by Sandi Kuntsi
The sun is out, the birds are singing, and all through the MSS halls promposals can be heard. Students have been asking their friends to the Prom and Spring Formal. Spring formal is from 7-11 pm on May 25. The masquerade-theme dance will be DJ’ed by Blake Debassige. Students’ Council has organized a late bus for students who might need a way home after the dance. Tickets are $8 per person or $12 a couple if bought ahead of time, and $10 per person at the door.
For the students who sold magazines at the beginning of the school year as a part of the Magazine Drive Fundraiser, the initiatives are rolling in. On Thursday, May 17, Mr. Nelson, Mr. Balfe, Mrs. Balfe, Mme. Cheng, Mr. Zegil, Mr. Davy and Ms. Bauer lined up to have whipped cream thrown at them. Students got to choose which teacher they wanted to hit and got one throw. On June 1, there will be a movie day and sundaes for the students who sold magazines. The movie will be chosen via KaHoot in the cafeteria available May 28-30.
The track and field team competed at the Pre-NSSSA competition in Central Algoma on May 16. This was an opportunity for students to get used to their opponents and the equipment at CASS. Coach Mr. Balfe said, “Our goal is to always do better individually because we don’t have a big enough team to compete on the same level as the other teams. I am confident that with our next two practices we will be better at NSSSA.” The team this year is Larissa Chevrette, Gabby Corbiere, Mackenzie Cortes, Rory Dearing, Kyler Fletcher, Malia Leighton, Ben Marshall, Hailey McGillis-Prior, Ayriell Nodecker, Mya Otosquaiob, Connor Phillips, Austin Purvis, Darrion Robinson, Matthew Redmond, Douglas Robinson, James Scott, Marjorie Scott, Abby Smith, Ella Stewart, Amber Wiwchar and Beth Wiwchar. The team will be competing at CASS again for NSSSA on May 23.
Tennis had their NSSSA competition on May 17 in Blind River. The team this year was Natasha Bebonang, Alexis Lewis, Eric Varey, Boston Thibault, Connor Phillips, Rachel Sheppard, Hannah Woestenenk, Maddy Niven, Alayna Cranston, Avery Sheppard and Brooke Addison. The Mustangs represented our school strongly, with several players moving onto NOSSA. Alayna Cranston and Maddy Niven placed gold in Girls’ Doubles, Hannah Woestenenk won gold in Girls’ Singles and Avery Sheppard and Brooke Addison placed silver in Girls’ Doubles.
Coach Mr. Theijsmeijer said, “Even though we did not have a full team this year we ended up being second overall. It came down to the last game to decide whether we would win or not, and that’s with more competitors than in the past.”
On May 23, the Grade 8 students from Assignack, Little Current, Sheshegwaning, Gore Bay, Mindemoya and M’Chigeeng attended the Grade 8 Shadow Day. The students and their MSS partners participated in ice breakers, and then went to period two to learn a bit more about how the MSS schedule and classes work. After a pizza lunch, the Grade 8s went back to their schools with a better sense of what to expect next year and, perhaps, some new friends.
Students participated in the SafeTalk workshop on Wednesday, May 16. SafeTalk is a half-day training session that prepares grade 10 and up, regardless of prior experience, to become a suicide-alert helper. This workshop coincides with the Stand Up for Mental Health conference that will be taking place at MSS on Monday, May 28. This conference is to help students at MSS become mental health ambassadors and support their peers.
Grade 12 students are getting ready for their graduation by submitting nominations for Valedictorian. With promposals, the final athletics of the year, and mental health support work, MSS is heading for a strong finish to the year. ‘Til next time, stay golden, Mustangs.
