PURSES: A NON-GENDER EXPOSÉ

A woman’s purse is a complex and highly sacred thing. Storing countless amenities that a girl may need to survive, they accompany a majority of the female race on the North American continent, available in multiple shapes, sizes, costs, and textiles. In applying the above stereotype to the Brentwood scene, I decided to investigate the male impression of the woman, her purse, and all its wonders. The men I asked had a pretty good idea of what is truly found inside their girl friend’s purses, and their ideas largely corresponded with what the girls conceded that were essential. Some of the most common of these items were wallets, cell phones, lip stuff of any kind (lip balm, lipstick, chap stick, lip gloss), makeup, and well, yes, “just about everything” as one girl told me. The boys also suggested that among the standard items, they’d also expect to find “ornaments, teddy bears and Daddy’s credit cards”.

As I was sitting in the foyer of Mackenzie house, collecting multiple impressions from the male side in the purse arena, Stephen Pointon spoke up, proclaiming that “man bags,” or “man purses” were coming into style rapidly — apparently it’s not just the girl and her purse anymore. The boys also told me

that there is nothing wrong in their eyes with fanny packs which can be clipped around the waist and paired with a baggy sweatshirt for quite an appealing look. Stephen would like to design a man purse in red and black to be sold at the school store. He envisions it with the torch logo on the side accompanied by Brentwood’s motto, “De Manu in Manum” and thinks they would be quite popular. There may be some doubt as to the sincerity of the boys' suggestions, but all seemed quite enthused.

Brentwood girls do not feel the need to tote their purses with them while inside “The Brentwood Bubble” as it is fondly called, but said that they would never journey off-campus without one. Not only is the purse practical and necessary for carrying mandatory survival items, but they’re also the perfect accessory for any outfit. Some of the girls' favourite purses (as described) were: any Coach bags, a Gucci purse in pink, a beige tote with fur lining and the oversized Dior Rasta Bag.

Apparently, anything to match any outfit is ideal. Sometimes bigger bags are necessary depending on one’s activities for the day. Jacquie Brown takes her camera almost everywhere in case a photo opportunity presents itself, and that demand requires the possession of some larger bags.

The purse is something that has accompanied women for years and will undoubtedly remain just as fashionable and as practical as they always have… and apparently will soon be accompanied by the Stephen Pointon-designed Man Purse which should hit stores soon. I would recommend calling early to reserve yours while they last.

Story and pictures by: Ellen Kutscher (Grade 12)

Elliot Wiechula and Ben Higgs uncover
the shocking contents of the purse

DR. KEITH LAYCOCK

After 23 years of loyal and dedicated service to the school, Dr. Keith Laycock stepped down from his position as the School Medical Officer in September.

Dr. Laycock was always regarded as the epitome of caring concern, and was respected by staff and students alike for his willingness to pursue every avenue in protecting the welfare of his patients. From early days in the old (now defunct) Sick Bay, to the current Maeda Health (for which Dr. Laycock played a significant role in the design), students could always count on a compassionate, sensitive and kindly audience.

Dr. Laycock's service to the school was honoured at a dinner at the Head of School's residence Friday last. Mrs. Andrea Pennells gave tribute to his work

JAMAICAN ME CRAZY

Jamaica? In B.C.? 'What are you speaking of, you rude child?'

Inspired by their very own house-parent, Mrs. Eileen Mais (originally from Jamaica), the girls of Alex House provided a tropical themed party, which was a welcome contrast to the biting, BC cold. 'No woman no cry' here...

Alex Open House rocked the campus Saturday night with hot tubs, mocktails, and some reggae.The open house began around 7:30 pm with the sounds of a stamp and Bob Marley floating through the air. Resident females of Alexandra House were initially thrown off by the sudden male presence within their domains, but by eight o’clock everyone was ‘chilling’ by the ice-cold, mocktail bar (which made a killing) selling their renowned strawberry daiquiris. Upstairs in the kitchen, a collection of food was for sale, highlighted by fresh, home-made sushi.

Each room was tastefully decorated, and each was unique to suit its residents. Strings of lights, palm trees and burlap adorned the normally bare entrances. Nearly everyone enjoyed exploring the endless hallways and stairs of Alex House, especially when searching for the exit and ending up on a floor never seen before (a useful technique for keeping students in the house). Hopefully, wherever the visitors ended up they found an embodiment of the Jamaican spirit.

And everybody agreed, by the end of the evening, that the open house was better than the promotional video.

Story and pictures by: Jennalee Desjardins (Grade 12)

LITERARY RESPONSE

I don’t have time to read is a common sentiment that is reflected in the steady bustle of busy students. In the midst of a complex circus act, juggling homework with the less attractive studying, flying in and out of fine arts and sports, and plunging into side trips and extracurricular clubs, it is hard for the average student to find time even for the weekly call home.

Creaking open the heavy library door, it is easy to judge the level of activity. Computer research and table work dominates the quiet scene with required reading (for class) trailing behind. The checkout line for pleasure books as opposed to the nonfiction reference type, is vacant during most peak times, an anomaly at most libraries.

Kevin Chin hard at work.

Julie Gillespie and Kraig Vale

Fred Zenker (posing!) with a novel.

Even Sundays, those glorious days of rest and relaxation or simply slow-mo activities, do not provoke readerly thoughts in sleepy students, promoting instead the more ‘social’ events of movie-watching or gathering.

Is this a Brentwood phenomena or is society slipping into a literary Dark Age? According to results posted by the National Institute of Literacy, one in five adults cannot read to a child, fill out a job application form, or understand the words on a medicine bottle. The importance of simply knowing how to read is emphasised by the fact that 50% of the chronically unemployed are illiterate.

Thanks to forced reading in most classes, students are saved from the deadly plunge into the illiterate world. Reading for pleasure is a tool not entirely for superficial purpose ("I just read about..." sounds oh-so-more-sophisticated than "I watched...). It pushes and challenges comprehension levels that stimulate the brain in all areas. Students that read are shown to be more successful in all areas. So, next time you head down to the library, take a look at the display shelf — maybe something will catch your eye. If not, check out the reviews below.

Set in South Africa, the author’s lyrical style transports the reader into a warmly inviting place that evokes abundant promise and hope. When the idyllic serenity soon begins to crack, the reader is anxiously optimistic that calm will somehow be restored . As events hurtle out of control, however, one realises with dismay that this reflects the harsh reality of that beautiful, but tumultuous landscape. By then you are drawn into the horror of the story with such masterful imagery and prose, that you finish reading until every dream has been shattered so a new cycle may begin.

Flowers for Algernon has had many manifestations: a short story, a television drama, a film, and, finally, an award-winning novel. The novel, beautifully written, takes an extraordinary circumstance and makes it human and endearing. Charlie Gordon, a mentally handicapped person is selected for a radical experiment in which neurosurgery is used to triple his intelligence. As he surpasses all his mentors, Charlie must learn to deal with the issues associated with his increasing perception. The novel takes a series of captivating turns and a stunning conclusion. A fascinating and absorbing read.

Story and pictures by: Andrea Norlund (Grade 11)

THE BATTLE OVER CASHMERE

Some people say that ‘clothes maketh the man’. In some cases, let us hope that isn’t the case. Girls and boys both have some assumptions about the opposite gender’s relationship with their wardrobe: “Girls have closets, upon closets, upon closets of clothes!” and, “If you’re lucky, a guy will have more than two pairs of jeans.”

Instead of letting these rumours run rampant across our campus without any material proof, an intensive investigation was opened to find out if there was any substance to these arguments.

Berit Anderson: decisions, decisions, decisions...

Do girls really have ‘closet upon closet of clothes’? Walking into a girls dorm and glancing into their closet may be startling for a young man who manages to fit all of his clothes into one drawer. Closets with hanging shelves full of sweaters and sweat pants, while each hanger is weighed down with jeans, the denim sometimes entering into the double digits, and coats, in different colours and styles, for different occasions, and to match certain shoes. It is a scary place full of oddities and wonders for the style-ignorant male youth; blouses and pea coats and boots… oh my! Some young ladies have even dedicated drawers in their desks and vanities to their attire. Who needs pens and pencils when cashmere is involved? There are some exceptions to this stereotype, but the survey showed most girls not only knew what cashmere was, but had a deep and loving relationship with it.

And what of our young men’s closets? Barren and desolate lands, home for whatever had been on the floor seconds before morning inspection, with, on occasion, a rogue pair of shoes and possibly even a tie. While there are some fashion savvy young men in our midst (Sean Foote and his gallery of fine suits, for example), when asked, most guys admitted to owning no more then three pairs of jeans. The lack of attention some guys pay to their wardrobe can be a plus at times though; would you envy the girl in the 3-inch heels hobbling painfully onto the bus after four hours of strutting around Victoria when you are wearing the sneakers you did your morning run in? One thing is consistent across the board: with guys, comfort is key. Men haven’t been corseted in quite some time, while these accessories are still being sold to women in fine boutiques across the globe.

In the Brentwood desert island, there are separate lines of division between boys, girls, and their clothes. “Girls can get away with so much more with the uniform! Not to mention they have way more options!”, one male student spouted, when asked what his ideas of girls and their clothes are. Girls do have the option of kilt or pants, an option some guys may very well like to have open to them, but is there really much more than that? In response to his frustration, one girl replied “Even if that’s true, we have far more ways to mess up.” Not the most encouraging defence for the fairer sex, but true enough.

So it seems the rumours may be true; girls may love their clothes while boys care less. Like most stereotypes, however, this is not universally the case, as I observed on laundry day for the Ellis boys. Before you throw some witty remark about someone’s static wardrobe and another persons superfluous supply of shoes, remember that with our less-than-tropical climate, nudity is not an option.

Story and Pictures by: Sydney Black (Grade 12)

almost locked within compounds, with heavy gates and walls, as well as machine-gun nests, surrounding them. In Canada, Mark Stephen is representative of a common view: an acceptance of walls as decorative, not utilitarian, structures. The idea of walls at Brentwood is certainly intended as such: any other intent would be fatuous. However, we must consider those who live within our walls and who are not Canadian, and how their experiences change their perceptions.

Story and pictures by: Nick Chesterley (Grade 11)

FACES AROUND CAMPUS

The Website crew are not the only ones roaming the campus with cameras at the ready; the Yearbook group — responsible for collecting material for the annual Brentonian — also make the most of every photogenic opportunity. The four pictures below were taken in various locations last week by Katie Makay and Brooke Browning.

CORRECTION

Winner of the eagle-eye contest for this week is Martin Dickens (father of Claire and Tom) from Saudi Arabia.
Martin correctly points out that the statement in last week's edition covering the parent-teacher interviews: "Winner of the dedication award were Mrs. Fumiko Kurosawa and Mrs. Tsai-Lien Lin Huang, who both arrived from Japan, closely followed by the Dickens, Seemann, D'Souza families from Saudi Arabia." was, technically incorrect. The geographically-challenged editor has to acknowledge that Saudi Arabia is (considerably) further from the school than Japan, and thus he did disservice to the dedicated Aramco travellers.

As the winner of the contest, Martin wins a bag of B.C. rain — highly sought after in Saudi Arabia. Note: Martin may pick up his prize at any time, in person.

I was very proud of the Brentwood Club both on and off the water. It was especially stirring to hear our crews giving three cheers on the water and showing great sportsmanship when defeated by another crew. This is the first of many regattas this year and an excellent way to start the 2004-2005 campaign. The next regatta will be the inter-squad cake race on December 6th at 3:00 pm. Next term, our first regattas will be the Head of Shawnigan and the Head of Mill Bay, both in February.

Brian Carr (Head Coach)

Pictures by: Doug Ulmer

RUGBY

Colts (Grade 10) Brentwood 7, SMU 31
Try: John Carmichael. Conversion: Ty Siceloff

Junior Colts (Grade 9a) Brentwood 41, SMU 5
This win gives Brentwood the ISA title.
Scorers were Tate Rose 3 tries, Javier Alvarez 2 tries, Sean Ferguson 1 try , Brendan Muehlenberg 1 try, Geoff Friderichs 3 conversions

Mice Brentwood 10, SMU 19
Brentwood lost the Mice game, despite controlling the game in the second half and getting over the line several times only to knock on or be held up. The scorers were Joe Thompson (1 try) and Sean
McCarthy (1 penalty and 1 conversion).

VOLLEYBALL

The Brentwood Junior Girls lost a heartbreaker in the midst-island finals last weekend, going down 26-28 and 28-30 in the final against Frances Kelsey school. Despite this loss, the girls played exceptionally well. The team have now qualified for the BC Junior Provincial Championships which will be held in Port Coquitlam next Friday and Saturday. This event will be a major challenge for the Brentwood squad as they face the 20 top junior teams in the province.
The Junior A2 girls finished a strong 3rd in their tournament, with Stephanie Steinbrink-Kelly, Liz Cosulich and Megan Jackson being named to the all-tournament team on the A side of the draw.

T. GIL BUNCH CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

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