Marymount Academy International

Newsletter

Edition #5 - Spring 2016

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Hydro-Quebec Montreal Regional Science and Technology Fair

Congratulations go out to our four teams that participated in the Hydro-Quebec Montreal Regional Science and Technology Fair on March 13, 14, and 15, at Concordia University. Willard Collins, with his project “Stained Eggspectations”, earned a distinction in his category. Lean Hamwi, with “Can I Cook in Peace?”, earned a distinction in her category, as well as the John Abbott College Science Award. Deborupa Dhar and Wafa Shahid with their project “Edible Water Bottle” earned an honorable mention, and Manqi Liang earned an honorable mention thanks to the project “Launching a Water Rocket”.

Congratulations to all!

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MMA Science Fair 2016

The overall experience of the Science fair was amazing! It took a lot of hard work to get our speeches, boards, and presentations ready, but once we finished, we all were able to realize that our work truly paid off. There were many great projects at our Science Fair. The best part of the whole experience was finding the solution to each of the questions featured in the each one of the projects. To conclude, the Science Fair was a really fun event that I hope I get to repeat as part of the science program every year!

- Thinoushan Senathirajah

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Term 2 Honor Roll Assembly

Congratulations to All!

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Principal’s Distinction Sec. 1 Dagenais, Christopher James Kamal, Rashed Mohammed Lee, Seungwon Senathirajah, Thinoushan

Sec. 2 Visuvalingam, Thrisika Yoo, Youngsun Yun, Oliver

Sec. 3 Aristo, Cleon Zaman Woldegebriel, Hanna

Sec. 4 Anwar, Anas Ashraf Shang, Zhiming Yun, Jasper

Sec. 5 Rahman, Adeeb Ravisingam, Cowzhiya

Honor Roll Sec. 1 Ansari, Hafsah Anwar, Ayesha Ashraf Carby, Taisia Carby, Tyana Hong, Sanghyun Korn, Lola Lokonga, Vanessa-Djayne McLean-Moore, Roshane Olatunde, Marie Sateva Pitt, Tailajh Syed, Nowrooz Turaka, Gnana Ullah, Abu Sharoukh Yoo, Garim

Sec. 2 Abaishvili, Daniel Balasubramaniam, Ahalya Carvalho-Dagenais, Austin Elkabas, Joelle Ghosh, Rohan Gouveia de Meirelles, Fernanda Haseltine, Devon Johal, Karampreet Lee, Jinwon Lee, Somin Parisien, Christopher Rahman, Rafid Spence, Shahana Vallipuram, Mathangi Wawin, Erik

Sec. 3 Dhar, Deborupa Hong, Jaewon Hossain, Najma Hwang, Sewon Izegbu, Miles Kublalsingh, Sunil Le, Thi Ngoc Lanh Lee, Juhun Liu, Yinshi Nguyen, Christina Oh, Changheon Pagliuca, Sydney Shahid, Wafa Visuvalingam, Thivya Xie, Xun

Sec. 4 Adewusi, Abdullah Dai, Lansu Dias-Jadulal, Julian Gatti-Sosontovich, Mia Hussin, Biesma Liang, Man Qi Roy, Lakshmi Saeifar, Ahoo Xydis, Panagiota

Sec. 5 Caporicci-Dinucci, Mikayla Carvalho-Dagenais, Matthew Dacres, Dylan Daly, Rebecca Das, Mrinalini Deng, Jingren Ford, Sarah Gardener, Shanaya Gromak, Lydia Hamwi, Mohanad Hong, Yeryung Jiang, Huilin Kim, Subin Chris Loiacono, Rickmen Marshall-Hamilton, Destiny Mattie, Michelle Mehedi, Samil Naumkin, Julia Othello, Chanelle Palmer, Janae Sarmiento, Alexandra Thambu, Thapan Vizel, Gabrielle Wang, Tianfang Yang, Hanyi Yoo, Junha Zhong, Yefang

Honorable Mention Sec. 1 Billey-Brereton, Malachi Chanda, Bianca Collins, Willard Duong, Ka-Wah Fawad, Mohammad Groleau, Fanny Heba, Aya Jeong, Shihyun Kovacs, Jenna Krishnakumar, Tharshigan Nguyen, Stewart Pagliuca, Madison Phan, Christina Sander-Bencsics, Amanda-Lynn Sinha, Arpitraj Rajesh Wuvais, Arshath

Sec. 2 Carvalho, Jake Dade, Kristine Deng, Yaxuan Gasparello, Mattias Harder, Madilyn Lee, Yuchang Li, Hei Nam Evelyn Mainguy, Megan Nabi, Farha-Siddique Paranitharan, Abira Philogene, Umm-Salamah Reddock-James, Breanna Speirs, Madeline Srougi-Nguyen, Amanda

Sec. 3 Dube, Beniel Elgamoudi, Ahmed Abulasad Mabruk Gromak, Nathan James, Tiana Zhang, Xuchong

Sec. 4 Anthonipillai, Daniel Lokonga, Joël Nandakumar, Kishor Nudo, Noah Qi, Muzhi Santhiyapillai, Jerron Thuringer Ruiz, Samuel Zhang, Yuran Zhou, Zibo

Sec. 5 Arredondo Recaman, Pablo Bruce, Denisha Halyk-Koschak, Nico Latosh, Isra Li, Tianhong Nabi, Nahida Rehman, Ayeshah Sahara, Dia

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EMSB’s First Ever Mathalon Held at Marymount Academy International

April 13, 2016 Alexandra Sarmiento, Secondary 5 Student, Marymount Academy International For my secondary five IB personal project, I decided to create an entirely new event, completely from scratch, that would promote mathematics in a fun and creative way. I wanted an opportunity for Marymount to showcase athletes only this time, ones that can factorize at the speed of lightning. It has always been a dream of mine to compete in a math competition and when it occurred to me that I could organize one myself

became an even bigger one. Even though there was an insane amount of work: from creating and solving my own questions, inviting schools to come together, writing emails and letters left and right, meeting up with my supervisor almost every week and getting customized t-shirts made, it was all worthwhile after seeing the gorgeously decorated library, filled with different schools all across the EMSB.

The competition was fierce with Westmount High School taking the win at 240 points, Vincent Massey Collegiate at 175 points, Marymount Academy International at 55 points and Royal Vale High School at 0 points. After seeing everyone coming together, having some good laughs and just seeing the students actually taking the competition seriously was really enlightening and paid off all of the efforts put into this project. It was more than a pleasure to host the event and to have had all of these schools participate in something I’ve always had such a great passion for and have worked hard on over the course of the year.

So to any Marymount student, who will be doing a personal project in the next or the upcoming years and has even the slightest interest in the branches of mathematics, should really consider taking on this project and continuing it until it becomes a tradition. I would be more than happy to pass on the torch, advise a student on just how to organize an event like this one and make sure the event only improves itself in the years to come!

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MMA Bantam and Juvenile Girls Badminton

This year, Marymount Academy has both a Bantam and a Juvenile girls badminton team, coached by Ms. Santagata and Ms. Greto. The teams have been practicing since late-January and had the chance to display their skills at a home game in early March. The girls are off to a good start with a home game victory, and have three tournaments left in the short season. They are hopeful that their hard work and commitment will lead to continued success!

Go MMA Go!

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Marymount Staff Spotlight

Nigel Barker, Lab Technician 1. What was the spark that influenced you to study Science and Industrial arts? I believe I was placed on Earth to be a problem solver, to be a blessing in the lives of others. With that in mind, I wanted a career that would have a personal impact on the lives of people. My adult life started off with a career in electronics, and it was not until 1997, after a serious automobile accident, which left me hospitalized for several months, that I was able to see firsthand the dedication the hospital staff had in saving and improving human lives. I wanted to be part of that world, so back to school I went and studied to be a Medical Technologist, and Science was a major part of that program. 2. What do you enjoy most about being on staff here at Marymount? After 4 years working as a Medical Technologist and having the joy of being part of a team saving lives, I switched to work in the education sector. It has been a joy working with this amazing staff. What I enjoy most is the interaction with the students. This is such a joy to me, as I don’t see myself here just to teach about academics, but also about life. I care also about them as individuals, and they begin to open up about various challenges they face in life. This gives me the opportunity to deposit lasting words of wisdom into their spirit that will help them in making not only their life, but this world a better place. 3. If you could impart one thing to students to help them on the way to becoming a well rounded citizen, what would it be? One thing I always try to do is to teach the students to develop self-control. So many conflicts begin with a lack of self-control by one individual. Imagine someone wanting to battle with you because you looked at them too long or you slightly bumped into them on the metro. Imagine how embarrassing it is for that person who is trying to pick a fight with you while you remain not rattled but with a smile. You see once you develop a character of self-control so much conflicts will be avoided. Self-control allows you to think before acting, to remain cool, calm and collective in situations where you face adversity. My hope is that every student I come in contact with, I will be able to have a positive influence on them. They will observe my character, especially in the area of self-control ,and be inspired.

Ms. Colette Schryburt 1. What’s it like being in a high school helping international students learn how to speak and understand French? It is an amazing feeling to give these students an opportunity to learn a second or even a third language. I try to teach them how important it is to communicate; the more languages you know the better off you are. 2. You have quite a few interests outside of school life. What are they? This is true, I do have many interests, ranging from cartoons to Cleopatra, but my true passion lies in music. Jazz is easily my favourite type of music, so much so that I even host a radio show all about my passion for Jazz! I also have a great interest in the medical field, for it is always moving forward. Having spent 20 years as a dental assistant gave me a first hand view of the radical changes taking place. 3. June is around the corner. What do you hope to accomplish by then? I‘m hoping to have made a difference in the student's ability to express themselves in French. This summer, our international students will be wandering our beautiful city and likely be able to communicate with ease! These students are a sweet bunch with big hearts; I wouldn’t be surprised to see them helping out when others are having trouble in French. 4. Last question; are you having fun? Yes, tremendously! I love bumping into students in the hallways and greeting them in French - Their relies are getting better each and every day. I am grateful to be part of such an amazing team at MMA. Each and every person is so nice. I must say that I love the individuality I see in each and every student, not just in their personalities, but also in the cultural diversity that graces our halls.

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Nutrition Month and MMA’s Cooking Program

Although March is Nutrition month, every Wednesday afternoon is booming with nutrition at Marymount Academy International! We have begun a new program that allows students to learn how to prepare meals from different parts of the world. These meals are prepared from scratch, and are modified to be healthy and inexpensive. This program is offered on Wednesday afternoons in the school’s very own “Fresh Fusion Bistro”. Students learn basic meal preparation

techniques, as well as how to substitute ingredients to create healthier versions of traditional recipes. The best part of the program is that students get to sit together and eat their chef-d’oeuvres. “Food sustains life, yet it is so much more than something we need to nourish our bodies. Food at its essence is love, life and the heart of society. Food brings people together. It is the shared flavors of friendship and community.” -Angel Baden

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MMA Raises $500 for ALS Research

What is ALS? Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a disease in which certain nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord slowly stop functioning. These nerve cells are called motor neurons, and they control the muscles that allow you to move the parts of your body. People who have ALS slowly become more disabled as day go by. Some people live with ALS for several years. ALS makes it hard to walk, speak, eat, swallow, and breath. These problems can eventually lead to death. Death would usually occur within 3-5 years after symptoms begin but some are very lucky to live longer. It can be very scary to live with ALS and for the family members. You may ask, what causes ALS? Well doctors don’t know what causes ALS. In about 1 out 10, it usually runs in the family. ALS usually strikes people between the ages 40-70. As my personal project I chose to spread awareness and fundraise for ALS. I chose this Association because about a year ago a former student brought in a speaker from the ALS Association to speak to us about ALS and how her father was diagnosed with ALS. Her speech inspired so much and it inspired me to want to spread awareness and raise money. The IB personal project gave me an opportunity to achieve my goal and raise a bit more than 500$ to donate to the ALS Association. I felt that if I brought in a guest speaker it may inspire someone else to help this cause and help spread awareness. That is why I brought in Justine Soles. Justine’s father is currently being diagnosed with ALS. He’s been fighting ALS for the past 12 years. Justine’s speech definitely inspired me more to continue to spread awareness and to continue to donate until a cure is found. I hope Justine and I inspired someone else to help the ALS Association and hopefully someone else will continue this project next year.

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Share the Warmth

Every Tuesday morning I wake up with a spring in my step! It is a very special day of the week. Usually Friday gets all the attention, but for me Tuesday is just right.

On Tuesday mornings, I get to bring students to a magical place; a place that lifts our spirit, a place that produces genuine smiles, and lasting memories. This place is not a fancy amusement park, or entertainment center, but rather a community organization.

On Tuesday mornings we have the privilege of volunteering at Share the Warmth, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people in need. Their mission is tofoster the overall development and success of children and youth, increasing access to food security and health and by offering work training programs which help adults into the workforce.

When we volunteer we help out in many different capacities, some days we help out in the food bank, other days we help prepare meals for the school lunch program, and sometimes we help by picking up a mop and cleaning the floors. No matter the task, the results are always the same… smiles, fulfilment, and sincere joy in knowing that we did something that benefits others.

There is no greater feeling in the world than helping others. One of my favorite quotes is by Albert Schweitzer: The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others. I believe this to be true, Share the Warmth has helped me believe this to be true.

Linda Luca

Spiritual and Community Animator

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New for Spring 2016: Bike Club Field Trips

Fort Chambly: a 70km Round-Trip of Cycling Bliss! What better to get rid of the winter blues than to look forward to another Marymount bike trip! On May 3rd, we will leave the confines of the Island of Montreal and head over to the South Shore! Fort Chambly is located on the banks of the Richelieu River, approximately 35 kilometers from MMA. Built in 1711 on the same site of a previous fort that had been burned to the ground around the same time of the Great Peace of Montreal. Ripe with history, Fort Chambly was part of the French defense system set up to protect Montreal and New France, was captured by the British during the conquest, and also captured by American forces during the American Invasion of Canada 1775-1776. Renamed Fort Ticonderoga, it was held by American forces until the end of the American revolutionary war. Today it is a National Historic Site of Canada.

Our bike trip will take the entire day, leaving from Marymount in the morning, biking Route Verte 1 to the Fort. After a visit to the Fort, we will bike back to MMA, arriving sometime in the mid-afternoon. Don’t have a bike? No problem! Bikes are supplied by MMA. Students will also be prepared by our Phys Ed. department on the basics of bike mechanics, food preparations, and physical fitness.

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 Marymount Bike Club Schedule - Spring 2016

April 26 Tuesday Day 2 3:45 – 5:45 p.m. Trip #3 (approx. 22 kms)

Parc Jean Drapeau Circuit Jacques Villeneuve

May 3 Tuesday Day 6 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Trip #4 – (approx. 70 kms)

Fort Chambly

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