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www.thereckoner.ca

June 2013 VOL. 1 NO. 8

YEAR IN REVIEW

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EDITORIAL:I BELIEVE

IN CHOCOLATE MILK

EDITORIAL:A CAP

ON LEARNING

SAC ELECTIONS:AN OVERVIEW

ARTWORK BYMARA GAGIU

andSUSIE LIU

TORONTO’SSUMMER

FILM EVENTS

A LETTER FROM

THE EDITOR

P3P3P2 P4 P4 P4

www.thereckoner.ca

June 2013P2 VOL. 1 NO. 8

NEWS

On 29 May, Youth Against Drunk Driv-ing (YADD) Garneau hosted MGCI’s very first Fatal Vision Challenge with the help of Toronto Public Health and Moth-ers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). This event took place in the gym at lunch, where dozens of students lined up to participate in four different obstacle courses to experience the dangers of im-paired driving firsthand. One of the obstacle courses was de-signed to show students what drunk driving feels like. Students were chal-lenged to ride around pylons in mini go karts wearing impairment goggles. These goggles were provided by Toronto

Public Health and compromised a user's vision by making objects appear blurry and sometimes green. In the next sta-tion, students were challenged in a maze called “Driver’s Seat”. Again wearing the goggles, students had to make their way from the “start” line to the “finish” line on the stand-up board game. If the stu-dents touched either side of the walls, a bell would ring to warn them. Three rings and you’re out! The two most popular obstacle courses were the beanie toss and the locked door challenge. Students crowded around these stations to cheer for friends. Stu-dents had to toss beanies in a “toilet bowl

seat” to experience what it’s like to throw up when drunk. After that, students were to walk in a straight line, while still wear-ing the impairment goggles, to reach a mini door that they had to unlock with keys provided. This door was to rep-resent the troubles of getting back home when drunk. Previously in November, YADD Gar-neau hosted a Black-Out Day. On this day, students were to wear black and participate in a vow of silence in mem-ory of the victims of impaired driving. By participating in this vow of silence, students would have "blacked out". This was meant to show how friends and

peers around them would feel if they had passed away from impaired driving. The event's accessibility and the prizes it offered helped make it a success.Henry He, the president of YADD Gar-neau, stated: “I feel the turnout]was very positive. The average student may not have cared too much about the dangers of impaired driving, but after participat-ing in some of our stations and trying on the Fatal Vision goggles, we certainly hope that they took away something from the event.” YADD will continue to raise awareness next year with a car crash display. ■

The afternoon of 3 June, Principal Gol-denberg announced that Robin Nyame-kye was selected by MGCI seniors to be the valedictorian of the class of 2013. Robin has been involved in Student Council as Garneau's Social Justice Rep-resentative for the past year, working to foster a welcoming environment in the school through the organization of such events as Pink Day. Robin commented that she's "extremely excited, and ready to represent the class of 2013 and share

all of our experiences." She hopes that graduates will find her speech reflective of their years at Garneau. Seniors interested in the valedicto-rian position had to attain endorsement from ten fellow students and two teach-ers to become candidates. Each candi-date then made a speech to the outgoing class on Thursday 30 May after school, and the grade twelves made the final de-cision by ballot. ■

On 7 June 2013 from 3 PM to 5 PM, Key Club hosted the Eliminate Tourna-ment, a video game competition to raise funds for the Eliminate Project. One of Key Club’s service projects, Eliminate is aimed towards eradicating maternal and neonatal tetanus. The tournament provided students with an opportunity to compete with friends and classmates in an afternoon

of video games including Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Slender. A first-time event at Marc Garneau, the tournament attracted more than thirty video game enthusiasts. Participants enjoyed refreshments; winners received cash prizes and movie tickets. Key Club president Jacqueline Sue credits the junior executives for making this event possible, as they spearheaded

the co-ordination effort, from planning to execution. “The tournament was an exciting chal-lenge and really allowed me to express my passion for gaming” said Kevin Jiang, a participant. “The rest of the competi-tion was easily eliminated,” he contin-ued, laughing at the joke. Senior student and video game en-thusiast, Stephen Wen commented that

“the technical difficulties detracted from the overall appeal of the event.” At one point, the two copies of Brawl were not both being properly read by the console. In total, Marc Garneau students raised approximately $130 in an afternoon of fun. A gymnasium filled with roaring laughter and cheers as students show off their gaming skills will surely become a tradition for years to come. ■

The 2013 SAC election(s) will certainly be one to remember. There was voter fraud, a complete revote, and Marc Gar-neau CI’s very first presidential debate. Campaign week began on Monday 13 May with candidates taping posters throughout first-floor halls and the cafe-teria. One of the posters of a candidate for Clubs Convenor was deemed inappropri-ate and taken down by administration. Speeches were held during fifth period on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednes-day for different grades. The presiden-tial debate, hosted by The Reckoner, was held after school in the library on Wednesday 15 May. Finally, SAC mem-bers went around to early period classes on Friday to distribute ballots and collect votes. Notable errors on the ballot were a mis-spelling in one candidate’s name and the inclusion of a candidate who had no longer been in the race. The voting was managed with a lack of diligence. It was not verified that ev-ery student who voted for the Grad Con-

venor position was in eleventh grade, in accordance with the original plan. Many classes returned a greater number of bal-lots than the number of students in the class, and there were thrice as many re-turned ballots as students checking in to vote during the voting for students with early period spare. A revote was thus held for students with early period spare on 22 May. This process was administered by vice-prin-cipals who checked off student voters to prevent duplicate votes. The results of the first election were then announced the same day, although the results for Grad Convenor were undetermined un-til a revote for that position on Friday 24 May. The following weekend of 1 June, news of the mismanaged elections spread to the student body. School administra-tion confirmed that the results of the first election would be nullified and that a second, complete re-election would be conducted.

The full re-election was structured differently, with students in different grades voting on different days, num-bered ballots to help prevent fraud, and only vice-principals and guidance coun-sellors handling the ballots and distrib-uting them to the classes. With voting taking place from 29-31 May, the results were announced on 3 June. With the elections finally over, admin-istration has begun to investigate future options for preventing this year’s mishap from reoccurring and streamlining the counting and collection process. The op-tion of a secure online voting system is under consideration. Finally, it has also been made clear that the election troubles were not solely the result of poor management – certain students purposely rigged the election by slipping in false ballots to have particu-lar candidates elected. There has been no further word on the specifics of this from administration. ■

SAC Elections:An Overview

by KASRA KOUSHAN

Robin NyamekyeNamed Valedictiorian of Class of 2013

Robin Nyamekye. Photo: Sabrina Bertsch

by NEWS STAFF

YADD Garneau’s‘Fatal Vision’ Challenge

Left: A student simulates the difficulties of drunk driving in an obstacle course using vision impairment goggles and a mini go kart. Right: A student struggles with a door knob in the locked door challenge. Photos: Henry He

by KHADIJA AZIZ

Key Club’s ‘Eliminate’ Tournamentby MICHELLE YEUNG

President Nabeel AhsenVice-president Vanessa DuAthleticConvenor

Michelle Nyamekye

Chairperson MuhammadFarooqui

Clubs Convenor Kashfi ManjiEquityRepresentative

Maria Kashif

External AffairsOfficer

Arora Chen

GraduationConvenor

Mariam Sheikh

Social Convenor Tracey FrimpongSocial JusticeRepresentative

Maheen Sani

Special EventsConvenor

Freshtah Akbari

Spirit Convenor Khadija Aziz

Treasurer Jerry Wu

On Monday 27 May at approximately 11 AM, a fire alarm pulled Marc Gar-neau C.I. students out of their third period classes for an emergency evac-uation. After the school was cleared by safety personnel for fire hazards, students returned to classes roughly twenty minutes later. Following the students’ 11:20 AM return, a second alarm sounded, pull-ing students out of classes again for another emergency evacuation. This second alarm sounded for approxi-mately forty seconds, before stopping. Students were promptly ushered back into classes, before a third alarm rang just as students returned to their seats. The morning’s three alarms not only disrupted classes in third period and students busy with preparations for upcoming summatives, but also was a hugely uneconomical delay. In an an-nouncement following these alarms, Principal Goldenberg made clear her disappointment for the number of fire alarms set off this year, although some of these alarms have been caused by technical problems while others have been a result of mischief. Damages from students pulling alarms without adequate reason to date are expected to total approximately $3 600 in the 2012-2013 school year. ■

Record High:3 Fire Alarms In One

Periodby TIANYI MA

and DANIEL PEKAR

SAC Election Results

www.thereckoner.ca

EDITORIAL

June 2013 P3VOL. 1 NO. 8

The Reckonerof Marc Garneau C.I.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFMAHAN NEKOUI

NEWS MANAGERTIANYI MA

LIFE MANAGERKASRA KOUSHAN

EDITORIAL MANAGERTHOMAS DONNELLY

DIRECTOR OF PRINT DEVELOPMENT

SUSIE LIU

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHYSABRINA BERTSCH

DIRECTOR OF WEB DEVELOPMENT

SOHEIL KOUSHAN

BUSINESS MANAGERRIGERS RUKAJ

SAC CORRESPONDENTLILY SONG

STAFF MEMBERSABIGAIL CHAU

ALIE TEACHMANANANNA RAFA

AVRILYNN DINGCHRISTINA CHEN

CINDY ZENGCLAIRE HAMILTON

CONNOR ADAIRDAVID LI

FELIPE GONZALEZFRIEDA RONG

GABRIEL WONGHENRY HEJACKIE HO

JOSHUA TSENG-THAMKHADIJA AZIZMARA GAGIU

MAYLYNN DINGMICHELLE YEUNG

MIKE LIMJ CHEN

NEERAJEN SRITHARANPETER WEN

QUINCY LAMRYAN MARKS

TOM WEIVALIANT CHAN

VASILI MANIKASYANCHENG LU

APPRENTICESBENSON WAN

DANIEL PEKARDAVID HAO

HELEN FENGKAARTHIC PULOGARAJAH

SHELA QIUVICKY XU

Do you have a response to an article in this issue? Make your voice heard! Contact us at editor@thereckoner.ca.

There is an issue in Marc Garneau that is so significant to the student body yet so difficult to change that it has been com-pletely overlooked. It is a crime on our part, on all of our parts, as members of this student body, to have accepted the injustice for two years now. That is why I’m writing to you about chocolate milk. In my younger days at this school, there was nothing more joyful than opening the snack bin in the morning and finding chocolate milk. And I wasn’t the only one so satisfied. Chocolate milk was the kind of snack that would have no leftovers to be sent back. Everyone loved it. So what ended the party? Some stu-dents threw chocolate milk cartons against the walls, creating messes. An action which can only be described as a "goof", because really, why would anyone want to throw perfectly good chocolate milk away? One dark day, it was announced over the PA that chocolate milk would no lon-ger have a place in the snack program. I was heartbroken. I found myself at the beginning of the following year acting as a young re-porter. The Reckoner was in its earliest days and I had given myself the task of doing an interview about the snack pro-gram. I wanted to get information out to anyone who was interested: when the snack program would start up again, where the money to support the program came from, things like that. But subcon-sciously, the real purpose of the inter-

view was to ask if we could ever expect to see chocolate milk again. I was told that the ban would not be lifted until it was seen that “the food is handled respectfully”. The time for seeing is now. I understand that when students do stupid things with food it can be messy. Students have a responsibility to either eat or drink what they find in the snack bin or to leave it for someone else who will. But there is nothing inherent about chocolate milk which makes kids want to throw it at walls. So why has the administration found it much more of a problem than, say, the likewise delicious and potentially messy rice pudding? It’s not because chocolate milk is thrown around by everyone who picks it up. It’s because everyone loves chocolate milk. You’d be hard pressed to find a student who opens up the snack bin and says “Aww, chocolate milk? Lame.” Why is this important? It means that when chocolate milk is in the snack bins, more students will pick it up. More stu-dents will have it in their hands. More students in between classes, unfortu-nately, will throw it. And so any truly popular item like chocolate milk will be seen as a problem and removed from our hands, rather than dealing specifically with the students who choose to take away a good thing from the rest of us. And if no item in the snack program can be popular for fear of students creating a mess, then food will be left uneaten, ex-pired, and wasted.

It is true that a snack program with more popular items runs the risk of cre-ating more mess. But it also would be a more successful snack program. It would be a snack program where more students have eaten, and where more students are happier. When that happens, they partic-ipate more, they perform better academ-ically, all of which are the purpose of the snack program. And these benefits for the majority should not be taken away by a small minority who cause chocolate chaos. There is a broader reason why choco-late milk should be returned to the snack bins. The administration told us that it would be returned when they saw it could be handled respectfully. But they will never be able to see that unless chocolate milk is once again a snack option — we can’t handle chocolate milk respectfully if we aren't allowed to handle it at all. Any student who creates a mess should be dealt with accordingly. And with great snack comes great responsibility. But we’re in high school. We deserve that kind of responsibility. We as a commu-nity should be able to demonstrate that we can have our chocolate milk and drink it, too. And I believe we can. I believe the students of Garneau can collectively re-duce or even eliminate the mess caused as a result of chocolate milk or any snack provided. It might be difficult, but we’ll never do it unless we’re given the chance. I believe in chocolate milk. ■

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty un-veiled his government’s budget plan on 27 March 2012. He proposed a credit cap that would go into effect for the 2013-2014 school year. This means that next year no student will be able to acquire more than 34 credits, effectively ending the practice of the victory lap. For many students who are unsure of their futures, this is a terrifying prospect. And for those who are aware of their fu-ture plans, it may be detrimental. A good example of this would be a student who spent most of their high school career thinking that university simply wasn’t for them. But suddenly when grade twelve rolled around, they realized that they want nothing more than to become an architect. To even apply to an archi-tecture program at a university, a stu-dent must have taken at least six 4U or M courses, and many programs require grade twelve math and physics; courses that a student planning to attend college would have no reason to take. So what happens to this student? Before, they would have been able to take an extra year. They could return to high school, get the credits and the marks that they needed, and then they could apply to university to become an architect. But now this student is forced to either go to extraordinary measures to attain their dream, or to simply give up.

It’s unfair to expect every student in the system to have their lives figured out by the time they are meant to graduate. It’s better to let them continue to explore their options for a year in a safe environ-ment than to throw them out and hope that they make it on their own. And it doesn’t require much from schools to support this. The budget cut is expected to save around $22 million – only 0.14% of our $15.3 billion deficit. Clearly, vic-tory laps are far from the government’s greatest expense. There is even a po-tential return. If young people enter the workforce ill-prepared and with the wrong mindset they’re bound to con-tribute far less than driven and focused individuals. At Garneau this policy is not a new one. Returning to school for extra courses has been discouraged for a while now. However, if students were to plead their cases well enough, they would be able to come back with no problem. No more. As of next year, no matter how compel-ling your case, you’re out of luck. The credit cap is basically putting a cap on students’ childhoods. Once you make it to 34 credits, it’s time to grow up. Whether you’re ready or not you’re alone now. And it just isn’t right to mea-sure a student’s maturity by the number of courses they’ve completed. ■

I Believe in Chocolate Milk

by THOMAS DONNELLY

A Capon Learning

by ALIE TEACHMAN

Toast to the New Generationby SUSIE LIU

Photo: Susie Liu

Illustration: Alie Teachman

www.thereckoner.ca

June 2013VOL. 1 NO. 8P4

LIFE

TREE OF KNOWLEDGEby MARA GAGIU

That’s it for the year, I suppose. Chairs up, lights off, doors closed. For us at the paper, it’s been a frenzy. We’ve spent hours writing, drawing, photographing, ed-iting, arranging, and discussing. There have been more than a few late nights. But the memories that stay with us aren’t of any of these: they’re of distribution day. That’s the best part of working with the paper: seeing the school laugh with you, reflect with you, agree with you, disagree with you…think with you. All on distri-bution day. And today’s my last one. You’re holding the final issue of The Reckoner’s first print volume. “It begins,” I wrote two years ago, and this is the end of that begin-ning. It’s been a struggle and a pleasure, and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my time at Garneau.

“Because we separate / like ripples on a blank shore.” Thom Yorke sings those lines in a song called “Reckoner”. A reckoner is some-one who makes conclusions based on calculation. As for the ripples, nothing can keep us from our own paths. But if, even for a moment, this newspaper has helped you see that we are all part of the same wave, then our shore is no longer blank, and The Reckoner has served its purpose. I hope you enjoy this year’s last issue. Your school newspaper will be back in September. ■

Mahan NekouiEditor-in-Chief

I’ll probably not have a better opportunity to extend my thanks one last time:

to Ms. Brown, whose love of the aesthetic has remained with the paper to this day;to Mr. van Bemmel: I hope to be as much of a steam engine as you are;to Mr. Santolin, for helping in times of trouble;to Ms. Speirs, for enduring the madness;to Ms. Goldenberg and Ms. Mazzaferro, for their remarkably open minds;to Soheil Koushan, whose partnership I wouldn’t trade for the world;to Kasra Koushan, whose leadership I don’t doubt for a second;and to the second guard of The Reckoner. This is your day.

With the coming of the summer, the mul-tiplexes are filling with excitable young moviegoers, waiting in line to attend the next blockbuster hit. Such is the way of summer cinema, which brings together people of all walks of life in crowded rooms to watch stars and starlets stum-ble their way through tired but enter-taining plotlines. It is truly a beautiful phenomenon, a wonder, a remnant of twentieth century culture we still enjoy today. But within this picturesque im-age which insights a sense of nostalgia, there exists a flaw, a question, a crack, a nagging repeatability. Sequel number 1, 2, 3 and 4, forever more it seems. One wishes to abandon the safe-haven that is the parking lot surrounding the 13 con-nected theatres and overpriced popcorn and stray across some street to some other place, some other possibility for entertainment. Lone wanderers, strayed souls, ang-sty film buffs searching for something different to watch on the big screen – I am here to lend a hand, to share my own discoveries of all that this city has to offer in film. Toronto happens to be an extremely cultured city with a variety

of artistic escapes. And its streets are littered with small theatres and film fes-tivals waiting to be explored. So go find them and entertain yourself. Toronto is home to one of the larg-est international film festivals in the world: The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Many forget about the festival after it’s over and the stars have wandered back to their hillside home, but TIFF employs a theatre complex developed in 2010 which operates year-round and screens a variety of specially selected quality films. Every summer, the Bell Lightbox, as it is called, pays homage to a specific kind of interna-tional cinema. This year the Lightbox is presenting A Century of Chinese Cin-ema: Roundtables and Talks, wherein they will screen the most iconic films of China’s cinematic past, as well as having special days dedicated to exploring spe-cific genres and eras, followed by discus-sions with notable filmmakers. You can visit the TIFF Bell Lightbox website to find out specific days. There are also a number of notable international ethnic film festivals being hosted over the summer. These include

the Italian Contemporary film festival (ICFF), the Toronto Japanese Film Fes-tival (TJFF) and the Toronto Korean Film Festival (TKFF), all of which are operating within the months of June and July at various venues around the city. Additional film festivals being hosted this month include NXNE and the Queer West Film Festival. NXNE is brings to-gether a collection interesting contem-porary films, documentaries, and music videos, screened at the Bloor Hot Docs cinema as well as other venues across the city. The Queer West Film Festival in July presents various forms of queer-themed art and film. For anyone interested in exploring var-ious cinematic horizons and experienc-ing different kinds of film, these festivals are an excellent opportunity. They help expose those interested to international and domestic films both contemporary and historical. It’s an opportunity to es-cape the crowded multiplex and experi-ence something a little more interesting.

■

FLOWERCHILD

From the Editor

by SUSIE LIU

TORONTO SUMMER

FILMEVENTS

by VASILI MANIKAS