Spirit Magazine - Summer 2007 'Athletics'

Spirit

INSIDE THIS ISSUE A SOUTHRIDGE SCHOOL COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Summer 07 / Issue 19

+ Soccer Pgs 2 & 15 + + + + + + +

Volleyball Pg 3 Field Hockey, Cross Country Pg 4 Swimming Pg 5 Farewell Mr Jones Pgs 6-9 Basketball Pgs 10-12 Track, Tennis, Golf Pg 13 Rugby Pg 14

Athletics at Southridge One of my earliest memories of Southridge was when my son, who was in Grade 11 at the time, came home and announced that he would be on the Senior Boys’ Soccer team. I smiled.

I was impressed because he had not played soccer for quite some time. He then pointed out that all boys in his class would be on the team, otherwise, we would be unable to field a complete senior team.

their Provincial Championship title. This level of accomplishment has not been limited to senior teams. Junior School teams earned ISA Championships in girls’ soccer and basketball and track and field and finished just below the medals in girls’ and boys’ basketball and swimming. The boys also finished 4th in the CAIS Under 13 Basketball Tournament competing with schools from across Canada.

and helps them to establish healthy lifestyles. Beyond the benefits to individual athletes, a strong athletics program enriches the experience for all students in the school by building school spirit and a sense of pride in knowing that their school is respected in the broader community (locally and nationally) for its fine reputation in athletics as well as academics, fine arts and community service.

As I sit writing this article eight years later, the contrast between then and now is truly remarkable. A tangible milestone of our progress is the fact that all four senior sports teams this term (golf, girls’ soccer, rugby and tennis) have advanced to the Provincial Championships. Earlier this year, the Senior Boys’ Soccer team clinched the provincial title, both girls’ and boys’ basketball teams advanced to the Provincial Championship and the Senior Girls’ Soccer team sought to defend

These are indeed impressive outcomes.

But athletics is not all about medals, trophies and championship banners.

Strong athletics programs allow students to develop leadership skills, selfconfidence, the ability to work as part of a team, to respond to setbacks and adversity with resilience and a host of other valuable life skills and attributes of strong character. Athletics also develops students’ physical attributes such as balance, agility, strength and fitness

As a community, we should be extremely grateful for the skill, dedication and the values espoused by our coaches. They have worked diligently in building these programs and demonstrated amazing commitment to our athletes through extensive sacrifices of personal and family time. Their efforts have provided the inspiration for the outstanding athletics programs that our students now enjoy.

- William Jones

boys’SOCCER Clayton Safarik was a young man who personified determination and zest. The former Grey Wolf from West Point Grey Academy who lost his battle with cancer two years ago would have appreciated the play of all the teams at the tournament in his name. After a penalty shoot out Southridge emerged victorious: an excellent start to the season.

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For the fourth straight year, the Senior Boys’ Soccer team was guaranteed home field throughout the Fraser Valley Playoffs. Their first place finish earned them a place in the B.C. Provincial Championship where the Southridge soccer program garnered its second straight provincial title, as the senior boys took top honours in Osoyoos in a dramatic final. With 10 seconds remaining until a shootout, a Langley player broke in on goalkeeper Mike Rosenbloom and delivered what appeared to be a perfect shot to the upper left hand corner of the net. Rosenbloom launched himself into a fully outstretched dive and in what can only be described as world class goalkeeping, he inexplicably made the greatest save in Southridge soccer history. The teams then went to a shootout to decide the provincial champion. This win for the ages was much deserved for the Southridge boys who were making their third appearance in the final in the last five years.

- James Porpaczy

Senior Boys Are Provincial Champions The Senior Boys’ Soccer team won the B.C. Provincial Championship in Osoyoos. Of the 12 teams in the finals, our boys were ranked 8th, but their play over the weekend clearly demonstrated that they were number one.

I had the privilege, and I truly mean privilege, of watching the boys play all of their games. I was astonished by how they gelled as a team – each player rising to the outstanding calibre of play and the entire team maintaining composure throughout the emotion-filled event.

Quite simply, every player did his job

and the team’s patience, confidence, skill and determination proved to be a winning combination. The boys played with incredible heart until the final shootout after double overtime in the gold medal match. I have rarely seen such character and shared leadership in all of my days as an educator. Their level of sportsmanship was simply impeccable and they conducted themselves both on and off of the pitch in a manner that would make anyone proud to be associated with them.

- Wiliam Jones

GRADE 8 VOLLEYBALL TEAM The Grade 8 Girls’ Volleyball team were in a very competitive league but they advanced to the first round playoffs and placed 2nd in their pool. The team also travelled to several tournaments this past season placing 3rd at Langley Secondary and 4th in the ISAs at St. Michael’s University School.

- Kelly Ledbrook 7 GIRLS WIN GOLD AT ISA VOLLEYBALL

Southridge Grade 7s had a great volleyball season ending with the gold medal at the ISA Championships.

SENIOR GIRLS The Senior Girls’ Volleyball team went to Halifax, Nova Scotia in October for a volleyball tournament at Dalhousie University. The girls were able to see quite a bit of Nova Scotia as they travelled to St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish and Acadia University in Wolfville; as part of the university tours, they were able to participate in a variety of different courses at Dalhousie University with the members of the Women’s Volleyball team. The girls played in the Dalhousie Pepsi Challenge Volleyball Tournament and placed 7th out of 20 in the senior girls division. There were over 60 teams at the tournament in different divisions and the level of volleyball was very competitive. The girls were able to watch a women’s volleyball game in Bridgewater between Dalhousie and Acadia, where Acadia won 3-1 and also saw the men’s team during an intersession game at the tournament.

- Heather Mosher

BEACH VOLLEYBALL This year, for the first time, Southridge students participated in the High School Open Beach Volleyball Tournament and the Sand Series Tournament, both hosted by B.C. Volleyball at Spanish Banks Beach in June. To prepare, the students attended weekly drop-in volleyball sessions indoors and outdoors (on the grass commons) from April. Two Senior Girls finished in 3rd place at the High School Open tournament, after a day of playing in the pouring rain. Beach volleyball is a very tough sport and is an excellent way to work out over the summer. The sand slows players’ movements and thus players are able to improve their vertical jump height, strengthen their abdominal muscles and quicken their reaction times. Also, since the games are two-ontwo, the players get more opportunities to bump, set and spike in a game than in a six-on-six league.

- Heather Mosher

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The Senior Girls’ Field Hockey team finished 3rd in their league with 7 wins, 3 losses, and 2 ties. The team advanced to the Fraser Valley tournament where we tied for 2nd place in our pool. This tie had to be broken using goals for and against and unfortunately Southridge was eliminated from the tournament. Overall, the team had a great season, building on their strengths and beginning to anticipate the play. In 15 games, we scored 35 goals. In field hockey, a team can only be as good as their goalie; Sydney Kolysher is a force to be reckoned with as she only allowed in 11 goals throughout the season. I anticipate that next year the team will be even stronger and we will have the Provincial Championships in our sight.

- Tanis Masson

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The Grade 8 Junior Girls’ team had a promising season with a large contingent of new players to the sport.

Although they had a difficult time at the ISA’s they managed to win their final game. The Grade 9/10 Junior Girls’ Field Hockey team had a very successful season. With only one loss during the regular league season, the team was well-positioned for the Fraser Valley Championships. Unfortunately the team had difficulty offensively in this tournament and narrowly missed the provincials, finishing in 3rd place. The team

CROSS COUNTRY This year the cross country team showed excellent sportsmanship and team work as they trained, rain or shine, twice a week in September, October and November and then competed in races, representing Southridge. We were proud of the efforts of all of the runners who came out and we had an enthusiastic turnout from our youngest members, the Grade 3 students. At the Bear Creek Park race Julia Greer won the girls’ 1000m run while in the boys’ race an exciting finish led to Ty Westgard receiving a gold medal and Davis Koch a silver after battling it out for first place. The varied terrain around Crescent Park provided a fun meet where racers experienced running on gravel, grass, wooded trails and a little mud. Cross country running allows stu-

also performed successfully at the ISA Championships held on the turf fields at Crofton House and UBC. Although the team did not lose a game, they were not able to acquire enough points to get into the finals and for the second year in a row they obtained a bronze at the tournament. There was some excellent play from the veterans on the team as well as from several Grade 8 players. Things look extremely promising for the future of field hockey at the school.

- Andrew Bendl

PE AT SOUTHRIDGE dents to maintain or improve their fitness level while running as part of a team.

- Samara Ridley-Thomas

The goal of the PE program is to promote fitness and encourage personal growth.

In the Junior School the Fitness Test is done near the end of each term and is worth 10% of the mark. The students are shown the three tests against which their fitness will be measured. The cardio vascular component is a one mile run, the upper body strength component is push-ups and the flexibility component is sit and reach. The program is self directed and it is up to the students to work on improving their marks, for instance by stretching every night to improve flexibility or doing 5 push-ups to improve upper body strength. The emphasis on fitness continues through the Senior years with all students encouraged to partake in a twice weekly exercise activity.

- Kirby Gallant

SENIOR SWIM TEAM The Senior Swim team began the short competitive season with two weekly practices. There are three main swim meets and each one is the qualifier for the next meet. Due to restriction and regulations at the Fraser Valley Lower Zone Meet we were only able to enter our B, or non-winter, swimmers to compete. This meant we could only bring two-thirds of our small but fast team.

Through teamwork and fast swimming we qualified in all 10 relays entered and at the end of the meet, with all the school points added up, our Junior Girls finished 1st and Southridge placed 3rd overall.

Later in the season the Senior Swim team took home a number of gold medals from the Provincial Championships held in Victoria. Unlike the other sports in B.C., swimming has no tiers so all schools compete against each other

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER SOUTHRIDGE? Athletes do not stop competing when they leave school. This is the second year that the five-times provincial synchro champions for Southridge School have competed against each other for the National Team title at the University Championships. There were 17 teams competing from across the country representing 15 universities. For our alumni it was a great opportunity to represent their universities and to connect with former team mates. Briana Botsford (05) swims for Queen’s, Megan Bittner (03) and Kelsey Bittner (04) swim for UBC, and Joelle Prevost (05) swims for UVic. Stephanie McCaig (05) speed swims for University of Waterloo.

regardless of school size. As far as high schools go, Southridge is a very small one and one without a swimming pool.

Once again our swimmers outdid themselves with their fast swimming. At the meet, each of the swimmers competed against every grade. It did not matter if you were Grade 8 or Grade 12. We qualified 20 relays and 3 individual events to send to this meet. Out of them, 17 of the relays qualified for finals. We have quite a small and young team, but they can all sure swim fast!

Despite the odds, Southridge finished 1st in the girls’ division and with the combined scores of the girls, boys and open results we ranked 5th out of 115 schools across B.C. In addition to bringing home gold medals and trophies our swimmers also toppled two provincial records.

Every swimmer did a great job. They

demonstrated sportsmanship, respect for their competition and swam their hearts out. It was great to watch all the personal best times achieved from all the swimmers.

- Heike Beer and Trish Riley JUNIOR SWIM TEAM The Junior Swim team also competed in three meets, where the swimmers demonstrated many of the skills and techniques they had been practicing over the season. For many of our younger swimmers, this was their first time at a swim meet. At the ISA Championship Swim Meet, Southridge placed 2nd in the girls’ division and 4th overall (with combined points) out of 13 ISA schools. Each student made personal improvements over the season and it was great to see so much enthusiasm at every practice.

- Trish Riley

SWIMMING

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S L I A R T AFTER EIGHT YEARS AS HEAD OF SOUTHRIDGE SCHOOL BILL JONES WILL BE MOVING BACK TO CALGARY TO ASSUME THE POSITION OF HEAD OF SCHOOL AT STRATHCONA-TWEEDSMUIR SCHOOL.

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In 1999 Mr. Jones arrived at Southridge as our new Head of School and the leader of our community. A school leader is charged with the responsibility of setting the academic direction and of guiding the school in the fulfillment of its vision and mission. As the leader of the students, faculty, staff and parents Mr. Jones touched and influenced every area of the school. His vision and ability to encourage, support, mentor and guide has allowed our school community to advance toward our desired goals at a rapid pace.

At the time of his arrival there were 499 students and 38 faculty and staff. Today, eight years later, we have 673 students and 74 faculty and staff, as well as a new Junior School facility, two new playing fields, a community garden and three acres left for future development.

His guidance has influenced our current number one ranking by the Fraser Institute in both the Junior and Senior Schools. Such academic achievement has enabled our graduates to gain acceptances to universities across North America, including many Ivy League schools.

Mr. Jones articulated his vision of global citizenship and began the task of integrating the pursuit of this goal into the Southridge curricular and co-curricular

activities. Developing global citizens who will make a difference in the world is not taught as a course. It is teaching and learning which incorporates values and attitudes that eventually lead students to an understanding of other cultures, philosophies and perceptions. This approach has resulted in the development and expansion of initiatives such as the student exchange program and the service program, with students travelling to countries such as Australia, China, Ecuador, India, Kenya and Spain.

Understanding the important role technology plays in the lives of our students as learners and citizens, Mr. Jones promoted the investigation into the use of technology in the classroom which resulted in the implementation of the school’s laptop program. By September 2007 all students from Grades 5-10 will be using laptops in their daily studies.

When Mr. Jones arrived in 1999 there were no athletic banners hanging in the Senior School gymnasium. Today we have 13 Fraser Valley Champion banners and two Provincial banners. This term we had teams competing at Provincial Championships in four sports: golf, tennis, soccer and rugby.

Mr. Jones has also had significant influence on the development of the performing and fine arts programs at Southridge.

As a performing artist himself he not only taught band to Grade 8s but also managed to take out his saxophone and perform several times during his tenure.

Our band and jazz ensembles have had great success in many festival competitions, and our fine arts program has developed graduates who have been accepted into some of the most prestigious arts and design universities in the world.

One aspect of the Southridge culture that sets us apart from many other schools is our strong sense of community. Through his willingness to embrace and include volunteers as contributors to our school, Mr. Jones has demonstrated his understanding of the importance of the development of relationships to this unique sense of community.

Community, volunteerism, academics, arts, athletics, service, global citizenship, leadership and technology are all ingredients in the culture of a school.

The legacy Mr. Jones leaves is a culture of commitment, community and excellence. On behalf of the entire community we thank him for his outstanding contribution and wish him every success in his new endeavour.

- Ian Mackintosh

Finding Mr. Jones It was in the winter of the 1998/1999 school year that we began the process of searching for a new Head for Southridge, as the school’s founding Head, Alan Brown, was retiring at the end of the year. Southridge was a very different school at that time – our new Senior School building had just been opened in September, and the Junior School was still operating in the original modular building. Planning was underway for a new Junior School, but we were months away from approvals and construction, not to mention financing.

And our campus was limited to under ten acres, as we had yet to attempt to acquire the school board property next door, the site of our two playing fields, student parking, stone circle and labyrinth.

dates…things like the need for a proper Junior School facility, a lack of endowments, a still modest reputation, and a debt level that would reach $18 million if we were able to get our new building built. So at times in the interviews we found ourselves working as hard to convince the candidates of our bright future as they were working to convince us of their potential.

We interviewed a number of good candidates, but Mr. Jones was clearly in a league of his own. It was apparent that his values, philosophy and integrity were a perfect match for our Mission and Vision, and his educational expertise was undoubted. We knew he was the person we wanted to lead us through the next phase of our development into a great

have been able to attract someone with so much to offer, and the results he has helped create are a legacy for which Southridge will be ever grateful.

- David Alderdice (Head of the Search Committee)

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We engaged a professional search firm and assembled a committee of Board members and parent and staff representatives. After several rounds of meetings and discussions, we had reduced the list of good potential candidates to about eight, and organized a two-day interviewing marathon at a hotel near the airport.

We were of course hoping to find the perfect candidate to build on the remarkable success that Mr. Brown had achieved in such a short time. But we had a few weaknesses that seemed surprisingly unappealing to some of the better candi-

school. However, I’m not so sure that at that point he knew that Southridge was the right place for him, so it made for interesting negotiations. His thoroughness, thoughtfulness and methodical approach in satisfying his concerns and learning just what he was getting into convinced us all the more that he was the right one for us.

Fortunately for all of us, all the character, talent and skills we had seen promise of turned out to be only a hint of the depth Mr. Jones would bring to us in so many areas. We were indeed fortunate to

REFLECTIONS OF THE HEAD OF SCHOOL LOOHCS OF DAEH EHT FO SNOITCELFER

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I can still vividly remember the day of my interview for the headship of Southridge School.

The school was only four years old – an infant by independent school standards. In my career of more than 20 years I had progressed through positions of increasing responsibility and had a fairly broad range of experience within the world of education. I left that interview with two distinct feelings. Firstly, I felt confident that I was prepared for this challenging new role. Secondly, I felt that Southridge was an incredibly unique and special place, though I could not put my finger on exactly what made it that. I was right about one of those – this is a very unique and special school. But I was naive about the complexity of this role and what the position of Head of School would demand of me. And although there were some very dark days in the early years when I really had some serious doubts about my ability to succeed and to meet the expectations of the school, I look back with no regrets about the decision to accept this challenge.

In my naivety, I thought the most critical skills required would be the ability to plan, manage and organize so many things. But the toughest parts of this job have been finding balance and dealing with ethical dilemmas in decision-making. That balancing act has multiple facets. They include the balance between family and school life, spending time with students, parents and teachers, finding a balance among the multiple perspectives on every difficult issue, finding a balance between compassion and justice, the good of the individual and the good of the community and the balance between directing and inspiring change. The complexity and sheer volume of human interactions in this role were also somewhat daunting.

I will not go so far as to say that I have been successful in my role, as history will be the ultimate judge of that. But I have learned more in the last eight years than in the previous forty some, and through this learning, I feel that I have grown and improved. And if I have accomplished certain positive outcomes, I can only attribute that to the incredible support, the values, the willingness and the goodwill and talent of so many colleagues, students, parents, my family and others with whom I have come in contact through my work here. For without these people, no Head of School can thrive or even survive.

I cannot say that every day here over the last eight years was enjoyable. There were days when my spirit did not soar.

But each day was meaningful and stimulating in some way and many were extremely rewarding. I leave here with the fondest of memories and the satisfaction of knowing that I have had the privilege of working with the most extraordinary group of people that I have ever encountered.

- William Jones

“I thought the most critical skills required would be the ability to plan, manage and organize so many things. But the toughest parts of this job have been finding balance and dealing with ethical dilemmas in decision-making.”

The heart of LEADERSHIP is in the heart of a LEADER The heart of leadership is in the heart of a leader. Southridge has been extremely fortunate to have had Mr. Jones as a leader for the past eight years because he lived his life as an example of our school’s values and beliefs. At the centre of his leadership, Mr. Jones found strength in the sincere alignment of his personal and professional values and principles with those of the school. The alignment was significant because it allowed him to act as a clear image to which the rest of us could aspire.

Looking back over the past eight years, Mr. Jones made numerous significant contributions to our school community.

He articulated a clear vision for innovative teaching practices, he led our community to a new level of global awareness, and he set a forward-thinking perspective on the kinds of responsible learners that Southridge ought to educate. In addition, he influenced the adoption and implementation of an elaborate information and communication technology action plan that has set us apart from other independent schools across the country as an innovative institution in educational leadership. He set policy and procedure in an elaborate plan to move Southridge to a position of professional stability and institutional growth.

The manner in which Mr. Jones conducted himself was collegial and collaborative, and he consistently applied the filter of what is best for our students when difficult decisions required his attention and consideration. Mr. Jones made his decisions with careful thought and an analytical mindset while keeping the big picture in view, which is not to say that he removed emotion from what he thought was the right thing to do.

He trusted his conscience and made his decisions based on a consistent adherence to values. As such, his highly ethical nature enabled him to secure the respect of those who worked with him.

The teachers and administrators understood that his decisions could always be trusted.

In addition to school operation prowess, Mr. Jones was an inspiration to the development of a practical understanding of what it means to make a difference in the world because he gave of his self to our school community. Mr. Jones understood that making a difference requires the intentional enactment of giving. To that extent, he willingly gave to our school community by taking the ethical high road when making difficult decisions, encouraging and supporting personal and professional autonomy, and creating an elevated awareness of global significance.

Thank you, Mr. Jones, for leaving so much of your self behind at Southridge.

We truly appreciate your ability to lead and inspire us to make contributions to the greater good in the hopes of making a difference.

- Drew Stephens

Drew Stephens will take over as Head of Southridge School in July 2007.

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CAIS Basketball CAIS BASKETBALL TEAM TAKES 2ND IN GRIZZLIES CLASSIC The Grade 6/7 Boys’ CAIS team started the season by placing 2nd in the Grizzlies Classic basketball tournament in Chilliwack. In the final, Southridge played hard but lost the game 46-34, although they were rewarded by having two players chosen to the All-Star team.

This success was followed by finishing 3rd out of 16 teams at the annual St. George’s Dragon Classic which is a tough tournament, because of the level of comptetition including a team from Oregon.

The highlight of the season was the CAIS National Tournament hosted at Southridge.

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CAIS NATIONAL TOURNAMENT AT SOUTHRIDGE After a year of preparation the Southridge athletics department, led by Kirby Gallant, hosted the Canadian Association of Independent Schools U-13 Basketball Championships in February, with 200 Grade 6 and 7 boys comprising 16 teams from Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto area, Winnipeg, Calgary, Vancouver area and Victoria participating.

Short of a Storm win, the 2007 CAIS U-13 Basketball Tournament could not have been better scripted. Although the Southridge boys did not win the banner, they had by far their best ever finish, placing 4th, and were central to a thrilling tournament end. With a packed gym, including the floor seats, Royal St. George’s and the West side boys from Vancouver battled into overtime and in a see-saw game it was St. George’s of Vancouver who hit the final shot to capture their 10th championship in fourteen years.

From all accounts, the tournament was one of the most successful in the history of the event! Special congratulations must go to tournament organizer Kirby Gallant who used his six years of experience attending the tournament at several venues to capture the best of each and combine this into one amazing show!

Many Southridge families opened their doors and their hearts to the student athletes from across the country, billeting two or three or even entire teams of players. St. George’s and Meadowridge families assisted with the billeting and at dawn and dusk each day of the tournament Gord Postma shuttled the Meadowridge and St. Michael’s players from and to the Albion Ferry. When idle, the boys spent much of their time in the players’ room in the Junior School Great Hall. Our boys were fine host school representatives and showed skill and sportsmanship during all of their games.

They worked extremely hard throughout their season to prepare for their welldeserved solid finish at the tournament.

- James Porpaczy

U13 TOURNAMENT I would like to say how proud I felt to be the host school for the U13 CAIS Basketball Tournament. Our boys put forward a spectacular showing both on and off the court. Many of the coaches from other schools commented to me both on the wonderful organization of the tournament and what a great school Southridge is. The event showcased our school at the national level and made a positive impact on hundreds of people from across Canada.

- William Jones One of the best things about hosting an event like the CAIS tournament is the school spirit it generates. Who needs professional sports when the excitement of youth basketball is so thrilling?

SR. BOYS’ Basketball GRADE 8 The Grade 8 Boys’ Basketball team acquitted themselves quite well at the Enver Creek tournament. The boys faced stiff competition from much larger schools, but made it all the way to the final game.

They followed this by capturing 1st place in the tough Surrey South zone.

SENIOR BASKETBALL The Senior Boys’ Basketball team had an outstanding year. The team started the year off with their second consecutive win in the “Big Storm” Invitational at Southridge. Michael Rosenbloom was selected a tournament All-Star and Randip Singh was selected as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. The

ALUMNI NEWS

team also participated in many other big tournaments where they played and held their own against many bigger basketball powers.

In their Fraser Valley AA league play the Storm finished with 7 wins and just 1 loss.

This remarkable record gave Southridge the #1 seed in the Fraser Valley tournament. Last year the boys moved up to the AA tier to compete against larger schools, so this is an impressive victory for them in their second year in this division.

The Storm did not disappoint, defeating cross-town rival Holy Cross in probably one of the most intense and spirited games to take place in the Southridge gym. The win secured Southridge’s first berth in the AA Provincial Championship.

At the B.C.s the Storm battled hard and competed, but fell below expectations, finishing in 12th place. Although they did not do as well as they would have liked they showed the province that Southridge basketball is on the map.

With eight players returning and talented younger teams the future is bright for the Southridge boys’ basketball program.

- Steve Anderson

AT THE ANNUAL ALUMNI BASKETBALL GAME THE ALUMNI BOYS WON A CLEAR VICTORY.

Sally Higgins (99) has returned from Ontario after eight years attending university at Queen’s. She will be starting her five year residency in plastic surgery here in B.C. Tamlin Reed (01) is completing her first semester of a four semester course in a Master of Teaching degree (K-7), at the University of Sydney. The full-time course includes a strong emphasis on practicum experience in local Sydney schools. She is taking advantage of exploring Sydney and Australia and is learning to surf.

Tristan Schmelcher (02) has graduated from University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Computer Engineering and will be starting with Google in Seattle in October.

Amol Saincher (03) and Meghana Saincher (04) have each received three acceptances to medical school. They both have chosen to attend University of Alberta and will be starting there in the fall.

Jen Pickard (03) has graduated from Queen’s with a BSc in biology and psychology and is currently working with a group of young people from Kenyatta University in Nairobi which teaches HIV awareness in high schools throughout Kenya. She will be returning to Queen’s in the fall to work on her Masters and will be travelling to Kenya with our own Southridge students during spring break ’08.

Ruby Laskin (05) will be travelling to India with a group of Earlham students for the fall semester of their Junior year. The purpose of the program is to become competent in Hindi while studying the origins of eastern religion and traditional art forms. The group will stay with home-stays in Chennai for the first five weeks where they will study at the Kalakshetra Institute before continuing up to Nepal and then concluding the program in Delhi. As well as appreciating the arts component of the program, Ruby hopes to be able to further her passion for medicine while overseas by volunteering at a local vaccination clinic.

Taryne Lepp (05) visited New Orleans twice this past year. She joined a group of students from Trinity Western University who participated in tearing down damaged homes in order for new construction to take place.

Angela Wahlroth (04) has been invited to become a member in Bet Gamma Sigma, the honour society for collegiate schools of business. It is the highest national recognition a student can receive in an undergraduate or masters program in business or management.

Angela attends Western Washington University where she plans to carry on to do a Masters in Accounting.

Michael Reed (05) is studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wollongong which is located in the steel industry city of Wollongong, an hour south of Sydney on the coast. He is a keen surfer but misses Canadian snowboarding. He has a surfing trip to Bali planned for the July break.

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GIRLS’ Basketball GRADE 6 The Grade 6 Girls played with great skill and sportsmanship at the ISA Playday winning 4 games and losing only one to a strong Collingwood team. During the season the girls went undefeated in league play.

- Theresa Andreou GRADE 7 The Grade 7 Girls’ team claimed the Consolation Championship at the ISA Basketball Championships.

having lost to York House in round robin play, the Storm rebounded by defeating St. Margaret’s and St. Michael’s University School to earn a rematch in the final game, with the winning basket scored just 9 seconds before going into bonus shots. It was definitely the perfect way to finish the season!

- Marc Ayotte

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GRADE 8 The Grade 8 Girls’ Basketball season ended at the ISAs with a strong finish.

The competition was fierce but the team played hard with the highlight of the tournament being their 65-12 victory over St. Margaret’s. The girls also made it to the first round of the Surrey playoffs but lost a hard-fought battle against Fraser Heights. Although they faced some setbacks over the season with injuries and illness, everyone improved greatly and it was my pleasure to coach the team.

- Kelly Ledbrook

SENIOR GIRLS The Storm Senior Girls’ Basketball team had an impressive 3rd place showing at this year’s ISA tournament in Victoria and followed that success by emerging as zone champions at the Fraser Valley Championships. This is the second consecutive year that the girls have claimed the Single A title and advanced to the Provincial Championships in Kelowna where once again they had a strong 3rd place finish.

JUNIOR GIRLS WIN ISA TOURNAMENT! In what can only be described as an incredible upset, the Storm Junior Girls’ Basketball team defeated perennial AA basketball powerhouse York House to claim the gold medal at the ISA tournament at Collingwood School. After PHOTO COUTESY OF THE SURREY NOW NEWSPAPER

TRACK & FIELD, TENNIS & GOLF

TRACK & FIELD The Junior Track and Field team consisted of 60 athletes from Grades 3-7.

For the first time a team participated in the Vancouver Olympic club meet as well as the two-day Eagle Classic meet at Maple Ridge and the three-day B.C. Elementary meet at Richmond. In addition to numerous individual medals won for both track and field events, the team placed 4th in the girls’ division at the ISA Championships.

JUNIOR GOLF PROGRAM The Southridge Junior Golf Program commenced its 7th year with a total of 42 participants ranging from Grades 17. Each junior golfer participated in an eight-week instructional and course play program which focused on the basic fundamentals of golf: driving, chipping, putting, sandplay, golf course etiquette and on-the-course play. The season ended with an optional Golf Tournament and Skills Competition followed by an awards presentation. Previous members of the Junior Golf Program are now leaders on the Senior School Golf team.

- Jacquie Lougheed

SENIOR GOLF PROGRAM Our golf season this year was a fantastic one. We started our year with lessons then embarked on a trip to Palm Springs over the Easter weekend for three rounds of fabulous golf. We were able to practice our skills on challenging courses like the Classic, the course where the Bob Hope Classic is now played. The team played four matches, the Delta Police Invitational Golf Tournament and the ISA Tournament as a warm-up for the Fraser Valley Championship. The ISA tournament consisted of four other provincial bound teams. We played against Southpointe Academy from Delta for a berth at the Fraser Valley Championship where we played St. John Brebeuf from Abbotsford. The team rallied and won both matches by several strokes, to bring home their first Fraser Valley banner. Next was the Single A Provincial Tournament in Sechelt, a three-day and two course event. The boys played very well the first day and ended up in 4th place, just 6 strokes behind 3rd. The second day was played pretty well by all players on very tough and fast greens.

The boys were able to secure a 5th place standing in their very first Provincial Championship.

- Dale Kurylyk TENNIS With so much that has been accomplished, it is hard to believe that the tennis program at Southridge is only completing its 4th season. Initiated in 2004 by parents Rob and Marian Davidson, the team quickly established itself as a contender after a very successful inaugural season. That year, the fledgling team won the Junior Fraser Valley Championships.

The next year a senior team was added which placed 2nd in the Fraser Valleys, narrowly missing a chance to play in the provincials. The third year brought more success with a rare Senior AAA Fraser Valley Championship and the first trip to

the provincials. This was no small feat for a single A school competing for the first time against much larger and well-established AAA schools. This year, the junior program continued to grow while the seniors have established themselves as a tennis powerhouse. After coming 3rd in the ISA Championships (boys) and 2nd in the AA Fraser Valleys, the team made its way to the provincials and competed with the strongest teams in the province.

But behind all the statistics and victories there’s another bigger story. The tennis team is comprised of the most dedicated athletes imaginable. Every Sunday, first indoors in the winter, then outdoors throughout the rest of the season, the players get together for coaching, practice and games. This voluntary weekend practice regularly attracts up to 35 dedicated athletes who enthusiastically come out and enjoy tennis on their day off. The same attitude is brought into every match with other schools where Southridge students are highly regarded for their dedication, competitiveness and fair play. All of this is in spite of the fact that in every league, tournament, and play-off, the Southridge School team has always fielded one of the youngest group of players competing. As a testament to their commitment, the tennis teams are made up of many first-time players with no prior tennis experience.

By the end the season these students are fully engaged in match play competing against other schools and have developed a love of the game, which is the true measure of success of the tennis program at Southridge.

- Rob Davidson

TRACK & FIELD PHOTOS COUTESY OF WC DESIGN & SPORTOGRAPHY WWW.WCDESIGN.CA

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Rugby at Southridge > A GROWING TRADITION

6/7 BOYS RUGBY - 2ND AT THE ISA RUGBY LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION WITH A SEASON RECORD OF 12-1

From humble beginnings trying to coax a few Junior School boys to venture out onto the field to try a new sport, rugby at Southridge has grown to become a program that is now highly respected in the very competitive Fraser Valley Division and also at the B.C. provincial level. This year, for the first time ever, Southridge fielded four teams: a Senior XV comprised of Grade 11 and 12s, a Junior team of Grade 9 and 10s, a Grade 8/9 team, and a very strong Grade 6/7 team that has posted victories over several perennial independent school rugby powerhouses, such as St. George’s and Collingwood. The Storm Senior team has qualified for the B.C. Provincial AA Championships in two of the last three years and continues on their quest to reach the upper ranks of rugby at the elite provincial level. Not bad, when you consider that Southridge continues to compete against AA schools with up to 250 boys in the senior grades!

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Southridge rugby has now produced two national level players. Chase Sereda (03) moved on to play rugby at UBC after graduation and represented Canada at the Under 21 level. Current Storm captain, Jordan Muns, has represented the Fraser Valley Rugby Union and toured the UK with the Canadian U-17 squad in 2006. Other graduates have moved on to represent their universities, including Rob Levy (05) at the University of Victoria, Alex

Ward (04) at Brock University and Lewis Lees-Buckley (06) at Exeter University in the UK. Several current members of the Storm Junior and Senior squads have also represented the Fraser Valley Rugby Union, and play in the fall for the Bayside Rugby Club.

The Storm Rugby team has also ventured overseas with spring break tours to the UK in 2004 and 2007. These tours have helped to immerse our players into rugby traditions and culture, and have created strong sporting and social ties with our hosts. Southridge has also hosted a number of school tours from England, Scotland, Australia and Eastern Canada.

A solid rugby foundation has been laid at Southridge School, and a rugby culture is developing, as witnessed by the sight of students carrying and passing rugby balls around the school. The future is bright!

- Trevor Julian and Chris Collett

girls’SOCCER GRADE 6/7

The Grade 6/7 Girls’ Soccer team won the first annual West Point Grey Soccer Invitational, demonstrating great skills and team spirit throughout the tournament. Over the five games of the tournament they scored a total of 45 goals while only conceding one. They followed this success by winning gold for the second straight year at the ISA Soccer Championships held at Southridge, ending the season with an undefeated record.

- Kirby Gallant

JUNIOR GIRLS

For the sixth straight year, the Southridge Junior Girls’ Soccer team captured top honours at the McDonald’s Desert Classic in Osoyoos. The girls collected four wins while not losing a single game on their way to the title. In league play the Junior Girls advanced to the Fraser Valley playoffs for the first time, coming second to Sullivan Heights who fielded a mostly Grade 10 team. Storm won both the first and the second round but lost to Samuel Robertson Technical in the last few minutes of the championship final giving them the silver medal.

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SENIOR GIRLS

Last year the Senior Girls brought home the school’s first provincial banner and the start of this season promised an equally strong performance. In the senior division, Southridge had their best ever showing at the McDonald’s Desert Classic in Osoyoos with a 3rd place finish in the 16-team draw. The Storm only conceded one goal in their five games.

The Senior Girls’ Soccer team went on to qualify for their seventh appearance at provincials in the last eight years, earning a return trip to Osoyoos where a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in the quarter final ended their dreams of retaining the title.

An unexpected bonus was being awarded the Fair Play Award, which is the first time in over a hundred championships in numerous sports that a Southridge team has been awarded this plaque.

CAIS SOCCER

Next September for the first time, a Grade 8/9 team will travel to Ontario to participate in the CAIS U-15 soccer tournament. They will play seven games, competing against Junior Girls from 20 schools from Ontario, Quebec, B.C. and New Brunswick.

our THANKS! I would like to thank all of our coaches, some of whom spend many evenings, early mornings and/or weekends practicing or travelling to competitions. This extra time comes directly from their family and personal lives in addition to time spent on marking, planning and other activities that often take place outside of the school day. So please join me in expressing gratitude for the commitment that these teachers/coaches make to the athletic development of our students and their contribution to maintaining a strong athletics program at Southridge.

- William Jones

COMMUNITY COACHES:

AN IMPORTANT RESOURCE FOR SOUTHRIDGE ATHLETICS

The growing success and accomplishments of the Southridge sports teams are a testament to the hard work and commitment of James Porpaczy and Kirby Gallant, Directors of Athletics in the Senior and Junior School, and the dedication of many Southridge teachers who provide coaching leadership to the Storm teams. Another contributory factor to the strength and success of the Storm teams is the input given by community coaches, including alumni, parents and even coaches with no direct

family connections to the school. The athletics program has recognized that our community includes a wealth of sporting and coaching experience and is drawing on this expertise for the ongoing development of the Storm teams. In the 2006/2007 academic year, there were at least 13 community coaches playing key roles for teams in the Senior School, along with five in the Junior School.

There is no doubt that our teams have “Stormed” onto the sporting horizon in the last few years, as clearly shown by the ever increasing number of championship banners hanging in the school gym, and the athletics program is justifiably proud of the Storms’ accomplishments.

The program is indebted to our community coaches and grateful for their sporting expertise and their willingness to give their time and commitment for the betterment of Southridge Athletics.

For more information about Southridge School, please contact us at:

T. 604.535.5056 F. 604.535.3676 www.southridge.bc.ca

2656 - 160th Street, Surrey, B.C. V3S 0B7

- Chris Collett

Editor Design Thanks Photos

Dorothy Podmore Steve Culley, mgdc culleycreative Contributors WC Design & Sportography www.wcdesign.ca The Now Newspaper Adriana Galesi

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