Grade 10 - Arts Highlight - "Winter Song" Dance Piece

During the first term this year, we were working on our pieces for the student choreography show.  I was a part of three pieces one of which was to the song "Winter Song" by Sara Bareilles. I was very worried at the start of the piece because it was very advanced choreography and I had trouble with some of the solo movements. Throughout the time we had to practice our piece I worked very hard to perfect my movements and add feeling into them.  By the night of the show I felt confident in my ability and I performed the dance without few mistakes, which I was very proud of.   Now I know that with commitment and determination I can accomplish anything I set my mind to.

Grade 10 - Service Reflection - Belize Service Trip

In November 2011 of my Grade 10 year I had the opportunity to travel to Belize with a group of amazing students for a service trip.  While we were there we had the opportunity to take part in both rewarding service opportunities as well as adventurous activities. 

The first half of the trip we were staying on Ambergris Quay, and island off the coast of Belize.  While on the quay, we spent three days cleaning up the beaches there.  Because of the world’s currents, a lot of the world’s garbage ends up drifting ashore on the east coast of the quay.  It was very important for us to help the locals clean up the beaches because of the impact the garbage has on the environment as well as the sea turtle nesting grounds that lay there.  While we were on the quay we also had the privilege of taking part in a half-day catamaran trip where we swam with sharks and saw all the wonders of the reef!

On the second part of the trip we stayed on the mainland helping out in schools across the country.  In my opinion, this was the most rewarding portion of the trip.  While working in the schools we painted many classrooms, provided sports equipment for the children, built a stone wall around their garbage pit, and got the chance to play with the children. I was amazed to see how joyful and excited they were all the time even in the depths of the poverty they face each day and how little they have in comparison to us in Canada.

The Belize service trip is something I will never forget. The people we got to help, the things we got to experience, and the places we saw will forever be in my heart

Grade 10 - Choice Highlight #1 - Coaching Diving!

Up until last year I was a nationally ranked competitive diver, so after my retirement in 2011 I decided to become Level 1 certified and begin coaching with my old dive club, The North Shore Dolphins Dive Club as well as with the North Vancouver Cruisers Dive Club.  This experience has helped me learn more about how to coach young athletes to success and help them improve and grow as a diver, as well as more about the diving community in general and how it works. Before I began coaching I only ever saw the sport from the athlete's perspective, but now that I am a coach, I understand how hard it is and how dedicated coaches have to be to their divers.  It has helped me to appreciate my coaches more and how much time they put into my career.  I really enjoy being a coach now and I am happy to be able to stay involved with the sport even though I am not competing anymore!  Click here to view my coaching bio :)

Grade 10 - Athletics Highlight - ISA Volleyball Champions

This year I had the privilege of being a part of the Jr. Volleyball team.  I really enjoyed being one of the older players on the team and being a role model for the younger ones, some of whom did not have very much experience with the sport to begin with.  We had a rough start to the year, simply because we had never played together as a team before. As the season progressed we had more and more success leading up to the Independent School Association Championships at Brentwood School in Victoria.  At the ISA’s we ended up placing first in a close match against West Point Grey Academy.

Grade 10 - Service Highlight - Belize Service Trip ☀

In November 2011 of my Grade 10 year I had the opportunity to travel to Belize with a group of amazing students for a service trip.  While we were there we had the chance to help clean up the local beaches, paint 3 schools that weren’t as fortunate as us, and play with the children at the schools who were so eager to learn about us and where we came from.  Although there were some difficult obstacles we had to overcome at times, it was an experience of a lifetime and I will never forget all the incredible people we met and thankful schools to whom we lent a very much-appreciated helping hand.  All the memories I have of Belize are positive and will stay with me forever. The people we met were some of the kindest and more accommodating I have ever met.