ON THE COVER // CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2022 THE MAGAZINE FOR MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL // SUMMER 2022
OMG! Will these ever end? you thought. Not in the DP! said Ms. Bereza and Ms. White. Now you had TOK and CEL classes. You completed IAs and an EE. All this while trying to complete your Bronze, Silver, or Gold DOE. Some of you even wrote the DELF and DELE exams. Mrs. Just, Ms. Chen and Ms. Jacus met with each of you to look at your GPAs and JIs.
So here you are today ready to move on to the next chapter and be free of all the abbreviations and acronyms we have thrown your way. Right?
Wrong! You might be going to UBC, UofT, SFU or even UCLA to pursue your BSc, MA, PhD or LLB. In future years, you might be working at VGH, CIBC, an IT company, or the UN in other countries like USA or UK. You will get to know the CRA, contribute to CPP, TSFAs and RSPs. In so many ways, your life will continue as it was, just in a different place.
I speak for all when I say that we are so proud of you, so happy to see you move on to fulfill your hopes and dreams, yet so sad that your smiling faces won’t be coming through the doors here on Congratulationsin.Graduates of 2022!”
FYI! Our goal at Meadowridge is to create lifelong learners who can take the knowledge, skills, and attributes they learn at school and apply them throughout their lives. By bombarding you with as many of the abbreviations and acronyms we could think of, we are confident that you are well-prepared to move forward beyond our walls.
On the cover
HEARD ON CAMPUS: MR. DONALDSON’S CONVOCATION SPEECH
I am sure you have mixed feelings about your time here at Meadowridge. So many memories of fun times, hard work, friendships, worries, stresses, and joys. I am sure it must seem like a long journey, but perhaps you are thinking it has also gone by so quickly. I thought it might be interesting to chart your long but short school life through the lens of the many acronyms and abbreviations you have experienced over the years.
“It is hard to believe that your graduation day is upon us. You have so much to be proud of. I cannot begin to list the accomplishments, awards, scholarships, and successes that are coming your way, but I will try.
Some of you may be Lifers who came to Meadowridge in JK and K and joined the ELC. Already three abbreviations at such an early age. Raise your hands if you joined the IB PYP for Grades 2, 3, 4 or 5. You started out learning the 3Rs and, as you moved through PYP, you delved into the POI through your UOIs, learning about the ten attributes of the LP. You used the SOAR Wheel in Grade 1 and used your WITS to solve problems with classmates. PHE was always fun! Writing FSAs in Grade 4 not so Mr.much.Banack who was MYP Principal at the time welcomed even more of you to MYP with open arms. You had new classes like I&S and L&L. You focused on ATLs while your teachers employed the ATTs. There were CWOWs and WWOW weeks, CAS Clubs, and the culminating project of the MYP, the PP. Mr. Spurgeon was always encouraging you to join teams to play in the ISABC and GVISAA leagues.
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is a magazine for the Meadowridge School community published three times a year. © 2022 MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL 12224 240th Street Maple Ridge, BC V4R 1N1 Canada
Oh, the places they’ll go Class of 2022
Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn
The Q: What was the best summer vacation you ever took as a kid?
Philanthropy Matters
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37 @MeadowridgeSchool
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issue SUMMER 2022 MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 1
@MeadowridgeSchool Gryphon
The
A conversation with Danielle Christensen & Julie Bournival
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Science Across the Continuum
In this
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Growth, Learning & the Grade 5 Exhibition
Alumni Story
Diba Taghvai ‘12
MeadowridgeAround
Indigenous Education at LandMeadowridgeAcknowledgement
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Online, all the time at meadowridge.bc.ca/the-gryphon
/Meadowridge /Meadowridge-School/MeadowridgeSchool
Email us anytime at communications@meadowridge.bc.ca
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High School Business Consultants for Hire
Students took part in a full day of hands-on learning and heartpumping activity during April’s Classrooms Without Walls (CWOW). Grade 6 students took part in Meadowridge’s Track & Field Meet, while Grade 10 students helped to oversee and run the day. Closer to campus, our Grade 8 students learned how to make soap and sew for their upcoming farmers’ market, then switched to an afternoon of high ropes and ziplining at WildPlay. Racing through Maple Ridge, meanwhile, our Grade 9 students took on the challenge of Meadowridge’s ‘Most Amazing Race’. For Grade 11 students, the CWOW was a day dedicated to their Biology, Chemistry, and Physics Internal Assessments (IAs).
Classrooms Without Walls
MeadowridgeAround
2 THE GRYPHON // SUMMER 2022
The culmination of many years of learning and the many talents of our Diploma Programme (DP) art students, the DP Art Exhibition promises a terrific collection each year. Five Art students from the Class of 2022 showcased their work, which included sewn, painted, sculpted and other works.
April CWOW
During our first off-campus Classrooms Without Walls (CWOW) trips since the start of the pandemic, students took off to nearby mountains, research forests, lakes and trails to take part in an array of outdoor activities. With adventures like snowshoeing, canoeing, forestry studies and hiking, it was a true CWOW experience for all.
Students showcased and presented while our community marvelled and learned. During the Celebration of Learning, Grade 5 Exhibition, Grade 10 Personal Projects, and Grade 12 Capstone Projects were on display for our entire community to enjoy.
Celebration of Learning
Alumni Speaker Series
Four Meadowridge alumni shared their experience and expertise with our graduating class during a three-part speaker series. Diba Taghvai ’12, Victoria Horne ’14, Shauna Graveson ’19 and Iris Yu ’13 visited in person and virtually to chat with the class about finances, networking, and finding success in the first year of university.
DP Art Exhibition
Read-A-Thon
The secret’s out—Meadowridge is growing!—and parents and alumni parents heard all about it during a Community Information Session hosted by Mr. Banack. In addition to learning about the timelines and designs and other considerations, families got a little insight into Mr. Banack’s own experience and life. Missed the session? Catch up on key takeaways at audacity.meadowridge.bc.ca Eid Celebration
Volunteer Appreciation Event
The cast and crew of Pirates! The Musical put on four outstanding performances during their two-day run and, with entry by donation, was also able to raise $290 for the Alouette River Management Society, $130 for Ukrainian relief, and a box of non-perishable food donations for the food bank.
Donning Jeans for Good
Community Information Session with Head of School (Expansion 101)
Meadowridge students took part in the Concours d’art Oratoire, a french-speaking competition that welcomes thousands of students each year, and secured top 5 placements in the province. In the Core French Grade 8 to 12 category Aryana S. (Grade 11) earned first in the province, Daniel A. (Grade 9) second, and Leia O. third. In the French Immersion Grade 11 to 12 category, meanwhile, Akira Y. (Grade 11) earned third in the province.
Concours
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 3
Elementary School students enjoyed an ‘Our Favourite Reads’ read-a-thon day, complete with noisy reading in the morning and read-alouds with special guests (including everyone’s favourite – Gryph!) in the afternoon.
The theatre was a buzz with activity during Meadowridge’s Eid ul-Fitr celebration. Initiated, planned, and hosted by our dedicated parent volunteers, students enjoyed an afternoon of delicious cultural cuisine, henna, and music while surrounded by beautiful lights and décor.
Meadowridge swapped their trousers for denim during BC Children’s #JeanUp Month and helped raise over $3,000 for BC Children’s Hospital.
Celebrating the supporters of our students and our school, the volunteer appreciation event brought together our generous parents for an afternoon of refreshments, live music, and giving thanks. The student Orchestra brought the event to life playing selections from favourites like Frozen and Game of Thrones
Pirates! The Musical
First in the province! Grade 6 students participated in the Canadian National Mathematics League (CNML) contest and earned top spot amongst all schools across British Columbia.
Math League Success
Science at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan Life skill learned at Meadowridge: Communication. I’ve learned how to converse with many different groups of people. Meadowridge has such an amazing range of students from different ethnic backgrounds, which has expanded my horizons and with whom I interact. If I hadn’t come to Meadowridge, I wouldn’t have had these interactions or developed these skills.
Favourite memory from Meadowridge: Playing on the Senior Boys Soccer team. Our team made it to provincials, which was exciting, but we also developed amazing friendships that I know I’ll have for the rest of my life.
SAVREEN CHAUHAN
SIMER BAINS
YASNA ALENABI
MUSTAFA ALI SHAH Clinical Sciences at Macquarie
NUSAIBA ALI
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 5
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Arts (Political Science) at the University of British Columbia Favourite thing about Meadowridge: The small class sizes, which allow the programs to be specialized and most assignments and projects to be personalized. I also like how large the campus is and the broad array of program offerings and clubs.
Science at the University of British FavouriteColumbiamemory from Meadowridge: Our five-day, Grade 10 WWOW canoe trip to Indian Arm. We learned so many life skills such as communication and teamwork – both proving essential when it came time to building tents. We shared some amazing experiences and formed incredible friendships.
LifeUniversityskilllearned at Meadowridge: Over the last five years I’ve learned a lot of valuable skills and techniques to take with me to university and beyond. Picking one specific skill is difficult, but the most important one I’ll take with me is the ability to always persevere and try your best.
HANNAH BAINS
Science at Queen’s University
thing about Meadowridge: The school community. Ms. Young greets us every morning and Mr. Spurgeon always cracks us up with his jokes. This is what you need during the Diploma Programme. Having an environment that is very positive, supportive and uplifting is something that is so special about our school and what has allowed me to succeed.
Arts at the University of British FavouriteColumbia
6 THE GRYPHON // SUMMER 2022
ROHAN GEORGE Health Science at Simon Fraser FavouriteUniversitymemory from
Proudest moment from Meadowridge: Working with Students on the Beamlines. The project took a lot of effort and paid off in the end. We travelled to the University of Saskatchewan and used the Synchrotron to study the effects of heavy metals on pesticides and plants. This experience will always stick with me.
Arts & Social Science at Simon Fraser FavouriteUniversitymemory from
Meadowridge: Our Grade 10 WWOW trip to Indian Arm. It was so much fun but so hectic. It was great being together and being able to enjoy the experience. We canoed through so much rain, which could have been defeating, but everyone helped, encouraged, and supported each other to get through it.
How Meadowridge changed me: I value community and know the impact it has on your life. Coming to Meadowridge in Grade 5 and graduating eight years later, I’ve learned school is much more than a place to study; it is a second home. Meadowridge has been a core piece of my identity.
Direct-Entry Medicine at Flinders University
SAM DAVISON
of our
Science at the University of British Columbia
Science at Queen’s University, Bader International Study LifeCentreskill learned at Meadowridge: When I enrolled in Grade 10, I discovered that the IB is much harder than a regular curriculum. Because of the academic rigour, I learned it is okay to ask for help and to not always know the answer right away. These are necessary parts of learning.
ISHA DAU
Computer Science at University of British Columbia
Meadowridge: Before I was admitted to Meadowridge in Grade 10, I came for a shadow day and an interview with Ms. Bereza. I left that day thinking how amazing Meadowridge and the community were. This changed my view of the school. I knew Meadowridge was a good school but was scared about how difficult the IB would be, but everyone being so welcoming made me want to come here.
Favourite memory from Meadowridge: Halloween Fun Night in Grade 8. My team and I were in charge of the ‘grand finale’, and my job was essentially to dress up like a clown and scream at people. Looking back, I realize this probably wasn’t very frightening, so I’m really grateful that the students played along and pretended to be scared.
RIZ DEVJI
ETHAN GILL
ZHIAR ATTHARI
English.languageidentifygraduatesasfluentorbilingualinaotherthanSixstudentsaretrilingual! 73%
Life skill learned at Meadowridge: Empathy – a lot of people come from very different backgrounds and you learn here how to be inclusive and to share and be kind. I credit a lot of my personality and my empathy to the things I’ve learned from being here.
ISHMAN HEHAR
Life skill learned at Meadowridge: Resilience. Meadowridge is a demanding environment so you learn to push yourself and get back up when you’ve been put down. There were times, especially earlier on, when I felt I wasn’t good enough for this. That’s where I learned to do my best and be proud – a skill I will definitely be using next year in university!
The sense of community. I feel that our community is much stronger since we are a smaller school and you know a lot of your fellow students from across the grades. This is most prevalent during our Spirit Days when everyone in your House is cheering you on.
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 7
JOE GUO Experimental Animation at OCAD University
MARAM GUSBI
How Meadowridge changed me: Meadowridge has changed me in a number of ways, from the way I talk to people to how I organize my time. I’ve learned to lead, how to communicate, how to make friends and be the best version of myself.
FavouriteBarbara
SHREYA LADVA Arts (Psychology) at Simon Fraser University
Direct Entry Medicine at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
SPARK LI Electrical Engineering at the University of California, Santa
Commerce at University of Toronto, St. George Campus
Life skill learned at Meadowridge: How to be productive. My energy level fluctuates during the day and tends to drain out in the evening so I learned to plan my day leaving subjects that involve more logical thinking to the morning when my energy level was at its highest. Studying for tests becomes less painful when you have the mental energy for it!
Science at the University of British Meadowridge:FavouriteColumbiathingabout
FavouriteCollege
thing about Meadowridge: The teachers. I appreciate how they always go above and beyond and try their best to help you succeed. They care about how you’re doing academically, but also how you’re doing outside of the classroom too.
ASTON GUNNING Arts (Political Science) at Simon Fraser University
thing about Meadowridge: The community. The staff and students are very friendly, caring, and welcoming. Everyone is always willing to help.
Life skill learned at Meadowridge: Besides all the things I learned in class, I also learned a lot of crucial life skills. How to talk with and engage others, create a presentation, write an essay, manage my time... this is all on top of the IB curriculum!
JOHNSON DOONG Game Design at Sheridan
JASON DONG
RAY LUO Mathematics at the University of LifeWaterlooskilllearned at Meadowridge: How to look at a situation calmly and accept it as it is. Not everything in life should be fought over, and you need to learn how to identify the things that are important enough to bicker over and the things you can just let go.
MEVEREST LIN Social Sciences at University of Toronto, St. George Campus
Life skill learned at Meadowridge: Collaboration. Meadowridge gives you lots of opportunities to work with others. Whether it’s a Harkness Table discussion or a group project, you are constantly put with people you may not know that well and given the chance to work together.
How Meadowridge changed me: I value relationships and know they matter more than anything else—it is who you have standing by your side that is important. I am graduating with the same best friends I had in Grade 9 and, although we have all had our ups and downs and probably won’t be as close in university, they are the ones that got me through high school.
ELLIE MOHAMEDALI Criminology at Simon Fraser LifeUniversityskilllearned at Meadowridge: How to juggle school with all the other activities happening outside of class. I learned to maintain balance between these many parts of my life and learned how to prioritize my time.
Life skill learned at Meadowridge: The school provided me with the environment and challenges that have truly enhanced my critical and creative thinking skills. My biology-focused Extended Essay and various CAS experiences have allowed me to explore my academic and non-academic interests, from which I gained too many life skills to count.
SIMAR JAWANDA Science at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan
Life skill learned at Meadowridge: I learned to be more balanced. I learned how to analyze facts and data and think critically during labs, how to collaborate during basketball and robotics, and how to prepare for university during counselling class.
8 THE GRYPHON // SUMMER 2022
MARCUS HUI Science at Queen’s University
How Meadowridge changed me: I now understand the importance of education. I’ve also picked up some essential skills like how to study, manage my time, and think outside the box, skills I’ll apply as I head to university.
Life skill learned at Meadowridge: Having good time management, which helps you at university and beyond. There are many tests, assignments, and deadlines so I learned the importance of organizing my schedule.
DAPHNE LIANG Media Arts Production at Emerson College
EVANGELINE LIN Social Sciences (Economics) at Western University, Advanced Entry to Ivey School of Business
NICK LI Physical and Mathematical Sciences at University of Toronto, St. George Campus
How Meadowridge changed me: I’ve become more balanced, persistent, and caring. From soccer and basketball to robotics, I’ve had great experiences that taught me that perseverance and practice are the keys to success. I am truly thankful for the support that Meadowridge has given me.
Computer Science at the University of British Columbia
VLAD PETRARIU
CHARLIE RAMSAY
What I’m most proud of: Completing the IB Diploma. Particularly, finishing my Extended Essay, in which I explored, “To what extent is the Maple Ridge public transit system sustainable with increasing urban sprawl?”
British EngineeringFineCommerceLiberalSciencesEuropeUnitedOntarioColumbiaStatesArtsArts Faculties of Study
Favourite thing about Meadowridge: The community. I’ve been at Meadowridge for most of my life and all the people are truly amazing. The teachers and staff truly care for us and help us to improve. The students are all kind and my grade is full of special people!
Locations of Study
Economics at Western University, Advanced Entry to Ivey School of Business
Economics at University of Toronto, St. George Campus
CHANDLER SHI Engineering at the University of British Columbia
CARINA LUO
Meadowridge: When the whole grade went to the north forest and gave Viktor a buzz cut.
What I’m most proud of: Founding and leading a business club. This was a completely new experience for me and it helped me grow as an individual while improving my communication skills. Meadowridge provided me the platform to take my passion and share it with the school community.
JENNY LU
JOEL OGUNREMI
Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, FavouriteOkanaganmemory from
Life skill learned at Meadowridge: Meadowridge has been a journey of growth, adaptation, and learning for me. I learned many life skills during my time here, especially time management with a heavy academic load and lots of extra-curriculars.
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 9
48%50%25%10%10%5%42%8%2%
Fashion Design at the University of Arts London
Favourite memory from Meadowridge: I will always remember the Kinderbuddy Program. I really enjoyed hanging out with my buddy, which brought me back to when I was young and helped me forget about the stresses of Grade 12 for a short time. I loved that the teachers really put thought into the pairings and I think they did a great job matching us up.
VIKTOR ZIZKASCHAARDENBURG-VAN
Neurobiology at University of California, San Diego
ofaverageanearnedhas2022ofClassThe graduateperofferspost-secondary 4.75
CARRERA SHEK Business & Society at York LifeUniversityskilllearned at Meadowridge: Time management, communication, and perseverance. I also learned the importance of selfawareness and independence, two crucial life skills – if you need something done, you have to be the one to do it.
Economics at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan How Meadowridge changed me: Meadowridge has shaped my perspective towards work and goals. Most people my age who work hard at school are doing it for a grade or to get into university. Meadowridge taught me it’s about a lot more than that. I put effort into school because I want to learn and feel the satisfaction of putting in my best.
ANNIE WANG
Life skill learned at Meadowridge: Hard work. The IB Programme definitely pushed me, but I had the positive support I needed from teachers, staff and students to succeed. Everyone here wants you to be better and will help you to achieve it.
YAZMIN RÖPKE
Criminology at the Simon Fraser FavouriteUniversitymemory from Meadowridge: Going to the Indian Arm for our Grade 10 WWOW. We had to go in the pouring rain and it was such a painful experience, but I always look back and realize how much fun I truly had and am happy I got to spend time with my friends.
10 THE GRYPHON // SUMMER 2022
CARSON SHALIST Management and Organization Studies at Western University
LIAM STORGAARD
Computer Science at the University of British Columbia, FavouriteOkanaganmemory from Meadowridge: Our WWOW trips in Grade 7 and 8 to Rockridge, since it is definitely something that students at other schools don’t get to experience. The trips were really fun and are such a great memory.
Favourite memory from Meadowridge: Qualifying and playing in the Senior Soccer BC Provincials and facing challenging competition. We ended up placing eighth in the province and I’m really proud of that accomplishment.
Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan
NATHAN ZHANG Humanities at University of HowTorontoMeadowridge changed me: I look at education differently. In the IB, we are encouraged to look at education holistically, and my time at Meadowridge has helped me to become a more well-rounded person.
DANIEL WOOD
Faculty of Arts at Queen’s LifeUniversityskilllearned at Meadowridge: How to organize my time, collaborate with others, and work within a community. This helped me with my time management and taught me to visualize different solutions to tasks.
Health Sciences at University of WhatOttawaI’mmost proud of: Maintaining connections within a grade. This is important with such a small graduating class and important across all grades. I am proud of the friendships I’ve made and the people I’ve met. The experiences I will remember are because of these connections I’ve made.
LINDA ZHANG Science at the University of British Columbia
Computer Science at the University of British Columbia How Meadowridge changed me: I’ve become a responsible person, both in my words and my actions. I’ve learned to be more principled and caring from the Learner Profile. I’ve learned time management and other Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills.
Favourite memory from Meadowridge: The WWOW trips we got to go on. Some of my favourites include Rockridge and Victoria because I got to know my classmates and teachers better during these trips.
What I’m most proud of: My Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) Project translating museum websites from English to Mandarin. I was able to step out of my comfort zone and reach out to strangers; but, more importantly, I was also able to help newcomers have a better understanding of their communities.
JACKY WEI
STEVEN XU History at University of Toronto, St. George Campus
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 11
ALI WASTI
DAVID XU
What I’m most proud of: The growth I’ve had since coming here. Growing up, I was always anti-social, but coming to Meadowridge has taught me to engage with everyone across the school.
MICHELLE ZHANG Media, Information & Technoculture at Western University, Advanced Entry to Ivey School of Business
In high school, Diba Taghvai ’12 was not the kid you’d peg as becoming a successful financier. Back then, he was more likely to be found painting in the senior art studio or absorbed in an after-class comparative civilizations debate. Today, if you mention his current career to any one of his past teachers, they’ll meet you with an incredulous, “Diba?!”.
The alum admits it even takes him by surprise. Back in high school, he thought he had it all figured out. After graduating from Meadowridge School, a self-proclaimed “arts and social sciences kid,” Diba pursued a degree in Near Eastern Studies at the University of British Columbia. It should’ve been the perfect program except he hated it. “I knew within six weeks it was not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life,” he remembers. Mind made, Diba returned home and made the announcement to his parents: he was dropping out. His parents were confused and surprised, meeting their son with bafflement. What will you study now? they pressed.
Diba had no idea.
How Diba Taghvai ’12 went from studying Near Eastern Studies to working on Wall Street
FinancierReluctant
ALUMNI STORY
Without a plan, the then-eighteen-yearold took the rest of the year off and went to live with his uncle in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, he worked at his uncle’s business, enjoyed some newfound free time, and started to settle in. After some time away, his uncle pulled him aside one day and offered him some advice. “You should study finance,” he encouraged his Atnephew.first,Diba was surprised by this suggestion, but as his uncle explained his rationale, it actually started to make sense. You see, from the moment Diba had arrived in Salt Lake City, he had started stock competitions with employees at his uncle’s business. Diba even invested a bit of money into the markets, picking brands he knew and liked. With Disney, CocaCola, and Dunkin’ Donuts in his portfolio, Diba won competition after competition. Plus, his uncle reminded him, “you have a talent for presenting and public speaking.” After mulling over this advice for some time, Diba decided to go for it. He returned
The very next day, he got a call for a job Thisinterview.interview landed him a position working at STS Capital Partners working as a Global Relationship Manager. There, he works with clients across the world, travelling regularly, everywhere from Manitoba to Texas to Hawaii, and cultivates and manages relationships with referral partners. Every day is different, and no client is the same. For Diba, who thrives in abstract environments, it’s the perfect fit. “It’s also given me a lot of hope for the world,” he explains, “seeing people from all parts of the world work together and collaborate. That’s the future.”
After earning his degree, Diba headed straight into a position working in Capital Markets. A few years after that, he was asked to join an equity research firm. It was in this position that Diba was exposed to hedge funds, pension funds, and some of the largest asset managers in the world. “I met Wall Street and I fell in love,” he laughs. Diba had found his place.
Presenting to Meadowridge Grade 12 students
Just as he was building a name for himself, however, the unthinkable happened. The COVID-19 pandemic hit and took its toll on the financial industry. “A lot of people lost their jobs,” Diba explains, “and someone with my experience and expertise was suddenly defunct.” After overcoming his initial shock, Diba decided to see things through and make the most of his unexpected time off. In addition to revisiting some of his favourite hobbies like painting and sewing and restudying French, he also got into competitive hiking. During one such hike, a seven-hour trip up to the White Rock Viewpoint, Diba made an important decision. It had been a beautiful day out, but he couldn’t quell his frustrations. He had been applying for remote financial work for the past ten months and hadn’t secured a single lead. And so, on this hike
get in touch. Before his presentation, he made sure to quiz his own past teachers for some tips and advice. Not always the easiest student himself— “My brain is a port of railroads,” he laughs, “multiple lines, multiple thoughts, but only one train can come in at a time”— he especially trusted what they had to say. “My family has always had a lot of respect for the teachers at Meadowridge,” he smiles, “that’s what brought us here in the first place.”
In addition to a thriving career in finance, Diba continues to be the well-rounded student he was back at school. Diba is a horseback rider, boulderer, competitive hiker, painter and sewer. When he’s not giving back to the students at Meadowridge School, the alum also serves at local hospitals to help youth struggling with Whendepression.noton
the road for work, Diba can be found outdoors or on travels of his own, with favourite spots including Israel, Northern Quebec, the South of France, and Granby Ranch (a personal favourite) in Granby, Colorado.
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 13
home, applied for an advanced degree at BCIT (finishing his degree in just three years instead of four) and got started.
Despite this fast-paced position, one where he finds himself on the road most days of the year, Diba still finds time to come back to Meadowridge School. “I was a Lifer,” he nods, “I grew up here.” When he has the time, he makes sure to say hello to all the teachers who helped him on his way. Ms. Higginson, Mrs. Laurie, Ms. Hops and Ms. Bereza are all important stops on his tour. Diba gives back to the school as well, recently hosting a workshop with Grade 12 students about finance and offering advice to any students who
and amongst the old growth trees, Diba decided he was going to take a break from finance, go back to school, and earn a degree in silviculture.
During the colder months, students benefited from the belowfreezing temperatures to examine the different properties of water and ice. To start, classes left out three samples overnight: a metal container with water, a glass container with water, and a plastic container with salt water. When students came back the next day, their inquiry began. Students noticed that the temperature outside was -4°C and that the liquid (water) in the metal container was now a solid (ice). Students also noted that the metal got really cold. In the glass bottle, one of the bottles cracked and another had ice bubbling over the top. Students wondered why, and learned that water expands when it freezes. As for the salt sample, students observed that the water didn’t freeze but turned into slush instead. When the slush/salt mixture poured onto ice, students also saw the salt melt a big hole. Seeing this, students wondered if pepper would also melt ice (they tried – it didn’t) or cinnamon (also no).
Investigation of the impact of various factors on the enthalpy of neutralization or solution
Science across the Continuum
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01.
Determining the impact of temperature on the rate constant to determine the activation energy for the reaction between ascorbic acid and methylene blue
Investigation of the impact of concentration on the rate of reaction between oxalic acid and potassium permanganate to find the rate law
MOCK CHEMISTRY INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS (IA s)
GRADE
04.
KINDERGARTEN
CONTINUUM LEARNING 14 THE GRYPHON // SUMMER 2022
Determining the rate law for the reaction between ascorbic acid and methylene blue 02.
INQUIRY INTO WINTER TEMPERATURES
In the Diploma Programme, all informal labs and practice prepare students to design their own university-level investigations from start to finish. While the mock IA is performed in groups and students have only three hours instead of ten, it is an excellent experience to prepare them for their completely individual, ten-hour experiment assessment that will count for 20% of their course in Grade 12. During mock IAs, students work in groups to plan labs so that they are ready for three hours of data collection and then each student writes their own 12-page analysis. This year, groups investigated one of these topics that was assigned them:
03.
GRADE 7 SCIENCE
measured through the height (centimeters) the plant reaches by the end of the 2-month period following germination?
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE ARTIFICIAL WEATHERING OF ROCKS
GRADE 11
MOCK BIOLOGY INTERNAL ASSESSMENTS (IA s)
01.
During an Earth Sciences lab, students investigated which rock—halite, limestone, or marble—would break down the most during an artificial weathering process. The lab began with students weighing 30 grams of each rock and placing them in separate tubes with some water. Students then initiated the artificial weathering process by shaking each of the tubes the same amount of time and with the same speed of shakes. During two-minute intervals in a ten-minute trial, students sieved out the water, dried the rocks, and weighed them. After processing each of the rock types, students had three sets of data to chart and interpret. Why would one break down more than the other? Why would one withstand weathering better than another? Science would have the answer.
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 15
How does the concentration of MiracleGro Liquid All Purpose Plant Food fertilizer 12-4-8 (25%, 50%, 75%, 100%, and 125%) affect the growth of the plant Ocimum basilicum (basil)
investigated rates of photosynthesis and plant growth for their Mock Biology IAs. Each student chose their own factor or independent variable to explore, including pH, light intensity, salinity, and fertilizer concentration. Here are two examples of such investigations:
A LOOK INTO CARBONATES
The reaction of carbonates and acids produces water, CO2, and salt. The rate of this reaction, however, changes based on a number of factors, including temperature, concentration and surface area. To explore carbonates and reaction rates, students met as groups to choose a variable and find out: what affects how well carbonates
02.
Gradework?11students
What is the effect of varying concentrations (0.1M, 0.2M, 0.3M, 0.4M, 0.5M) of NaCl (common salt) solution on Cosmos bipinnatus (Garden cosmos) quantified by the rate of growth in 25 individual plants via the biomass after a growth period of three weeks, keeping the watering, temperature, and saline incorporation constant?
GRADE 10 CHEMISTRY
Ms. Julie Bournival joined Meadowridge in 2003 and serves as the Director of Finance
MattersPhilanthropyWhy
Let’s talk philanthropy. Why is it so important? What role does it play at our school?
Tuition is expensive. Isn’t that enough to support the school?
JB Tuition only covers regular operational costs, which is about 80%. We could run School programs with only tuition, and it would be fine, but our teachers could not enhance their programs with the latest technologies or resources and our campus would still be the same as it was when we opened some 35 years ago
GIVING 16 THE GRYPHON // SUMMER 2022
DC Philanthropy at Meadowridge is essential and has been brought to life by generations of generous families, alumni, and friends who care deeply about the education and experiences we provide. Philanthropy has a way of making its way into every nook and cranny of our school and comes in all shapes and sizes (and price tags!), from buildings and classrooms and amenities to the resources in them, things like smartboards, art supplies, bean bag chairs and plants. Meadowridge simply could not enhance the student experience without the generosity of our community.
Mrs. Danielle Christensen joined Meadowridge in 2018 and serves as the Director of Advancement
DC As a non-profit, Meadowridge operates with very little financial support from the provincial or federal government, and so we rely on donations to cover the extra costs that tuition doesn’t cover.
A conversation with Mrs. Danielle Christensen, Director of Advancement & Ms. Julie Bournival, Director of Finance
JB Philanthropy allows the school to thrive and not just maintain its programs, technologies and facilities. Giving empowers teachers to discover new approaches to learning, unrestricted by budget and supported with the resources they need. With facility enhancements, it also provides students the best, thoughtfully designed spaces in which to learn.
At the moment, 3% of the school’s tuition revenue is allocated to our Financial Aid and Scholarship program, allowing tremendous opportunity and affordability across the socio-economic spectrum within our local community and surrounding areas. A large endowment fund would allow future generations of families and students to continue receiving this support without tapping into our annual operational budget.
Do we have an Endowment? And where do we stand with respect to our peer schools?
ST. GEORGE’S SCHOOL: $32M Endowment founded in 1896
WEST POINT GREY ACADEMY: $12.3M Endowment, founded in 1996
Our little red schoolhouse persona quickly morphed as we hired more talented teachers and staff, implemented the IB across the continuum, and attracted more and more families from across the globe. Unfortunately, the endowment isn’t a financial element that has evolved as much as the rest of the school since our inception.
If we focus on growing our endowment fund now, it will one day offer us the flexibility to sustain our financial aid and scholarship program without having to borrow funds from the school’s operating account and afford us the ability to realize future campus improvement projects without incurring debt.
302520151050 1 2 3 4 5 76 STACKING UP ISABC EndowmentsSchool MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 17
YORK HOUSE SCHOOL: $13M Endowment founded in 1976
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL: $151,620 Endowment founded in 2019 4321567
Do we have an Endowment? And where do we stand with respect to our peer schools?
ST. JOHN’S SCHOOL: $1.1M Endowment founded in 2013
Our Endowment fund was created in 2019, so it’s very small compared to our peer schools who’ve had their endowments for many years, some for hundreds of years.
LITTLE FLOWER ACADEMY: $1.85M Endowment founded in 2012
An endowment fund that generates annual interest is a significant way to achieve greater flexibility to support the school’s overall financial and strategic objectives.
Secondly, while Meadowridge always strives to deliver the highestquality programs to our students, what happens when our now new buildings begin to deplete over the next 30 years? Where does the money come from to maintain, improve, or replace those buildings and spaces? Another large capital campaign? More debt? Hopefully not. The endowment can be the solution – the custodian of future campus improvements and building enhancements.
MULGRAVE SCHOOL: $1.8M Endowment founded in 2009
DC Meadowridge School used to be known as the little red schoolhouse for Maple Ridge. Over the years the school has grown not only in footprint, now covering 27 acres, but also in student population, growing from a handful of kids to more than 670.
JB Yes, we have a very small endowment. Younger schools like Meadowridge tend to not have endowment funds or are just beginning. Endowments are necessary to ensure our children’s
JB Right now, we need more space for students. Our gym and dining hall are too small and our library needs to grow to accommodate our growing student Inpopulation.thelongterm, we need to be able to update our resources so that students have the best experiences and opportunities. We must also be able to provide financial support to families as tuition continues to mount.
DC Right now, the campus expansion. Through the Audacity Campaign, we will realize our school’s master plan to add purpose-built buildings and renovate some existing ones. With a growing student population, we’ve run out of space: grades cannot all dine together,
How does the Annual Fund help the school? Where do fundraised dollars go?
A R C H I T E 9355 YOUNG ROAD CHILLIWACK, B.C. CANADA V2P 4S3 TEL: 604 | 793 | 9445 FAX:604 | 793 | EMAIL:chp@chparchitects.com944605.17.2018 Meadowridge - Concept Site PlanMeadowridge - Concept Site Plan SCHOOL MASTERPLANNING Ridge, B.C. Aerial view of proposed campus expansion with renovated and new buildings 1 2 3 4 5 1 Burke Hall 2 Business Centre 3 Library & Community Centre 4 Gymnasium & Fitness Centre 5 Visual & Performing Arts Centre 18 THE GRYPHON // SUMMER 2022
teams don’t have enough practice time, and we cannot bring our entire community together for celebrations and events. The campus expansion will let us welcome more students and expand our program offerings and opportunities. Long term, the Endowment. The endowment has the opportunity to become one of the school’s greatest assets over time.
giving participation from our Board of Governors, 70% participation from our faculty & staff, and 40% from our parent community, the most popular way to give to the Annual Fund is to support Head’s Choice, a fund designed to support the school’s greatest needs.
children can access a Meadowridge education in the future. Tuition will continue to rise, there is no doubt about that, and we need to ensure a diversity of students for the educational benefit for all. Endowment funds, particularly for scholarships, will ensure the school can be accessible for many and for generations to come.
DC Annual Fund dollars are used to enrich day-to-day activities and initiatives across the entire school. Throughout the year, staff and faculty can request Annual Fund dollars to cover the cost of new materials or enhancements to help increase the level of experiential learning within the Withschool.100%
What are Meadowridge’s most significant needs right now? What about in the long term?
Learn more about giving at Meadowridge and how our Annual Fund supports our students
AUDACITY CAMPAIGN
PLANNED GIVING
ENDOWMENT
is a fund designed to keep the principal amount intact while using the investment income to support Meadowridge initiatives in perpetuity.
is the process of making a significant charitable gift during a donor’s life or at death that is part of their financial or estate plan. Such planned gifts (also referred to legacy gifts) help people fulfill their charitable dreams while providing an additional advantage of generating significant tax benefits for the donor’s estate.
Rendering of proposed gymnasium
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 19
ANNUAL FUND is the foundation of the school’s giving program. Each year the Annual Fund supports our faculty and staff above and beyond their regular departmental budgets, providing over $200,000 worth of new purchases every year. The Annual Fund consists of seven categories and donors are encouraged to give annually in support of the fund most meaningful to them: Heads Choice, Arts, Athletics, Academic Enrichment, Student Life, Library, or Technology
A GLOSSARY OF Giving at Meadowridge
A R C H I T E C T U R E & L A N D S C A P E A 9355 YOUNG ROAD CHILLIWACK, B.C. CANADA V2P 4S3 GYM ADDITIONGYM ADDITION MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL - 240th Street, Maple Ridge, B.C.
is the capital campaign in support of the Meadowridge campus expansion plan. The largest one-time cash gift to the school to date is $50,000 and the largest onetime gift-in-kind is valued at $133,000.
University of Saskatchewan’s synchrotron later this year.
“What makes a leader?” Three Meadowridge students give their take.
Isabella Z.Akira Y.
With so many co-curricular goings-on and having already well met all CAS requirements, not to mention each of them being in the first year of the Diploma Programme, it’s a wonder they find the time to keep it all up. For the trio, however, none of what they do feels like work. They have a lot of interests and passions and choose to serve and lead because of them. For Akira, Izzy and Peter, their service and leadership is roused not compelled.
Peter Y.
host a CAS Debate Club at the school to help get more students involved.
Learning to lead, leading to learn
STUDENT LIFE
In research, two of the three are active members of Students on the Beamline, a group of 11 who are designing their own experiment to be tested out on the
All around the school, in debate, robotics, and research, three students have been making a quiet but significant impact. Grade 11 students Akira, Izzy, and Peter are not only involved and succeeding in these diverse disciplines themselves but are also contributing to them and giving
Inback.debate,
In robotics, the three work together on Entradox, one of the school’s FTC Robotics Teams. They also mentor other local and international teams, including a partnership with students in The Gambia, Africa. Akira, meanwhile, also hosts a Python Coding Club at the school to help get more students involved.
all three of them hold their own impressive ranking. They are also the initiators, planners, organizers and hosts behind Meadowridge School’s first-ever Debate Tournament, now a two time event and the largest of its kind in the province. Peter and Izzy, meanwhile, also
A: I have a twenty dollar whiteboard from Staples in my room. It covers the entire wall behind my desk. I write all of my ideas on there, sometimes Chemistry or Math, but mostly it is filled with different tasks and deadlines and things I have to do. It’s easy to change and I have different colours and pens. I don’t like to-do lists on my computer—those don’t help me at all. For me, it’s about physical things that I can write and erase and pin up on the wall.
I: Leadership comes naturally. By being involved, you see how things could be better and be improved. Of course, by being involved you can’t always elicit change—that takes having a voice and taking initiative to lead. I didn’t become a “leader” for recognition, it was because I wanted to make a change.
WHAT GIVES YOU THE CONFIDENCE TO LEAD?
HOW DO YOU MANAGE MULTIPLE PRIORITIES AND DEADLINES?
I: I love the activities I’m involved it. It also helps when you involve other people, because then it’s not just about you—you have people depending on you. I can also depend on my teammates as well to get events going. I’m involved in a lot of things, but I love everything I’m involved in. It’s not like I don’t get downtime. I consider these activities my downtime! Because I have a genuine passion for what I’m involved in and enjoy doing them, it doesn’t feel like work.
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 21
PETER: My involvement in robotics, debate, and projects like Students on the Beamline (SotB) is motivated by my learning about, and exploration of, my many passions. This is especially true in debate. I do a lot of debate personally and I enjoy coaching it as well. This passion has been influenced by my own debate coach. I enjoy seeing other people succeed in something I love, which is why coaching is so great. Also, selfishly, helping new students is kind of our succession plan. We’ve established Meadowridge in the world of debate and we would hate to see that disappear. It’s a great opportunity for students to continue in debate and with what we’ve built.
A: If I’m good at something and have the skills then I think I can lead. If I want a Python Coding Club, and it doesn’t exist, then I just do it. I naturally grew into leadership, I guess. Being involved in so many projects and clubs, you start to get interested, learn more, and naturally become a leader over time.
P: I don’t procrastinate. Often, I’ll take a full day to do nothing but plan. After that, it’s about strictly following that plan. One of the things I do is create a schedule and give myself a deadline that’s not a “deadline deadline—” maybe something a week earlier than when it is actually due.
P: I started with the purpose of sharing, both sharing my knowledge with others and with myself. In all the projects I’m involved in, I would present and share and learn, things that naturally make you a “leader”. For me, leadership is about helping others become good. Really, the process of teaching and sharing knowledge is what makes you become a leader.
ISABELLA: I started the debate club with Peter because I thought, why not? I planned the debate tournament because our local debate scene was lacking and figured, why don’t we be the ones to take that step? I’ve always been interested in getting involved in the community and in service. Outside of debate, robotics, and research, I also started a service organization called Repeat Floral, where we repurpose wedding flowers and bring them to police stations, firehalls, and seniors’ homes. I also am part of a band that travels to nearby senior homes to perform. I have just gotten involved in projects and kept adding other projects over time. I enjoy giving back and seeing people excited and benefiting from the things I’m involved in.
AKIRA: I’ve accumulated many interests over time. There’s the debate side of me and the STEM side of me— specifically, technology, coding and engineering. I’ve always had many interests. I started debate in Grade 5, coding the summer before I joined Meadowridge, and have given myself projects to explore in my free time since I can remember. When I was about nine or ten, I decided to learn magic and have moved from passion to passion ever since. I continue to lead and be involved in these passions of mine because it’s interesting and fun. I don’t want my life to be all rote learning and memorization. In school, you get a syllabus. In life, you get creative freedom.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND AS LEADERS?
A: Oh, so many. At my old school, I tried to start a newspaper club. We created a website, got a teacher onboard, had a whole team and then it kind of fell apart. No one was contributing to it or reading it. That failed. I also tried to start a debate club at my old school as well and there was not much interest. That failed. I tried to start a science club at the local library to teach math and electrical engineering. Two students showed up ever. The thing I learned from all these failures is that people need to be interested. It’s up to you to convince people that you or the club is worth it.
TALK TO US ABOUT FAILURE AND HOW IT HAS HELPED SHAPE YOU.
I: From my experience, it would have been nearly impossible if I had to do it myself. Maybe you’re not that close to the people you’re working with at first, but the great thing about Meadowridge is that everyone is in the same position as you. Everyone is looking for a CAS project and trying to meet CAS requirements. If you’re able to team up with someone early on, you’ll work better with each other. It’s also helpful to create a bit of an agenda for the week and for the month. If you have a plan, that’s what makes it easier to work together. Also, try lots of things. By doing so, you’ll find what you are truly passionate about and find out where you want to lead.
P: Something I learned recently is, “done is good enough”. You’re only a person! Also, when you think of something, just do it. Step out of your comfort zone. Realize one single action can make a huge difference. If you do things well, speak well, and think well, you’ll inspire other people. When you’re more responsible, you’ll have responsibilities forced upon you and you’ll become a leader eventually.
AKIRA
P: I passed the Personal Project, but I “failed” it in my opinion. With lots of things going on, I wasn’t able to achieve the original goal I wanted to. I had to moderate my project to fit in my bad planning. At the time, I wanted to write a book. I had done all these interviews with professors, university psychologists but, at the end of the day, I didn’t leave myself enough time to compile them into a book. This taught me that if I want to do my best, I have to plan my time.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR STUDENTS HOPING TO TAKE ON MORE LEADERSHIP ROLES?
For me, leadership is about helping others become good. Really, the process of teaching and sharing knowledge is what makes you become a leader.
By being involved, you see how things could be better and be improved [but] you can’t always elicit change—that takes having a voice and taking initiative to lead.
People get scared to fail, but you have to push through that. Take smaller steps and build up to the position you hope to be in.
ISABELLA
A: There’s this concept in Japanese, essentially, “continuous improvement”. Stagnation is not a good thing. You should always try to improve and learn more and take initiative. People get scared to fail, but you have to push through that. Take smaller steps and build up to the position you hope to be in.
I: With no high school play this year, a bunch of people in Grade 11 decided to take it on as a CAS Project and get one going. Hoping to help, I offered to serve as the co-director, but unfortunate circumstances led to me being the only director. I knew this was going to be too much work, and I typically don’t like depending on people, but with my other responsibilities, I realized I needed to take a step back. This was hard, but everything ended up working out. The Creepy Corpse of Cal Capone ended up having about 20 people involved from across the high school.
22 THE GRYPHON // SUMMER 2022
PETER
top three tips for leadership
1 Be the change you want to see. Your followers follow you and will be persuaded by you. If you want to inspire a certain action, you need to do it yourself first.
I: I would say the opening ceremonies of the debate tournament. Before that moment, it had all just been a plan, but when we saw everyone on screen, signed in and ready to go, it became real. It’s also been rewarding to see our Debate Club grow each term. Over the three terms, we’ve had about 40 students and it has been quite successful. More recently, I applied, and was accepted to, the British Columbia Youth Parliament. During the application process, you have to provide your leadership experience. Ultimately, I got the position because of my leadership experience it was a product of all the leadership I’ve tried out in the past two years.
P: The success of the first Meadowridge Debate Tournament. It was a project I initiated, have been involved in, and have had the greatest success in so far. We broke so many records during that tournament and were the largest, high school-run tournament.
ISABELLA
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR PROUDEST LEADERSHIP MOMENT?
3 Don’t treat CAS like a chore. Yes, you have to hit your requirements, and it can sometimes feel like a pain. But if you treat it like it’s actually going to help you, it will. You get what you put into things. If you put your all in, you’re going to get the results you want.
3 Don’t be afraid to be wrong. If you’re the leader, you’re not always right. I hate that. To use the knowledge I’ve acquired in business class, I prefer a more democratic style of leadership where everyone is able to vote on things and give their opinion. This is trickerier, and can make things slower, but it makes things better. Your opinion is not more important than anyone else’s; as the leader, you’re just moderating the discussion. This style not only works better, but it also makes people respect and like you more.
2 Your teachers can be some of your greatest resources. Students are the people who you’ll rely on, but your teachers are the ones who will help. Mr. Schofield is not just someone who approves your ideas, he’s someone who will help you make sense of them and plan out the logistics. We didn’t know the Advancement team when we started, but now we rely on them for lots of help.
3 Make decisions and don’t hesitate—sometimes instinct is just what works.
2 Take responsibility. A lot of people don’t do this—they’ll put it on the employee or the club member—but, most of the time, you also failed as the leader. If something doesn’t work you need to take ownership as the leader.
2 Talk to your team as if you know nothing.
1 Work as if you are the whole team.
A: Teaching a class and getting students engaged. It seems small, but getting students engaged and interested and asking questions is a tough thing to do. Getting people to actually want to listen and learn is the most rewarding thing.
1 When you’re getting started, your skills don’t matter as much as who you know. Don’t be afraid to branch out and meet new people. If you don’t know the right people or don’t have people to support you, you won’t do well. If you’re in a club and want to take on more of a leadership role, actively participate. If you just sit and show up, people won’t notice you and won’t want your help. If you’re involved and participating, they’ll notice you. Ask for help and talk to people.
AKIRA
PETER
Kwantlen First Nation
PRONUNCIATION: staw-low
03. After the Land Acknowledgement, you may add “I feel compelled to ” (state your Call to Action).
Katzie First Nation
01. Practice a land acknowledgement; learn how to say and pronounce the First Nation name properly.
WHAT IS A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT?
WHO ARE THE FIRST PEOPLES OF THIS AREA?
The land acknowledgements we hear today are based on traditional protocol carried out by Indigenous communities on Turtle Island, otherwise known as Canada. They are intended as a way for guests to show their respect and pay tribute to the Indigenous community they are visiting and engaging with.
Stó:lō Nation
The First People who have lived in this area are the Katzie, Kwantlen, and Stó:lō First Nations. Do some research and learn about each First Nation.
02. Be sincere, purposeful, and speak directly from the heart.
Land Acknowledgement
INDIGENOUS LEARNING 24 THE GRYPHON // SUMMER 2022
PRONUNCIATION: kwant-len
PRONUNCIATION: kayt-zee
AREA: Yale to Langley
HOW TO SAY A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
AREA: Fort Langley Band
AREA: Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge
You’ll hear it before important assemblies and you’ll see it in print and online. You may, in time, memorize it and even say it yourself. Meadowridge’s Land Acknowledgement is an important way for our school to pay tribute and show our respect to our local Indigenous communities, but it is new for many of us. When do I say it? How do I say it? It’s natural to be curious and have questions.
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 25
Land acknowledgements will look and sound a bit different in print, in-person, and online. Meadowridge’s Indigenous Education Committee has developed land acknowledgements for our community to use in a variety of settings, including in-person and virtual meetings, email signatures and online. Hosting an in-person meeting? Here’s what you might say:
• Complement self-reflection and cultural competency.
Acknowledgement
WHY DO WE DO A LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT?
• Acknowledge our presence on the land as visitors and as a part of colonial history.
• Be the only action we take towards truth and reconciliation.
• Speak for or represent Indigenous communities.
“I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Katzie, the Kwantlen, and Stó:lō First Nation. We value the opportunity to learn, live, play, and share educational experiences on this traditional land.” (I feel compelled to take action...)”
• Appropriate Indigenous ideas and knowledge.
Land Acknowledgements should…
• Recognize the history of colonialism and harms done by settlers to Indigenous communities, including to acknowledge the detrimental impacts on Indigenous communities through discriminatory practices and disregard for Indigenous rights, traditions and knowledge.
HOW SHOULD I SAY MEADOWRIDGE’S LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT?
Land acknowledgements are a practice, but they are also part of the larger process towards reconciliation (which is building a new relationship) between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
Land Acknowledgements should not…
• Threaten or alienate non-Indigenous or Indigenous people.
• Raise awareness of the Indigenous presence and land rights in everyday life, both for ourselves and for meeting participants.
Students join in dance with special guest David Whitebean during our Indigenous Peoples Day assembly
BY ISABELLA Z., GRADE 11
Meadowridge School lays on the traditional territory of the Katzie, Kwantlen, and Stó:lō First Nations. As a Canadian citizen that was raised on the BC IB curriculum, I’ve been exposed to my fair share of Indigenous culture and history. Even so, I don’t believe that I know nearly as much as I should about the territory I am educated on. This begs to question:
STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
To what extent are students being educated about the First Nations land we are living on, and why is it important to recognize these ethical concerns?
Why does Indigenous learning matter?
MR. CHARLES SCHOFIELD DIRECTOR OF STUDENT LIFE
I think there has to be more intentional incorporation of the First People’s Principles of Learning in lessons. We need to work on creating a link that highlights these principles and what we’re already doing in class; as a history and TOK teacher, these principles are heavily incorporated into the material already. For example, learning to recognize the consequences of one’s actions is not only imbedded into learning history, but also to telling one’s story. In order to learn something, we have to identify our personal history behind it, meaning learning requires exploration of one’s identity.
The less we understand those around us, the more likely we are to have conflict. The more knowledgeable we are about these different experiences, the more we realize experiences are universal. We have a responsibility to identify our own bias and the systemic biases we have, and the first step towards challenging this is being aware. We are collectively living on this territory, and we need to appreciate these shared experiences and acknowledge the inherent biases we hold. These principles, because they are universal experiences, should be the foundation for everybody’s learning.
This year, all the Grade Four students have learned about land acknowledgements and have created their own heartfelt statement. This has been valuable in their understanding of why we have land acknowledgements, how they relate to our history and what they really mean and represent when it comes to the relationship between First Nations and other settlers throughout history to this day.
As a teacher, I want to make this connection more authentic through acknowledging that this addition to learning isn’t something that will change the way we learn, but rather it will enrich what we are doing. One of the things this will help with is the concept of otherism. We sometimes separate ourselves from groups we see as different, and as a history teacher, I have seen how most of our problems in our world have been because of this otherism.
MRS. KRIS HAMAGUCHI ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHER
GORDON B. GRADE 11 STUDENT
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 27
MS. JENNIFER HIGGINSON HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
In Grade Four, much learning focuses on the history of our province and our country. Indigenous content plays a huge role as the students learn about first contact with Europeans several centuries ago and the forming of our provinces and nation.
Grade 5 student exploring the Indigenous Peoples medicine wheel
I think it's important for not just students but for everyone to learn about the first peoples, the traditional care takers, of the land our school is on because it's an important first step in truth and Educatingreconciliation.ourselves about the Indigenous people in our area helps us understand the resilience of their culture - people from our local nations: The Katzie, Kwantlen and Stó:lō are still here living and working alongside us. They are not historical figures that we acknowledge meaninglessly, they are living people with whom we seek to live alongside.
The generational trauma that past Canadians have inflicted upon the Indigenous communities can only be mended if we, alongside our future generations, are educated about past wrongs and possible ways to fix them. Showing our gratitude and recognizing these communities is merely the first step toward bettering our relationship. Furthermore, the Indigenous people have their own way of learning and culture, learning from them and acknowledging their history can help us form an understanding of the world around us. The key to creating a better and just world is to first understand and unite humanity, recognize our differences, and learn to draw upon other experiences to improve ourselves.
Viewing our own learning through the First People's Principles of Knowing opens up our own two-eyed seeing as we learn to conceptualize learning through timeless principles.
Everything you bring into a classroom impacts the way you interact with the material, and we have to be aware of how our own history plays into how we take in information. As a school right now, we are naturally incorporating these principles into our learning because of the links they have to certain subjects, but we have to make it more intentional. By recognizing our experiences and how they link to the principles, it will seem less foreign to us. Most people don’t know these principles at all because of how naturally integrated they are with our subjects.
It is important that we learn and acknowledge the Indigenous land that we are currently on because this is the land that they first cultivated and worked on. Acknowledging the land is a form of gratitude to show how grateful we are for the hard work of the Indigenous people.
The Grade 5 Exhibition is the culminating, collaborative experience in the final year of the IB Primary Years Programme. During the Exhibition, students explore, document and share their understanding of an issue or opportunity of personal significance to them. What’s it look like? We sat down with Grade 5 learners to talk all things Exhibition.
IB LEARNING Q UICK TAKES
Grade 5 students talk growth, learning & the PYP Exhibition
“I used communications skills quite a bit. I had to communicate in a variety of ways, like with my peers and through the website. Together, we had to find the best information to put on our website and find the easiest way to explain things.”
TAYLOR
“Research skills. We did a lot of research and dug deep into our topic. We used a lot of different sources and learned to cite them. I learned how to determine the important parts of research, like looking for words that are bolded.”
CASSIA
ALLISON
“Self-management, because I had to keep everything organized and tidy—especially my notes! You have to keep your notes organized so you don’t get your sources and resources all jammed up.”
NADIA
“Collaboration, because it taught me to interact with people better. If there’s an argument, try to not make it bigger and just calm down.”
“Self-management, because there was a lot of work being done and it was easy to get distracted. We had to stay on task to do reflections, research, fill out papers and questions and get our presentation ready. I learned to keep distractions out of the way and stay on task.”
THE ATL SKILL I USED THE MOST...
NEELABH
EFIA
HARRISON
“Research. We did research for our visuals and our drawings. We had to learn what caused climate change and then find ways to draw it and share our findings.”
PAIGE
“Definitely research skills. We did interviews, researched online, and read. If you’re researching online, don’t click the pop-ups! It’ll only waste your time.”
“Research, because we had to do a lot of it. Make sure your sources are reliable. It helps to use teacher’s resources.”
SOPHIE
ANNA
“I used my social skills the most. In order to succeed, my group had to talk about what we wanted to put on our website and what we wanted to learn about. I learned to include everyone because you can’t always think about only yourself and what you want to do.”
“Communication skills. We did a lot of arguing, at first, but we got better by the end of exhibition. We used kind words and respect when we talked to each other and found ways to make decisions. Think before you say something, that will help!”
“Research and communication skills. I had to talk to my group and our mentor and find out information to use.”
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 29
KEVIN
“I was an inquirer when I researched my topic. I was a communicator, too. Sometimes, we’d have different opinions so we had to communicate to come to an agreement. My advice? Go with the flow and try to solve problems respectfully.”
“Communicator. When I was talking with my group, we had to work together to share resources and find information. We also had to work through problems together.”
MAX
“Communicator. I learned to find balance and communicate with my partners. There is a lot of debating during exhibition, but that’s not always a bad thing. That’s when you learn.”
ALISTAIR
“Communicator. My teammates and I sometimes argued but we learned to listen to each other’s ideas. Try to listen to your teammates.”
30 THE GRYPHON // SUMMER 2022
I SHOWED...
ISABELLA
“Reflective. I did a lot of research and reflected on that learning.”
THE IB LEARNER PROFILE
SEAN
ARVIN
“Being a risk-taker and an inquirer. I decided to explore a topic I didn’t know much about and I ended up asking lots of questions. One plus one equals two but why? This is just an example of how my thinking changed.”
ADELE
“We wrote a letter to the government to spread awareness, created a website, and sent out information to parents so they could take a look.”
NORA
“One of the most important actions we did was make a guidebook for teachers to help them make lessons more creative. It’s not always fun to listen, so we put in some tips to make lessons more creative for kids.”
RICHARD
“We did a lot of stuff. We had an article in the eGryphon to teach people about creativity, and we made a table outside for PYP kids to play with at recess and let their creativity run wild. We also made a handbook for teachers so they could find ways to make lessons more creative and fun for kids.”
ETHAN “Inquirer. I had to ask a lot of questions and research to find my answers. I learned it’s really easy to ask questions, but it’s important to ask questions that will answer your key points. You need to find good questions to get your answers.”
NATHAN
JINDREET
“Communicator. I was talking a lot and we had to find ways to solve problems and talk to each other. When we couldn’t come to an agreement, we found voting would sometimes help.”
HOW WE TOOK ACTION...
“I liked the mentor meetings. Ms. Higginson gave us lots of information and sources and showed us how to present them. She taught me that sometimes experiments fail and that’s okay.”
“Teaching the kids about our topic and playing the game we made. It was fun having our own table and explaining hacking to the kids who came to play.”
MATIAS
SHIVAM
EDWARD
“Presenting. Even though I wasn’t here—I was away on a trip—I got to Zoom in with my partners to present.”
LYNDSAY
“Working with friends on the website and putting together all our information.”
DEREK
“Putting together our website. I had made a website before, but this one was much harder. I liked putting in all the details, adding videos and writing the descriptions.”
NIHAL
JORDAN
JOANNA
MY FAVOURITE PART OF THE EXHIBITION...
“Making our final project because we got to make an aquatic biodome. Basically, it’s something where sea life lives. We made clay characters, painted the box, added the sand it was really fun to put our knowledge into the biodome.”
“I had two. First, my group was so open-minded and we liked everyone’s ideas. I was lucky. Second, putting together the website and seeing our ideas come together to achieve something. If you do a bunch of research but don’t do anything with it, what’s the point?”
MIFEI
JUSTIN
“Presenting to all the grades. Even though it was tiring, my group didn’t get nervous and we actually enjoyed it. I usually don’t speak in front of my class—I don’t know why—but being with my group made me feel comfortable and I liked our topic. There was one student who, when we told her about the event we were hosting, got so excited she started jumping.”
JONATHAN
Focus on one page at a time— don’t just scatter around all the pages!”
ZARA
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 31
CASPER
“Building the website because it reminded me exhibition was almost over. It was fun putting things together and figuring out what you should and should not put in.”
“Getting to collaborate with others. It’s not just all research. You get to actually interact with people. Sometimes, we have to just sit down and do research but other times we get to meet with people and do interviews.”
EVA
“Finishing our eBook. It was a big project for me, and it was a big accomplishment. If you want to write a book, take your time with it, split it into sections, and make sure your team helps.”
“When we had a giant potluck at the end. It was the first time we got to have fun, because usually we were researching and doing work. After a long day, it was a lot of fun. I brought doughnuts!”
“Making the website since I didn’t know how to before. It was very cool to learn, like you can add as many pages as you want, you can have a header with different links to pages, and you can put in videos.
“Researching with my friends and building our actions. We worked together to create storybooks and make a board game. We researched a ton of fun facts to make them into the board game.”
“I learned to be open-minded. I also was inspired by how much my team and I could do. When they said find an action, I thought, ‘oh, I don’t think ours will be that good’ but we ended up raising $140 for the BCSPCA. I also learned to not get upset or tense when there’s a conflict, because most of the time your teammate will realize what they need to do for themselves.”
AANEE Q
MAYA
“I was kind of close-minded before the exhibition. Like, I thought of everything one way and saw things as more straightforward. I was the kind of person who thought ‘x plus y equals z’, but I learned that racism isn’t so easy to understand and that our thoughts are shaped by many things.”
NAOMI
AUSTIN
“I’m more confident about learning and taking risks. I had to present my learning and share my research with my group members. Normally, I’m really quiet and don’t speak as much.”
HOW MY WAY OF THINKING CHANGED...
ARIAH
32 THE GRYPHON // SUMMER 2022
“The more I learned, the more I wanted to get involved. It made me want to take action to help people with anxiety and find ways for people to relieve stress. I learned a lot of people have it and it can affect people’s lives and their lifestyles, which is why it’s important to find ways to help.”
LYNN
“I was influenced to stay on task because I used to be offtask a lot more. Another thing I learned is to be more respectful of others—to be polite—and to use more details in my sentences.”
“I learned how to not get injured, and have been getting injured a lot less. I learned I have to wear proper equipment and be smart about what I’m doing. In lacrosse, I make sure to put on my gloves and helmet properly.”
“I realized how bad climate change could be and why we need to stop it before it gets worse. My thinking changed from being a bit worried to a lot worried. I’ve started to bike more and my family recycles even more than before.”
“I didn’t know how many animals get hurt for things we don’t even need. I learned there’s a lot of things in the world that are wrong, and while we can’t always stop them we should try to reduce them.”
COCO
TOMI
“Before exhibition, I couldn’t find the most important information in an article. After exhibition, since we did so much research, I learned to find the facts you need.”’
CHLOE
MATTHEW
“I didn’t realize how big of an issue global warming was, but it’s something we should all know and care about. I’ve been riding my bike more, when I can, to get from place to place.”
KYLE
“We sent a letter to the government encouraging them to use more electricity instead of gasses. We even got a response!”
REHAAN
“We created a Scratch project where people have to determine if an email is real or fake. If you click it, game over. If you don’t, you go to the next level.”
“We shared ways people could prevent cyberattacks. Doing that, we had to educate people. We created a game that would teach people. My favourite part was fiddling around with the game after we made it to make it better.”
“We created a list of the things you need before and during a pandemic. We did a lot of research into how outbreaks happen and found ways you can, from home, control them. Our official checklist included lots of trustworthy sources from our notes.”
“We hosted a fundraiser for the BCSPCA. We did this action because it was important for the animals and we wanted to find ways for them to be adopted and rehomed with new families.”
MACK
AAHI
“Our topic was space junk, so we couldn’t really go up to space and grab it and put it in the trash, so we had to spread awareness. We did that by making posters and drawings and sending letters to people like famous astronauts, researchers, and scientists.”
HOW WE ACTED...
RAY
“We sent a letter to our Premier to ask him to encourage different types of renewable energy. The hardest part was finding his address and writing down the school’s address. I didn’t even know you had to write the address on the letter!”
“We put out a creativity table at lunch and recess. Kids could play with it and make whatever they wanted. Lots of people were making different things with different supplies. One day, kids were making headbands and the next day paper airplanes.”
“We made items out of old materials. We used old fabric to make bags and pencil cases, and someone in my group even made a shirt and skirt. I asked Ms. Kinneard to help since I didn’t know how to sew. My advice? Line up your materials so it is even and be careful!”
AARON
LINDSAY
MASON
“We made a checklist for the things you should keep in your household in the case of a pandemic. We sent a full list to everyone so that they could be prepared.”
BOWYN
ZACK
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 33
“We created a music video and a bullying video. The bullying video shared ways to stop bullying, and the music video showed how the victim feels when you hurt them. We were able to show people how discrimination feels.”
JAYDEN
Eager to get involved in her local community, Ms. Dan Tao set out to find ways to volunteer and give back. With her education and training, it wasn’t long before she found herself serving as the volunteer marketing manager for a Port Moody theatre group, Ioco Players. It was in this new position that Ms. Tao, a teacher who is always after hands-on learning experiences for her classes, saw a terrific opportunity. Ioco Players was in the early stages of planning a show and had some questions for their new volunteer marketing manager. How should they market the event? Who should they be marketing to? Answering these very types of questions in class, Ms. Tao figured, why not let her Diploma Programme (DP) Business students decide? Of course, this type of thinking is not new for Ms. Tao, a DP Business Teacher for over five years now. In the past few years, students in her class have provided consulting services to local businesses including Golden Ears Counselling and Burnaby’s Hilton Hotel.
Through Ioco Players, she found the same type of opportunity again. Thankfully, the founder of Ioco Players, Mike Arseneault, was just as keen to get students involved, providing them everything they needed to get going and, at the end of it all, sitting in, asking questions, and providing feedback on every group’s pitch.
After a kickstart meeting and with a business brief in hand, students got to work. Organized into groups, students each picked their own research question, explored some potential issues and collected data and made recommendations from it. Ultimately, students were acting as business consultants – exactly what they’ll be doing in their upcoming Business IAs. This project was not only an excellent, hands-on experience but would also prepare students well for this culminating task ahead.
Taking students from the classroom to the conference table
IN & OUT OF THE CLASSROOM
“In working with these local groups,” Ms. Tao explains of her approach, “we’re doing everything we do in class. We practice Harkness in our class, where we sit around the table and make decisions like in an actual boardroom. We discuss pros and cons and make recommendations – if we’re doing these things in class, why not find real and relevant experiences for them? This is how business decisions are really made.”
High ConsultantsBusinessSchool for Hire
ALTERNATE REVENUE SOURCES
Finding alternate revenue sources seemed to Hannah, Julia and Kaylyn as Ioco Players’ best opportunity to recoup costs and earn a profit. And so, the group set out to find what these revenue sources might be. To get started, they connected with founder Mike Arsenault to learn about the demographics of his current audience. Using this data, they then tailored their questions and segmented their survey audiences. They learned Ioco Players drew in a more mature and older crowd, so started by connecting with friends and family members falling within Ioco Players’ target
IMPROVING MARKET STRATEGIES
Hannah H., Julia P., & Kaylyn B.
Altogether,sites.they got in over 80 responses from residents of these two local communities. Their own two first intuitions—a prize raffle and liquor sales—we’re overwhelmingly favoured by all respondents. Now knowing what audiences would like, the group had to then determine if what was popular was also viable, that they could generate a profit. For this, the pair conducted a thorough evaluation of both options, including a force field analysis of each and an investigation into logistics and costs. Their secondary research told them that raffles, with few volunteers needed, low upfront costs, and some entertainment value, would be the best plan to put in place. Liquor, they learned, would be welcomed but harder to offer because of licensing and costs. With their recommendations in place, the group predicts raffle ticket costs could be recouped after just five sales and would, after that, generate a net profit for Ioco Players.
Cooper J. & Veronica L.
Zhi Wen G. & George T.
From their survey results, they saw a noticeable trend, with audiences getting their information from three main sources: word-of-mouth, online, and on social media sites. Pairing this information with secondary research like the BC census and marketing plans from other theatre groups, Zhi Wen and George conducted a series of business assessments, including SWAT, Pestle and Forcefield analyses. From their research, they discovered that word-of-mouth marketing and social media strategies had not only low costs but also were effective and complementary in their approach. Adding to their proposal, the two also recommended adding teenagers to the mix. Noticing that most theatre groups don’t market to teenagers and that these marketing methods were also favoured by them, Zhi Wen and George decided that they too could be marketed to. With their proposal in place, the pair sees ticket projections going up significantly.
Hopingrange.toalso promote the show with a younger audience and broaden their range, they also sent out a survey to some of their peers and friends. Secondary research helped the group form their questions and, post-survey, helped them to make sense of the information they got back. They discovered that raffle tickets were overwhelmingly favoured by all, while younger audiences showed an interest in a photo booth or on-scene photographer. With this information, Hannah, Julia and Kaylyn then reached out to local photo booth companies and photographers to figure out costs. They also learned about and accounted for all the potential costs of a raffle and made some recommendations about raffle prizes, things their surveys told them people would want. With all up-front costs accounted for, the group was confident these revenue sources would help. With their recommendations in place, the group predicted a $1,600 profit.
ALTERNATE REVENUE SOURCES
the recommendations
After looking over Ioco Players’ business brief, Cooper and Veronica learned the sole source of income for the theatre group was ticket sales. Seeing this, the two saw a great opportunity to get creative and find alternate sources of revenue. After a bit of preliminary research and some brainstorming, Cooper and Veronica had a pretty good idea of what these revenue sources might be, but wanted their surveys to tell them for sure. To get a wide range of opinions, the two created an online survey that they then posted across Maple Ridge and Port Moody social media
Projected to sell only 40% of tickets, Zhi Wen and George saw marketing as Ioco Players’ greatest opportunity. With a modest marketing budget, the pair had to get creative and find costeffective advertising strategies that would increase awareness and ticket sales. With a few more affordable options to consider, the group used surveys to help decide which of them would be the most effective with Ioco Players’ target audience. After reading the business brief, Zhi Wen and George determined that was middle aged, affluent adults. To find out what marketing methods were the most appealing and influential to them, the pair sent out a series of surveys to Meadowridge parents with children in Grades 7 to 12.
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 35
Tsz Wun W. & Ty B.
From Ms. Dan Tao, DP Business Teacher & Mr. Mike Arsenault, Ioco Players Founder
the winning proposal
After looking into promotion, price, product and place, Aryana, Isabel and Rayan decided to focus their attention on the area with the greatest opportunity: price. To develop a pricing strategy for Ioco Players, the group conducted both primary and secondary research. To start, the three headed to Port Moody to conduct a series of in-person interviews in the areas around Inlet Theatre, Ioco Players’ home base. Thirty-one people took the time to respond, answering questions about pricing, seating and online streaming.
After conducting both online and in-person surveys—team member Jason personally interviewed over 50 Port Moody residences by stopping them on the streets—they determined three opportunities to increase brand image: pricing, online presence, and partnerships. From their surveys, the group determined audience-goers would be willing to pay $50 a ticket—double the original $25—and that designing a central information hub, both on its website and social channels, would bolster awareness, trust, and ticket sales. Adding to their proposal, the group also recognized a unique opportunity to lean into its hyper locality by partnering with a locally-owned restaurant. With their recommendations in place, the group projected a net profit of $6,000.
To complement their research, they also sent out an online survey which generated an additional 120 points of view. With secondary research focused on profit predictability and price modelling, the group drafted their proposal. One of the team’s first findings was that Ioco Players could raise their premium ticket prices by 60 percent, up from $25 to $40. With more affordable tickets in less premium seats, the group proposed a pricing range instead of a single price. To encourage younger generations to attend, they also proposed a 10 percent student discount. As for streaming options, the team decided it could be profitable in the long-term but, with significant up-front costs like equipment and training, advised against it for this year. With their recommendations in place, the group projected a break-even point at 60 percent of ticket sales.
PRICING STRATEGIES TO DRIVE TICKET SALES
PRICING STRATEGIES TO DRIVE TICKET SALES
entertainment companies and their respective pricing scales. From their research, Tsz Wun and Ty decided $25 a ticket was too little and that Ioco Players could benefit from tiered ticket pricing, from $35 premium seats—front row—to $26 general seats further in the back. The pair also recognized an opportunity to improve its ticket sales and distribution. With only one ticket platform in use, Tsz Wun and Ty recommended adding their event to other theatre group websites, with options to buy tickets, and incorporating and promoting ticket sales directly from Ioco Players’ own website. With their recommendations in place, the group projected a healthy net profit.
Aryana S. Rayan R.Isabel K.
36 THE GRYPHON // SUMMER 2022
“The group had the strongest content and conducted the most in-depth analysis. During their presentation, the three did the best job explaining their process to justify their proposal. They conducted the best primary research, including going to the theatre and speaking to residents of Port Moody, and made best use of their research to help form their pricing strategy. Based on the group’s proposal, Ioco Players will raise the ticket price from $25 per person to $35 per person. By implementing this recommendation, Ioco Players can break even and avoid incurring a loss.”
Aryana S., Isabel K., & Rayan R.
Worried that they’d be taking a loss after paying vendors and actors and all else, Tsz Wun and Ty hoped to fix Ioco Players’ concerns with a calculated pricing strategy and new channels of distribution. To develop their pricing strategy, the pair sent out a survey to different community forums and got back a wealth of information, including their interest in theatre, what they would pay, and their perceptions of small, locally-owned companies. They also conducted some secondary research too, including a look into Port Moody’s demographics as well as other small
Akira Y., Mohith C., & Jason L.
IMPROVING IOCO PLAYERS’ BRAND IMAGE
After receiving Ioco Players’ business brief and asking their own many questions to founder Mike Arseneault, Akira, Jason and Mohith had a pretty good idea of what their recommendations might be. Even so, they knew research was the only way to know for sure. After checking out Ioco Players’ website and social media channels, the trio saw some opportunities. After getting access to its Facebook Analytics, they knew their desired audience too. With this target audience in mind, the group formed some survey questions to get to know how their perceptions were shaped and the costs of things they’d be willing to pay.
As a child, I lived in Gillette, Wyoming and my summers were filled with adventures to some of the best monuments, as well as National Parks in the United States. Some of my best memories were visiting Devils Tower National Park which is the first National Park ever to be established in the US. I went on vacations with my parents, sister, brother, grandmother, and even friends sometimes. Other fond memories were going to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, Cody Wyoming, and Black Hills. I did lots of fishing and camping with my family, creating great memories that I will cherish for a lifetime.
Mrs. Louise Kozol, Teacher
I grew up in Santander, a small city in northern Spain, by the Atlantic Ocean. Summers were always fun, and we used to spend most of them on the beach. I have a big family and for four years, when I was around six, my parents rented a farm near Avila with my aunts and uncles and all our families met there for a couple of weeks. That was paradise for me. I have 21 cousins, so life was chaotic those days. Our parents let us roam free in the forest, stay up late at night, camp under the night sky, and listen to scary stories that my older cousins created for us. They also organized treasure hunts. My cousins were my absolute heroes, even when they were mean to me! It was there where I learned to climb trees, ride my bike, and swim in the freezing cold water of the river. Best of all, I didn’t have to comb my hair! I can’t imagine better summer vacations than those. No routine, the feeling of absolute freedom, surrounded by nature and family.
I grew up at the seaside and we always had relatives staying with us. I remember my aunt and uncle and their six kids coming down to the south of England with a big orange tent and camping in our back garden. My other aunt and her two sons would come and sleep in our attic, and my third aunt on my mom’s side came with her three kids. I guess she was the favourite sister as they all shared a room in the main part of the house, and my sister and I would share a room. We would all traipse down to the beach every day, collect rocks, get sunburned, eat ice-cream, and go home exhausted and run around the back garden till we fell asleep. Summers as a kid were awesome.
Ms. Anne Bolyard, Teacher
Mr. Shaun Pacey, Custodian
MEADOWRIDGE SCHOOL MAGAZINE 37
What was the best summer vacation you ever took as a kid?
As a kid, I was lucky to have the privilege of spending my summers at the ocean. Together, with my four siblings and parents plus our cousins and their parents, we would load up the station wagons and drive to the coast. We’d head to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware where we camped at the same campground year after year. Each morning, the gang would pile into the station wagons to drive to the boardwalk, loaded up with of towels, sheets to lay on, rafts to ride the ocean waves, and a cooler full of food for the day. I have so many wonderful memories of days spent in the sun, jumping the waves with my family. It took until September to get the sand out of my hair!
Ms. Maria Palacios, Teacher
Learning to live well, with others and for others, in a just community. 12224 240th Street Maple Ridge, BC V4R 1N1 communications@meadowridge.bc.ca 604.467.4444 Meadowridge School acknowledges it is located on the ancestral, unceded territory of the Katzie, the Kwantlen, and the Stó:lō First Nation. We value the opportunity to learn, live, play, and share educational experiences on this traditional land. Meadowridge School is committed to building strong meaningful relationships and positive partnerships with all the traditional keepers and stewards of this land.
