were shed!

To spice the day up a little more, a small dance was held during lunch, and many lead-ers and students danced along-side amateur football players, who were also students from another school. Although, many students were shy to dance, many had fun just watching the few that showed off some moves.

Thanks to the Romero lead-ers and the staff members that helped make the grade nine students feel welcome.

By Daryl James Fonacier

As the new students arrived, Romero leaders greeted them with smiles and enthusiasm. To kick off the first day of high school, stu-dents participated in Grade Nine Orientation activities, which included a scavenger-hunt.

In order to make the grade nine students feel more wel-come, Romero organized ‘Terrific Thursdays’ (trivia games were played such as Name That Tune) and the Ter-

ry Fox walk/dance.

The grade nine students were also welcomed to Romero with much energy, team work, and team spirit. Students from grade nine participated in Student Activ-ity Day. Everyone played sports: soccer, dodge-ball, volleyball, ultimate-Frisbee, tug-of-war, and soccer-baseball. All the fun activities that students were participat-ing in resulted in much ex-citement and physical activi-ty, maybe even a few pounds

ROMERO RUNS/WALKS IN HONOUR OF TERRY FOX

By Ana Villegas

On Friday, September 21, 2012, the school had its annu-al Terry Fox Run/Walk. This school-wide event was facili-tated by Ms. Araujo and Mr. Cassano. Students from all grade levels ran, walked, and cycled 5 km around the com-munity. Other events that occurred that day were the

grade 9 welcome dance, the barbeque, and the Raptors Fan Zone. The school raised a total of $3,835. Steven Sealy and Ruben Borba were the top two students — raising $200 and $140, respectively. Ms. Presotto’s first period class raised $357 and Ms. Tra-monte’s second period class raised $337.

The school has been do-ing the walk/run since 2003 and has raised a total of $28, 000 over the years, helping to raise funds for cancer research. Terry Fox remains an inspiration to all!

Overall, the walk/run was a success. According to Mr. Cassano, “It went be-yond our expectations.”

The Romero Reader

THE ROMERO READER

IN THIS ISSUE : Grade 9 Welcome

Terry Fox Walk/Run

U of T Philosophy Credit

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Sorting at NYH Food Bank

Academic Awards

Trip to Downey Farm

Romero Clubs

Christianity in Action Awards

CSUNA

We Day

Visit to Local 183

We Day / Free The Children

Take Our Kids to Work Day

BBPA Conference

Trees For Life

Romero Raiders

Romero Art

Review

Anti-Bullying Awareness

Editorial

Tips

November 2012 Issue No. 1

EXCITING NEWS ! Students taking the Grade 12 Philosophy Course next semes-ter will have the opportunity to earn a half-credit from the Uni-versity of Toronto Philosophy Department. Thanks to this newly established partnership between the TCDSB, The Uni-versity of Toronto and Archbish-op Romero CSS, our students will prepare for the realities of the university environment while simultaneously earning both credits. Students will be provid-ed with access to all U of T li-braries and will be visiting vari-ous downtown campuses. The half-credit is also transferable to other GTA universities. We are excited and proud to offer this new program.

ROMERO LEADERS PULL IN NEW STUDENTS!

By Ana Villegas

A group of Romero stu-dents in the Duke of Edin-burgh's Award Program were invited to attend a special breakfast on Thursday, Octo-ber 11, 2012.

The guest speaker was Brendan Caldwell, president and CEO of Caldwell Invest-ment Management Ltd. Brendan was part of the Duke of Ed Program when he was a high school student. He spoke about his learning experiences and memories as a student in the program.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Program began in 1956 with the purpose of encouraging youth to take challenges and rewarding them for their results. Stu-dents need to meet goals in four different areas: Commu-nity Service, Skill Develop-ment, Physical Recreation, and Adventurous Journey.

The highlight of the event was when two grade twelve Romero students were pre-sented with their Bronze award. Congratulations to Rony Aleman and Miguel Alves!

positive attitude, team work, and hardworking spirit.

In the first half of 2012, the quantity of food distributed was well above last year’s amount. Unfortunately, the demand keeps rising, indicating an increase of families in need.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH’S AWARD BREAKFAST

ROMERO GETS INVOLVED

expiration dates); the second group placed these food items into boxes according to spe-cific categories such as baby food, beans, pasta, etc. The items were then ready to be placed in the NYHFB’s pick-up area for its clients or to be distributed to other locations to serve other communities

across the GTA.

Archbishop Romero stu-dent volunteers donated 30 lbs. of food as each one of them was asked to donate least one non-perishable food item. They sorted 113 boxes and over 2000 lbs. of food. The NYHFB staff was very impressed with Romero’s

By Patricia Eve Elizan

On October 16, 2012, twenty five students from Archbishop Romero, super-vised by Ms. Lopes and Ms. Galati, went to the NYHFB (North York Harvest Food Bank) sorting session from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

The primary objective of the food bank is to provide self-respecting food assistance and support to the members of the northern community. It also promotes awareness and knowledge about hunger and its repercussions in the greater community.

The students assisted with sorting the food that is donat-ed by the public. The students were divided into two groups: one which ensured food security (to ensure that the food items were within the best-before dates and

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 2

CONGRATULATIONS !

Ms. Scarsella on her marriage on October 20, 2012.

Mr. Nguyen on the birth of his second daughter, Bianca, on September 23, 2012.

Mr. Sgrignoli on the birth of his third son, Adrian, on October 15, 2012.

Also worthy of mention is Larissa Noel, a Romero graduate and Silver Award recipient who has been selected for the new Duke of Ed record book cover!

wagon through pumpkin patches and vegetable fields. Go-carting and building scarecrows finished off the day. As the fun-filled day finally came to a close, the students boarded the bus, with pump-kins in hand and fond memo-ries of Downey Farm.

By Ms. Kolpakow A group of Romero stu-dents trekked through the Caledon Hills to celebrate the autumn harvest at Downey Farm. The sun was shining and the jackets came off as the students took part in a variety of activities. They wandered through a corn maze and a haunted house, and rode on a

ROMERO AT DOWNEY FARM

Ms. Maselli-Jackman.

Ms. Perkins-Ball and Mr. Kelly were the masters of ceremony for the Junior Awards, and Mr. Connolly and Ms. Wizniewski hosted the Senior Awards.

Although many students received awards, a special honour was given to each of the following students: Kim Hoang who attained the high-est average in grade 9 (91.5%), Maria Jose Gaitan

Ruiz who achieved the highest average in grade 10 (89.4%), and Juan Acosta who acquired the highest average in grade 11 (90.63%).

“The purpose of the Aca-demic Awards’ ceremony is to celebrate and honour the academic achievements and excellence, as well as the hard work and perseverance of our students,” said Ms. Man-darello. It is important to also acknowledge the many stu-

PAGE 3 THE ROMERO READER

By Ana Villegas

The Junior and Senior Academic Awards, facilitated by Ms. Mandarello, were held on October 25 and 26, 2012. Parents of the award recipi-ents were invited to the re-spective ceremony, which was followed by a reception in the library. The awards were given by the school’s principal: Mr. Russiello, and the vice principals: Mr. Sanborn and

dents who worked hard and achieved good grades, but did not receive an award. Contin-ue to work hard!

A special thank you to Bianca Firth, a former student at Archbishop Romero and a current York University stu-dent, for speaking at the sen-ior awards. Her inspiring words were warmly received by our students. She contin-ues to be a positive role mod-el in her community.

CELEBRATING ROMERO ’S ATHLETES OF THE MIND

By Anaiz Mora

Many exciting opportuni-ties have been available to students with a wide-variety of interests. There is a club at Romero for everyone!

The band is striving for number one in the annual “Trills and Thrills Music Competition” at Cana-da’sWonderland. “We’re practicing really hard; hope-fully we’ll impress the judges. It’s in June, so we have time,” says member, Lamar Nedd. For our Remembrance Day celebration, the band played beautifully over the PA.

The dance club is also aiming for the number one position in an upcoming dance competition. “We are learning new choreography for a dance competition against other schools in the district. It’s called BYOB (Bring Your Own Beat). We’re really pumped for it,” says Priscilla Avanzado. Ms. Araujo explained, “We have two professional choreogra-phers. One works with the group on Mondays, and the other on Tuesdays.”

The anime club, founded by students in 2010, is raising money for a trip to an anime

convention. “We’re trying to hold a movie night to raise money for Anime North. We will also be selling popcorn and drinks. It will take place in the library or cafeteria,” said Cassandra Arthur.

Stone Soup Cooking has begun. The top 24 students were selected, and now de-veloping their skills for the cooking competition at the end of the year. Good luck!

Don’t forget to grab your breakfast at our breakfast club Monday-Friday at 7:45 a.m. Be early — it closes at 8:20 a.m.

prepare for this event, Ms. Scarsella’s team of students, Robert Helseth, Soraya Is-samene, Renata Menendez, and Quintin Mohammed, have been preparing by hold-ing mock debates and re-searching extensively on the countries they are represent-

By Ana Villegas

Students involved in CSU-NA (Catholic Schools United Nations Assembly) have the opportunity to learn more about global issues, such as the world economy and for-eign policy, and to develop debating skills. In order to

ing: Bosnia and Herzogovina, Cape Verde, and Tonga.

CSUNA will be held on November 21, 22, and 23 2012 at the Catholic Educa-tion Centre.

ROMERO CLUBS

ROMERO’S FUTURE AMBASSADORS

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 4

ENRICHMENT

PROGRAM’S

NEW LOGO

By Ana Villegas

Ms. Pimentel’s grade 11 and 12 classes took on the challenge of updating the Enrichment Program logo. This was a required course assignment and contest. The winner was Mathew Esteves who received two movie passes with popcorn. Con-gratulations Mathew!

By Mr. Zambri

On October 12, 2012, thirty Romero stu-dents attended the Labourer’s International Union of North America (LIUNA), Local 183’s Open House. They were given a tour of the facilities and attended a day of workshops. They also participated in many hands-on activi-ties.

ROMERO STUDENTS

AT LOCAL 183

CHRISTIANITY IN ACTION AWARDS

By Patricia Eve Elizan

A number of Romero stu-dents were recognized for their good deeds on Friday, October 12, 2012. Each stu-dent received a certificate and a cross.

Mr. Russiello, together with Mr. Sanborn, Ms. Per-kins-Ball, Ms. Tramonte, Ms. Araujo, and Ms. Cichello, participated in the monthly ceremony. The Christianity In Action Awards were pre-sented to the students in our school chapel, in recognition of their service.

The TCDSB virtue for the month of October was Grati-tude, so the recipients demon-strated the quality of thank-fulness through various ges-tures. Congratulations!

By Daryl James Fonacier

Students from Archbishop Romero Catholic Secondary School attended the ‘We Day’ event on September 28, 2012.

“Me To We” is a move-ment of young people to make local and global chang-es. It sponsors and supports “Free The Children,” which is an international charity help-ing children all over the world.

‘We Day’ is an event in which thousands of students from different schools come together and listen to the experiences of inspiring speakers. The objective of the event is to promote aware-ness of important social issues and motivate youth to take action towards positive change. Ms. Sette and Ms. Araujo, along with Romero students, were able to partici-pate in this “kick-off” event at the Rogers Centre.

The performances were in-credible and the speeches were moving.

A few of the famous art-ists and inspiring speakers that were present in this event were Craig and Mark Keil-burger, Hedley, Nelly Furta-do, Martin Sheen, as well as many others. Celia Le, Maria Zambrano, and Delena Dong commented, “It was outstand-ing, heartwarming, and inspi-rational! It was a wake-up call to those that are unaware of the problems around the world.”

as they were ready to head back to Toronto.

It was a great opportunity for students to explore the wilderness and learn im-portant outdoor survival skills. Students will never forget their experience on

Bear Island!

MOVING FROM ‘ME’ TO ‘WE’

BRONZE ADVENTUROUS JOURNEY

greeted them, but it was worth the view of the scenic islands surrounding the lakes.

After reaching the campsite called Bear Island, the team immediately set up the tarps and tents because the wind and the rain were growing stronger. You would have thought Mother Nature was playing tricks on the group because the weather was so temperamental.

As far as the food menu, lunch consisted of chicken wraps and pepperoni sticks. Dinner was a plate of pasta and vegetables, compliments of the outdoor cooks: Miguel Alves and Rony Aleman.

Another task consisted of gathering firewood, so they could start a fire and roast marshmallows under the night sky while telling jokes and sharing stories.

It was all fun, until students took cover as heavy rain be-gan to fall.

The next day students woke up at around 6:30 a.m., gathered their sleeping gear, took down their tents, and helped clean up the camp grounds. The team left the campsite at about 9:00 a.m.

By Patricia Eve Elizan

On Saturday, September 22, six students from Romero went on a Duke of Edin-burgh’s Award Bronze quali-fying trip, along with three members of the ICOC (Inner City Out-tripping Centre) of Toronto. The Duke of Edin-burgh’s Award consists of three different levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The adven-turous journey is a require-ment for every single level.

The students met at Sunnyside Beach at around 7:30 a.m. and travelled to McCrae Lake Conservation Reserve, located just off high-way 400 at Crooked Bay.

The students showed great teamwork and skill by carry-ing canoes up and down por-tages. They paddled a total of 4 km from McDonald Lake to McCrae Lake. Moderate winds and a bit of drizzle

PAGE 5 THE ROMERO READER

Wings discount vouchers in a raffle!

Although most of the grade 9 students present did not yet have their hearts set on a particular dream job, they were certainly inspired by the personal success stories shared with them and the following quote, “Do what you like and you will never have to work a day in your life” (Confucius).

5TH ANNUAL TAKE OUR KIDS TO LUNCH

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 6

By Ms. Lopes

On ‘Take Our Kids To Work Day’ eleven grade 9 Romero students had the opportunity to attend a luncheon offered by The Ca-nadian Club at the Prince Edward Hotel. The students enjoyed a wonderful meal and heard from professionals who were able to pursue and reach their dream career.

The students recognized the moderator of the discus-sion from the evening news – Anthony Farnell, Chief Me-teorologist at Global Toron-to. The panel of guests con-sisted of Alisha Tatham – 2012 Olympian Member of the Canadian Senior Basket-ball Team, Professor David Zingg – Director of Institute for Aerospace Studies, and Robleh Jama – Entrepreneur Founder at Tiny Hearts, an

Award-Winning App Studio. These individuals shared their personal stories of persis-tence and hard work, which allowed them to reach their goals. They also noted the satisfaction of waking up to a profession they love.

Moreover, the other side of the panel consisted of three grade 9 students – an

aspiring basketball player, an aspiring aerospace engineer, and an aspiring video game programmer. They shared their reasons for wanting to work in these particular fields and surprised the audi-ence by stressing that money is not a motivator. In addi-tion to this valuable learning experience, two Romero students won St. Louis

By Ms. Lopes

On November 8, 2012, Michael Lorsch and Jennifer McDougall – two speakers from “Free The Children” – visited Romero. In an assem-bly, the speakers shared their personal “Me To We” stories and reminded the students and staff about their goals. “Free The Children” is an organization which sets out to encourage youth to help other youth in need, both locally and internationally. The en-tire school community was reminded of the responsibility to create change and was

inspired to grow in awareness as members of the “Me To We” movement.

In the afternoon, students in the GEMS (Enriched Geog-raphy, English, Mathematics, Science) program had the opportunity to be part of a workshop led by the speakers. In order to create a sense of community, the students played games like squirt, take-a-step-forward, ninja, and safe space. As a commu-nity, they also decided on a code of conduct that all mem-bers signed.

After a break for lunch, the students had a chance to learn more about different leader-ship styles, including the po-tential for their own leadership styles. The workshop allowed the students to grow in terms of self-knowledge, self-worth, as well as in appreciation for their peers. Based on the equa-tion passion + issue = change, the students were challenged to think about what concrete action they can take, and as a group developed an action plan for the school year. As a result, expanding access to education will be the focus for the school

‘FREE THE CHILDREN’ AT ROMERO!

year! At the end of the day, the students received “Me To We” T-shirts.

By Renata Menendez

On Friday, November 2, 2012, our students and staff came together with “Trees for Life” to transform our con-crete parking lot into a green area by planting over 82 trees.

The students from Mr. Colle’s Geography classes, Mr. Anthony’s Science clas-ses, and Mr. Zambri’s Con-struction classes rolled up their sleeves, went out in the cold, and helped to stake, mulch, and pick up garbage.

The tree species planted in our lot include: 40 Little Leaf Linden, 20 Sugar Maples, 20 Red or Burr Oak, and

ROMERO STUDENTS PLANT A FUTURE

PAGE 7 THE ROMERO READER

By Ms. Perkins-Ball

On November 1 and 2, 2012, fourteen Romero stu-dents had the privilege of attending the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) National Leadership

Conference at the Allstream Centre in Toronto.

Students were nominated by their teachers to attend the youth stream of this event, "The Young Leaders of To-morrow Conference". Stu-

dents had the opportunity to meet and interact with out-standing business profession-als and community leaders who shared their knowledge and expertise in both infor-mal and formal settings.

Our Romero Young Leaders participated in in-teractive workshops and a career fair. They were also treated to a catered gourmet lunch, and had the chance to win prizes, including two laptop computers. Sponsors of this great event included: ScotiaBank, Ernst and Young, TD Canada Trust, CIBC, RBC, G98.7, The University of Toronto, and Chevrolet, to only name a few.

Special thanks to the BBPA for including Romero students in this wonderful conference; and thank you to the students for repre-senting our community so well!

2 Prairie or Snowdrift Apple trees.

With the help of several organizations, including The Black Creek Conservation Project (BCCP), who has worked with Archbishop Romero C.S.S. for over 14 years, our school took part in an initiative to change the amount of greenery seen in the GTA and increase the tree population.

We look forward to watching these marvellous trees grow and change our everyday scenery in the com-ing years.

BLACK BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

By Daryl James Fonacier

In celebration of Hallow-een, student leaders set up a haunted house. During all three lunches Romero stu-dents entered the spooky premises at their own risk! Many came out terrified and others were simply acting fearless. The screams heard outside the haunted house were telling of this fearful and fun experience.

In order to have had access to the haunted house, stu-dents were asked to either

pay a dollar or donate three cans of non-perishable food. The school collected thirty full boxes of non-perishable food items, each weighing approximately twenty-five pounds. The food has been donated to Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter.

Meanwhile, another group of student leaders was busy with “Carnevil” in which scary-looking cup-cakes and candy apples were sold. The leaders raised $140.00 in total!

SCREAM!

WE SCARE HUNGER !

help those who are less fortu-nate. "We Scare Hunger!" is all about caring and sharing! Every year, Romero's Student Advisory Council and Leader-ship Team promote "We Scare Hunger!" in conjunc-tion with the “Free the Chil-dren” Foundation.

On October 31, staff and students were encouraged to bring in a minimum of three non-perishable food items in

support of a local women's shelter. In exchange for the donation, staff and students were permitted to dress up in costume for the day and granted access into Romero’s annual haunted house, orga-nized by the leadership team.

This past Halloween, the support was overwhelming! We collected 1,068 non-perishable items!

By Habteab Amare/Ms. Ferreira

Halloween is often associ-ated with receiving lots of candies and goodies, but not at Archbishop Romero Catho-lic Secondary School. Here, Halloween means something different: "We Scare Hun-ger!" formerly known as, "Halloween for Hunger!"

As a Catholic school com-munity, we come together to

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 8

By Ms. Perkins-Ball

Wow! Triple overtime!! On Monday November 12, 2012, nearly 90 Romero staff and students cheered for the Toronto Raptors at the ACC for an exciting evening of fun and sport!! Chants of "Let's Go, Raptors!" could be heard throughout the ACC coming from our end of the building, and thunder sticks and hand clappers added to the loud

noise of our calls! Fun was had on the bus ride to and from the game, as students sang songs and enjoyed hang-ing out with friends and staff. Pictures of players were taken from the court-side as we had the privilege of watching both teams warm-up before the game. We are already looking for-ward to next year's event! Go Romero! Go Raptors!

ROMERO AT THE RAPTORS

The Staff members of Ern-estine's Women's Shelter are truly grateful for our efforts in supporting the women and children who call the shelter their home. Romero's “We Scare Hunger” is a wonderful example of our Faith through Action.

We are forever striving to be like our namesake: Arch-bishop Oscar Romero, Shep-herd of the Poor.

By Robert Helseth

The try-outs for the Jr. Boys’ Soccer team got Romero Athletics off onto a great start! Mr. Connolly, the coach, noted that the boys showed excellent effort and great sportsmanship throughout the sea-son, adding that they were a "highly dignified team."

Mr. Connolly is confident that the skills these student athletes acquired and demonstrated this season reflect promising results for both next year’s junior and senior soccer teams.

G IRLS’ BASKETBALL

newest grade nine players. We en-joyed playing an exhibition game in our home gym, which we won. We also participated in a full day tourna-ment in the east end of the city alongside the Jr. Girls' Team. Play-ers had great fun singing songs on the ride to and from the tourna-ment. The anticipation for a full season next year runs high!

By Ms. Perkins-Ball

While we did not host an official Sr. Team this year, we had nine very dedicated play-ers who came out to practice regularly. These student ath-letes enjoyed doing drills alongside our Jr. Girls' Team and acted as mentors for the

PAGE 9 THE ROMERO READER

By Robert Helseth

The members of the Senior Boys’ Volleyball team put a lot of work and heart into their season. The coaches, Ms. D'Angelo and Mr. Silva, highlight-ed how the student athletes improved their individual and teamwork skills over the course of just a few weeks. Romero played their play-off game on November 5, 2012. All were hopeful that the boys would once again repre-sent the Toronto District Catholic Athletic Association (TDCAA) in the On-tario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA). Unfortunately, they lost the play-off game and were eliminated. However, the student athletes are already looking forward to next year’s try-outs, Mr. Silva’s mag-ic drills, and Ms. D’Angelo’s data analysis! Go Raiders!

ROMERO RAIDERS

JR. BOYS’ SOCCER

SR . BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL

By Kaitlin Delima

On September 27, 2012, a group of Romero teachers and students hosted the 24-team Toronto District Colleges Athletic Association (TDCAA) Grade 9 Flag Football Tournament at Eglinton Flats. Students created maps, edited playing regulations, and budgeted refreshment sales as they hosted over 250 visiting student athletes from across the city. Our boys and girls’ teams both participated and advanced to the semi-finals. Senior students also sold refresh-ments as a fundraiser for their New York City trip in May 2013.

Visiting teachers were very impressed by the smooth organization of the event. They also commented on the friendliness and helpfulness of Romero students. We are all very proud of this significant achievement.

FLAG FOOTBALL

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 10

Katherine Alvarado

Marie Jane Lomba Sa Pessoa

Romero Art

Andy Sanchez

Dana Santos

Sofia de Melo

By Cassandra Athur

Ghouls, ghosts, angels, dolls coming to life, and other spooky creatures make up the cast of the long-running tele-vision series, Supernatural. The story trails the lives of two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, who were thrust into the world of the paranor-mal when their mother died in an accident caused by a

demon. Instead of spending their days as average Ameri-cans, with a nine to five job, they scour the nation for oth-er freak accidents caused by the other worldly beings. The show’s action-packed scenes are fuelled by suspense and amazing visual effects. Its use of elements such as mys-tery, prophecies, visions, horror, and even heart-wrenching, overwrought emotion, parallel that of the Gothic genre. If you are look-

ing for something to watch one dreary evening, when it is too cold and dark to go out, you will not find a show half as entertaining as Supernatural.

one of their key objectives. Here is a list of some helpful saving tips:

- Save part of your allowance or gift money you receive. Deposit this money in your bank account. It is important to learn the value and get into the habit of saving.

- Identify the difference be-tween need and want; don’t

"Financial Literacy Month is an opportunity to raise awareness on the importance of acquiring life skills that can allow Canadians to act knowledgeably and with confidence when managing their personal finan-cial affairs," commented Minister Menzies.

According to the Department of Finance Canada, engaging youth early in financial literacy is

spend foolishly.

- Don’t let yourself get influ-enced by what your friends are buying. In the end, the only one that will be paying your debt is you!

- Put loose change in a jar or piggy bank; you’d be sur-prised how much you can save.

Organization re-classified the exhaust made by diesel to be a carcinogen – a cancer-causing toxin. This means that those toxic fumes would be emitted all along the railway, passing buildings like Archbishop Romero Catholic Secondary School, straight through resi-dential communities, and travelling right to the airport. This issue has sparked the interest of the Clean Train Coalition, whose job it is to represent families along the train corridor.

The CTC believes it is a good idea to expand the rail network, but is strongly against the proposal to run over 400 diesel trains per day through the most heavily populated regions in the country. CTC argues that the electrification of trains is the best way to save the environ-ment and our own personal health. Diesel fumes have been linked to many health issues concerning breathing and the respiratory system (according to US Environmental Protection Agency). It can even lead to the damaging of lung tissue and premature death.

By Cassandra Arthur

Metrolinx, formerly known as the Greater Toron-to Transpiration Authority, is the agency of the provincial government responsible for all public transportation in the GTHA (Greater Toronto Hamilton Area) on rails. Re-cently, this organization made their Air Rail Link plans known to the general public. This plan, which involves connecting our existing sub-way line to the airport, in-volves the use of diesel trains. However, the World Health

PAGE 11 THE ROMERO READER

EDITORIAL

- Bring lunch from home; you can save a lot of money simply by paper-bagging it.

- Don’t over-use your phone; exceeding your minutes, texts, or any other service could result in ex-pensive bills at the end of the month. Imagine the money you could save!

In order to put this all in relevant terms, this plan would affect all trains running past Romero. This is therefore, an important issue that directly affects our community as it poses a great threat to our health.

The Air Rail Link plan is progressing; to find out more about its details and how it could affect you, check out CTC’s website (cleantrain.ca) and the home of Metrolinx (metrolinx.com).

METROLINX

REVIEW

TIPS: F INANCIAL LITERACY MONTH—SAVING

ANTI-BULLYING AWARENESS WEEK Bystanders Can Make A Difference!

- There are usually more witnesses to bullying than people bully-ing!

- Young people are more likely to convince each other to stop bullying than are adults.

- Most young people disapprove of bullying; they’re just waiting for someone to take the first step to stop it. Be that person!

- The more people take a stand against bullying, the safer your school or community will be for everyone.

Source: www.kidshelpphone.ca

Anti-Bullying Awareness Week Activities: November 12th – 16th

Parent-Teacher Interviews: November 15th

PA Day: November 16th

Display of Romero students’ art work at the Ontario College of Teachers: December

Catholic Students’ United Nations Assembly: November 21st — 23rd

Computer Science Day at U of T: December 6th

Social Justice Symposium: December 6th

Christmas Community Breakfast: December 21st

Share Christmas: December 3rd – 17th

PA Day: December 7th

Christmas Break: December 24th – January 7th

Semester 1 Exams: January 29th – February 1st

Winter Sports Teams: Junior Boys’ Basketball, Senior Boys’ Basketball, Junior Girls’ Volleyball, Sen-ior Girls’ Volleyball

Editor: Cassandra Arthur

Contributors:

Robert Helseth (Athletics) Renata Menendez (Clubs/Programs)

Anaiz Mora (Clubs/Programs) Patricia Eve Elizan (Events)

Ana Villegas (Events) Daryl James Fonacier (Leadership) Habteab Amare (Student Council)

Layout:

Justin Tumbokon

Teachers: Ms. Coscarelli

Ms. Lopes Mr. Raterman

NEWSLETTER

STAFF

Aquarius: This is a favourable month for meeting with friends. But re-member to make time for your studies, and for yourself! Pisces: You may feel as though your head is in the clouds and tend to neglect important matters. Enjoy the moment, but remain focused. Aries: You may be in a state of confusion, which could affect your social and sentimental relationships. Take some time to think. Taurus: You will have an unexpectedly good time within a group of peo-ple. You are more social than usual. Gemini: You might be disappointed by a person whom you used to trust; don't take it to heart - it's not the end of the world! Cancer: Your sentimental relationship will be good, so your spirits will remain high. Leo: An older person will offer you some helpful advice; it would be wise to listen. Virgo: You may feel stressed because of a difficult situation; consider the advice of a more experienced person. Libra: You are a well-balanced person, so when making a decision, it is important to weigh out the pros and cons. Be patient and it will work out. Scorpio: This month you might meet a person who may not always be nice to others. Model good behaviour so he/she can follow. Sagittarius: You might be unable to explain things very convincingly. Remain honest and sincere; people are more likely to believe you. Capricorn: You are eager to discuss your thoughts and plans with others. Work can really get accomplished this month. Adapted from several sources.

LOOKING AHEAD ASTROLOGY