Scholarships Announced!

Carley Bekkers, Grade 12 has been awarded a Schulich Leader Scholarship from the University of Toronto valued at $60,000. The Schulich Leader Scholarships are undergraduate scholarships for students intending to enroll in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) areas of study. Carley is one of 40 Schulich Leaders in Canada.  

Congratulations to Luke Burke, Grade 12, who was recently awarded the Nova Scotia Outhie Moriarity Rec Player of the Year Award. This award, which recognizes the player "who most epitomizes the objectives of minor hockey through dedication, responsibility and reliability" is chosen from among all of the players from all levels in Nova Scotia. This is a great honour and indicative of the sort of student athlete that we hope to encourage here at Sacred Heart.  To date he has attracted $50,000 in scholarship offers from several universities.

Sacred Heart is very proud of these two graduates.

The Butterfly Migration

I was inspired to create this project when Patricia Donnelly, the former Headmistress at SHSH came back from a conference at the Sacred Heart School in Taipei.  From the presentation of her trip, I decided I needed to find out more about this school.  I imagined a butterfly migration going to Taipei and then one returning to Halifax.  The butterflies symbolizing the students who are coming out of their formative periods into the discovery of the unique persons that they will become. 

I arrived in Taipei in March after a period in China bringing with me the forty butterflies created by my grade nine students.  Created on mylar, a translucent, plastic material, with the coloured wings created by an ink blot technique in paint for the symmetry, they seemed to fly themselves over to their ultimate destination of the entrance of the SHGSH in Taipei.  The project was repeated with the grade nine students at that school (although this time there were eighty students) and despite communicating in different languages, the project idea was made visible and uniquely so.  

The experience, both of the school and the classes that I worked with, was a very positive and enlightening one.  The school of one thousand students operated like a ticking clock with a spirit very like the Halifax school.  It was very interesting to see this spirit and the Sacred Heart Goals alive in a very real way in a totally different culture.  The butterflies made by the Taiwanese students were flown with me, back to Halifax where they were installed from the ceiling in the large bright area outside the SHSH Headmistress’s office just in time to welcome in spring. 

Lynda Shalagan, Art Teacher SHHS

Coach Casey's Debating Report

Coach Casey's Debating Report

May 5, 2013 

Cambridge

I am pleased to report that Rory and Mattea placed first and second at the British under 15 national debating competition.   The event, organized by the Oxford Union and the Cambridge Union, alternates between the two venues.

This year’s event was held at Cambridge where our girls defeated 78 other students (primarily from England, Scotland and Wales) in the “International Competition for Young Debaters.” They earned the right to represent Canada at the event by placing first at an earlier tournament held in Kingston.

In addition to their outstanding individual rankings, our girls participated in the final round against three very fine teams.  Due to her age, Mattea will be eligible to compete in next year’s ICYD at Oxford.

Calgary

Rory and Mattea  competed last weekend at the Senior High Nationals, with Jake Marchand and Sebastian Young.

At that event, 48 teams from across Canada competed;  2 Nova Scotia teams broke to quarters with the team from CEC getting to the semi-finals and the team from Sacred Heart (Rory Flynn and Mattea Roach) getting to the quarter finals.  Only BC had more teams in the break.  The winner was a team from Saskatchewan.

In individual results, Rory Flynn was the top Nova Scotia debater in 5th place, followed by Brie Dukeshire and Sarah Millman of CEC.  Congratulations to them all.

Vancouver

Our junior high debaters (Rory Flynn, Anya Friesen and Catherine Burke) will head to Vancouver on Thursday to defend their national junior high debate title.

Good luck to our debaters!

Headmistress' Letter - May 3, 2013 ... Those Dreams You Dare to Dream, They Come True

Dear Colleagues and Families,

On Sunday morning (April 28), I wasn't sure how to thank God, so I went for a long jog along the water at the park, and late in the day I went to another of my "God places" - the driving range where I hit golf balls. I just had to do these things to give expression to the gratitude that was bursting forth from my heart in the wake of a wonderful Grandparents' Day on Friday, and a wildly successful Bursary Dinner/Auction on Saturday.

Last Sunday, one bursary committee member's email to the group provided an excellent summary: "I am overwhelmed - - with gratitude that I get to work with all of you, with humility that I live a life where I can make this choice for my children, and with renewed commitment to work as hard as I can so that other people's children will get to have what mine have. That was what Saturday was all about.

Our community is strong, and we are blessed!

As Headmistress, I have the privilege of witnessing life behind the scenes: candidate speeches for Student Council offices, kids playing out front on warm days (yesterday, I was able to toss a baseball with a couple of the older guys), an early morning clean-up response by Sr. Beverley and Mr. Donald when a child's shoe tracked in "you know what."  I treasure chance encounters with students on the stairs, or at their lockers or lunch tables.  I am a big fan of Ordinary Time ... and I was mistaken in thinking we would have a typical elementary school variety show experience.

Thursday in the Little Theatre, I realized again (and at a deep level), just how safe our school is for children. The Elementary Variety Show gave over 40 young students the opportunity to share emerging talents. I found the experience to be a stunning example of Goal #5: Sacred Heart educates to personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom. Nobody was required to participate, but all were invited to take a performance risk. Magic shows, piano pieces, hoola-hoops, original scores, gymnastics, singing and dancing - you name it and children shared it. Tears sprang forth as Leah Penny walked onto stage and without any accompaniment started singing "Somewhere over the rainbow..." 

These kids have guts! They are safe and free. Our world needs their courage and confidence, their inspiration.

During morning arrival today, one of the parents told me that after the Variety Show she made a commitment to stretch herself to learn something new - to muster inner strength and go beyond her fears. I wasn't the only one inspired by our children.

I am grateful for the courage of those who stepped forth to plan and orchestrate our first Grandparents' Day. And, when our bursary auction reached a new record in support of families who need financial assistance - well, I knew the song about the rainbow was right: dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.

Keep dreaming and stretching ...

... this comes with a very grateful heart,

Sr. Wachter

Dear SHES families,

 

We’re in the business of making opportunities for children to shine.  Tonight’s Variety Show is a prime example of personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.  Mrs. Chipman is leading a team of teachers who are orchestrating this age-appropriate, child-centered event.  Talents will be showcased, but more importantly, a variety of children will get up on stage in front of an audience and shine in a variety of ways.  Hence variety show, not talent show.  If you and your family are able, I hope you will come out and support our kids.  There is certain to be a great deal of personal growth tonight!

 

Variety Show Tonight!

Participants should be here at 6:30 p.m.  Audience members are asked to wait at reception until 6:45 p.m.  During the show, we ask that all audience members remain seated and that young children remain seated with a parent or guardian at all times. 

 

Preschool and Primary Orientation Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a special orientation day for preschool and primary students.  Our current junior primary students will be visiting with Mr. Kane and Mrs. Lord in the senior primary classrooms in the morning while next year’s incoming preschoolers visit with Mrs. Bennet, Mrs. Inkpen, and Ms. Stang in the junior primary.  Meanwhile, a special day with Ms. Gray and Ms. Smith is planned for our current primary students.  This is certain to be a very fun experience for all!

 

Grandparents Day

Thank you all for helping to make our first grandparents day such a lively experience. It was pretty amazing to see our whole school community come together, from age 4 to 99!  We have received a great deal of feedback, but if you have further thoughts to share, we’re all ears.

 

Gardening Club Plant Sale

On Monday, May 13^th our Gardening Club will sell their wares at the College Street entrance from 3:15 until 4:30 p.m.  All proceeds will be donated to Mrs. Harper-Given’s Imagina Mission and will support 16-year-old Pheter Paul Malit.  Pheter Paul is a first year biology student, and future physician, studying at the University of Southeastern Phillipines in Davao City.  We have already supported this young man through our book sale earlier this year.  This is a concrete example of goal five, educating to a sense of social justice that compels to action action. 

 

Reading a few words from Pheter Paul himself will help to put this initiative in perspective.  “The main reason why I wanted to be a doctor is because I have seen a lot of poor Filipino families who can’t afford to bring their children in the clinic or hospital because they have no money.  These families are mostly malnourished because of lack of food and no proper sanitation.  I wanted to serve my own countrymen by visiting them in their own community, checking their health, giving them good advice, and if possible giving them free vitamins, free medicine, and free surgery.”  If you are curious to learn more, you can read his complete letter on our community news bulletin board.

 

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts…

 (William Shakespeare)

Looking forward,

Mr. Tugwell

Grade 10 Speaks with Dr. William Trischuk at CERN particle accelerator in Switzerland!

On April 18th, the Grade 10 class was given the opportunity to video chat with Dr. William Trischuk, Director of the Canadian Institute of Particle Physics on location at CERN particle accelerator in Switzerland. Dr. Trischuk has worked on the CERN for several years and was able to answer
many of our questions about the project. He taught us about the main aims of the project, plans for the future, and the basic physics behind subatomic particles and the Higgs Boson. He also gave us information on how to further get involved in the field of physics in high school and university. Talking with Dr. Trischuk was a very interesting and informative experience; the Grade 10s would like to thank Ms. Earley for
organizing this activity.

Laura Bullock and Rebecca Butler 10H

Preschool & Primary Visiting - May 3rd from 9:00-11:30. All welcome!

Preschool and Primary Visiting Morning at Sacred Heart School on Friday, May 3rd from 9-11:30am. Everyone welcome! For details on how to be included in this special day please contact Robyn Erickson, Admissions Director. rerickson@shsh.ca or 422-4459