This extra curricular activity exposed talented artists from Wawa through to Warren .  Students are given the opportunity to listen to and develop an appreciation for our French music.  They learn to perform in front of a large audience which encourages them to gain self-confidence.  Finally, performing in groups, teaches students how to work cooperatively. What a GREAT opportunity!

Les amis de St-Joseph ont cherché à combler ce désir en visitant les résidentes du Centre Elizabeth à Blezard Valley. Les mamans du Centre et le personnel étaient réjouis d’entendre nos enfants chanter quelques chansons d’amour. Cependant, leur cœur de maman était encore plus touché lorsque chaque petit ami leur a remis une carte de souhait accompagnée d’un œillet. Quel bonheur, quelle joie de nous réunir autour de toutes ces mamans!

Written by Adam Leger: To go to Europe is a great trip on its own, but to go to Europe with your friends and classmates makes it the trip of a lifetime.  On March 7^th I was on my first trans-Atlantic plane ride, it took me from Pearson International to Frankfurt in just one night, or morning if you go by their time.  From there, after a few hours wait, we flew trans-continental over a few select countries to Roma, the capital city of Italy .  Our first real day in Europe was filled with sight-seeing: we visited the Vatican City , the smallest independent state in the world.  Our next stop was the Coliseum, where the gladiatorial contests took place.  We also saw the old ruins of Rome , the traffic in Rome , the Spanish steps, the packed subways, or as they call it, the Metro, the Trevi Fountain.  That evening, we all went back to the Vatican City to see it lit up at night.  Our next visit was to Assisi , a town in Italy where great olive oil is made. We stopped there on our way to Florence , the leather capital of the world, where great wallets and purses are made.  After leaving Florence , we crossed the French border after dropping by to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  The first day in France was spent traveling to another county, Monaco (the best country, after Canada , in the world, as far as I’m concerned). Also while in Nice, we visited a chocolate factory, a perfume factory, and the Mediterranean Sea .  Our last two days were spent in Paris , shopping, visiting the Louvre,  the largest museum in the entire world, the Eiffel Tower and a few select cathedrals.  The trip was capped off by another  trans-Atlantic plane ride, my second one in two weeks, and a not-so-great plane meal.

The trip to Europe that I experienced was fun and unforgettable.  I would do it ten thousand times over. With the same great people: students and teachers. It truly was the trip of a lifetime.

The students, from the left are: Leah Aelick, Josh Fex, Alyssa Hanson, Jessie Michael, Mayor Rodrigues, and Emily Mejia.

Jacob is being referred to by Mr. Zoldy as "a gifted filmaker in the making, even perhaps another James Cameron who wrote the Titanic." Jacob has assisted Mr. Zoldy in writing, producing and directing three of the films made this year.

He has also created a movie trailer without assistance for the school's feature film entitled, "Devoured". The movie trailer has been entered in the Shorties Film Festival. Jacob's goal is to attend Film School and afterwards produce and direct films.

Mr. Zoldy added, "We are currently shooting our third film entitled, "The Last Hour", written by Jacob and he is also taking the lead on this one. He has certainly inspired me this year as well as the cast of actors. Our cast of actors is awesome! Over 40 students have participated in the production of our films this year. This has been a positive outlet for many of our students here at Pinecrest.

The films which will be viewed include:

EVOLUTIONARY: a documentary of Confederation Secondary School's Rock Band;

DEVOURED:  a horror film about a group of students that seek refuge in a school from the living dead, ZOMBIES;

THE LAST HOUR: an action/drama about a group of friends that contend with the horror of an asteroid headed towards earth.

THE RED CARPET will be a fund-raising event for the Pinecrest Drama Club with admission of $2 per person being charged.

Two of the films are entered in the Shorties Film Festival where last year, their production of ODD BOYS OUT won first place.

"I am proud of their overall talent. It is amazing to see this caliber of work from Grade 8 students. I am surprised with their commitment to this production. They have volunteered their time after school on weekends to ensure the success of this production," explained Mr. Scott Zoldy.

Sgt. Appleby and Cpl. Topps meet with some 80 other young members of the region every Tuesday evening at the Sudbury Armories on Riverside Drive. They go through their drills and instruction from 6 to 9 p.m. In addition to the Tuesday night activities, Sgt. Appleby is learning to play the bagpipes and Cpl. Topps is playing the snare drum for the squadron.

What impressed this writer the most when speaking to these two teenagers was their phenomenal poise and respect. And you could tell that it wasn't something they were doing just because they had the uniform on or because they were afraid of being spotted by a superior officer. You could sense that these two young people had already incorporated these positive characteristics into their very nature. You could sense that they most likely act no differently while in the hallways of their respective secondary schools, or walking through the malls with their friends.

Sgt. Appleby confirmed this observation, "My friends have accepted me for who I am. They know that I am proud to be a Cadet and that I am proud of the way I now have a new respect for people and life in general. They don't make fun of me for having my moral values and self-respect and they don't ask me to do anything that they know I won't be comfortable with."

Cpl. Topps also acknowledged this fact, "In the beginning some of my friends joked around and teased me, but after a while they respected me and they also appreciated the way I respected them. This is who I am and it hasn't been a difficult transition to make."

Both indicated that their training and experiences with the 200 Wolf Squadron has had a profound impact on their school work. They feel that it has allowed them to set goals and focus on the achievement of those goals - both academically and personally. The way of life they have adopted is one that is based on respect for life and individuals, not out of duty to your rank, but out of your duty as a human being.

Sgt. Amber Appleby and Cpl. Nic Topps are two young people who will be successful in their future endeavours. You can just sense it.

If you are between 12 and 18 years of age, drop by the Sudbury Armories any Tuesday night between 6 and 9 p.m. to talk to someone about becoming a member of the 200 Wolf Squadron Royal Canadian Air Cadets.

The three students above were waiting for their turn to go in front of the microphone. From the left with Mr. Mantha, Kristen Demore, Jacqueline Villeneuve, and Emily Mejia. 

In the photo below, Kary-Lynn Mercer and Andre Scott receive some last minute adjustments and tips from Mr. Norm McIntosh, the Music Director at Confederation.

Mr. Mantha originally began his career as an educator spending ten years n Mississauga before moving to the Rainbow District School Board in 1998 where he was program leader for the Science and Math Departments at Confederation Secondary School. He spent time as a Vice-Principal at R.L. Beattie, Alexander Public School, and Val Caron Public School before coming to Pinecrest in the fall of 2006.

Mantha enjoys the opportunities that exist within the only middle-school in the district. "This type of school is common in Southern Ontario. With all of the children around the same age, there are so many things you can do in terms of extra-curricular activities and creating a positive school community for the students."

Something that has been just implemented this year is the policy of dividing the school day into three learning blocks of 100 minutes each.

"The day is divided up into three 100-minute blocks," explained Mantha. "In between the blocks are two 40-minute nutrition and activity breaks where the students have twenty minutes for snacks or lunch and then another 20 minutes for outside or inside activities. It really helps with the intra-mural program since there are two times during the day when you have enough time to work with the children."

The school day has not been extended as a result of the change. In previous years the students had a fifteen minute break in the morning and afternoon as well as 50 minutes for lunch. This 80 minutes is now done in two blocks instead of three.

"Having a full 100 minutes of learning time also allows teachers to integrate their subjects more easily," explained Mr. Mantha.

That victory in Blind River earned them a chance to play for the provincial championships in Kapuskasing during the weekend of February 15 to 18, 2007.

From right to left in the photo we have Nicholas Beaudry (skip), Adam Leger (vice), Tyler Giesbrecht (second), and Steve Murray and Austin Roy who split playing the lead position

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