December 2015 Issue No. 10 - Toronto Catholic District ... 2015 Issue No. 10 Principal: Ms. Mancini...

The Romero Reader

THE ROMERO READER

IN THIS ISSUE :

December 2015 Issue No. 10

Principal:

Ms. Mancini

Vice-Principals:

Ms. Frate

Mr. Sanborn

Summer Programs, page 2

Hangar, page 2

Halloween, page 3

ACCTS, page 3

A Message of Peace, page 4

Remembrance, page 4

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, page 5

Nutrition Program, page 5

CSUNA, page 5

Christmas Carousel, page 6

Environment, page 6

Connecting with Santa Maria, page 6

Business Trip, page 7

We Day, page 7

DD/ME Program, page 8

Cooking Club, page 8

Anthropology, page 8

Mental Health, page 9

BBPA, page 9

Romero Art, page 10

Native Art Course, page 11

Anti-Bullying Awareness, page 11

Romero Raiders, pages 12-14

Book Review, page 15

Editorial, page 15

Thank You, page 16

Student Council, page 16

Congratulations, page 16

Looking Ahead, page 16

A Vision for Community and Success—Grade 9 Orientation at the Hangar, page 2

SHSM Students Build Christmas Carousel, page 6

By Leilani Carranza

In September, about two hun-

dred grade 9 students partici-pated in Romero’s annual Grade 9 Orientation Day. SHSM students and student leaders helped organize this day to create a special wel-coming event for the grade 9’s. They participated in com-munity-building activities and sports such as ultimate frisbee, tug-of-war, group skiing and dodge ball.

Summer at Romero

Summer Mentorship Program

THE ROMERO READER PAGE 2

The student organiz-ers planned and performed their tasks and activities with enthusiasm and high energy, which created the perfect at-mosphere for newcomers. This was the time for Romero to show its spirit and to make new Romero members feel wel-come and comfortable. It was a great day for all!

However, it was not all work and no play as there was a dance during the second week. Also, a day was spent exploring the Ontario Science Centre. For many students, the best part of the whole experi-ence was being able to see old friends and make new ones as well. Students at-tending not only got to know the school and make friends, but they also re-ceived one of the thirty credits needed for gradua-tion. “Although it takes time away from summer vacation,” one student ad-mitted, “it’s a good chance to get to know our future school. The teachers are nice, the classes are inter-esting, and we get a credit.”

By Leilani Carranza

Throughout July, the future

freshmen of Romero got a chance to become familiar with their new school. 130 future Romero grade 9 stu-dents attended the Summer Transition Program. Each day, students experienced various high school classes. In physical education they participated in a scavenger hunt, had a Zumba lesson and learned various team sports. In English they learned how to annotate, identify literary devices, structure a paragraph and do creative writing. In technol-ogy they made an anima-tion, and in math they learned how to properly work with fractions.

By Kaitlyn Alexander

This past July, I had the pleas-

ure of being a part of the 2015 Summer Mentorship Program. This initiative gives high school students of Indigenous and Afri-can ancestry an opportunity to explore the health sciences for four weeks at the University of Toronto. Students receive hands-on experience, mentorship, and a credit towards their high school diploma, all at no cost.

Students in the pro-gram are exposed to many new experiences. Participants are in a university class set-ting, listening to presenta-tions on topics that range from indigenous history to health and the adolescent brain. Students also visit the different faculties on campus to experience the environ-ment in which they may study in future. Similar to the activities completed in ca-reers, students are also en-couraged to self-reflect and evaluate their interests and experiences to determine future plans. Lastly, students are given the opportunity to

job shadow a professional for a day. Students are paired up, for example, with a physician, researcher or a veterinarian, to experience some aspects of the job. I enjoyed myself greatly during my four weeks with SMP. I met new people, interacted with professors and educators. I also networked, received insight on different health science related occupa-tions, and earned a credit I can use toward my diploma. The application pro-cess has already begun. The early admission deadline is January 8, 2016.

Hanging Around at the Hangar

For more information visit www.ohpsa.utoronto.ca/smp.

Halloween at Romero

PAGE 3 THE ROMERO READER

Our Lady of Guadalupe, stu-dents were permitted to wear whatever elaborate costume their hearts desired. Cans were collected for the "We Scare Hunger!" campaign hosted by the Free the Children Foundation. In addition, Romero took this opportunity to once again help those most vulnerable in the community and to learn more about social justice; two presentations took place in the Chapel. As a catholic school community, it

By Leilani Carranza & Jasmine Amalathasan

On October 30, 2015, the

students of Archbishop Romero C.S.S. celebrated Halloween with a dance and an invitation to dress up. With a donation of three non-perishable items from each student, which are to be do-nated to St. Francis Table Soup Kitchen, Daily Bread Food Bank, and our parish,

is important that Romero practices the virtue of charity.

It was a fun Friday.

Not only did students partici-

pate, but so did some staff.

Everyone participating wore

great costumes that absolutely

shone at the Halloween

Dance. With a minimum of a

$5 entry fee, funds were col-

lected for the Terry Fox Dance

Fundraiser and a total of $2000

was raised for cancer research.

Apart from the regular excite-

ment of trick-or- treating and

the fun of wearing costumes,

this Halloween Romero was

able to learn a little more

about social justice, the act of

giving, and our global commu-

nity.

Social Justice on Halloween

By Isabella Del Nibletto & Jasmine Amalathasan

Halloween 2015 was a busy

time at Romero. As Leilani noted, two inspirational presentations took place on October 30, 2015. First, the Student Chaplaincy Team, along with more than 200 Archbishop Romero C.S.S. students, participated in the “Create a Climate of Change” campaign, which focuses on reducing greenhouse gasses to slow global warming. The campaign is a partnership be-tween the Student Chaplaincy Team, the Leadership Class and Student Council, who worked together, so they could bring about awareness and positive change for cli-mate issues and social justice. Student leaders Megan Shep-ard and Jasmine Amalathasan also presented to the students

a connection between climate change, drought and civil un-rest as a contributor to an in-crease in refugees. The two students handed out petition cards to sign that would be delivered to the Prime Minis-ter’s Office in Ottawa.

In addition, Ms. Wilks, who volunteers her time in a downtown food bank, spoke to the students about how volunteering and being part of a community is a way for young people to do good deeds for those in need. She shared many of her experi-ences as a volunteer. “It’s not just about doing a favour for others. We can grow in spirit and character when we share in people’s lives,” she said. Ms. Wilks emphasized that it is our Christian obligation to help others and that “giving is receiving”. As Ms. Wilks con-cluded her portion of the presentation, she stated, “No one has become poor by giv-

ing”. This is statement that all must remember.

Other social justice concerns were also dis-cussed, with the primary focus on Syria and the con-flicts and challenges the Syri-ans are enduring. We pray for all those afflicted by war and terrorism.

We would like to

express gratitude to Ms.

Perkins-Ball for all her effort

and time in organizing this

event, and the staff that

helped in some way.

On October 7, 2015, Romero

students participated in A Cath-olic Call To Service, organized by the TCDSB. Students began the day with a mass celebrated by Father Michael who encour-aged students to use their knowledge and privileges to give and support others. Romero’s choir, lead by Mr. Danner, was invited to share their musical gifts during mass. In the afternoon, each school went to a different location to volunteer their time and abili-ties to organizations in need. Romero went to Mary’s House, a woman’s shelter. Students organized donated items in the pantry, cleaned the kitchen and sorted donations in the clothing room. Students had fun and felt accomplished.

Romero ACCTS

A Message of Peace


said one grade 10 student, "he didn't just tell us about the bad stuff; he shared some stories of fun and hope too." After the war, Elly knew he needed to deal with his anger in order to be able to survive after the war; he stressed the value of the peace he was able to find. Elly is a friend-ly, courageous person and a great speaker. It was an hon-our to have him speak to us.

By Ashley Sweeney

On November 25, 2015, the

grade 10 history classes at-tended a presentation by Hol-ocaust Survivor, Elly Gotz. Elly told stories of the oppres-sion he, his family, and his friends faced during World War II. He spoke of how his well-off and educated family was stripped of most of their rights and sent to live in a "ghetto". Everything was tak-en from them: gold, silver, jewelry, even their books. Elly and his father were then sent to a concentration camp where they lived and worked until the American soldiers came to their aid. "Elly was a truly inspirational speaker,"

Many people imag-

ine Cadets to be mainly pre-

paring for a career in the mili-

tary, but it is really about

preparing people for life.

This year, Cadets, guided by Ms.

Perkins-Ball, delivered the

Remembrance ceremony at

Romero.

Remembrance at Romero

program has different aims

and goals. I joined Air Cadets

because the thought of being

able to fly a plane sparked

interest in me. I am a Ser-

geant, NCO, Drill Team

Commander, and Flight

Commander, I am very active

in my squadron and truly

enjoy the experience. A

friend from Cadets has always

said, "Participating in Cadets

has given me some of the

greatest times of my life."

Cadets are encouraged to

become better people and to

be an asset to their communi-

ties.

By Corina Picco

Cadets is a national program

for youth ages 12 to 18 and

was founded by

the Duke of Edinburgh. The

mission of the program is to

help young people develop

leadership skills, and to do

this in an interesting, fun and

challenging way. Cadets will

grow in physical and men-

tal strength as they

learn more about the Sea, Air,

and Army activities of the

Canadian armed forces. Each

three divisions of the cadet

THE ROMERO READER

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

By Ms. Lopes

On November 10, 2015,

eight Romero students attend-ed a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award ceremony and fund-raising breakfast.

This is an annual event in which student partici-pants have a chance to interact with representatives of some of the main financial corpora-tions, and sponsors of the

Award. Although the stu-dents had to wake up quite early, they were rewarded with a delicious break-fast at the Arcadian Court.

Two Romero stu-dents, Maria Nguyen and Princess Owusu, were also presented with their Bronze level awards.

The Duke of Edin-burgh is an international program for youth 14-25.

It recognizes the time and effort participants dedicate to learning a skill, to fitness, and to community service.

If you have any ques-tions or have an interest, please see Ms. Lopes for more information.

By Sara Rebelo

For the past three weeks, the

“Wellness Wednesday” team has been promoting the physi-cal and mental health of the student body every Wednes-day during all three lunches in the cafeteria. A small group of student leaders, alongside Ms. Araujo and the student nurse, Carla, are in charge of running this un and informa-tive program. Wellness Wednes-day started because staff wanted to encourage students to be more mindful of their overall well-being. There-fore, this program provides tips to help students find easy and healthy recipes, be physi-cally active, and deal with stress in a practical way. The response the team has received from both their peers and staff members has been very positive. The student leaders have also re-

Be A Healthier You

ceived feedback and tips on what they should do differ-ently to improve. For exam-ple, when the students were handing out the smooth-ies, both staff members and students suggested that the students put less granola. This suggestion improved the reci-pe and the success of this ini-tiative. The program will continue until April 2016.

By Iara Beleza

The Catholic Schools’ United

Nations Assembly (CSUNA) took place on November 26 and 27, 2015, at the Catholic Education Centre. The Romero students in attend-ance were delegates for the countries of El Salvador, Gua-temala and Guyana. It was an amazing experience to have a real-life demonstration on how the UN works. The de-bates were exciting as many perspectives were shared on topics such as Women's Rights, Global Warfare, and the Global Water Crisis. The students stated that it was a fun and enriching learning experience to have a voice on these issues. Students also had the chance to meet other high school students who share the same interest for current events, a better world and debating.

Romero Delegates at CSUNA


Connecting with Santa Maria Through Literacy and Active Play

Christmas Carousel 2015—Specialist High Skills Major

By Mr. De Santis

Mr. De Santis’ SHSM stu-

dents built a working carousel for the 2015 Christmas sea-son. These students worked before, during and after school to complete this pro-ject in order to meet the De-cember 1st deadline. They not only met it, but also worked collaboratively, over-came obstacles that arose, and made modifications along the way to make it all work bet-

ter, which encompasses all the aspects of the 21st Century Learning Model. Students learned the skills they will need to thrive and succeed in today’s work world. This project is a huge accomplish-ment at many levels. It show-cases a level of workmanship and skill level that is well be-yond their years. I am very proud of all of them as their dedication and workmanship is nothing less than impres-sive.

I would like to offer a special thank you to Marcelo Maltez, Emanuel Tavares, Orlando Correa Da Cunha, Hugo Vieira, Daniel Bernar-do, Alina McDermott-Bedenikovic, Arla Marie Cabi-son, Mariana Ribeiro Franco, Allison Araujo, and Victoria Norman-Da Silva.

On behalf of all the students and myself, we would like to wish you and your families a Merry Christ-mas and a Happy New Year!

By Matthew Heffernan


Development and Peace held a workshop for students who are passionate about climate change. The students, from different school boards in the

GTA, learned about and dis-cussed climate change and our responsibility to act as stewards of the Earth. There was a focus on the close con-nection between environ-mental issues and social jus-tice— although suffering the most with climate change, countries in the Global South

Go Green with Development and Peace

produce the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions. From this perspective, peti-tions were collected and sent to Prime Minister Justin Tru-deau's office to encourage the government to make climate change a priority. Groups of students also committed to representing their schools at a

rally on November 29, 2015, at Queen's Park to encourage the leaders at COP21—United Nations Climate Change Convention—in Paris to make the right decisions to protect the planet for future generations.

By Anna Fisico

Since November, the

Romero leadership class has been building a partnership with the neighbouring Santa Maria Catholic Elementary School. The goal is for Ms. Furlong’s grade 3 class to develop their literacy skills; in assisting with this process, the Romero students will also meet their course goals – identifying and responding to

needs in the community and contributing to community building. The first meeting was on November 25. After introductions with the name game and enjoying lunch to-gether, the leaders led the grade three students in games, which required focus on directions – atoms, Tarzan jungle man, freeze dance and Simon says. The first day was a success, so the leaders planned another set of activi-ties.

On December 4, 2015, the leadership class travelled to Santa Maria to involve the grade three class in more communication, team-building activities - Hu-la Hoop, Categories, Waffles, Lost Egg and Balancing Act. When debriefing about the experience, the grade three students said they learned new words and had fun. One student also commented, "They (the leaders) made us feel comfortable so we could

work with our friends to do hard jobs." Another said, "I was surprised that we could work as a team. They showed us how to work together and listen to each other."

THE ROMERO READER

By Ms. Presotto On November 20, 2015,ten

female Business SHSM students attended the SheBiz Conference at the Rotman School of Man-agement. The students heard from leaders across different industries in business who spoke about their fields and discussed the challenges of be-

SheBiz

By Hugo Vieira & Hannah Alvaro

At ‘We Day’ students gather

to inspire one another to con-tinue to create positive change. This year, ‘We Day’ was held on October 1, 2015, at the Air Canada Centre. It is a free event that is run by Free The Children, an organization which encourages young peo-ple to make the world a bet-ter place by serving others. The organization was founded by two brothers—Craig and Marc Kielburger. It all started when Craig, at the age of 12, read an article in the Toronto Star about a boy who died because he spoke against child labour. Craig decided he needed to use his voice to take action and help children around the world who don’t have a voice or aren't as fortu-nate as he. Craig felt moved by the story of a boy in Paki-stan, also 12, decided he needed to do something about it and got his friends and brother involved.

Free The Children is therefore, based on the idea that we are all connected, regardless of country borders, culture or race, and we are all responsible for each other’s well-being. This is why the movement is called Me to We. “It’s easy to get into the habit of ‘Me’ thinking. In our cur-rent culture, we constantly receive messages that success is about the things that we have. To move beyond the mentality of ‘Me”, we first need to become aware of ‘We’—the world outside of ourselves and everyone in it.” According to the brothers, we can reach this transition if we develop gratitude and empa-thy, and redefine what happi-ness means to us, as well as develop our awareness of community.

The students in at-tendance were inspired by the work of celebrities like Demi Lovato, Shawn Mendes and Hedley who work with Free The Children to stress the im-portance of the power of one individual and the impact of our daily decisions.

Living Me to We

Donate. Go through your home and collect things your family no longer uses. Donate these items to a women’s shelter or another service organization.

Volunteer. A full 40 percent of those who vol-unteer do so because someone invited them to. As k a friend to join you to volunteer at your local food bank, nursing home, women’s shel-ter, etc.

Care for the planet. Turn the lights off when they are not needed. A large proportion of the electricity we use is generated by gas—and coal— fired power plants that produce enor-mous amounts of air pollution. When the air quality is poor, many people are affected.

‘We Day’ 2015

ing a female in leadership. The students participated in trading games, learned about business standards, and shared infor-mation through Q&A sessions. The day ended with expert fash-ion advice on how to dress for success. All in all, it was a tre-mendous experience and the

girls came back inspired to find their voices and blaze their own paths.


Anthropology Zoo Tour

The DD/ME Program

By Sean Huelar, Jewel Linatoc & Ms. Ratz

The DD/ME classes have

had a good start to the school year. The students have been busy working hard and squeezing in some time for fun as well. Many of the DD/ME students have started their work experiences at various locations in our com-munity. Angel’s Bakery has

graciously opened their doors to allow some of our students to gain work experience and to develop both job skills and social skills. They have started up the coffee cart program and it has been successful so far. Students have also begun to assist with attendance and Christmas fundraising. The DD/ME classes are selling Candy-grams and holding a raffle to support the program with excursions and other activities. Soon they will be

going on a trip to Woodbine Centre to see a movie and visit Santa, along with DD/ME classes from other schools. Look out for the Christmas artwork that will be on display at the Christmas Concert!

and test and taste their cook-ing skills. At each session, students hear from different professional guest chefs about how to make reasonably priced delicious and nutri-tious meals. The chefs also exemplify different tech-niques needed to prepare a specific meal. Then the stu-dents apron up, head to the

By Connor Lawless & Brian Medeiros

Let’s Get Cooking!

sinks to wash their hands and work in four groups to pre-pare a delicious meal. The staff then taste the results and provide the apprentices with feedback. At the end of the session, the students enjoy the food they made in their groups. “It is a very fun expe-rience and all of these cook-ing techniques are very useful

at home too. Every week, I look forward to stone soup!” Soon, the top student partici-pants will be selected to par-ticipate in cook-offs. These students will have the chance to cook in a professional in-dustrial kitchen, competing against other cooking clubs at other schools.

By Teresa Le

Students are having a blast at

Stone Soup Cooking. This is a cooking program offered through the City of Toronto’s Parks and Recreation Depart-ment. Every Tuesday after school the group of 30 stu-dents gathers in the cooking room to learn about nutrition

On November 16, 2015, Ms.

Maalouf’s grade 11 college and

university classes visited the

Toronto Zoo to get a closer

look at the species they have

been studying in class. Stu-

dents were led by awesome

tour guides who helped make

the day so much fun and very

informative. Students learned

many new things and got the

opportunity to have interactive

experiences, which compli-

mented and enhanced the

theory students had been

taught to in the classroom.

The main focus of the

day was human evolution; the

students were shown different

diagrams on how today’s hu-

mans are both similar and dif-

ferent to modern primates like

the chimpanzees or

orangutans. To see these dif-

ferent animals living in their

environments was a really cool

part of the day and the ani-

mals were very active and

exciting to watch. “One of

my favourite parts of the an-

thropology tour was when

the tour guides compared our

hands with those of other

primates. The similar shapes

were eye-opening,” a student

commented. Overall, the trip

was informative and fun.

THE ROMERO READER

By Daniella Rodrigues

On December 1, 2015,

six Romero students attend-ed the seventh annual men-tal health symposium at the Hart House at the Universi-ty of Toronto. Toronto Catholic District School

Board schools came together to discuss mental illness and well-ness in an attempt to stop the stigma in our schools and com-munities. The idea is to speak to youth who are moved by and passionate about the topic in hopes to inspire them to contin-ue the conversation and take action in their own schools.

Students attended mul-tiple workshops that ranged from spoken word with Patrick De Belen, to yoga, to a discus-

Mental Health Symposium: Stop the Stigma

By Jaedyn Charles


a group of Romero students

represented our school com-

munity at the annual National

Black Business & Professional

association Youth Mentor-

ing Conference. The focus of

the BBPA is to advance Cana-

da’s black communities by

delivering specific programs

that support business and

professional excellence, high-

er education and economic

development. The goal of the

day was to educate and en-

courage black youth and their

teachers about the opportuni-

ties and abilities they have to

become extraordinary mem-

bers of society. From Science

to Arts, to Real Estate, lead-

ing entrepreneurs in the black

community were in attend-

ance to offer stories of success

and encourage youth to reach

their potential and pursue

their interests. Speakers such

as Ken Thomas and Francis

Jeffers stressed the im-

portance of making wise

choices and creating and fol-

lowing a plan to achieve

your future goals. Throughout

the day, the students were

also given chances to win priz-

es that would help them stay

on the path of success. A

Romero student was one of

these winners. He received a

$300 valued educational

set on how to make solid in-

vestments. Two other stu-

dents won brand new com-

puters, and everyone enjoyed

a catered lunch. All in all the

students had a wonderful time

and were thankful to Ms.

Araujo and Ms. Perkins-Ball

for the opportunity to partici-

pate in this great convention.

Annual National Black Business & Professional Convention

sion on drug abuse with Ellen Chang and Kylie Somerville. However, despite the large var-iation in presentations, they all focused on one main subject—mental health awareness. Our students also chose to attend the reading of Half Full, a play on the impact anxiety has in a teen's life. To close, students were given a stone with a word of encouragement on it to re-mind them that the only differ-ence between stepping stones

and building blocks is the way we choose to see them.

Monica Anjos, a Romero student, explained, "I believe that the future is now and it's through experi-ences like this, where preju-dice is stripped, that will real-ly help to finally stop the stig-ma around mental health."


Emily Briones Savina Bissette ROMERO ART

Photos By Maria Michalski

Isabella Olmedo

Stacey Piques

Alicia Galindo

Catarina Cruzeiro

THE ROMERO READER

By Maria Michalski & Isabella Del Nibletto

This year the art course for

some grade nine students differs from the traditional art class in that the focus is on aboriginal art. Mr. Raterman

is teaching a course wherein students learn about indige-nous people, their artwork, and their beliefs. So far this semester, the students have completed a few assignments such as a sculpture, pages on a sketchbook and a painting. When asked what this course

is about, Mr. Raterman said, “Exploring the art work identity, sovereignty and relationships of Canada’s indigenous people. We ex-press these things through art.” To further the students’ experience, the class went to a convention centre where

they listened to indigenous people talk about their cul-ture and looked at traditional clothing and dances. Overall, students are gaining a new understand-ing of aboriginal culture and history through various art-work and art forms.

Native American Art Course

By Ms. Perkins-Ball

During the week of Novem-

ber 23, 2015, the entire grade nine class participated in Anti-Bullying-Peacemaking Workshops at the school in a partnership between the Reli-gion Department and CYW Programs. These presentations were developed and run by students in Ms. Trevisan's Religion Class, under the guidance of Ms. Araujo and Mr. Cassano. Students were invited to re-flect upon the effects of bul-lying and to think about how they can become part of the solution when bullying oc-curs. Students were also made aware of the anony-mous way to report bullying through our school website so that people can find help and support. When asked about what they had learned through the workshops, Isa-bella Olmedo said that she was reminded to be more mindful, because what may seem like normal behaviour to some and what can go on daily, can actually be bully-

ing. Victoria Duarte said she is now more aware, and Denzel Gomez Hughes was encour-aged to stand up and stop bul-lying when it happens. Simon was glad that his fellow stu-dents were leading the work-shops, as "they are our age and understand more what it is like," he said. Ruth Omoregbe had a very telling response: In watching the "What would people do?" videos where Romero students created scenes of bullying and then acted them out in our cafete-ria, she said she had actually been there when it seemed one student was being bullied. "The workshops were im-portant for me because when I saw what was happening (as was filmed for the video), I said out loud to my friends that someone should do something, but I didn't actually do any-thing. This helped me realize

that I should have been the one to speak up, I should have been that one to step up and help." Thank you for your honesty, Ruth. We look forward to a continuation of these discus-sions amongst students and staff and hope that each person who attended will have the courage to stand up to bully-ing, as we continue to build a safe and welcoming environ-ment for all.

Grade 9 Anti-Bullying—Peace-making Workshops

By Julia Soares

The team enjoyed a win-

ning season. “What is a winning season? Some might determine this by the number of games played and win-loss columns, but

as coaches, Ms. Zammit and I embrace the philoso-phy that victory includes the positive transformations that happened for the girls during the season, and the relationships that were de-veloped.” This is Ms. Per-kins- Ball’s view on the sea-son played. Ms. Zammit mentioned that coaching the team was a phenomenal experience. “During prac-tices and games each mem-ber demonstrated sports-womanship by maintaining optimism, encouraging the efforts of teammates and

ROMERO RAIDERS

Jr. Girls’ Basketball


representing our school community with pride and respect.”

The girls on the team grew close. Stephanie, a Grade 9 student, said that at first she did not know anyone, but within the first day girls talked to her and now everyone is friends. The team demonstrated community building by go-ing to the Community Bonding Fun Night, and they spoke at Explore Romero where students Alyssa, Nicole and Bethany told the grade eights that the

team was like a family within the school. During the sea-son, Electra, the team cap-tain, encouraged everyone to work together and have fun as a team.

“Teamwork, perse-verance, communication, and resilience, these are the character traits that these girls grew in. Each one of them gained experiences they can apply to everyday life. Each player contributed something unique to our season, which was success-ful!” was Ms. Perkins- Ball’s proud remark.

Tennis

By Maria Michalski

The tennis team played sev-

eral games, but despite their

efforts, they did not place

very high. The team worked

very hard and was very en-

thusiastic.

The five-member

team members were able to

hone their skills, and they will

attempt at competitive success

again next year. Mr. Rumazza

said the team worked very hard

and he expects next year will

be a better year for the tennis

team.

Ultimate Frisbee

Kelly, the team's coach, who

was quite proud with the play-

ers. He happily recalled the

final game of the season, in

which our Raiders scored

many points and played their

hearts out. Regardless of how

the games were played, Mr.

Kelly also plans on coaching

By Leilani Carranza

Although no games were

won, this team had a wonder-

ful time playing the game and

simply enjoying themselves.

"The kids were amazing and

they learned a lot," noted Mr.

next year's team as well and

hopes to spread the word

about how fun Ultimate Fris-

bee truly is in order to pro-

mote the sport and have even

more people join in on the fun

and the sport.

On December 11, 2015,

the team had a very success-ful tournament. They won all their games and won the 'SSE90 Christmas Classic Championship'. Congratula-tions and thank you Mr. Scopelliti.

Indoor Soccer

THE ROMERO READER

ROMERO RAIDERS

Sr. Boys’ Volleyball

Tinto and Ms. Oswin-Groh, were very proud of the team. They played a total of eight games throughout their season—six regular season games and two quali-fying play-off games. For the most part, the team played with communication, confi-dence, teamwork and hard work. In the play-offs, the senior boys won the first qualifying play-off spot against St. Mary’s.

The second play-off game was against Marshall McLuhan, but lost. Through-out their season and in the paly-offs, the boys played with confidence, communication and hard work.

Again, they would like to thank their coaches and the fans for attending every home game to support the team. It wasn’t all about win-ning; it was also about spend-

By Glenn Pascua

Congratulations to

the senior boys’ volleyball team! This team played a great season, ending with 4 wins and 2 losses. Their coaches, Mr.

ing time, growing positive relationships and having a good time. Overall, the senior boys had a great team and a great time together, and even though they lost in the playoffs, that didn’t pre-vent them from moving on and looking forward to their next season. They have made this school very proud.

By Julia Soares

The team was formed in early

September after there were three different try-outs with the coaches, Ms. Sette and Mr. Cassano. The girls were en-thusiastic and showed prom-ise—all girls made the team.

The team was very successful; they went unde-

feated in the regular “B Divi-sion”. This division was made up of twelve teams, and be-cause Blessed Archbishop Romero placed first, all play-off games were held on the home court.

The final champion-ship game was held on Thurs-day, November 26, where Romero played against Loretto Abbey. The girls played a fan-

tastic game; by the end it was tied at 27-27. With one sec-ond left on the clock, there was a foul which determined that Loretto Abbey won 28-27. This was the first time Loretto Abbey had ever won a basketball champion-ship. “Romero was happy to share that moment with these girls. A truly unforgettable

moment” was Ms. Sette’s remark. The Senior Girls’ Basketball team has made Blessed Archbishop Romero

proud. Go Raiders!

Sr. Girls’ Basketball

Connor Lawless, John Michal-ski, Mitchell Correia and Erold Osmani. Connor also came in third place for breast stroke.

Ms. Maalouf, the coach, said the 13 swimmers “are very committed and posi-tive. In addition, they demon-strate proper technique.” They are expecting another race on

December 17, 2015, and the championships are on Febru-ary 11, 2016. Ms. Maalouf says that the team looks very promising and she is expecting a great outcome. Romero wishes the team good luck in future competitions!

By Maria Michalski

The Swim team had its tour-

nament on November 20, 2015. Ruth Belay dislocated her shoulder, but still came out to the meet to cheer on the team. One of the senior boys’ relay team came in fourth place, which included-

Swim Team

By Mr. De Santis

The 2015 Junior Boys’ Soccer

season was the best junior season that Romero has seen in a long time, and I feel proud to have been a part of it. The most enjoyable part

was watching these kids get better and better as the season progressed. They always played with a lot of heart and grit

to the very last second of eve-ry game in the rain, wind and cold. The season ended with 3 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie. Proud-ly, one of our wins was against our rival Dante, which result-ed in not only the biggest win of the season, but also the biggest win of the last decade.

ROMERO RAIDERS

Jr. Boys’ Soccer


This win will be talked about for years to come and will stay with me forever. Unfortunate-ly, our only loss came in our final game versus Bishop Allen; a win would have given us a first place spot in the West Division. Nevertheless, we came in second and moved on to the play-off round. Our first play-off game was against Johnson and we won by 4 to 2 and moved to quarter finals. After a very tough and gruelling fight with

Chaminade, we ended up los-ing in penalty shots. It was a very close game and we fought until the very bit-ter end. We played better and had more chances than the opposing team, but had no luck in finding the back of the net. Our opponents ended up winning in penalty shots.

This was a great sea-son and these kids have every-thing to be proud of!

Boys’ Flag Football

By Julia Soares

During September and early

October, Grade 9 Blessed Archbishop Romero boys

Girls’ Flag Football

During September and early

October, Grade 9 Blessed Archbishop Romero girls prac-ticed and learned what was a new sport for some of them, flag football. The girls had a great time learning under Mr. Alvarez and Ms. Jurczynski`s wings. They continuously practiced until the tourna-ment. By Julia Soares

On October 7, 2015, the team went up against three other schools. In their first match, the Romero girls unfortunately lost. They learned the lay of the land quickly though, and came back in their second match. The girls won and had a shot at going to the finals. The third match was a close call, but the day was put to an end after a

final and close loss. The girls had shown great teamwork and effort.

The team came in 3rd place, but they were not disappointed, for it was a fun and new experience for all of them. We would like to thank the coaches, Mr. Alva-rez, Ms. Jurczynski and Mr. Myskohlid. Go Raiders!

trained hard for flag football with Mr. Nguyen and Mr. Myskohlid as coaches. Several practices took place and the Romero boys grew into a great team.

The tournament took place October 8, 2015. In the first game the boys played, the score ended as a tie. De-spite their skill and teamwork,

the second match resulted as a loss for the team. The Blessed Archbishop Romero boys flag football team went home knowing they had given their best efforts. Overall, the boys had a great time. We ex-press gratitude to the coaches, Mr. Nguyen and Mr. Tinto.

THE ROMERO READER

Book Commentary—All Quiet on the Western Front

Erich Maria Remarque's ground-breaking novel, All Quiet on the Western Front, changed the way peo-ple viewed those in crisis, both during and post war events. When first released, the novel received mixed reviews; however, it soon came to be known as one of the greatest war novels ever written. Remarque wrote the novel hoping to com-municate the horrors of war in a simple and accessible manner; he presented a be-lievable character who was deceived into enlisting in the army under the pretence of

serving his country. Paul Bäumer, the protagonist, was disillusioned as time went by, and soon began to question the true enemy behind the war. During the time he served, he experienced moral dilemmas, such as killing simply for sur-vival and not out of will. He felt the devastation and guilt of taking one’s life. In the end, he realized everyone was a victim of war. All Quiet on the Western Front comes highly recommended by many who have read it, and continues to be influential through its presentation of wartime plights that affect all soldiers.

By Aaron Groh

November is always a time of

remembrance. We remember and honour all those that sac-rificed their lives for the pro-tection of others and the preservation of their rights. We remember our veterans who have had to continue life with haunting memories, and some who have endured Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which was not recognized after World War One. Many sol-diers survived, but suffered from depression. As a result, they were criticized and alien-ated instead of supported.

By Megan Sheppard

Many people may view

Blessed Archbishop Romero as just a school, but anyone who attends it knows that it is most importantly a community. In this community we are invited to help others and work to-gether to provide exceptional opportunities. A prime exam-ple of this is the peer tutoring program, which began this year with the new Leadership course. During period 3 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, students go to clas-ses and tutor others who are in need of support. The classes range from English to Art, as well as supporting who are in the DDME program.

Peer tutoring is a growing and learning experi-ence for both the tutee and the tutor. It allows students to build new relationships while improving in school. Through personal experience as a tutor, I found that this has given me the opportunity to have differ-ent views and think of other, more creative ways, to solve problems. It forces both stu-dents to step out of their com-fort zones and develop skills that cannot be taught by a teacher. When asked about her participation in this section of the course, Anna Fisico said, “My experience has been amazing; not only have I helped and supported stu-dents, but I have also made new friends in the process.”

As a student of Ms. Lopes’ Leadership class, alt-hough peer tutoring is a large part of our mark, the grade I receive is not what motivates me to do my best. Walking into class and being welcomed by several hellos and eager students ready to show me their improved marks is the greatest reward I could receive for my work. Through this opportunity I have built rela-tionships with students deeper than just school work. With peer tutoring I hope to achieve personal growth and to help guide my peers to new accom-plishments in school. Peer tutoring has enabled Blessed Archbishop Romero to strengthen its student body by creating community.

Editorial—Peer Tutoring

Newsletter Team

Contributors: Leilani Carranza Isabella Del Nibletto Maria Michalski Andrea Perez Julia Soares

Teachers: Ms. Coscarelli Ms. Lopes

Looking Ahead

Christmas Concert—December 16 Christmas Community Breakfast—December 18 Christmas Break—December 21-January 4 Exams—January 25-29 Semester 2 Begins—February 1 Ash Wednesday—February 10 Family Day—February 15 March Break—March 14-March 18

By Andrea Perez

Have you ever wondered who plans many of the fun events you enjoy at

school? The Student Advisory Council (SAC) is a group of student repre-sentatives from all grades who meet weekly to do just that. Not to mention, they act as a voice for all of Romero, making sure that your experience here is a great and memorable one. The teacher supervisors in charge of SAC are Ms. Rach and Ms. Patterson. Make sure to thank everyone involved for all their hard work next time you see them. Feel free to go to the SAC room during your lunch to ask questions and/or make suggestions. Get involved!

CONGRATULATIONS!

To Mr. Silva on the birth of his daughter, Abigail.

To Mr. Nguyen on the birth of his son, Nathaniel.

STUDENT COUNCIL 2015-2016

WORDs OF

INSPIRATION

By Mr. Silva

The Blessed Archbishop Romero C.S.S. com-

munity would like to extend our appreciation to a few local businesses that generously donat-ed to our Special Needs program. All proceeds will be used to provide our classes with finan-cial support to enhance school programming, field trips and classroom resources. A special thank you goes out to Bulk Barn located at the Stockyards and at Dundas/Kipling. They pro-vided our students with candy canes and pep-permints, to create candy grams this holiday season. In addition, Romero’s own Patricia De Maria and her family’s business Angel’s Bakery on 296 Rogers Rd has been extremely gener-ous by making financial contributions, product donations and opening their doors to create co-op placements for our special needs students. The Educational Assistants/Child Youth Workers led by Laura Amato, have worked very hard to arrange, organize and implement these fundraisers on their own time to benefit our students.

THANK YOU

Grade 9 Representatives

Phoenix Mounce

Sophia Siciliano


Princess A Owusu

Genelle Gerald

Jennifer Bento

Carolina Da Silva

Lei Anne Tumamao


Gayathari Kajenthairan

Adriana Medeiros

Renata Flores

Iara Beleza

Anita Disi

Alina McDermott

Shemar Alexander

Jane Hernandez

Lucy Morais

Noah Almojuela

Megan Sheppard

Kelly Pontes


Tiago De Almeida

Victoria Da Silva

Matthew Heffernan

Valerie Munian

Crisselia De Oliveira

Teanna Francis

December 2015 Issue No. 10 - Toronto Catholic District ... 2015 Issue No. 10 Principal: Ms. Mancini...

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