Breezeway 2

VOL. II

SOUTHRIDGE SCHOOL

The Rookies

Marvellous Marias

By : LAINEY TROTMAN

Ever wonder who is responsible for your safety at school during this worldwide pandemic?

Well, you have the Maria’s to thank for all of their hard work in protecting the school against COVID-19.

Both Maria Pupovac who is our Senior Receptionist, and Maria Paderog who is responsible for the majority of the sanitation in the school, play a major role in providing safety and security to the whole school during these times.

Without their vital role in the school community, the safety of many would be greatly compormised.

Continued on page 2

Mental Health Page 5

Blast from the Past Page 8

Photo By: Lainey Trotman

Ms. Paderog, who helps with school sanitation, cleaning Ms Pupovac, Senior Receptionists, plexiglass and desk

Water Warriors Prevent Plastic

Advisory Activities Page 10

By : SAHIB KHERA

One of many milestones to come have occurred at Southridge, where the Environmental Clubs initiative of refillable water bottle stations has more than paid off as the water bottle counter surpasses 6000 plastic water bottles saved from being disposed of. The infinite triangular loop of arrows that we know as the recycling symbol adorns millions of plastic pop and water bottles we carefully sort in the blue bin.

Photo By: Sahib Khera

The waterbottle filler located by the gym downstairs reaching a milestone of 6000 plastic waterbottles saved by its use

Continued on page 4

Sage Superstar Page 12

Swimming Towards Success Page 13

STUDENT LIFE | Pg. 2

... Marvellous Marias cont.

For Ms. Pupovac, her main roles within the school consist of doing the daily attendance, checking temperatures as students and teachers enter the school, as well as restricting access to the school for visitors. The daily attendance is her best way of seeing who is present and who is absent. She follows up with phone calls home to make sure those who are not at school are doing okay.

“their positive contributions absolutely help make the environment feel safe” The temperature check is also an important safety measure for her. As people enter the building she keeps an eye on the screen which displays the temperatures of those passing by. If she notices an abnormal temperature she pulls them aside into the “isolation room” and makes sure their temperature either drops or they are sent home. By doing

so, she is able to keep those potentially infectious people away from others. Lastly, she prohibits others from entering the building so that outside sources of COVID-19 cannot be a threat to those within the school. When asked whether the jobs she does make her feel safer, she responded “Yes [they do],” and having the added security of “...being behind the protective glass I feel safe.” Each of her precautionary measures works together and without her crucial responsibilities, the school’s safety would be significantly compromised.

Working hand in hand, Ms. Paderog has many safety measures of her own to be as cautious as possible surrounding COVID-19. One of her main duties that goes unnoticed is the amount of sanitization she does around the school. For each of her eight-hour shifts, she is constantly sanitizing. She works her way around the school sanitizing the high-touch areas in the school where people are most likely to spread germs and bacteria. Ms. Paderog feels that these efforts genuinely help prevent the spread of sickness and make

The Breezeway

Photo By: Lainey Trotman

Ms. Pupovac sitting at her desk behind walls plexiglass doing all of her daily tasks and jobs to protect staff and students

both students and staff feel more comfortable throughout the day. She is an incredibly helpful lady as she also is happy to help teachers clean their classroom as well as help students sanitize their areas when they are in a rush. Ms. Paderog genuinely enjoys her job saying that “every day is awesome, I don’t feel hard worked,” expressing how she loves her job and that “it’s my pleasure and my great privilege to help you and the whole entire school.” She is truly an underappreciated member of the Southridge community and her actions help ensure safety throughout the school.

One of the com-

Photo By: Lainey Trotman

Ms. Paderog doing her daily sanitation around the school and thouroughly cleaning all of the locker doors and handles

monalities the Marias both share is the motive they possess due to their children. Ms. Paderog has a son and Ms. Pupovac has two children of her own and they are responsible for the personal connection they feel when they are at work. When they start their workday their children are usually right in the back of their mind reminding them of the importance and sig-

“every day is awesome, I don’t feel hard worked” nificance of their jobs and the reason they’re doing it to begin with. As Ms. Paderog explained “every time I sanitize here I keep thinking about school because my son is there.’’ This personal connection allows her to keep her same mindset by reminding herself how she would want someone to protect her son the same way she protects the students and faculty at Southridge. This is just one example of how their jobs are more important and meaningful than the surface really shows.

Another source within the school community is Ms. McCaw, Senior School Vice Principal of Learning, who also has notable gratitude for the Marias and all of their work. She expressed how essential they are and what an important part of the Southridge community and team they are. She also brought up how it is their personalities, individual diversity and energy that makes them such amazing and likeable people. She agrees that their duties help students feel safer but also how it is “their positive contributions absolutely help make the environment feel safe.” With all the protective efforts and hard work the Marias do to ensure safety around the school, as said by Ms. Pupovac “I feel protected myself ” during this global pandemic, “because the school does an amazing job.” Through this, it is evident how important these two members of the Southridge community are and the crucial contributions they make to keep us all safe. Next time you see the Marias, make sure to show them your appreciation for everything they do!

The Breezeway

COVID Concerns

By : PEYTON FRENCH -- Anxiety sucks.

COVID-19 has heightened anxiety, as each day B.C. is hitting a new record of COVID cases. The numbers are rising rapidly. The pandemic has hit B.C. and the world quite hard, and this feeling of anxiety is surely something people are feeling.

However, as cases rise, anxiety grows and grows, especially around the school community. Both teachers and students have faced many challenges as the pandemic has progressed, including many different emotions and mental health issues.

This includes feelings of anxiety, worry, stress or fear.

Being a teacher in the midst of a pandemic is no doubt scary. Being ready to quickly adjust to online learning or making sure students are social distancing, it can be quite

hard. The Assistant Head of School Mr. Jones has mentioned that he finds there are times he’s become anxious and stressed out about COVID-19 and the fact he has a family and school to look after.

“I’ve grown comfortable

“It is both normal and appropriate to be feeling stress and anxiety” with the fact that during a global pandemic, it is both normal and appropriate to be feeling stress and anxiety,” he said. Learning to be comfortable with being anxious and stressed is very important as we are close to entering the ninth month of this pandemic.

The rapid rising numbers of COVID-19 have put a huge overlay of stress on the Southridge community, including the teach-

ers, faculty, students, and even parents. Students are among the top priority for teachers and staff members to keep safe, and the Southridge Principal’s have been working tirelessly to ensure this. Naturally, human beings like to feel in control, and yet the pandemic challenges this.

No one can control others, we can only control ourselves. Feeling out of control and anxious is totally normal for Mr. Jones, and he’s learning to live with it. Southridge has done their very best to combat this anxiety, by ensuring school wide safety.

“Our school has submitted one of the strongest Health and Safety plans out there.” Mr. Jones said.

“Our measures meet (and in some cases, exceed) the guidelines imposed by the Fraser Health Authority, the BC Centre for Disease Control, and the Ministry of Education.” Knowing that Southridge has sub-

Photo Courtesy Of: The Chilliwack Progress

A graph of the COVID-19 curve in B.C. over the past 6 months, and the current curve trending upwards.

STUDENT LIFE| Pg. 3

Photo By: Peyton French

Yazmin Johal looking anxiously at her phone as cases are rising in BC

mitted a very strong safety plan can often bring down the levels of anxiety and stress that we all indefinitely are facing.

Similarly, the students at Southridge have felt on edge recently as well. The anxiety that being at school brings can be intimidating, as you potentially come in contact with many different people during the day.

Grade 11 student Yazmin Johal is one of many students that faces anxiety. “It makes me pretty anxious, especially when some people take things less seriously than others,” she said. For many students, walking into school inflicts stress and anxiety on themselves, because many people, like Yazmin said, take things less seriously than others and don’t follow rules. It is not only BC that faces this anxiety, it is all over our country.

The Angus Institute, a Non-Profit organization for independent research, found that in a recent poll 50% of Canadians have reported worsening mental health since the pandemic began, with 44% of those people feeling worried.

This reiterates that every one is feeling a different level of anxiety and there is no need to be embarrassed about it whatsoever.

As the current numbers rise, feeling on edge is deemed normal nowadays. “The pandemic, social injustice, climate change, politics....there’s a lot of negativity in the news cycle that has us feeling out of control,” Mr Jones remarked. It’s hard to realize what we are feeling is normal, but all it can take is spending time with friends or family, for example, socially distant of course!

STUDENT LIFE | Pg. 4

The Breezeway

...Water Warriors cont

It comforts us with the idea that each one will be recycled over and over again forever.

But unfortunately, most of the time, inaccurate.

Many of those bottles aren’t recycled at all, and those that do get recycled usually aren’t turned into other bottles or recycled again, the truth is in many cases they turn up in landfills and the ocean.

So really this is a massive milestone when you look at the bigger picture. And we have the environmental club to thank for this.

In an interview with the steward of the club, Coco Li, we take a closer look at the selfless service that sometimes goes unnoticed in the environmental club at Southridge. She talked about the many plans and projects that the future of the Environmental Club holds for southridge. She stated that one project is working towards more explicit waste categorization. “We’ve identified

Grade 11 atheltic steward, Mattias

The

water

bottle

refeill

station

the problem that there are ambiguous sorting systems being used around the school and with it being so confusing, it often leads to members of the school not sorting the waste appropriately.” A prime example of this she stated was how the tissue paper in the bathroom is compostable whilst in

“...there are ambiguous sorting systems being used around the school...” some of the classrooms it is not, though the environmental club reassures us that this soon will not be the case. As they are also currently working on replacing all the class-

Photo By: Sahib Khera

Anderson, refilling his water bottle.

outside

the

school

gym

hitting

rooms with compostable tissue paper. Making it significantly more easier for students to navigate.

She further states, “There have also been concerns, by members of the environmental initiative group, as well as general students and faculty, regarding whether our waste is being disposed of properly. Thus the school has connected frequently with our disposal management companies to ensure that we are going to create a system that is practical and ensures minimal impacts on our earth.”

However, it is more often the case than not that a seemingly simple process as such is actually extremely time-consuming, as well as requiring a lot of energy from many to make it happen. She says “I am happy to say that after a good while of discussions, meetings, and research, there will be signs designed by the Design Club that will go up around the school for prototyping soon.” Implying that not only the environmental club but also the design club have been using their skills in order to create posters in order to alert the students on up and coming plans and projects, as well as signs that will be used to help inform students and staff in the school on how to better dispose of waste in a more environmentally friendly manner.

Further on she adds “During our prototype phase, we will put out signs in selected areas

over

6000

plastic

water

bottles

and monitor the sorting in those areas to identify possible areas of improvement. We will also make school-wide announcements before and after the signs are put up, to notify students and staff of this project, and we will also clarify how to sort certain confusing items in the announcement.” In the end aiming for “a “a much more centralized, unified, and clear system around our school for waste.” Coco also revealed another initiative the club is hoping to take on in the near future. The initiative being the possibility of pursuing the idea of bringing meatless Mondays to Southridge. She claims “This is a relatively achievable cause

“A much more centralized, unified, and clear system around our school for waste.” that will bring quite a lot of positive impact for our school.” When questioned of how she came to this idea, she stated “I first got the idea from Crofton School, who began employing this idea this year in their cafeteria.” To go along with this idea, she hopes to really solidify the reduction of environmental impacts from a dietary perspective by hosting a virtual cooking class. She says “it is where students can join to cook meals that use products that bring relatively less impact. I have also thought about bringing a guest speaker to educate the school on this cause, after all, our

saved,

a

Photo By: Sahib Khera

true

achievement.

diet contributes to a quarter of our greenhouse gas emissions.” Although she has everyone up on their feet with the news of this idea, she further explains “This project is still kind of in the works, but I am excited to see what it can bring.”

In terms of the difficulties that the club has faced, she explains that Covid - 19 is not the only challenge that the club has faced. She states, Covid-19 has certainly brought changes to the environmental club at Southridge as I find it difficult as the steward to find ideas that are practical, with restrictions given by the pandemic.”

Further on she exclaims, “Another aspect is how does one balance one dire issue alongside another?” Although the pandemic seems to be at the front of everyone’s minds, she firmly asserts “climate change doesn’t stop for a pandemic. I am certainly not saying people should ignore Covid and instead start, say, planting trees all of a sudden, but it certainly still remains an area of international concern that will become inevitably destructive if not addressed.

These challenges are not impossible to overcome, and thus I want to, during my time in this position, to bring as much fun from trying to save the earth as possible.” Strong minded and good hearted, Coco Li the Environmental steward for the school, once again displaying the selflessness of the Southridge community.

STUDENT LIFE | Pg. 5

The Breezeway

It’s Okay Not To Be Okay By : LUKAS SORENSEN ---

Mental health is a huge problem for people everywhere and, although the school has done everything that it can, it is still a bigger problem here than you might think.

Mental health is a really broad term that is used

“it will take months, maybe years for things to return to normal” to describe a multitude of things, not to mention the ever expanding discoveries of new disorders or problems. But a few stood out in the piece in the last issue of The Breezeway “Wellness Review,”

by Matthab Gill. The article dove into the specific stress associated with COVID-19, but that’s not the whole story. I’m here to talk about the bigger picture. Why would people be afraid of COVID? The answer is simply the fear of not knowing. Not

knowing if we will lock down again. Not knowing if we will all get it, not knowing if it could harm our family or our friends.

Fear stems from the unknown and that’s exactly where the anxiety and stress surrounding this pandemic comes from. But we also have to look from a wider view, what happens after COVID. The damage cannot be instantaneously undone.

It will take months, maybe years for things to return to “normal” but just think about if you want to return to the way it was. The connection between us, the world and each other has certainly increased during this situation.

Think about how many more people started going for walks or just experiencing nature more during the lockdown, or how many more people spent more time with their family.

These are things we don’t need to change just yet.

Photo By: Karm Gill

Lukas Sorensen using one of his stated stratagies walking to relieve his stress in the nice fall weather.

So when you are stressed out about the future of COVID-19 or maybe the present just ask yourself “what is worth returning to normal”. As for coping

“take a warm shower it will help sooth muscles and your mind” mechanisms there are a plethora of viable options, however they vary from person to person. If you are struggling to find one

Photo By: Lukas Sorensen

Lukas Sorensen meditating which is another one of his coping mechanisms on his floor with relaxing music.

here is a good list of Lukas’ favorites.

Take a warm shower it will help sooth muscles and your mind Meditate using soothing music Work out or just get some sort of exercise Get invested in a TV show or hobby Take a walkHopefully these tips will help you also feel free to talk to me if you are curious about more coping methods I’m always available to talk to.

So why should you listen to me? … because I know what I’m talking about if there is one thing I do know. It’s mental health.

And this pandemic isn’t even the worst thing Southridge students will face for many kids. The real mental health trouble comes from grades and stress around university.

There is a standard put in front of you from the moment you step into the school, this standard that causes a lot of students grief. It’s also not always the school that is applying said pressure it could be from parents, out of school teams or clubs or

even fellow students.

The truth is that you have to stay true to yourself, working hard is extremely important but so is fun, you’re only a teenager once so give yourself a break, during these times it’s hard to connect with people who don’t live in your house but it’s possible, make a zoom call with friends outside of class time, play a video game with your friend online or have a safe social distanced meet up.

Throughout these hard times it is important to enjoy yourself, by hard times I mean highschool as a whole not just during this pandemic. S o just listen to yourself prioritize your mental health and don’t push yourself too hard.

Also feel free to contact both of our amazing councillors Ms. Newman, Mrs. Bains and Ms prevost.

They are a great resource and really good people to talk to. And I hope everyone reading has a safe and happy holiday. till next time stay calm, focus on yourself and don’t forget to enjoy yourself

STUDENT LIFE | Pg. 6

The Breezeway

Teachers’ Trials and Tribulations By : ERIC GAO -- If you think that COVID-19 has not been tough on teachers, think again. Students are not the only ones who had to undergo significant adjustments since Southridge reopened; teachers have also dedicated countless hours of personal time to plan courses in order to enhance their students’ learning experiences.

“I am really missing those group discussions” Thus, it is important to appreciate and be grateful for what the Southridge teachers have done for students’ learning in this special circumstance.

For most teachers, teaching in this special time has definitely been like no other year. With the threat of COVID-19, some teachers are forced to adjust their teaching styles to accomodate safety proto-

cols. According to biology teacher Ms. Szymczak, that means prioritizing health and safety over her pedagogy by spacing out the harkness tables. As a result, she has to compromise by sacrificing the frequency of harkness discussions. With students spaced out, Ms. Szymczak finds that she has to turn her classes into more of a lecturing style, where she stands at the front to keep her distance and talk to the class, rather than a harkness style like before.

Furthermore, the plentiful ambient noise in the biology room adds to the challenge of having a fluid conversation. “I would like to bring back more [harkness discussions],” she said. “But given the physical space in this room, the way it is spread out, it is difficult. I am really missing having those group discussions.”

Adjustment due to the change from linear to semester system is another concern that teachers have to take into consideration.

Before,

Photo By: Eric Gao

Ms.Parker is conducting the grade 8 concert band behind the plexiglass and remaining social distanced from students.

all classes would run for 8 months, but now, that length is cut to 4 months.

For teachers, a change in timing indicates that there is more pressure in covering all the content on time, meaning stricter deadlines for assignments, more frequent assessments, and being more efficient on time. As a result, for courses such as mathematics, that could mean sacrificing opportunities to delve deep into certain topics in order to keep pushing content. “There isn’t as much time for students to process [informa-

Photo By: Eric Gao

Ms. Szymczak is teaching her AP biology class behind the plexiglass while distancing herself from her grade 12 students.

tion] because of the fast pace,” mathematics Curriculum Leader Ms. Morris expressed. “I am finding that without the time for people to process, they are not necessarily getting the same deep thinking I would hope for when we are able to in a longer period of time.” Thus, having flexibility is key to adapting to these new situations that COVID-19 brings.

Similarly, for other content-heavy courses such as AP and honors courses, students have to understand a large amount of information in a relatively short amount of time. Now, the amount of content certain courses cover in one class would equate to what would be covered in a week. As a result, teachers try to spread out the content as evenly as possible, but there is still that pressure to get everything done before the end of the semester. “It feels more like a sprint [than like a] marathon,” modern languages Curriculum Leader Mme. Beer stated.

“I am now worried more so than before about finishing the course on time

and thinking I may have to take some short cuts.”

Not only that, the change from linear to semester system also impacts some teachers on a personal level. While it is beneficial for the student-teacher relationship in the sense that teachers can get to know their

“Keep the students at the center” students more quickly, by the end of the first semester, when they have to say goodbye to their students, teachers can’t help but feel wistful that they won’t be able to teach those students until next school year. For example, music teacher Ms. Parker is instructing the grade 8 band this semester, and the grade 9 and senior band next semester. “I can’t wait to get started with those groups(grade 9 and senior band),” she commented.

“But I am not happy about giving up the Grade 8s -- I would love to teach them all year!”

For teachers of

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STUDENT LIFE | Pg. 7

Photo By: Eric Gao

Mr. Kwan is coming up with a variety of activities to be done in his English classes to keep things fresh and interesting.

modern language classes like French and Spanish, they tend to favor the linear system over the semester system because of the way our brains remember information. In the linear system, students are exposed to a modern language over a period of 8 months rather than only 4 months. This significantly helps students retain more of what they have learned.

“With a semester system, you could run into the issue where a student takes the language first semester in one school year and second semester in the next school [year],” Mme. Beer conveys. “[This] will leave them without that exposure for over a year -- a fair chance that most acquisition will

“It feels more like a sprint than a marathon” have been forgotten.” As a result, Mme. Beer finds that she has to frequently

give out small amounts of homework to supplement the students’ learning in school.

In contrast, for other classes, teachers find that 3 hours are better for certain activities than only 1 hour. In science, students do experiments to develop their scientific thinking skills and learn more about the given topic. Science teachers like Ms. Szymczak believe it is fantastic that she can have the time to go through all the components of an experiment in a single class.

“If [we] can introduce, do, and reflect on a lab all within one period of time, the flow of all that helps you understand what you are doing a lot better,” Ms. Szymczak remarked. “[On the other hand], introducing, conducting, and reflecting on the lab on [different] days is just so spread out that people can forget what happened and not make the connection as easily.”

By far, arguably the greatest change that

teachers had to face since September is dealing with the class hour change from 1 hour to 3 hours as teachers often find that they need to add more variety into their classes to keep the students engaged. It is unrealistic to assume that students are going to be able to do the same activity for 3 hours given that an average high school student’s attention span is 10 to 15 minutes.

For English teacher Mr.

Kwan, activities such as independent work, collaborative work, and breaks need to be built in to improve students’ learning experiences. “Variety helps to keep things a little bit more fresh,” he stated. “[That way], students don’t get sick of the same thing for three hours straight.” Likewise, a challenge presented to the maths department is also to gather students’ focus in maths for 3 hours. Ms. Morris believes in having a lot of different activities so that the three hours feel like not just sitting and working.

Since the classes are now three hours each, another challenge that comes is the exhaustion levels that teachers endure. For some teachers who have courses heavily loaded in one semester, a busy day may involve

“Variety keeps things more fresh” teaching for 6 hours plus running advisory. Along with that, the new semester system does not allow as much downtime compared to the linear system.

“[Moving from linear to semester system] is a huge adjustment,” socials studies Curriculum Leader Mr. Knihniski mentioned. “[For] most teachers, 6 hours of teaching is a lot and you are tired [at the

“Continue to have a good sense of humor” end of the day].” Also, for physical education Curriculum Leader Ms. Wickstrom, teaching physical education for 3 hours can be fatiguing at times. “[It is tiring] to be on for 3 hours straight -- moving, talking, and yelling,” she stated. “[But we have to] stay positive and continue to have a good sense of humor.”

In this special time, the theme for teachers is the flexibility to adjust to different possible scenarios, surmount different challenges presented to them, be optimistic, and be there when students need them. As summed up by Ms. Morris, it is important for teachers to “be flexible, be adaptable, and keep the students at the center.”

Photo By: Eric Gao

Mme. Beer incorporates class activites that allow her students to work in small groups to practice social distancing.

OFF-TASK| Pg. 8

The Breezeway

By: MATTIAS ANDERSON -- The “Blast from the Past’’ Breezeway tradition continues this year, and is better than ever! Seven Southridge teachers from different departments were

interviewed about their adolescent years, and were asked which current Southridge student they believed they resembled the most when they were in high school and why. The results are in, and without a doubt they will fascinate you

Mr. Curtin was most like Kieran due to their shared love for Rugby, and ability to balance hard work and fun. “Kieran takes his education fairly seriously, but at the same time, he is able to laugh at himself and make the most out of every situation”, which was similar to Mr. Curtin’s demeanor in high school.

Mr. Curtin, PE Teacher

Kieran Martin, Grade 12 Student Ms. Menzies chose Charlotte as she reflects her academic focus, and high school involvement. “I was very academically focused, but was also involved in a lot of clubs and volunteering”, Ms. Menzies explained. “Charlotte also works very hard, and is kind and friendly to everyone”, similar to how she was in high school.

Ms. Menzies, Mathematics Teacher

Charlotte Luking, Grade 12 Student Ms. Moser picked Ashna because the two of them have a very similar sense of humor. “Even though we’re both fairly liberal with our use of sarcasm and cynical jokes, at our core, we’re both kind people”. She also added that they’re both smart and good-looking.

Ms. Moser, Librarian

Ashna Dhaliwal, Grade 11 Student

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OFF-TASK | Pg. 9 Ms. Wickstrom selected Leah due to their love for sports and similar work ethic. “I played every sport during high school, and I was highly competitive, similar to Leah”. Mrs. Wickstrom added, “we share the fact that we are both upbeat, positive and work hard both on and off the court.”

Leah Wilson, Grade 12 Student

Ms. Wickstrom, PE Teacher Mr. Lal believed he was most like to Rabail, due to their similar personality type. More specifically, their sharing of the same “obnoxious personality type” Mr. Lal described.

“We’re both pretty social and smart, but also super lazy at times.”

Mr. Lal, Science Teacher Ms. Prevost believed she was most similar to Teagan when she was in high school, due to their organizational skills. “We are both very organized, and enjoy helping and supporting others”, she added.

“Teagan even looks very similar to how I did in high school, as I wore the same Southridge uniform.”

Ms. Prevost, School Counsellor

Rabail Dhaliwal, Grade 12 Student Rabail Dhaliwal, Grade 12 Student

Teagan Dale-Johnson, Grade 12 Student Mr. Kwan chose Dominic due to their shared passion for the Arts. “Similar to Dominic, I was very involved in the Art’s Programs in my high school years, and it was something I was very enthusiastic about, just like Dominic is. Also, back in the day when I had hair, it was the same as his”, he stated.

Mr. Kwan, English Teacher

Dominic Perez, Grade 11 Student

STUDENT LIFE | Pg. 10

The Breezeway

Advisory Antidotes By : KYLE SPAK ---

Bored in advisory? Then you’re not going to want to miss this. The Southridge community can all agree this year’s advisory has been a different experience than the previous years . In an interview with the Head Girl, Suhaana Bhatha, she explained “I definitely miss not having younger kids in my advisory and not being able to talk to them”. One of the biggest changes that happened to this year’s advisory

“Students don’t seem more stressed than usual”” was Suhaana went from Hurricane 1 to Hurricane 12. As every returning Southridge student’s old advisory has been replaced with a new one, strictly limiting the advisory to house and grade.

However, Suhaana believes “There is always something good in every bad situation”. As we explore the topic “Adviso

Photo By: Tyler Granham Photography

Southrudge students are sitting in advisorytalking to their advisors on how their weekend went and how they are felling emtionally and physically

ry Activities’’ we can start to understand that Suhaana mentioned it perfectly.

In recent years, advisory activities have been overlooked and not appreciated, especially since the world is in a pandemic and must follow guidelinesstrict guidelines, Advisory activities are a great way for advisors to check in on their students and make sure they are feeling, safe, comfortable, and strong physically and mentally. It’s kind of a blessing in desguise becuase advisory activities are

getting more attetion than before because people are relying on them more. Ms Newman, One of Southridges hardest working counselor has been working hard to create some fun and suitable advisory activities to make sure all students are feeling physically and mentally healthy as she has noticed “kids are more cautious” in the hallways and in advisory. Some great activities that we have seen so far are advisory are kahoots which can help de-stress stundents and take a

Graphic By: Kyle Spak

This is a emotion scale for Southridge studnets to rate how they are feeling depending on their emotions

break from whats happening in the world, we have also been introduced to the emotion scale. This particular activity is really helpful this year and advisors have encouraged students to make their own depending on their personal likes. For

“There is always something good in every bad situation”. example a deflated soccer ball for feeling sad and depressed or could even be used to indicate an off day, and a pumped up ball for feeling happy and feeling like taking on the world.

This is one of the best additions by far that they have added as it allows students to really connect their emotions to their personal well-being. Some good news from Ms. Newman shows that “Students don’t seem more stressed than usual” This is a good indicator that Southridge

staff and facility have been doing an outstanding job with all the protocols that include; hand sanitizing stations, masks, making sure everything is clean and much more. Suhaana believes this could be a fun advisory activity, listing names of COVID protocols and having the advisories list of where they are located. Could be for possible house points? As most Southridge students know, being first in house points may lead to a house casual day. This is definitely something to look out for and something to be excited for.

Everyone who is involved in advisory activities are underway in some amazing advisory activities and have created some fantastic and fun activities that have some great potential for the Southridge students. Since the beginning of advisory activities this year, it hasn’t gone unrecognized as it had some astonishing and positive impact on Southridges community. Keep up the good work !

The Breezeway

Captains’ Crunch By : MATTHAB GILL --Leaders, role models and heroes for many students around Southridge school, these select students run the show behind the scenes. Many changes occur every school year and one of them is that each grade moves up the ladder until Grade 12.

New student roles and positions arise and must be replaced, one of them being the House Captains

“It’s quite impressive to think about what they have accomplished” which is a vital role in the Southridge community.

At Southridge, being a House Captain is more than just going up at assemblies and leading your house in each event. The position is not an easy task and the eight House Captains must carry out an intense amount of energy throughout the course of the year. Nevertheless the

current House Captains have gone above and beyond even with some of the unplanned obstacles that the pandemic has thrown at them.

So far the school year has gone considerably better than expected and the energy that has been brought to each assembly and event has had to do with the tremendous efforts from the House Captains. There has been a lot of change at Southridge lately as Thunder House Captain Jamie Chang pointed out that the pandemic isn’t the only thing that’s changed the important role, “The main goal of the previous Captains was different as for the first time last year it was House Captains instead of Spirit Captains.” Southridge has changed the role to promote more leadership as the House Captains this year are more like role models for the younger grades as Chang mentioned, “We’re trying to transition it into a solidified leadership role that’s right under head girl and head boy.” Instead of bas-

Photo By: Parveen Loodu

The House Captains cheer on students as they arrive for Halloween.

STUDENT LIFE|Pg. 11

Photo By: Jorina Lee

The House Captains are in the Great Hall as they sing the school song dressed up in their house colours.

ing the role on being fun and cheerful as well as doing a lot of crazy activities, the House Captains have had to transition. Now doing things such as promoting Problem by-weekly and giving reminders for things such as donations and advisory activities. With all the responsibilities weighing down on the House Captains, it is quite amazing to see how well they are managing this school year so far.

From a teacher’s perspective, Librarian Ms. Moser could not have been more impressed as she stated, “it is a really important role and I think that this is the perfect group to make the change for the position as all of them have such wonderful leadership qualities.” The community at Southridge is thriving and it helps to have such amazing support from our grade 12 House Captains as she also stated that, “They’re able to not only get people excited about things but they’re able to be really positive examples for the students

in their house.” Overall the amount of leadership shown at assemblies and events as well as the continuous support, has contributed positively in the school community each day.

“I’ve never seen a group of House Captains so into it”

House Captains have many responsibilities as the role has become increasingly formalized over the years. Mr. Shaw is helping to develop their overall leadership skills further, as he mentioned that the House Captains are “also doing some conclusion and diversity training.” The training will enable the House Captains to become more comfortable with concepts such as unconscious bias around the school as well as cultural competencies. As the training progresses the House Captains will become more familiar with these concepts. Ultimately allowing them to identify

how the concepts will connect with real situations in the school community.

Being a House Captain isn’t all about being the craziest and most entertaining, however it’s still a huge part of the role and also what most students enjoy the most. There’s no doubt that events have been almost impossible to plan this year, however Grade 12 Jaden Thind is still amazed with how much the House Captains have adapted as he mentioned that, “There’s a lot more virtual stuff that the their doing this year to keep us engaged through assembles and zoom calls.”

Many grade 12s have been surprised with how well their graduating year has gone as Thind added that, “The House Captains have done their best to keep everything fun and lighthearted and at the end of the day there’s nothing more that you can ask for.”

While facing an unplanned pandemic as well as an altered school year, the House Captains have still found ways to prevail.

STUDENT LIFE | Pg. 12

The Breezeway

Sage Superstar --

By: Karm Gill

“Kind, Helpful, Positive and Hardworking.” These are all words used to describe an amazing person that many might not know, who is a part of our Southridge community. Her name is Megan Shepard and she works In the cafeteria. She has been a part of chef Gary’s crew for about 5 years now. Before they worked for Southridge, Megan and Chef Gary worked at Meadowridge. They haven’t had an experience like Southridge before. “

It’s very different from Other Schools that I’ve worked in”. She stated “From Southridge it’s immediate gratification from you guys.” Now that COVID has taken away the ability for baked goods to buy at

“I was a scuba dive instuctor and I worked down in Mexico’’ the Cafe, Megan had to take on a Chef role at the cafe. She is now in charge of grade 1-3 meals and will soon be in charge of kindergarten as well. She has

Photo Credit : Megan Shepard

Megan scuba-diving down in Mexico in the warm waters. This great picture shows her in the deep waters

had to learn a whole new skill set and learn how to do chef prep.

She is also in charge of organizing everybody’s lunch and pre-orders, and then she has to count and sort it all out to make sure everything goes where it is supposed to be. She also has to juggle her work life with her home life. She has two infants at home and it has been tough on her to handle leaving her baby’s but having a set schedule from monday to friday helps a lot, because she has a set schedule so she has time to spend with her husband and children. When she’s not

“Were so happy to see you guys so happy”

Photo by : Karm Gill

Megan taking on her new role as a chef helping cook in the mornings

working or spending time with her family.

She tries to take time to do some of her hobbies. “ I do a lot of knitting, sewing and crocheting but other than that just

spending time with my family.” Megan was also living a secret life before she came back home.

“Many many Moons ago” she said “I was a scuba dive instructor and I worked down in mexico.” She worked in Playa del carmen for some of the resorts down there teaching and leading scuba diving. That would be a dream job for most people and Megan got to experience that opportunity before she moved back home to Vancouver. Chef Gary had a lot to say when it comes to megan. “The nice thing about Megan” He stated “she sees things as I do, So if I tell her to do something she’s already on it and if I missed something she’s already picked it up” The entire Sage staff appreciates her so much. Chef Gary also added “ I count on her everyday and when she is not here we miss her”. When she was

asked what’s her favourite thing about Southridge, she responded with a different answer than you would expect. “ My Favourite part of being here is all of you guys.’’ She added “ Everyone has welcomed us with open arms and wants us to be here and is excited about the

“She makes our school a better place.” food, which feels awesome. We are happy to see you guys so happy.”

When Southridge student Yazmin Johal was asked what she thinks about Megan she stated. “I love talking to her when go to the cafe and she makes our school a better place”. Southridge School thanks the Sage staff and Megan for coming here to our school and bringing us delicious food for everyone to enjoy. Thank you Megan.

The Breezeway

Athletics | Pg. 13

Swimming Towards Success By : SAM HERNANDEZ -- Almost 200,000 high school students participate in swimming and water polo, and only 3.3% of athletes from each sport go on to play on NCAA Division 1 teams.

It is an amazing feat to be recruited to one of these elite programs, and two Southridge seniors have managed to do just this.

This past summer, Emma Lawson committed to the University of Southern California to play Division 1 water polo and Stephanie Lee committed to Columbia University’s women’s swim team.

Many years of sweat, tears, and hard work have been put into making this dream a reality for these two student athletes.

The two Grade 12 students started swimming at a very young age, and have loved it ever since. Both used to swim for the clubs WRASA and PSW, before Emma

made the switch to waterpolo and Stephanie moved to Surrey Knights Swim Club. According to Ms. Beer, Curriculum Leader of Modern Languages and coach of the Southridge Senior swim team, “some swimmers

“I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get to this point” [can] train 18-20 hours a week.” With these lengthy hours, swimming takes up a lot of time in the two grads’ lives. “It’s taken up my whole life,” Lawson admitted, “but I actually wouldn’t change anything about it. The leadership opportunities that were given there built into my leadership in waterpolo and it’s given me this opportunity to go to an amazing school that I never would’ve gotten otherwise.” Lee agreed, saying, “It is very time

Photo Courtesy of: Emma Lawson

Emma Lawson sporting merch from the University of Southern Califronia.

consuming, but it also has allowed me to meet some of my best friends, and has taught me discipline, endurance, time management, and commitment.”

With so much to do in the pool, it can make finding time for academics more difficult than it would be for the average student.

Despite this challenge, Lee and Lawson utilised their understanding of a strong work ethic from their respective sports and translated that into their academics. “I made that commitment to myself, that I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get to this point,” Lawson said, showing her dedication to her goals. “They’re high level athletes with a really strong work ethic in the pool,” Ms. Beer affirmed, “it translates to all other aspects of their lives, including schoolwork.”

But, the journey to the NCAA has not always been smooth sailing.

When Stephanie was 11 years old, her coach that she was deeply attached to suddenly left the club, leaving her with a new coach who overtrained her. “I swam double what I do now at 17,” Lee remarked, “that said, it paid off and I became a pretty exceptional swimmer.”

At nationals in July 2016, Stephanie was entered in 7 events, not including relays. She won five events, and came second in the other two. That year, she was dubbed “top female 12 year old points earner”, making her the fastest 12 year old female swimmer in Canada. She was

Photo By: Natassia Lee

Stephanie Lee, a future Lion, wearing her Columbia University sweatshirt.

also one of the youngest swimmers to be placed on the “ID Team”, which is a roster of potential national team swimmers. “As a twelve year old girl, and one whose old coach had essentially abandoned her out of nowhere the year

“Recovery is never easy, but it was what I needed”

prior, I became extremely attached to my new coach, so I had a lot of internal pressure to swim fast.”

Lee said, “This pressure became a compulsion that was interfering with my everyday life, and I was diagnosed with OCD.” After the national meet, Stephanie was informed her new coach was stepping down, leaving her in a situation very similar to the one she was in the year before. This caused her OCD to spiral, ultimately leading to her quitting swimming for two years.

When she returned to the sport in 2018, her slower times put more stress on her shoulders. “I was so stressed with the fact that I wasn’t as fast anymore that my OCD manifested in an eating disorder.”

Lee revealed, “this lasted for nearly a year and a half. As my physical health deteriorated, so did my swimming. When I started actively trying to recover at 16, my times were slower than when I was 10.” In an attempt to improve both her mental health and athletic abilities, Lee left PSW to swim with Surrey Knights. The accommodating nature of her new coach, Reg Shaw, was a turning point. “The past couple of years with Surrey Knights [have not been] easy, because recovery is never easy, but it was what I needed,” Stephanie said, “Swimming and I have obviously had a very tumultuous relationship, [but] I would not be the person I am today without

Athletics | Pg. 14

The Breezeway

been carrying for months,” Lee said, “[it was] a pretty great feeling.” She is looking forward to Columbia’s world famous core curriculum and the opportunity to discover herself while living in New York. Emma and Stephanie are “strong leaders and anchors of the swim team,” as described

by Ms. Beer, “They never give up, so when a race or game doesn’t go well they Photo Courtesy of: Emma Lawson

Emma Lawson at her official signing to the University of Southern California’s womens water polo team.

it.”

Lawson’s journey to the NCAA also had its fair share of ups and downs. Her recruitment period, the time when college coaches are allowed to contact potential recruits, began on June 15th of her Grade 10 year. “On that very first day, I heard from Brown and Harvard right away,” Emma said, “I wasn’t expecting that, but I was really excited because obviously the ac-

“I still think, I can’t believe this is actually happening” ademics there are great.”

Although it’s a huge honor to be recognized by such prestigious universities, the water polo programs at schools on the west coast, specifically California, have a higher caliber, so Lawson sought to be put on the radar of schools from that area. The water polo player spent hours creating highlight videos and contacting coaches.

It was more challenging for Lawson to make her name known than it was

for other recruits, because of the miles that separated her and the coaches she was communicating with.

“I had to sell myself and create websites, which is a lot more work than it would be for a Californian athlete,” she said, “they can just send the coach an email saying, ‘Hey, I’m playing at this pool 20 minutes from your house, I’m this cap number, come watch.” In the end, all of Emma’s hard work paid off when she heard from the University of Southern California in the spring of 2020. “I think the first time I emailed USC was at the end of May,” Lawson said, “I committed in early July.” Emma’s recruitment process happened fairly quickly, and with the pandemic still going on, she never got the chance to visit the campus in person before she officially signed on November 11th. “It was just go go go,” she recounted, “I didn’t get to go there, it was a bit weird committing to a place I’ve never been to but I’ve done the online campus tours and I think that’s about the best I’m going to get.” Not being able to visit the campus

in person hasn’t brought down Lawson’s level of excitement for her post-secondary endeavours. She is looking forward to getting to play in outdoor pools under the Californian sun, and to be in an environment surrounded by hard-working and like minded individuals.

“It still hasn’t really worn off,” she gushed, “I still think, ‘I can’t believe this is actually happening.’”

Being offered a spot on Columbia’s swim team relieved a lot of Stephanie’s stress about the future. “It was like a release of the stress I had

“They get up and they keep going and go harder the next time” just look at it as a learning experience and they get up and they keep going and go harder the next time.”

Both girls show amazing, but different examples of a person who embodies everything a NCAA recruit is, “Stephanie [being] more on the quieter side in the pool setting, and Emma [being] more of the “ra-ra” person.” Despite their differences, they both possess important

qualities that make them excel in and out of the water. “Be attentive, respond to emails promptly, and above all just be kind,” Lee suggested to anyone trying to be recruited, “a coach wants to recruit someone they get along with.” Lawson recommended starting the process as soon as possible, “It never hurts to get your name out there,” she said, “get your highlight material together as early as you can.” These are just some of the many strategies that were used by the two athletes throughout their recruitment processes, and when used alongside their unwavering dedication, helped them to excel and reach their goals. While participating in their respective sports, Lawson hopes to become a child psychologist while Lee wants to pursue a career as a surgeon. The future for these two grads looks bright, and the Southridge community wishes them luck next year in the states and in any future endeavours!

Photo Courtesy of: Emma Lawson

The Lawson family supporting Emma Lawson, future Trojan, at her official USC signing.

The Breezeway

Choir is Cathardic

Editorial | Pg. 15

Photo By: : Dominic Perez

Ms. Parker conducting eleventh grade students Coco Li (Left), Aerin Brown (Center) and Stanford Guo (Right), rehearsing the song “Welcome Christmas” to be recorded and made into a video.

By : DOMINIC PEREZ -- Whether it’s your forte or not, music has a tremendous effect on many people’s lives. As a student that is involved in many music programs in Southridge, I’m so grateful for the continued opportunities within the school.

In the choir, Southridge and its teachers have been able to transition really well.

Although it sounds cheesy, since I joined the choir in ninth grade, going to choir was always a highlight of my day. When Southridge transitioned to online learning last school year, I was saddened when I found out that many of the clubs I was part of, including the choir, would not be able to continue. I was so excited when Ms. Parker, the Southridge Choir Director, offered the option

to be part of the ISABC Virtual Choir. For this choir, we were required to learn the song on our own and submit a recording of ourselves singing. Although it wasn’t the same as attending rehearsals at lunch and singing with the group, I was very excited to learn the song “You Will Be Found”, one of the songs from my favourite musical, Dear Evan Hansen. Overall, it turned out to be a great experience and I was thrilled to have had one more opportunity to sing with some of my friends during that school year, even if we couldn’t be in the same room.

Moving into the 2020-2021 school year, I was skeptical about how the Senior Choir or Vocal Ensemble would be conducted. Fortunately, thanks to the hard work and dedication of Ms. Parker, the choir has not

fallen flat. As it stands now, the choir has been split into 3 groups; one for eighth and ninth grade, one for tenth and eleventh grade and one for twelfth grade. At each rehearsal, we all must maintain social distancing while we sing. Thanks to these changes, I feel safe singing at each rehearsal.

Ms. Parker has also or-

dered specialized masks for singers that will allow the tenth, eleventh and twelfth-grade students to practice while still keeping them all safe. I’m looking forward to the incorporation of the masks. Currently, the choir is learning a new song, “Welcome Christmas”. Although rehearsals are in person, the song will be recorded by

students and made into a video.

The choir has undergone many changes to accommodate health and safety guidelines. Moving forward in the school year, I’m looking forward to our upcoming projects.

Overall, I feel very safe attending rehearsals thanks to Ms. Parker’s efforts.

Photos Courtesy of the ISABC

The ISABC Virtual Choir singing “You Will Be Found” from the musical “Dear Evan Hansen” together over the internet.

OFF TASK Pg. 16

The Breezeway

Oops, Embarrassing!

By: PEYTON FRENCH

--Have you ever wondered if the grad class of 2021 had embarrassing moments? Well, your in luck, they sure have!! Read these four short yet hilarious descriptions of some of the current grad’s most embarrassing moments at Southridge, and submit your guesses on a google form!!

Embarrassing Moment #3 When this grad was in Gr. 8, someone in their class publicly proclaimed their love by serenading them with a love song in the hallway. Who was the grad that received this musical love confession?

Embarrassing Moment #1 This grad was in the mountain biking group at Gr. 9 Strathcona. All the bikers had to go down a steep path one by one. When it was this grads turn to go down the steep path, they tried to break, but the break didn’t work it so they went head first into a prickly bush. The instructor had to help this grad out of the bush while the whole group watched. Who was this grad?

Embarrassing Moment #2

Embarrassing Moment #4

During basketball season, this grad always had long, snaggly toenails. At KFACE and seniors night, this grad decided to cut their toenails and proceeded to chuck each nail at every individual team member. Who was this grad?

When the Gr. 10 area still existed, this grad was in Gr. 8 and had just came through the doors in the morning and started walking up the main stairs. They tripped as they took their first three steps and face planted, flashing every Gr. 10 sitting in the area with their camo shorts. The Gr. 10’s laughed and told the grad they liked their shorts. Who is this grad?

All comics created by: Maddy Woodley