We Are Family!

By: Nicole M.

No one can deny it has been an eventful year. It can even be argued one of the most eventful years in the school’s history. As a school community, we’ve been through it all. However the most amazing thing that has happened this year is our survival as a school community. Through thick and thin, we’ve proved to everyone that we are more than just a school of 2000 kids, but we are family.

Let’s take a look at our year in review.

The beginning of the school year seemed as casual and similar to the next. The new grade 10 students arrived, clogging the hallways and seemingly clueless about the law of the schools. The grade 12s seemed to have it all figured out, with the tunes of the last year of high school playing in their heads. They simply hoped for an end to the school year. Between emotions and adjusting to school work, September came and left as did October. Nevertheless, November carried the same anxiety close to the end of the month; the autumn season blew in a heap of change.

It was on November 29th during 3rd period, Western Canada went into a lockdown. Most students didn’t panic; they thought it was a routine drill except it wasn’t. An actual threat threatened the school, not something simple though. It was a bomb threat, someone had called the school. Student had no idea about this conclusion, but they refused to remain clueless. It was later mentioned that approximately 200 students were tweeting during the lockdown. Twitter was also a great source of information for the media outlet. Later that evening, Western Canada was beaming throughout news.

However that would not be our last encounter with the media, in fact we would hold at least a couple segments throughout the year. As the students arrived back from Christmas break, we were followed by the media. It had nothing to do with the students or the bomb threat, but with our mascot. The CBE was questioning our school’s mascot wondering whether it was offensive in nature, Western Canada High School was on the brink of losing ‘Redmen’. The entire city was engaged in the conversation, even students rallied together to write about their connection to the name. Through it all, our principle Mr. Hackman kept his head held high and ensured the dignity and protection of his students was never put at risk.

The media’s swarm was not quite over. There was one more outbreak that led the media to surround our school. Within the Western Canada walls, there were 2 cases of the measles outbreak. Not only, was the potential of the virus spreading alarming but it was also alarming the number of students that had yet to receive their vaccination shots. In the end the school had to send home around 200 students for around 14 days, many grade 12s feared the impact this would have on their education. However, Western’s administration provided great service and ensured students were able to not miss too much class and if they did they were provided with great options regarding how to manage.

Even with all these crazy things, the students at Western didn’t forget who they were, when it came to events they are still the best. Raising over 21,000 dollars for cancer research through our annual Head Shave event as well as raising countless cans for non-profit organizations.

Through thick and thin, we’ve proved to everyone that we are more than just a school of 2000 kids, but we are family. We were more than the name Redmen and a couple cases of measles couldn’t keep us down. What next year holds is unknown but it’s guaranteed that we can handle it.

Biking - The Superior Mode of Transport

 

 

By Emma G.

Spring is upon us, and the warm weather seems to be lingering. Now is the perfect time to pull out your bike, and take the time to enjoy the outdoors. It may seem daunting at first, but is worth the effort in the end.

First of all, there is the common idea about helping out the environment. In 2010, Alberta had an average of 63.4 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per person. That is a huge amount compared to the rest of Canada.You should do your part, no matter how small, and reduce green house gas emissions. It is a small step towards a better future. No matter where you stand on global warming, the fact remains that fossil fuels negatively impact the earth. With less cars on the road you reduce pollutants in the air. That can not only help prevent climate change (with lower carbon dioxide emissions) but improve the health of those around you with better air quality. The European Cyclists Federation (yes it exists) claims that even with taking into account production, emissions from bicycles were ten times lower than the average car. Biking is a great habit to start early.

If you live close enough to school, it is a great way to get exercise. There is low pressure put on joints, and you strengthen your core, back, and especially legs. Biking is an activity for everyone no matter your level of fitness. You pick your speed, your route, and the amount of work you want to do. It is cardiovascular and gets your heart pumping-and your heart is a muscle the needs to be regularly exercised. Biking is an investment-and one that will pay off in the long run.

Generally, I find that biking puts a smile on people’s faces (minus up hills and  rainy days). Birds chirp, and there is plenty of fresh air. You get outside, and it feels great. Why not enjoy spring?

Western Canada High School is also trying to encourage you to bike to school. This Thursday, or May 15, the Western Canada Environment Club will host it’s Annual Bike to School Day. A pancake breakfast will be given to those who bike, and prizes will be given out to the best decorated ride. For those who are concerned with thefts and the safety of their bike, Western has a bike lockup in the courtyard to protect bikes.

Biking is different for each and every person, and there will be different things for different people enjoy.  H.G. Wells once said, “When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.” As high school students, we are soon to be considered adults (legally at least). I applaud those who already bike, and I encourage others to give biking a try. What will biking mean to you?

Sources

http://www.beautyofcycling.com
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/sask-has-highest-per-capita-greenhouse-gas-emissions-report-1.1192868 
http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b816/

Parkzilla

By: Ellen L.

The thought of waking up to go to school in the morning is an unpleasant thought for all
students , but even more so here at Western Canada high school. Students who drive to school
in the morning have to be at school an hour earlier than other students do, or if they are lucky
enough on a particular day only 45 minutes. Many students with morning spares need to arrive
at school at eight o’clock to get a parking spot when their first class does not start until ten
thirty! With only 125 student parking spots, and 400 plus parking passes in use many students
need to resort to parking in two-hour public parking. Parking in two hour either makes
students late for class, or stuck with a forty-dollar fine. “I learned just not to come to school,
because it costs me 40$ a day” says Laura in grade twelve. Just finding a two hour spot can
even be difficult some days with the huge amounts of students, and other public all fighting for
the closest spot.

 Luckily, after all the complaining students have also come up with several solutions to
the dreadful parking situation “Why can’t we remove the baseball diamond and add in more
parking spaces? Considering we don’t have a baseball team and it is never in use,” says Tom in
grade twelve. Other students suggest free two hour parking for students during school hours,
but the most environmental and efficient way to help solve the parking problem for students is
carpooling. Many students drive with neighbours and friends to school, but many others drive
to and from school alone which could very easily be solved. If everyone who drove to school
had at least one other person in their car the number of cars fighting for spots would be
reduced dramatically, not to mention the money spent on gas that would be saved, and the
benefits to the environment. If everyone drove to school with just one other person the number
of people driving to school could be reduced to half which would make the mornings a lot
easier for everyone. So talk to your neighbours, friends and classmates and tell them to do the
same thing. If everyone does this then we can make a difference, and maybe even get a little
more sleep.

Easter

By: Eleanor G.

Easter came this past weekend. I went out on Saturday with a friend and the streets were spotted with grown men wearing bright pink bunny costumes and parents bustling around trying to find enough chocolate to buy. The most common traditions, here in Calgary, are egg hunts and mass. But they do seem to vary from family to family.

Of course, there are families who do not celebrate at all; it’s just another Sunday to them. But, like Christmas, nonreligious families celebrate it too, making it a popular holiday, commercialised for all your Easter needs. For those families who are Christian, the celebration begins with Good Friday, the end of Lent. The idea of Lent is to give up something you love from Ash Wednesday, this that was March 5th, until Good Friday. It’s kind of like a belated New Years Resolution, or at least that’s how my dad explained it to me when I was young. On Easter Sunday, also known as Resurrection Sunday, people file into Church to listen to a preacher. Easter Sunday and Christmas morning are two holidays where many people go to church when they usually do not. There were many jokes this year about parking at churches on Sunday and regular churchgoers not recognizing the people there.

The other main way to celebrate Easter is done by the less religious families as well: egg hunts. Traditionally, families decorate hard-boiled eggs the day before and that night the “Easter Bunny” hides them. This varies a lot as well. Some people hide them in their backyards, others do it with other families in a park, some hide them in their houses and the last group, which I am in, don’t hide hard-boiled eggs at all. A growing new tradition began where families hide chocolate eggs covered in brightly coloured tinfoil. I’ve always taken part in this; my mother would go out a week before and buy me and my sister a chocolate bunny and 25 chocolate eggs from Bernard Callebaut or Purdy’s. Even with my sister in university, she sent her some a few days early. The other families who do hide eggs sometimes assign them monetary values or use plastic eggs and hide toys inside.

Whichever way you do it, the children always get something.

$25, 000 raised for cancer research

By: Maria M.

Almost everybody has been touched by the incurable cancer; it is due to that, that on March 6th 2014, many of the students that attended Western Canada High School hosted an incredible head shave charity event for the Canadian Cancer Society. Thanks to the generous help of the Husky Steering Committee and the talented direction of many of the Leadership students involved, an astounding $25, 000 was raised. The entirety of this money will be placed directly into the hands of those working towards research and patient programs.

The Western Canada High School head shave took place with Global News’s Gord Gillies volunteering as the MC and with Western Canada’s very own Jam Club taking courteously participation in providing music for the event as well as graciously donating some hair. With supportive peers enthusiastically cheering on from the bleachers, the brave Shavees step up to their chairs, some nervous, some eager, some both for the dramatic change in appearance that was about to take place in them. Many found consolation with the fact that what they were doing was going to be unselfishly helping out the fundraiser raise the funds goal they were striving for. Several of Students involved selflessly sacrificed their beloved locks, some as far as donating up to two feet or longer of hair which will be made into wigs that will benefit those in the community who were part of the reason for this fundraiser.

One of Western’s many talented and generous students, was Orin Markle, who himself was diagnosed with cancer in November of this past year. With his kind and caring friend Arthur, they did many different types of fundraising which in total themselves; they managed to raise $5,800. Orin and his friend attended the event; they were elated with how excited everyone was so eagerly willing to donate their hair, for a cause that meant so much to him and many others.

It was outstanding to see the amount of people who not only showed up, but who volunteered time and donated money, refreshments and photography, media coverage, handled all the donations, kept up on the totals making the public aware. Could you imagine the impact of such an amazing event on those not even attending when they were made aware of the twenty five thousand dollars that was raised and donated to help such a worth and deserving cause.

I truly believe that if the whole world had the good heart and the generosity of all those involved in this event that we as a society would be such a better place. Imagine all the other charities if so successful how much good we would be able to accomplish.  I personally have felt the tragedy of losing someone to cancer; but even without this I found myself being incredibly moved by the overwhelming love and generosity of all those involved and know the in the future I will be more aware and more involved with helping others.

The Illusion of Us

By:Gerard M.

It would be false to say that our generation no longer discusses the state of our world, recite Whitman, or study Keynes and Aristotle – but the vital change lies in our capacity for action. In Walden, Thoreau writes: “When we are unhurried and wise, we perceive that only great and worthy things have any permanence and absolute existence, that petty fears and petty pleasures are but the shadows of the reality.” It’s a shame that the word “unhurried” no longer exists in the lexicon of our generation. Perhaps “wise” will be the next to go, and afterward we will be left petty under our fears and pleasures.

Titanic growth and innovation in digital technology has rendered us inseparable from our screens. According to a recent report from the United Nations, more people have mobile phones than access to a flush toilet – by a margin of 2.5 million. The alarming universality of access to this brave new digital world means that we have the ability to be constantly connected, constantly gripped by words and images contrived from pixels. On one hand, we no longer have to flip through volumes at the library or peruse the small print of newspapers to access information. But on the other hand, the permanent presence of social networks, games and applications on our phones and computers makes it easier than ever before to waste hours on text messaging, cyber interaction, and achieving new high scores. We love to be entertained, and we yearn for it like junkies because feeling good has never been made so easy. We do not have to consider moral consequences when watching The Bachelor, liking posts on Instagram or playing Flappy Bird. The hours are more easily passed because entertainment does not demand active engagement. We only have to sit in front of our screens with blank minds, go through the motions, and smile at the captivating colours.

The appeal of social media and networking is that they feed our desire to be noticed, to be awarded attention; it is the self-contradicting idea that we must fit in with the masses, yet at the same time boldly asserting our individuality. This mentality is vital to the denial of morality by our generation, as the combination of permanent access to the digital world and the relentless bombardment from the entertainment industry provides the incentive and the answer to our desire to be extraordinary. We adore celebrities because they inspire imitation and present possibilities – we are obsessed with the idea that celebrities are normal people. Reality shows like Keeping Up With The Kardashians want us to believe that celebrities deal with the same things we do – grocery shopping, mowing the lawn, making dinner – and allow us to “relate” to them, while shows like American Idol tell us that any ordinary person can become a star. Each individual, then, is able to find a personal connection – a song lyric, a hairstyle, a brand of perfume – that makes him or her stand out. We create for ourselves the illusion of individuality and potential. Entertainment conditions and encourages our inner narcissists, making us believe that we are all special, worthy of praise, deserving of celebrity status – that what we have to say is important.

Social networking has given us the platform upon which we can express and assert our individuality. Places like Facebook and Twitter ask us the blaring question: WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND? In this way, we are invited to share our every thought, every moment, and are given the ability to meticulously engineer our own digital personalities. It is much easier to edit our Facebook profiles than to assess our personal shortcomings, and in the digital world, these shortcomings can simply be hidden, glossed over, denied. In this sense, when we interact through social networks, we do not interact with each other, but with perfected projections. Through features such as “likes”, “retweets” and comments, we can receive the attention that we believe we deserve. We are addicted to social networks because they give us praise and recognition for saying irrelevant and uneducated things, posting provocative or self-indulgent photos, or for the ever-so-classy “Like for a TBH.”  We have become so obsessed with being heard that we have stopped considering if what we are saying truly needs to be said.

The narcissism which has been conditioned into our very nature, and the easy gratification of this narcissism by entertainment and social media, is the foundation of our moral and social apathy. The issue is not whether or not we choose to care, but whether or not we realize that we should. We have forgotten moral consciousness – that we must consider the consequences of our words and actions, that we are a part of society which extends beyond personal pleasures.  Without moral consciousness, there is no education, and without education, there is no future.

Education is no longer the keystone to civilization. Its necessity has been undermined by a culture which endorses blind comfort, and taking the easiest way. To deserve the attention of students, the teacher, material, and environment must not only inform, but more importantly, entertain. Anything deemed “boring” is not worth our time. We fall asleep leaning on windows, we flip through Twitter feeds, or simply stare into space. Thinking has become work, and work has become undeserved punishment. We attend school because we have to, not to enhance our understanding of the world and better our moral being. We form opinions not upon research and moral consideration, but upon unfounded arrogance and generalizations. We antagonize those who refuse to comply with our laziness, those who give us not the grades we believe to be entitled to, but the grades which reflect our effort. We blame those who push us to work harder. We attack feverishly those who disagree with our uninformed yet assertive thoughts, those who point out our hypocrisy. We ostentatiously vocalize our discontent regarding things we are too lazy to understand. But how can we begin to consider morality when we can no longer find in ourselves the timeless desire for truth? We have let down the children behind the barricades of the French Revolution, in front of the tanks of Tiananmen Square, and under the fires of the Arab Spring. To be entertained, to receive what we want and deserve, to gratify every itching inclination, and to be blissfully ignorant of the consequences – for us, that is enough.

We have built for ourselves a world of illusions, in which we are all celebrities, deserving of praise and attention; in which we are entitled to anything and everything; in which we expect to be forever entertained; in which we aspire to greatness while doing nothing. But this is not the real world. The real world moves on without us, abandoned by a generation trapped in our beautiful projections, Hollywood dramas and Starbucks Coffee. Abandoned by we who want so much yet do so little –

We, who are the greatest illusion of all.

Why we should not judge each other

By: Sanna N.

Judgement, the act of forming an objective opinion on a person based on their appearance or behaviour. This is highly prevalent in society and plays a significant role in everyone’s daily lives, whether they realize it or not. The first thing people do when they lay eyes on another person is judge them. They sum the person up and evaluate who they are. This is done either consciously or sub-consciously and only takes a matter of seconds. After the person views them, they reach a conclusion based on the information they have taken in.

Now this alone is an unnerving thought and is in many cases the cause of social anxiety and other social issues. Many people feel insecure, they let what other people think of them dominate their lives and their appearance and gaining social approval becomes their primary concern. Appearance is almost everything and the sole reason that it holds so much value is because people judge one another. People become so paranoid and preoccupied with being perceived in a positive way by others and this is in many ways unhealthy for both the people and society itself.

The negative impacts of this on people and society are endless. As said previously, people feel insecure and begin to become overly concerned with their looks. This can reach the point of becoming unhealthy and lead to a wide array of social issues and disorders. The pressure of being judged by can become too much for some and may lead to unhealthy habits. These may include body dimorphic disorder, which may lead to excessive plastic surgery, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, excessive exercise, muscle dimorphic disorder or “bigorexia”. Apart from physical disorders, mental disorders such as social anxiety and social phobias may also arise from this.

This act of judging is not only limited to humans. Animals use this as well in order to evaluate their surroundings and spot potential danger. It is a necessary survival technique which can help them when hunting so that they may evaluate potential prey and predators and decide whether they pose a threat.  Humans have just taken this basic instinct and turned it self-destructive.

Speaking of how this instinct extends beyond humans, it also extends beyond appearances. Behavior is also judged, both in the animal and human world. The way you talk, walk, your facial expressions, everything. This is also a daunting thought, because being judged on appearance wasn’t enough.

Given all of this it can be concluded that judgement is indeed negative, with, aside from the safety and survival aspects of it, no real positive impacts. It is emotionally detrimental to people and society as the pressure of judgement and feelings of inadequacy that come with it truly do make it difficult for individuals to reach their full potential and accomplish their goals.

Is The Canadian Senate Useless?

By: Molly D

The Senate has been a part of Canada’s democratic system longer than  Canada has been an independent nation.  The Senate consists of 105 senators, who are appointed by the Governor General upon the Prime Minister’s request. It is the Senate’s purpose to re-examine bills and protect the interests of Canadians. Anyone with an elementary education should know these basic facts about Canadian Government. Whether or not you were awake when the teacher was going over this material is a completely different matter.

Politics and the workings of government does not usually grab the attention of the average person, and the politics we do see tend to be centred more on the unfortunate crack cocaine addiction of a certain mayor. Another big political scandal that caught media attention was the 2013 Senate scandal. Two senators thus far have been arrested for illegally claiming thousands of dollars for personal expenses. The faith of many Canadians in the Senate has been lost after the 2013 Senate scandal. Although the aftermath of the scandal is still playing out, the discontent with the Senate is found nationwide, and a little bit of research shows that this unhappiness with our ancienct democratic institution is not unfounded.

For years, Canadians have asked for reform concerning the Senate, and Stephen Harper has promised these reforms to make the Senate more effiecient, but other political parties want to take it a step further.  One of the NDP’s main platforms for the upcoming 2015 to abolish the Senate, and their website hosts a petition called ‘Roll Up The Red Carpet’, in which they intend to remove the Senate from Canada’s democratic system entirely. The petition has just under 30,000 signitures.

It is known that the Senate is not exactly the picture of efficiency, but the NDP petition states some very surprising facts about this piece of our parliament.

For example, the cost of the senate is over 92 million dollars per year.
With Canadians throwing millions, and I mean this quite literally, at the Senate one would assume that the money is going to good use. Considering that the last year the Senators worked approximately 71 days out of the year, it’s getting harder to believe that all the money that is put into the Senate is being put to good use.

The Senate does not consist only of bad qualities. It’s purpose is to represent the interests of all Canadians, and this includes minority groups, and gives a sober second thought to a bill that is well on its way to being passed. It’s easy to look at the Senate and only see the political scandals, the staggering amount of money getting pumped into it and the lovely salary that’s attached to only 71 working days, but the Senate is more than that. 

We have senators raising awareness for human rights violations, giving minorities a voice and caused great things in the past. The fate of the Senate depends on which party comes into power next.

Masquerade Ball

By: Eleanor G.

As I am sure you are all aware, Valentine’s Day, also known as Singles Awareness Day, was last week. And with it came the annual Valentine’s Day Dance. This year’s theme was a Masquerade. Although this idea was far from original, I personally thought it was a welcome change from last year’s theme: a winter formal. While not very different, it gave students an item of clothing to focus on other than the short dresses sported by most girls. The masks worn varied from the basic dollar store kind given out by the students’ union to elaborate Venetian masks, covered in ribbons and glitter. I was wearing the latter. Opting for a more formal theme gave the students a chance to dress up, something that doesn’t come around very often.

Nearly everyone present was dressed in formal attire. Most girls, myself included, were in short but fancy dresses and high heels. The heels however didn’t last the whole night. Most girls ended up leaving them against a wall or under chairs. There were a few exceptions: such as a girl wearing a floor length, light pink dress and a couple smart girls who chose to wear flat shoes. All the boys were dressed in button down shirts and some even opted for ties. Almost everyone cooperated with the theme and wore masks. But after an hour of dancing in a relatively small gym, wearing a mask got a tad too uncomfortable. There was a wall where everyone dropped their masks so they wouldn’t have to carry them. This wasn’t an organized idea but it was a smart one.

Though the dance was well attended, most of the students arrived around 7:45. Before then there was a lull. Dancing was awkward with so few people. They were self-conscious. The doors closed at 8:00 and by then, the gym was two thirds full. Everyone stayed relatively close to the DJ, leaving only the seating area and the photo booth empty. It was quite fluid. Everyone moved from group to group. There were even a couple impromptu conga lines. The music significantly influenced the style of dance and the amount of people dancing. When they played a song that was popular in 2008, nostalgia took over and the dance floor became crowded with people dancing like they did back in grade 5 or 6. And when the DJ chose a country song, all those who remembered the line-dancing unit from PE 10 ran onto the dance floor and showed their Western Pride. A few songs, of course, fell flat. They’re good songs but the beat wasn’t good to dance to and it became a little awkward – leaving many people to leave the gym and try to get some cooler air. I am proud to say that when Blurred Lines began playing, many people left the gym and those who didn’t seemed to dance with less vigour. As expected, feelings on the choice of music were mixed. Everyone had their own opinions. When asked about what could be improved about the dance, a grade 10 girl said, “Well the music could be better.” However a grade 11 girl said the she thought the music was well chosen, a “nice mix of slightly older music and new hits but a couple songs didn’t work.”

The dance ended at 10:00 but many people cleared out at 9:45. Only about a quarter of the people who attended were still present during the last song. The coat check was incredibly crowed but well organized and we were out after only 5 minutes.

It was, overall, a hit. Enough people showed up for it not to be awkward. The majority liked the music. Though not everyone knew how to dance, they got by with swaying. It was well organized but still managed to feel organic.

I will end it here with one piece of advice that I know will not be accepted: girls, don’t wear heels.

The Refusal to be Silenced – Malala’s Story

Nareesa K.

The Swat Valley in Pakistan was once a peaceful and nonviolent region, until 2007, when the valley became Taliban territory. In the few years of Taliban rule, Swat had turned into a heartland for Pakistan Islamic militancy. In 2009, in the Swat Valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan, the Taliban banned girls from going to school and obtaining an education. Malala Yousafzai was one of the girls who was told that getting an education would not be a part of her future.

 “I want to get my education, and I want to become a doctor,” Malala told the reporters at the New York Times. “In the area where I live, there are some people who want to stop educating girls through guns.” So, Malala began to write for BBC under a pseudonym, in a diary called “Gul Makai”. She wrote about life as a girl in the Swat valley, and how difficult it was to handle the gender inequality that women in Pakistan confronted daily. Amid patriarchy and terror, she gave a voice to a cause that needed it. Malala stood by as the Taliban bombed over two-hundred schools for girls, and denied an education to over fifty-thousand girls in Swat, and she hoped that her writing would someday make a difference.

On January 15th, the Taliban told girls across Swat that if they returned to school, they would be killed. Malala’s father wished to remain in Swat for as long as possible, but in May, much to Malala’s dismay, her family fled Swat to rural Pakistan in order to stay safe. Her father, a social activist, lived separately from their family in attempt to disassociate himself from them. In mid-July, after approximately three months of living in hiding, her family was reunited. “It was a very precious day for me,” Malala says about the day she was reunited with her father in an interview. In August, the school that Malala previously attended reopened. She began to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor once again.

In 2011, Malala was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize, and she faced a dilemma that could have potentially threatened her and her family. Accepting the nomination required Malala to rid of her pseudonym, and reveal her identity to the world and to the Taliban. The Pakistani girl accepted, and was officially known to the world as Malala Yousafzai.

 Malala and her family chose to keep living in Swat, and she continued to obtain an education and fight for those who could not, until the day of October 9th, 2012. Malala was riding the school bus home with her best friend, Moniba, when the bus suddenly halted. A man with a scarf covering his nose and mouth climbed aboard, and he asked a question: “Who is Malala?"

In an interview with BBC, Malala says, “Nobody said anything, but several girls looked at me. I was the only one with my face uncovered. He lifted up a pistol, and I squeezed Moniba’s hand. I can’t remember anything from that point, but my friends tell me that he fired three shots, and the first one hit me in my left temple.” The bullet scarcely missed Malala’s brain, and she was transported to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, where she miraculously recovered after nearly three months.

 Malala recently wrote an autobiography explaining her life in Swat as an educationally oppressed girl, and how she refuses to be silenced by the men who believe that she does not deserve to be equally erudite. Malala continues to advocate for equal gender rights across the world.

“I am Malala, and they cannot stop me.”

For love of money

By: Chimedum O.

 Consider for a moment the cost of the average song on iTunes: anywhere from $0.69 to a $1.29.

Now imagine a salary of around that – say, $1.14 – split seven ways to pay young children for twelve to sixteen hours of daily work in terrible conditions. This is the reality for children in many developing countries; companies such as Hershey’s, Gap, and Nestlé have utilized or still utilize child labor, making profits by exploiting those who cannot resist.

 However, this atrocity is not only limited to these three companies. Qahir Haji, the WCHS Amnesty International executive leading the protest against Urban Outfitters, noted that Urban Outfitters is “one of the only transnational companies that hasn’t implemented policies to prevent child labor in Uzbekistan.” And UO isn’t the only one swindling children; Uzbekistan’s own government works with the company, pulling children out of school to work in cotton fields that provide material for the clothing UO sells.

 “Basically, most of the people who work in these factories live in these factories,” said Ivy Luu, the Amnesty International executive in charge of the protest against Zara. Most of Zara’s child labor facilities are in South America, where the children sew clothing. Luu stated that “the space they’re in is very cramped; they’re sleeping near needles,” and that there is “not lots of ventilation” in the factories where these children both live and work.

Victoria’s Secret also has children pick cotton in Burkina Faso; if they get tired or try to speak out, they are beaten. The Amnesty International executive Kelly Hurley says that Amnesty International selected the issue of child labor to concentrate on because “it’s something that’s really relatable here, since we buy without even knowing.”

Corporations are abusing children across the globe, relying on the ignorance of their consumers and the lack of labor laws in developing countries to gain billions of profits, all through the blood, sweat, and tears of underpaid, underfed, and overlooked children. But this can change, and you can help: The WCHS Amnesty International Club has written up a petition, which you can support here:

Why “Professional” Art and Literature is a Dying Cause

By: Eric Chen
Now, before you rage at me about my title, I would first like to explain myself. I grew up in a household fond of professional, Baroque-style artwork, I was pulled into the world of classical music and I remerged from the other side as a glorified pianist, and I took my English courses to the IB level, studying Shakespeare just a bit more than everyone else, and, amazingly, I really enjoyed it. This is not an article hating on professional, historical or classical arts, (whatever name pleases you) but a story about the tragic future we are to face if we do not embrace the reality of our human situation.

Let us take a moment to admire the productivity of our twenty-first century mainstream society. As a majority, what do we listen to in the car? Is it something recent like Taylor Swift? Something a bit less recent, like the Blues? Or maybe it’s Justin Bieber, because you know, well, he’s Justin Bieber. But how many of us really bother to sit down and enjoy a Beethoven symphony, or a Haydn string quartet, or even a Chopin nocturne? I doubt many of you would even know what those things are, or who I’m even talking about. Let’s take another moment to consider the books we read. What did you read in the last week or month? Was it an Elizabethan play, or something even older, possibly by Aeschylus? Or maybe something contemporary, such as a poem by Margaret Atwood. No? Yeah…probably not. It was more likely a recipe book, or a short novel, or even a celebrity news magazine, or, my favourite one so far, this article I just happen to be writing….

But with all jokes aside, why does the professional world glorify classical music, and adore centuries-old texts if the general population does not bother to enjoy them? Why is Beethoven considered to be more of a musical genius than Elvis? Why is Shakespeare the master writer when we have J.K. Rowling? The answer is very simple: It is because these old texts really are the key to the ultimate creations in art. I can’t provide you with a proper answer about why these classics are “superior” as compared to their popular modern counterparts, but I can tell you from my personal experience that the age-old favourites hold vast amounts of information, detail, meaning and philosophy. Hours upon hours of thought and effort are combined towards their creation; this is vastly more than what happens today. But why do we not enjoy these old, sophisticated marvels? I’m pretty sure the answer is quite obvious, and it is because they are BORING. But to better clarify that claim, it is boring only because we do not understand them, as they do not as obviously link to our modern lives.

And these are the horrifying truths I believe: what was once is no more relatable to the modern world, and the modern world somehow isn’t completely capable of creating creations as sophisticated as their classical counterparts. To sum this all up, we must realize that the true purpose of all art, whether it is literature, music, theatre, drama, or visual arts, is to appeal to its audience. In other words, art must reflect the culture and the community in which people live. If classical arts are to be studied only in classrooms, and listened to only by those who took the burdensome time to actually understand and appreciate them, then why do they exist? Do they exist simply to stand as the epitome of human achievement of the past? Every day we witness the bankruptcy of professional orchestras. Every day more and more writers are going homeless. And everyday movie cinemas are further replacing opera houses and dramatic theatres. The root of the problem is actually quite complicated, but it has to do with our media, how it manipulates our general population and makes it believe something is better, because it has not come to understand the whole reality.

There’s more to all of this, but I think it is disrespectful to centuries of development to simply let all of these monuments slip away from our values and belief system. Others disagree, and say it is better to just let go, and let the past be rediscovered at another point in time. I do not lend my support completely to one side or the other, but I will give one piece of advice. I believe that the classics are becoming more and more divided from the contemporary, and if the classic works aren’t brought to universal attention by being made more relatable and accessible to the general population, they will be lost and studied only by the most isolated scholars, reading off manuscripts that have lost their meaning. I suggest you watch Tom and Jerry; the music is a good way of reliving those old moments. Watch Romeo and Juliet again, even if you still don’t quite understand half the things they recite to each other in their Elizabethan English. This is how the old world is exhumed and brought to the attention of the new, and in doing so, it has survived.

Nobody speaks Latin anymore. Nobody worships Ancient Greek mythology anymore. Nobody even performs human sacrifices anymore. Although this might be a bizarre list of extinct practices, they were once valuable at a time in history. Let us hope that the “professional” arts do not suffer the same fate, but instead, find themselves intermingled amongst the “popular” ideas of our mainstream society, so they may live on as integral pieces of our everyday lives.

Apocalypse Week, Episode 1: What is the Apocalypse?

By Jillian K.

We’ve been hearing about the Apocalypse all year, and the day is almost upon us! So just what is supposed to happen, and why?

Some people believe that on December 21st, the earth will collide with Planet X (also known as Nibiru), destroying Earth’s delicate ecological balance and all life, save the cockroaches. However, Planet X has never been sighted, and at this stage in the game, if it did, in fact, exist, it would likely be visible to scientists. Others claim that Earth will undergo geomagnetic reversal (the magnetic field would flip 180 degrees). However, scientists say that even if that did occur, it would not prove fatal. Others say that Nostradamus predicted the end of the world, but this is becoming less and less plausible as his vague prophecies continue to lose credibility, and regardless, no such prophecies concerning the upcoming day have been specifically identified as of yet.

Another theory suggests that abnormally large solar flares will engulf, and subsequently incinerate the planet. But solar flares have been happening for years, and result in nothing more than an interruption in satellite communications. Scientists agree that this point in the 11-year solar cycle is typically one of heightened activity, but any flares that happen to be directed at Earth are deflected by our magnetosphere (resulting in the beautiful aurora borealis and aurora australis). So if invisible planets or centuries-old horoscopes fail to give proof, what’s all the hype about?

Many believe that the Mayan calendar has predicted the end of the world. The Mayans followed two calendars. There was the Tzolkin, a short, 260-day calendar that regulated religious ceremonies and divinations throughout the year. The second calendar, called the Haab, was 365 days long - 18 months of twenty days each plus 5 “unlucky” days. This calendar was used to regulate agricultural events, such as plantings and harvests. The Mayans used these two calendars to create varying series of longer counts. One of these long cycles is going to end on the 21st.

Considering its accuracy in predicting various astronomical events down to the day, the Mayan calendar theory is arguably the strongest. However, there are also other signs that seem to point to the end of the world. For instance, the fact that the 21st is the winter solstice is valuable to some people. From an astronomical angle, the 21st is a rare day where Earth and the Sun will line up with the centre of the Milky Way galaxy. While many see 12/21/2012 as the end of the world, others view it as a day that will usher in the beginning of a new era for mankind.

The sum of these theories has been said to add up to something like this: aliens made the Mayan calendar to warn us Earthlings of the lineup of several cosmological bodies, which apparently would result in a powerful beam radiating from the “Galactic Centre”, which would affect our minds in some great and terrible way (grant us omniscience, lobotomize us, etc.) and possibly cause devastating physical changes on the planet. Chaos will ensue.

Are YOU ready?

Do Girls Really Like Jerks?

By Eric C.

I think we all know that saying: “Girls like jerks”. Well, in writing for the school newspaper, I think I’d bring up a topic we’d really find interesting. Whether you’re a desperate guy who’s considering pitiful corruption, or a gal who’s just reading for kicks, this is one of those simple questions in modern-day teenage society that nobody ever bothers to answer. So do girls really like jerks? This is the big question, and thus I shall begin my investigation with a brief explanation of female and male psychology.

We can say that all human beings have a need to express themselves. In other words, we need someone to talk to, to spill the events of our day to: the anger, the joy, the sadness, the fear, the surprise. We need, as human beings, the opportunity to convey our concerns to our peers. But when it comes to girls, they seem to have an internal need for verbal communication that goes way beyond that of their boyish counterparts. Why else do girls congregate to engage in lengthly, non-stop conversations? Why else do girls tell their secrets so much more easily than guys do? Why else do girls plant hugs and kisses on each other when, for guys, a little praise and a nod of approval seems to suffice? It is because girls need to have a stronger sense of trust, and, ironically, it is in jerks that they find it.

I’d like you to first consider any “jerk” friends you may have. You know, the ones who are a lot more capable of being mercilessly insulting than random samplings from the average population. If you’re a little sensitive, then you might find this hard to follow, but for those who can take an insult and have the willpower to retaliate, you might realize that jerks, in general, are easier to approach and encounter than average human beings. Before you challenge my claims, let me tell you why they are so approachable. Jerks, because of their harsh attitude and expressive personalities, disarm the desire to use the manners and the carefulness that you would usually use with someone you respect. Why use manners when, to this person, they seem to be a foreign concept? Why be nice when their offensive behaviour shows that they, in turn, shouldn’t be offended by anything you say? Would you spend time thinking up something nice when something horrible is on the tip of your tongue? No, because in this case, there is absolutely no need. You too show no mercy around jerks, and with them, you can be that jerk you’ve always wanted to be. Therefore, clearly, jerks are easier to approach, easier to get to know, and because they’re less awkward to be around, they’re more interesting, whether you’re a girl or a guy. I think it is now that you begin to see the connection.

Now, let us not forget that girls themselves still need trust. And even when time and time again they find themselves attracted to a jerk and his methods, you very commonly see them break up, with the girl ultimately complaining about how she just can’t seem to find a nice guy. This is the turning point of my article. In truth, even if you can approach a jerk much more easily, he is still a jerk. A jerk, you’ll have to remember, will always be insulting, and even when the girl has had a bad day, the jerk won’t care and he’ll continue to be his horrible little self. I think what I’m getting at here, is that girls, by logic, really yearn for a nice guy who are there for them and keeps them happy while knowing that it is the nice guys they can trust. What I’m really trying to get at, is that even though a jerk may be more attractive, he won’t be there for his girlfriend when she needs him. Ultimately, my “thesis” here is that it is best for a guy have a few characteristics from both the good and bad sides. The most successful tip a guy could ever receive is to make sure his conversations stay natural and funny. If you’re a nice guy but you want to be a jerk just for fun, don’t cross the line; just treat a girl like you’d treat a close friend. Be obnoxious at times, but be yourself, and never, never, never be awkward. Of course, I’m not saying that being a nice guy won’t work, but if you start out as somebody with an edge, and then show her your true colours as someone who is truly dependable and caring, then you’ll have succeeded. In sum, be mysterious at the beginning, but be nice later on.

Eh-hem, so in conclusion, I suppose if you are a nice guy, don’t lose hope, because contrary to popular belief, you are really what a girl wants in life. If you just learn to tune it the right way and use a little practice, then you will go far; that, I guarantee.

The Occupy Movement

By: Clarissa F. 

In city parks, university buildings and on busy roads worldwide, protesters are setting up camp or simply aggregating under slogans such as "We Are the 99%." Regardless of who they are, this monumental collective political mobilisation has ignited debates on civil engagement, distribution of wealth, and the future of socioeconomic policies in the 82 countries in which an Occupation has occurred. While the movement has already impacted the focus of the media and the roles of countless previously disengaged citizens, the changes and level of equality sought by protestors have yet to be achieved. More coherent than mindless protest, yet less structured than a public awareness campaign, the future of Occupy is up in the air.

Without a doubt, the cause is true. Their outcry against inequality, made tangible by powerful statistics describing the distribution of wealth in different percentiles of the population, represents an important issue that must be brought to the front of the Canadian political agenda. Severe economic disparity and all its implications have impacted the quality of life of millions of Canadians and have been issues that the government has ignored for decades. Nevertheless, the breadth of this issue, the complexity of its resolution, and the nature of the Occupy protest itself are obstructive to the movement's foundation. Government responsiveness to instances of civil engagement is highly reliant on the coherency of the movement's demands; although Occupy has presented a clear issue, its platform is muddled by the universality of the protest, causing fragmentation and stagnancy. Furthermore, the participants are of varying commitment to the cause and have varying levels of political knowledge, which robs the protest of some of its validity. The lack of leadership, specific political demands, and harmonious opinion within the movement has been a source of great criticism, and indeed impairs the likelihood of success.

That being said, the Occupy protestors stand for a deeper and more universal message beyond their political opinions. In a Canada where voter turnout has dipped as low as 58.8% in the past few years, political disengagement and apathy are often said to be the cause. However, a more profound idea is being revealed through this unique movement; the public is involved, interested, and active in politics, but their failure to vote is a deliberate action of contempt for the democratic system. The decline of our established democracy is then not due to the parties and leaders involved, but rather the operation of the political system itself, reflecting the emergence of unconventional participation due to a lack of access to or results from conventional methods. That our democracy serves to exacerbate the wage gap by responding only to the demands of the wealthy is a key feature of the Occupiers' grievances, and accounts for the seemingly contradictory trends of low conventional political participation with increased activism through unconventional means. While the establishment of economic equality is a long way off, the restoration of democratic integrity may be a change in the foreseeable future.

While subject to intense controversy and the cause of heated discussion, the Occupy movement is important for reasons unintended. The recognition of economic inequalities has brought under scrutiny the functioning of our democratic system; failures have been found both in granting equal representation and in operating to bring about the good of all. It is only through the progression of discussion, the mainstreaming of which was a foremost consequence of the protests, that effective response in the form of social policy and public administration will occur. In the meantime, we will likely see the full force of the movement emerge in both intentional and unintentional ways.