Coolest chef ever Carving ice is one of Saraiva’s hobbies. Page 3 MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2018
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CONESTOGA COLLEGE, KITCHENER, ONT.
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COBRA races to fifth place Team leaves other Ontario schools in its dust. Page 8 49TH YEAR — NO. 7
Brrrave souls take the plunge BY VERONICA REINER
The 37th annual Polar Plunge on Feb. 15 was a success, featuring 25 participants, around 200 spectators, live music and CTV media coverage. “It’s on par with the turnout we had last year,” said Stephanie Marks, Conestoga Students Inc. events co-ordinator. The money raised from the plungers went to KW Habilitation, which provides a wide range of individualized services and supports to children with any special need and adults with developmental disabilities. CSI’s goal was to raise $2,500. Sponsors of this year’s event included Boston Pizza, Centre in the Square, Kitchener Market, Grand Valley Golf Course, Skyzone, Uptown Waterloo and Chicopee Ski Park.
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It’s a bit of a shock. — CTV reporter Tyler Calver CSI marketed the event through several channels. There was plenty of promotion through social media platforms like Facebook, “as well as via posters, flyers, promotional videos and classroom presentations,” said Laura Sinclair, a communications assistant at CSI. A member of the radio station Dave Rocks MCed the event. Everyone had different reasons for participating in the Polar Plunge. “So I’m from the (CSI) board of directors,” said Scot Wyles, a third-year Conestoga College student. “And they picked this as their charity this year so I felt like I should jump in and raise some money
for it.” Raising money for KW Habilitation was a consistent answer given. Students wanted to make a difference. “It’s a bit of a shock,” said CTV reporter Tyler Calver, who spontaneously dove into the pool. “Well, the crowd was cheering me on, so I had to do it. The shock of the water, it’s so frigid!” Another CTV news reporter, Mark Venema, also dove into the pool at the end of the event while wearing a gladiator hat. He also had a similar shocked reaction. All plungers were encouraged to wear a costume of their choice. “This year we had some awesome costumes,” said Sinclair. “This included a pirate, an ice cube, Cinderella and the CSI guy, who was wearing lots of green.” It was certainly a colourful event. There were also winners of the event, based on certain criteria. “So we have best costume, largest fan base, and most donors,” said Marks. “We stepped away from most funds raised this year. We changed it that way to make sure people were talking to people about the organization and getting the word about the charity out there. So kind of trying to touch as many people as possible, versus people just trying to bring in a lot of money.” The judges this year included Anmolpreet Singh, a CSI board member, Porter Oleson from Conestoga Students Inc., Mikaila Emrich, Miss Oktoberfest, and Ann Bilodeau, executive director, KW Habilitation. “Some of the prizes include two green fees for Grand Valley Golf Course, a $25 Boston Pizza gift card and a VIP meet & greet at Centre in the Square,” said Sinclair. Other prizes included two Chicopee experience passes and two cooking class passes at the Kitchener Market, and a $25 Uptown Waterloo gift card.
PHOTOS BY VERONICA REINER
Conestoga Students Inc. held its 37th annual Polar Plunge on Feb. 15. Twenty-five people participated on the chilly day. Above, one participant is shown airborne before plunging into the cold water (below). For additional photos, see Page 4.
NEWS
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Now deep thoughts ... with Conestoga College
Monday, March 5, 2018
FILBERT CARTOONS
Random questions answered by random students
What animal would you keep as a pet if it could be scaled down to the size of a cat? “An elephant.”
RAISING AWARENESS FOR
Laura Muhlbauerova, first-year software engineering technology
BLOOD DONATIONS Guelph resident James Nightingale donates blood in support of the Blood Donor Olympics, an initiative to raise awareness about the need and importance of blood donations. For video story, go to www. spokeonline.com.
“An elephant because they’re protective, gentle and one of the nicest animals.” Nicole Cressman, second-year BScN
PHOTO BY JOSH PEDERSON
“A giraffe would be pretty cool.”
Tristin Mckellar, first-year public relations
DEMOLITION TO BRING EXPANSION OF HIGHWAY 7 Demolition of the Victoria Street bridge in Kitchener was supposed to get underway on Feb. 24 and take two days. The Conestoga Parkway was to be closed during the demolition. For video story, go to www. spokeonline.com.
“A hippo.” Dakota Bakalar, first-year advanced pre-health
PHOTO BY TYLER MEDERIOS
“An elephant. They’d be a good pet because they’re smart and cute.” Sarah Vidler, first-year recreation and leisure services
“A hippo because of the North American house hippo commercials that used to air.” Kirsten Walls, first-year recreation and leisure services
HELPING THE HOMELESS CSI leadership ambassadors Cooper Moore (left) and Taya Agostino collect donations of money and hygiene products for a Hygiene for the Homeless campaign that ended Feb. 16. Donations were sent to three shelters in the area. PHOTO BY TAYLOR PACE
Smile Conestoga, you could be our next respondent!
NEWS
Monday, March 5, 2018
SPOKE s Page 3
Chef enjoys the beauty of carving
BY AUSTIN WELLS
Philippe Saraiva is a man of many talents, but is an artist first and foremost. In the winter, when he isn’t working at Conestoga’s Waterloo campus as a chef and culinary teacher, he passes his time at ice carving competitions. “As faculty here at Conestoga, it takes quite a bit of my time during the week, but during wintertime I need to release a bit of steam and I’m fortunate enough to be invited to ice carving festivals which is how I get my stress release,” Saraiva said. “At Polarfest in Lakefield, 900 pounds of ice was given to us to work with, and with the temperature at the time it really created perfect conditions. There was no better time to be outside carving ice. Normally, around this time of year, I’d be going to Yorkville Ice Fest, but it happens to be at the same time as Winterloo, so I’m committing myself to the local festival on the 24th instead.” Saraiva, who moved to Canada from northern France in 1986, has been carving ice since 1999. He was taught the art by world champion carvers Steve Brice and Aaron Costic, and has competed ever since. When asked about his time with the two world champions, Saraiva showed a great deal of admiration and respect in his descriptions. “I’m not much of an artist in the natural or traditional way. As a culinary teacher, we use art in design and plating dishes, but I don’t come from the arts world. I stumbled upon carving rather than having it be something I’ve practised since I was young,” Saraiva said, adding with a smile: “When you work with carvers like Costick and Brice, they make everything so simple. They do things I’m still not able to replicate. They have that eye, they’re able to see the art and the carve within the block.” In addition to competing, Saraiva has completed over 30 sculptures for the college for various events and ceremonies, and has completed works in the past for events for cities around the region. When it comes to competitions, he confessed that he hasn’t had the best luck. “I’ve competed 10 times in Toronto, five times in Waterloo and once in Lakefield at Polarfest, which was February. I know what you’re going to ask next, and yes, I’ve only won one competition,” Saraiva said, laughing heartily. When it comes to working at Conestoga, Saraiva seemed quite happy about the time he’s
PHOTO BY AUSTIN WELLS
Philippe Saraiva, chef and culinary instructor at Conestoga College, cooks alongside his culinary management students in an international cuisine course at Conestoga’s Waterloo campus on Feb. 15. spent teaching in the culinary program. After arriving in Canada in 1986, he floated between various jobs, starting off in the restaurants of local establishments such as the Walper Terrace Hotel and Westmount Golf and Country Club. He worked part time at both Conestoga College and the University of Guelph, though he switched to fulltime work with Conestoga in 1999 and hasn’t looked back since. “Now that it’s been 20 years since I started teaching full time, I’m starting to appreciate that anywhere I go, I run into people in the industry who I’ve taught, and it’s nice to see that I’ve been making a difference and helping people with their careers,” Saraiva said. “Seeing that it’s not just about teaching them but the fact they appreciate and remembered everything that I did is wonderful.” However, he is not without regrets, professionally and recreationally. When describing his biggest regrets, his tone shifted from energetic and joyful to sad and remorseful. “I have regrets with both working here and sculpting. Once, at a competition, the wings of one of my pieces fell off just as it was about to be judged, leaving me with nothing to have judged,” Saraiva said. “Another time, I helped one of my students at a youth competition here at the college, which they won. However, that same night,
they passed away, and it was very difficult for me to see someone get rewarded for their hard work and talent but then not be able to enjoy or appreciate any of it.” Going into Winterloo’s ice carving competition, which took place on Feb. 24, Saraiva was confident, but openly acknowledged some of his weaknesses as a carver. “Personally, my biggest flaw is that I don’t plan ahead, contrary to other carvers. Most people plan ahead, whereas I just freelance and go with the flow. That’s challenging, because time is limited and having everything planned is the way to go. It’s paid off sometimes, but hasn’t in other times.” Saraiva said he appreciates having ice carving as a hobby, a hobby that he’s attempted different variations on. “I’ve been fortunate to make many of these sculptures for Conestoga at various ceremonies and events. It’s nice to have people see something in you that may be better than what you think you are,” Saraiva said. “I don’t do it for the money, nobody does, I do it for the ability to express myself and the joy of competing and seeing a finished product. In the winter, I work with ice, but in the summer I’ve practised carving on different fruits. The beauty of ice is that it melts. I definitely wouldn’t want to do stone. The remindings of bad carvings would be bad for my psyche.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILIPPE SARAIVA
Saraiva works on a sculpture in a past competition in Yorkville.
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STUDENT LIFE
Monday, March 5, 2018
Costumed crusaders take the plunge
PHOTO BY LUCAS HUTTERI
Scot Wyles took the first plunge of the day at Conestoga Students Inc.’s 2018 Polar Plunge held on Feb. 15 at the Doon campus. For video story, go to www.spokeonline.com.
PHOTO BY MELISSA HORTON
A plunger yells prior to hitting the icy water. Fortunately the daytime high of 6 C was above the usual Feb. 15 average.
PHOTO BY MELISSA HORTON
A participant tentatively approaches the pool’s edge prior to her jump.
PHOTO BY VERONICA REINER
A participant dressed up as an ice cube for his plunge.
Monday, March 5, 2018
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
SPOKE Page 5
It’s your last chance to view unique art exhibit BY TAYLOR PACE
This is the last week to see the unique paintings by a local artist featured in the Cambridge Centre for the Arts, before the exhibit comes to a close on March 9. The exhibit, which opened on Feb. 2, is by local artist Bernadine Van Renne. The Centre for the Arts website boasts that her paintings “capture a fleeting photographic moment in the lives of everyday people.” Van Renne found her inspiration while studying at the University of Waterloo, majoring in English and minoring in art history. “The studio courses I took as part of my minor sparked my interest in painting and drawing,” she said. That spark took her to England, where she lived for four years and attended art college in London. “It was a fantastic experience not only because of my courses, but because I had access to the best galleries in the UK and in the rest of Europe. I experimented with different media, including some
printmaking, but I’ve been working in acrylics for a while now.” The paintings featured in the exhibit are modeled after old, black and white family photos, and to Van Renne, painting them felt like opening a door to the past. “I sometimes feel like I have a strange relationship to photography. I love the fact that a moment in time has been captured. I can look at that photo and see the moment again and again. But at the same time, they leave me feeling a bit undone because that moment can’t really be brought back to life,” she said. She was drawn to this process specifically because the photos were in black and white, giving her the challenge of adding colour. “They were almost exclusively black and white, so I invented the colour for each painting. I loved doing that. I like exploring colour relationships and it made each one feel like a colour study in it’s own right,” she said. Inspiration also stemmed
from the book Moonwalking with Einstein, by Joshua Foer, which explores the concept of memory. “He says he’s working on expanding time so that it feels like he lives longer, and he does this by remembering more, and by making himself more aware of time’s passage. I certainly felt aware of the passage of time working from the photos. They were all taken before I was even born. He also feels that the more we pack our lives with memories, the slower time seems to fly. Taking photos and looking back at them can be one way to create more memories.” Van Renne said people often say her paintings remind them of their childhood or triggered memories of their own. “People have said, “We had a table just like that,” or “I remember the stubby beer bottles.” At the moment, Van Renne has no upcoming exhibits, but is focusing on her next artistic move. “After working with the photos, I like the idea of focusing on couples, but at the same time, I’d also like to get back to painting from life again.”
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Local artist Bernadine Van Renne’s unique paintings will be on display until March 9 in the Cambridge Centre for the Arts.
COMMENTARY
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Monday, March 5, 2018
Internet needs censoring BY MELISSA HORTON
In today’s technology-based world, the internet has become a tool to socialize with each other in new and unique ways. However, with this new tool, comes new rules but not everybody plays by them. Recently, social media networks have come under fire for the content that some users have been posting. One of the most notable is YouTuber Logan Paul, who initiated a never-before-seen level of scrutiny of social media platforms. Back in December, the notoriously controversial YouTube star posted a video of him and his friends finding a dead body in a forest located in Japan deemed the “Suicide Forest.” Viewers were stunned to see a rather flippant Paul laughing and filming the hanging corpse. Surprise then turned to anger and a call to action began. YouTube did reprimand the 22-year-old by cancelling his YouTube Red projects and in a more recent move, removed ads from his videos, but viewers didn’t think this was enough. It seems that what is deemed as inappropriate is a rather grey area. According to YouTube’s guidelines posted on their website, “Community Guidelines strikes are issued when our reviewers are notified of a violation of the Community Guidelines. This includes but is not limited to videos that contain nudity or sexual content, violent or graphic content, harmful or dangerous content, hateful content, threats, spam, misleading metadata or scams.” For content creators like Paul, the lines often get fuzzy and can often lead to the question: when do we say enough is enough? Unilever, a prominent advertising corporation, has recently threatened to pull its ads from websites such as Google and Facebook over concerns of questionable content. As reported by the Washington Post in a Feb. 12 article, Unilever’s Chief Marketing Officer Keith Weed said, “Fake news, racism, sexism, terrorists spreading messages of hate, toxic content directed at children — parts of the internet we have ended up with is a million miles from where we thought it would take us.” YouTube has been a company that has tightened the reins on what can be posted but some viewers still feel it isn’t enough. For now, consumers will have to decide when enough is enough. The views herein represent the position of the newspaper, not necessarily the author.
Letters are welcome Spoke welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be signed and include the name and telephone number of the writer. Writers will be contacted for verification. No unsigned letters will be published. Letters should be no longer
than 500 words. Spoke reserves the right to edit any letter for publication. Address correspondence to: The Editor, Spoke, 299 Doon Valley Dr., Kitchener, Ont., N2G 4M4
Social media sites must censor offensive content.
Media’s infatuation disturbing We all have our bad moments but perhaps media outlets on the weekend of Feb. 10 went too far. The Winter Olympics began on Feb. 9 and North and South Korea participated under a “united Korea flag” for the opening ceremony and during the competition. North Korea sent Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, the supreme leader, to represent that country during the games. Multiple media sources have become infatuated with her. The Washington Post wrote an article titled “The ‘Ivanka Trump of North Korea’ captivates,” CNN wrote “She’s stealing the show!” and The New York Times wrote “She turns on the charm!” It doesn’t end there. But how exactly did this infatuation begin? Although Kim Yo Jong was sitting near U.S. Vice-president Mike Pence at the Winter Olympics, they did not communicate. However, Jong was seen glancing at Pence, which individuals termed “the side-eye.” For
Rebecca Soares
Opinion those who don’t know, the “side-eye” is defined by Urban Dictionary as “a facial expression expressing one’s criticism, disapproval, animosity or scorn of varying levels of intensity towards another person.” Due to this alleged “side-eye,” many individuals have been calling her relatable and have become fans of hers which in turn helped the media adore her. That needs to end immediately.
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What does this infatuation say about the world’s dignity?
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What does this infatuation say about the world’s dignity? Simple. It says that we are willing to forget that North Korea is one of
the most brutal regimes because a political member is relatable. In 2013, there was a South Korean report which stated that between the years 2000 and 2013, 1,400 citizens were publicly executed to keep residents in line. North Korea is also known to strip citizens of their few rights and freedoms as a form of discipline. Let’s not forget that Kim Yo Jong is also from the country that threatened war against the U.S., which is a major influence and ally of Canada’s. While it can be argued those are her brother’s actions and not her own, she is believed to be a major part of her brother’s regime. We value our freedom and our rights but yet there we are fawning over someone who is part of a repressive regime. If our beliefs can truly crumble so quickly because of a facade, that makes us weak. In the future, the media needs to step up and stop falling for a smile because their influence affects many people.
SPOKE
IS PUBLISHED AND PRODUCED WEEKLY BY THE JOURNALISM STUDENTS OF CONESTOGA COLLEGE Editor: Taylor Pace Assignment Editor: Austin Wells Advertising Manager: Christina Jonas Spoke Online Editors: Mike Turcotte-McCusker, Josh Pederson Production Manager: Christina Jonas
Photo Editors (print): Lucas Hutteri, Tyler Medeiros Photo Editors (online): Veronica Reiner, Peter Swart Social Media Editor: Melissa Horton Circulation Manager: Becky Soares
Faculty Supervisor and Adviser: Christina Jonas Spoke’s address is 299 Doon Valley Dr., Room 1B23, Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 4M4.
Phone: 519-748-5220, ext. 3691, 3692, 3693, 3694 Email: spoke@conestogac.on.ca Website: www.spokeonline.com
The views and opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the views of Conestoga College. Spoke shall not be liable for any damages arising out of errors in advertising beyond the amount paid for the space. Letters to the editor are subject to acceptance or rejection and should be clearly written or typed; a MS Word file would be helpful. Letters must not contain any libellous statements.
FUN & GAMES
Monday, March 5, 2018
SPOKE s Page 7
Useless Facts
Oh Cliff!
Horoscope Week of March 5, 2018
Aries
March 21 April 19 The stars say that you will come to terms with a fact that was once considered absurd, and it will mean something to you. Take this as your gentle nudge in the right direction.
Taurus April 20 May 20
This month the bad stuff just rolls off your back while the good stuff keeps you smiling.
Gemini May 21 June 21
Are you wondering about taking a big step in a new direction? Now is the right time.
Cancer June 22 July 22
Are you wondering about contacting someone from your past? This month will prove to be the right time to make something big happen.
Leo
July 23 August 22 If you’re looking to make a big change in your life, then this may be a big year for you. If there is a nagging doubt, maybe it’s for good reason.
Virgo
August 23 September 22 Seek advice from someone younger to help you with what you’re going through.
315 entries in Webster’s 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.
Libra
Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother and sister.
September 23 October 22
Chocolate affects a dog’s heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small-sized canine.
If you’re just not sure what you want from life, it might be time to focus more on yourself than others. Accept your fate that life is not a destination, but a journey.
Most lipstick scales.
Scorpio
fish
American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class.
October 23 November 21 If you think you’re spending too much time slacking, then weigh your options and do the right thing.
contains
Sudoku Puzzle
Sagittarius November 22 December 21
Fill in the grid with digits in such a manner that every row, every column and every 3x3 box accommodates the digits 1-9, without repeating any.
You will come to terms with something from your childhood, such as a stuffed animal, toy or keepsake, and it will take on new meaning in your life
Capricorn December 22 January 19
Do some volunteer work. Once you do, you’ll finally be able to realize your potential.
Aquarius January 20 February 18
Seek out someone you’ve just met to lend new perspective to an old concern.
Pisces
February 19 March 20 Today you have a chance to do something truly meaningful. It starts with being open and honest with yourself, and recognizing that this really is a better way.
Diodonna Winona dabbles in forces beyond mortal comprehension. She also enjoys people watching and coffee.
Word Search
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NEWS
Monday, March 5, 2018
COBRA earns bragging rights for Conestoga BY PETER SWART
PHOTO BY PETER SWART
Some students from Conestoga’s School of Engineering and Information Technology are in the process of building a new baja racer while using an old one to beat all other Ontario schools at an invitational competition last month.
The Conestoga Off-Road Baja Racing Team, known simply by the acronym COBRA, earned the school some bragging rights as they finished in fifth place and ahead of all other Ontario schools in a competition last month. COBRA consists of a group of students from Conestoga’s School of Engineering and Information Technology who spend most of their free time building and improving off-road vehicles to race in competitions all around North America. “It’s under the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and it’s an international competition,” said Amanda Logiudice. “Colleges and universities around the world build these off-road vehicles and compete in a whole bunch of different races.” Logiudice is a member of COBRA and a student in the mechanical systems engineering program. She was one of the students who travelled to Laval, Que. to compete in the invitational race last month. The race was not a SAEsanctioned event so the students were able to use a car that had been built four years prior to them joining the team. In order to register for a sanctioned event, the team must build a new vehicle according to Dylan Thomas, another member of the team. “If you race at the SAEsanctioned events you have to
change your car by 33 per cent every year,” Thomas said, “so basically after two years you have to build a new car.” Team members this year are almost all new and are in the middle of building a new vehicle that will be ready in time for the big events in May 2019. Brent Stansfield is another member who strongly believes that they will have the vehicle ready by next year. “Basically the whole team graduated last year so we’re picking up where they left off,” Stansfield said. All of the students believe that being a member of the team is a great way to get practical experience, do some networking and learn from other teams. “It’s a lot of networking because you meet a lot of other teams and other engineers and find out what they did with their cars and why,” said Thomas. The team is also a good way to stand out to future employers. “There’s a lot of companies that will draw candidates from SAE events,” said Stansfield, “TESLA being one of them.” The team encourages anyone in the School of Engineering and Information Technology to get in touch with either Stansfield or the team’s faculty adviser, Henry Kastner, if they want to get involved. Stansfield can be reached at Bstansfield@ conestogac.on.ca and students can contact Kastner at HKastner@conestogac.on.ca.
PHOTO SUBMITTED
The COBRA team raced an older vehicle at the invitational in Laval, Que. on Feb. 2 and 3. They came in fifth overall and were the top Ontario school in the competition.