Spirit Magazine - Summer 2008 'Service'

Spirit

INSIDE THIS ISSUE A SOUTHRIDGE SCHOOL COMMUNITY MAGAZINE

+ Interaction Pgs 2-3 + Long Term Pgs 4-6 + Local & International Pgs 7-9 + Service in the Curriculum Pgs 13-15

Summer 08 / Issue 21

Service As we consider what has enabled Southridge to grow in its focus on educating individuals who will make a difference in the world, it is natural to think about the role that our service pillar plays in the education of our students.

Service, along with academics, the arts and athletics, is one of the four defining elements of what Southridge considers to be a well-rounded education. As such, it is important that principles exist within the service program that help to define its direction while taking into consideration those elements of the program that already exist and which have enabled it to experience the degree of success that it has over the past few years. As you read through this edition of the Spirit you will undoubtedly pause in wonder at the number of service initiatives that Southridge embraces as we strive to educate ethically good citizens who have the natural inclination to make contributions to the greater good. Everything we do at Southridge from Junior School

actions related to a program of study to Senior School local and international service initiatives is coordinated in an effort to help our students recognize that it is both a privilege and a responsibility to choose how they influence their community and the world.

The principles of the service program that help to define it in terms of its breadth and boundaries are the following: 1. Hands-on experiences that involve actively interacting with others so as to have maximal meaning for our students.

2. Long-term, rich relationships developed over years and with repeated exchanges.

3. Both local and international in scope in recognition of our role as responsible global citizens and as members of the local community.

4. Developing leadership skills by student-generated and organized activities, which empower students and give them the skills to make a difference now.

5. An extremely important part of education which may be immersed in the curriculum when appropriate, but is always recognized as an essential, even the defining, part of the Southridge experience.

This edition of the Spirit celebrates these principles through stories and descriptions. I hope you will get a sense of how Southridge is striving to answer Martin Luther King, Jr.’s most persistent and urgent question. When we ask ourselves, “What are we doing for others?”

Southridge resonates with goodness.

- Drew Stephens

Interaction SEMIAHMOO HOUSE Southridge School has a long-standing relationship with Semiahmoo House Society, a non-profit society that works with people who have developmental disabilities. We are two strong organizations made stronger through our relationship with each other. This year, Southridge students helped organize a variety of activities attended by large numbers of the Southridge and Semiahmoo House communities.

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These included Semiahmoo House’s annual picnic at Peace Arch Park, attended by over 300 people, three dances held at Southridge, a Guitar Hero fundraiser, and a movie night, to name but a few of the events. Many students in the Senior School have come to know Larry Shareski, a Semiahmoo House participant, who was thrilled to have been given the opportunity to conduct the senior jazz band at the Café Concerto. Ms. Baranszky-Job and I sponsored an evening inclusionary Creative Expressions course attended by Southridge students and local young adults who have developmental disabilities. The course was largely organized and run by the participating students. In this course, creative expression was used as a language for communication and as a backdrop for the friendships that were formed. Our relationship with Semiahmoo House is not one of “charity” where those “more fortunate” help the “less fortunate.”

Rather, the goal is to build relationships in the local community that will make our world a better place for all. Next year we will be continuing with our relationship with Semiahmoo House and adding an evening athletics course that will hopefully create more connections in our community.

- Doug Tennant

I’ve had lots of experience working with Semiahmoo House, from volunteering at the dances at the school to helping organize the rose delivery service for the Senior School on Valentines Day. In my experience, volunteering at Semiahmoo House is both enjoyable and fulfilling.

When volunteering you get lots of oneon-one contact with the participants at Semiahmoo House and a fun experience. Also, while volunteering you learn

of people still spend their nights without dinner and on the streets; many of these are teens.

many different skills that will help you later on in life such as leadership and patience. I have really enjoyed volunteering at Semiahmoo House because I have learned many things and there is nothing better than watching everyone participate in a limbo competition at one of the dances.

- Emily Raven

who sleep outdoors were answered by a neighbour of two Southridge alumni, who heard about the soup kitchen via the Southridge Wednesday. Tables and mattresses have also been donated to the soup kitchen through the Southridge connection and in the winter students collected warm coats, gloves, hats, socks, boots, blankets and towels for the Surrey Urban Mission.

SURREY URBAN MISSION This September, Southridge Senior School students started a new project that has progressed to giving everyone in the Senior School a chance to participate in making the world a better place.

Every Friday, an advisory group of thirteen students goes to Whalley to spend a few hours at the Surrey Urban Mission to serve lunch at the soup kitchen. The Southridge students see that the clients are real people who have simply been dealt a different and more difficult hand than them in life. Since it opened in 1940, the number of people in need has exploded and the tiny soup kitchen has moved to a larger location. From making and pouring coffee to clearing and cleaning tables for the next guests the Southridge Senior School students have been busy doing their best for the community. Even with the services the Mission provides, an unfortunate number

The soup kitchen runs off donations and in November, after admitting that what they really needed was a new floor, the Mission were ecstatic when a Southridge family donated one. Similar pleas for a washing machine and dryer to wash the blankets and towels of those

Many people who have seen loneliness, hopelessness and despair have found the Mission to be a place of new beginnings. The Surrey Urban Mission exists to give hope to the hungry, hurting and homeless; there is no doubt Southridge can help too.

- Annam Bhatti

SURREY URBAN MISSION CONTINUED...

After their sandwich making success at Thanksgiving the Kindergarten classes continued to make sandwiches every week for the Senior School volunteers to deliver to the Surrey Urban Mission.

By the end of June over 700 sandwiches had been made which just goes to show you that you don’t have to be very big to make a HUGE difference. The Kindergarten students also drew pictures for the walls of the Surrey Urban Mission; many of the pictures are taken home by the guests after their meal.

- Julie Julian

CHRISTMAS HAMPERS This past year Southridge Senior School once again donated its Christmas Hampers to the Growing Together program at Guildford Park Place for struggling teenage mothers. Each advisory was assigned a particular family to make a hamper for and students spent two weeks collecting various food and gift items to add to their hampers. This annual celebration of the true spirit of Christmas is one of the oldest and most important traditions in the Senior School.

- Lara Brewster Coming into school one day in December I saw dozens and dozens of festively wrapped Christmas Hampers: multiple boxes of foodstuffs, household items and presents destined for Guildford Park Secondary’s Growing Together program which is a program for young women who become mothers while in high school and who still would like to get their diploma. The program provides

day care and guidance for the mothers as they finish their education. Each advisory group is given the name of a single mother and her current situation, which gives the advisory a closer feeling and sense of achievement for the woman they are helping that winter. Gift cards and children’s clothing are usually the most common requests, along with bedding.

I had the privilege last year of delivering the hampers to the school and meeting some of the young moms and the coordinator of the program. They were eternally grateful for the kindness shown by the Southridge community.

This year, a group of students, including the key organizers of this year’s hamper drive, attended the program’s annual Christmas Party luncheon at Guildford Park Secondary school.

- Marc Ayotte In the Junior school each class from K to Gr 7 adopts one family through the charity Options and fills a Christmas hamper with non-perishable food items, toiletries and cleaning supplies. Each teacher has information about the family their class is sponsoring. This more personal con-

nection leads to many special gifts for the family members, as well. Our hamper projects for Options were immensely successful this year, truly bringing the holiday spirit. Many parents helped with loading, delivering and unloading the items, leading their children by example.

- Jo-Ann Murchie

SEMIAHMOO GIFT WRAPPING Every year students volunteer their own time on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon a few weekends before Christmas to wrap presents for the local community at Semiahmoo Mall with all proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society.

- Annam Bhatti

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Long Term Relationships TERRY FOX Terry Fox was a very principled person.

Terry was diagnosed with cancer in 1977 at age 18, and had to have his right leg amputated four days later, but he did not let a personal tragedy make him bitter.

Terry was so moved by the pain and suffering he witnessed in the hospital that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. Terry’s Marathon of Hope to raise money for cancer research started on April 12th 1980, after he dipped his artificial foot in the Atlantic Ocean in Newfoundland, and his journey still lives on today. Even though he started out with little support in very difficult conditions, Terry stayed committed to his values and his goals.

He also showed integrity by being humble and always acknowledging the many people who helped him along the way.

He was a man of principles that we can all admire. As an annual Southridge and worldwide tradition (over 50 countries hold a Terry Fox event each year), we will carry on Terry’s journey.

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To date the Terry Fox Foundation has raised over $400 million for cancer research and made a difference in the lives of millions of people. Southridge is proud to be part of this tradition, and the Grade 7 students are pleased to be able to help organize the event for the Junior School.

- Shania MacDonald

VILLAGE OF HOPE

In November Gr 6 and 7 students took part in a read-a-thon to raise funds to complete and stock a library in the orphanage school at the Village of Hope in Zambia. Other families joined in by setting aside time to read with their family on that night. We are fortunate to be able to read any book or article that we so choose; our most apparent lack of resource is time. In the schools of Africa the resource they lack is books.

Also in November, Southridge Junior School participated once again in the Boxes of Love project to distribute gifts to the children of the Village of Hope in Lusaka and surrounding rural areas; a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the individual lives of children who are orphaned or living in poverty.

For most of the recipients, this is the only time in their lives that they receive new toys, clothing and other items.

- Sue McNeil

UNICEF AT HALLOWE’EN At Southridge we like to alter the focus of Hallowe’en towards contribution to those who are less fortunate. Students collect funds for UNICEF while trickor-treating and the pumpkin carving competition raises funds for UNICEF while earning house points. This year the $2,490 raised for UNICEF went to assist communities in Rwanda and Malawi.

MINI WORLD PARTNERSHIP WALK At the end of May, each class takes 15 minutes from their day to walk or run around the school, as part of the World Partnership Walk that began in Vancouver in 1985 and is now held every year in nine cities across Canada. The Walk is Canada’s largest public event for international development. It increases public awareness about global poverty and raises funds that support poverty reduction programs in Asia and Africa.

Funds raised help support programs in health, rural development and education.

Southridge has chosen to support this initiative because we value and encourage our students to participate in global action. Some of the funds raised from the walk are directed towards building schools in Africa and Asia and many of these schools are also designated as IB schools. It is a wonderful way to build bridges with our fellow students around the world.

- Shanaz Ramji

JEANS DAY: Students can choose to participate in jeans day in April in exchange for a contribution to BC Children’s Hospital.

WHEELCHAIR FOUNDATION Often our most powerful assemblies at the school are the ones that are student-run and about student initiatives. In October, Kelsey Martin and Jenny Hong led an assembly about their work with the local Rotary Club in providing wheelchairs to people in Mexico. Last year, the school was able to raise enough money to buy 45 wheelchairs to be distributed

in Mexico and Kelsey and Jenny were given the opportunity to go to Mexico and help with the distribution and to meet and speak with the people that they were helping. They shared stories about men and women who had not been out of their house in years because of a lack of mobility. They spoke of the heartbreak of having to turn away children who were too small to fit into the wheelchairs that they brought down.

The girls were clearly moved by the experience. We speak often about making a difference in the world and also are encouraging more and more students to get involved on a personal level with service.

- Marc Ayotte In Ensenada, Mexico, just three hours south of “the Happiest place on Earth” (Disneyland), we found extreme poverty.

It was so difficult to see the conditions that these people live in and comprehend the challenges of daily living they endure.

Our task was to deliver 200 wheelchairs to people who possessed no independent mobility. To witness their extreme emotions and gratitude upon receiving these simple wheelchairs was so incredible. We still can’t forget the people who were denied wheelchairs after waiting in line for them, because there simply weren’t enough.

- Jenny Hong and Kelsey Martin

HOOPS FOR HEART The Service Club had a busy time planning the Senior School’s annual Hoops for Heart basketball tournament. Each advisory group competed in a round robin tournament with the final few games qualifying for house points.

Students were given pledge forms a week or two before the actual event and could choose to participate by collecting their own

their own separate donations from around their neighbourhoods; depending on how much money they fundraised, they won different prizes provided by the foundation. On the day of the event students could dress in red clothes for a $5 donation and there was a raffle draw and a best dressed student/teacher competition. The day is always spirited and lots of fun. All money raised is donated to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, a volunteer-based charity that has committed to eliminating heart disease and strokes and reducing their impact through research and the promotion of healthy living. This year the activities raised over $2,000 for the foundation.

- Farhana Dossa HALLOWE’EN FOR HUNGER H4H was started by Professor Jonathan White, a member of Free the Children’s board of directors, and a few university friends, while he was still a student. One Hallowe’en they decided they wanted to do something for the community so they all dressed up in costumes and went door to door collecting food. The next day they donated it all to their local food bank and since then the event has grown.

I started H4H at Southridge in 2004 after I attended the Global Leadership

Academy in Toronto; the same academy that takes place at Southridge every year now. Usually we have two large vans full of food which gets donated to the Peace Arch Community Food Bank. Every year more people participate; this year we had about 40 people collecting cans instead of candy.

- Emily Mordhorst CANSTRUCTION Canstruction is a large scale event held all across North America each year where thousands of cans are created into tall free standing structures. Each structure usually has a theme, such as a protein meal, with the cans eventually being donated to the food bank. Southridge held a Canstruction competition in April pitting the candidates for House Captain against one another for the championship. Blizzard stole the prize of best structure, creating an amazing octopus to fit the underwater theme.

- Annam Bhatti

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RICE RAISER During February, the Senior School once again held a Rice Raiser, supporting a charity that is designed to feed people locally and globally. Students brought in bags of rice which were given to people in need of food locally; monetary donations to the Rice Raiser went to purchase food in Kenya, Sierra Leone, Bangladesh, and an orphanage in Ukraine. Students were able to decide where to send money to via an information pamphlet.

A house competition, with points for the house with the most rice ensured that this initiative was well supported.

- Sejal Lal

Long Term Relationships

The Story of the Long, long ago, in the year 2000, a young boy in Gr 6 shared an idea with his classmates. He had an aunt who was going to be working in an orphanage in Africa, and he wondered if, as a class, we could support her and the kids she’d be working with. He thought maybe the class could fundraise a few dollars.

Everyone participated and the class gathered twelve large boxes of supplies as well as money.

- Jackie Reyes

“I still remember the day right after Christmas holidays when our teacher told us that the African orphanage had closed down. Some people in the class even cried. But we refused to give up. Together we started searching for another orphanage that we could help.

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When we contacted the HATS group in Haiti and introduced ourselves we knew we had found the perfect match, and they said it was like an answer to prayer – that we had found them just at the right time.

They really needed our help.”

- Kelsey Martin “Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere. The children that lived in the HATS orphanage all had very tragic and scary stories. When we saw their pictures and heard their stories, we knew we had made the right choice to help them.”

- Jenny Reich “At the time that we made a connection with HATS, they were just a small group of children and a few caring adults – both Canadian and Haitian. But they had a big dream. They wanted to build a special orphanage – a children’s village with dormitories to house the children and a large safe yard for them to play in. They also wanted to build an elementary school that would serve not only their orphans,

but many more children that lived in the surrounding villages. Using the money we raised, and some wonderful help from a parent who worked for an airline, we were able to send all twelve boxes and the extra money to our new friends in Borel, Haiti.”

- Samantha Wichary “At the end of the year, many of the Gr 6s wanted to continue this project. In Gr 7 we organized more fundraisers and we continued to communicate with the children and the leaders at the HATS orphanage. It was so exciting to see them finally able to purchase the land and start building the children’s village. To know that the support we provided helped to make these dreams come true for children in Haiti was – and is – truly amazing.”

- Victoria Levy

Gr 6 students this year would like to take over from us, and even commit to keeping the project going until they were in Gr 12.”

- Kelsey Martin This year’s Gr 6s were amazed by this story and the Haiti Club will be passing into some very capable hands.

And just to give a little bit of a kick start to this new relationship, this year, we received $1,000 from the International Baccalaureate Organization of BC to put towards a special service project. This, together with another $1,000 from fundraising efforts of the intermediate division over the last couple of years and book credits raised by our Scholastic book fairs, will allow us to purchase over 800 books and resources for the students at the HATS school!

“We wanted to continue the relationship in the Senior School and in Gr 8 and 9 we used the money from cafeteria recycling to help our friends at HATS and held bake sales and car washes. When I turned 16, I asked my family and friends to make a donation to HATS instead of giving me a gift. That turned out to be the best birthday present ever!”

- Alexandra Hodgson “In the last few years, there have been just a few of us students from the original Gr 6s who continue to be known as the Haiti Club. We’ve been running the club ourselves, but we have always been supported by our teachers, and had assistance from our fellow students. Last year, many of you made sock dolls and wrote letters to send to the kids at HATS.” - Farhana Dossa “But now we are in Gr 12, and next year we’ll be leaving Southridge for good. We didn’t want to see this friendship end when we left as over the years it has come to mean a lot to us, and we know that it means a lot to our friends at HATS. We asked Mrs. Reyes if she thought the

But I want you to bring your mind back to one really important thing, one very, very significant point: if one person had not come forward with an idea to help, this never would even have started.

If a class full of 11- year olds had not risked opening their hearts to a group of children they had never seen, this never would have happened. If the people at this school weren’t so caring, committed, and dedicated, I wouldn’t be telling you this amazing story.

- Jackie Reyes

Local Service ROTARY RUN Southridge students participate in the Rotary Club Half Marathon, Ekiden Relay and 5km run in September. There is a special division of the 5km run for students in Grs 7-12. Volunteers from Southridge also staff a number of posts during the race. The proceeds from the 2008 race were donated to South Surrey Athletic Park projects.

‘SEW’ MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE On three afternoons this year, in November, January and April, over 20 students and many parents, led by Mrs. Dawn Jefferd, gathered in the Great Hall to sew items which were donated to a charity called Caring Hearts that knits, crochets and sews for children going through hard times. First the group sewed scarves and hats; during the second session they sewed 17 pairs of mittens and for the third project they sewed sweatshirts: bright, lime green sweatshirts. Why lime green you may ask? A bolt of lime green material was donated to the charity, plus it is ‘green’ which is quite cool and appropriate these days.

- Laurel Middelaer

POINSETTIA SALE Every November the total proceeds from sales of poinsettias go to feed the homeless in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. This year nearly $2,000 was raised from the poinsettias which are donated by Bevo Farms in Langley.

There is a free gift with every plant – the gift of knowing that you provided a meal for someone in need.

- Anne Boyle

HOLIDAY HOOPS FOR KIDS BASKETBALL CAMP In December a one-day basketball camp was offered at Southridge, with the cost of attending by monetary donation or an unused toy. Over 135 toys from 65 participants were passed to a local charity making this first camp a huge success.

It is hoped this will become an annual event, so that the students will support a worthy cause while improving their basketball skills.

- Gil Cheung

FOOD FRIDAYS “I usually only give to the local food bank at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but then I found out that 6,000 kids receive food from the Surrey Food Bank each month. It made me sad to think of so many kids going hungry.

Every Friday I would like to take as much food as possible to the food bank and I need your help.

So I am starting kids feeding kids and my first project is to launch Food Fridays at Southridge.

Every Friday morning I will have collection bins outside the school.

If everyone brings just one item once a week that would be amazing! Please join me in kids feeding kids - because kids eat every day.”

- Christy Bogart This plea from Christy resulted in donations of 600 pounds of food over the first ten weeks. To keep up the momentum the donor of a secret food item was awarded a certificate for Kids Books in term 2, and in term 3 a house point was awarded for every item brought in.

LOCAL SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES Frequently, service opportunities arise locally, enabling students to contribute to the community. The school will be asked if anybody can volunteer to help at a specific event, such as a day camp for children with mental disabilities, held in April, and the annual White Rock Rotary Club book sale also in April.

These events provide diverse opportunities for students to be involved with the community.

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International Service

In India the silken saris sway in the soft breeze of the midday heat that blisters feet and minds.

INDIA India was completely different than I had imagined. I had been thinking how great it would be to see the palaces and the culture, and wander through the markets and taste the foods – everything I had been shown about India by the media and by books. I never could have been prepared for everything I saw when I was there – it was beautiful, but it was also heartbreaking.

our group of about 15 people to take Chai with them and even offered to feed us. It was heart warming to see that these people offered up anything they had to make us feel at home. We helped build a strong foundation for the village’s new school. I hope that the new school will aid the community to educate their children and allow them the opportunity to reach their goals.

- Daniel Otamendi

KENYA

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Women, men, and children with no possessions to speak of would stop in the streets and wave to our bus, running after our bus as we drove by. We received hugs from children we had never met before, and who asked nothing from us in return. We gave them the foundation of a school, but what those children gave us, even without knowing it, was the most memorable part of the experience, something I know everyone who traveled to India will never forget.

- Elizabeth Carter One thing I remember clearly is how the chorus of schoolchildren chanting lessons would drift out to us, toiling as we were over the sun-scorched building site. It gave us more strength than any material nourishment could.

- Lisabelle Li He Han The India trip was one of the best experiences of my life. Everyone was so friendly and welcomed us with open arms. While walking through the village everyone came out of their houses and said hello. Every single family invited

WOMEN OF INDIA

The second Southridge Africa Night included dancing by the Masabo Cultural Company, east African cuisine and an exhibition and sale of Africville Shona Sculpture from Zimbabwe. Chaka Chikodzi, an artist from Zimbabwe, taught in art classes and spoke at assemblies during the week. Proceeds from the sale of the sculpture went to support Howard Hospital in Zimbabwe and the individual sculptors and their villages. Africa Night raised nearly $5,000, and other fundraising events such as a sale of Fair Trade coffee, dried fruit and sugar products and sales from concessions at Southridge sporting and drama events raised additional funds. However, as the trip to the Free the Children school in Kenya which Southridge students helped to build several years ago was cancelled at the last minute due to political unrest some of the money was redirected to the India trip and some will be donated to YESS, an NGO in Kenya providing AIDS education which was founded by Jen Pikard who graduated from Southridge in 2003.

Southridge hopes that all of the service trips will be cyclical, as we hope to form closer ties with each community and so the intention is to send a group to Kenya in 2009.

- Daryl Weaver

On motorcycles women perch like exotic birds, vibrant with their plumes of yellow, green, and red, shining with lustrous beauty these women of India.

In dirt-dust villages the women work, carrying loads of mint, of clay, of river washed clothes.

Heads erect, they do not bend beneath the load but walk with pride and grace.

This – this is India’s most lovely face.

The women bear their children early and put their babies to the breast with unselfconscious ease, folding them in the sensuous, warm skin of India.

Women are watched as they swing and flutter in their cage.

Custom clips our bird’s bright wings, circles wrists and ankles with hammered rings, tells her what her future brings – yet still she sings.

These bright birds of paradise.

These women of India.

In India the silken saris sweep before your eyes in rhythmic dance of ancient steps ……..

I watch entranced but wonder, What steps will come with the morning’s rising sun?

- Jan Holt

COSTA RICA When I signed up for the Costa Rica service trip my first incentive was to go on a trip with some of my closest friends.

During my previous school year I had gone on exchange to Australia and found that it taught me a lot. I found the trip to Costa Rica to be very similar. Although we were there to commit ourselves to their community and do as much as we could for them, I don’t think I will ever be able repay them for what they have done for me. Ever since going on the trip it’s been so much easier to think about the world on an international level as opposed to what’s going on in your backyard. It’s been a huge part of my life as it was a fun, bonding, and learning experience.

- John Howorth We went to a small town called El Humo for two weeks and basically just rebuilt anything broken or old in the village. We washed and repainted their church, we scrubbed and cleaned an ancient rock structure where sugar used to be made (it was quite a tourist attraction) as well as re-stoned a beautiful trail through a neighbouring park. It was quite hard work in the humid Central American heat but the people were always so grateful afterwards that we would have done it all over again just to get another one of their huge all-embracing hugs.

- Kayli Clark

ECUADOR IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE. Though it doesn’t make sense that the act of giving to others benefits the giver most, nevertheless, it is true. Ironically, the greater the difference between the wealth of the giver and the need of the recipient heightens this fact. Nowhere was this more clearly brought home to me than in a small Ecuadorian village high in the Andes in July 2007.

Our Southridge team of ten students and two teachers brought money for supplies and served in Chiniguayco, reroofing a teachers’ residence and painting two school rooms, both inside and out. The community expressed sincere gratefulness for both the support of the Southridge community over the past years and the help of those specific students. However, the greatest blessing was to us, for we felt, saw, and learned so much! Lessons learned about life and luxury, of gratitude and community, these were the gifts to us, the givers.

- Steve Burrage

for the delivery to go through, but the response from the kids definitely made it worth it. It was incredibly touching to read the letters (after translation of course!) from students expressing the great appreciation that they all felt.

Hopefully, our school will be able to contribute further to those living in need in the Amazon region in the near future.

- Mel Chanona Thank you for visiting our little garden and giving us joy with the presents for Christmas. Thank you very much.

- San Francisco Rio - Itaya

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ANGELS OF THE AMAZON At the end of every school year Southridge collects all used school supplies such as binders, pens, paper and rulers that our students don’t want any more and we send them away to a charity. Last year I asked if we could send them to a charity in Peru called Angels of the Amazon. I had visited Peru the previous summer and met with the lady who runs this charity. Through e-mail correspondence I organized several large boxes to be shipped to her office in Florida and then sent on to a school in need in a village on the Amazon River. It took a few months

Leadership Skills ARIZONA & MEXICO In March a small group of Junior and Senior School students and two teachers went to Arizona and Mexico to participate in a program through Free the Children called the Directors of Change.

During this trip the students worked with a professional director to make a short documentary film about the border issues between the US and Mexico.

As well as making a film, our students worked with local service organizations to help feed Mexican migrants who had just been returned from the US. It was an amazing, eye opening experience which taught us all about the power of hope. The film will be used in classrooms across Canada to teach and educate other youths about life on the border.

- Jeannette Sirois

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of birth and death, or “No identificado” if the name is unknown. It was a ritual at the border (US side) where you stand at the side of the road, hold a cross in the air and say the person’s name. We all took part in this.

In making the documentary, through interviews and shooting hours of b-roll, I learnt so much about Mexican culture and the individuals we were working with. The most memorable experience was playing soccer in Agua Prieta, whether it was a pick-up game in the side alley or on a full-sized soccer field (although it consisted of dirt, gravel, and some piles of manure). Our first game started with just half a dozen of us kicking a soccer ball around in the side street by the community centre. Within half an hour there were about forty people playing. Mexicans, aged 6-40, would just join in even though they didn’t know us or speak our language. It was great to communicate through sport and to just have fun, and to see how soccer can bring people together and make everyone smile.

- Mitch Donald

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

The Mexico-Arizona trip opened my eyes to a lot of things that I never knew were going on in the world, especially on that border. We hiked to a place which seemed like the middle of the desert then shook hands across the border at a point where the low fence becomes a high metal wall. At one place there is one cross for everyone that has died trying to cross the border. The crosses say the name of the person, their date

The Global Leadership Academy which I attended last year was a tremendous success. It was a comprehensive week comprised of implementing magnanimous philanthropy, awakening dormant leadership skills and raising awareness about social issues. Intensive games and activities were stepping stones to increasing awareness and choosing personal world issues to advocate for.

Events like the environmental cleanup, volunteering at the soup kitchen and dancing with Semiahmoo House members inspired the participants to eliminate social stereotypes, to take action and to step out of the box. As a result, following my service trip to India in March, I am going to sponsor a young girl I met there.

Although we spent most of our time building the school, the most powerful and poignant experience for me was the precious hour at the orphanage, and I

realized I could help provide a child with clean water and food, health care, an education and hope for the future.

- Alice Kim

CINDERELLA PROJECT In 2006-07, the Gr 12 students became involved with the Cinderella Project, a local organization that helps high school students in the Lower Mainland who have overcome significant adversity in reaching the milestone of graduation.

Through a number of fundraising activities, we were able to raise $1,000, enough to sponsor five underprivileged grads. We also collected numerous formal dresses and accessories to be donated to the annual Cinderella Project Spa Day. This year the grads of 2008, under the leadership of Victoria Levy and Kayli Clark, decided to continue to support the Cinderella Project with the hope of creating a Southridge tradition of “grads helping grads.” A Christmas bake sale and the second annual Great Grad Grub Grab – a lunch time event where the grads made delicious, uniquely-packaged lunches to be auctioned off to students and staff – raised $1,200. Once again, with the help of the community, we were able to gather almost 100 dresses and a large number of accessories.

In early April, two Gr 11 students and our two Gr 12 students went to Vancouver to help convert the ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel into a beautiful boutique for the Cinderella Project Spa Day. The following morning, four Southridge parents acted as “fairy godmothers” to a number of needy grads as they chose their outfits and enjoyed a day of pampering; a total of 170 grads were helped that day.

63,000 pennies to donate. They were the ones who related most to the plight of the children in Pakistan trying to study in those conditions. TREK is a great and visible reminder about how much our kids care and how they are willing to step in and help.

- Marc Ayotte

This was an incredibly heart-warming experience for all of us. We feel extremely proud of the contribution made by the Southridge community, and we hope to support the Cinderella Project for many years to come.

- Ruth Ward and Joanne Clark

TREK! In early May in the Senior School, you will see many students wearing their TREK shirts in support of the Teens Running for Every Kid race. This is our annual student led fundraising race which supports one of the schools that we have built in our partnership with Free the Children.

One of the goals that Daryl Weaver, our Director of Service, has been working on is establishing long standing partnerships locally and abroad and the ongoing support for the schools that we have helped build is a great example of this.

Recently I read Three Cups of Tea, a book which chronicles the life and work of Greg Mortenson, a mountaineer who was taken in and nursed back to health by an extremely poor village in Pakistan after his unsuccessful quest to scale K2.

When Greg left the village, he vowed to return to build a school after experiencing the compassion and generosity of the people who had relatively nothing and seeing their children trying to study without a proper school house. The book chronicles his struggle to get this school and others in Pakistan and Afghanistan built. What struck me most was that when he first returned to the US and was trying to generate funds for the first school the initial contributions came from school children who collected over

This annual 5km run raises money to support different children and villages through Free the Children. This year all proceeds were donated to the village of Chiniguayco in Ecuador, where Southridge has built and maintained a school. Through these fundraising efforts approximately $5,000 was raised: enough to provide every family in the village with their own medical kit.

- Lara Brewster Participation can have far-reaching consequences. This year an image of Southridge TREK was shown on an Oprah show which covered projects initiated by Free the Children.

SERVICE STEWARDS

As a service steward your responsibilities are mainly to dedicate your time to coordinating service events within the school, and motivating other students

to get involved. The service club meets twice a cycle to coordinate and discuss the current events.

- Annam Bhatti The Service steward should really be sincere about what they are doing and help people understand just how much of a difference they can make. That’s something I wanted to focus on this year, for example, telling people where their money was going and how it was helping. Stewards have to be committed to spending a lot of time organizing things and thinking of different ways to organize events or run events. They also have to be able to speak in front of the Senior School and be confident when talking. Also they have to be somewhat assertive so they can control meetings but also always encourage other people’s ideas and be open to everyone’s suggestions. Stewards shouldn’t have to do all the work, however, and should be able to hand out different assignments.

- Farhana Dossa

DISABILITIES WORKSHOP In December five Southridge students participated in a workshop by the Canadian Association for Community Living at the Downtown Vancouver SFU campus. The students learned about the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, discussed ways of including people with disabilities in global development projects and thought about ways to engage students and other members of local, national and global communities in making a positive difference in the lives of people with disabilities around the world.

I remember learning shocking statistics such as, 98% of children with intellectual disabilities do not attend school, so it is no wonder that the common cycle of poverty for disabled people continues.

It was really interesting to listen to the discussion because there were people from so many different kinds of jobs and everyone had different ideas.

- Farhana Dossa

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Leadership Skills BAKE SALES

HOORAY FOR THE SPCA

covered on Global TV’s 6:00 newscast in early May. In sharing this story about student initiative leading to profound action we can all celebrate our school community’s dedication to helping others.

- Jo-Ann Murchie

GRADE 7 LEGACY FUND

Spurred on by the excitement and dedication to a worthy cause, four Gr 6s raised even more funds for the Terry Fox Foundation through a K-3 bake sale, adding $60 to the Junior School donation. Later in the year nine Gr 2 students organised a K-3 bake sale for the Ladybug Foundation.

HOOPS FOR HOPE

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Originally started as a way to share used basketball equipment, Hoops for Hope now accepts any sports equipment and arranges to collect, ship and distribute the donations in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Many Southridge students donated their used soccer cleats and runners to help our barefoot friends in these countries.

- Dominic and Georgie Clayton and Emma Mittemaier

Valentine’s Day got off to a wonderful start with a sea of red and pink students in the Great Hall to welcome our guest speaker from the local SPCA who received $542 raised from the “wear pink” initiative and raffle of a Love Frog Webkinz. She also received many bags of towels, sheets, blankets, animal toys and dishes, and rugs collected from the school community. It is amazing what one little love frog can do!

- Jo-Ann Murchie

BC CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

SURFING FOR DOWN SYNDROME Four students from Gr 2 organised a sale of South Pacific surf board style book marks with special fortunes on the back for 25¢ each at the matinee performance of the Junior School concert in December. The $224.46 raised was given directly to a representative from the Lower Mainland Down Syndrome Society at an assembly.

- Kelly Bennett and Jo-Ann Murchie

Four Gr 4 students were very successful selling magnets for 50c - $1 and selling tickets for two draws for a Webkinz basket and a movie entertainment basket.

They raised a total of $617 to donate to the Superheroes Capital Campaign for new construction at BC Children’s Hospital. In April the four Gr 4 organizers and four supportive students who shared their personal experiences of BC Children’s Hospital met with representatives from the hospital and a news crew from Global Television; the story was

Every year the House Captains arrange special theme days to raise funds in support of a local, provincial or global cause of their own choosing. Past themes include “twin day” and “pyjama day” while this year students from K-7 were encouraged to wear their own clothes or uniform backwards in exchange for a toonie. At the end of the year the Gr 7s vote to decide on how the funds are to be used. Past beneficiaries include BC Children’s Hospital and an orphanage in China where one of the Gr 7s that year was adopted from.

- Sue McNeil

FOOD CHALLENGE In June some Gr 7 students cooked up a scheme to poison their teachers.

They sold tickets for a chance to vote on which teacher should consume a mystery concoction. A surprising number of students were eager to watch their teachers swallow a smoothie made of egg, tuna, spinach, milk and cinnamon, raising money for a Bolivian orphanage in the process. A Southridge parent has provided free dental care to the children at this orphanage for a number of years and during the latest visit, in March, they were accompanied by their own children, in Gr 7 and Gr 3, who had a chance to volunteer at the orphanage also.

- Louise Podmore and Chelsea Andreou

Service in the Curriculum

KIDS GONE GREEN

ACTION IN PYP

LADYBUG FOUNDATION

This club began when Jordan and Natasha Aisenstat became concerned about the loss of trees in the area surrounding the school. They raised funds for a lilac tree, now planted in the Southridge grounds, and soon their friends and neighbours became involved. In October The Gr 2 and 4 students planted trees at a new park site at the corner of 160th Street and 30th Avenue. The Kids Gone Green fundraising connected with the local municipal government and led to the invitation for Southridge students to be directly involved with the preparation of a new nature park. Not only did the city match the funds raised, but the students were able to put forward five names for the new park. Over 700 votes were received from the local community and Greenridge Park was officially opened in June with speeches and entertainment.

One of the goals of the International Baccalaureate Organization PYP (Primary Years Program) is to provide students with an opportunity to engage in meaningful “action” and make a difference in and to the world. For each unit studied there is an opportunity for the children to come up with their own ideas of what they can do to make a difference, such as car-pooling to school or using both sides of the paper. One Gr 2 class sponsored a whale and the current Gr 3 class are still committed to supporting the Ladybug Foundation for which, as Gr 1s, they held a hot chocolate sale and a used toy sale.

- Shanaz Ramji

The PYP aims to bring about student-initiated action, and sometimes that action has a longer lasting impact than we could ever hope for. Such is the case with many of our current Gr 2 and 3 students who approached me separately to do more for homelessness. Six Gr 3 students sold tickets at 25c for a guessa-jar candy contest with five possible classroom prizes for the closest guessers. The $616 proceeds from this and the Gr 2 bake sale went to the Ladybug Foundation to support one young girl’s dream of making a difference for people living on the streets.

- Jo-Ann Murchie

Kids Gone Green has caught the attention of teachers and community members. In February BC Place held an event called The Green Living Show and invited Kids Gone Green to man a booth promoting recycling and keeping up the spirit of living green: teaching attendees how to minimize their ecological footprint. The students made bookmarks from recycled paper which they gave away at the event and some people made donations to the next project, which is a park clean up.

- Carmen Aisenstat

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Service in the Curriculum ENVIRONMENTAL ENDS FOR ELECTRONICS

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This year the Environmental Committee started a battery, cell phone and ink cartridge disposal facility in the Great Hall which was soon expanded to include larger electronics that cannot be reused. These are taken to a local collection site, free of charge, by dedicated Environmental Committee members. Disposal of items such as CPUs, mouse(s), keyboards, cables, monitors, notebook computers, desktop printers, fax machines, batteries, cartridges and televisions shows that Southridge is working to prevent electronic waste from piling up in our landfills and possibly posing environmental problems. Regular collections of Junior School recycling earn money for the purchase of mosquito nets in Africa, which are being distributed

by Ashifa Patni, a teacher who taught for a short while in Southridge and who is now working in a PYP school in Kenya.

Another initiative is promoting the turning off of engines when picking up children in the parking lot.

- Jo-Ann Murchie

GRADE 7 BEACH CLEAN-UP

The TD Canada Trust Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup provided a chance for the Gr 7s to become involved with an activity that has a real, measurable effect on the environment, both locally

and globally. Besides collecting trash from the park on Barnston Island, Gr 7s also collect important data. Every piece of garbage collected is recorded on International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) data cards and these cards are sent back to the Vancouver Aquarium to be tabulated.

This data is forwarded to the ICC, where it is used to effect legislation about aquatic debris.

- Carol Beaulieu

PARTNERS FOR LIFE

In February many members of the Biology 12 classes went to Canadian Blood Services in Surrey to donate blood.

While learning about the circulatory system and blood in class, we found out that each unit of blood we donate can help three people. As a result of this, we have decided to partner up with the clinic as “Partners for Life� pledging to donate more blood from Southridge this year.

Any other students at least 17 years old, parents, teachers, or other members of our community who would like to make a donation, can add to the tabulation towards our pledge by mentioning that they are with Southridge.

- Anna Szymczak

STURGEON CONSERVATION SERVICE

In November students had the opportunity to combine learning biology curriculum with a unique environmental service effort. The Biology 11 class studied the anatomy and physiology, life cycle, distribution and habitat requirements of white sturgeon. The students also considered possible threats to the Fraser River sturgeon population and theorized reasons for the significant population decline. Then they increased awareness of the sturgeon by spending three lessons teaching one of the Gr 7 classes everything they had learned about the sturgeon. Next, joined by other senior biology students eager to help, they spent a day on the Fraser River microchip tagging sturgeon.

Escorted by angling guides who were

equipped with tagging kits from the Fraser River Sturgeon Conservation Society, the students captured 32 fish that day. New microchips were implanted in 20 sturgeon, 9 sturgeon already had microchips so were recorded as recaptures, and 3 were not recorded.

The information gathered such as length, girth, time and location all goes into a data base to help biologists get a better understanding of the current status of the population, as well as some indications to their life history. Recaptures allow biologists to estimate growth rates and migratory patterns, while trends in size corresponding to various locations can tell of habitat requirements for different life stages.

Through participating in this project many students gained a new appreciation for a species that most of them had never heard of before.

- Anna Szymczak

TOSKAN FOUNDATION

The Toskan Foundation launched the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative in 2002 which provides high school students with an opportunity to award $5,000 grants to local social services groups for which they research and advocate. This initiative has been implemented in over 50 schools across Canada. Students in Southridge’s HCE 9 classes learn about the problems facing their communities by researching a variety of charities and making a site visit. The twelve student groups then present their proposals in class with the top three groups, selected according to set criteria, presenting in assembly. The winning group, selected by a panel of judges, is able to make the $5,000 donation to their chosen charity.

Combining classroom learning with practical community experience, the students gain skills in research, proposal writing, public speaking and decision making and learn to become agents of change. This year presentations were made on behalf of LMBIA (Lower Mainland Brain Injury Association), Pets & Friends (volunteers and pets who visit people needing companionship) and the Union Gospel Mission who provide services for the hungry and homeless.

By demonstrating that young people on the street, often the same age as themselves, were in need of basic supplies and support, four Gr 9 students secured this year’s Toskan Foundation grant for the Union Gospel Mission’s backpack program which provides backpacks filled with essentials to keep street youth warm.

- Marc Ayotte

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

In order to honour the Healthy Schools initiative by the BC Ministries of Education and Health, from September 2008 we will no longer have bake sales or draws and fundraisers involving candy. The

scheduling of student, staff or school initiated fundraisers in the Junior school will be coordinated so that there is balance in the timing of them and encouragement for students to think beyond “raising money”. It is hoped that the students will want to take real action out of what they are learning or current events, so that they give more of themselves through their actions when they want to do service.

- Sue McNeil and Jo-Ann Murchie Our international program is expanding; we want to get more students involved, and we want to have a cycle of three to four communities that we can interact with. Locally, we are always looking at more relationships, like the soup kitchen, as well as possibly national ones, such as northern First Nations communities.

- Daryl Weaver

the future. Students also took photos for their magnification study of nature along the creek and transformed them into beautiful watercolour pictures. Finally, they made a clay form of a mythical creature which would protect the stream from future harm. The service aspect of this project made the students’ investigations more authentic and meaningful and we are very appreciative that we were able to help improve creek conditions for the salmon.

- Kierstan McCaw

NICOMEKL CONSERVATION SOCIETY

This year, students in Gr 8 worked on a project which combined service, science and art. The Nicomekl Conservation Society invited the students to Chantrell Creek to help move rocks and build stream structures to facilitate the salmon run. It was fun to wade in the creek with our rubber boots and move rocks and it was exciting to see the salmon. In addition, students obtained water samples from the creek which were brought back to the lab and tested for pH, nitrates, phosphates and ammonia. We were delighted that the creek was healthy in terms of these tests. The next step was to look at a map of the surrounding area of the creek and determine what problems the creek might struggle with in

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REFLECTIONS & AWARDS

Each year, students set themselves individual service goals, follow through with these during the year, then record service hour totals in late May. Southridge recommends 30 hours of service per year as a reasonable amount, but much more emphasis is placed on the type, depth, and quality of the service than the minutes involved. Students then write a service reflection, which describes what they got out of one service activity. The faculty review the service record sheets and reflections to determine who is to be presented with service awards at the year end in the form of ties or pins.

- Daryl Weaver

CASUAL DAY

On the last day of each month students may choose to wear casual clothes to school in exchange for a loonie or toonie in support of a variety of different causes. This year the following charities benefited from the casual day collections: SEPTEMBER:

✧ Junior school - Peace Arch Community Services Food Bank, plus a non-perishable item ✧ Senior school - Canadian Cancer Society

OCTOBER:

✧ Junior school - UNICEF ✧ Senior school - Peace Arch Community Services Food Bank

NOVEMBER:

✧ Junior school - mentally challenged single clients from Options (who do not qualify for Christmas Hampers) ✧ Senior school - Peace Arch Hospital

DECEMBER:

✧ Junior school - no casual day collection in lieu of hamper donation ✧ Senior school - Canadian Association for Community Living

JANUARY:

✧ Junior school - open (each class chooses from their unit of inquiry) ✧ Senior school - Heart and Stroke Foundation

FEBRUARY:

Bath items for Mother’s Day gift baskets for the Country Fair

MARCH:

Country Fair prizes

APRIL:

✧ Junior school - World Wildlife Fund in support of Earth Day’s coverage of global warming ✧ Senior school - Free the Children (TREK)

MAY:

✧ Junior school - World Partnership Walk ✧ Senior school - Surrey Urban Mission

THANK YOU

The generosity of our community is humbling; the initiative of our students is noteworthy and the belief of contribution and making a difference in the lives of others truly resonates with our students. As I reflect, I am filled with honour and pride that I am a member of the Southridge community. My interactions with the students, the faculty and the parents have shown me that we are all committed to the power of community. At the foundation is the trust born of knowing that our values are shared and lived.

- Laurel Middelaer

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

Editor Design Thanks

Dorothy Podmore Steve Culley, mgdc culleycreative Contributors

Send us your news at alumninews@southridge.bc.ca