MAY ISSUE 2022
VOLUME 5
THE SACRED BEAT Sacred Heart's Quarterly Pulse
Kindness is Contagious! Dear Sacred Heart Community:
This is a busy school, but after taking a few moments to read through the list of activities and initiatives that occur at Sacred Heart CHS, I am incredibly humbled by the realization that the desire to serve and to be of service is at the heart of so much that goes on in this community. The hard work and dedication of many staff members in providing leadership and facilitation for our many extra and co-curricular events, is at its core, done out of a desire to serve the greater good of the community and our students. The many opportunities staff provide throughout the year strengthens our sense of belonging to a community where people care. Sacred Heart is a community where we treat people with dignity and we are constantly working together to create an environment where students and staff feel appreciated, validated and accepted. The desire to serve or to be an agent of positive change is, of course, not confined to the adults in the building. The York Catholic District School Board values learning environments that are safe, nurturing, trusting, positive and respectful consistent with our Gospel values and the teachings of the Catholic Church. Jesus is our model for all respectful and loving behaviour. All students and members of our school communities have the right to a school environment free from bullying, harassment, discrimination, threats and violence. Therefore, students are encouraged to continue to be positive leaders in our school Community; GET IN THE KNOW:
Have you ever witnessed the contagiousness of people being nice to others? One person says or does something kind to someone else and upon feeling that love, the recipient does something nice for someone else. That ripple effect is also found in social media. Users can choose to use positive hashtags which, in turn, creates a more positive community. My challenge for you is to think before you post, use positive hashtags to create a more positive community. So we can witness the contagiousness of people being nice to others! In spite of the many challenges that we experienced this year we continue to work together to help each other to be our best for the world. My advice to you as we approach the end of the school year is to surround yourself with people who have dreams, desire and ambition: they’ll help you push for, and realize your own.
Mrs. Phyllis Vander Doelen Acting Principal
THE FIRST BEAT AND STATIONS OF THE CROSS
PG. 2 MOCK TRIALS
PG. 5 LUNCHTIME PERFORMANCES
PG. 10 DECADE CIVVIES
PG. 11 SACRED HEART CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL 908 LEMAR RD, NEWMARKET, ON L3Y 1R9
THE FIRST BEAT By Mrs. Paulino & Mrs. Loffredi As crazy as the idea was to begin a brand new student newsletter amidst a global pandemic, Mrs. Ferro believed in advocating for the student voice and thus began this new initiative...The Sacred Beat! When she approached us to be the teacher leads for the newsletter, we didn't quite know the direction that it would take us as we started off both being the editors and reporters of the school news. Gratefully, this year we had a talented and committed group of fantastic students come on board. Looking back, we are so happy that Ms. Ferro recruited us to showcase all the amazing things happening in our community. From the first issue to the last one she contributed to, it has always been clear that Mrs. Ferro loves the Sacred Heart community and aimed to showcase the talent and achievements of our students and staff. Thank you Mrs. Ferro for trusting us to report the sacred stories that fill our school, for giving us the first beat and for always trying to make Sacred Heart the best place one could be! We will miss you dearly and wish you all the best on your retirement. Have a look at the many well wishes both staff and students shared with Ms. Ferro.
Stations of the Cross After being continuously locked down due to COVID-19, it was nice to finally take part in a normal school activity like a field trip. We took a bus to Toronto to look at a vast variety of art pieces and culturally related parts of the city relating to Jesus Christ and his final days. Each art piece was different, using a wide variety of mediums and methods including paintings, sculptures, photographs, and more. We were also able to visit the Eaton Center for food and entertainment, which was a fun addition to the trip. The trip was insightful, interesting, and very influential. We were all very thankful to be on a field trip again.
Written by Lucas Aguiar, Eddy Hrapunsky and Maria Alfaro Perez PAGE 2 MAY 2022
Return To Normal: Mask Mandate Lifting By: Rahavan Kuganeswaran
It's official! On March 21st the mask mandate was lifted and Ontario residents no longer need to wear a face mask in most settings, including our school. A few Sacred Heart students were asked about how they were feeling, and a lot of students are still concerned for the safety of themselves and others, but many are happy to see smiling faces. Hopefully, we can eliminate the spread of Covid-19 so that we are able to return to our prepandemic lives.
"Personally, I think the mandates being lifted was a good decision because it shows that slowly, we are returning to our lives before Covid-19." - Tannaz Aleshams
"In my opinion I do not think the mask mandate should be lifted. This is because I do not feel safe to go back to school without proper protection." - Ryan O'Neill
"I think that it's up to the person if they want to wear the mask or not... I will continue to do so." - Jacob Kondal
PAGE 3 MAY 2022
International Cooking Club By: Nina Adut The cooking club comes together to cook, bake food from all around the world. This club has made quite a few delicious recipes including black bean quinoa tacos, latkes, poutine, and more. They have been cooking in person at school, and it has been such a delightful club to be a part of here at Sacred Heart.
PAGE 4 MAY 2022
The Road to The Finals After long hours of practicing and preparing for the Ojen annual mock trial, Sacred was ready to face other schools. The preliminary rounds were virtual due to the Covid-19 restrictions. After going through the first two rounds Sacred Heart made it to the finals! The finals were held at the Newmarket courthouse, a few days after the first two rounds. The team dressed up formally and competed against two other schools in court and placed in the top 4. After a long day of hard work and determination, they brought home the bronze placing 3rd place out of the many teams that participated. It was a great experience for all the participants who were able to work alongside actual judges and lawyers.
Here's a photo the team taken with two judges from the mock trial.
Article by: Angelina Azar El-Hajj Photos by: Ms, Ferro and other spectators
PAGE 5 MAY 2022
Autism Acceptance Month By Mrs. Loffredi The month of April has been designated as Autism Acceptance month in an effort to support the inclusion and acceptance of those living with autism, and to 'Celebrate Differences'. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects the way a person communicates and relates to the world around them.
Facts about Autism Autism affects 1 in 50 Canadians ages 1-17. Autism has no cultural boundaries; it affects all races, ethnicities, and gender identities Not every autistic person is the same; autism exists on a spectrum which means that everyone experiences it differently. Autism is a type of neurodiversity, which does not mean disorder, but refers to ability to process information differently. Famous people living with autism are Dan Aykroyd, Albert Einstein, Susan Boyle, Temple Grandin, and Sir Anthony Hopkins. Source: www.autismontario.com
PAGE 6 MAY 2022
Kerry's Place Kerry's Place is a local organization that provides autism services for those living with autism and their families. It has provided such services since 1974 and continues to do so today, supporting over 8000 individuals of all ages and their families. Kerry's place works towards building a future where all autistic individuals are fully integrated in their community. To find out more about this organization, visit www.kerrysplace.org
The world needs all kinds of minds. Dr. Temple Grandin
Menstrual Hygiene Project YCDSB
By: Olivia Stone and Allison Kalist
On
April
5th,
the
York
Secondary Presidents Council announced the introduction of
The
YCDSB
Menstrual
Hygiene Project. This is a Student Led initiative which works towards “combatting stigmas
against
menstrual
health,
reducing
financial
barriers and creating a space where
students
feel
comfortable
to
talk
about
menstrual
health.”
This
project was started by Lauren Pappas and Agnessa
Astvatsatryan, two female students from St. Elizabeth CHS. The initiative has been in the works for the past couple years but was piloted at St.Elizabeth C.H.S. in October, 2021. Students have free access to period products through dispensers located in the school's female washrooms. This service is available to all, and students are encouraged to take what they need while being courteous to others. The YCDSB plans to implement this program into all schools as a step towards creating a more equitable and inclusive school space.
PAGE 7 MAY 2022
SENIOR REACH TOURNAMENT By: Allison Kalist Congratulations to the senior Reach For the Top team for placing forth overall, and tying for first in the round robin games at the Reach tournament. On Saturday, April 2, Nathan Harrison, Mary Calleja, Conor Molony, Julian Torchia, Alexei Bertram, Natalie Competiello, and Allison Kalist participated in the online tournament, with great work done by all. A special thank you to Mr DiGiovanni for coaching, hosting, and helping the senior reach team throughout this school year. Great work everyone!
PAGE 8 MAY 2022
AP Check-In
By: Vita Kolesnikova
Now that the grade 9s have finished one semester of high school, it’s the perfect time to find out how they’re feeling about the school, their classes, and high school as a whole. For new AP-Prep students, it’s the perfect time to be realizing if you regret every choice you’ve made, or if this just about saved your life. So how are grade 9 APPrep students feeling about choosing AP? Let’s find out.
Q: Are you happy you chose AP this year? Andrea: Yes, I am. I like being in AP, and especially in classes like math, I wouldn't expect to be doing something easier than what we did. It seemed like the right amount of work. Nick: No. You're with the same people in all your classes and I’ve lost some friends because I don't have any classes with them. Lizzie: Yes, because I think this program was a real challenge for me and I was able to exceed my expectations which was a really big accomplishment for me.
Q: What has been your favorite AP class so far? Andrea: Math Nick: Science Lizzie: Science
Q: Do you think you’ll stay in AP in following years? Andrea: Yes. Nick: Only next year, for grade 10, but probably not after that. Lizzie: Yes, I think I'll stay in AP for all of high school. PAGE 9 MAY 2022
LUNCHTIME
PERFORMANCES It's showtime, Sacred Heart! After a long two years of not being able to perform live, our "Sacred Heartists" are back on the stage thanks to our Music Council. On Thursday, April 14th, performers took to the caf stage to display their talents through singing, and playing piano, and guitar. There was even visual arts! Bravo to all the performers for having
By: Allison Kalist
PAGE 10 MAY 2022
the courage to perform so well after such a long time. It truly is amazing to hear such beautiful music filling the halls of Sacred Heart again. Music Council will be hosting weekly performances for those with the urge to get back to performing. Share your talent with the school, sign up to perform!
DECADE CIVVIES BY: OLIVIA STONE
On April 1st, Sacred Heart took a blast to the past and participated in Decade Civvies. Unlike a regular civvies day, students were encouraged to wear outfits that would fit into the past decades. The Grade 9’s came dressed in 60’s fashion, the Grade 10’s were groovy in their 70’s wear, the Grade 11’s were rad in 80’s clothes and the Grade 12’s were rocking the 90’s. To celebrate the day, Arts Council was commissioned to create a photo backdrop that was set up in the Caf for students to take pictures in front of. Tech Cru had some throwback tunes playing during the lunches and overall this was another successful event brought to you by Student Council. The real kicker was that the grade with the most participation won a free civvies day. All grades brought their A-game and looked the part, but it was the Grade 12’s that won by only 0.7%.
Pho to s
Due to the overwhelming participation, Student Council hopes to make Decade Civvies an annual event. Thank you to all students and staff that participated and made this event possible. Let's keep on groovin' towards the end of the school year!
via Stone Oli : by
PAGE 11 MAY 2022
Kaiyannah McKie-Talbut (grade 12) Ilektra Theodora (grade 11) Isabella Wright (grade 11) Daniil Boiko (grade 11) Jewella Macabenta (grade 11) Laura Baltar (grade 11) Vanessa Casuga (grade 12) Christopher Baghdassarian (grade 12) Shane Bondy (grade 12)
PAGE 12
MAY 2022
THE SACRED BEAT TEAM BRINGING YOU SACRED STORIES
Senior Student Editor
Junior Student Editor
Allison Kalist
Nina Adout
Photographer
Graphic Designer Angelina Azar El Hajj
Ethan Rania
Resident Reporters
Katerina Khilov
Sydney Macdonald
AP Liaisons Vitalia Kolesnikova Rahavan Kuganeswa
Eli Moroney
Kristen Realejo
Carys Watson
Student Leadership Liaison
ESL Liaison
Olivia Stone
Linda Mao
OUR
SACRED
COMMUNITY
School Administration Phyllis Vander Doelen, Acting Principal Danny DiLallo, Vice Principal Frank Nardi, Vice Principal
Superintendent Joel Chiutsi
School Trustee Theresa McNicoll
Parent Council Co-Chair Rachel Egan Janice Mellary
Editors-in-Chief Lisa Loffredi Angely Paulino
School Address 908 Lemar Road, Newmarket, L3Y 1R9
@SacredHeartCHS
https://sahe.ycdsb.ca/