N e w s l e t t e r - Lisgar Collegiate Institute

L i s g a r C o l l e g i a t e I n s t i t u t e
N e w s l e t t e r
November 17, 2009
Newsletter for Students, Parents and Staff of Lisgar Collegiate Institute
Principal
D. McMahon
Vice-Principals
M. Goebel
A. McKillop-Ostrom
Office Administrator
N. Petrie
Assistant Office
Administrator
L. Tanner
Chief Custodian
C. Hennessey
Department Heads
Fine Arts, Business & Law
R. Arrigo
Mathematics, Computer
Science & Technological
Studies
T. Asselstine
Social Sciences & Library
R. Crabtree
Student Services
A. Green
Science
S. Hewitt
English & Languages
J. Isaac
Healthy Active Living
J. Ruff
FINE ARTS, BUSINESS & LAW
Drama
The grade 12 drama class has been working
hard on a production of Night Chills Tales of
Mystery and Terror by Edgar Allan Poe,
adapted by Billy St. John. The Cask of
Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart, The
Purloined Letter, and The Fall of the House
of Usher will be staged for your eerie
entertainment. Come join us on Thursday
December 3rd or Friday December 4th at
7:30 for a night of creepy chills. For more
information contact Ms. Klassen at 239-
2696.
All four Lisgar Drama classes were fortunate
to attend recent matinee performances of the
award winning plays, The Drowsey
Chaperone and Elephant Wake at the
National Arts Centre. These contrasting
productions have provided the students with
great opportunity for comparison and plenty
of food for thought!
Congratulations to all students who
auditioned for next semester's upcoming
Drama Club production, The Imaginary
Invalid by Moliere. The production team has
begun working, and the cast of twelve actors
will begin rehearsals in the new year.
Anyone interested in volunteering time,
costumes, props, furniture, etc., please
contact Ms. Szeles at 239-2696.
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Music
On September 15 th our music classes were
able to see Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute.
Wednesday October 29 th was Senior Music
Night. All senior ensembles performed for
grade nine parents and students.
This year we did two fall fundraisers –
Muffin mix and Cookie dough which
concluded on October 8 th (delivery October
28 th , and our regular Citrus sale which
concluded on October 23 rd . Thank you to all
who purchased fruit this year. The fruit
should arrive from Florida during the week
of November 30 th – December 4th. Citrus
will be available for pick up after school until
5:00 pm. The fruit is not refrigerated and the
temperature in the music room is quite warm,
so please make arrangements to pick it up as
soon as possible.
Upcoming performances:
Wednesday December 9 th - Jazz and Choir
Night @ 7:30 pm Alumni Auditorium.
Performances by Junior Jazz, String Jazz,
Choir and Senior Jazz
Thursday December 10 th - Winter Music
Night @ 7:30 pm Alumni Auditorium.
Performances by Junior Band, Junior
Orchestra, Intermediate Orchestra,
Symphonic Band, String Ensemble, Senior
Orchestra and Wind Ensemble.
All performances are $5.00 for Adults and
$3.00 for Students

The string department received a very
generous donation this Fall. Catherine
Preyra, a parent of one of our grade 9
students contacted the Kun Shoulder
Rest company in September. She and
her daughter Katrina Thurlow were
concerned that the school violins and
violas did not have proper shoulder
rests. As a result, Mrs. Kun donated
one shoulder rest for every instrument
at Lisgar. This is a total of 77 rests!
The students are very grateful for this
addition to their instruments and are
enjoying playing with the help of these
fine shoulder rests.
In early October members of the Lisgar
Singers were invited to participate in
the ceremony of the Prime Minister’s
Awards for Excellence in Teaching.
The singers gave an outstanding
performance of the national anthem in
front of teachers, families, and MPs
from across the country, as well as
Stephen Harper. The morning
concluded by meeting and having
photos taken with the Prime Minister.
Lisgar Singers with Prime Minister Stephen Harper
ENGLISH & LANGUAGES
English
Next month, the students in Ms. Szeles'
Grade 11 English class will have the
pleasure of attending a matinee
performance of A Christmas Carol at
the National Arts Centre. They will
compare this new stage adaptation of a
classic work by Charles Dicken's to his
novel A Tale of Two Cities, which they
studied earlier in the semester.
This past September, 39 students from
Grades 10 to 12 had the opportunity to
tour New York City and see three
amazing Broadway performances
including Wicked (our favourite by
far), Billy Elliott, and West Side Story.
Another highlight of the trip was a
back stage tour of Radio City Music
Hall where we were allowed to dance
across the stage and meet a real
Rockette! We were lucky to have such
beautiful weather and such an amazing
group of students! Next year, we will
return to the Stratford Festival of
Ontario (listen for sign-up information
in March), but we hope to do another
NYC theatre tour in a few years.
Languages
In the last week of November, students
from Ms. Kunstmann’s Grade 11
Extended and Grade 12 Core French
classes will attend a classic French
production at the Théâtre de la
Catapulte: L’illusion comique from the
well-known classic playwright, Pierre
Corneille. Also, two students from the
Grade 11 Extended course, Yiki Yang
and Melina Cazorla Bak, were
selected for a double workshop at the
theatre this school year; they will join
«~le club des mordus~» and will
attend two Saturday workshops to
explore the French theatre of Corneille
and Molière.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION &
ATHLETICS
Congratulations to the Junior Boys’
Soccer team, and the Senior Boys’
volleyball teams for your success in the
play offs.
Congratulations to our Junior Girls’
Cross country runners for capturing the
NCSSAA East title.
The senior and Junior Girls’ Basketball
teams continue to build and had
exciting seasons. Both Teams qualified
for the playoffs.
The swim team has been enjoying there
new training location and partnership
with Carleton University. The team
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continues to attract many student
athletes in its third year.
The senior and Junior Boys’ Basketball
teams are set to start their seasons at
the end of November. The program is
getting stronger and we hope to build
on last year’s success in playoff
success.
The Hockey teams are enjoying
competitive seasons. The Senior Boys’
are undefeated and are focusing on a
strong playoff run. Thank you very
much to Stinson family for generously
contributing an alternate set of jerseys
to the team. Thank you to Mr.
MacDonald and Mr. D’Emilio for
volunteering their time, on short notice,
to ensure that Lisgar’s hockey tradition
continues.
The swim team is off to an amazing
start with 4 mini-meets leading up to
the city finals on December 1. Our 42
swimmers are working hard and hope
to better last year's 5th place finish in
the city.
The Senior Girls’ Volleyball team will
begin play at the end of November.
Mrs. Morrison will lead the team into
Tier one, building on last year’s
championship.
The Rowing team has been training
continuously. New rowing shells have
been added to the team equipment this
year as Mr. Tang continues to build
the program.
Badminton training is taking place on
most Friday afternoons. Practices will
be scheduled as gym time becomes
available.
Rugby off season training will begin
this winter. Some players have taken
part in fall sevens tournaments. The
League begins in the spring.
The Intramural Dodge ball tournament
was a great success. The basketball
tournament is set to begin in
November.

IMPORTANT DATES
Nov. 20 – United Way Pancake
Breakfast
Nov. 24 – Last day to drop a course
before full disclosure
Dec. 3 & 4 – Drama Production -
Night Chills Tales of Mystery and
Terror
Dec. 9 – Jazz & Choir Evening
7:30pm
Dec. 10 – Winter Music Night
Dec. 14 – Jan. 15 – Summative
Evaluations
Dec. 21 – Jan.3 – Christmas Break
Jan. 4 – First day back from
Christmas Break
Jan. 22- Jan. 29 – Examinations
Feb. 1 – First day of Semester 2
Feb. 9 – Last day to begin a new
course for Semester 2
Feb. 11 – Semester 1 Report Cards
distributed
The Nordic Skiing and Snowboard
teams will begin training soon.
Thank you to all our fall coaches for
your commitment to Lisgar Athletics.
Physical Education Summatives are
due on January 11 th . Students will be
receiving their assignments soon.
The department has now received
Automated External Defibrillator
trainers and mannequins. Our grade 9
students will receive the training this
year in their physical education classes.
The program is supported ACT
Foundation with partners: Eugene
Melnyk, The Ontario Government, The
Heart and Stroke Foundation and The
Sens Foundation.
Guy Ouellette of Elite Karate has
been working with our grade 9 &12
classes providing instruction in self
defense and kick boxing.
The gym schedule is on the Lisgar
website under Athletics. All intramural
and interscholastic events are posted
there.
The grade 10 outdoor ed. trip has
completed successful canoe and
orienteering trips to Algonquin Park,
the Arboretum, and Gatineau Park. The
classes will soon begin preparations for
winter camping.
SCIENCE
Emma Graham took first place in the
Intermediate Physical and
Mathematical Science Division at the
Ottawa Regional Science Fair in April.
She was also selected as one of 16
students to represent Canada at the
Intel International Science and
Engineering Fair in Reno, Nevada in
May 2009. Emma won the Partners in
Research Award which gave her the
opportunity to attend the "Ottawa
Evening" and meet and talk with Marc
Garneau and Justin Trudeau. Emma
says she was proud to represent Lisgar
CI at all these events and she hopes
more LCI students will do science fair
projects this year.
Emma Grhaham with her Science Project
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SOCIAL SCIENCE & LIBRARY
DEPARTMENT
Social Sciences
At the beginning of September we
welcomed Mr. Shuck to teach Grade 9
and 11 Geography classes. Since then
we have added a number of volunteers
and a couple of student teachers who
have helped with a variety of activities
and trips. The Grade 9 Geography
classes visited Gatineau Park and have
had an introduction to Geocaching using
a GPS loaner kit from the School Board.
Ms. Jarvis'Grade 10 History students
went to the National Archives and
researched documents relating to former
Lisgar students who were involved in
the First World War. A number of
Grade 11 Sociology students attended a
conference entitiled "In Love and In
Danger" with Mr. Buschlen, while
several senior Politics, World Issues,
International Law and International
Business classes were fortunate to hear
Allan Rock (former Cabinet Minister
and president of Ottawa U.) speak about
"Protecting Human Rights". Back in
early September, the AP History class
visited the National Gallery and viewed
the collection of European Art dating
from the Renaissance to the Twentieth
Century. Students were excited to see
masterpieces by Tintoretto, Peter Paul
Rubens, Jacques-Louis David and
Vincent Van Gogh. As part of their unit
on Ancient Egypt, students in the Grade
11 World History classes have had the
opportunity to study artifacts such as a
necklace, a linen and glass fragment,
and amulets from ancient times
provided by the Royal Ontario Museum.
Students marveled at the workmanship
and beauty of these objects which are
thousands of years old.
LEAF
LEAF are busy preparing for their first
Coffee House this month. They have
already held a couple of successful
vegetarian lunches, have planted
hundreds of daffodil bulbs in the
flowerbeds in the Mall, and have
participated in the "Clean Up the
Capital" initiative. They have learned

about vermicomposting and have
created 5 new worm composters which
have been placed in the Staffroom, the
Resource Room and a number of
classrooms. A group attended a
"Sustainable High Schools
Conference" at Sir Wilfrid Laurier
High School, where some were also
involved in running workshops, and the
Lisgar OTESHA group put on a
presentation at the lunch break about
water-saving practices. Kesten
Broughton, with "Pedal for the Planet",
spoke at one of the lunchtime meetings
about his awareness-raising cycle trip
from western Canada.
Reach for the Top
Reach for the Top has generated great
interest this year with close to 60
members attending up to 3 practices
per week. Thanks go to JJ Li and
Jennifer Hurd who organized and
wrote questions for a one day
tournament for 11 local school teams.
The Senior team participated in a
university level tournament, finishing
4th in a field of 8, which was highly
creditable as all the other teams were
composed of university students. They
even beat the McGill University A
team! The club is about to send 5 or 6
teams to compete in the local
QuizBowl event hoping to qualify to
compete in the U.S. National finals in
the spring of 2020.
The group combined with Key Club to
host a sell-out Spaghetti Dinner and
Trivia Night, which was enjoyed by
about 160 participants. Close to $1200
was raised, to be split between Child
and Youth Friendly Ottawa and the
Reach team for tournament costs. A
Silent Auction, organized by Zheng
Jiang and JJ Li, featured great deals
on jewellery, flower arrangements, and
gift certificates for local restaurants and
spas. Many students participated in
diverse ways, helping with food
preparation, question-writing, ticketselling,
canvassing for prizes, marking,
score-keeping, set-up and cleanup....etc.
Particular thanks should go to
Ms. Lee, Ms Boyle and Bruno for
organizing the great food, to the AVA
Club (led by Ms. Odecki) for their
technical support, to the Care Staff for
all their assistance, and to all our
generous sponsors listed below. We
encourage you to support their
businesses in return.
Benitz Bistro, The East India Company
Restaurant, The Works, Lapointe's
Restaurant, Calvina's Gourmet
International Catering, Johnny Farina's,
The Inn on Somerset, Saab Spa,
Leading Note, Rings Etc., Paul's Boat
Lines, The Haunted Walk, Elgin Street
Video, Fandom II, Saslove's, The
National Gallery, The Museum of
Nature, The Museum of Science and
Technology, Images on Bank,
European Glass & Paint, The Groomer,
Sports 4, Boushey's, Boko
Bakery, Brown Loaf Bakery, Pure
Gelato, Henry's, Rogers, Elgin St.
Bookstore, Ventrex, The Camera
Trading Company, The Liao Family,
The Landry Family
Library
Lisgar’s library is featured prominently
in the editorial for the Fall 2009
Remembrance Edition of School
Libraries in Canada, the on-line
journal of the Canadian Association for
School Libraries. In the editorial,
Lisgar’s teacher-librarian, Mr. Grose
refers to the long history of military
service by students and staff of Lisgar
Collegiate. He also discusses how the
yearbook digitization project
undertaken by the alumni association
brought him into contact with a former
Lisgar student, Boudewijn van Oort,
who has recently published an account
of his childhood experiences in
Japanese internment camps in Java
during World War II. A copy of
Tjideng Reunion: A Memoir of World
War II on Java, donated by Mr. van
Oort, is available in the library. To
read the editorial, visit the CASL web
site
at
http://clatoolbox.ca/casl/slicv27n3/273
editorial.html.
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Other “Lisgar authors” were featured in
the library’s bulletin board display
celebrating Canadian Library Month
(October). Amongst the books on
display were several titles by Lisgar
graduate and film historian John Kobal
and a variety of other titles ranging from
Transfusion: A Canadian Surgeon’s
Story in War and in Peace by Dr.
Norman Miles Guiou and Old Scores,
New Goals, The Story of the Ottawa
Senators by Joan Finnigan to Adrienne
Clarkson’s 1968 novel, A Lover More
Condoling. For a more extensive list of
titles in the library collection written by
members of Lisgar’s alumni visit the
library web site.
Moving into the twenty-first century,
three classes have participated in Wiki
bookclubs facilitated by the library.
Mr. Grills’ Leadership classes and Ms.
Cutt’s and Ms. Hammond’s grade ten
English classes have been reading and
discussing a variety of non-fiction
books using wikis. Limited results
from an on-line survey of participants
from the English class indicate
although most students wrote less than
they might have done in a traditional
written response, they spent more time
talking about the books they read and
felt that they had a better understanding
of their reading as a result of the
exchange of comments using the Wiki.
Over 200 new titles have been added to
the library collection so far this year.
They range from The Chickens Fight
Back: Pandemic Panics and Deadly
Diseases and My Anxious Mind: A
Teen’s Guide to Managing Anxiety and
Panic to The Manga Guide to Calculus
and Our Story: Aboriginal Voices on

Canada’s Past. Book circulation
increased almost 20% in September and
October this year compared with the
same period last year. Thanks to Adam
Stone who has been volunteering in the
library to help with re-shelving all those
extra books that students and teachers
have been reading!
On July 21-24, 2009, Lisgar student,
Karoly Szalay won the competition
at the 2009 Canadian Youth Chess
Championships held in Victoria, BC.
This is an official
national championship which is held
once a year and it is a qualifier to
select the winners that represent
Canada at the World Youth Chess
Championships (WYCC). Karoly is
the champion of U16 category.
Therefore, he is a member
of Canadian Youth chess team and
he will represent Canadian kids
competing in the 2009 WYCC in
Turkey from November 11 to
November 23.
Also, on June 25-29, 2009, Karoly
competed in the Philadelphia
International Championship in
downtown Philadelphia. He tied
for first in the U2200 (this is adult
tournament and many professional
players from other countries played
here).
On June 29 to July 5th, he played
in World Open in Philadelphia in
the same location. There were
1200 players who come from all
over the world to compete.
On July 5th-6th, Karoly played in
the World Blitz (5 minutes for the
entire game) tournament. Karoly
always enjoy quick games.
There were 91 players in the
open (top) category. He scored
7/10 and ranked 7th.
Community News
"From time to time, the school is asked
to distribute information about activities
in the community that may be of interest
to some parents/children - for example,
summer camps, gymnastic clubs, sports
groups, etc. This information is provided
for your consideration only and should
not be viewed as an endorsement by the
school or its staff of any particular
organization."
STUDENT SERVICES & CAREER
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
We have four areas in our department:
Career Education, Counselling, Special
Education and Co-operative Education.
UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE
INFORMATION:
Our school’s Grade 12 students are in
the process of choosing which
universities/colleges and programs they
want to attend next fall. On October
6th, our graduating students attended a
university and college information
assembly given by the counsellors
about researching programs, admission
requirements, application procedures,
financial aid, and scholarships. Other
post-secondary choices such as
apprenticeship and work were
presented too.
Many different universities have
visited Lisgar in September, October,
and November to recruit our students,
and to provide information about
programs, scholarships, and life on
campus. The visit schedule is posted on
the website at lisgar.ca
On November 5th, we took students
who were interested in applying to
college to Algonquin College’s Open
House event.
On the evening of October 14th, Lisgar
held a Post-Secondary Information
presentation for all parents of grade 11
and 12 students. Topics covered were
post-secondary options such as work,
apprenticeship, university, and college.
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Application forms for Ontario
universities and colleges will be done
online by the students, and most
students will probably do this at home.
(Internet access is available at school in
the computer labs and the library).
Students applying to Ontario universities
are encouraged to apply online as early
as possible, starting in late November.
Ontario universities will give equal
consideration to applications received by
January 13th, 2010. Students applying to
Ontario colleges have already started to
do their applications. Ontario colleges
will give equal consideration for
applications received by February 1st,
2010. Please check our website for
detailed information at: lisgar.ca. (Look
toward the bottom of the home page
under University/College Information)
On Tuesday, December 8th, a
lunchtime workshop will be held in a
computer lab, (room 204), for any
students who would like assistance
doing their online applications.
PLEASE NOTE that we recommend
that all Lisgar students have completed
their online applications for college and
university by January 1 st , 2010.
June 2010 grads are reminded to listen
to Lisgar’s daily announcements for
updated university and college
information throughout the school year.
Career Choices & Information
Students who are currently unsure of
their choices, can use the Career Cruising
software to do an interest inventory and
to research programs and careers that
match their interests, abilities and
resources. Students can also make an
appointment to see their Lisgar
counsellor to discuss these decisions.
Go to: www.careercruising.com
(USERNAME: Ottawa PASSWORD:
26250) Do the interest inventory
“Career Matchmaker”, to discover your
interest pattern. Then use the results to
research careers (“Occupations”
button). Then read about
university/college programs
(“Education” button) that match your
interests

Other Websites to visit:
• OUAC – (Ontario Universities’
Application Centre)
www.ouac.on.ca
• OCAS – (Ontario College
Application Service)
www.ontariocolleges.ca
• OSAP $ – (Ontario Student
Assistance Program)
www.osap.gov.on.ca
• BOUGE mentoring
www.bouge.ca
HOW TO GET EXTRA HELP IN A
SUBJECT:
If a parent or student is looking for extra
help to bring up a mark in a subject,
please read page 17 in the Lisgar student
planner. This page outlines the many
options available to our students. Please
note that the new times for the Math
Help Room (room 316) are Mondays
3:15 pm to 4:15 pm and Thursdays 8:15
am to 8:45 am. The new times for the
Student Support Room are Monday to
Friday 8:15 to 8:50 (except Wednesday),
and this room is also open during lunch
hour every day.
ATTENTION GRADUATES!
Community Involvement:
Parents and students are reminded that
40 hours of documented community
involvement (volunteer work) are
required in order to graduate from all
high schools in Ontario. We
recommend that graduating students
have their 40 hours completed by
January 1 st , 2010. Blank forms can be
picked up in Student Services, and
completed forms should be returned to
the main office. Ideally, students will
have completed their 40 hours by the
end of Grade 10, so that they do not
have to rush to finish them.
INTERNATIONAL ADVANCED
PLACEMENT (AP) COURSES:
Lisgar students are able to take
Advanced Placement Courses (AP).
The Advanced Placement Program
provides motivated and academically
prepared students with the opportunity
to demonstrate evidence of universitylevel
studies while still in high school,
and to earn advanced standing in their
first year of university. To earn
advanced standing, students must
perform well on the AP Exams at
Lisgar in May. AP is a highly
respected, very large, academically
demanding, well known, and well
respected program. A grade of 4 or
higher on the May exam is accepted as
equivalent to a credit for a first year
course at most universities. (Some
universities will consider a grade of 3.)
AP Scholar Awards
Ten students at Lisgar have earned AP
Scholar Awards in recognition of their
exceptional achievement on the 2009
AP Exams. About 18 percent of the
nearly 1.7 million students worldwide
who took AP Exams performed at a
sufficiently high level to also earn an
AP Scholar Award. The College Board
recognizes several levels of
achievement based on students’
performance on AP Exams.
Ten of Lisgar’s AP students achieved
AP grade averages of 4.6 or higher.
Three of these students qualified for
the “National AP Scholar Award” by
earning an average grade of 4 or higher
on a five-point scale on all AP Exams
taken, and grades of 4 or higher on
eight or more of these exams. These
three students are Jennifer Hurd,
Sarah Mackenzie and Jasmine Song.
These students also qualified for the
“Scholar with Distinction Award”.
Special mention goes to Jennifer
Hurd who has earned the
“International Diploma” by achieving
grades of 4+ in 6 disciplines (even
before completing the requirements for
the OSSD.)
Four students qualified for the “Scholar
with Honor Award” by earning an
average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP
Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher
on four or more of these exams. These
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students are Ran Hou, Sophie
Rusnock, Erin Scothorn, and
Edward Zhang.
Three students qualified for the
“Scholar Award” by completing three
or more AP Exams with grades of 3 or
higher. The AP Scholars are Jeremy
Chitpin, Ling Du, and Clara Lu.
Lisgar’s “School AP Grade Average”
is 4.85!
Leadership Class
Twenty-four students from Mr. Grills'
leadership class began participating in
the reading buddy program at the
beginning of October. In this program,
each Lisgar student is paired up with a
student from York St. Public School,
and together they read and do fun
activities. This program is aimed at
improving the reading and social skills
of the younger students while giving
the Lisgar students a chance to apply
their leadership and peer support skills
in the community. This program will
last for the rest of the school year.
Student Accident Insurance
Parents should be aware that the
OCDSB does not provide accident
insurance coverage in the event of
student injuries that occur on school
premises or during school activities.
Unfortunately, despite all reasonable
precautions being taken, accidents can
and do continue to happen. Some
injuries incur medical, dental or other
expenses that are not covered by
provincial health care or employer
group plans. As a parent or guardian,
you become responsible for these
expenses. Student accident insurance is
available, on a voluntary basis, through
Reliable Life Insurance Company.
Forms will be NOT be distributed to
individual students, but can either be
picked up from the school office or
downloaded at www.binks.ca or you
may apply online at
www.insuremykids.com. If you have
any questions, please call Binks
Insurance Brokers at 613-226-1350.