SPOKEA L E A R N I N G N E W S R O O M FOR J O U R N A L I S M S T U D E N T S

It’s showdown timeC S I X Factor

competitors

vie for title.

Page 11

Going green with grinsStudents set up

fun games at

Fairview Park.

Page 6

Sweet time had by all in Elmira

BY HEATHER KENNERY

The smell of maple wafted through the air as children bounced around, high off of the maple syrup-covered pan­cakes they had just gobbled down, their hands still sticky from the messy breakfast.

The Elmira Maple Syrup Festival attracted approxi­mately 75,000 people on April 6, who enjoyed not just the famous syrup but delicious food from all around the world. Families also enjoyed live entertainment and activi­ties in the arena. This spring festival has been bringing together people of all ages to celebrate the gooey sugar since 1965.

The festival is run by vol­unteers who are happy to celebrate Elmira’s history of producing some of the world’s best maple syrup. Maple syrup farmer, Edgar Gingrich, who sells his maple syrup year-round at a stall at the St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market, said he is happy to be a part of the spectacle. Gingrich has been setting up a booth at the festival for 15 years but has been in business for 25. He said coming to the festival is a long process.

“Today my whole family is here with me. We have 2,800 taps and started collecting five weeks ago for the light grade maple syrup but now we’re collecting the medium amber syrup,” he said.

Gingrich said he would be going to collect more sap after he was done working at the festival since the sun was out. The season depends strictly on weather. In the day the temperature must get to around 5 C and drop to -6 C at night. After the sap is col­lected it is boiled to evaporate the water; depending on the amount of sugar in the maple tree’s sap it can take up to 86 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of syrup.

Gingrich makes four differ­ent grades of maple syrup, all of which have different strengths of maple flavour. According to www.cookthink. com, light syrup is best for making candy and has a deli­cate flavour while dark amber syrup has a much stronger maple taste which people use as table syrup for pancakes.

Chairperson of the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival, Ken Jessop, said this festival is dif­ferent than other sap festivals.

“We are 100 per cent vol­

unteer based. With the help of the community and over 2,000 volunteers we are able to create a successful event, and the proceeds go back to the community,” he said.

Annually the festi­val donates up to $50,000 to Elmira and Woolwich Township, and has donated $1.5 million over the past 48 years. They donate 40 per cent of the proceeds to the Elmira District Community Living centre and divide the rest among organizations that have applied for grants. Elmira District Community Living is a local association that provides many services, including assisted living and work programs for people with intellectual disabilities.

Jessop knows the festival is successful because of the com­munity’s continual support, and is excited to be chairper­son for next year, when the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival celebrates its 50 anniversary.

“We have already started planning for next year and hope to expand the events that happen at the arena. We will have more entertainment that is kid friendly while keeping the traditional street festival,” he said.

PHOTOS BY HEATHER KENNERYThe Elmira Maple Syrup Festival on April 6 featured various kinds and flavours of maple syrup which were available for purchase and taste-testing.

Maple syrup farmer, Edgar Gingrich, displays his product at the fes­tival. He has been making the sweet treat for 25 years.

NEWSPage 2 ♦SPOKE___ Monday, April 15,2013

Now deep thoughts ... with Conestoga College

Random questions answered by random students

If money were not an object, what would you enjoy doing for a living?

“I would pursue stand-up comedy because I love making people laugh.”

Brandon Hommel,first-year

journalism print

“I would travel the world and help build houses and schools in Third World countries. As well as help animal reserves and help end the extinction of endangered animals.”

Khira Dedman,first-year

police foundations

“I'd be a photographer.”

Simon Harley,first-year

police foundations

“I'd still be in the same program.”

Guiliano Calenda,second-year

electronics engineering technician

“I'd be a nurse.”

Ben Vollmer,first-year

bachelor of science in nursing

Smile Conestoga, you could be our next respondent!

Revolution a must-see film that urges environmental action

BY MARK FITZGERALD

Every once in awhile a film critic will say that a movie is a “must-see.” Revolution is one of those films that everyone tells you to see, not just the critics.

The film is written, directed and produced by Rob Stewart, an award-winning filmmaker who is best known for the movie Sharkwater. Stewart is also an award-winning photog­rapher, and his photography career ultimately lead him to become a filmmaker. He wit­nessed sharks being hunted and decided that he needed to raise awareness so he created Sharkwater. Revolution is a con­tinuation of Stewart’s adven­tures but it is about more than just sharks. It is about us, the human species.

Stewart travels around the world and speaks with sev­eral experts about how we are destroying our planet. He tackles many issues includ­ing deforestation, ocean acid­ification and climate change. The film’s website has made it clear that Revolution is not just about environmental issues. It is about people as well. The film attempts to make people aware of crucial issues that we have created as humans. It is also trying to help us realize that we can still change things and fix our planet and save our species.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and has since gone on to win several awards includ­ing the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Atlantic Film Festival and the Most Popular Environmental Film Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Many well-known people including Canadian environ­mental activist, David Suzuki, have supported the film. He said, “If you go to one movie this year, it must be Revolution.”

Jean-Michel Cousteau, a

French explorer and envi­ronmentalist, is also praising Revolution. “A must-see; an inspiration and beautiful film that will create a much need­ed ocean revolution,” he said.

Stewart is willing to do all that he can in order to get people to hear his message. He has even posted an edu­cational guide for teachers on the film’s website. The guide says the movie will teach students about “the intercon­nectedness of all living things, the urgent need for conserva­

tion work, and the ways in which each of us, especially young people, can change the world for the better.” Stewart said on the film’s website that “change starts with educa­tion. If people are aware of their impact on the Earth, they’ll make smarter choices.”

There is a lot of hype over Revolution and it sets out to have more than just an impact at the box office.

It is currently showing at Empire Theatres on Gateway Park Drive in Kitchener.

INTERNET PHOTORevolution Is written, directed and produced by Rob Stewart, an award-winning filmmaker. It is currently showing at Empire Theatres on Gateway Park Drive in Kitchener.

“I'd help end animal cruelty.”

Kristen Picavet,second-year

general business

NEWS SPOKE* Page 3Monday, April 15,2013

Shedyour

winterweight

BY JOANNA DiTTMER

It’s time to wipe away those winter blues and those extra winter pounds.

According to livestrong. com, an official partner of the Livestrong Foundation that raises money for can­cer, the main reasons people gain weight in the winter are decreased physical activity, a greater number of empty cal­ories and a condition known as seasonal affective disor­der.

The website offers all kinds of food, fitness, health and weight loss tips, as well as a cold and flu centre and calorie tracker.

Naturally, most people become more active in the spring and summer because the weather is nicer. A great way to start being more active is by walking.

Jason Belmore, a personal trainer at a Kitchener gym, said walking around four kilo­metres, on average, will help you lose up to 250 calories.

“Walking is a great way to lose excess weight,” Belmore said, “It can get boring so a great way to keep things interesting is by changing your route, going with a friend or taking your dog.”

Another way to help lose your winter weight is by stay­ing hydrated.

“A lot of people don’t drink enough in the winter, and because of that your body retains the weight,” Belmore said.

“Once you start drinking the proper amount of water, you’ll find that your weight drops a lot.”

You can also drop a dress size by changing up the foods you eat. Choose ones that will motivate you, for instance, your favourite healthy foods, but make sure to stay as healthy as possible. Instead of grabbing for that tempting bag of chips, grab for a deli­cious, crisp apple.

Becky Allner, a third-year financial planning student at Conestoga College, said she tries to eat healthier.

“I guess what I do is eat more fruits and vegetables. I don’t really walk anywhere ... but I try to eat the good stuff rather than the bad,” she said.

Soccer needs more fundingDylan

DaCostaO p in io n

in the entire country.According to the Canadian

Soccer Association (CSA), registration for soccer in Canada has increased by almost 200 per cent from less than 300,000 in 1988 to almost 900,000 in 2007; a number that they expect will rise again to over one million registered players in the next few years.

And hockey’s numbers come nowhere close; accord­ing to an article by Canada

Newswire, there were 577,000 registered minor hockey players across the country in 2011 - a number that pales in comparison to soccer’s enrolment.

Granted, soccer is a much cheaper alternative to enrol a child in than hockey is, but the youth of Canada are still flocking to a sport that isn’t supposed to be so highly cov­eted.

Unfortunately for a sport that is so popular to play, the funding that it receives is miniscule compared to that of hockey.

Hockey receives more fund­ing than any other sport in Canada, which isn’t equi­table.

New hockey arenas are always being constructed and

companies are constantly donating to minor hockey while soccer lies behind, for­gotten.

A sport as popular (at least in terms of youth enrolment) as soccer deserves more fund­ing and an amount of atten­tion that better reflects the number of participants.

Through our current favou­ritism of hockey, we have lost the opportunity to develop players and give opportu­nities to athletes in other sports.

If more focus was placed on funding other sports (espe­cially if they bring in more kids than hockey) then we might have a more balanced athletic landscape rather than being the country that is only good at hockey.

PHOTO BY SARA HANAFI

Conestoga College students board the iXpress GRT bus at the Doon campus. Student passes are increasing, making them $244. For editorial, see Page 4.

We’re a hockey nation, or so we are told; hockey is in our blood, and most other things are just a distraction.

So if we are a nation that is devoted solely to hockey, our youth should reflect that. Yet if we use the youth of this country as an example, it turns out that maybe hockey isn’t quite as big of a monopoly as it advertises itself to be.

In fact, hockey doesn’t even have the majority of regis­tered players in this country; that title belongs to soccer.

But wait, this can’t be the same soccer that we’ve been told won’t ever take off here, can it?

In fact, soccer is currently the participatory sport with the most registered players

STUDENTS GET HIT w i t h f a r e h i k e

COMMENTARYPage 4 ♦SPOKE Monday, April 15,2013

GRT fare increase unfair to students

BY SARA HANAFi

Oh good. Another fare hike.Grand River Transit (GRT) has proposed an average

seven per cent fare increase beginning July 1.The news has upset frequent public transit users,

especially since the GRT increased fares by nine per cent this time last year. Is there anyone who thinks a 16 per cent increase in two years is justified?

Students are particularly agitated by the increase since the college semester pass is being raised from $227 to $244. The cost of the student pass has gone up $40 in the last two years and students have not seen any service increases to any of the Conestoga campuses.

Conestoga Students Inc. (CSI), the student association at Conestoga College, has started a petition to show that students do not support the fare increase, and that the GRT shouldn’t even be considering increasing their fares unless they plan to improve their service.

CSI is planning on presenting the GRT with the peti­tion, which they hope will adequately express students’ discontent with the service.

According to GRT, there are going to be service changes on some existing routes and one new route is to be added. However, none of them will benefit Conestoga students.

Anyone who regularly takes the bus would agree that their customer service is greatly lacking. More than 2,000 complaints from transit users made between 2006 and 2011 were about being left behind at bus stops.

In 2012, the GRT received 3,008 complaints, which is the highest number to date.

When the company improves its service, a fare increase will seem more justifiable. But in the meantime, upping the rates is just ticking off GRT customers.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) falls in the same category as the GRT when it comes to multiple fare increases over a short period of time. The important differ­ence between the two is that the TTC operates on a much bigger scale, yet keeps their fare increases to a minimum.

The last fare hike was a measly five-cent increase in 2012. That’s only 1.7 per cent.

If a transit system that serves 40,000 people daily (compared to the TTC with a whopping 1.5 million daily users) can’t keep their customers satisfied, an increase in fares shouldn’t even be considered until improve­ments are made.

The views herein represent the position of the newspa­per, not necessarily the author.

Letters are welcomeSpoke 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.Email letters to: www.spokeonline.com with the subject line

“Letter to the Editor,” or bring them to Room 1C30 at the Doon campus.

Show your commitment to the environment on Earth Day, April 22.

Jackie Robinson made inroads but the battle isn’t over

Mike

VielmaOpinion

"There are better and

more important things

to worry about in this

world then the colour of

someone’s skin."

On this day 66 years ago, Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to suit up and play in Major League Baseball. He ended about 80 years of baseball segrega­tion when he threw on his Brooklyn Dodgers jersey with the famous number 42 on the back and walked onto the field.

He bashed racial obstacles with the crack of his bat and paved the way for people of colour and other back­grounds to engage in the game they loved without separation.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X fought their battles with speeches and rallies; Robinson simply used baseball, America’s pastime.

There are no longer colour barriers in professional sports today. However, rac­ism still lingers in society which is downright unaccept­able.

There are better and more important things to worry about in this world then the colour of someone’s skin.

There is nothing empower­ing about yelling racial slurs and hurtful remarks to a pedestrian as you zoom by in a car.

There is nothing cool about whispering rude comments to your friend about the Hispanic gentleman push­ing his cart in the grocery store.

So what if he has slicked back hair accompanied by a sombrero? That does not give you any right to think of a

remark just to try and make your friend laugh.

Be respectful.If you aren’t the one to

come up with the crude jokes or tasteless remarks, but you chuckle behind your hand after hearing another racist knee-slapper from your pal, you are just as bad.

Laughing or ignoring the situation is no way to deal with racism.

Stand up for what is right and intervene in any situ­ation you are able to. After all, God gave us voices for a reason.

It is impossible to elimi­nate racism without each individual doing his or her own part. It’s like what your mom used to tell you when you were a kid, “Don’t say or do anything to someone that you wouldn’t like said or done to you.”

We owe it to ourselves to do whatever we can to prevent racism.

Just because Jackie Robinson severed the racism boundary line on an athletic level, doesn’t mean the fight is over.

SPOKEJ O U R N A L I S M S T U D E N T S O F C O N E S T O G A C O L L E G EP R O D U C E D W E E K L Y B Y T H E

Ryan Bowman, Michael Vielma, Stephanie Lefebvre Circulation Manager: Jessica Lanthier

Faculty Supervisor and Adviser:Christina JonasSpoke's address is 299 Doon Valley Dr., Room 1C30,

Kitchener, Ontario, N2G 4M4.Phone: 519-748-5220, ext. 3691,3692,3693, 3694Fax: 519-748-3534Email: spoke@conestogac.on.caWebsite: 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.

Goodyear, Mark Fitzgerald, Wesley Butler, KeilaMacPherson, Kelsey HeeleyProduction Managers: Sara Hanafi, KristinMilani, Kris Manuel, Rob MendonsaPhoto Editors:, Ashley Currie, Joanna Dittmer,Jessica Rediker, Wendy Czako-Mah, Brad Coughlin,

I S P U B L I S H E D A N D

Editor: Whitney SouthAssignment Editors: Lindsay Tessier, Caleigh McLellandAdvertising Managers: Allanah Pinhorn, Heather KennerySpoke Online Editors: Dylan DaCosta, Ryan

Monday, April 15,2013 SPOKE ♦PageS

NEWSPage 6 ♦SPOKE Monday, April 15,2013

Fairview Park shows off its green sideGreen at Work initiative gives Conestoga students a chance

to hone their marketing skills and get involved

BY WENDY CZAKO-MAH

In today’s world of recy­cling, the standard garbage bin should be a thing of the past. Fairview Park mall is trying to make that a reality, not only by offering four bins for different recyclable prod­ucts, but by holding a Green at Work campaign.

Conestoga College students and Kitchener’s Fairview Park partnered up for the initiative that ran April 6 and 7. It fea­tured games and activities to help not only promote public awareness, but to educate mall retailers.

Students from the inte­grated marketing communi­cations program, which sup­ports and promotes environ­mental sustainability, formed three teams and competed for the opportunity to run the event. Fairview Park market­ing manage Leah Landriault chose the group that best cap­tured her vision.

Landriault said, “The profes­sor, Kim Denstedt, approached me and wanted to do some type of event to gain some experi­ence (for the class). So Green at Work is something we’ve had for a number of years, but we’ve never been able to give it that kick.”

With several new programs the mall wanted to initiate, it became the perfect oppor­tunity to get some extra help.

Landriault said, “We’re actu­ally just implementing a sin­gle stream system. Basically it’s organics in one bin and everything else in another bin. It actually expedites the pro­cess in the shopping centre

and then we’re working with waste management who will properly sort and divert pieces from the landfill.”

The team put together three games; mini putt, Are You Smarter than a Conestoga College Student and Minute to Win It. Are You Smarter focused on environmental issues and five pillar initia­tives: energy, waste manage­ment, environment sustain­ability, sustainable procure­ment and communication.

The students were not eas­ily missed as they ran around in their bright green T-shirts, coaxing shoppers to play the games.

* As research is one of the most i m p o r t a n t tools to effective

event planning, stu­

dents discovered that corpora­tions have the ability to have a huge impact, especially when it comes to the environment. Cadillac Fairview adopts pro­gressive environmental stan­dards and is committed to social responsibility as a corporation.

“It’s a big project, not so small,” said Taylor Rutherford, media spokes­person for the group, as she discovered the extent the cor­poration goes to. In 2004 they became one of the first in Canada to convert their down­town buildings to a deep lake water cooling system, which uses the frigid temperatures from the lake water to cool their building, significantly reducing energy consumption and emissions.

Kathleen MacDonald, another group member, talked about fhe backstage tour they had of Fairview Mali’s waste management facility - a place shoppers never see. She was awestruck at the complexity of their green initiatives, and the pride the mall has taken in them. She points out how they had different rooms for cardboard, plastic and waste.

‘You don’t really think that there’s more beyond the mall, besides the stores, but there is this whole separate area back there, just being used to reduce their utilities,” MacDonald said.

At the Green at Work week­end, students also handed out pamphlets that'informed the public on how the green initiatives have impacted the

environment. The mall has diverted 36 kilotons of waste from the landfill and between 2009 and 2011 Cadillac Fairview reduced its energy consumption by 26 per cent.

Landriault, whose job is to promote and support the mall retail clients, said, “Cadillac Fairview, the corporation, is based out of Toronto and has nine shopping centres in Ontario. The Green at Work program is head-office driven, but it allows each individual property to customize to their area.”

Green at Work started a few years ago, but not many peo­ple are aware of it. Landriault is hoping with the launch­ing of the campaign, this will change.

PHOTO BY WENDY CZAKO-MAHStudents (left to right) Alejandro Apreza Hernandex, Jonny Cahuenas, Nicole Renter, Danielle Cudmore, Jonny Golling, Kathleen MacDonald, Carolyn Tomkins, Paula Caxaj-Ruiz and Martin Guzman all took part in the Green at Work campaign, held at Fairview Park mall on April 6 and 7. The event was part of their events marketing class, to raise awareness of the mail’s environmental initiatives.

♦

FEATURE SPOKE ♦ Page 7Monday. April 15,2013

Animal free? We’ll seeDiscovering the truth behind the labels

STORY AND PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE LEFEBVRE

When going to the beau­ty department of any store, there is one common ques­tion sales associates usually get. Is this product tested on animals? An easier way to get an answer is to go on the Internet and look up your favourite brands.

Animal testing is a hot but­ton issue. In these tests, ani­mals are forced to inhale, or are injected with, substances tested for toxicity. They are also maimed, suffer extreme pain, and are killed, dissect­ed, and then thrown away like last week’s trash.

However, it can be more complicated. Ryan Hauling, manager of college campaigns and outreach for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said one of the main reasons there are still companies on the “test on animals” list because they sell to China.

In China, there is a law that prohibits sale of cosmet­ics unless they have under­gone animal testing by their officials.

“Thankfully we have had some companies that have chosen to pull out of China once we did make them aware that they would be pulled from our (‘do not test on ani­mals’) list,” Hauling said.

He also said some compa­nies, such as Paul Mitchell and Urban Decay, decided to cancel plans to sell their products in China for this

reason. They don’t want to be put on the

“test on animals” list.With the recent ban in the

European Union (EU) of any new cosmetics products con­taining ingredients tested on animals, the issue has become more apparent to not only companies but also con­sumers. This came into effect on March 11.

“This is a great opportunity for Europe to set an example of responsible innovation in cosmetics without any com­promise on consumer safety,” Tonio Borg, EU’s top offi­cial on health and consumer issues, said in an article on CTV News’ website.

Still, other companies have recently been added to the tests on animals list because they have decided they want to be in the Chinese market, such as Avon, Estee Lauder and Mary Kay.

But how do companies get on the list in the first place?

“We do contact the compa­nies and we also ask their representatives to sign a pledge for us stating that they do not conduct any animal experimentation,” Hauling said.

PETA doesn’t have the time to investigate every single company that makes cosmet­ics, so companies are asked to sign the pledge stating that they do not test on animals and neither does their sup­pliers.

There has been some con­troversy though over compa­nies that are or aren’t on the list. Avon, for example, was removed from the list due to expansion into China. But Cheryl, a representative for

the company who wouldn’t give her last name, said in an email they do not conduct animal testing on

their products to ensure the safety of the product for

humans.“In fact, Avon was the first

major cosmetics compa­ny to end animal

testing on prod­ucts more than 20 years ago,”

she said.However, she

also mentioned Avon operates in over 100 countries and that some countries, mainly China, require animal testing for legal purposes.

The reason Avon does not stop sell­ing their products in these counties is because they think they will be able to

affect change.“Abandoning a market does

not help bring about a solu­tion,” Cheryl said.

Avon has continued to sup­port research for alternative methods of testing products. They have partnered with The Institute of the In Vitro Sciences (IIVS), a non-profit organization committed to advancements of alternate testing methods, and serves on the scientific advisory panel of IIVS. PETA has also started working with IIVS.

Tiffany, consumer response representative for M.A.C. who wouldn’t give her last name, said they are working to elim­inate animal testing around the world, even though they are on the “test on animals” list.

“Our long-standing commit­ment to end animal testing has not changed,” she said in an email. “We do not test our products or ingredients on animals, nor do we ask others to test on our behalf, except where required by law.”

Not all companies have lost their values though. Some have stuck to their guns by keeping their products ani­mal friendly. This includes Limited Brands Inc., the com­pany that creates products for Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret and Warm Barn Candle Company.

The issue these companies came across at one point was the wording on their pack­aging. Some people believed that when a product had a label that read, “This fin­ished product not tested on

animals,” meant that the ingredients could have been. However, Allysen Paulin, a customer relations represen­tative from Bath and Body Works, put this issue to rest in an email.

“We want you to know that we believe all living creatures deserve respect and we would never think of testing any of our products on animals,” she said. “Likewise, we don’t ask anyone who may be helping us develop or make our prod­ucts to conduct these kinds of tests on our behalf.”

Other companies that take the issue seriously offer prod­ucts that are cruelty free. This means not supporting, caus­ing or contributing to animal exploitation or suffering.

The Body Shop is one of those stores. And though their company has never test­ed their products on animals, it doesn’t stop there. Even their employees feel strongly about the issue.

Nicola Martin, a manager at the Yorkdale Mall loca­tion, said since 1976, The Body Shop has taken a strong stance against animal test­ing. And in 1996, they upped their fight by launching a campaign aimed at obtain­ing four million signatures, which they wanted to present to the European Commission to get them to find alternate methods for animal testing. Their fight has finally been completed with the recent EU ban. And the employees con­tinue their fight today.

“I feel outraged and it inspires me to do more,” Martin said about countries

that demand animal testing. “We want to really get behind and support Cruelty Free International.”

Cruelty Free International is one of the world’s most respected animal rights and protection organizations.

In fact, PETA encourages customers on their website to look for the bunny when shopping for cosmetics. If you see the bunny, that means the products are cruelty free. Though companies have sev­eral different forms of the logo, the leaping bunny is the most recognizable.

All of The Body Shop’s products are labelled to ensure cus­tomers know the company is against animal testing.

MORE INFORMATION

For a more complete list of products and companies that do and do not test on ani­mals, visit:■ w w w . p e t a . o r g / l i v i n g /

b e a u t y - a n d - p e r s o n a l - care/companies/default. aspx

■ Or, www.leapingbunny. org/shopping.php

Katia Pires, a sales associate at The Body Shop in Yorkdale Mall, proudly stands by a mirror boasting the absence of animal testing in their products.

A bunny, a sym bol of cruelty- free products, is featured on a sign at the entrance of Yorkdale Mall’s The Body Shop.

HEALTHPage 8 ♦SPOKE Monday, April 15,2013

Derailing the stress trainBY JESSICA LANTHiER

No matter how hard we try, there are some things in life that are simply unavoidable. Some of the most infuriat­ing are escalating food prices, rush hour traffic jams, pay­ing taxes and gas prices that seem to be increasing by the hour. But there’s one that seems to burrow into the body and mind and has a much greater negative affect. The destructive and inescapable monster is stress.

Stress Awareness Month, which is sponsored by The Health Resource Network in the U.S., is held every April and health professionals want more people to be aware of the negative effects that stress can have on our lives.

According to Health Canada, stress can be described as the body’s way of responding to both physical and emotional demands. When a person con­fronts a situation, whether it is life-threatening or a simple day-to-day occurrence, the body releases chemicals into the blood to boost energy and strength. When the situation is life-threatening, the “fight or flight” instinct kicks in and the stress chemical works in a positive way. Scientists believe that this is how our ances­tors learned how to cope with the threats and uncertainties of the new world. However, when the situation is emo­tional, such as a work problem or money issues, the stress has no outlet and the person suf­fers in a negative way.

Everyone suffers from stress, and, according to a poll done by Ipsos for the Associated Press, 76 per cent of Canadians suffer from

stress in their daily lives.Stress can cause many

negative effects on people, both long and short term. According to a study done by researchers at the American Psychological Association (APA), the pressure and stress of exams caused several stu­dents to develop acne, regard­less of how much sleep they got or what they ate. After the exams, the acne completely went away. The APA says other negative effects include moodiness, memory problems, insomnia, nausea, aches and pains, anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.

Other than having to tie her blond, mermaid-like hair back into a hairnet, Michelle

Medeiros, an employee at Ottervalley Foods, says the one thing she wishes she could change about her job is the amount of stress she deals with on a daily basis.

The Tillsonburg-based busi­ness makes frozen meals such as lasagne, rice bowls and cabbage rolls for M&M Meat Shops and various gro­cery stores. Medeiros endures long days working on every section of the conveyer belt and has every duty from cut­ting cabbage and spooning tomato sauce onto the freshly wrapped rolls, to lifting the heavily packed containers onto the cart that will then be frozen and ready for boxing and shipping.

Medeiros says the fast-mov­ing belt is the most stressful part of the job and has com­plained to her supervisor that the belt moves too quickly, but in order for the employees to finish their jobs at a decent time, they have to move at a rapid pace.

“I didn’t think it would be such a stressful job but I feel the tension almost every day,” she says. “If you can’t fin­ish your job fast enough, the other people working ahead of you on the conveyer belt have to do what you missed and obviously they get mad. All of that pressure makes it hard to keep up.”

In order to try and temporar­ily relieve stress, some people

rely on coping strategies such as sleeping too much, smok­ing, drinking alcohol and using drugs. Unfortunately, these methods usually make the problems worse.

■ Identify your problems. What is causing your stress? It can be your job, a relationship or another source altogether.

■ Work on solutions. Start thinking about what you can do to relieve the prob­lem.

■ Talk about your problems. Friends, work colleagues and family members may not know you are having a hard time.

■ Learn about stress man­agement. In addition to health professionals who specialize in stress, there are many helpful books, films, videos, courses and workshops available to help you learn stress man­agement techniques.

■ Reduce tension. Physical activity is a great stress reducer. Walk, do some exercises or garden to relieve your stress.

■ Try not to be too hard on yourself. Stress can cause lots of negative thinking. You may notice yourself saying things like “I can’t, won’t, should, must.” Be realistic. Find realistic solutions you can achieve in steps that will bring success.

PHOTO BY JOANNA DITTMERWith exams coming up, students should make sure they don’t burn themselves out with studying so much. Some tips to help you relax during exam time are: Do something fun, such as go see a movie, and get plenty of rest. Your body will deal with stress better if you do.

1 Join the cancer fight - wear a daffodil pinBY KELSEY HEELEY

Join the fight against cancer by wearing a daffodil pin to show your support.

Throughout April, which is daffodil month, volunteers will be working to raise funds for the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS). According to www.can- cer.ca, every three minutes can­cer affects another Canadian in some way.

According to www.cancer.ca, there are four ways you can show your support. The first is to make a donation and wear a daffodil pin. The second is to make a donation when a volun­teer knocks on your door. The third is to spend a few hours and volunteer your own time to get donations and the last way is to simply spread the word.

But, how do you get a daffodil pin?

All you have to do is go to one of the generous pin partners and make a donation. They include the LCBO, Running Room, Pharmasave, LifeLabs, Tbooth, Wireless Wave, Jacob, Laura, Sobeys, CAA, Napa Auto Parts, Development Bank of Canada, Cogeco, Canlan Ice Sports and Golf Canada.

You can also go to www.fight- back.ca to find which retail stores in your area are pin partners.

You can wear a pin on your coat or wear one online. Go to www.fightback.ca and get a daffodil added to your profile picture on Twitter or Facebook.

While all of April is daffodil month, there is also daffodil day, which is April 27. This is a special day when Canadians show their support for those who live with cancer and remember those who have died

from the disease.On this day, the CCS tries

to encourage Canadians to do something nice or contribute in some way to the fight against cancer.

As an example, you could tell a loved one or a friend with cancer that you are thinking of them. You could also let them know about support programs and share information.

Tony McLellan, a first-year print journalism student, said his family has a history of can­cer. In almost every generation, someone has had some form of cancer. He said it is something he has to be concerned about in the future.

“Cancer took away my Grandma Donna Martin before I could get the chance to get to know her. I was five years old when she died. That’s why I hate it,” McLellan said.

PHOTO BY KELSEY HEELEYLaura Rossi, a first-year journalism broadcast student, puts a vir­tual daffodil on her Facebook profile picture, from www.fightback. ca, to show her support for the Canadian Cancer Society’s daffodil campaign.

FEATURE SPOKE ♦ Page 9Monday, April 15,2013

The healing power of speaking outBY LINDSAY TESSIER

This is the last of a four-part series on the faces of mental health.

What do Buzz Aldrin, Abraham Lincoln, Vincent Van Gogh, Sylvia Plath and Amadeus Mozart all have in common?

Each of them has battled depression.

The debilitating illness can affect anyone. People of every age and from every social, economic, cultural and reli­gious group get depressed. In fact, at any given time, almost three million Canadians have depression; though less than one-third seek help.

Understanding that depres­sion is an illness that affects many people helps break down the stigma surrounding the disorder. It may also help those living with the disease speak more freely about their experience and discover new sources of support and under­standing.

Ryan Goodyear says his experience with mental illness has been long and arduous.

The 22-year-old second-year journalism student has been dealing with depression for nearly 10 years.

“Looking back on it now, I can basically pinpoint my depression starting around 13 years old, a few months after starting Grade 7 in middle school,” he says.

“My thoughts were always towards the darker side, but that’s when I started contem­plating life and death, the meaning of things and, a lot of the time, suicide.”

He says he doesn’t know why he had suicidal thoughts at such a young age. “I just knew I was different; that my thought process and outlook on life was different.”

By the end of middle school he had started self-harming in the form of cutting, keep­ing it hidden from all but two people at the time. He says growing up and going through high school didn’t improve matters. “Instead, every year my depression got worse and worse and every year I found a new self-destructive vice to cling to.”

“Between the end of Grade 7 and the beginning of Grade 10, I self-harmed continual­ly,” says Goodyear, adding the need to cut felt like an addic­tion. “I had a little tin filled with everything I needed, in a way I felt like a junkie. Here I was with all this parapherna­lia in a little tin that I would hide in my room and have to sneak off to use.”

He says by the end of high school his moods were very

low. He made two suicide attempts over those four years and began smoking marijua­na to manage his depression and anxiety.

“I credit this (smoking pot) with finally allowing me to break away from my self- harming habits. Marijuana is something I have used contin­ually since then, and it’s one of the few things that has been able to manage my extreme depression and anxiety.”

Goodyear says he has been dealing with depression on an almost daily basis for years.

“It’s ruined a lot of things in my life, taken a lot from me and kept me from partak­ing in a lot of my life. It’s put rifts between me and people important to me and sucked all joy out of me.

“Almost every day I would wake up and think, is today the day I end it? Waking up every day with the thought of suicide or having to deal with those thoughts throughout the day is exhausting, hor­rifying and confusing and not something I would wish upon anyone. I had these thoughts just about everyday until recently.”

Goodyear says there is a sil­ver lining to his story.

“About two and a half months ago, I finally mustered up the courage to go talk to my family doctor,” he says, adding he had always fought against taking pills for his depression and anxiety before. “Yet, I have to say that after some trial and

error I am starting to feel a little better and things don’t seem as dark and impossible anymore.”

Despite how difficult liv­ing with depression can be, Goodyear says he believes there is a bit of a positive side to mental illness.

“Most people I have met with a mental illness have been independent, free think­ing individuals.”

He thinks that some people see the injustices and contra­dictions inherent in life and they can’t help but have it bring them down.

“These are the people who are able to break free from the pack and generally carve out a more interesting, ful­filling life path than those who are stuck in ‘groupthink’ and go through the waves of life without questioning any­thing. Unfortunately, some­times the individual is over­come by their own thoughts and take their own lives.”

Goodyear says it’s impor­tant to get help - whether it is a friend, a family member or a trained professional. Many people are unaware there are free helplines for just this purpose.

Community Torchlight offers free telephone support, referral and crisis assistance to individuals living within Guelph, Wellington County, Orangeville and Dufferin County. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it has trained staff and volunteers

who answer the calls, which are confidential.

The Distress Centre pro­vides confidential listening and support, crisis response and intervention for anyone in Waterloo Region. Its tele­phone lines operate 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year and are answered by trained volunteers and staff. All calls are confidential.

A volunteer at the agency says the types of calls they receive are varied. “They can range from relation­ship problems to loneliness, grief, depression and suicidal thoughts to name a few.”

The centre operates a gener­al line offering supportive and confidential listening (519- 745-1166), a Youth Line (519- 745-9909), the EARS Line (519-570-3277) dedicated to male victims of sexual assault, and the Mental Health and Addictions Data Base Line (519-744-5594) - which refers callers to resources, individu­als and organizations that are involved in serving people with mental health concerns.

Goodyear says the worst thing you can do is keep all those negative thoughts to yourself.

“I know, because I have been doing it for eight years, and it does no good. If you have a pet, talk to it. They will love you unconditionally and are always there to listen. Get involved with art, anything where you can express your­self and vent.”

He says he feels it’s impor­tant to share his story so other people know they are not alone. “Other people need to know that they aren’t crazy, that other people have had these thoughts and urges and have lived inside their heads. If others knew how many peo­ple around them are strug­gling with the same things, we might not feel so lonely.”

Conestoga College arts and science student Gregory Douglas recently gave a speech about his experience living with depression to a group of master’s students in the social work program at Wilfrid Laurier University.

The 20-year-old snowboard instructor says sharing his

story with others is helping him to work through it and heal.

Over six months ago, his roommate at Laurier died by suicide. Douglas says he spent every day after that for the next six months in a depressed haze. “I would blame myself for not doing more to save him,” he says. “Some days I couldn’t leave my bed or shower.”

“Some days I would wake up and life just didn’t seem worth living; I forgot everything that made me happy.” He says even though he received many mes­sages of support from friends and family, he never felt so alone in his life.

He began to see a counsel­lor and says that has helped him greatly. “The counsellor helped me find a path and con­nected me to groups of people who had dealt with suicide.”

Douglas says it wasn’t until early January that he finally began to feel the fog of depres­sion lifting. “I felt strong for the first time in months and it actually felt odd.”

“Now that I’m feeling better I’m left to pick up the pieces of myself from the last six months. I am currently signed up to volunteer with the Waterloo Suicide Prevention Council and in talks with peo­ple who share the same goals as me to remove the stigma around mental illness.”

Douglas says being depressed isn’t a weakness, that to be at battle with yourself is the hardest thing you can do. He adds that many strong, inspir­ing people have been diag­nosed with major depression, such as the second man on the moon, Buzz Aldrin.

He says sharing his story is the best thing he can do for himself.

During Bell’s Let’s Talk Day, Douglas shared his story with all of his friends on Facebook.

“I wrote a two page note on Facebook and shared it with everyone and I got a lot of messages back. That helped a lot.” He says he’s even gotten messages from old friends in high school who he hasn’t seen in four years asking if they can talk to him about their own struggles with mental illness.

Douglas says he’d been ques­tioning his decision to share his story when TSN aired the doc­umentary Talk to Me as part of Let’s Talk Day. The film tells the story behind the James Peek Memorial Classic - an annual golf tournament held in honour of Peek, who suffered from depression and took his own life at 17 years of age.

“I saw that and thought, well, I have to now. That just pushed me to share it because it made me see how important it was.”

PHOTO BY LINDSAY TESSIERRyan Goodyear, a Conestoga College second-year journalism print student, has been dealing with depression for nearly 10 years.

NEWSPage 10 ♦ SPOKE Monday, April 15,2013

Warm drinks, warm heartsTreat yourself to high tea and biscuits on May 5,

while learning how heart disease affects people of all agesBY KEILA MACPHERSON

What can be better on a cool spring day than dressing up with a group of friends and some warm drinks? How about knowing the money you spend is going to a charitable cause.

Jessica Wismer is a Conestoga alumni who com­bined her passion for tea and her flair for fundraising to put together a high tea event to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Wismer started her job as a consultant with the company Steeped Tea about a year and a half ago because she loved tea, and said it made sense for

Wismer has also been vol­unteering with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Kitchener-Waterloo for the past couple of years and it was her idea to do a fund­raiser that incorporated tea.

“Tea is good for your heart, good for your body in general, so to me it seemed like they went together,” Wismer said.

She outlined a few heart- healthy benefits that people can get from drinking tea such as tannins in tea pre­vent the build-up of plaque on teeth, and how tea, especially black tea, keeps the arteries “smooth and plaque-free.”

Wismer also said tea is a good alternative to juice and pop because you won’t be tak­ing in as much sugar and caffeine.

“It’s good for your heart, but it’s also a good replacement for some of those other things.”

The high tea event will fea­ture three flavours of tea: earl grey de la creme, a black tea; vanilla cupcake which is a rooibos and doesn’t contain caffeine; and Caribbean daiquiri iced tea to appeal to kids and peo­ple who don’t like regular tea.

Heart disease can affect any­one at any age and the Heart and Stroke Foundation wants people to be aware of that.

Although the high tea will be a social event, it will also bring awareness to heart dis­eases by having partici- pants listen to a moth- er speak about her experience with hav- ing a child born with heart problems and his experiences growing up.

The event will take place on May 5 at Clair

Hills retirement home, 530 Columbia St. W., in Waterloo. Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased at the Kitchener Heart and Stroke office at 1373 Victoria St. N., Suite 2A.

Wismer said they have been doing everything they can to make most of the proceeds go to the organization.

“We’ve been able to secure a lot of what we need through donations which has been fantastic.”

The linens, cut­lery, flatware,

sandwiches and snacks will be provided by Clair Hills retirement home. Teacups have also been donated for centerpieces that will be given to someone at each table, as well as the door prizes of tea, spa and Heart and Stroke gift baskets.

For more information, con­tact Jessica Wismer by email at jessica__wismer@hotmail.

com, or call the K-W Heart and Stroke Foundation at 519-571-9600.

PHOTO BY KEILA MACPHERSONJessica Wismer is a huge lover of tea. She works part time as a consultant for Steeped Tea and decided to use their product to hold a high tea as a fundraiser for the K-W Heart and Stroke Foundation where she volunteers.

her to work with the product.Steeped Tea is a company

started by Tonia and Hatem Jahshan of Ancaster, which sells loose-leaf tea through consultants at home parties and online. According to their website, steepedtea.com, in September 2012 their busi­ness was featured on Dragon’s Den.

A deal was made with Jim Treliving and David Chilton, and Steeped Tea started to make its way to the U.S. in March 2013.

As a consultant, Wismer hosts tea parties in people’s homes. The high tea fund­raiser is a larger-scale version of a home tea party.

NEWS SPOKE ♦Page 11Monday, April 15,2013

Students showcase their talentsCSI’s X Factor is more about having fun than being pitch perfect

STORY AND PHOTOS BY WESLEY BUTLER

The final round of the sec­ond annual CSI X Factor will take place on April 16.

“Instead of just having one winner, the contestants are narrowed down to a top two,” said Becky Saba, program and communications co-ordi- nator at Conestoga Students Inc. and one of the contest’s judges. “The idea of this show is to not necessarily hold a formal contest, but to have fun and not make anyone feel excluded.”

Students could try out for the X Factor from April 2 to 12 in front of Saba, Brendan Hancock, promotions leader at CSI, and Samantha Schwier, a CSI events assistant.

“When I sit and listen to contestants, I don’t find myself really judging them,” said Hancock. “It’s mostly just a hobby for me.”

Contestants had the option

of using musical instruments to accompany their perfor­mances and could perform a rap, R&B, hip hop or country song.

The judges weren’t neces­sarily critiquing contestants’ technical abilities as is done on the TV show. Schwier, Hancock and Saba are scor­ing the contestants based on audience engagement, stage presence, pitch, projection and overall vocals. Although they did this to gain a good understanding of how contes­tants performed, their prima­ry objective isn’t to find the

“best singer.”“We don’t want this to be

a strenuous event for any­one involved,” Saba said. “The idea is to have a good time. We want people to come out and have fun, and for the contestants to enjoy the expe­rience.”

CSI X Factor isn’t the first talent contest that has been held at the college. Throughout the past five years, CSI has held events like CSI Idol and So You Think You Got Talent? These events are for students to use as a platform to showcase

their talents, not necessar­ily be sorted into “good” and “bad” performers. X Factor is being held again this year because of the increasing pop­ularity of the TV show.

The contestant who receives the most votes from the audi­ence receives $300, the second place contender receives $200 and the third place contender is awarded $100.

The finals will be held in the Sanctuary on April 16.

For more information about CSI X Factor, visit CSFs web­site at www.conestogastu- dents.com.

Brendan Hancock, Becky Saba and Samantha Schwier (not shown) judged CSIX Factor, but aren’t looking to critique the contestants as much as they’re wanting them to have a good time.

Lindsay, a student at Conestoga College, wanted to showcase her vocal talents and enjoy the experience of auditioning.

Spring Breakers doesn’t live up to hypeBY ASHLEY CURRIE

To describe Spring Breakers in one word would be next to impos­sible, but the one that comes clos­est would be bizarre.

The crime thriller is supposed to follow the story of four college girls who rob a restaurant to get enough money to fund a spring break trip; they then end up in jail only to be bailed out by rapper, and drug dealer, Alien (James Franco), who they have never even met.

The four girls are played by Selena Gomez (Faith), Ashley Benson (Brit), Vanessa Hudgens (Candy), and Rachel Korine (Cotty).

The movie starts out with a typi­cal spring break party scene, fea­turing lots of alcohol, girls and guys nearly naked, and then actu­ally naked, jumping and dancing on a beach. This scene or others like it is then repeated multiple times throughout the film.

Repetition seems to be a theme

in mis movie as you see scenes ana dialogues repeated almost at ran­dom. The visual of a spring break party is paired with audio from a phone conversation between the girls and their parents, then 15 minutes later the actual phone conversation is shown on screen with the audio included. This made the movie hard to follow at times as you didn’t know what happened when.

The choice to use such well known Disney and Disney-like actors in such a coarse film will definitely bring in an audience who otherwise might have avoided this movie, but do not be mis­taken, Spring Breakers definitely deserves the 18A rating it received in Canada. The amount of nudity alone should put this movie on the restricted list, not to mention the blatant use of hard drugs and excessive violence.

Just when the movie starts to get into what little plot it does have,

INTERNET PHOTOSpring Breakers deserves its 18A rating.

Alien deciding he likes the girls and wants them to do a little dirty work for him, Faith decides it’s all too much and she goes home, leaving some to wonder why this character was even included in the film. Cotty is next to leave after an accident in a gun fight leaves her scarred and scared for her life. This leaves only Candy and Brit who stick it out right until the end of the movie.

The ending leaves you wondering if spring break really does get that crazy, and also confused as to how these girls are going to go back to living a normal life after what they’ve just been through.

Overall this movie wasn’t terri­ble, it was artsy and strange while also being crude and confusing. If nothing else, Spring Breakers definitely makes you think, it’s not just another mindless teen comedy.

I give this film three stars out of five.

FEATUREPage 12 ♦ SPOKE Monday, April 15,2013

Canada’s Greatest Know-It-AllSeason two winner Andrew Rader sets his sights on space

" Not only is Andrew

one of the smartest

people I know,

but he also has such a

great personality."

- Charlotte Armstrong

BY WHITNEY SOUTH

Sitting in a dark bar in downtown Kitchener, Andrew Rader seems like just anoth­er guy nursing a beer on a cold Monday night. But just one look into his bright blue eyes makes clear the deter- mination and intensity that made this young aerospace engineer Canada’s Greatest Know-It-All.

The series, which just fin­ished its second season on Discovery Channel, pits 10 competitors claiming to be “know-it-alls” against each other in a series of mind-bend­ing challenges. Contestants are required to draw on prac­tical knowledge of physics, mathematics and engineering.

After eluding elimination, which sent home nine of his fellow competitors, Rader, of Cambridge, was declared the season two winner after beat­ing out fellow finalist Carla Davidson.

“I couldn’t believe it, the whole thing was so much fun,” he said, describing his first thoughts after the win. “I knew I was going to miss the experience and everyone I had met along the way. But also, I was so tired and ready to just sit back and relax.”

Despite being crowned Canada’s Greatest Know-It- All, becoming a reality TV star was something Rader wasn’t sure he wanted to do.

“I got a call (after sending in the application) and actually

declined a few

times before I finally accept­ed,” he said. “It took some convincing.”

In a field of diverse com­petitors that included an art­ist, a trivia buff and even a Canadian Jeopardy cham­pion, Rader stood out imme­diately as one of the top con­tenders after his initial test scores put him on the higher ranked team.

“I feel like it definitely set the tone for the entire show. I very much liked and respect­ed all the competitors, but, for whatever reason, I always had a sense that Carla, Owen, Scott and myself were the top four and less likely to be elim­inated,” he said.

“It was a very interesting psychological experiment. We were given the conclu­sion first, these people are at the top, and then I think we looked for rationale to support that conclusion. It’s actually pretty much how our brains work. We jump to con­clusions first and then look for evidence to support those conclusions, not the other way around as it should be.”

Each episode contained three challenges, ranging from a high school-style egg drop to skydiving while trying to memorize a series of numbers strewn across the field below.

All competitors compete in the first two challenges, some­times in teams. At the end of each challenge, one competi­tor is sent to the Danger Zone for the poorest performance. The Danger Zone is the last challenge, during which one competitor succeeds and stays in the competition while the other is eliminated.

For Rader, it was a chal­lenge that involved riding a number of roller-coasters at Canada’s Wonderland that almost did him in.

I just hate the sensation and don’t feel there’s any positive compensation for doing that,” he said. “I would have preferred doing the exact same maneu­vers in an actual aircraft.”

Ryan Consell, a local author, artist and engi-

neering researcher, first met Rader by chance

almost two years

Scout

at a pub during a gingerbread house- making event

almost two years ago. Along with

friend Charlotte Armstrong, the group diverged from a tradi-

tional design,choosing instead to build an All

Terrain Scout Transport from

Star Wars.

“It’s like the Kobayashi Maru scenario from Star Trek, when Captain Kirk had to face an unwinnable sce­nario just to see how he would handle it. These kinds of situ­ations teach us about how to deal with adversity.”

Given the opportunity to do it all again, Rader said he would jump at the chance.

“When can we start? What’s the challenge?”

So, what’s next for Rader? Hopefully, a trip to space.

“Going to Mars is my life­long dream,” he said. “My long-term goal is to apply for Mars One, the project where they send you one way to Mars for the rest of your life, but the first step is to get up there.”

As one of the top 20 candi­dates for a competition to fly 103 kilometres up to space with space tourism company SXC, Rader’s dream may be closer then even he realizes.

To vote to help send Andrew Rader to space, visit www. voteandre wtosp ace .com.

PHOTO BY WHITNEY SOUTHAndrew Rader was crowned Canada's Greatest Know-It-All in season two of the show, beating out nine other contestants (shown below with host Daniel Fathers, centre).

Consell said though he originally found Rader’s deci­sion to appear on reality TV surprising, everything made sense to him after hearing the name of the show.

“It was stressful to watch the show, I had to skip forward through the really dramatic bits,” he said. “The last epi­sode was very tense and they did a good job of making it unclear who was going to be the winner until the very end.”

After meeting Rader for the first time at a Star Wars doc­umentary screening in 2011, Charlotte Armstrong says she instantly knew the pair would be friends after he showed her a picture of his homemade Darth Vader costume.

'There was an instant kin­ship and he quickly became like family to me,” she said. “He helped give me the cour­age to accomplish my goals and his encouragement and advice made the community events I have co-ordinated even more awesome.”

When Rader first told her he had sent in an application, Armstrong said that although she knew he could easily win, she worried he would give someone else the chance because of his humility.

“Not only is Andrew one of the smartest people I know, but he also has such a great personality. I wanted the world to see just how awe­some he is.”

After the show wrapped up filming, it was another nine months before Rader’s friends and the rest of Canada would

know who would hold the title. When the announcement came Armstrong said she was impressed at her friend’s abil­ity to keep such a big secret under wraps for so long.

“Not only was I happy for Andrew’s triumph, I was also happy that since Andrew is an advocate for space science, there would be more oppor­tunity now to talk about the importance of the Canadian space science and human space flight to the public,” she said.

“Andrew is such an engag­ing and inspiring speaker and I was very excited about the opportunities he would now have with such a title.”

With the contest over and the cameras off, Rader said his overall experience taught him a lot about himself and the importance of keeping a level head during tense situations.

“Humans always learn more from failure than success,” he said. “We need to embrace failure as a learning experi­ence, and move on without loss of composure.”