their first regatta at the beginning of May. Please feel free to come out and cheer them on at False Creek near Science World on the following dates: May 2 May 3 May 9 June 7 June 20–21
Dragon Zone Junior Regatta Dragon Zone Spring Swift Regatta False Creek Knock Out Regatta Dragon Zone 500m Regatta Rio Tinto Alcan Dragon Boat Festival
Ms. J. Chan Applied Skills Teacher
Eric Hamber Secondary
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Calendar March
27 Term 2 Ends (Staff Meeting)
05 06
Spring Dance Performance at 7 pm Department Heads Meeting (Last Day Of Instruction Before Spring Break) 07–22 Spring Break 23 School Reopens 25 HIP Day (Class begins at 9:40 am)
April 01 01–02 03 06 09
May 06-07 Lunch–Ceremic Sale 13 Fashion Show Matinee at 12 pm 14 Fashion Show at 7 pm Grade 8/9 Track Meet 18 Victoria Day 19 Pro–D (No Class for students)
June 22
14 21–22 22–24 27 29
PAC Meeting in Staffroom at 7 pm Spring Footlights at 7 pm Good Friday Easter Monday Homeroom-Term 2 Report Card Distribution
Spring Newsletter 2015
Sr. Choral Concert at Holy Trinity at 7 pm Block Rotation- 4, 3, 2, 1 Student Written Show at 7 pm Pro-D (No Class for students) HIP Day (Class begins at 9:40 am)
REGIONAL SKILLS CANADA 2015 On Friday, February 27th, Hamber became the North West Lower Mainland Regional Skills Canada site for four different competitions. Hamber staff and alumni, as well as industry members, pitched together to run and judge these four events. The four competitions were Culinary Arts, Fashion Technology, Graphic Design and Job Search. There were Hamber students competing in all of these four categories and all represented Hamber proudly. The results of these competitions for our Hamber students are:
Culinary Arts:
Job Search:
Gold: Emma S. (Gr. 12) Silver: Catherine W. (Gr.10)
Gold: Delon C. (Gr. 11)
Fashion Technology:
Graphic Design:
Gold: Coco Y. (Gr. 12) Silver: Kimberly B. (Gr. 10) Bronze: Dana B. (Gr. 12)
Gold: Tiffany Q. (Gr. 12) Silver: Karmen L. (Gr. 11) Bronze: Hayley E. (Gr. 12)
All gold medalists will be advancing to the provincial Skills Canada competitions to be held in Abbotsford in April 2015. A special thank you goes to all the judges, and the hosting teachers: Ms. J. Chan; Ms. N. Ho; Ms. S. Schoenfelder and Hamber alumni Mr. D. Lai; Mr. T. Ireland returned to judge the Graphic Design. Clarissa R., a Grade 10, has been attending training sessions at Hamber and VCC in preparation for the Skills Canada Provincial Baking competition. Patricia R., a Grade 12 Hamber Fashion Technology student, has invested over 300 practice hours in designing and constructing tailor jackets and pants in preparation for the Skills Canada World Trials at the end of February in Quebec. Patricia is the only candidate from British Columbia to have the opportunity to represent Canada at the 2015 World Skills Competition. Congratulations to Patricia who passed the trials and will be representing Canada at the World Skills Fashion Technology Competition in Sao Paolo, Brazil this coming Summer. The Skills Canada Team Hamber would like to thank the PAC committee for providing funds for some of the practice materials and ingredients.
20 20 26 27
Spring Band Concert PAC Meeting in Staffroom 7 pm - 8 pm Spring Choral Concert Passport to Play at 8 am HIP Day (Class begins at 9:40 am) 28 Spring String Concert 30–31 Chamber Choir in concert w Van Peace Choir
03–05, 08 Drama Spring Show 19 Term 3 Ends 25 Final Report Cards Issued Last Day of Classes
From left: Donna L., Patricia R., Tiffany Q.
Eric Hamber Secondary
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THE NEWSLETTER CREW ng eu h aC sic s e
ADMINISTRATIVE EDITOR: MR. R. MIRANI | MANAGING EDITOR: MS. S. SCHOENFELDER | SPECIAL THANKS: FIONA SIU & CHLOE STARK
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