by Sandi Kuntsi
Students at MSS have many different ways of reducing stress, including sports, theatre, celebrations and mindfulness activities.
The MSS tennis team hosted NSSSA on Thursday, May 11. The team, coached by Mr. Theijsmeijer, competed strongly and with good sportsmanship. The team consisted of Julia Desbiens, Michael Madahbee, Nea Saunders, Conner Phillips, Eric Varey, Jackie Cooper, Nathan Howard, Bryce Mastelko, Maddy Niven, Faith Taylor, Avery Sheppard, and Dreamm Saunders. Nathan Howard and Jackie Cooper placed first in the Senior Mixed Doubles division, Alayna Cranston and Maddy Niven placed first in the Junior Girls Doubles division, and Bryce Mastelko placed first in the Senior Boys Singles division. All five of these players will be travelling to NOSSA at the Sudbury Indoor Tennis Centre on May 18.
The Track and Field team travelled to Espanola for Pre-NSSSA on Wednesday, May 10. The team is made up of Nikki Boyle, Marjorie Scott, Ella Stewart, Larissa Chevrette, Mya Otosquaiob, Mackenzie Cortes, Austin Purvis, Ben Marshall, Elizabeth Wood, Gabby Corbiere, Matt Redmond, Douglas Robinson, Brooke Addison, Yohana Ogbimichael, Maggie Eadie, Alex Smith, James Scott, and Marshall Maciuk. The team is travelling back to Espanola for NSSSA on May 17.
The Grade 8 Fly is on May 13 at MSS. The event starts at 9 am for Grade 8 students from around the Island. The theme of Fly is the word itself ‘fly’ to represent the Grade 8s flying away from elementary school to high school. So this year, each team is a different group of birds: Penguins, Cardinals, Blue Jays, etc. There is going to be doing a school scavenger hunt so the Grade 8s can get to know the school, there will be games in the gym with everyone, icebreakers in the bird teams, a talent show at lunch, and a special presentation at the end with group banners and cheers. This year Student Council members Kayla Greenman and Carissa Holliday organized fly.
Student Wellness Day was on Tuesday, May 16. Students were able to choose from a variety of mindfulness activities to reduce stress time of the school year. Activity included a keynote presentation from a Buddhist monk (and former Mustang), art therapy, colour me tea, Eagle feather teaching, horses help humans heal, Indigenous crafts, Indigenous games (outdoors and indoors), introduction to meditation, Jiu-jitsu, knitting, land art, lying down meditation, medicine walk, mindfulness apps, mindful gardening, outdoor cooking, physical mindfulness, prayer and mindfulness, running, Tai Chi, therapeutic writing, traditional teachings, vegetarian food of El Salvador, visualization techniques for sports, walking in balance, and yoga.
Ms. Bauer, Mr. Scott and Mrs. Scott are taking a group of 15 students to Stratford on Thursday, May 18. The group will be taking the ferry to Tobermory then beginning a long road trip to Stratford. The group will be viewing two musicals and two plays, participating in a theatre workshop, exploring the city of Stratford, and experiencing a Greek dinner.
The annual Pride Day at MSS is taking place on May 19. This year’s theme is Celebrating Rural Diversity. The event is organized by the Rainbow Rights group, but spearheaded by Megan Misner, Denver Leeson, Josh Noble, Emma Chokomoolin, Sarah Seabrook and Mr. Gurney. The group is going to set up an ice cream and waffle bar at lunch, as well as t-shirt sales and music. In the afternoon, actor, comedian, activist and founder of #KissAGingerDay Derek Forgie will be speaking in a schoolwide assembly.
Organizer Megan Misner, a Grade 12 student at MSS, said, “To me, Pride Day is extremely important because the LGBTQ+ community on Manitoulin is actually quite a bit larger than most people think. I’ve always said the best way to eliminate ignorance is to educate and that’s a big part of what we do at our Pride Days, as well as making sure everyone shows pride in who they are regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and working class.”
From dominating in sports to welcoming new students, the MSS Mustangs are being positive and looking forward to the little time left of the school year. ‘Til next time, stay golden, Mustangs.
