Grade 12 Academics

My sister and I in Washington visiting Georgetown and George Washington University

Academic Highlight:
My academic highlight for my grade 12 year was having the opportunity to visit university's all along the East and West coasts of America. I saw 11 schools all along the East coast and 7 on the west coast. Hopefully i will be going to one of these 18 schools come next year!

Academic Highlight #2: 
My second academic highlight also has to do with my University experience. After a long thought out process i've decided to attend the University of California- Las Angles (UCLA) and am proud to become a bruin.


Academic Reflection:
My academic reflection is based on the amazing experience I had while visiting colleges. It was one of the most eye opening experiences i have ever had and i truly enjoyed every moment. I was able to visit Boston College, Boston University, Tufts, American, George Washington, Virginia, Georgetown, Penn, Brown, Harvard and MIT. All the schools were amazing and I was able to meet a ton of students, I highly recommend doing a university tour cause it is such a great experience. It all started when my sister Natalie and I were doing a university course at Brown University, after that we went to Boston to visit my brother Alexander who was filming a movie in the Boston area. After plenty of sight seeing and countless roller coaster rides, we were on our way with our cousin Ryan to visit our first University-Boston College. I loved everything about Boston College, but did not decide to apply there for other reasons. We then traveled to Boston University, Tufts, MIT and Harvard. Harvard by far was the nicest of the three, but it is Harvard and I soely went there to say "I went to Harvard". We then met up with my dad and said goodbye to my cousin we took the amtrak to Philly where we visited Penn and had a night out on the town, after that we continued on to Washington and Virginia. We were able to see a bunch of street performers and it was a very cute college town. Finally it was time to come home, it was an awesome time and I loved every moment of it, i strongly recommend doing a tour of your own some day.

Grade 12 Service

Sam Winning the Game for Team WHL

Service Highlight:

My service highlight for my grade 12 year was being a part of the first ever Collingwood Intramural games as a ref. It was a great way to get involved with the school as well as the other houses. I was able  to watch and participate in some very exciting and close matches.

Service Highlight #2: 

My second service highlight was organizing a group to attend my good friend Sam Reinhart's hockey game VS Russia. Sam was selected to be part of team WHL to play in the Subway Super Series against Russia.

Service Reflection

Sam and I have been good friends since we were in Kindergarten. So when sam was drafted by the Kootenay Ice who are located in Cranbrook, BC it was a major change for our relationship. Sam has been playing in Cranbrook for 2years and has only played in Vancouver once. So when sam had a chance to play in Vancouver for team WHL against team Russia there was no way i would miss it. Aidan Jarrar and I organized a group to attend the game. We sold over 100 tickets to teachers and staff and it was a great thing to be a part of. Sam played an outstanding game and was a huge part of team WHL's offence. The game was tied and was forced to go into a shootout. The shootout score was tied with only one canadian shooter left to go. It was Sam. Sam skated down the ice and with one quick move Sam had won the game for team WHL. It was an amazing experience to be apart of and it was awesome to see Sam and his brother Griffin win an international game in Vancouver. They both played so well and they were both considered to be WHL's top players. Im so excited for what the future holds for Sam and Griffin and i hope i will be able to organize a few more events for them in the near future.

Grade 11 Academics

Academic Highlight: 

My academic highlight for my grade 11 year was completing my AP Environmental Science course with a 91 average. I took 3 AP's in my grade 11 year so to get an A in one of them was a dream come true.

Academic Highlight:

My other Academic Highlight in grade 11 was the Human Geography project which required students to take photos of three different areas in a city and discuss their cultural and social differences

Academic Reflection:

My Academic Reflection for my grade 11 year would have to be the Human Geography field study. This project enabled students to roam around a city and truly notice the cultural, economic and social differences in such a small span of space. The field study required students to take three photos-two of areas one would want to live and one of an area one would not like to live. I took photos of the West End and Kitsilano as the areas i would want to live, and I took a photo of East Vancouver as the area I would not like to live in. While in East Vancouver i noticed a lot of differences to that of the West End and Kitsilano, one of which was the social living conditions. In the West End and Kitsilao there was substantially less homeless people living in the area while in the East side there were many homeless people roaming the streets, i even saw multiple uses of drug and alcohol substances.While in East Vancouver i interviewed a woman working in a coffee shop, and it truly gave me perspective on how lucky i am to be living in such a safe and stable environment. Students at Collingwood often do not appreciate the luxury's we have simply because we have had it our whole lives. This field study allowed me to compare my live to that of another person and put into perspective the reality's of the "real world". This AP Human Geography project was a great way to see the city and interact with citizens from a wide variety of social classes.

Grade 11 Arts

This photo earned 100% in my photo class

Highlight:

My grade 11 arts highlight would have to be participating in photography this year. Although photography is a common course offered at Collingwood, I love just watching my improvement in my photos for a long period of time. My favourite photo was marked as a favourite by many people on flicker and i gained recognition for my work when it was put up on the Collingwood art wall.

Choice 3:

My other Arts highlight for my grade 11 year would be finishing photography with an A. Most people may look at that and laugh but to me it was a very exciting moment. Mr Francis is a teacher that takes his work very seriously and i strongly believe that his passion is transferred to the students.

Arts Reflection:

My arts reflection for my grade 11 year has to be participating in photography. So far this year I have learned a tremendous amount throughout the year. One thing I enjoy the most about photography is that it often gives you a lot of creative freedom when taking the photos. One photo in particular that gave me a lot of freedom was the red balloon project where we had to take a photo of a red balloon filled with helium. This was a very open ended project but for me and I received my best results. I was able to capture 4 very colour filled photos that really allowed the balloon to pop out because of the contrast in colour. Photography was also a great class because of the teacher himself. Mr Francis taught me a tremendous amount in photography, teaching me editing and the usage of the camera itself. I now understand depth of field, focus, and aperture value on a camera, this has directly allowed me to improve my photos outside of school as well. My passion for capturing a great photo has been increasingly desired, and a lot of his passion is thanks to my teacher. Although I will not be pursuing photography in my future-or at least don't think so-but it will always be a very large passion of mine.

Grade 11 Athletics

Playing in the Senior Boys Cav Classic

Highlight:

In Grade 11 I was fortunate enough to participate in the 2011-2012 senior boys cav classic. It was an incredible feeling and atmosphere in the Collingwood gym. My greatest memory of the tournament was when my team was down by 8points with 3mins left in the 4th quarter. Our coach then told Kadin Burnett to take over the game, Kadin hit the game winner with 15seconds left. This game took place on Friday afternoon in front of the whole school, it was an incredible adrenaline rush when Kadin hit the final shot.

Choice 2:

Another athletic highlight for me in grade 11 was being able to start for the Collingwood rugby team. I had only been playing for 2 years so to have the opportunity to start was a huge honour, especially as a junior. The team has so far done very well winning the lower mainland banner, hatch shield and New Zeland Shield. I'm very much looking forward to tour in my grade 12 year.

Reflection:

My Athletic reflection for my grade 11 year would hands down be the basketball season. Going into the year i didn't really know what to expect, i was unsure if i would even get on the team. Fortunately I did make the team and even started for the first 2 months of the season. Due to my academic work load I was unable to hold this position and instead had to be part of the unit coming off the bench, nonetheless I enjoyed every minute of it. The team was considered to be one of the best in Collingwood's history, and we had only 4 seniors! The team even got to go on tour to Spain, but i was unable to go due to prior commitments. We participated in 3 tournaments in the year and we had very good results finishing in third  place in two of them and won the other. The tournament we won was in fact our own tournament, the Cav Classic. This tournament by far holds my fondest memory of the senior season. This tournament created a bond between the players like no other, the seniors Raman, Will, Kadin and Colby became very close to me over this period of time and i thank basketball for it. Looking forward i hope to play during my senior year at Collingwood, unfortunately there is no gym available for use, meaning we will not be able to host the Cav Classic. Some may call this disappointing but to me it only makes that previous tournament that much sweeter. I am looking forward to my senior year and despite us loosing our top 3 scorers i am still very excited. Basketball creates a very tight nit team atmosphere and a sense of brotherhood. Its a feeling like no other.

Grade 11 service

Wellington College in England

Highlight:

My service highlight in grade 11 is my trip to Wellington college to visit a mentally ill home. While there we were able to interact with the patients and talk to the staff about what life is like working there. It was truly a life changing experience as it made you feel so lucky to even having the basic necessities of life such as being able to walk, talk, eat or even hear. 

Choice 1:

Another service highlight for me in grade 11 was on my trip to Wellington where i was able to plant trees and plants in an area that had been previously inhabited by invasive species. This was a great experience as it showed me the importance of native plants to the sustainability of an area. 

Gr. 11 Service Reflection:

In October of 2011 I was selected as one of four students to go on a Round-Square trip to Wellington College in England. While in Wellington we were split into 25 different groups to do a service project in the area. I was put into a group with eight others that were required to visit a mentally ill home in the English countryside. I instantly felt lucky as many other groups were required to go to rivers and test the pH level of the water, and no offence but you can do that anywhere; on the other hand visiting an mentally ill home is a once in a lifetime opportunity. When we arrived at the home we were informed by the owner of the house that they currently take care of four mentally disabled people. To most people this would not seem like a lot but for the owner and the staff they must dedicate 100% of their time to taking care of these people. When we were finally introduced to the patients they explained to us that the two males in the house are 44 and 42. They also explained that they were both expected to die at the age of 14 unless they were brought into care. The severity of their illness was unexplainable. They could not speak, eat, walk, hear or talk. Their only form of communications was by moan or by laughter or frowns. The staff then told us that the current sizes of these two men’s brains were equivalent to that of a six-month-old baby, except a baby can crawl. We were also introduced to two females in the house. The first one was 24; she had much more function than the two men. She could eat, talk, dance, walk and hear. The only thing she could not do was speak. The final woman was by far the most interesting to me as she reminded me of my cousin. She was constantly happy and right when she looked at me she ran over gave me a big hug and asked me to dance. Unfortunately for me I had no idea what she was doing because she was unable to communicate as she was a mute. The day passed on and I began to observe the staff members and the owner of the house and how they reacted to different situations. All I could see though was their love for the patients. This service project has effected me in such a unique way that it is nearly impossible to put into words. The lives of these patients really show you how lucky we are to be able to do the things we do.

Grade 10 Arts

Arts:

My arts highlight this year is my trip to the Kiwanis Festival. The choir traveled to Richmond to participate in the Festival against schools all around the Vancouver area. We had a wonderful time at the festival, singing songs and dancing on stage was especially special.

Choice 2:

Another Arts highlight for me this year was a very interesting choice. It was my trip to Cuba for Choir and Band. Traveling to this unique country with 63 of my fellow classmates was surreal. It was an amazing experience that is truly impossible to put into words.

Arts Reflection:

            This year Collingwood School took 63 students involved in the band and coral program to Cuba. The trip was life changing and was the most educating experience I have ever had. To see these people so happy even when they have nothing is unbelievable.  They come from poor families with no money or livestock yet they find ways to find inner peace and happiness despite their circumstances.  The trip started in Cuba’s capitol Havana.  The group immediately set course to a local school with children aged 15-18 studying as students in the establishment.  We were introduced to these young adults and right off the bat I made friends.  They were so welcoming and non-judgmental it was an experience that completely altered my opinion of the Cuban people (I was expecting them to be violent due to their ruler).  We were able to sing with these people as well as learn to dance the salsa and play the drums.  The students were like professionals, the saddest part was knowing that in a few years that would be the last time that the students could play the instruments or sing the songs.  The school supported the students with the instruments but once the student left that would generally be the last time they ever played an instrument again.  This school was just one of three that we were lucky enough to visit in Havana.  It was a life changing experience that showed me how to appreciate what I have.  The lack of resources in Cuba shows a country of poverty but the smile on everyone’s face shows unity.  After Havana the group set sights on Varadero, the tourist part of Cuba.  It has miles an miles of sandy beaches and the water was crystal clear.  We even got to perform for the hotel guests.    As I look back on Cuba and the people there I really miss their open hearts and open arms.  They accept you no matter what and it really blew my mind to see how little they have but how talented they are.  Cuba was a trip to remember and I can’t wait to hopefully see my Cuban friends on the world stage one day.