SORTING THROUGH THE APPLICATIONS

As many of us know, from Mrs Pennells' assembly speech earlier in the year and the dedicated local newspaper article heralding the phenomenon, this is Mr. Jim Burrows' 40th year at Brentwood College. And as some of you may know, next year will be his last year at the school, his retirement date having been set for June 2006. Who can fill the legacy that has been building since 1964? Well, as it seems, there is no one person who can fill Mr. Burrows large metaphorical shoes. He teaches math, he coaches the girls rugby team and, as academic counsellor, he does far more than help create a synchronised academic schedule — his behind-the-scenes contributions are far more substantial than most students know. The school, therefore, anticipates hiring more than one member of staff to help ease the loss of such a strong provider to our community. To aid their search, a few suggestions follow.

Kurt Gödel has an adequate resume under his belt. With his work with the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton and being the first recipient of the International Congress of Mathematicians'

1975...

Einstein Award, he may be able to start slipping into Mr Burrows position as math teacher relatively well. Besides, who would better teach Gödel’s Proof better than its creator? Having been described as idiosyncratic and reclusive, however, he could only fill part of the gap left by Mr. Burrows. Also…he has been dead since 1978. But, an undead math teacher might not be impossible, or a bad thing!

Ask any of the forwards who survived last year’s girls 1st XV rugby team and they will attest to Mr. Burrows coaching prowess. Although the girls' skills developed mainly through practice, an extra stimulus may have been fear of his critical tongue: “We won’t be playing octogenarians here!” or, “You have stones for hands!” provided a definite stimulus for winning the next scrum. But where can we find a coaching legend with such a sharp and sometimes caustic wit? Don Cherry may fit the bill. Though hockey is his area of expertise, the rugby girls can have Brentwood coach Mr. Steve Cowie to tell them how and where to run, and Don to make them want to run… fast!

Anyone who has been in Mr. Burrows’ math class knows his wit is not confined to the rugby pitch. His trademark lines: “If I wanted to hear whining I would buy a dog and kick it” or, “You are as useless as a chocolate teapot” may be daunting to the uninitiated, but anyone who has approached him for extra help knows that he really is just a big cuddly bear — the only difficulty is in predicting what he chooses to do with his claws. So where can we find that unpredictability, that fearful façade that characterises Mr. Burrows so well? Dr. Jekyll and his counterpart Mr. Hyde may just add enough spice and variety to take care of that aspect of Mr Burrow’s donation to the Brentwood community. We simply need to check why they lost their last job…

Thus, in undead or surreal bits and pieces, Mr. Burrows’ legacy may live on. But, since more applications need to be considered, there is no word yet on how Brentwood will be able to cope with the loss of this great man. There are numerous examples of students in Mr. Burrows current classes whose parents were also taught by him and, indeed, he taught both my father and me. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by not only by those attending Brentwood now but by all the generations of students since 1964.

Story and pictures by: Sydney Black (Grade 12)

CAFETERIA MIRACLES

The Cafeteria at Brentwood College School is a magical place. Numerous birthday cakes and cookies for the students and staff are baked by the hundreds every day. Fresh fruits and vegetables are delivered every morning and stored in the massive refrigerators. Students look forward for weeks to some of the meals that the dining room produces (grilled cheese sandwiches, for example). Every cookie break at 11:00 a.m., usually well-behaved students can be seen shoving each other and wedging themselves through the door frame to get at their home-baked regulation two cookies, handed out by smiling cafeteria staff.

Inside the kitchen, the staff works in close quarters. In the small but immaculately clean area, there is one hour each day during which two shifts of staff overlap. Between 2 and 3 o'clock in the afternoon is the switchover, immediately after

In addition to regular three times a day meals for the 420-odd members of the student body, the cafeteria handles additional demands. There are groups which hold lunch meetings such as SPARC, French Club, Student Executive Council, Environmental Club, various teacher meetings, prospective students and their families on tour and many more. For each of these groups, fresh sandwiches or wraps, a fruit plate, a dessert plate and drinks are provided and delivered to the site of the meeting. Every Sunday when a ski trip departs, or any day that a sport team travels away from the school during normal meal-time hours, hundreds of bag lunches are carefully packed.

Far from stereotypical "lunch ladies", the cafeteria staff headed by Renée Wilson, are always smiling, cheery and providing amazing food.

In place of our parents, they make sure that we get what we need, and are even in charge of our holiday meals (Thanksgiving) and special cultural events (Chinese New Year). They all deserve huge recognition for their sweet dispositions and desserts.

Story and pictures by: Ellen Kutscher (Grade 12)

Story and pictures by: Jennalee Desjardins (Grade 12)

Ode to Theatre Sports 2005

Many a student was filled with dread
As echoes of whistles rattled their heads
In a flurry of action and a gut full of air
Each Brentwood house wondered how they would fair
Ellis, with Tom, Dick and Mark — Newton, too
Wowed us with gangsters and yoga moves, phew!
Whittall, with gusto and that ol’ magic touch,
Shocked with pylon uses and such.
Privett, floating in space, we begged them for more
As we watched Ralph make that box really soar.
Rogers kung fu-ed us to fits
And the entire team was quick with their wits.
The deserving winners, they were indeed
As we gasped for air, they continued to speed
Through each event, as simple as that
Even that ruddy one with the hat.

PURSUIT OF NATURE

The calm flat ocean reflected a blue sky with a hint of sun as the Outdoor Pursuits group prepared for their kayak trip into the Samson Narrows. White, yellow, red, and orange doubles contrasted with the grass, perky and green after the previous rain showers. Gear was packed, paddling clothes were donned and Brentwood was forgotten as Mr. Dan Norman and Mr. Harold Wardrop guided the merry group out into the bay. Pushed far to the edges of the horizons hung a ring of menacing grey clouds, unseen by the occupants of the kayaks.

Disney songs and preview snatches for this year's musical floated to shore in the wake of the fourteen members of the expedition as they briskly swept by familiar landscapes. Arbutus Ridge and a rusting old barge received fond smiles as the crew paddled on to further and newer areas. The first signs of impending gloom were met with shouts of laughter as each pair surfed over the rising waves reaching ever closer to the campsite.

One bathroom break and almost four hours later, a campsite of sorts was reached. Instead of outhouses and the cheerful faces of other campers, the Brentwood group edged through small bays into a world of desolate cliffs, rocky beaches, and seagulls that prey on more than just garbage. An unfortunate starfish imprisoned in a hunter’s beak was a rude awakening. As dusk crashed down on the sea, the Outdoor Pursuits Team slipped into a tiny cove and onto a gravel beach. This was to be home for the night.

people curled up close to the fire for song and conversation. Finally, however the urge to give in to tired muscles and fresh air grew too great, and the quiet of rustling trees and rippling water fell over the campsite.

This tranquil image, however, did not last, being rudely disturbed in the night by a downpour of rain and howling wind.
Morning broke to a steady shower that persisted as packing up and breakfast commenced. A frowning, but optimistic, Mr. Norman led the group out of the sheltered cove and into a flurry of pelting snow, fierce wind, and threatening waves. The option of going back to the campsite was considered but rejected in favour of a paddle into Cowichan Bay where, hopefully, there would be less extreme conditions. Although dry and warm, each member of the trip paddled through the pain and discomfort of cold and wet body parts, struggling against rocking waves and icy winds. As the youngest member in the group, Jacob Norman-Richardson (the playful camper of Saturday night and Sunday morning), now bravely kept his chin up and held on although buffeted by both water and air. In Cowichan Bay, Mrs. Richardson’s cheer and heater-filled bus thankfully met the group.

Once at Brentwood, students and staff welcomed hot showers and Mr. Norman’s checkup visit and chocolate.
The gray sky, now devoid of rain, hovered in silence above the engorged and sodden grounds. It waits for the next Outdoor Pursuits Trip where man and woman will once more pit experience and endurance against nature and the weather.

Story by: Andrea Norlund (Grade 11)
Pictures by: Dan Norman

AN INTERNATIONAL HOLIDAY SHOWCASE

As all students who attended last Thursday's school assembly will know, the year of the Rooster is upon us! Florence Tsoi (Grade 12), who gave an excellent presentation in the assembly, is from Hong Kong. She explained to the students about the festivities that usually take place in China during each New Year celebration. In Hong Kong, people usually make their way to the temples of the city to burn incense. They believe that the first person to burn incense in the temple will receive extreme good fortune. After this, people clean their homes before the new year, to wash away last year's bad luck. Florence says she usually goes to the market to buy candies, flowers and decorations to adorn the house. The family gathers together on New Year's Eve for dinner. Much of the food that is served has special meaning in the Chinese faith: seaweed represents wealth, oysters represent fortune, lotus seeds are eaten to wish for large families, and turnip cakes and sweet rice cakes are eaten to wish for healthy, growing children. At midnight, families eat dumplings to welcome in the new year.

Chinese New Year will be celebrated by many at the school, but there are also several holidays and celebrations that are significant in the lives of non-Vancouver Island residents. Our school is a mosaic of international identities and backgrounds. Ms. Eileen Mais, who was born in Jamaica, explains some of the holidays that are celebrated annually there. Jamaican independence is celebrated on August 6th, to mark the end of 300 years of British Colonial rule in 1962. Jamaicans from all over the world travel to the island to take part in the week-long festivities and different cultural events such as open air concerts, colourful road marches, music competitions, dance performances, and special church services. The Jamaican Independence Day Parade begins at King's House (the residence of the Governor General) in Kingston. The parade is a gala of costumed and uniformed groups, including traditional Jonkanoo dancers as well as modern dancers, showcasing a cross section of Jamaican culture. The event climaxes that night with a street dance at the "Half-Way Tree," where thousands of people are in attendance.

By now, you may be wondering why Canada doesn't have more celebrations of this nature. However, it may surprise some of you to learn that each year, there are similar festivities and occasions being celebrated in even the remotest parts of the country.

As John Carmichael (Grade 10) reports, the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Festival, for example, is held in Whitehorse every year at the end of February. The festival is in celebration of the Yukon Gold Rush which began in 1897, and lasted until about 1900. The festivities include an air show, dog sled races, the crowning of the Yukon Queens, can-can dancing, snow sculpting, and even a bath tub race. "Flour packing" is another festivity, where participants carry bags of flour on their backs, as they make over the Chilkoot Pass. This contest allows people to experience the same journey that the gold miners did, as they carried their supplies on their backs, in search of gold.

Story and Pictures by: Amy Weinberg (Grade 12)

The past year brought a rash of dark new celebrity dye jobs to the Hollywood circuit, a surprising change from the flaxen highlights of previous years. Stars such as Nicky Hilton and Jessica Simpson gave themselves over to the trend, emerging from salons everywhere with darker locks. It appears that the Brentwood student population has taken a leaf from the tinsel town book: only 14% of current students at Brentwood are blonde, either naturally or dyed, compared with the national average of 25%. Darker haired students make up the remaining 86% compared to the national average of 75%. Does this trend towards the darker side of things mean that Brentwood students are too image conscious, or are they simply ahead of the fashion game? Sweeping across campus, this new fad has affected such Brentwood bigwigs as our Assistant Head of School and SAC president (former blonde) Stephanie McClellan, as well other members of the Brentwood fashion elite, leaving one to wonder when this hair haze will clear. For the tow-headed few still holding out? A word from the wise. Stand by your guns, tinted tresses cannot last forever.

Stories and pictures by: Berit Anderson (Grade 12)

A tale of two sisters. Aubrey and Marlee Hahn though connected by blood, stand separated by their contrasting hair colours

MADNESS AT MID-TERM

Brentwood evaluates its students often, seeking to avoid letting any students slip through the cracks, falling in grades without being noticed immediately. For this purpose, teachers have marks meetings, and when these are finished, they release midterm marks: before the six-day break students enjoy halfway through every term, they are given tentative marks as an indication of how well they are doing in each course. These marks serve only as a guide, and can change greatly before end of term when marks will actually be sent home to parents, but can remind the student of areas of weakness or congratulate him or her for areas of strength. There are, however, conflicting views of these marks. Here, for your enjoyment, are a few of them.

CASE 1
Students: Those are my marks? Well, they’re not what I expected, but my parents will understand: they realise I’m not perfect, and I do make mistakes. Everyone does, after all. My average just can’t stay as high as it was last year: I’m only human. I do need a life, and I can’t just study all the time.

Parents: Fair-haired angel child will soon be coming home with his marks. How wonderful! We already know how perfect he is, and these marks will prove it. We know he spends all his time in his room studying, and his hard work will certainly pay off when we see those marks.

CASE 2
Students: Midterm marks? As in, marks that judge how well I’m doing? Panic attack! Oh, wait. These marks are given to me? My parents aren’t sent them? But I’m supposed to pass them on, I see. Well, as soon as I return from my ski trip, I’ll do just that.

Parents: Midterm marks? Since when?

Story by: Nicholas Chesterley (Grade 11)

A few weeks ago, 'This Week' reported on Chelsea Theriault's fundraising efforts for tsunami victims. Due to her hard work and the generous donation by Gwynneth House of profits from their school dance, Brentwood was able to send a cheque for $1700 to the non-profit organisation ASHA, located in Chelsea's hometown of Chennai.

To date, the organisation has been able to help twelve families with the money Brentwood donated and is planning on rebuilding the lives of still three more. For $100 Canadian, the foundation is able to provide each family with three or four months rent, a cooking stove, utensils and food. Chelsea's parents recently visited three of the families the Brentwood community was able to help. Seeing first-hand how directly the aid raised is used is a rewarding experience. Congratulations on a job well done to all the contributors!

Story by: Berit Anderson (Grade 12)

BASKETBALL

The senior boys basketball team hosted a 16-team tournament (Countdown To Playoffs 2005) this past weekend. They finished in 6th place, their best performance to date.

Tournament MVP – Kyle Orr – Lambrick Park

1st Team All Stars
1. Charlie Spurr – Lambrick Park
2. Willie Galick - Cedar
3. Siggi Skagfeld – Cedar
4. Aubrey Morrow – Ballenas
5. Kyle Orr - Lambrick

2nd Team All Stars
1. Joe Vroom – Abbotsford Christian
2. Jeff Krawetz – Lambrick Park
3. C.G. Morrison – Lambrick Park
4. Harlan Punnett – Cedar
5. Braden Wheatcroft – Cedar

In a packed-overflowing gym on Tuesday evening, over 500 fans were treated to a marvelous game of basketball between the Sr. Boys of Brentwood and the talented Shawnigan Stags. When the dust settled, Brentwood was able to exact revenge on Shawnigan's earlier victory two weeks ago. Julian Snellgrove put in a season-high 29 points and was a 'monster' at the post, both on the offensive and defensive end. Shawnigan had no answer for his athleticism. Also contributing with a terrific performance, Ben Felix poured in 18 points, Garett Graeme returned from his ankle injury and added 9 points; Adam Erickson hit a couple of clutch '3's' in the first period and finished with six points and playing his best defensive game of the season. The team heads into the South Island playoffs (hosted at Brentwood) with a 5 and 1 record in the regular season.

Clayton Johnston

All basketball pictures: Gerry Pennells

The Senior Girls basketball team won a mini-tournament hosted by QMS this weekend. Players of the games were Marlee Hahn and Marisol Van Vliet who received T-shirts. The girls have won seven of their ten games, an impressive record considering this the first year back in competition.

The Junior Girls basketball team deserve congratulations for their 2nd place (silver medal) win at the ISA's this weekend at York House.

T. GIL BUNCH CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Future presentations:

Acting 11 / 12.

Waiting for the Parade by John Murrell. Humorous and touching, this is the major work of an important Canadian playwright.

The War of the Worlds. Lights, sound effects, film-clips and scenes fill the stage as we create our version of the original radio broadcast.

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