by Sandi Kuntsi
March has been a busy month for MSS with school dances, fundraisers and school-wide events. On March 8, nine students travelled to Cambrian College for the Rainbow District School Board Regional Skills Competition. Bryce Mastelko won the Safety Award and 2nd place in cabinet making, Kendra Jordison and Grace Duncanson placed 2nd in 2D animation, Jackie Cooper placed 1st in 2D animation, and William Linder and Caleb Byers placed 1st in carpentry for teams of two. Jackie, Grace, William, Caleb and Trevor Bailey will be competing at Provincials at the Toronto Congress Centre from May 1-3. Grace Duncanson said, “Jackie and I will be competing as a team in 2D animation. We get our theme at the competition; at the last competition the theme was Super Heroes Making a Living. We have been practicing for provincials in class, and I’m pretty excited.”
On Thursday, March 9, Michelle Jones organized a pre-dance party for the Winter Formal. A group of students gathered in Three Fires, Ms. McCann’s classroom and A1 to eat some pizza, get ready for the dance, and have their hair/makeup done by professionals. Music was played, and students joked around with each other while waiting for the dance. Students’ Council hosted the Winter Formal. Students were in their best dresses and suits dancing from 7:30-10:30 pm. A bus was arranged for the East and West Ends of the Island for after the dance. The event was DJed by Blake Debassige, and as usual, he entertained the students who were attending. Isaac Gosse was the dance photographer and sold printed pictures and momentos of the evening.
On Friday, March 10, Yohana Ogbamichael organized the school Winter Carnival. The day was kicked off by Amber Wahl and I with some Games of Low Organization. We had all the students gather in the gym to play games such as the Human Knot, the Atom Game, If the Wind Blows, Shoulder Jousting, and Rock Paper Scissors Cheer. The goal of these activities was to help create a sense of inclusion for MSS students. All the students got a chocolate bar and the day proceeded to the other activities. Yohana held bump, soccer, and dodgeball in the gym, Mr. Theijsmeijer and Mr. Nelson ran Karaoke in the music room, Mr. Noble held the Nail-Driving contest, the hockey tournament was held at the M’Chigeeng arena, Mr. Wiwchar made homemade ice cream and held a bonfire outside, Mr. Scott and Ms. Keatley held Swedish Dinkey, and Rainbow Rights was giving out waffles in the morning. In the afternoon the Students’ Council played the movie Dr. Strange in the cafeteria. This was a fun way to kick off the March Break.
Students and staff returned to school on March 20 after a week-long break. SHARE/Go Green began their annual Vesey fundraiser. The group is selling flower bulbs and plants to fundraise for WE.org projects in Kenya. SHARE also set up new compost bins around the school that were donated by Home Hardware in Mindemoya to promote sustainability and waste reduction. World Water Day was on Wednesday, March 22. MSS took the opportunity to become educated on water preservation. Classes did a challenge to try and guess how much water is wasted in certain situations, helping many students and staff alike realize what they can do to help the planet.
Coming up, the OSSLT Literacy Test will take place on Thursday, March 30. Grade 10 students and others who need to meet the literacy graduation requirement will give it their all and hope for good results. They won’t find out if they were successful until June. After the test, there will be half a day of regular classes. In a few weeks, Yohana Obgamichael is organizing Hoops for Heart. The event will be held on April 13, and teams will spend the day playing basketball to show their support for the Heart and Stroke foundation. To enter the event teams are fundraising a minimum of $100. All the proceeds will be donated to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
MSS has been bustling all month, and students and staff are ready for the spring and warm weather to come. ‘Til next time, stay golden, Mustangs.
