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April 2014 VOL. 2 NO. 6

School to Introduce

Breathalyzers at Events

MGCI will now be conducting breatha-lyzer tests at outside of school functions such as prom and athletic banquet. This decision, made by the administra-tion, was a result of an increase in al-cohol-related incidents. Vice Principal Mr. Sharp said that “there was an issue at athletic banquet and semi last year. We decided to solve the issue.” These tests will be conducted upon entrance to the event for all students and throughout the event upon staff’s discretion as indicated in a Grade 12 as-sembly on 26 March. Both staff and students understand where the administration is coming from. Ms. Alam, the prom committee’s staff advisor, said that “as staff, and a parent, I feel that it is a wise choice.” She also said that “I’m sure the admin-istration will be just and fair.” Students that choose to show up in-toxicated will be kicked out of the event and their money will not be refunded. Mr. Sharp added: “We’re not let-ting one or two people ruin the event. We’ve had a student puke all over the table cloth and that’s detrimental to the pleasure of the event. My job is to make sure that people who want to have a good time, in the way that they’re sup-posed to have a good time at a school event, can do so.” Although agreeing with the policy, prom convener Mariam Shiekh notes that this can have an effect on event attendance. “This policy stops [drunk] people from coming there and creating chaos, but there are people that show up to events drunk. Still, it’s better to arrive sober than get kicked out drunk.” Grade 12 student Ryan Marks stated that “the policy makes sense but is in-trusive. I think the administration should have probable cause before test-ing a student.” ■

by SABRINA BERTSCH

See P4 for the full article

Keeping up with Garneau’s Badminton Teamby ERIC SU

With only one practice in February to kick off the start of the badminton season before their first game in March, Marc Garneau’s badminton team was at a slight disadvantage against the competi-tion. Booking the highly-demanded gym to practice for sports that are off-season is a nearly impossible task. However, the team has fared quite well. Marc Garneau’s badminton team played its sixth and final game on 31 March. The team has had one success-ful win against Forest Hill CI. The team came unbelievably close against Leaside High School, falling only one point short in a score of 17 to 18. Marc Garneau won 3 matches in their games against North Toronto CI and Northern Secondary School, and one match against Riverdale CI. When facing Lawrence Park CI, both the Boys’ Doubles and Girls’ Singles won their matches. However, the Mixed Dou-

bles pair’s undefeated streak ended. Five players from three categories will be moving on to the regional playoffs. These students include Grade 12s Alvin Janes, Kevin Tang, Nancy Wu, and Ed-win Lee, as well as Grade 10 Helen Ho. Both the Mixed Doubles pair, Edwin and Helen, and the Boys’ Doubles pair, Alvin and Kevin, have lost only one match. The Girls’ Singles has lost two matches. “Our hope is that the Boys’ Doubles and Girls’ Singles will make it on to the cities. We’re probably not sending any-one to OFSAA this year, but still, you never know,” said Mr. Jay, coach of the badminton team. Out of the seven teams in their di-vision, the badminton team is looking to finish in the fifth spot. Riverdale CI re-mains the strongest school within their division. However, Marc Garneau was the only school to have won a match

against Riverdale, who has otherwise re-mained undefeated in the season so far. Badminton team players are split into two categories: the A’s and the B’s, with the A’s generally being stronger players. Last year, all the A players were able to advance to the playoffs, and the Boys’ A’s Doubles went on further to OFSAA and won silver – the best result the school has seen so far. “The grade 12s are really the main players of the team,” said Helen Ho. This outlines one small crisis the bad-minton team is going to go through next year. The team currently consists of 24 players, the majority being Grade 9s and 10s, and it will be considerably hurt after losing the Grade 12s. Mr. Jay notes that next year will be a crucial year of rebuild-ing for the team. ■

Alvin Janes, part of Marc Garneau’s Boys Doubles A team, in a match

against Northern Secondary School. Photo: Christina Chen

A Second Look at Literacy

A Growing Music

Programby TIANYU LU

A new percussion course is set to start in MGCI for the upcoming school year. It will focus on the drum set, snare drum, and techniques for various per-cussion instruments. It may also in-troduce drums and techniques from a marching band. While the course is la-beled AMP201, a Grade 10 course, it is open to anyone. The suggested twenty person class cap size will allow stu-dents to take advantage of new equip-ment depending on how many people sign up and the school's budget. The course will be taught in a similar style as band class. Many students showed a willingness to take such a course, al-though they did not have the opportu-nity to do so before. “The percussion course is very ex-citing,” says Mr. Rakonjac, a mu-sic teacher at MGCI. “I think such a course is fitting for students' interests as shown by a 2013 poll taken by Music Council, and it will certainly brighten our school.” The course will primarily feature fast tempo and intensive pieces that demand skill and energy. New marching band percussion equipment set for twenty students costs at least $25,000 at roughly $1000 per drum. It is also possible to run a percussion course without drum-line equipment as a major part of percussion is the snare drum.

See DRUMS COURSE on P4

Project Fix Garneau

Project Fix Garneau is a new club to MGCI with the goal of improving the quality of the school through various projects. The first official meeting was held on Monday 31 March. Though the posters advertising the club had wel-comed students to join on 24 March, the meeting was cancelled and postponed to the following week. This club originally began as an ini-tiative for fixing the bleachers outside of the school. They are currently over-ridden with weeds, broken in multiple locations, and cluttered with litter. The combination of these factors renders the bleachers unsafe for use; a student could trip or fall at any time while on the bleachers. Due to this concern, Farahnosh Hashimi, the president of the club, took the initiative to create a club that would deal with the problem. Though the club was originally created with the inten-tion of fixing the bleachers in the field,

it was decided that it would expand its work to benefit the school in more ways than one. Farahnosh said that “in order for us to get noticed, we decided to start with a small project.” Project Fix Garneau’s first project will be to improve the quality of the mirrors in the school washrooms. After this is accomplished, they plan on completing larger-scale projects, such as repairing the bleachers. These initiatives will re-quire a substantial budget, and the club plans on obtaining this money by fund-raising within the school. In addition, the executives plan on working with the club to apply for grants from large cor-porations that are willing to support the school.

If any student has recommendations re-garding future projects, they are strongly encouraged to request these changes to Project Fix Garneau. The club is open to new members and meets on Mondays at lunch in Room 324. ■

by DEIFILIA TO

A follow-up to the first article on P3

Garneau turned off its lights on Friday 28 March in cel-ebration of World Wild-life Fund’s annual Earth Hour event. Since starting in 2008, Toronto’s partici-pation in the event has de-clined. This year, Toronto Hydro noted only a 6% (178 MW) drop in power usage between 8:30-9:30pm on Saturday. The greatest de-crease occurred in 2009, with a 15% (445 MW) drop. ■

EARTHHOURMGCI

Project Fix Garneau hopes to be able to move onto larger projects such as repairing the bleachers.

Photo: Abigail Chau

Ventilation Broken on Second Floor: Replacement

Months Overdue

First Floor Second Floor Third Floor

A map of the school indicating air quality in different rooms and floors. The definition of “adequate” fresh air is that set by TDSB standards.

Photo: Jackie Ho

www.thereckoner.ca

Gemini: You have a lot of thoughts buzzing around in your head. On a clear night this month, go star-

gazing to clear your mind. Look up into the sky. Continue

looking. Don’t stop. Ever. Contemplate your existence.

Cancer: This month you will find your perfect prom dress! Find your perfect prom dress or else! Every-

one must find their perfect prom dress! Everyone.

Leo: This week you will want a chocolate bar while walking home from school. If you choose to

go into a store to buy one, y o u will witness a robbery and be framed! The jury will have been bribed and will decide that you are guilty and will sentence you to life in prison. The chocolate bar will have been delicious. Choose wisely.

Virgo: On a Thursday night not far from now you will hear a slithering sound as you are falling asleep. As

you decide whether or not t o go look you will hear the sound again. It’s best to be cautious and stay in your bed. Don’t even look.

Libra: A close friend may seem preoccupied with other things today. They will not explain their odd

behaviour to you, so be pa-tient and wait for the truth to

come out–it may surprise you (not say-ing it’s aliens, but it’s probably aliens).

Scorpio: If you have been bogged down with school work lately, you are in luck. Two days from now

the stars will align in such a way that your homework has

a 50% chance of magically being done by house elves while you sleep. Set your

unfinished work by the window and hope that the odds are in your favour.

Sagittarius: Be wary of cracks in the pavement. Next time you step on one, it will expand into a mas-

sive crevice that will split the earth in two in a matter of seconds.

Capricorn: You will meet a tall, mysterious stranger. His name is Fred and he would like to be friends.

Aquarius: If you ride the subway next Tuesday you will unwittingly be inducted into the Mafia

while traveling towards Bloor-Yonge Subway Station.

Though filled with danger your life now holds the potential to be extremely ful-filling and prosperous. If becoming a crime boss is not your thing, take the bus.

Pisces: Choose a word, any word. Repeat it over and over again until it has lost all of its meaning and

sounds alien in your mouth. This is the secret to true happiness.

Aries: Next time you walk by a tennis court you will be hit with a radioactive ten-nis ball. You will develop

an extreme skill at tennis and immediately go pro. How-

ever your new powers will fade after exactly one week, cutting your career short. You will be forever immortalized as the best tennis player ever.

Taurus: On your way to the grocery store this weekend, you will pass trees that are so delighted by the warm-

ing weather that they will up-root themselves and tag along on your walk.

April 2014P2 VOL. 2 NO. 6

LIFE

In one universe, she is a child sobbing her tiny heart out. She perches at the brink of two separate paths and there is no way to go but forward.

In one universe, she is a crone breathing the last of her breaths. She hears the echoes of bygone memories and clings to the sight of her fading family.

In one universe, she is a pirate screaming in rage at the ruins of her ship. She swears vengeance and murder, she curses and roars, “they will pay, they will pay, they will pay.”

In one universe, she is an abbess praying for the lost, the wandering, the dying—her children. She stands and promises those hungry eyes that there is always hope for a better day.

In one universe, she is an ant toiling under the burdens of queen and community. She surveys her ever-moving, ever-work-ing kingdom, and at once she is strengthened again.

In one universe, she is an angel wings burning as she falls from the heavens. She lands in a lake of starry waters and when she stands, she is torn but perfect once more.

In one universe—in all the universes—she is small, she is scared, she is wrathful, she is powerful, she is great. She is fanciful and hopeful, down to earth and cynical, and she loves and hates. She is talented, she is mediocre, she is loud, she is shy, she sleeps, and she breathes, and she dies. She is nothing but slave to the ignorant and the grey, and one day everything she is will be okay. ■

She Isby WANRU ZHANG

SETTHEORYBY MARA GAGIU

smotherby ananna rafa

Horoscope

The Reckonerof Marc Garneau C.I.

EDITOR IN CHIEFKASRA KOUSHAN

NEWS MANAGER &DEPUTY EDITOR IN CHIEF

SABRINA BERTSCH

LIFE MANAGERVASILI MANIKAS

EDITORIAL MANAGERALIE TEACHMAN

DIRECTOR OF PRINT DEVELOPMENT

SUSIE LIU

BUSINESS MANAGERLILY SONG

MEDIA MANAGERJACKIE HO

DIRECTOR OF WEB DEVELOPMENT

QUINCY LAM

STAFF MEMBERSABIGAIL CHAUANANNA RAFABOBBY CHIANG

BOSHEN CUICATHY ZHANG

CHRISTINA CHENCINDY CUI

CINDY ZENGCLAIRE HAMILTON

CLARENCE LAMDAVID HAO

DAVID TANGDEIFILIA TO

ERIC SUFARZEEN SALEHEEN

FRIEDA RONGGABRIEL IP

HENRY HEINDRANEEL SARKAR

JOY WANGKAARTHIC PULOGARAJAH

KAI HUANGKEVIN JIANG

KHADIJA AZIZMARA GAGIU

MICHELLE YEUNGNAWAL ALIM

NICHOLAS BLAKENOOR MAHSHELA QIU

SOPHIA SONGTAKHLIQ AMIR

TIANYI MATOM WEI

VAIBHAV SINGHVALIANT CHANWANRU ZHANG

YANING TAN

APPRENTICESADELA LAMCINDY ZENG

DAVID LIDAVID LU

EMMA WHEATONEVA LIU

JENNA WONGKASHIFA AHMED

MORRIS CHENNICHOLAS VADIVELUPARNIKA GODKHINDI

REBECCA WONGRILING CHEN

RYAN LINSHERRIE CHENG

SOPHIA LIUTIANYU LU

UPAL RUSHDEE-HAQUEYILIN ZHU

www.thereckoner.ca

EDITORIAL

April 2014 P3VOL. 2 NO. 6

Do you have a response to an article in this issue? Make your voice heard! Contact us at editor@thereckoner.ca.

Several weeks ago, The Reckoner pub-lished an opinion editorial examining low literacy scores at MGCI. The author summarized our school’s literacy statis-tics, and briefly analyzed the cross-cur-ricular assignments in place for the sake of improving literacy. Following that ar-ticle, we sat down for an interview with Mr. White, head of the literacy curricu-lum at MGCI, to try to shed some further light on how the school was tackling the literacy problem, as well as the purpose of the cross-curricular assignments. Literacy initiatives currently in place at the school are diagnostic tests, after-school literacy classes, cross-curricular assignments, and the Ontario Literacy Course (OLC) for students who have written the test either once or twice with-out passing. Students first write the Canadian Achievement Test 4 (CAT 4) in Grade 9, then a diagnostic for the Ontario Second-ary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) con-sisting of OSSLT-type multiple choice questions in Grade 10, and based on these assessments, students in need of assistance in preparing for the OSSLT are identified. In the past, a second di-agnostic was administered in February to Grade 10s, consisting of a newspaper report or essay. However, marking all 400 essays or news reports proved diffi-cult. The task was handled by the literacy head, teacher volunteers, and a supply teacher hired by Ms. Goldenberg, mak-

ing the diagnostic both costly and taxing on teacher volunteers. “What they failed to recognize is that cross curricular exercises are the way to go,” commented Mr. White, as he explained why the second OSSLT diag-nostic was replaced by cross-curricular assignments this year. “Cross-curricular literacy is mandated by the Ministry of Education for all District School Boards to implement. The idea is that literacy is a part of every course, every grade. The Toronto District School Board has also mandated it; as such, as employees of the TDSB, we have to follow that through.” Regarding complaints from students about having to write cross-curricular assignments despite having passed the literacy test, Mr. White explained that the assignments are being administered because the OSSLT only tests students on literacy up to the Grade 9 level. The literacy assignments are therefore also meant to continue exercising the literacy skills of students past the Grade 9 level. “We have literacy problems in our Grade 10s, Grade 11s, and Grade 12s as well. From what I understand our prin-cipal has said this year, ‘Listen, we’ve got such a problem in all grades and we also hear feedback from the universities that students graduating Grade 12 and enter-ing university don’t have the skills they feel that they should have for university.’ The kind of opinion paragraph you write in Grade 12 doesn’t have to be as simplis-

tic as the one I would have my Grade 9s and 10s write. Following the diagnostics, students in need of assistance are invited to attend after-school literacy classes to help pre-pare them for the OSSLT. One class is run Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday for Grade 9s and 10s, and another on Tues-days after school for Grade 11s and 12s. “It’s been a great success in many re-spects in that we always have a full class-room. However, we also have a lot of kids who aren’t showing up that should be. I can’t reach those kids, so another way of doing that is through cross-curricular lit-eracy.” Regarding students who did attend the after-school literacy classes, how-ever, Mr. White felt that they experi-enced a great improvement. “Last year we did see a big improvement, a lot of kids passed. Not all of them did, but a lot of them, particularly the ones that came on a regular basis. Last year, the week before the test, all of a sudden, tons of kids show up, like they were going to learn it in two days. And we can’t start to teach what you’re going to have to do over a two and a half hour period, over a couple of days.” In late March, all eligible Grade 10 students as well as Grade 11s and Grade 12s who have not previously passed the literacy test write the OSSLT. In the past, students who seemed too unprepared for the literacy test were deferred, which

boosted the school’s literacy scores sig-nificantly, with a high of 90% in 2006. Currently however, only students who have not yet passed ESL D, or who have special needs, are deferred. The decision to defer students is made by the principal and the special education department. “This changed when Ms. Goldenberg arrived. She has a different philosophy. I can’t speak for her, but from what I’ve heard, her view is ‘Let’s get everybody writing. Everybody who is eligible should write. We don’t want to hot-mask our numbers.’ For the most part, students are included and if they need extra time they’re given extra time and if they need assisted technology they’re given it. The goal is for everyone who should be writ-ing to be writing.” Students who fail to pass the literacy test the first time they write it are eligible to take the OLC, which is an open literacy course, instead; one of the two must be completed in order for students to grad-uate. In the past, students had to have taken the OSSLT twice and failed both times before being eligible to take the OLC. Although this policy has now been changed, Mr. White encourages students to write the OSSLT twice if they can. “We prefer that they take it a second time, because they’re going to get better at it. It’s also to get that credit in two and a half hours rather than five months, or spending an entire summer, five days a week.”

Mr. White acknowledged that Marc Garneau CI, as a school in a community primarily composed of new immigrants, inherently encounters a greater chal-lenge when it comes to literacy. But he noted that the scores of Grade 9 and 10 students have been improving in recent years, and attributed part of this success to the instruction received by students at the middle school level. While cross-curricular assignments sound like a good way to bolster liter-acy skills, attending after-school literacy classes seems to be the most effective way of improving student literacy. Prac-tice and repetition are important, how-ever equally valuable is specific guidance and feedback from teachers, which only the after-school course can provide. Mr. White brings up a good point; attend-ing an after-school session a few times a week and writing a two and a half hour long exam seems much more appealing than spending an entire semester or an entire summer in a literacy course. The benefit of saving valuable time and effort should be more emphasized to students, especially as the surge of after-school lit-eracy class students nearing the OSSLT exam date suggests that students do care about passing the exam. With an issue so broad, it’s difficult to distill the solution down to one simple approach. However, while looking at alternative routes, we shouldn’t give up on the promising tools already at our disposal. ■

The Literacy Problem: Causes and Current Endeavoursby SUSIE LIU

Over the past decade, university tui-tion fees have risen to a record high in Canada, at a rate three times that of in-flation. In 1990, university tuition fees, adjusted for inflation, were on average just over $2000 a year. Today, a year in university in Canada costs on average just over $6000. In Ontario, the most expensive province for a university edu-cation, the price is $8000 a year. But that’s not all. This figure, pro-vided by Statistics Canada, is just the cost of tuition – the cost of simply at-tending the university. Adding living costs such as rent, food, books, and transportation, the cost of attending university is upwards of $11 000 a year. One year at the University of Toronto costs around $20 000. Ryerson Uni-versity estimates that a one year tour on their campus costs close to $22 000. Throughout Ontario, these numbers are not much better. And don’t get comfort-able yet – the price of a post secondary education is expected to rise even more. As a student, I see no problem in paying for my education. Universities have costs and expenses that they need to pay, and it’s logical that they pay for these expenses through tuition fees from students who use their facilities. What’s unreasonable to me is that a university education costs more than I can make in a year. The amount that is being forced onto university students is illogical and unreasonable. How is a university student, with little work ex-perience and little time to work going to find $20 000 a year to give to their university? At the end of their four years in uni-versity, students walk out having spent more than $80 000, owing an average of $25 000 in the form of student loans that will take most of them more than 10 years to pay off.

Of course, there’s financial aid for students. But it’s not nearly enough. In Ontario, the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) pays for 30% of all tui-tion fees. But OSAP only pays for 30% of the tuition fees - the estimated $8000, not the entire $20 000 that students must muster up. Government grants and scholarships exist, but for most stu-dents, this won’t be able to cover all of their costs. Students can take up part time jobs, but this may come at a cost to their grades. The more time they spend on work, the less time and energy they have for their studies. At the end of the day, students must cover the gap between what they can pay and what they must pay, a gap that is increasing at an unprecedented rate, by taking up student loans. In 1995, the average student debt was just $15 000. In just 10 years, this figure has nearly doubled. Why are tuition fees so high? The root of this problem lies in university spending. Over the past decade, enrol-ment has increased dramatically. Ac-cording to the Association of Univer-sities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), the number of full time undergradu-ates has increased by nearly 44% since 2000. Canadian institutions have dealt with the increased population with in-creased spending, hiring more staff and expanding facilities. At the same time, Canadian universities are faced with the cost of improving their programs in order to attract students and compete with more renowned US institutions such as Harvard and Yale. However, despite the increase in university students and the subsequent increased spending, government fund-ing towards institutions has remained steady, as the government battles a re-cession with spending cuts. With no fi-

nancial support from the government, universities have pushed their costs onto students through tuition fee hikes. There’s a problem with university spending, but forcing the costs onto students is not the solution. Institutions have been saving themselves at the expense of students - and it’s causing more harm then good. Without a doubt, rising tuition fees are taking a toll on the population. Graduating students are saddled with enormous amounts of debt that they struggle to pay off. Many students are discouraged from pursuing their career path by financial costs. Parents are sac-rificing their pensions and retirement plans in order to fund their children’s degree. The Canadian government is losing more and more money handing out loans that students can’t pay back. In 2010, the amount of money owed to the Canadian Government in student loans surpassed $15 billion. There’s no doubt that an university education is still a valuable, and in many cases necessary, asset. The fed-eral government estimates that 75% of jobs created in the next decade will require some form of post-secondary education. Studies have shown that uni-versity and college graduates earn much higher incomes and experience more stable employment compared to work-ers with no post-secondary education. It’s unreasonable that students have to pay more and more for something that is becoming increasingly required in so-ciety. Access to education should not be so limited by its price tag. ■

Apprentice David Li contributed to this piece.

Like a Muffin in the Oven

by BOSHEN CUI

The College Board has announced that it will be introducing major changes to the SAT, the standardized test used by many undergraduate admissions offices across the United States. The new test will be implemented in 2016; changes include reducing the 2400 point system back to 1600, not deducting marks for incor-rect answers, disallowing calculators on the math portion, narrowing vocabulary words to those most likely used in the college level, and making the essay por-tion optional. Currently the test is com-posed of three sections, each totalling 800 points: Math, Reading (comprehen-sion), and Writing (grammar and essay). These changes have been expected for a while as the SAT has been criticized for test questions that felt disjointed from a typical high school education. The pop-ularity of the SAT exam has also been decreasing relative to another standard-ized test accepted for admissions—the ACT. Finally, there has been a question of whether or not the College Board’s standardized testing is truly equitable for students from all backgrounds. The changes to the SAT are a welcome step in the right direction, but it’s tough to say if they will make a significant dif-ference in the long run. Several of the changes, in my opinion, have been a long time coming. The SAT is notorious for its vocabulary testing, pressuring some students to study for months to memorize endless lists of dif-ficult words. Students rarely come across the majority of the vocabulary, and they are unlikely to use any of it after taking the test. Although the exam will become eas-ier than it is today, students will still be tested just as much on their problem solving skills. Disallowing calculators will test the true arithmetic capabilities of each student. And if students get an

incorrect answer by working through the problem manually, it seems reasonable not to deduct points for wrong answers in the new format. The essay section has always been a headache for many students. With so many essays to mark, test graders are looking for very specific elements in an essay. Essays will score higher if they are longer, use higher level vocabulary, make certain connections, and if they make use of quotations from prominent figures in history, according to Les Perelman, SAT tutor and director of writing at MIT. Nail these elements, and you will do well, but writing creatively and not following con-ventions will result in a low score. It’s also tough to write an essay in 25 min-utes—the change will lengthen the essay time to 50 minutes. Making the essay optional provides students more control over their score, not having the essay drag them down if they are uncomfort-able writing it. The most difficult issue to address is that of levelling the playing field for stu-dents who don’t have the resources or finances to take the SAT. The College Board will be waiving fees for financially burdened students and is partnering with Khan Academy to provide free resources online, but students who pay for individ-ual SAT prep courses may still have an advantage taking the test. These courses may cost hundreds of dollars, creating an industry grown around standardized test prep. Students from low-income families also have less time to study if they are forced to hold up a job, or take on extra responsibilities at home. I truly hope these changes will allow the opportunity for more students to take the test. Only time will tell if these changes make an impact. While we wait, I’m going back to studying those vocabulary lists. ■

SAT 2016by JACKIE HO

The Rise of University Tuition CostsNew Format, New Standards

SAC PROGRESS REPORTVisit the www.thereckoner.ca this week for an infographic review of SAC’s delivery on their campaign promises thus far in the year.

www.thereckoner.ca Please recycle

April 2014VOL. 2 NO. 6P4

NEWS

Photos by Jackie Ho and Susie LiuFor more Humans of Garneau, visit www.thereckoner.ca/cate-gory/hog/

“What’s your favourite thing about each other?”

“Go with your gut.”

Students may have noticed that the air on the second floor of MGCI feels dif-ferent from that of the other floors. The air exchange system for the older parts of the second floor have been broken for the past seven months. The ventilation system is responsible for replacing stale indoor air with fresh air from outside. Garneau was built as an enclosed space with windows that do not open, which increases the importance of an operational air exchange system. With the air flow broken, the air on most of the second floor, not including the English and French rooms, is not being shifted or replaced. This results in poor air quality as the air is either too hot or

too cold. In addition to creating heavy, dense, and stale air, the broken air exchange also has health implications. Parts of the school are only receiving half of the ox-ygen that they are supposed to receive by the TDSB’s Health and Safety stan-dards. Teachers on the second floor of the school have reported being unhappy about the lack of air flow. They have ex-perienced symptoms such as headaches, drowsiness, fatigue, and nosebleeds. Older people are more susceptible to health problems, but students are af-fected as well. However, no attempts to notify students or parents about this issue have been made. When given this

information, Grade 10 student Sherrie Cheng commented that “the school isn’t doing enough to make Garneau ‘safe’ ac-cording to TDSB standards, I mean, 50% is a big difference.” This issue was brought to our teachers’ attention completely by chance. A tech-nician was working on the ventilation system in Mr. Mirza’s second floor class-room and needed to access the ceiling panels. He then realized that the piece of equipment that controls the ducts on the second floor was not operating. These ducts are responsible for distributing air to different parts of the building. In previous school years, this control unit would turn on and off every so often,

but it has not been on since September. The technician stated that the device was outdated and should have been replaced a decade ago. Some of the devices on the third floor of the school may also be mal-functioning. Mr. Jan, a representative of the On-tario Secondary School Teacher’s Feder-ation (OSSTF) who works at MGCI, has been working at the school since 1989. He said that this has “always been an is-sue for as long as I have been here. The building has never had a fully function-ing air conditioning or heating system that worked constantly.” The ventilation system have been re-paired many times over the years, but

these repairs were only temporary – it reportedly would have cost thousands of dollars to fix the system completely. Mr. Mirza said that this cost “is nothing com-pared to people’s health.” Emails have been sent by the school administration and teachers to the TDSB and OSSTF Health and Safety depart-ments, so both organizations are aware of this problem. It has been acknowl-edged as a major concern, but nothing has been done about it. The TDSB is responsible for the repairs to the air ex-change system, but it has a long list of repair jobs, and it is therefore not known when the board will reach MGCI’s stale air problem. ■

Ventilation System Broken on Second Floorby REBECCA WONG

Skills Canada Regionals

Sixteen students from Marc Garneau CI competed in the Skills Canada Regionals competition on 25 March 2014. Held at MGCI from 8 am to 4 pm, the event in-cluded categories ranging from Graphic Design and Studio Production to 3D Character Animation. Skills Canada is a national, nonprofit organization that aims to encourage the youth of Canada to pursue careers in the skilled trades and technologies. To achieve this, the organization hosts the national Skills Canada Competition annually. Leading up to the national competition are a series of regional and provincial competitions hosted by each Canadian province and territory, the winners of which then move on to the national event. The areas of competition at the an-nual Skills Canada Competition are sep-arated into six sectors: construction, employment, information technology, manufacturing, services, and transpor-tation. The potential jobs range from hairstyling to technical design. Mr. Welch, the coordinator of this event and MGCI teacher, stressed the

importance of these competitions for students. “It is an opportunity for stu-dents to challenge themselves, to see their skill level in comparison to others. As well, they often meet people from dif-ferent professions there who are looking for students with these skills, so this is a great opportunity for students to show-case their talents and abilities,” he said. Of the sixteen Garneau students who participated, eleven won medals. Grade 12 Nabeel Ahsen, who won a silver medal for Graphic Design and Stu-dio Production, had to complete a poster layout, web banner, and t-shirt design, all relating to a Travel Agency company, within a time limit of five hours. He finds Skills Canada to be “extremely impor-tant to secondary students as it allows them to explore their talents outside of the academics.” He also said that “most student don't realize that university will not guarantee you a sustainable job with a steady in-come. The demand for technical skills is far greater. Auto mechanics, engineers, barbers, horticulture technicians, and electricians are desperately needed cur-

rently and in the future.” Adam Kheireddine, a Grade 12 stu-dent who competed in 3D Character Animation, said: “I believe the Skills Canada competition is helpful not only because it gives Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) students a taste of what real graphics animation is, but it also teaches them how to work as a team to score gold.” While many felt that the students of Garneau performed admirably, the same could not be said of the school’s equipment. “I don’t think we can im-prove anymore than we already have, but we need better computers for the competitions because almost everyone’s computer crashed,” said Safwan Samsu-deen, Grade 12, who also competed in 3D Character Animation. “I don’t think it’s the students, I think it’s our equipment. I try very hard to up-date our equipment, but a lot of the stuff that students from other schools are working with is much more powerful, and that’s where we fall down, and it’s our fault,” said Mr. Welch. ■

by TAKHLIQ AMIR

Mentor of the Monthby SOPHIA SONG

Rashad Brugmann has been named the MGCI Mentor of the Month. MGCI Mentors is an initiative that took off this year that is both co-founded and co-chaired by JiaRui Pu in Grade 12 and Lola Wazir in Grade 11. The program allows junior students to be paired with senior students by placing senior men-tors in Grade 9 classes during their spare period. MGCI Mentors encourages learning in a positive and supportive setting. The club aims to create a sense of together-ness and community. “Mentors and students are interacting really well and they both seem to benefit from each other,” commented JiaRui.

“We have seen some really enthusiastic individuals who have taken the initia-tive on many levels to create a sense of community for the students.” The role of a mentor includes engag-ing the students, offering a senior per-spective while sharing their own experi-ences, and above all, being a friend. The Mentor of the Month is chosen by teacher recommendations. Rashad, a Grade 12 student, volunteered to be-come a mentor in early September when the program was taking off. “I have a number of mentors in my life who have really guided me through tough times and helped me with my per-sonal development,” said Rashad. “I’d

like to pay that forward to others.” He added that he liked to connect with the Grade 9s in his classes. “Being a mentor is more taxing that you’d initially think. I’m already pretty busy and it takes a lot of energy to be engaging students for a whole period. Sometimes it can be really tough to con-nect with students too, and that feels awkward.” MGCI Mentors is experiencing a short-age of mentors with increasing demand. If you are interested in becoming a men-tor, e-mail mgcimentoring@gmail.com. Likewise, teachers are encouraged to consider introducing the program into their classrooms. ■

With MGCI’s diverse music courses, which include band, vocals, guitar, and now percussion, there is one type of musical instrument missing - strings. With many students coming from mid-dle schools that have both band and strings classes, students' development in strings is often dropped once they en-ter MGCI. “The problems with a strings program are that we don’t have enough space for storage of the instruments, and there are the high costs of buying and maintaining the instruments,” says Mr. Rakonjac. The price for string in-struments ranges from $500 to $1700 each, while the cost for percussion

equipment ranges from $400 to $1000 each, depending on what instruments are used. Yamaha Canada did a short workshop with Grade 9 Band students in November 2013, instructed by drum-mer Micheal Beauclerc. When asked why school funds are go-ing to a percussion program instead of a strings program, Mr. Rakonjac said: “We did a survey last year and the interest in a strings program from the students was relatively minimal and the interest for a percussion course was relatively high. A percussion course can be easily blended with a band course and there’s room for possible growth.” One reason why Gar-

neau students do not show great inter-est for a strings program may be that they were not given the opportunity to be exposed to a strings program in ear-lier years. The possibility of a new strings course in MGCI is very slim if anything; however, students with experience can join the Toronto Symphony Youth Or-chestra. As of now, the focus at Garneau is on maintaining the three existing courses and introducing a new percus-sion course for the 2014-2015 school year. ■

MGCI Gets New Drums CourseDRUMS COURSEContinued from P1

“She makes me be better, at school, and as a person.”“He brings out the FOB in me; I can be as goofy as I want, and he doesn’t care.”

A new percussion course was offered by the music department for course selection in February. Photo: Noor Mah

The locker on the left was filled with photos of them together. The locker on the right was filled with handwritten sticky notes.“We have a lot of inside jokes.”