St. Michaels University School Victoria BC Canada December 8th, 2011 Vol. 11 Issue 2

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

The Ivy

The Christmas Issue

A few weeks back SMUS held its first ever annual dodge ball tournament mark-ing an iconic moment in SMUS’s history. Kids, teachers and staff members gathered at lunch hour’s to hurl small foam balls at one another, and although one may think to themselves that is a steady waste of time it brought a kindred spirit to the SMUS community. The weeks leading up to the tournament were filled with quiet excitement as people strategically put together their teams, figured out costumes, and came up with games plans. The day it finally came people’s anticipation was at its max and everyone was ready to bring their A-games. Throughout the week teams continued to fight for a spot in the much anticipated final game. The final game, after being postponed due to time constraints, was held the following week and gathered the whole school together for the final stretch of the tournament. In an exciting faceoff between the” Whitest Kids you’ll ever know” and “The Men”, the two teams went back and forth throwing balls at each other in hopes of taking the other one out. The Whitest Kids you’ll ever know put up a good fight but in the end just couldn’t stand up to our Grade 12 boys. Don’t worry white kids, there is always next year! Our Grade twelve boys aka The Men, played a solid tournament winning the large majority of their games, and although there was some close calls they were able to pull out ahead

The First-Ever SMUS Dodgeball Tournament By Hannah Nielsen

One night in January last year, students and their families gath-ered in the double gym for the annual Free the Children Gala. Students feasted on appetizers and desserts, chatting, while jazz music played in the background and parents bid on the numerous items in the Silent Auction. A marketplace tent sold Free the Children t-shirts and various jew-ellery and fair-trade coffee. Over-

all, it was a great night and helped raise lots of funds for a village in Ecuador through the Adopt a Village Program. This year, members of Free the Children have added to the set-up from the last year's gala to have an even more successful night this coming January 22nd . In the spotlight will be SMUS

student Zack Santella playing jazz piano, then the O’Brien family and afterwards Mr. Cordle and his

Free The Children Gala By Sarah Taylor

It will grow on you...

(Cont. on pg. 9)

(Cont. on pg. 3)

Who Let the Jag out?By Orla Glen and Han-nah McElderryPg. 2

Where is Egypt Head-ing?By Julia MildenPg. 8Remembrance Day CeremonyBy Ryan Lider and Cor-mac O’BrienPg. 9

HOROSCOPESBy Hannah McEldererry and Beccac ClaytonPg 11

For our special Christmas Articles see page three!

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As term one sports teams come to a close, we are, once again, on the brink of another thrilling

basketball season. The season has begun with the traditional alumni game, with both Sr. girls and boys participating. The girls lost a tough, short-ened battle, ending with 33-34. The boys had a somewhat expected visit from NBA legend and SMUS alumnus Steve Nash. Nash, with a number of other strong alumni, defeated the boys’ team 63-53.Both alumni games bode well for the beginning of an exciting new season. “So”, you might ask yourself “Am I a die-hard fan?” If the answer is yes, good! But if it’s not, we have the solution! 1) Check out the SMUS Athletics facebook page for the home game schedule. 2) Come to home games SUPER decked out. I’m talking SMUS colours, posters, fully body paint. SHOW YOUR SCHOOL SPIRIT!

3) Take a photo with the SMUS Jag. Why take a photo of the infamous Blue Jag? Simple, by taking a photo with the Blue Jag (at a game!) and uploading it to the facebook page you automatically enter yourself into the BLUE JAG PHOTO CONTEST! Pretty easy…and there’s a prize!Rules: 1) No harassing our mascot. He does volunteer for such a glorious opportunity to represent our awesome school, and we do NOT want to scar him for life. 2) The more cre-ative the photo, the better. Our prize is awe-some and we promise you really want it.3) Have fun with this! Make sure to not focus all of your attention on getting this picture and that you actually watch the game, cheering really hard!! GOOO SMUS!!

If you are like me, back into your standard routine, at or outside school, you start craving a little bit of variation in your lunch. Here is an effortless snack you can mix up at home which only takes ten minutes and will add some flavour and zing to your daily lunch. Mix together…

6 cups of rice crispy brown rice cereal2 cups of any other type of cereal (I like cereals with dried berries)2 ½ cups (or more if needed) of rice syrupA good shake of cinnamonSunflower seeds or grinded al-monds1 tsp of vanilla

Mix by hand or with a spoon until nice and gooeyPut in large flat pan and let sit in the freezer. (Be sure to keep a good eye on it: you don’t want it to get too hard)

The Hunger Column

Who Let The Jag Out?Orla Glen

Hannah McElderry

D e c e m b e r 2 0 11 P a g e 3

in the end. Honourable mentions go out to Dawit Workie for trying to get on another team after his team had been eliminated (yes, Dawit; I witnessed it), Mr. Anderson for having the guts to wear one of his kids tutu’s on his head, Jeffery Nishima for playing crippled, and to say the least being successful at it, and Derek Hyde-Lay for having the best dodging maneuvers and for being the biggest die-hard dodge ball player. It was very exciting to see people getting into the true spirit of the tournament and taking this new tradition at SMUS seriously. Playing by the strict rules of our Head Boy and Girl people dodged, ducked and dove from all directions to avoid being pegged by the small dodge balls, some of course were more suc-cessful than others. Some even went as far as risking injury, or taking one for the team as they would say to assure that their team advanced into the next round. Some teams, not to mention any names , took the

game to a whole new level and began strategiz-ing, strategizing ways to take down their opponent fast, and if I do say so myself in a rather aggressive manner. Some teams even seemed to have a designated dodge ball leader, directing their team when to throw, where to throw and more importantly how to throw. All these little bits and pieces added up to a very successful and rather entertaining first annual dodge ball tournament.

I’d never assume that he was an acclaimed Canadian poet just from the sight of him. Dressed in little more than something that an everyman on the street would wear, he might come off as an electrician or the owner of a local hardware store. Fortunately, I was surprised and awed at what came out of his mouth. He mainly told us about what his experiences were growing up in his age. He told us about the man that would escape the local asylum every Friday, only to walk back into the arms of his caretakers, fulfilled with his escape through the cracks of that building; the Indian boy that had stared at him in ques-tion as he held the freshly carved elephant from a piece of a bar soap; and even a story of how he rode around in his car, carrying a newly amputated hand, thinking of all the potential it has. I knew that these were great memories, but I knew that we’d all had our own version of them. We all have our own miniature adventures throughout our years. But what amazed more than his stories and his poetry was the

Award Winning Poet Patrick Lane visits SMUS

By Gabe LunnUnder the Tree:Christmas Specials

Festive Christmas TreatsBy Rachael Benjamin

A Sentimental Intro to the Christmas SeasonBy Alex Nesnidalova

A Christmas Mad -Libs StoryBy Cormac O’Brien

A Cheerful Christmas Carol CrosswordBy Becca Clayton and Chi-ara Clemente

(Cont. on pg. 10)

Dodgeball (Cont. from pg. 1)

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Poem in Mandarin

Tongue Twister in Mandarin

You have probably already seen the latest headlines in fashion magazines for this Christmas holiday and know that Christ-mas fashion is going back to its retro trends from the 70’s. To keep warm and cozy this holiday season, even by the fire, look for soft sweat-ers with Fair Isle prints reminiscent of the popular 70’s jumper; pair this with the very popular and highly fashion-able hiking boots with a little heel! For dressier occasions, such as Christmas din-ners, pick a soft or crushed velvet

dress in a shape specific for your body type shape (not everyone can pull off a bodycon dress). To customize this iconic look for your special night out accessorize with your favourite dark set piece of jewelry; think burgundy, emer-

ald or a more vibrant navy. Common trends aside, there is a gem of a website that I know all you indie SMUS students will love. Those of you who haven’t heard of modcloth.com are deprived of a great collection of clas-sic dresses, shirts and pants as well as unique shoes and other miscellaneous goods. All of

you who have interest in style and fashion should check it out; there is something interesting to

satisfy even the most demand-ing fashionistas. With new pieces daily this online store is always changing. If you want to find the retro outfits (circa 50s, with pinup vibes) you see in thrift stores in a broad collection, as well as mod-ern cute dresses and other styles, definitely visit modcloth.com.

なまむぎ　　なまごめ なまたまご　 Raw wheat Raw rice Raw eggsNamanugi Namagome Namatamago

となりの　きゃくは　よくかきくうきゃくだ My neighbours's guests eat persimons well. Tonarino kyoakuwa yoku kakikuukyakuda

うち の に わ に は 　 に わ 　 に わとりが いる There are two chikens in my garden.Uchino niwaniha niwa niwatoroigairu

とうきょうと　とっきょきょかきょく Tokyo Patent Office in Tokyo Tokyoto tokkyo kyokakyoku.

Tongue Twisters in Japanese

Fair Isle Pullover Sweater in navy night, Aeropostale (see aeropostale.

com or in stores)

Cozy Winter Clothing and Indie Finds By Alicia Knight

Thanks to Xiaowen Li and Toshie Thumm for sending these in! D e c e m b e r 2 0 11 P a g e 5

It’s the month of December and, with Christmas holidays around the corner, you are soon going to be curl-ing up with hot chocolate and some yummy cookies! Those out of recipe ideas or those just wanting to make some festive cookies for the big party, look no further! Shining StarsYou will need:250 mL butter250 mL icing sugar1 egg10 mL vanilla625 mL all-purpose flour2 mL baking soda1 mL salt125 mL jam or jelly1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C2. Beat together the butter and icing sugar un-til fluffy. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Blend well.3. Roll out some dough until it is 0.3 cm thick. Cut out cookies with the medium cookie cutter (star shaped) Cut stars in the center of half the cookies using the small cutter. With the lifter, transfer cookies on the baking sheet, placing them about 4 cm apart. Repeat with remaining dough.4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until golden. Cool for 3 minutes then transfer cookies to the cooling rack. Cool completely. 5. Spread jam on the whole cookies and top them with the cookies with cut-outs, top side up.6. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze, without jam for up to 2 months. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Gingerbread Reindeer

You will need:75 mL shortening75 mL brown sugar1 egg150 mL molasses675 mL all-purpose flour5 mL baking powder5 mL ground ginger2 mL ground cinnamonMini pretzels (broken in half)Candies for decoration

1) Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C2) Beat together the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the egg and molasses. Add the flour, bak-ing powder, ginger and cinnamon. Blend well.3) Roll out some dough until it is 0.5 cm thick. Cut out cookies using the cookie cutter. With the lifter, transfer cookies to the baking sheet, placing them about 5 cm apart. Add pretzel pieces for antlers and candies for eyes and a nose. 4) Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until firm. Cool for 3 minutes, then transfer cookies to the cooling rack. Cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies

There is a new club at school this year: Fashion Club. Ok, I know that it sounds a bit cheesy, but that is what it is. Fashion club is not exclusive and there are no requirements; you only have to be interested in fashion. We have some ideas of what we want to achieve this year, but, of course, we love any input. During meetings we talk about fashion blogs, ca-reer websites, magazines, experiences, advice and anything else we feel might be useful or interesting. This year we plan to work on self esteem, interna-tional fashion and hopefully having a few speak-

ers. We also talk about how to be fashionable on a budget.

Fashion is about your creativity and how it's ex-pressed in your clothes. You may not think that you are the most fashionable person compared to ide-als in magazines, but personal style is what makes people fashionable. If you have any questions come and talk to Marisol, Anastasia or Ellie or send any of us an e-mail. If you are interested, drop by Cr. 116 at lunch on Mondays to check it out.

FASHION CLUB By Ellie Patmore

Festive Holiday Recipies By Rachael Benjamin

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Ingredients• 6cupsall-purposeflour• 1tablespoonbakingpowder• 1tablespoongroundginger• 1teaspoongroundnutmeg• 1teaspoongroundcloves• 1teaspoongroundcinnamon• 1cupshortening,meltedandcooledslightly• 1cupmolasses• 1cuppackedbrownsugar• 1/2cupwater• 1egg• 1teaspoonvanillaextractDirections1. Sifttogethertheflour,bakingpowder,ginger,nutmeg,cloves,andcin-namon;setaside.2. Inamediumbowl,mixtogethertheshortening,molasses,brownsugar,water,egg,andvanillauntilsmooth.Graduallystirinthedryingredients,untiltheyarecompletelyabsorbed.Dividedoughinto3pieces,patdownto11/2inchthickness,wrapinplasticwrap,andrefrigerateforatleast3hours.3. Preheatovento350degreesF(175degreesC).Onalightlyflouredsurface,rollthedoughoutto1/4inchthickness.Cutintodesiredshapeswithcookiecutters.Placecookies1inchapartontoanungreasedcookiesheet.4. Bakefor10to12minutesinthepreheatedoven.Whenthecookiesaredone,theywilllookdry,butstillbesofttothetouch.Removefromthebak-ingsheettocoolonwireracks.Whencool,thecookiescanbefrostedwiththe icing of your choice

Classic Gingerbread CookiesBy Hannah Nielsen

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Two years, two different schools and two very different campus lives. Life as a boarding student at Cranbrook isn’t completely alien from life at SMUS, but there are differences. This isn’t to say that one is better than the other. They’re just different. The most striking difference is the immense size of the cam-pus. Cranbrook’s campus is just plain huge, unnecessarily huge, to be precise, it is one campus too many. What started out as a boy’s school grew to include a girl’s school, and the two merged sometime in the ‘80s. The merg-ing created a super-campus where a school bus is necessary just to get from English to Chemistry. It’s really not too bad though, un-til the school day is over and you

have to walk from one campus to another just to get to a meeting.The dorms themselves are dif-ferent too. For one, the boys and girls dorms are on the separate campuses, as they were when the schools were first built. This means there aren’t separate houses. The dorms are separated by floor instead. No houses means no house games. This may seem like a sweet deal, but trust me, weekends on campus are a bore without them.Which brings me to my next point. As a boarder, staying a weekend is really not that in-teresting. A good 60% of the boarders go home, so the place is eerily quiet. Unless you have your own car, or are quick enough to sign up for the limited “week-

end rides”, you’re stuck. There’s no easy bus system to bring you downtown, nor is Fairway or Hill-side just 5 minutes away. On the other hand, although there may be curfew, there is no lights out, weekend or weekday. Just be in your room by a certain time and the time you go to bed is all up to you. And let’s be honest, as soon as everyone is checked in, the house advisors leave anyway. Who’s to know if you don’t spend the night in your own room? They may have their differences, but they are both still schools. The food’s the same, and everyone faces the same struggles as they work for good grades and college acceptances. There are pros and cons to both schools, and while I love it here, I really miss SMUS!

A Snapshot of CranbrookBy our Associate in Detroit: Riley Scott

Just months ago, it appeared that Egypt had reached a massive breakthrough. The continuum of civil-ian protests against the regime of former Presi-dent Hosni Mubarak proved to both the citizens of Middle Eastern dictatorial nations and to the global community that the civilians do indeed have the power to overcome their countries regimes in creat-ing democracy and civil society. Egypt had become a model for the power of the people and inspired the continuation of protests in countries like Syria and Yemen. The path to democracy however, has just begun.Since February when Mubarak was forced to step down after a major civilian uprising, a military council has been responsible for guiding the coun-try’s transition to democracy. The participation of the military within politics, particularly in a democ-racy is hardly a good sign – one of the tenets of a democracy is indeed civilian control of the military,

but more than that, there is a common trend that military leaders and generals, once gaining politi-cal power, rarely relinquish it, the common trend in several African nations today. Egyptians now, are speaking out again, this time against the fear of military control over the government, specifically in light of upcoming elections.Unrest began last week and continues in Cairo as protestors increase their demand for Egyptian mili-tary rulers to resign. Riot police have been called in to control street battles in Tahrir Square, the site of the original protests, as well as around the interior ministries. It appears that demonstrators have been locked into battles against armed state forces for several days now, being driven back from the min-istries in Cairo, while clashes in Egypt’s second city Alexandria and Ismailia have also been reported. While the interior minister stated that only tear gas is being used on protestors, gunfire has been re-

WhereisEgyptHeading?GlobalIssues/CurrentEvents,byJuliaMilden

(Cont. on pg. 15)

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Why do we have Remembrance Day? Sure it’s a good reason to have a long weekend, but in reality, Remembrance Day has a much larger and greater meaning.In 1918, after more than four years of a continu-ous cacophony of bullets, the guns of the western front finally fell silent. After four long years, the First World War, ironically known as the “War to end all Wars”, had ended. Yet with the closure of warfare came the need for remembrance. Around 16.5 million people had died in World War I, a devastating amount of the population at that time, and when the war ended it was decided that with the an-niversary of the end of the war (November 11th) would be a time of retrospect and grief. Here a St. Michaels we take Remembrance Day to heart, gathering together every year as a community to remember our own men who fought in the war. Hosting our very own service, we are provided with a multitude of differ-ent mediums to help us reflect on conflicts both past and present, such as: Music, Speeches and Song. This year those attending the ceremony were channelled in their reflections by the Or-chestra’s rich and elegant rendition of “Some-where in Time”. Furthermore, both the Senior and Middle school choirs did an excellent job in

stimulating the thoughts of those who attended, with their highlight being the final verse of “I Feel the Winds of God today”, which featured the chillingly picturesque descant of Soprano voices. If the music and song wasn’t enough, Maddy Laslett, Thompson Wong, Ben Elliot and Jack Hayes performed a spoken word piece that re-ally brought the gymnasium to rumination.As always, the ceremony reached its peak period of silence and remembrance when Mr. Bucking-ham on the bagpipes was joined by Chris Fenje on the trumpet. Mr. Buckingham continued his

yearly tradition in playing the revered lament, “Flowers of the Forest”, which is so sacred among bagpipers that it is traditionally only played when honouring the dead. Chris also continued tradition by playing “The Last Post” on his trumpet both before and after Mr. Buckingham played his lament. Both Chris and

Mr. Buckingham helped ease the audience into a period of complete silence and total reflection.Overall, the ceremony not only helped us remem-ber the dead, but it also helped us to identify the sacrifices made by those before us in the various conflicts the world has seen, and to self-evaluate ourselves in terms of our efforts to achieve world peace.

WHY WE REMEMBER A Remembrance Day Tribute by Cormac O’Brien and Ryan Lider

band. Next, the star attraction, in accordance with the Kenyan/safari theme, will be a performance by a local, African dance group. The gym will also be decorated to suit the African mood, including a safari photobooth. Finally, to fin-ish off the night with a bang, there will be a DJ, cre-ating more of a "dance-like" atmosphere. Although the gala may seem far away, it's only two weeks after winter break, which is practically here, so it’s a good time to start thinking about attending with your family and friends for an action packed evening.

Free the Children Gala (Cont. from Pg. 1)

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way that he somehow made them relevant to each other. In the span of an hour, he’d talked and talked and talked, mainly about him, a little bit about us, and somehow he made those words work. He made it look so effortless, letting those sentences and poetry flow out of his mouth like a waterfall, all the words falling out exactly when they were supposed to. He’d tell us stuff like how we’re all really tribal people, no matter where were from; how AA is great for finding stories to note down and then reinvent; the drum-ming trample of rubber horseshoes of a riot police stallion; and how we really don’t need to go to university, no matter what others think we’re capable of. And I just sat there, will-ing to listen to whatever this god of a man had to offer.And when class time was finally up, I felt, we felt, like we knew this man. He’d shared his stories with us, but in doing so he’d shared himself, something that we didn’t understand just yet. Probably the truest thing that he’d said that entire time was ‘You say it, because nobody else will’. We all liked that saying be-cause it meant that no matter what we could ever have in common, we’ll never really think commonly. Leaving the classroom, we all said our thanks. When it was finally my turn, I shook his hand. He had a good grip, and he looked me in the eye and thanked me, a sign that only humble men and women can possess. He told me to take care of myself out there. We both smiled. I’m taking that in.

On the weekend of the 26th of November Victoria Amnesty In-ternational held their tenth annual film festival, the largest annual event for human rights in Victoria. SMUS’s Amnesty club commit-ted to attending a show on Saturday, though some of our students came the night before, too.Before the film started we wandered around the lobby, where there was small booths set up for many of the major human rights groups in Victoria as well as for individual causes. A band called West My Friend played as people discussed emotionally or had their arms piled up with news clips and form-letter postcards addressed to politicians across the globe. One presentation that really stood out to me was two ladies that were there to talk about Tibet. Although the Chinese conquest of Tibet seems like it was ages ago, recent protests are trying to tell the world that it is having heavy impact now. Contrary to the Chinese government’s justification of their take-over, Tibet used to be independent. It had a sovereign government, currency, postal system, language, laws and customs. Now, after Chinese efforts to assimilate the Tibetans, their national identity is

Fans of the Hunger Games series re-joice - you are in for a treat!In the world of Graceling, some peo-ple are born “graced” or gifted with a specific skill, such as mind reading or combat. These gracelings are identi-fied by their mismatched eyes which show up a few days after birth. They are then handed over to their region’s King, to be determined if their grace is a useful one, such as being able to tell when a person is lying. If so, they have no choice but to work for the King. Katsa is one of these gracelings. She is graced with killing, and desperately wants to escape the tyranny of the king she is forced to work for. Mean-while, trouble is brewing in the other kingdoms; there is something strange about King Leck of Monsea. The Queen and their daughter have barricaded themselves in their rooms and refuse to come out. Mysterious events are occurring and it is up to Katsa to find out what’s really going on. This book is full of adventure, danger and treachery. Read it - I guarantee you won’t regret it.

GRACELING: A BOOK REVIEW

By Zeyn San

Patrick Lane (Cont. from pg. 3)

Amnesty International Film Festival and a Look at Tibet By Leanne Farmer

(Cont. on opposite page)

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Pisces (Feb 21-March 20) this month you will find your true love under the mistletoe. This person may be closer than you think. Tension may arise on the 17th between you and a close friend because Jupiter is out of alignment with Mars. Everything will sort itself out before Christmas. Be sure to prepare well for December exams, but don’t stress, you’ll do great! Lucky Number: 9, Color: for-est greenAries (March 21-April 20) your first term marks will be quite pleasing! Be sure to spend extra time with your family and friends this holiday season as the New Year will bring lots of big commitments. Your closest friend will need to confide with you on the 9th, be sup-portive and stay by their side. Lucky Number: 18, Color: purpleTaurus (April 21-May 21) this month Jupi-ter’s many moons are opposing each other. Be careful of snow and icy roads as driving conditions become treacherous. Watch what you say, you may have the urge to spill a friend’s secret, but remember that their friend-ship is the most important thing. Your exams will go fantastically!!!! Lucky Number: 48, Color: pinkGemini (May 22-June 21) Keep an eye out for positive changes in the New Year, as they will bring a new outlook and perspective on your life. New friends could be the variation you’ve been looking for. Your love life may go through a rocky patch, but stay calm; on the 11th everything will sort itself out. Lucky Number: 77, Color: yellowCancer (June 21-July 22) your life may be hectic right now, but this month it is your time to shine. Put on your dancing shoes and that thing you’ve been dying to wear and take your friends out for a wild night! All that hard work will pay off, your first term marks will be a lot better than you expected. Lucky Number: 21, Color: red

at risk. Basic human rights, freedom of speech, choice of religion and the right to peaceful assembly are limited by the Chinese military that occupy much of the country. Mining corporations, even Canadian mining corporations are working with the Chinese government forcing Tibetan ex-nomads to abandon the lifestyle that they’ve had for hundreds of years to live in large and cheaply built towns. Tibetan land is very rich in resources, but when the Chinese government exploits it, Tibetans see none of the profits. As of November 10th, there have been eleven cases of self-immolation among monks and nuns in Tibetan monasteries. That means, eleven martyrs have set themselves on fire in order to draw attention to human rights violations, most of them dying in the process. The fact that people are willing to kill themselves just to catch the western world’s eye, our

eye, speaks loudly for how dire they believe their situation to be. “I am 100% sure there will be more”, says Kanyang Tsering, 32, a monk from Kirti. “The situation is suffocating and there is no other way to demon-

strate anger.” The first film I saw at the Festival was The Ten Conditions of Love, directed by Jeff Daniels and the story of Rebiya Kadeer and her people, the 20 million living in East Turke-stan, also known as Xinjiang Province, oppressed by the Chinese government much the same as the Tibetans are. This is an incredibly powerful film that will leave you speechless. That’s a promise.If any of Tibet’s case against China, I greatly encour-age you to get involved. In two minutes of your time, you can sign the two online pledges: standup-fortibet.org and avaaz.org – Tibet’s Cry for Help. You can also participate in Amnesty International’s Write for Rights day, offi-cially the 10th of December, but being celebrated at SMUS on the 8th. And, if you want to go a step further, join Am-nesty! We meet Thursdays during flex in the lecture theatre.

HOROSCOPESBy Hannah McElderry and Becca

Clayton

(Tibet and Film Festival Cont. from pg. oppo-(C

ont. on pg. 12)

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It was Christmas time in ____ (a place) and every-body was looking forward to it. The _______ (thing, plural) were be-ing decorated, ____ (thing) was falling every day and _______ (thing, plural) were being wrapped. Everybody was ________ (verb + ing) and enjoying the Christmas spirit. Everyone, that is, except for the Grinch. He hated Christmas, so whenever it came around, he always ___ (verb) in his cave, and ______ (verb) his ears. He was hid-ing one Christmas when, all of a sudden, he heard someone ______ (verb + ing) on his door. The Grinch got up, _____ (verb) his ______ (thing) and ______ (verb) to the door. He looked through the eyehole, and to his surprise, he saw Christmas carollers! He shouted through the door. “What do you want?” He yelled. “To bring ______ (thing) to everyone!” they replied. The Grinch opened the door, and then _____ (verb) it again. “Go away!” he yelled and the carollers _____ (verb) away __________ (adverb). As the carollers _______ (verb) away, though, they started plotting revenge. So, on Christmas Eve, they all gathered outside the Grinch’s house. They knocked on the door and quickly jumped behind a nearby rock. The Grinch ______ (verb) his door and the carollers ______ (verb) out and threw ______ (food) in his face. They all started to ______ (verb), when the Grinch started cry-ing. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “I don’t like being mean,” said the Grinch, “I’m just really ugly, and I have a repulsive ______ (defining feature). So Christmas isn’t fun!” The carollers instantly regretted what they had done, invited the Grinch to Christmas dinner and they all lived happily ever after.

Leo (July 23 –August 22) That one person who’s been on your mind since the dance may strike up the courage to make a move on the 4th, don’t be afraid to just be yourself, as that’s what they fell for in the first place. You and your friends will have tons of fun this holiday season! Lucky Number: 64, Color: blueVirgo (Aug 23-September 22) be confident and shine that smile this month, as Venus is watching over you. Someone will notice, and you will receive a Christ-mas card from a Secret Santa. School will be hectic, but stay focused and it’ll all clear up by the New Year. Lucky Number: 29, Color: indigoLibra (Sept 23-Oct 22) you will find true love just in time for New Year’s Eve! This new relationship will bring you lots of joy and good cheer! Be sure to be calm and balanced this month as the New Year may be stressful. On the 26th, while boxing day shopping you will find the item of your dreams for an amazingly great price. Lucky Number: 5, Color: turquoiseScorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21) your family will go on a surprise vacation for Christmas break! An awkward situation will arise, but just remember that your family is always there for you, no matter what. Be sure to up-date your profile picture, someone special will notice! Lucky Number: 10, Color: orangeSagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21) Take time to relax and have fun this month, even though you are very busy with December exams and holiday shopping. Spend extra time with your friends and remember that the holidays are the time of year to cherish your loved ones. Lucky Number: 13, Color: magenta Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19) you will find yourself super busy this month with homework and tests. Make sure you get a chance to socialize with friends! When the going gets tough, take a deep breath and move on! The stars are in your favour so you will have a great time with friends and family this month. Lucky Num-ber: 3, Color: coralAquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18) as this month brings lots of joy make sure to be thankful for all the little things! Remember the holidays are not about what you receive, but what you give. Volunteer work is a great way to give back to your community and it’s a great eye opener for all of the wonderful things in your life! Lucky Number: 8, Color: lime green

A CHRISTMAS MAD LIBS STORYBy Cormac O’Brien

Horoscopes (Cont. from pg. 11)

Sophie ButterfieldAlex CatonBilly ChengStanley DuMichael EdwardsJacky HanOliver HuangAndrew KangAthena KerinsHolly LamEstelle Lee

Sara LeeSena LeeClara LenzOlivia LiLeo LinNicholas LoughtonSean MacArthurBrendan MarneyKai NewmanEloise PatmoreCharles Savard-Daigle

Trenton FrancoAmita Symons-YuChristine WangTiffany YangVictor YooAlice ZhangLyn ZhangSerena Zhang

D e c e m b e r 2 0 11 P a g e 1 3

Forget everything you thought you knew about war, weapons and whales - and get ready to open your mind to an alternate world. Sorry there will be no Wizards or Vampires. The Leviathan series is an intricately woven universe full of amazing machines, fabricated creatures and raging warfare. In a fantasy version of World War I, the Darwinists (The Brit-ish, Russians, and French) fight against the Clankers (Germany and Austria-Hungary). While the Clankers have more traditional methods such as tanks, planes and metal machinery, the Darwin-ists have engineered biological wonders - creating completely new species and cross breeding thousands of animals to replace inorganic weaponry. An example of this is the Levia-than, the airship on which most

of the first book takes place. A Darwinist creation, it is a giant whale that flies and has its own ecosystem and means of survival within itself. As a result of being mostly hollow it is also able to accommodate an entire airship crew. Think that’s cool? Wait till you hear this - they recreated many mythological creatures, such as the Kraken! The Clankers, in turn, have incredibly complex and powerful machines, such as walkers: giant humanoid robots you control from the interior. A few of the main characters include Prince Aleksander, a boy who is on the run after his par-ents, the rulers of Austria, are assassinated and Deryn ‘Dylan’ Sharp, a girl who has to pretend to be a boy to fulfill her dreams of flying in the air force. What I loved about this book was

that I would never have thought I would love it! War novels and I just don’t mix. I was reluctant to read it, but gave in after a while and the moment I finished it I ran to the bookstore to buy Be-hemoth, the second book in the installment. Leviathan is perfect for boys AND girls, and should not be underestimated. Do not be put off by the seemingly technical and masculine nature of the book - it is actually an adventurous page turner you will not be able to put down! I would definitely recommend everyone to read this book.Diclaimer: Caution, side effects may include bitten nails, paper cuts, lack of sleep and getting in trouble for reading under the desk in class. Zeyn San does not accept any responsibility for injuries due to such hazards. Happy Reading!

LEVIATHAN: THE REVIEW By Zeyn San

Christmas, is a time of the year when you can finally, after months of anticipation hum “Ru-dolf the Red Nosed Reindeer” without looking funny and uncanny. It is the time of year when you want nothing more than to curl up on a big comfy couch and be gently rocked you to sleep, while ly-ing in front of the purring fire popping and crack-ling like and old witch’s whisper. This season is in the air when it’s as dark as midnight at six o’clock, when snowflakes are falling upon your eyelashes while walking home from school with the hopes of a sweet treat waiting for you at your return. Admir-ing the golden glow of illuminated city streets, you think to yourself “this must be the eighth wonder of the world”. With a soft orange tinge coming from candle lit windows and living room lights, there is not a more beautiful place to be. For me the true smell of Christmas in Canada is that of a juicy ripe orange with cloves lodged into its peel; of course

though oranges and cloves alone don’t do justice to the smells of Christmas. Gingerbreads, peppermints, candy canes and the pure smell of a wintery night combined with the warm smell of burning wood really create Christmas Heaven. Chocolate and caramel combine their smells and flavors to form an aroma and gustation that will turn the heads of angels themselves.Above all, stands one thing that is a must for the Christmas season, one thing that must be in every household across the nation, for it is like the base section in Band or Strings, the shadows in a piece of art, the post in basketball ,or addition and subtrac-tion math to a math question. A fir tree, a simple fir tree that stands strong and tall, decorated with lights and ornaments with presents underneath it waiting for Christmas morning.Now tell me SMUS, is there anything I missed?

A Sentimental Intro to the Christmas SeasonByAlexNesnidalova

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A Model United Nations Conference is daunting assignment and involves a wide range of school partici-pants from Glen Lion Norfolk to Pacific Christian School. It requires months of preparation and research, especially for a first time participant. The last of these conferences in which our politically minded students were able to flex their intellectual muscles was The UVICMUN (University of Victoria Model UN). We sent a fine delegation of students ranging from highly experience to brand new keen participants. When delegates first arrive they take on the role of representing a country, a country that they will be fighting for to obtain their best interest; this can be an interesting task because sometimes the idealism of that countries government can be very different from your own.When you first arrive at the conference you are sent off into your committees where you meet your moderator and fellow diplomats. The topics that are discussed in the different committees are all those from real UN Conferences. The committee choices are the same for pretty much all Model UN’s, they are listed below:UNSC: United Nations Security CouncilGA 3 : General Assembly 3UNEP: United Nations Environmental ProgramUNDP: United Nations Development Program We had delegates participate in all the differ-ent committees and we ended up doing quite well

in all of them win-ning two awards; how-ever some delegates stood out more than others. Best Diplomat was won by both Sean MacArthur and Kai Newman who represented South Korea in the UNEP; and Best in Committee was won by Nicholas Loughton and Sophie Butter-field representing Egypt in The GA 3.This is a great activity for all students interested in the world’s political system and I encourage every one of you to take the time to come out at lunch. The next event the school will be attending is the Vancouver model UN and Beijing Vietnam trip.Good luck everyone going to Vancouver in January!

MODEL UNITED NATIONS ByKaiNewman

“Burn the books!” “I have a lisp you see!” What an eventful night, listening to an array of reci-tations ranging from comical plays, and heart-

wrenching classic literature to doleful novels. My favorite must have been---well actually, I didn’t

have a favorite. Students went through a process of reciting to their fellow classmates as their ini-

tial requirement. Then, if elected by enough votes, were chosen to recite at the semi-finals. From

there, the students would have to be passed on by the ultimate judges, the English department; to see

if they were able to move on to Recitation finals. When I first heard about this unique tradition at

SMUS, I honestly thought it was a fun way to practice public speaking. But it’s SO much more

than just blankly reciting 28 lines. Students who re-

cited channel their character’s emo-tions so deeply,

that even I myself wanted to go out

afterwards and read their script

on my own. If you didn’t participate

at Recitations night this year, next year will have a spot mark for you!

Recitation Night ByShawdyJoobbani

D e c e m b e r 2 0 11 P a g e 1 5

ported in clashes that are now the longest outbreak of violence since the 18 day uprising that toppled Mubarak the past spring. The death toll has reached 35, with more than 2000 people reported injured. The UN human rights chief condemned the actions of Egypt’s security forces during the clashes, label-ing them as a “clearly excessive use of force.” Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi recently addressed the country in his first public address since coming into power, but failed in appeasing protestors who are now calling for his immediate resignation. He promised presidential elections by the end of June, six months sooner than planned, but his attempts to make concessions failed as activists called for a “million man march” of protestors. With elections upcoming quickly, the violence threatens to overshadow that vital democratic step. Public opinion is divided; some want elections to go ahead as planned, while others believe that the mili-tary must be ousted before elections can take place. The election itself, if it does take place, remains a cause of concern. The first issue appears to be in the electoral system in Egypt itself, “an overly compli-cated process that combines proportional representa-tion with majoritarianism and an antiquated quota system… Unlike in Tunisia, which successfully used a simple across-the-board proportional system to include many voices in the country's legislative assembly, Egypt's multilayered system is likely to marginalize new progressive, secular and liberal groups that lack grass-roots networks across the country.” (Andrew S. Reynolds, New York Times.)

Within the parties running for election, the close ties between the Muslim Brotherhood party and SCAF remain an anxiety for a truly free, fair and competi-tive elec-tion. The Muslim Brother-hood has de-nounced the protests and is projected to win at least a plurality of seats in upcoming elections. If so, the nature of the party could create more cause for concern – their fun-damentalist nature and lack of transparency, along with rejecting the candidacy of women or Coptic Christians in elections could mean greater trouble for Egypt ahead as they pursue a free, fair and democratic society. Egypt remains under the spotlight as a precedent for transition from dictatorship to democracy in response to pure civilian initiative – with countries like Syria and Yemen still locked in violent protests, it becomes imperative that Egypt be successful in their transition to prove the validity and justification for loss of human life, discord and disruption the uprisings have caused. What role the international community stands to play, if the military rule in Egypt will successfully run elections and hand over power and continue along the path to democracy, instead of regressing back to authoritarian regimes remain to be seen.

A note from the editor,Finally Christmas break is here and after

months of testing and cramming the SMUS community is finally ready for the holidays. Leanne and I have had a great time reading and editing people’s articles for this Decem-ber issue, and are very excited about the new direction the Ivy is headed in. We are very

grateful to everyone who has contributed to this issue and can gladly say that all of

your hard work has paid off as the December issue is definitely something to be proud of. People’s wide variety of topics and stories contribute to a very diverse and interesting newspaper that can attract the inter-est of everyone and anyone. So once again I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday.Thank youHannah

Egypt (Cont. from pg. 8)

D e c e m b e r 2 0 11 P a g e 1 6T h e I v y T e a m

Writers: Orla Glen, HannaH Mcelderry, Julia Milden, leanne FarMer, HannaH nielsen, Kai neWMan, sHaWdy JOObbani, Zeyn san, alex nesnidalOva, cOrMac O’brien, Gabe lunn, ellie PatMOre, racHael benJaMin, ryan lider, riley scOtt, sara tay-lOr, alicia KniGHt,

crOssWOrd: cHiara cle-Mente, becca claytOn

PHOtOGraPHers: erin andersOn, anastasia eFreMOva

Faculty advisOr

Mrs. Janice McCachen

editOrs-in-cHieF: leanne FarMer and HannaH nielsen

Views and opinions ex-pressed by the writers do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the ivy.

Any and all articles, opin-ions, photos, and quotes are welcomed to leanne.farmer@smus.bc.ca and hannah.nielson@smus.bc.ca

Across:1. The song that Kurt and Blaine sang in the Glee Christmas episode last year 3. What snowman says “Are you Married?” 7. How many times does Santa check his list before he comes to town? 8. We Three Kings of ________ are…9. The shrub with red berries and the SMUS newspaper. 10. *** Hanukkah Trivia***How many candles are on the menorah? 15. I'm dreaming of a (colour) Christmas. 16. On what night is it quiet?

Down:2. But as long as you love me so... 4. How many ships did I see sailing by on Christmas Day? 5. Justin Bieber's new Christmas song (a must-listen this season!) 6. Who nips at your nose? 11. Once in Who's Royal city? 12. What obscure animal do YOU want for Christmas? 13. It's a bad day for Grandma be-cause she got run over by a... 14. God rest ye merry __________

A Cheerful Christmas Carol Crossword

Be the first to complete this puzzle and hand it in to Chiara Clemente or Becca Clayton to claim your prize!