Panther Press November Recap 2023 by vp.pantherpress

2023

november

recap

issue

Panther Press Team Co-Editors-in-Chief Simone Ghosh Mona Jiang News Board Mariam Hussain Zahraa Jahangir Gloria Chen Jasmine Chen Manal Hussain Cora Tian Ellen Zhang Jeffrey Zhao

Print Development Lucia Kim Winnie Chen Sujay Golla Ayesha Kugaeasan

Teacher Supervisor Mrs. Yulien Life Board Tazmeen Mohsin Ayaa Al-sultany Zaina Khan Thomas Li Shreyaa Subaeasan

Outreach Board Lena Ettibaryan Tina Luo Vidhi Jaju

Editorial Board Lucy Chen Subu Bhattarai Visual Arts Board Emily Shao Feng Cai Michael Luo Alex Tian Sarah Zeng Amy Zhang Web Development Surya Tallapaneni Frank Huang Ivy Co

Table of Contents News The Palestine & Israel Conflict Cookies & Equality Athletics at VPCI (Vol. 2) Remembrance Day The Housing Crisis... Solved or What? Discovering Diverse Horizons Emerging Clubs at VP Science Simplified

Life Where the Poppies Burn Red On The Frontlines Nice Things Daydreamer The Man and His House

Editorial A Student’s Guide to Bathrooms at VPCI Respect, Vandalism, & School Culture

ft. Lit Club NaNoWriMo Top Submissions

Cover Art Credit: Mona Jiang

The Palestine & Israel Conflict By: Zahraa Jahangir and Mariam Hussain The war between Palestine and Israel has been ongoing since 1948 with escalating tensions and never ending battles restricting both peace and freedom. In wars, it always seems as if those physically living within the war zone are affected the most - they are the ones suffering the brutality of violence and bloodshed. However conflicts like the ongoing one between Russia and Ukraine, the fights in Sudan, the lack of basic human rights in underdeveloped countries and of course, the war between Palestine and Israel bring to our attention the disunity of our world right at this moment. We have become disbanded like fragments scattered across the ocean with no one to piece them together. Neither can we help ourselves, nor each other. The pain suffered by any human being at any corner of the globe is reverberated and is felt by all of us. The impact of wars and conflicts is a long-lasting one because the trauma is carried through generations and the only way we can heal is if we support each other. We are sure everyone at VP is disheartened by the persecution and oppression taking place around the world and we are proud that VP students are taking the initiative in helping us heal.

The World at War in 2023 by Martin Armstrong

VPCI Middle Eastern North African Association (VP MENAA) and VPCI’s Muslim Student Association (VPCI MSA) hosted a Student Palestine Healing Circle on November 8 supervised by a TDSB counselor, providing a safe space for Muslim students to share their stories, experiences, and feelings about the ongoing war. Participating in these spaces has numerous benefits in terms of expressing emotions and being united whilst supporting each other to persevere through trying times. VP MENAA has also organized VP’s first Soccer World Cup on November 15-16 with students representing the teams: Turkiye, Albania, Sri Lanka, UAE, Tajikistan, Lebanon, Cuba, and Russia. After two days of passionate footwork, Turkiye won the cup and all of the proceeds were donated to Palestine to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. It is actions like these that bring students together and demonstrate our VP spirit where every goal struck at the net, every voice that gets raised, and every person with a drive unite to achieve a common goal. With November being intrinsic with the memory of all the fallen martyrs, we are constantly reminded that wars and battles have never brought any good and have only left negative repercussions. As we continue our lives as the leaders of tomorrow, it is imperative that youth take a stand against violence and advocate to protect humanity and protect our unity.

Cookies & Equality By: Cora Tian Nov 7 & 8 – In the spirit of fostering unity and promoting gender equality, VP’s club: SheEmpowers, organised a bake sale that served not only a delicious craving but also a greater purpose to promote their values and mission. Today, we chatted with SheEmpower’s President Khaviyaa Suthaharan to delve deeper into the inspiration that went behind the bake sale and how it managed to invite the participation of the school community.

Cora Tian: Please tell us more about the upcoming bake sale. What inspired the idea? Khaviyaa Suthaharan: SheEmpowers decided to do this bake sale as a way to encourage community-building, put our club out there to the school, and connect with like-minded people who have the values of women empowerment and gender equality. CT: What delicious treats can we expect to find at the bake sale? Are there any unique recipes that the club is excited to showcase? KS: At the bake sale, we will be selling exclusively homemade cookies. These are all baked with love from our executives and volunteers, and that’s what makes them special! CT: Beyond the bake sale, what are the mission and values of SheEmpowers? How will the club’s future plans create an equal community at VicPark?

KS: Although SheEmpowers does focus on female empowerment, it’s more about gender equality. We want to create a safe space to talk about these issues and we know there is a lot of stigma surrounding them. So, we want to make sure that everyone has a voice for what they want to say. The bake sale ended with great success as all cookies sold out! SheEmpowers opened up VP’s month of November with the mission of promoting inclusivity and awareness of gender equality – the mission the team of SheEmpowers will continue to promote in their future activities.

Athletics at VPCI By: Ellen Zhang Over the past few weeks, the weather has cooled and the days have shortened. With this swift change comes the transition between the fall and winter sports seasons. Though the fields are empty and frosted over, the sporting landscape is as vibrant as ever within VPCI’s indoor athletic facilities. Join us as we celebrate the achievements of our fall teams and welcome a new roster of sports squads. Photograph by Lydia Yang FALL RECALL Over the past month, the fall teams have been busy wrapping up their seasons. They have accumulated numerous successes while competing in tournaments around both the city and province.

Photograph by Lydia Yang

The girls’ basketball team finished up their season with a series of games against their opponents in the North Region. After a 38-25 loss against Don Mills CI and a game that ended 42-32 in favour of Newtonbrook SS, the girls left everything on the court in their final game against George S Henry, ending with a thrilling 45-40 victory.

On the race course, the school's cross country team witnessed a remarkable achievement as the Grade 9 boys secured a coveted spot at OFSAA. Their journey was a testament to their dedication and grit. At the provincial competition in Etobicoke, the novice boys clocked an impressive average team time of 15 minutes and 34 seconds for the four-kilometre run. Notably, one VPCI runner placed 51st among 250+ contestants. The boys’ volleyball team rematched against each school in their division, winning 2-1 and 2-0 against George Vanier and George S Henry, respectively. They also suffered a 20 loss to AY Jackson. This kept them at second place in the STO Conference East Division, qualifying them for regional quarterfinals. After a 2-1 victory over John Polanyi, the West Division champion, they proceeded to regional semifinals. The boys’ season ended with a 3-0 loss to William Lyon Mackenzie in a best 3 out of 5 semifinal round. The boys’ soccer squad concluded their season with a 3-0 victory against Westview Centennial and a 2-0 loss to Emery CI. Overall, the season yielded three wins, two losses, and one tie, tying Victoria Park for third place in the North Region. Finally, the girls’ rugby team ended their season at city finals. Although they were seeded eighth following the regular season, they put up a remarkable performance against Malvern CI, the first seed. This matchup ended in a loss, so the girls tried for redemption in the loser’s bracket. After a victorious second game, they went on to play George S Henry to battle for fifth place. George S ultimately came out triumphant; nevertheless, it was a memorable day for the Victoria Park Panthers. CURRENT AFFAIRS VPCI’s winter sports teams have not started competing yet, but in the meantime, plenty of spectacular sporting events are taking place within the school. After a mini “World Cup” organized by VP MENAA, which resulted in a victory for Türkiye, VPAC hosted its annual three-point shooting contest. This comes right before the start of 3v3 basketball intramurals. Meanwhile, teams such as indoor cricket, swim, badminton, girls’ volleyball, and boys’ basketball are currently in training. Over the next few weeks, these teams will be heading out to competitions to represent VPCI. Best of luck to all athletes! Go Panthers! Photograph by Lydia Yang

Remembrance Day By: Gloria Chen and Eshan Kiritharan

From August 1914 to November 1918, the world was locked in a devastating bloodbath of war. For Canada, the war brought important change to its social, political, and economic sectors, and shaped the Canada we know today. As World War I stretched on, the desperate need for munition and equipment pushed more and more factories to be built. Canada’s economy underwent rapid industrialization-- the Imperial Munitions Board, founded in November 1915 with financial magnate Joseph Flavelle in command, soon had more than 600 factories churning out vast quantities of artillery shells, fuses and explosives, and building aircraft and naval vessels. As demand for ammunition soared and more and more men left to participate in the war, women working in factories-- something seen as a “man’s job”-- grew exponentially. By 1920, the percentage of women in the workforce had increased to 21%, and a gradual shift was beginning to take place. Instead of being ostracized from work, women began to be encouraged to seek employment in factories. It was an important milestone in the fight for women’s rights: while there was still a clear pay inequality between men and women, the acknowledgment of their importance in the war, as well as their opportunity to be independent, brought great change to the future of gender equality. Undoubtedly, World War I brought devastating grief to the families, friends, and loved ones of those lost. Tens of millions of lives were lost, and even more were shattered forever. However, as we mourn those who have died, it is also important to acknowledge the war’s role in Canada’s growth and development as a country.

VPCI Commemorates Remembrance Day Across Victoria Park, students, teachers, and staff have all commemorated Remembrance Day in many ways. On the day before Remembrance Day, students stood in silence to commemorate the lives of Canadian soldiers lost during the war as ceremony music was played in honour. Many teachers also presented slideshows that showed facts related to remembrance day, such as famous soldiers who were remembered and the role minorities played during the war.

Photo Credits: Emily Shao

On the glass board at the front foyer, pictures of soldiers who died were shown, as well as pictures of ceremonies related to Remembrance Day. Along with them were posters and history textbooks that showed poems and information about previous wars. Artwork of coloured poppies was displayed as well.

Many students believe that Remembrance Day is important not only for the past, but also for the present. A student who asked to remain anonymous stated “Remembrance Day isn’t just about remembering people who died in previous wars; it’s about coming together as a community to honour the lost lives of those who allowed us to stay where we are.”

The Housing Crisis... Solved or What? Photo Credit: Michael Luo

By: Jeffrey Zhao

The cost of housing in Toronto has exploded in recent years. The median house price has gone from under $600,000 in 2010 to over $1.1 million in 2023, putting the dream of home ownership out of reach for many people. For the past eight years, the Trudeau government has been criticized for not doing enough on the issue of housing affordability. Recently, however, they’ve announced changes in housing policy, aimed at combating the crisis. On July 26, 2023, Trudeau shuffled his cabinet, putting Central Nova MP Sean Fraser in charge of housing. As housing minister, Fraser has been proactive. He’s called out municipalities for their restrictive zoning laws, which don’t allow highdensity housing to be built in many places. He, along with the Liberal government, have also announced new pieces of legislation to increase housing supply.

Photo Credit: Michael Luo

The first of those came on September 14, 2023, when it was announced that the GST (goods and services tax) would be removed from the construction of new rental properties. By making housing construction cheaper, this move sought to incentivize developers to move back into the rental sector, which many have fled from in recent years.

Another new government initiative, announced this March, is the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), a $4 billion program that gives money to municipalities to build homes. It aims to build 100,000 new homes by 2025, mainly by helping to fast-track approvals and remove regulations. Cities with more than 10,000 people can apply to get money, but the funding is conditional; they must show a willingness to build more housing to get accepted. Measures cities can take to increase their chances of approval were outlined in guidelines that the government published last month. Among other policies, they can legalize housing by loosening zoning laws, make city lands available for housing, loosen parking space requirements, and remove height restrictions.

Photo Credit: Michael Luo

These are tough sells for historically NIMBY (not in my backyard) municipalities. However, at a time when many cities are strapped for cash, applications have been competitive. The first deal involving the HAF was with the city of London, and was approved in September. In exchange for $74 million to build 2,000 housing units, London agreed to allow for high density housing without the need to rezone, and to also allow four units to be built on one property. Since then, the government has announced deals with numerous cities, including Halifax, Calgary, Vaughan, and Hamilton.

By Jasmine Chen On November 9th, the Student Leadership Council hosted Victoria Park’s club carousel. The event was hosted in the cafeteria during lunch, with the goal of making clubs more accessible to the student body as the pandemic had greatly complicated the process of creating and maintaining clubs. The carousel offered an overview of all of VPCI’s clubs by establishing existing and newly created clubs and displaying information on a club bulletin board outside Gym 1. The stands for the Student Leadership Council and VP ambassadors were placed at the front of the cafeteria. These councils play an integral role in representing the school community by creating events that spur VP spirit along with bringing the student body together. Across from them were the stands of Yearbook Club and Panther Press. Both these clubs capture memorable school events and recount school adventures through a yearbook that can be bought at the end of the year

and a newspaper published monthly featuring student writers. Towards the right were student associations including: Black Student Association, Middle Eastern North African Association, Muslim Student Association, Tamil Association, Pride VP, and She Empowers. These clubs all have one common mission: to eliminate an existing inequality in our society and bring minorities together. These clubs are a great way to join a community that you can truly belong to and contribute to create a welcoming environment for everyone VP’s art and linguistic clubs include Literature Club, French Club, and Mandarin Club. These clubs aim to improve literacy and create opportunities for students to learn new languages and explore new cultures. Clubs alongside these were Film Crew, Dance Club, Chess Club, and Gardening Club. All of these clubs ultimately unleash student creativity and are a means to do what you love most whether it be writing by a warm ambient fire, creating a new batch of

Photo Credit: Feng Cai

compost, or aceing a brand new dance move.. At the end of the cafeteria were all the student councils. Starting from the Athletics Council, it also included the Mental Health Awareness Council, Arts Council, Music Council, and Eco Council. They provided information about the role that each council plays in the school community, with interactive displays like the Music Council having instruments that participants could play. Down the left were the stands of all the STEM clubs. These included Gaming Club, Coding Club, Math Club, Science Club, Science Olympics, Lab Management Team, and Robotics. These stands all had cardboard displays, with many of them including computers and

machines for onlookers to interact with. Across from them were clubs focused on medicine, such as Ditsy, HOSA and Medlife and businessrelated clubs, such as World Vision, MUN, and FBLA. Although clubs are plentiful at any school, their importance should not be understated. Brooke, the clubs representative for SLC has shared that “[c]lubs create a backbone for the school community, by bringing people together through shared interests.” If none of the mentioned clubs caught your interest, there is always the possibility to start your own. To read about the club creation process at VP, check out Emerging Clubs at VP for an inside look at clubs based on student interest and how you can start one of your own.

Emerging Clubs at VP By Jasmine Chen Take a look around the school hallways. Have you noticed the various posters on the walls, promoting clubs and other school activities? Maybe you have joined some of them in the past weeks. Since the pandemic restrictions were lifted, Victoria Park has seen the gradual return of clubs, including ones that did not exist previously. Among these emerging clubs, led by the student body, include Cubing Club, DITSY, and VP Lit. These school clubs all have similar beginnings, but the management method can vary. Cubing Club has weekly drop-in sessions while VP Literature hosts biweekly meetings. On the other hand, DITSY is focused on teaching members about healthcare through structured workshops and case studies that require you to sign up to participate. Photo Credit: Feng Cai

Since these clubs focus on unique interests and cater towards a specific audience, they usually have fewer attendees. Despite this, they are still essential for the school community. When asked about DITSY, Haodong said that his vision for DITSY was to “focus on medicine”, because other medical clubs were geared towards medical competitions. Quinn, the founder of Cubing Club, explained that she got into speedcubing over the summer and started the club to find people with the same interests. VP Literature and Dance, both initiatives co-founded by Brooke, began as passion projects with her friends to cultivate a safe space to perform and share individual works. After coming up with a purpose for their clubs, the next thing to do was to find a teacher supervisor. Recently, SLC has introduced a new step for anyone looking to create their own club. Once you have found a teacher willing to help out with club proceedings, you must write a proposal that must be approved by the teacher supervisor, as well as the office administration and SLC. This helps to avoid any overlap between club activities and creates an organized channel of communication with club executives and school administrators.

Of course, newly formed clubs like DITSY and Cubing Club have many mountains to climb. The foundation for their club has been laid out, but keeping their clubs afloat and being consistent with management may prove to be a challenge as it did with many before them. Brooke, who’s been successfully running VP Dance and Literature for a year now, stated, “The hardest part is just not having as much guidance. We didn’t really know how to start, so it was hard to sort of guide each other”. At the same time, the successes have been plentiful. Quinn said that she was surprised by the amount of participation for her first meeting. Brooke has built a close-knit community with the Dance and Literature clubs. One of her proudest achievements at Victoria Park has been the April Dance showcase she helped produce last year. When asked about it, she shared, “It touched me so much to see that they valued this experience that I provided to them”. It inspired her to see her five-person executive team grow into a family of individuals all interested in dance, practising and working towards their common goal.

Photo Credit: Feng Cai

Next time you have nothing to do during lunch, consider participating in a club meeting. Who knows, maybe you’ll find yourself enjoying meeting new people and learning from each other. These clubs have a lot in store for the future. Cubing Club and Dance Club will continue to host drop-in sessions for anyone interested. VP Lit has many upcoming reading and writing activities, and DITSY has many case studies and workshops prepared. If you aren’t interested in any of these, consider starting your own club! Many niche interests have yet to be explored at our school. You decide what your high school experience will be, so don’t be afraid to take the risk and try something new.

Quantum D ts By Science Club Dear Science Enthusiasts, Welcome to the first article of Science Simplified, where we unravel the mysteries of our universe and explore its fascinating applications, all while spitting straight facts. In this issue, we will be exploring the concept of Quantum Dots, a prominent concept shaping the future of tech.

Unveiling Quantum Dots: A Crystal Clear Explanation What is a Quantum Dot? In the quantum universe, nanoparticles are very important, and their characteristics are dictated by quantum effects. Simply put, a Quantum Dot is a crystal composed of a mere couple thousand atoms (as opposed to the trillions of atoms found in everyday objects) that radiate an array of colors as they undergo size fluctuations.

Size Matters: The Quantum Dance Within these minuscule crystals, electrons navigate confined spaces, behaving as both waves and particles. The result? Quantum dots absorb light and emit distinct wavelengths of light, their color dependent on size. Essentially, smaller nano-particles equals bluer hue, a result of the quantum dance (like students dancing with glee after exams).

A Quantum Leap Through Time: The Journey from Colored Glass to Quantum Dots From Colored Glass to Quantum Wonders Most of today’s wonders came from humble beginnings, our quantum dots began their journey from ancient colored glass. Skilled artisans crafted vibrant hues using elements such as silver, gold, and cadmium. However, as physicists delved deeper into the nature of color and light, a Soviet pioneer, Aleksy Yekimov, blended his expertise in semiconductors with colored glass experimentation. The result, a fascinating revelation: varying temperatures yielded different nanoparticles, each and every size dictating a different shade. He

discovered that the smaller the particle, the bluer it was quantum enchantment at its finest. The Nobel Quest: Precision in the 20th Century Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus, and Alexei Ekimov, each a luminary in the realm of quantum science, fervently navigated the 20th-century limitations to advance quantum dot technology. Bawendi, a pioneer in nanotechnology, meticulously finetuned the synthesis process, exploring innovative methodologies to produce uniform, size-controlled quantum dots. Brus, known for his foundational work on colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals, investigated the intriguing optical properties of these tiny structures. Simultaneously, Ekimov delved into semiconductor nanocrystal research, scuba diving into the quantum confinement effects on the behavior of these minuscule particles. Their collective efforts helped form the basis of ground breaking research which led to the manipulation and utilization of quantum dots in fields spanning from electronics to biomedical imaging. Their collaborative work opened doors to a new era of technology,

transcending the limitations of their time.

Unraveling Quantum Dots: Why Should We Care? Quantum Transformations: A New Dimension Chop up an ordinary substance into nanoparticles, and behold a transformation with entirely new properties. This quantum magic alters electron behavior due to confined space, evident in the mesmerizing colors emitted. This shift opens up new dimensions beyond conventional Chemistry, providing endless possibilities for exploration. Practical Magic: Industrial and Future Applications Quantum dots aren't just theoretical wonders—they power your Samsung QLED TV (yes, the 'Q' stands for Quantum Dots!). Their applications extend into medicine, where they map cells and organs and could revolutionize tumor tracking. The future holds promises of flexible electronics, minuscule sensors straight out of sci-fi, and slimmer solar cells, turning any surface into a potential solar panel!

Where the Poppies Burn Red By Shreyaa Subaeasan

Where the poppies burn red in fields of green Lies the body of young Byrne, just barely eighteen A hero, a soldier, a casualty, a brother A villain, an enemy, or the son of a mother?

Banners fly, deep crimson and pearly white Reminiscent of bombs and guns alight What worth is a war with no winners? Which of us heroes? Which of us sinners? The mothers of boys, past borders and belief Divided by war, united by grief

The day of his departure, the heavens wept with sorrow With no guarantee of a brighter tomorrow He bid his farewells with promise of return A hug, a kiss, an expression to discern. Deception and lies, vows falsely made Why did Byrne don one final charade?

He watched as his comrades bled and withered away Their bodies charred black and left to decay So why did they fight, day after day? For they had families to live for And a country to die for.

On The Frontlines By Thomas Li March 15th, 2020 “As a member of the medical profession…” The Physician’s Oath echoed throughout the grand auditorium. Pride and excitement swelled in my chest as my name was called. I rose from my seat, sprung past the smiling faces of friends and classmates, and stood before the audience of thousands. I found my parents in the crowd as a senior placed the hood of graduation around my neck. They grinned and waved with delight and I returned their smiles. I made it. I had become a doctor after so many years of preparation. Little did I know the catastrophe that lay ahead; it was something that no one could have prepared for. April 21st, 2020 “Ah, you must be the new resident doctor.” My assigned mentor, Dr. Jane said. I nodded. Her features were hidden; face obscured behind a surgical mask and a clear, plastic face shield, lab coat buried behind layers of blue surgical garments. The bags under her eyes stood out from her otherwise tidy uniform. “Since this is your first day, follow me. I will show you around.” The ward I have been assigned to was a post-surgery recovery ward for patients. Now it has been repurposed to a Coronavirus CPAP unit. The unit is a large room lined with beds and ventilators. What used to host six patients have been cramped to host twelve. Four workers including Dr. Jane and I were responsible for everyone in the unit. “We used to have one worker per patient,” Dr. Jane explained, “now we have one worker per three patients. I know you didn’t sign up for joining the workforce at the dawn of a pandemic, but thank you for choosing this path.” I nodded. I may be inexperienced, but I also swore to dedicate my life to the service of humanity.

Photo Credit: Emily Shao

April 28th, 2020 One of the patients I was responsible for was Mr. Morris, an aging man with a balding scalp lined with grey hair. He had a family with three grandchildren who video called him every day. This was the only way to communicate with his family after the hospital barred all visitors from entering the outbreak wards. Mr. Morris could still talk when I first arrived. Since then, he had deteriorated. “We have to plug him in, before his condition worsens.” Dr. Jane instructed somberly as staff inserted the medical tubes. Nurses plugged countless lines into his arteries to administer the necessary drugs and tubes ran from his nose to a ventilator. He could no longer speak, though his eyes spoke for him each time he saw his family. May 1st, 2020 Mr. Morris fell into a coma and I don’t know if he will wake up again. Despite his unresponsiveness, his family still video calls him everyday. “We know you can hear us, dad, and the children are all waiting for you to come home.” his son spoke through the video call. I knew he wasn’t only trying to comfort Mr. Morris, but himself as well. “Alright, we will let Mr. Morris rest for today,” I forcefully suppressed my shaky voice as the call ended. I observed my patient. His sleep was almost serene; his body laid stationary except for the rise and fall of his chest as the ventilator did its job. There were nights when I had mistaken Mr. Morris for a corpse. June 2th, 2020 A month has passed since Mr. Morris fell asleep and the senior doctors agreed that his chance of waking is decreasing day after day. And the hospital is running out of beds. “We just don’t have the resources to continually sustaining Mr. Morris with little to no chances of recovery. His bed could save lives, with much greater chances of survival.” I left the meeting with a loss of words. We are merely doctors and we pledged to help all patients equally. What gives us the right to choose one life above another? “You’re right, kiddo,” Dr. Jane explained, “but our role as physicians calls for difficult decisions to be made. There is always a slim chance that Mr. Morris could wake up tomorrow. And this is what makes the choice difficult. By choosing to save one life, you will abandon that of another. It is our duty as doctors to bear the weight of that choice.” Dr. Jane later notified Mr. Morris’ family on the current situation. I didn’t have the heart to tell them. We put Mr. Morris to sleep a day later with his family by his side.

Nice Things By Zaina Khan

We have a trait in our blood, something special gets passed around. It’s contagious. Even strangers who join us get taken by our touch. And seeing afar, we see perfect blood, but not our blood. Perfect touch we can’t seem to copy, we suffocate instead, accidentally smother with a nice, soft, something. Special.

Down here, everything we own, everything perfectly good gets blown away; just leaves in the wind on the brink of decay. Always marred, we mar, it drops from our hands gets out of our sight out of sight out of mind; can’t seem to soothe with our touch we hold too tight to the point where it’s too much.

When the day calls for us to look, we look the other way; laugh over times that aren’t completely behind us; and everything, our days, moments; everything, our children, each other, gets thrown without the safety of wings and I swear I hear that guy saying: “This is why we can’t have nice things.” I can see them destroying while they sleep, but I’m not strong enough to wake them from the dream. Even with the hands of my blinking brethren we can’t do much more than scream into space, where sound doesn’t travel. And you know what, I’m tired too, so I go to sleep beside them and dream of different things. Of somewhere far from our homemade noose where I can hide my everything. So that one day we can stop sleepwalking for our little ones

Daydreamer By Zaina Khan She never seemed to be quite in the moment with you when she talked She was always somewhere else; far away in a distant world Only talking at moments when your two worlds collided Her dreams leaked into the day Yet sunlight never reached her For she always had a moon above her head and stars in her eyes

Perhaps in that realm, she could place the planets on a string And tie it on her wrist Maybe she could wear the Sun around her neck Just to let others bask in its gleam Perhaps she wanted to hold every ocean in her palm Or let the birds nest in her hair Maybe what she wanted most, was to break the dam And let it flow away with the river To some far off horizon her eyes could never see

In her kingdom, she is whole and cast in colour While in ours, a mere portrait Displayed in black and white And although her body is tied to these grounds by logic and reason Imagination pulls her away To endless possibilities forever twinkling with an otherworldly sparkle in her eyes

And although she appears to be sinking in sleep She has never been more awake Listening to the echoes of both worlds And talking At moments when they collide

The Man and His House By Ayaa Al-sultany There was a man who loved his house dearly. He grew up in this house, he lived in it all his life. The inside was torn up, ruined, and wrecked, Yet on the outside it was always bright, as if it was just bought. The man loved to rock back and forth on the porch. The house was empty, although it wasn’t always like this. Back then he used to have all his friends over to his house, Those were the days he looked over fondly. Now, however, His friends could no longer come over. He was only 18 in 1914, He spent 4 years of his life in fear. Now it’s all over, he shouldn’t worry anymore. He doesn’t think about it anymore. At least, he’ll tell you he doesn’t anymore. The wallpaper is all ripped up and scattered, The house is frozen, The tables are wobbly, The furniture is torn apart, There’s blood all over the place, There’s screaming and crying, My friends are all dead, I can’t feel my legs, I haven’t been able to sleep, I haven’t been able to eat, I just needed a job, I thought this would be an adventure, God..please let me live.

The old man woke up, He tried to sway in his rocking chair to relax. Now that’s all he can do, that’s all he’ll ever do. Some people would walk by, ‘What a nice house that is’ they’d all say. The walls were freshly painted, The tiles on the roof looked as if they had just been laid, The porch was freshly waxed. If you walked by you’d never be able to tell, This house was a wreck inside. There was a man who loathed his house greatly, He died in this house, he’s lived in it all his life.

Photo Credit: Sarah Zeng

A Student's Guide to Bathrooms at VPCI By: Subu Bhattarai When you first step foot into the busy and bustling environment of VPCI, it can be challenging and intimidating to find your way around. Within the school building there are numerous rooms and locating your specific class can take a large chunk of time you have between classes. With the size of the school in mind, you might think there would be enough functioning bathrooms for students to use. With this assumption, you decide to rush to the bathroom before your next class, yet you find that it's CLOSED. This is a mistake everyone has made at one point during their VP career, and there are ways to avoid it. This article will provide you with all the information on finding a functioning bathroom at the school and the problems that cause the closures in the first place. A school environment relies on a steady timetable to function. At VP,

our classes begin at 9 am and end promptly at 3:15 pm. With the length of classes being 1 hour and 20 minutes long, there is very little time for students to transition between classes and take breaks. The allocated 5 minutes in between classes is the only time, excluding the lunch break, where students can go to the bathroom outside of class time. The closures of the bathrooms lead to a roadblock in the timetable and force students to find a functioning bathroom, which may be too far to reach in the time before their next class. This causes problems for both students and teachers; students miss valuable instruction time and lessons are disrupted when a student comes in late. The question you may have in mind is: why are the bathrooms closed in the first place? This question has been

BY LUCY CHEN & SUBU BHATTARAI

asked by everyone, yet students, teachers, as well as administrators don’t have a specific answer. However, there are specific trends concerning the closure of bathrooms and vandalism of the spaces themselves. The main trend noticed by staff and students is the fact that boys and gender neutral bathrooms are the ones facing constant closures. While no one can point at a single reason for the closure of the bathrooms, combined factors of frustrating time during Covid and the supposed “coolness” of vandalism have driven students to damage school property. The solution towards keeping the bathrooms at school a safe place is a simple one in theory. However, it requires immense amounts of commitment. The first way to keep students from damaging school property can be by making school an environment where students feel safe and comfortable. This way students would be less motivated to vandalize and damage school facilities as they care for them.

Respect, Vandalism, & School Culture AN INTERVIEW WITH MS. KHAIKIN In an effort to learn more about the issue of bathroom closures, we conducted an interview with Ms. Khaikin. Only one boys washroom was open on the day of the interview. We began by discussing the state of the school washrooms. Ms. Khaikin tells us that the washrooms most affected by closures were the gender neutral bathroom and the boys bathrooms. In particular, the gender neutral bathroom, beside the main office, has been closed since the first semester last year. According to Ms. Khaikin, the student gender neutral washroom was opened in 2019, but closed due to multiple incidents of vandalism. She tells us that she personally knows students who need to use the washroom: “...They now avoid using the bathroom at school.”

We moved on to the topic of staff conversations. Did teachers have any say in this problem? Well, not really, according to Ms. Khaikin. She tells us that the staff are well aware that closed bathrooms are a problem, and the issue has been brought up in staff meetings. However, bathroom closures are more related to the work of the school administration, and the frequent cases of vandalism make maintenance increasingly difficult. While issues surrounding school bathrooms are not new, the extent of vandalism has ramped up in recent years. Before COVID-19, issues were rarer and of lower intensity. So, is there anything we could do? “It’s difficult to address this without addressing school culture,” Ms. Khaikin responds, “There needs to be a better culture where people have more respect and connection to the building.” She also agrees that community involvement is crucial: “When it comes to parent council, student involvement… diversity is important. This means people from different programs, different people who are invested in the school.” Input is extremely important concerning the issue of the gender neutral bathroom, because “vandalism in this space can have a serious impact on a marginalized community.” Ms. Khaikin stresses the importance of student initiative to step in: “If nobody says anything and it’s just a matter of

getting into trouble, there’s always going to be more people who think about doing this.” She also mentions an idea for students to paint art murals inside the bathrooms, to help foster a safer environment. However, we still lack a large-scale solution. Everyone should be able to use bathrooms at school, Ms. Khaikin affirms. “But for that to happen, people must understand how to treat it respectfully.”

VP LIT PRESENTS

“The room begins to fill with smoke…” By Mona Jiang The room begins to fill with smoke… “UNPLEASANT SMELLING BOMB” someone screams from behind me. The party crowd, not yet harassed by the stinky smoke, bops up and down. Their silent disco headphones momentarily shield them from the inevitable egg-rot-barf smell floating towards them. Inch by inch, slowly inflicting chaos on each party person. Down they go, like dominoes, tripping over each other when grappling for the window. “MY KINGDOM FOR AIR” screeches the girl beside me as she attempts to inhale, but her efforts at nul, the stink fills her lungs and she falls to the floor: thump. Tears come to my eyes. This is the worst sweet sixteen ever.

By Zaina Khan The room begins to fill with smoke but my eyes were on him the entire time. Nothing could pull my focus away from his foggy, blue-grey eyes. The corners of my mouth had a mind of their own as they drew my lips up and put an edge to my face. I saw smoke dissolve his body and veil him. I didn't stand there and wait for the finale. I plunged into the smoke with my eyes sealed and trembling. Hands splayed and shot in one single direction, fingers reaching until they touched flesh. When they grazed the surface of smooth skin, nails dug until I felt bone beneath sinew. I grasped his arm as if the only thing that could set him free was to sever the arm completely. He was deluded into thinking that he could make me out to be a fool again. I had already decided the last time he would disappear was long behind us. This time smoke couldn't save him, he had only to rely on his incompetence. When he comes crashing out of the smoke, the brief look of horror in his eyes is nourishing me. This is exactly as I imagined it. Beating him at his own game. Let him know that he was wrong about me. I am not weak. I am not another one of his followers, or worse, his puppets. His bloodline will end with him today.

“I didn’t expect to see you here…” By Ivy Co “I didn’t expect to see you here,” I said to him. Standing in a pitch black warehouse, gun in my hand, blood all over my body? Yeah, I really didn’t expect him to be there. “Me neither, I was wondering who the psycho was, though,” he says shakily, although I should give him points for aiming at a nonchalant manner. Sigh. “I guess this means we’re broken up?” “Hey, cut me some slack, alright? It’s not everyday you get a text saying your girlfriend was cheating on you from an unknown number with an unknown address, just to find out she’s an axe murderer.” Someone texted him my workshop? “What was the number?” I demanded. “Seriously? That’s what you’re thinking about right now? Not the fact that you lied to your boyfriend of 4 years, sneaking out, murdering people left and right?” he asks. “Whatever. I’ll figure it out myself. Your password’s still my birthday right?” I say, more to myself than to him. “What?” “I wish you didn’t come here, darling. I did really like you though.” I point, aim, and shoot.

“Suddenly an important newsflash came on the television screen…” By Brooke Lai and Thomas Li “Québec increases tuition for out-of-province students from $8,992 to $17,000” The words flash in bold red and white on the television screen. “There is no way I'm going there now." I murmured with resignation as I turned off the TV. Then, a lightbulb lit up in my neurons. Maybe I can write my commentary about this…

“You should have listened...” By Vesper Virgin “You should have listened,” said my older brother, “when I told you to stay home.” “Wh-what is this?” The world spun and twisted around me. My stomach felt as if it had been flayed open, curling in on itself. Blood and viscera coated the floor in a sea of red. “It’s what had to be done.” My parents’ bodies spun on the floor like a carousel. Mom’s blonde hair, or what was once blonde hair, fell clumsily across her face. She was starting to look more like a ginger with all that blood soaking into her hair. Dad’s glasses lay shattered in the gaping holes where his eyes used to be. His veins tangled with the shiny shards like vines wrapping around a fence pole. I was pretty sure the room wasn’t really moving, yet still they spun around and around and around and… My brother squeezed my shoulder, leaving red streaks on my shirt. “Are you gonna help me clean up this mess or not?” “Y-yeah. Right. Of course.” I shook my head, trying to clear the flies from the edges of my vision. Fumbling around in my bag, I pulled out a bag of nitrile gloves and snapped them on. I had washed my hands only a couple of hours ago, but they still smelled of blood. Or maybe that was just the room. It didn’t matter. My hands may have looked clean, but they were so, so dirty. No amount of soap and water was going to fix that.

My brother handed me a mop. I took it, careful to avoid touching the red handprint on the handle. He grabbed a garbage bag and headed toward the mangled corpses, striding over casually but with precision. We cleaned the scene silently for a while. The world had finally stopped spinning since my brother had dragged the surprisingly light bodies out of the room. I guess it wasn’t that surprising, since most of their insides were now on the outside. Don’t think about that. Just clean. When the silence between us became deafening, I decided to ask. “Why did you do it?” “They found out what we do.” Oh. “I told you to stay home so you didn’t have to deal with… this.” My brother sighed, gathering strings of guts into a bag. He looked at me, and his eyes grew soft. “Hey. You know I love you, right?” I gave him a wobbly smile. “Of course.” “It’s me and you against the world. Don’t forget that. I. Love. You. You’re the best sister I could ask for.” “I love you, too,” I said. Dropping my rag in a pool of blood, I went over to my brother and embraced him. He hugged me back, tight, warm, and full of love, while what was left of our parents cooled on the floor.