Not ‘Hopenhagen’ Anymore.

By: Emily Chan, Grade 11

To Whom It May Concern,

 I’m writing this letter on behalf of environmentalists across the world. If you’re unaware, there will a world meeting taking place from December 11^th – December 18^th of this year. It’s taking place in Copenhagen, Denmark, and is meant to create a replacement for the 2005 Kyoto Protocol.

This protocol was an international agreement to lower the amount of global production of greenhouse. In 2005, there were 187 states that agreed to follow a list of guidelines to reduce their carbon footprint. There were three mechanisms to the protocol.

The first was the Carbon Market. Its idea was to only allow each country to produce a certain amount of carbon. They were given “carbon credits,” which allowed each nation to produce a certain amount of greenhouse gasses. Otherwise, they would be destructing the environment because of these emissions. However, the wealthier countries were allowed to buy these carbon credits from the poorer countries, therefore enabling these richer countries to continue unreasonable carbon production.

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was the second mechanism to be deployed. It allowed countries pledged to Kyoto to implement projects to minimize the gas produced. Some alternative-energy initiatives include solar panels or energy-efficient boilers.

November’s Warrior of the Month

By: Emily Chan, Grade 11 & Puneet Riar, Grade 12

PRESENTING! Your November 2009 Warrior of the month: Chanel Ly!

Congratulations Chanel! You’re November’s Warrior of the Month! So, first of all, why do you think you were nominated?

C: I don’t know exactly… I didn’t even know I was nominated until I heard I won!

ARE YOU SERIOUS! It was, like, all over school! Haha! Jokes! Anyways, what kind of extracurricular stuff are you involved in?

C: Hmm… Currently, I am coordinating Windermere’s organic garden and I teach piano at elementary schools. I’m also this year’s community service liaison.

You have such an expensive name. How does it feel to be named after a high end fashion line?

C: It’s pretty handy to be named after the brand because my name would often be spelled wrong. All I have to do is refer to the brand.

Remembering What?

By: Emily Chan, Grade 11

It’s a day of remembrance, a day for thought, and a day of memories. For some, the memories will be of a loved one, killed in war as a prisoner. For others, thoughts and prayers will be with the soldiers currently fighting in wars around the world. Remembrance Day is “a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War.” In other words, we are meant to remember the veterans and soldiers who sacrificed their lives for our freedom. We wear the red poppy to show our remembrance and support for the troops. The symbol of the poppy is to honour the poppies that bloomed among the worst battlefields of World War II; the red colour came from the bloodshed. The significance is also credited to the Canadian Lt. Colonel and physician John McCrae, and his poem, In Flanders’ Fields.

October’s Warriors of the Month

By:  Emily Chan, Grade 11 & Puneet Riar, Grade 12

So Windermere voted, and your October Warrior’s of the Month are Kimmy Basra and Jason Dhatt in grade 12!

Here’s an exclusive interview I had with them.

CONGRATS! YOU GUYS ARE THE WARRIORS OF THE MONTH FOR OCTOBER! ARE YOU GUYS WILLING TO DO A VICTORY DANCE?
K: Uhhh…. NO!
J: Yeah I’ll dance! I’m a dancing machine!

LOL! ANYWAYS, WHY DO YOU GUYS THINK YOU WERE NOMINATED?
J: I think for the recycling program I lead but I’m still kind of surprised and I have a feeling that this is some kind of set up.

CONSPIRACY! NO, I’M JUST KIDDING HAHAHA! HOW ABOUT YOU KIMMY?
K: I didn’t even know I was nominated…. I guess because people felt like it…

NEXT QUESTION. WHAT KIND OF THINGS ARE YOU GUYS INVOLVED IN WITHIN THE SCHOOL?
J: I lead the recycling program at our school and am on the senior boys’ soccer team. Out of school I volunteer at RCC and play ice hockey.
K: I’m a leader of the recycling program too.

ANY HOBBIES? INTERESTS?
K: Recycling… and watching 90210 and One Tree Hill and So You Think You Can Dance! I like to read too… OH! And I like to ride my bike sometimes.

YOU READ KIMMY? REALLY?? JOKES! HOW ABOUT YOU JASON?
J: I love sports, especially ice hockey and soccer, watching the Canucks and spending time with my friends.

OH EM GEE! I LIKE SOCCER AND HOCKEY TOO! SO, WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR AFTER GRAD?
J: Post secondary, work, and partying 24/7 lol.
K: Oh goodness! I want to be an elementary school teacher.

NICE! OKAY, RANDOM QUESTION: WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD? I LIKE PIZZA, BUT SOMETIMES I LIKE ICE CREAM…OR EVEN LIKE THOSE LITTLE… SORRY! I FORGOT THIS ISNT ABOUT ME. GO AHEAD J
K: OH! I know this one…BREAKFAST! I love breakfast. If I could eat breakfast all day I would. I would eat breakfast for breakfast, lunch, dinner AND midnight snack!
J: Pizza or Inderpaul’s famous butter chicken (inside joke) LOL!

HAHAHA! SO, LAST QUESTION AND THEN YOUR 15 MINTUES OF FEELING LIKE CELEBRITIES BEING INTERVIEWED ARE OVER! CANUCKS OR FLAMES?
K: CANUCKS
J: CANUCKS!!!

WELL, OBVIOUSLY! THANKS FOR DOING THE INTERVIEW KIMMY AND JASON, AND CONGRATS!

Canada’s Budget, Controversy, and Cuts on Creativity

By: Emily Chan, Grade 11

Money, money, money – must be funny – in a rich man’s world. Although this may merely be the opening line to ABBA’s hit song’s chorus, it has a much deeper meaning than that. Have you ever stopped and just thought about money? Has it ever occurred to you how foolish it is to immerse ourselves in the world of money the way we do? Every thing that we buy, and every choice that we make, is, for the most part, centered on money. How absurd is that?
On Monday, March 19th, 2009, our Finance Minster – Jim Flaherty – issued a new budget, which, amazingly, dealt with … money! This budget had everything in it, from tax-cuts to up to $2000 rebates for buying environmentally friendly cars. Not only will the budget help children with giving the benefit of a $310 tax relief, but you’ll also be able to receive pensions and saving plans for an extra 2 years!

Unfortunately, there are two sides to every story… and in this case, the other side is not a pretty one. Although the new budget seems to be promising in terms of tax-cuts, other areas are being overlooked – the main one being the Arts. What wasn’t written on the CTV article was the 45 million dollars that was taken away from the arts and culture funding. As Elizabeth May, the leader of the Green Party questioned, “I think it’s a fair question to ask Mr. Harper what has he got against artists. Maybe they were mean to him in high school.” (qtd. in “Harper’s art cuts slammed in Canada” by Jessica Werb, 2008). All jokes aside, rallies have been held all over the country to protest this unreasonable cutback. Even on Facebook, people are changing their profile pictures to grey boxes to point out that the cutbacks on funding is like a cutback on creativity. As they’ve said repeatedly, “the Arts aren’t a luxury – it’s a necessity.”
Sadly, these cutbacks will not help the cause for bringing awareness to the importance of fine arts. In fact, quite the opposite will happen. Arts programs and camps will start to be cut, and there will be no escaping them.

Canada Line

By: Emily Chan, Grade 11

“Next stop – Richmond Brighouse.” This announcement was heard throughout the new rapid-transit system, notoriously named the ‘Canada Line.’ This line is full of promise, new beginnings, new jobs for 1, 4000 employees, and it will hopefully give a more “eco-friendly” name to Vancouver. Although this new line was created and built for the 2010 Olympic games, it will be in use far after that – 100 years, to be exact! The 19km of tracks link Vancouver to Richmond and the YVR Airport, so visitors will be able to access the city without the use of a vehicle.

In fact, I was lucky enough to ride the Canada Line just last week. As I entered the station, a smile spread across my face as I realized that this skytrain line isn’t only to get from one place to the next – it’s a place to reconnect with friends, to visit places you’ve never been before, and to realize the importance of being “eco-friendly.” The idea of community was thrust into my face in one point of my excursion. My cousin and I had our bikes, and we were trying to get to Aberdeen Station. We went across the bridge by our bikes, which was an amazing and beautiful sight. But once we got across the bridge, we were lost! There were no signs to direct us to the next station, so we were lucky that we chose to turn right. Once we got to Brighouse Station, we had to wait THIRTY minutes until a train came that we could get on – and once we got on, we were stuffed into there like a can of sardines. As we were riding, we realized that we had to get off at the next stop – and looked around in horror as we realized that not only were we going to have to push through people to get out, but also the door was on the opposite side of the train! Once our station came, we apologized profusely as we continuously injured people trying to get out. When I successfully got off, I looked back. Guess what I saw? Every single person near the door was holding the door for us to get out safely! That’s when it hit me – the importance and relevance between the Canada Line and community.

YCCD – Youth Celebrate Canada Day

By: Cassandra Ly & Emily Chan 

Everyone has that special day once a year to celebrate with their loved ones with more and more fun as the years fly by. On Wednesday, July 1^st, 2009, come down to celebrate Canada’s 142^nd birthday here in our community at Renfrew Community Centre. Youth Celebrate Canada Day core committee is holding its 13^th annual event with exciting new games, entertainment, crafts, prizes, and the best of all, food! Starting from 1:00 – 4:30, you have plenty of time to enjoy Canada Day with your family and friends. Come check it out; this event is going to be a blast!

Untitled; The Silent Mourn of Deaths to Come.

By: Emily Chan, Grade 10

What does the number 26 mean to you? December 26^th is Boxing Day, it’s the atomic number of iron, and it’s the number of letters in the alphabet. What else has the number 26 in it? Did you know that the war in Sri Lanka lasted 26 years? That’s longer than most of us [students] have been alive. With this war, these painful years have passed insignificantly, but in fact, it’s all relative. For the average Tamil, or the Sri Lankan government, the last 26 years have been full of mental warfare and murders. Conversely, the majority of the western society hasn’t even heard of the war in Sri Lanka, let alone take a day out of their busy schedules to educate themselves about the situation of the 300,000 Tamils being forced to live in nazi-style concentration camps.

Jenn and Chitha’s Top Ten Editing Screw Ups

10. Misspelled Mitchell’s last name and said Emily Chan was in Grade 9 – September Issue.

9. Said Emily Chan was in Grade 11 – October Issue

8. Repeated a paragraph in Mitchell’s article “Burn After Reading” – October Issue

7. No “Warrior of the Month” photo for Emily Chan and Brendan Chan – January Issue

6. Pope Gregory VIII not Pope Gregory – April Issue

Warrior of the Month: Jason D’Souza

By: Puneet Riar, Grade 11, Emily Chan, Grade 10 & Cassandra Ly, Grade 10

Congrats Jason! You are June’s warrior of the month! Why do you think you were nominated?
JD: I was probably nominated because people were intrigued by my amazingly good looks or they rigged the election. I’m 92.5% sure it’s the second one though.

LOL! Well you won, so whatever! Tell us a little bit about yourself.
JD: Well, I have 2 legs which are nice to have especially since I love sports. I do everything around it; read, write, eat, sleep, talk, breathe. If sports were a woman, I’d marry her.

So, you were recently voted valedictorian. How does it feel to be valedictorian, Mr. Valedictorian?
JD: Becoming valedictorian was very cool, especially since I was chosen by my fellow grads and it wasn’t a random choice. It’s very humbling.

Warriors of the Year

By: Puneet Riar, Grade 11 & Emily Chan, Grade 10

All throughout the year, there have been some amazing, dedicated students. Those who possess those awesome leadership skills, those who have an exceptional community service record, or that person who is just an awesome friend or a great role model. Or maybe, even that teacher who doesn’t get mad if you chew gum in class.

Editors’ Message

It’s May! This issue marks the second last issue of the year. You may not realize it, but last year there was no June Issue. But hey, we’ve got some terrible news for you: by this time, we have both “retired” as project leaders/editors and are now helping next year’s brand new committee take over! :O *Gasp*! The editor of this month’s issue was Valerie Wong (Gr. 10) and the soon-to-be new project head is Gurjita Gadey (Gr. 11). They will both be working with a team of dedicated and enthusiastic individuals: Brendan Chan, Cassandra Ly, Emily Chan, Eric Lam, Jenny Ho, Jhona Binos, Mitchell Agostinho, Nicole Yu, Puneet Riar, Tammy Lee, and Yuge Liu. If you would like to join next year’s committee, please email us by May 25th. We have positions open for several of our teams, including Promotion, Distribution, Photography, and more. Come June, we will have completely handed The Word over to the new committee. You’ll hear from us one last time in June AND get the chance to read about all our screw ups *wink wink*, but just in case you miss it, we would like to say THANKS for always supporting us and believing in what we do. WORD

- Chitha Manoranjan & Jenn Lin

Mexico + Drugs = Failed Country?

By Emily Chan, Grade 10

Since 2007, only two years ago, Mexico has filed a grand total of 7,000 deaths. The headlines, which have been plastered over every newspaper in the last few months, have been questioning Mexico: are they becoming a failed country? In other words, is it too late to dig them out of the hole that they’re already in?

            Mexican cities are lined with bullets, grenades, and beheadings; it’s no wonder that the citizens are scared. Since last June, an amazing 329, 000 jobs have been lost which amounts to 30% of Mexican adults unemployed. This just adds to the inevitability of Mexico’s current spiral towards failure.

            Jorge Marrufo, a Mexican citizen, has lost his chance at life. Jorge was working at his ranch, when a group of gunmen ravaged through. Trying to run away into the desert, he was found dead with his skull caved in and four bullet holes on his chest. The authorities are still looking into whether he was involved with drugs or if he was an innocent citizen. However, in a city without rules, it is up to the hands of the drug lords to determine if you are a problem or not. This is just one example of the brutality of the 6,000 deaths in Mexico; and it doesn’t end there. Marrufo wasn’t even able to rest in peace, as the drug lords drove over his gravesite repeatedly, crushing his flowers and the simple cross lain by his loving family.

Warrior of the Month Interview

By: Puneet Riar, Emily Chan

Hey Warriors! The Windermere Word just wants to thank all of you who voted for “Warrior of the Month” for the month of May. The turnout was great! We had a total of 306 voters all over the school, which are the most voters we’ve had for a single month all year!

We also want to thank everyone who went on the Word website and gave in their nominees. We received a number of nominees through the website, all deserving to be “Warrior of the Month”.

Again, the hunt is on to find June’s “Warrior of the Month”. Do you know anyone who should be commended for their leadership skills, or their outstanding community service? Or maybe just a great friend? Then start thinking of those people! The Windermere Word is going to be announcing some important dates regarding the “Warrior of the Month.” Stay tuned

Lastly, congrats again to Nam Bui who is May’s “Warrior of the Month.” Way to go, Nam!

To Whom it May Concern

Come one! Come all! The Windermere Theatre Company’s spring production is coming soon to an auditorium near you. On May 7th and 8th, we will be performing the classic fairy tale, “The Princess Bride” – an amazing story filled to the brim with fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, miracles, and of course, true love. See Jason D’Souza as the dashing Wesley and Jero Ann Brutus as the beautiful Buttercup; Tony Kim plays the sassy Spaniard, Inigo Montoya; Sunny Parmar is perfect as the wicked Prince Humperdink. All of these actors and many more are playing in what can be called the theatrical experience of the year!

Sincerely,
Windermere Theatre Company

P.S. Congratulations to Emily Chan for winning The Windermere Word front cover design contest. You’ve won 2 tickets to see our play! Claim your prize in room 208 afterschool on April 1st, 2009.

Chicken: Man’s New Best Friend?

By Jenny Ho, Grade 9

Ever thought about keeping a few chickens in your backyard for fresh eggs? Recently, Vancouver City Council introduced a new policy, which allows residents to keep backyard chickens. There are many cities in the United States and Canada with a similar bylaw, including Seattle, Washington D.C., New York City, and Victoria. Of course, within the bylaws, there are many points to consider. If this proposed bylaw passes, residents are able to raise chickens as early as June. The proposed by-law raises much debate from Vancourites. Some are in favour of this new policy, but some residents and animal welfare groups are against the idea.

International Women’s Day

By Emily Chan, Grade 10

Quick! Take 10 seconds, and think of all of the achievements of women, whether they be economic, political, or social. Now, take a breath.

In 1910, the first official International Women’s Day (IWD) occurred. It was inspired by the 1908 protest of equal rights, better wages, and less work hours; it was a message shouted by 15, 000 women in the streets of New York City. Then, in 1911, Clara Zetkin made the impossible come true. Within just one year, she was able to round up more than one million men and women to help fight for women’s rights. Through all of the abuse, both emotionally and physically, women around the world have continued to stand up and scream for their rights.

Go _ _ _ _ _ Go!

By Emily Chan

What has 8 letters altogether and rhymes with “Pike Lest?” In hearing the announcements, no doubt you’ve heard their catchphrase: GO BIKES GO! One more hint – it starts with BIKE and ends with FEST. If you’re thinking Bike Fest, then you’re right!

Bike Fest was originally introduced two years ago, by the ACTION team. Since then, the event has grown before our very eyes. It used to be composed of having one huge celebration in June, but now Bike Fest is now composed of THREE mini bike trains (plus the June celebration). For only $2.50, you get to ride in the bike train, eat a free nutritional breakfast, be entered into a draw to earn your own bike, and have access to a free bike and helmet rental for the day!

Windermere Organic Garden

By: Cassandra Ly, Grade 10

There is nothing better than being able to walk outside into the school’s courtyard to see the wide variety of fresh and organic vegetables and fruits that are being grown. In only 2 years, the organic garden has flourished with potatoes to broccoli to tomatoes and even raspberries and blueberries. With the dedicated work of students and teachers, Windermere’s organic garden has become very, very successful.  Recently, 7 new beds were built, adding on to the previous 5. These 12 beds will be the holders of parsley, cilantro, onions, lettuce, and many other vegetables, coming soon in the spring. On top of that, a salad bar will be in the cafeteria very soon, giving students the opportunity to make their own salads. The organic garden also has a great composting system, where students empty out the distributed bins throughout the school every few days.

Gateway: Followup

By: Emily Chan, Grade 10

The Gateway Project, first introduced in 2005, was created with the idea that increasing roads will decrease the congestion and therefore reduce pollution. The Government’s plan was to expand Highway 1, twin the Port Mann Bridge, and expand the Delta Port shipping terminal. Along with this, the North Fraser Perimeter Road (NFPR) would be constructed to connect Port Moody and Maple Ridge, and the South Fraser Perimeter Road (SFPR) to connect Surrey and Langley to South Delta.

The Half-Way There Survey

By Soraya Ahmad Parwani, Grade 8

Our replies, if any, have been inserted
Also, if you would like to answer any of these questions, feel free.

If you were to change one thing, and keep one from the paper, what would it be, and why?

“I’d definitely keep the advice column, seems like it’s helping a lot of the student body indefinitely and for a change…to be honest I wouldn’t change anything, it’s great!
Cheers” – Elton. Grade 11

2010: Olympics or Owe-lympics?

By: Emily Chan, Grade 10

“And the host city is… VANCOUVER!” Cheers erupted across the city as people jumped for joy to hold such a prestigious title. Everyone will always remember July 2nd, 2003 as the day that Vancouver was announced to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. Yet there were mixed feelings on that day; they ranged anywhere from feeling that you’re on top of the world to wanting to escape from this city.

Why would there be such a wide range of emotions? How can a couple weeks of fun sports cause any disappointment and anger? On the other hand, how can anyone enjoy debt, along with an increase in population for a couple weeks, maybe months? Therefore, the point of this article is to inform readers of the financial impacts of Vancouver hosting the 2010 Olympics so that they may make a decision for themselves on how they feel about it.

Clean Doesn’t HAVE A Scent!

by Emily Chan

Smell the cleanness, surrounding you. Smell the freshness, filling up your lungs. Inhale the poisons that come along with it. Wait a second. “Clean” and “fresh” do not have a scent. Think about it; if a table is clean, what does it smell like? You may jump to conclusions, stating that it smells like lemons and other wonderful scents. The fact is, the table should be odorless. If it smells like lemons and bleach, then that equals more chemicals added to give it that scent. It’s pretty ironic! The “cleaner” it smells, the more chemicals are being added. So, what’s the price? For nice-smelling rooms and appliances, you’re killing yourself.

Let’s start at square one. What’s a household cleaner, anyway? A household cleaner is a substance that is used in your house to get rid of all those germs and bacteria. For example: any detergents (laundry, dish), fabric softeners, air fresheners, surface cleaners (bathrooms, ovens, windows, floors), and many more. Some brands include: Tide, Windex, Mr. Clean, Febreze, Vim, Dawn, Lysol, and more!

January Warriors of the Month

This month, The Windermere Word would like to honour two very dedicated and hardworking students. Aside from the other various volunteer activities that they are involved in, such as the Organic Garden and ACTION, they’ve recently managed to organize Windermere’s Annual Canned Food Drive and surpassed their goal of collecting 2008 cans. They definitely show warrior spirit and bring optimism to everything they do. This month’s issue proudly presents Emily Chan and Brendan Chan (not blood -related)! They are to be commended for their organization and leadership skills.