THE VOICE Issue 2

February 2012

BREAKING NEWS: SOIRÉE WAS MASSIVE!

By Amber Duivenvoorden

On the 23rd February, St Aloysius

College had the pleasure of

welcoming His Excellency the

President, Dr George Abela. Having

visited the primary and secondary

schools, Dr Abela was invited to the

old school theatre where the sixth

form students performed a small

part of this year’s Soireé which

included the items, ’ Tisbit’, ‘ Karma

Skies’ and ‘ Caveman’s tale.’

When everyone was seated and just

before the show started, Rector

Patrick Magro SJ gave his Excellence

a warm and hearty welcome

together with a gift on behalf of the

entire school.

This was followed by another

speech, carried out by the president

of school council, Paula Cauchi. As

the performance came to an end, his

Excellence the president

congratulated the people involved in

the production of the show for their

hard work and sheer enthusiasm,

while encouraging us students to try

to overcome any obstacle which

might cross our path.

SOIREE 2012 IN PICTURES

A TRUE TRANSFORMAT!

EUROSCOLA

His Excellency visits College

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Stop Strasbourg… Rule Europe! By Marthese Grech

We had all been waiting very anxiously for

the 16th of February to arrive. Why? We

were going to Strasbourg, to participate

in the event known as Euroscola! Our

group consisted of 24 students along with

the Sixth Form Chaplain, Fr. Joe Cassar

and Ms. Dona Falzon.

The event Euroscola is an event which

takes place regularly in the European

Parliament situated in Strasbourg. We

were attending the session on the 17th

of

February. For this occasion, students from

all over Europe meet up and discuss some

issues relevant to all. Each topic was

assigned a geometrical shape, in order to

avoid any political confusion.

The day started with breakfast in the

Parliament Restaurant, where the

programme details were explained to all

of us. After this, we were taken to the

“hemicycle’ where we took the seats of

MEP’s. The session at this point, began

with a basic introduction of the role of the

EU and its institutions. Following this

introduction, all students there were given

an opportunity which is not always given

to students attending Euroscola; we had

the chance to ask questions to an MEP,

and this time, it was the Maltese MEP

Simon Busuttil who answered these

questions. Later on, we met Dr. Busuttil

personally and took a group photo with

him.

Lunch followed, and here we had the

opportunity to meet people from other

countries, as we had to team up with

them to take part in the “Eurogame”. The

game is set out in all the languages of the

EU, so it is of utmost importance that one

communicates with the others. After

lunch, we rejoined our respective working

groups, where we each discussed our

topics and came up with a resolution.

Each resolution was then discussed and

voted on in the Parliament with the other

parties. The day then finished with

another quiz and the closing ceremony

included a kind of dance with each

European Flag with the European Anthem

being sung at the same time.

All in all, we all gained a lot from this

experience as we got to voice our

opinions in one of the most important

institutions in Europe and the World, but

we also made new friends and enjoyed

ourselves.

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A TRUE TRANSFORMAT!

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My Final Dedication to Aunty Shelagh by Enya Tanti

I cringed at every pothole the bulky bus' wheels descended into as my spine

would in turn shatter into a million pieces. My eyes cycled from right to left whilst

trying to make sense of the fast moving objects outside. But I couldn't escape my

sub-conscious from tormenting me with flashing images of my late great-aunt, to

whom I owe a lot of praise for having raised me up. I was heading back home after

attending her wake which took place in my Nan’s house in Derry. Despite several

attempts to divert my attention, I was instantaneously flooded with a play-back of

how she had been decorated with white carnations and lilies and how a subtle

Celtic song was being played in the background.

They said that the cause of her death was due to a major stroke. She had been

quite active despite her old age and was always involved in numerous charitable

organisations. I had often gone to her for advice due to all the experience she had

been accumulating regarding the challenges of life. An old man had rung the bell

and was being assisted down the bus. I sat deep in my chair whilst I was hoping

that he wouldn't just tumble down those steps. Three more stages and it would

have been my turn to enter into the gushing wind and slashing rain... I had taken it

upon my own shoulders to provide some snacks and drinks for all my family

during the wake. Everyone was chatting away but all I could think about was the

corpse that lay on my dining

table. We then lined up like dominoes

to pay our respect to Aunty Shelagh.

I promptly rang the bell and got off

the bus. I was still feeling a bit

queasy, but deep down I knew that

she was looking down at me at that

very moment. I sprung home and

decided to prepare some typical Irish

stew which had been her favourite

dish. I shoved some logs in the fire

place and put on ''Father Ted''. The

frown that was sculptured on my face

a couple of minutes ago was now

brought to life by my massive smile

that appeared to stretch from ear to

ear.

Up Next Month…

THE VOICE: February Edition

Editor: Rachel Powell

Drawn images: Anthea Galea

Articles written by: Yanika Borg Jodie Bonnici Amber Duivenvoorden

Marthese Grech Columnists: Enya Tanti Adrian Micallef

Photographers: Michela Catania

David Grima

Rachel Powell

Special Thanks go to the Saint Aloysius’ College Sixth Form Administration, Students’ Council,

Kyle Sultana, Imperia Galea, Keith Tanti and Izaak Mifsud

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Coping with the Odds? By Jodie Bonnici

It‟s hard to keep a healthy relationship

when you‟re constantly stressed over all

the nearing deadline and juggling school,

friends and time for yourself.

Relationships require sacrifices and that‟s

a known fact. The question is how much

are both parties willing to give up? And

what exactly can they give up?

Keeping up with everything in your life is

far easier said than done, but that doesn‟t

mean it‟s impossible. Before you start

freaking out stop to think and try to see

what both of you could do to make more

time for each other without feeling guilty

about all the work you‟re giving up for it.

As the old saying goes, don‟t leave for

tomorrow what you can do today! Maybe

you should stop wasting the few free

lessons you have and actually do some of

those assignments. It‟s better to get your

work done during the week so that you

can spend your weekend with the

people you love. Take some

time to consider how much

time you‟re wasting on the

internet. Wouldn‟t it be

better if you could spend

that with your girlfriend or

boyfriend? It‟s hard to meet

during the week if you‟re

both from different schools,

but if you both have some free

time why not meet up a bit

during that time at least every

few weeks?

So you can‟t give up certain commitments like that course you‟re taking, and

you can‟t miss out on rehearsals or training, and you can‟t let your studies fall behind. That is

something both sides of the relationship have to understand. It requires patience but with

some effort you can balance anything you have on the scales of life!

As Hail Hits St. Aloysius!

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How did the name of the band originate?

Honestly, no one exactly knows how

„Karma Skies‟ came about. We wanted

something original and catchy that would

describe us perfectly. After a lot of time

spent brainstorming and discussing about

what our name should be (probably took

us more than it actually takes us to put

up a song) we settled on 'skies' on

Caroline's suggestion. After a few days,

Loredana was randomly talking to Odelsie

after a rehearsal and she figured we

should be called „karma‟. After all it does

a lot about how we came about, and

there you have it: Karma Skies.

How would you describe each member of the band?

Annalise: 1. Vocals: First voice 2. Recipient of many shorty jokes 3. Started out as relaxed, developed to panicky throughout soiree

Caroline: 1. Amazing pianist 2. Mastermind of mash ups 3. Calms down the group before and after every performance

Loredana: 1. Vocals: Second voice 2. Most determined; moves us forward; mother figure 3. Creates the perfect harmonies in an instant

Michela: 1. Vocals: First voice 2. In her own words: "singing like a pro” 3. The diva of the group, Born to be a star

Odelsie: 1. Vocals: Second voice

2. Can make everyone smile with her randomness, never stop to think before she speaks 3. Takes pride in things she loves

Sheryl 1. Guitarist 2. Extremely relaxed 3. Shy and sweet

How often did you rehearse before soiree?

All the time for the past three months

How did you feel the moment

before stepping on stage? Any

lucky charms kept and vocal

warming done before the

performance?

As cheesy as it may sound, having each

other is more than enough as a lucky

charm however we could not resist doing

our lucky dance taken from “Tisbit” and a

small prayer. After what happened on

Thursday we would all be terrorized with

the thought of something going wrong;

the smiles on our faces at the first notes

of the piano gave us up.

How do you feel about your

performances? Any

feedback?

We are all very satisfied with all our

performances, but most of all proud of

each other. In our opinions, we work as a

group because we bring out the best in

each other. We appreciate all the nice

comments and support from the

audience, administration and most

importantly our friends who always had

our backs.

Special thanks to: Friends like Paula Cauchi who believed in us

from the very beginning and were never

afraid to give constructive criticism, the

talented Stephan Zammit for our visuals,

Hair and Makeup team especially Imperia

Galea and Melanie Sammut who made up

our six non-artistic selves into decent

persons, administration for guiding us and

giving us this opportunity . Finally an

enormous thanks goes to Conrad Dimech

who welcomed six screeching girls into his

studio over and over again and helped us

develop into more than we even though we

could.

Interviewing Wonder

Girls!

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‘‘An all-girls musical piece’’

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Nobody said it would be Easy,

They only said it would be Worth It So some of you may have started your diet and started including some more exercise in their weekly routine. If you have actually done so, you are by now no stranger to the temptation of snacking, eating junk food and

procrastinating your exercise. Its OK we are all weak in one way or another but that should not be a source of stress but a tool to find motivation and push forward with your fitness goals. Start by finding a fitness role model. A person with a look you’re striving for. Next, make a set of rules written down, black on white about your diet and activity. Be disciplined with yourself and eat not to

satisfy your craving but to satisfy your long term ambitions!

Here are some guidlines: Drink

at least 6 small bottles of water a

day to keep hydrated (it sounds

like a lot but you should spread it out

over a day), have breakfast before leaving

home (oats, non-sugary cereal bars, weetabix,

skimmed milk), try not to consume carbs after 7 pm, allow yourself just one cheat snack (like a piece of cake) twice a week, try to spread out your meals (don’t eat your lunch at once but divide it into 3) and avoid

fatty foods (e.g. pizza, pastizzi, mortadella, cheese, chips, etc).

Like this, you can control your carb intake and still feel satisfied with a full stomach throughout the day!

Pro Tip: For guys, use weights to boost your metabolism and build some muscle tone!

For girls, use bodyweight exercises and non-machine cardio as a way of having fun and testing yourself whilst burning calories!

Always consult the gym instructor and sports supervisors if in need of any assistance at the gym.

Yours in fitness,

Adrian

CHAPLAINCY

EARLY BIRDS

If you arrive early at the Sixth Form, join friends to pray at the beginning of the day.

Experience the inner strength you can only get from Mass. Mon-Thu starting at 07.15, in the Chapel. You can just walk in whenever you arrive. You’re always most welcome.

Something good for you – one a day.

Bite-size prayer posted every day throughout Lent on Facebook. Try it. Click on the Facebook link below.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Aloysius-Sixth-Form-Chaplaincy/285124254880665

SHARING

Give what you can afford to share with someone who does not have the basic essentials.

Lent is a good time to revive a good practice in our Sixth Form – the Solidarity Collection, held with the

collaboration of the Students’ Council.

THE VOICE Issue 2

STAGE CREW

AT WORK

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