THE LIFERS DINNER

After one thousand, seven hundred hours of prep (and with 44 to go), twenty-six Brentwood lifers met at The Quamichan Inn in Maple Bay for an elegant meal to celebrate, if nothing else, their longevity. Five years. Five years at Brentwood during the tempestuous ages of 13 to 18 during which time students metamorphosed from boys and girls into men and women and rowers. Only the fittest survive such an evolution, and Friday night’s dinner, compliments of the school and organised by Beth Melhuish, commemorated this achievement.

Highlights of the evening were many. The evening’s entertainment began with an eerie and hilarious screening of archival footage of all the lifers – shot during an English class during their Grade 8 year – addressing themselves in the future. Adam Reid, the liferdictorian, so to speak, spoke with an elegance and earnestness few knew he was capable of, and all admired. To paraphrase Tonia Medina, who toasted absent friends, the lifers are about to be paroled from a life sentence, and no doubt prepare to leave with mixed emotions: joy and giddy happiness. The sweet sorrow of parting was gracefully summed up by this year’s new lifer teacher Lorraine Oxton, who knows some ties, though they may not be worn, can never be broken.

There were many toasts, and tears to accompany them; let me offer one more – a toast to the twenty-six lifers of 2005.

Story by: Paul Collis

George Upton, Mr. Garth Nichols and Austin Cheley

ALL SET?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with our ways out here in Mill Bay, at Brentwood College we have “set” classes. A set class is one in which students of similar aptitude in that certain subject are in the same classroom. Set '1' is for students who are quicker in the subject, while each set thereafter is more and more suited to anticipate students’ varying degrees of understanding. Not all classes, however, are set. Junior sciences, before Grade 11 when they are split into AP or non AP classes, and Math are most definitely split. English is a more fluid subject, in which there is a top set alone, while the other classes are of mixed abilities. This raises one to ask many questions. How are students chosen to be in certain sets? How does the teaching style differentiate between the sets? Why are some subjects set and not others? How do Brentwood teachers and students feel about sets?

Segregation. Discrimination. Bias. These are all words that come screaming to mind when the idea of the set system is first introduced. It is a new concept to many students first enrolling at Brentwood. Fortunately none of those words slipped into the vocabulary of any students when asked their opinion of the sets. “It’s smart,” Chelsea Theriault commented, “It’s more effective. There is no way I’d be able to pay attention

Marisol Van Vliet and Matt Franklin illustrate how the weapons of choice can vary from set to set

if the class was being taught too slowly for me, and I would hate to be scared to ask questions, thinking everyone else understood but me”. Many students and staff members agree with Chelsea’s perception. Being able to relate to your class, having similar challenges and strengths as those of your peers, and a more efficient class dynamic seem to be agreed upon as positive byproducts of the set classroom. “I can’t imagine teaching without the sets. In math especially,” Ms Jackson admitted. Across the boards, students and teachers alike tend to agree that in math, splitting into sets is truly beneficial.

But there is always another side to the coin. Celeste Good, a student experienced in the world of boarding school, disagrees with Brentwood’s set system. “It promotes competition that is really unnecessary”. The idea of self-evident truths comes to light here; if you are told you are at a Set 5 capability, perhaps you will see that as your full potential, and become stifled. It also, arguably, mirrors social cliques. The smart kids and the stupid kids. “I think that is much more of a problem at public school,” Ms Jackson said. “Sets only work depending upon their environment and I don’t feel that Brentwood is an environment where your set determines how you are treated. I don’t know if the same can be necessarily said for public schools”.

Thus personal perception of the Brentwood environment seems to vary, and it is this variation which determines whether the sets are seen positively or negatively. The threat of boring some while baffling others; a true dilemma for administration, but — in general — students seem content with their sets.

Story and picture by: Sydney Black (Grade 12)

This past Saturday, the prefects of Mackenzie House journeyed up island to Nanaimo, where they stopped in at the Calico Cat for a nice lunch and some tea. After quickly draining their teacups, the real fun began. It was time for them to discover just what paths their lives would take. Would they marry? Would their careers be successful and fulfilling? Was their relationship headed towards a rocky stretch or would it be smooth sailing from here on? It was time for them to face up to their pasts and their futures. Tea leaves were about to be read. Each girl was ushered outside, cradling her cup and saucer, while the others sat nervously inside, nibbling at cucumber sandwiches, salads and broccoli quiches. What would they learn about themselves? As each girl came and went, expressions of sympathy and understanding were exchanged. Results were excitedly recounted and discussed. One girl discovered that her power animal was a horse, another that she was "done babysitting men". Yet another, wearing a rowing shirt, was told she had a future with boats. Tears were shed as truths were told and advice was given. In the end every girl went home with a tape of her reading, whether it was bang on or way off in left field, and whether or not they believed what they had been told, they came away with stomachs full of good food and a cup full of new knowledge.

Story and pictures by: Berit Anderson (Grade 12)

ROMANO, ROMANO!

On Monday night, the Gwynneth Grade 12’s hopped on a bus with Houseparents Ms. Lorraine Oxton and Ms. Jill Fougner, and headed for Romano’s Macaroni Grill in downtown Victoria. The feast was in celebration of the successful, cooperative and efficient year that was had by the prefects of Gwynneth, which is rapidly drawing to a close. Gwynneth House in particular has a large population of grade 12s this year (23) — the most the house has ever had. This was the first and last prefect event coordinated for the year, and everyone was excited at the prospect of an evening out and dinner together.

Apart from the fact that the restaurant ran out of bread, and the girls had to listen to the waiters sing Happy Birthday in Italian at least 10 times, the evening passed off very enjoyably. The girls kept the waiters hopping as they forged their way through numerous bowls of caesar and tomato salads, calamari dishes, pizzas and pastas as well as tiramisu and chocolate cakes; everyone’s waistline matched the national rate of inflation by the end of the evening. One young waiter delighted his guests with a version of O Solo Mio, an Italian folk song, and rapturous applause came thereafter.

Spirits seem to be high in all Grade 12 students at the moment as the time draws near for the Grade 11’s to begin their prefect training and eventual takeover of house duties. This welcome change of events will help to alleviate some of the pressure that the senior’s doubtless feel during the approaching AP and Provincial exam time; and so does a trip to the Macaroni Grill!

Story and Pictures by: Amy Weinberg (Grade 12)

Before: A ravenous Nicole Hartwig awaits her food

After: Bloated and oblivious

OUTDOOR PURSUITS

Outdoor Pursuits students have been busy in recent weeks preparing for a whitewater kayak race held last Sunday. A slalom kayak race involves paddling one's kayak through gates hung over a whitewater rapid. The student's preparation was not just to learn the skills needed for the race, but to host the race as well. This involved hanging 18 wires and gates over the Cowichan River - a logistical challenge in itself which took three sports afternoons to complete. The day before race day, students paddled the rapids upstream of the race course, but few were confident enough to paddle onto the course itself, and the high water made the course appear overly intimidating to these relative newcomers to kayaking.

Race day dawned with blue skies, warm weather and high water on the Cowichan River. A dozen competitors from across BC joined the Brentwood students, with most of these paddlers being members of the Canadian national team. Our students watched them make it all look easy, and then ten Brentonians tried it themselves. It wasn't nearly as easy as it looked! The national team paddlers raced first and then waited at the finish line to "pick up the pieces" should the Brentwood students need assistance. The fact that some of Canada's finest kayakers were waiting to rescue them was not overly reassuring.

Despite this, ten students jumped into their kayaks and when the starter counted them down, they entered the current and hoped their skills would carry them over the line. With the high water levels, most students set the realistic goal of merely surviving the course, and many were thrilled to have missed all 18 gates but to have crossed the finish line upright.

George Upton was the fastest of the boys, successfully negotiating 8 of the 18 gates on each run. James Clark and Ben Fortson also completed both race runs. Elise Findlay was the lone girl to complete both race runs. Prizes and lunch followed the race, then a bus trip back to campus. Congratulations to all the students in Outdoor Pursuits for their help in hosting this great event and for their courage in challenging themselves on the river. Students are looking forward to another chance to race in Chilliwack on Saturday May 7.

Dan Norman

Senior Girls

Brentwood 5,
John Barsby 0

This year, Brentwood proudly boasts the strongest Senior Girls Soccer program that the school has had in years. The girls have made it their goal to compete at the Provincial level this year, and every one of them is working diligently to make this dream a reality. They have had a strong season so far, only losing one close game to Gulf Islands, a team they are looking forward to meeting again at the Islands tournament.
Last Thursday, the girls played a successful match against John Barsby in Nanaimo. Rachel Miller scored the first goal of the game, leading the way for a goal by Stephanie McClellan, two penalty goals for Claire Dickens, and a final penalty goal for Rachel Miller again. The final result was 5 – 0 for Brentwood. The girls were very proud of themselves, especially since they had to manage without their star centre-midfield, Caroline Philippson, who has unfortunately pulled her hamstring. Congratulations to Tamara Thornton for being chosen as “Player of the Game,” and to goalie Liz Cosulich for her shutout against a thunderstorm of soccer balls. The team is now looking forward to a critical game against Balinas, and a hopeful gold medal at the ISA tournament.

Frances Candy

Junior Boys

1. Brentwood 3, Saltspring 0
2. Mid-Island Championships

In-depth match reports by Tom Dickens

Junior Girls

Tuesday: The Junior Girls soccer team had an excellent week of action-packed soccer. They started with an away game against Duncan Christian School. The team arrived at the field to find an uncut and unlined field with the nets missing from the goalposts. To make things even more interesting, the opposition was made up of Girls from grades 8 through 12 due to the smaller student enrollment at DCS. The grass seemed to be just as much of a challenge as the other team, but the game started off well with the Brentwood team's first goal of the year from Rebecca Pointon. The score remained 1 - 0 at the half with the girls more than excited about their first lead of the year. The 2nd half proved to be more difficult as Grade 12 players from DCS scored 2 goals to give their team a 2 – 1 victory. The girls played well and were happy with their effort, but another loss was not what they had hoped for.

Thursday: The juniors played their second game of the week against Chemainus. Brentwood was not intimidated by the larger size of their opponents and went out with great determination, an attitude that paid off in the game's first goal from Lauren McClellan. The game turned into a see-saw battle as Chemainus was able to reply with an equaliser after each Brentwood tally until the game was nearing its finish with the score 3-3. With 5 minutes to go Rebecca Pointon fired a shot into the top corner to seal a 4 - 3 win. A great result for the girls as it was their first win of the season. The Girls have one more regular season game remaining on Thursday, April 28th, against Cowichan High at home, before the Mid-Island tournament at Kelsey on May 4th and 5th.

Mike Minckler

1st XV: Brentwood 1st XV - 36, Vanier XV - 12. In-depth match report on this game by Tom Dickens
           Brentwood 1st XV - 7, Oak Bay 1st XV - 29. In-depth match report on this game by Tom Dickens

2nd XV: Brentwood 2nd XV - 32, Vanier 2nd XV - 5. Match report on this game by Tom Dickens

Girls: The girl’s rugby team has had some hard practices in the recent weeks, but after their game against rival school Shawnigan Lake, the girls saw their dedication pay off. Last Thursday, the entire team eagerly entered the gates of Shawnigan to battle behind enemy lines. Last year, Brentwood lost to this school in league play, and a rematch at the Provincials was not possible since Shawnigan played in a tier above our girls. In a couple of years, however, Brentwood will have to move up to Shawnigan’s tier because they will no longer be a novice team (a team that has only been playing for three years). The team know, therefore, that if they want to keep their Provincial Gold title, they need to play at a Tier 1 level — and they did just that. The game began with a great run by fly half Marlee Hahn that almost resulted in a try for Brentwood and full-back Sophie Beswick made some vicious tackles to stop the opposition whenever it came thundering down the wing. Brentwood’s line-outs were decidedly more sound than Shawnigan’s, and although technical difficulties in the scrum prevented the girls from scoring a last-minute try, they did finish the game within ten yards of the Shawnigan try line. The final score was 5 – 0 for Shawnigan, but Brentwood considered it a success because it was an important learning experience for the players and coaches alike. Brentwood will be working on the technical aspect of the game over the next few weeks to be adequately prepared for the next time they face Shawnigan.

Frances Candy

Game 3 vs the Marg Luff team — Loss: 0-3 (April 26)

It was a tough match this week. We were missing three of our regular players who were out: 1) looking at a University; 2) dancing in a festival; and 3) celebrating a family members’ birthday – so lives the Brentwood tripartite program! We were under pressure from the start but held off their offensive attack and came away at half time down 1-0. Hectic at times, we did not play to our full potential and will build to correct the errors for our future matches. Without a goal this game, the team’s leading scorer, Katie Jackman, states, “I feel like I’m in a slump,” but reassures everyone that she’ll get it back! Special thanks this week to Claire Dickens, Rachel Miller, and Frances Candy for coming out as substitutes and Katherine Higginson for umpiring the game.

All games are on Tuesday evenings at 6pm on Field 1 at Brentwood against other Senior level teams from the Cowichan Valley Spring League.

Rachel Peters

T. GIL BUNCH CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Future presentations:

Pacific Institute of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts Concert

www.celticperformingarts.com, 250-758-0208, 1-866-301-2358

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