Grade 12

Athletic Highlight:

Yesterday was one of the most exciting and memorable athletic days of my life.  We defeated Handsworth (AAA) to win the North Shore Banner for 2012! The reason this was such an incredible feat is because we are a AA team playing a AAA undefeated team.  We went in as the underdog, and came out as champions.  The joy and pride I felt yesterday will be a memory I cherish and carry with me forever.

Academic Highlight:

Presenting Sonnet 29 for my AP Lit class this week was an accomplishment that I will never forget.  I have been overwhelmed with University applications, ACT exam prep, and field hockey. However, I stayed up until 3 AM and worked tirelessly to create a presentation and sonnet break-down that I was extremely proud of.  I was mostly proud of the fact that I didn't give up and I never let my standards slip.  This has given me incredible confidence in what I am capable of.

Academic highlight:

My Academic highlight for my grade 12 year would be getting accepted to Dartmouth. Dartmouth is an Ivy League research university located in Hanover, New Hampshire. It was an extremely uplifting experience to be rewarded for all the hard work I put in throughout my years at Collingwood School.

 

Academic reflection:

Originally, I never thought of looking at Universities on the East coast, but when I opened my mind to the idea my perspective altered immensely. When I went to Dimensions Weekend, which was an opportunity to visit the college with all the accepted freshman,   I was immediately captivated by the sense of community that overflowed. There was not a single person who wasn’t enjoying their time at the university. Since only approximately 1000 people are accepted each year, there are many opportunities for students to get involved in a multitude of varied pursuits at Dartmouth. I am extremely excited to play field hockey at the varsity level as it will be a life changing experience. I will be able to establish a core group of friends with the team, yet still have the flexibility to participate in other clubs of my interest. I hope to write for the “D”- the core newspaper at Dartmouth- as a sports reporter, and I would like to explore the concept of broadcasting. The opportunities seem endless at Dartmouth, and I cannot wait to start there this coming fall!

Athletic highlight:

Winning the BC AA Field Hockey Championship in my senior year was definitely a major highlight for me. The moment the final whistle blew in our game verse Shawinigan Lake School, my team and I knew all our early morning practices and hard work had truly paid off.  We were the champions.

 

 Athletic Reflection:

 My grade 12 athletic career was one of the most memorable years of my life.  When I decided to play field hockey in grade 8, I assumed that all I would be doing was   playing a sport and having fun.  What I failed to realize was that I was about to enter a family that would provide me with one of the most intensely committed and passionate relationships of my life.  My teammates became my sisters, and my coaches became my mentors.  Whenever I doubted myself, they believed in me, and whenever we experienced success, we felt it as one.    When I look back on the incredible friendships I have developed throughout high school, a great deal of them started on the turf.  Through rain, snow, fog and the occasional sunshine, we practiced relentlessly to achieve excellence.  I frequently draw on the strength and resilience that I developed as a forward player, in other areas of my life.   I am an avid believer in hard work, discipline, respect, and dedication, and all  of these qualities were instilled in me through my life with the Collingwood Cavaliers.  The thought  of leaving Collingwood and never playing field hockey with my teammates again breaks my heart.  I will be forever grateful to each and every one of them for helping me discover who I am and for standing by me as a friend, as a teammate, and as a sister.

Service highlight:

 My service highlight for my grade 12 year would be coaching the hornets WV junior field hockey team. I coached practice for an hour and a half every Thursday along with Victoria Konantz. We were able to use our leadership skills combined with our knowledge of field hockey to teach the girls how to play the sport we both love.

 

Service Reflection:

 For the past few years I have been coaching the hornets West Vancouver junior field hockey team. Their season takes place from April to June.  Every week prior to Thursday practice myself and the other junior coach, Victoria Konantz collaborate on drills and specific skills we hope to focus on that week. The team is filled with a variety of skill levels and some girls who are just starting the sport. As a result of how many coaches we have, we are able to pull kids aside who want assistance on particular skillsets. It is extremely rewarding to teach young girls to love the sport that I cherish so much. This volunteer job has taught we to work on a team, with my co-coach Victoria, while being a leader at the same time. It has allowed me to improve my organizational skills through planning activities ahead of time while taking into account the logistics.

Athletic highlight : 

The Terry Fox run was a major highlight in my grade 12 year. We were divided into our houses for the run and as a grade 12, I felt honored to lead the younger kids.. This allowed me to work alongside my Housain teammates to show our spirit, enthusiasm, and commitment. Everyone kept moving and never gave up on running because it was for such an incredible cause.

Service highlight: 

Raising money for our grad fund was an extremely difficult, but worthwhile process. The grad executive along with volunteers from our grad class worked together to organize events such as the AG Hair product sale. Due to our diligent work we managed to raise enough funds to send a girl from Africa to 2 years of University

 Overarching reflection:

I have been a student at Collingwood my entire life and I wouldn’t want in any other way. Collingwood has given me the opportunity to take part in all four strands four strands from arts, to academics, service, and athletics. With Collingwood’s amazing athletic program I have been able to participate in field hockey, basketball, tennis, soccer, track and field, and x-country. The immense amount of sports at Collingwood has shaped me into being the athletic and outdoorsy person I am today. Playing on the Sr. Field hockey team and winning provincials twice were definitely major highlights in my outstanding experience at Collingwood School. Participating in arts at Collingwood, especially choir, pushed me to become a far more confident person that was no longer nervous in front of crowds. Choir even gave me the incredible opportunity to travel to Los Angeles with all my friends and perform at Disney Land. This trip was unforgettable as it was the first trip I took without my parents and allowed me to be independent. Collingwood’s academic life has also given me the opportunity to travel. In the summer following my grade 9 year I toured Portugal and London while studying English 10. This allowed me to take far more English courses in my grade 11 and 12 year, including: AP English Language, and AP English Literature. Throughout my years at Collingwood the amazing faculty has constantly pushed me to challenge myself. For example, by taking Math 8 accelerated which allowed me to complete Math 8 and 9 in one year. This was one of the smartest decisions I made as it allowed me to take AP Calculus in my grade 12 year without being overwhelmed by math 12 as I had already completed the course. Overall, Collingwood has allowed me to make life-long friends, has given me an exceptional education, and has allowed me to pursue amazing extra-curricular activities above and beyond what most schools offer. I wouldn’t change anything about my high school experience at Collingwood School. I only hope that one day I have children who will be able to experience Collingwood and its new campus. I’ve learned incredible study skills, learnt to be tenacious, and that I can achieve what ever I set my mind to. I have no doubt that I will be prepared for University and my future academic adventures due to Collingwood’s rigorous program.

 

Grade 11

Academic highlight:

My academic highlight for my grade 11 year thus far would be receiving A’s on every test I have completed. This accomplishment was achieved through strenuous work, dedication, and well-orchestrated study habits. I plan to strive to the finest of my abilities to obtain these grades throughout the course of my grade 11 year.

Academic highlight:

My academic highlight for my grade 11 year would be the field study i completed for my AP Human Geography class. Within my field study i had the opportunity to research neighbourhoods i had little knowledge of, including: Pemberton, and Brackindale. This study combined adventure, with a strenuous workload; however, it was over all very enlightening, and i ended up with a 98% on the field study.

Academic reflection: 

The field study that I created for AP Human Geography was an enriching and rewarding experience. I had the opportunity to study differing communities to determine what created an attractive living experience and what did not - from my own perspective.  Looking at differing communities in such a specific and intimate way helped me isolate what my own preferences were, and what concepts I valued as a person.  In looking at Pemberton, Brackendale and Vancouver, it quickly became clear that I am a city girl driven towards culture and community.  I can easily live on a smaller salary, but I value core concepts like nature, cleanliness, culture and community - and a long as these concepts are present,  I can be happy.  The biggest shock to me was my natural inclination towards culture.  I feel completely out of sorts if I am in  a community based on shopping and strip malls.  I value the arts, theatre, community restaurants, and small town values.  Without these simple pleasures I feel really out of sorts and lost.  I found this study incredibly valuable - not only in teaching me about the areas that we live, but also in teaching me about the person that I am.

Service highlight:

My service highlight for my grade 11 year was having the opportunity to play a role in Eco-fashion week. I had the privilege to partake in a photo that revealed clothing made merely by sustainable material with sustainable industry practices. The Eco-fashion organization is full of driven leaders who plan to generate further awareness on what ones actually purchasing when it comes to clothing items.

Service highlight:

My service highlight for my grade 11 year was completing a vast amount of beach cleanups in Naramata, BC. I cleaned the beaches on elderly citizens properties from large leafs, wood, garbage, and many other related objects. This cleanup was extremely time consuming; however, it was extremely worth it to know i completed a moral deed.

Service reflection:

Working in the community of Naramata was an initiative that began after we had spent a week of our holidays lounging around the beach.  Although we were enjoying our idle time. we realized that we were a bit bored, and that we could be doing something of value that could have a lasting impact on another individual.  We contacted the community leader in Naramata and offered our services, and in no time, we were assigned the duty of beach clean up.   Although I was initially wary of the things we would discover on the beach, I quickly learned that cleaning the beach was a far more interesting study than initially intended.   Becoming lost in my thoughts I wondered why there was so much litter on the ground.  I decided that humans are inherently messy and that the idea of  being neat was a learned skill rather than an inherited one.  It bothered me when I saw some young kids playfully discarding garbage on the beach and I quickly ran over and taught them to pick up their litter.  Surprisingly, the little kids were happy to throw their garbage in a trash can.  What I discovered is that they just needed some instruction on where to put it.   I had the privilege of cleaning the yard of an old lady that was 93 years.  She almost cried when she saw the work that we did, and wanted to give us money in thanks.  I can't tell you the joy it gave me to touch an individuals sole the way we did.  That moment has inspired me in every way possible, to give back and get involved.  I was forever changed on that day.

Athletic highlight:

My athletic highlight for my grade 11 year was receiving my level 1 coaching for skiing. I’ve had race, and freestyle backgrounds in skiing since I was little; therefore, thought it was a wise idea to challenge my self and end up with a great accomplishment. I hope to further pursue on to higher levels over time once I gain some true teaching experience at Whistler.

Athletic reflection: 

I will never forget the day I started my level 1 ski instructor course. I was extremely nervous, as I had to live up to my dad’s expectations, having been a former ski coach himself. I entered this course with my two brothers, Alexander and Nicholas, as well as my best friend Victoria. It was nice to have the comfort of people I knew going into the course; however, we all learned quickly joking around with one another would not be tolerated. The course consisted of 9 hours of both practical on-snow learning and indoor class study for a period of a week.  The first day was filled with the basic techniques we would have to perfect in order to teach children properly at such a young age. However, day-by-day the course got progressively harder and the teacher stricter. In the process I learned leadership skills through putting my self out there whenever a question was presented, teaching mock ski lessons to my classmates, and encompassing outgoing and welcoming personality skills. Looking forward I hope to gain my level 2 coaching standard, which would allow me to work at ski resorts in numerous places across the globe, such as Austria. Through strenuous work and practice I hope to achieve my goals in my skiing pursuits.

Athletic highlight:

My athletic highlight for my grade 11 year was receiving silver in field hockey provincials. Although we lost in the final to Shawnigan, our entire team strived to the best of our abilities, resulting in an extremely close score. I was very proud of my ability to work non-stop until i completed my set goals during the tournament, and our team hopes to win next years provincial banner.

Art highlight:

My art highlight for my grade 11 year was being apart of my eldest brothers production process for his song. I found it very interesting to be apart of the fascinating process and added value in the layering and structure of the final product.

Art highlight:

Performing in front of an international audience in Bali was a highlight of my life.  We initially approached the schools in Indonesia as charitable helpers - there to provide the villager's an  escape from the day to day grind of rebuilding schools, but we quickly learned that our  artistic expression of song and dance, provided an equal gift. 

Art reflection

When visiting the school in Java, Bali I was astonished with the incredible amount of energy each child possessed. After having distributed the school supplies and food we brought we began to get to know the kids. I embarrassed myself right away by slipping on their jungle gym and falling flat on my face, but at least I provided some entertainment as every child laughed in hysterics. After my little episode I managed to cool down my bright red face and get up on stage with several other volunteers. We utilized the children’s home-made drums, triangles, and blow tubes to create background music as we sang song lyrics native to them. Half way through our performance the children began to pile up on stage and join us. It was a truly incredible event as the energy and atmosphere surrounding the performance was surreal. I one day hope to go back to Bali and visit that school to see the children’s progress and development.