THIS WEEK AT BRENTWOOD

Welcome to the Brentwood web page for the 2002-2003 school year. This is the sixth year in operation and, from rather dour (the original homepage was completely black save for a small Brentwood crest) and static (the calendar changed, but little else!) beginnings, the "This Week at Brentwood" feature of the site continues to grow and prosper. As always, the aim of these pages is to provide a window on the campus for parents who live far away and to maybe entice those students thinking of attending the school with a sample of the myriad of activities that fill up the Brentwood week. As a change from the one-man show that had been the format to date, last year's production team included three students who added an interesting range of articles on all aspects of the school. The experiment proved to be considerably successful, judging from the numerous complimentary e-mails received throughout the year, and thus this year's team has been expanded to six students (seen below). Their first contributions appear throughout this edition.

STUDENT EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

The Student Executive Council (SEC) is made up of sixteen students and also includes Head of School Mrs. Andrea Pennells, who acts as the co-chairperson of the group. The SEC serves as a liaison between the student body and the school administration and thus, by choice, the students on the council represent a wide variety of intra-school communities. Every Tuesday the group meets to discuss current issues in and around the school. In the past, the SEC has proved to be effective and influential and thus this year's group is eager to tackle important topics and seek out solutions. The student members of the Council are:

Adam Schneider — Head Prefect.
Adam serves as the co-chairperson of the SEC meetings. He also represents the entire student body at public events.

Ryan Gallagher — Assistant Head Prefect, Assistant House Captain of Rogers.
Ryan serves as the vice-chairperson of the SEC meetings. He is also the secretary, and publishes his weekly Executive Council minutes. In addition to being the Assistant Head Prefect, Ryan has duties in his house as an Assistant House Captain.

Lauren Selman — Assistant Head Prefect, Assistant House Captain of Gwynneth.
Lauren is one of the two Vice-Chairpersons. She is also a prominent figure in Gwynneth House, serving as an Assistant House Captain.

Barrett Briske — Grad President.
As the Grad President, Barrett's immediate duties are to the graduating class of 2003. The Grad Council (represented by Barrett) organises events for the school, as well as Grad events.

Laura Bungarten — International Students Representative.
Along with Bobby Pau, Laura brings the thoughts and concerns of international students to the SEC. She will be helping international students as they become exposed to Canadian (and North American) culture.

Michelle Furbacher — Day Students Representative.
Michelle, as a day student, communicates day student-specific issues to the SEC. She is proving to be an essential part of the school integrating day students more fully into the program.

Robin McDaniel — Student Activities Council President.
Returning from a year in Europe, Robin has been appointed as the President of the SAC. This multi-grade group organises events such as dances and outdoor movies.

Will Pickles - Privett House Captain, Vice Grad President
As the House Captain of Privett, Will liaises between the SEC and the boys of his House. Will is also the Vice Grad President. The Grad Council organises events for the school, as well as Grad events.

Bobby Pau — International Students Representative.
Bobby will be working with Laura Bungarten to help international students become better acquainted with Canada and its culture.

Bailey Hedican — Gwynneth House Captain.
Bailey is also the Vice-president of the Student Activities Council and, as the House Captain of Gwynneth, liaises between the SEC and the girls of her House.

Meshach Heenatigala — Whittall House Captain
As the House Captain of Whittall, Meshach liaises between the SEC and the boys of his House.

Jamie Lynch — Ellis House Captain
As the House Captain of Ellis, Jamie liaises between the SEC and the boys of his House.

Tom Martin — Inter-House Coordinator.
To help coordinate Inter-House competitive events, Tom works with Head of Sports, Mr. Tony Medina and the sports captains of the different houses.

Anna O'Malley — Alexandra House Captain.
As the House Captain of Alexandra, Anna liaises between the SEC and the girls of her House.

Karli Pickett — Mackenzie House Captain.
As the House Captain of Mackenzie, Karli liaises between the SEC and the girls of her House.

Darren Reynolds — Rogers House Captain.
As the House Captain of Rogers, Darren liaises between the SEC and the boys of his House.

Meshach Heenatigala (Grade 12)

SUMMER CHANGES ON CAMPUS

According to Webster's Dictionary, a change is "an alteration; the exchange of one thing for another; the passing from one form, state, phase, etc. to another". All of these definitions seem to befit what occurred on the Brentwood College campus this summer. To the innocent eye, it would appear that nothing — or, at least, very little — has changed. Of course there are the obvious projects, such as the construction of the T. Gil Bunch Theatre and the Millenium Trail; but these tasks, however extensive, merely scratch the surface of the work that Brentwood's Maintenance and Grounds crews did during the summer.

In June every year, the two departments compose a list of major projects to complete by autumn. Led by Maintenance Supervisor Tom Shadlock, the crew then spends July and August working at full speed. Summer for some means cold lemonade and swimming pools, hot, greasy hamburgers and deliciously warm sunshine. For the Brentwood crew, however, summer means building and moulding and scraping and painting and digging and nailing and hammering and hauling and planting….at least during the day.

By September — when anxious students await the start of classes with breathless anticipation — the jobs on the summer list have been finished and checked off. Work for the Brentwood crew, however, is not finished; in fact, it has only just begun....

Gillian Gregory (Grade 12)

7. New deck constructed on Gwynneth assistant suite
8. New carpet throughout Whittall House
9. Alex House laundry room renovation
10. Bathroom upgrade in the Mackenzie House locker-room
11. Gwynneth master suite repainted.
12. Dance studio, photo studio, office renovation
13. Removal of salt water aquariums (biology labs)

TERRY FOX RUN

Stimulated by the annual emotional and heartwarming appeal given to the school by John Garvey, the entire school turned out last Sunday to walk, ride, or run in the Brentwood chapter of the Terry Fox Run (held one week earlier than the national event). Unusually, the day itself was rather gloomy with the odd threat of rain, but judging from the good spirits of the participants, few people noticed. Almost all who made the trek down the Mil Bay road must have conjured up the image of Terry Fox in their minds as fatigue levels began to rise. The thought of Terry attempting to run 40 kilometers every day on one leg was enough to dispel any personal thoughts of discomfort. The aim of the day, naturally, was to raise money for contribution to the Canadian Society for Cancer Research and the sum raised was significant enough to make any accumulated aches and pains worthwhile

FABRICATIONS 3

The winners of the Fabrications 3 contest from last term were announced at last week's regular Tuesday assembly (a variety of circumstances made it impossible for this to be done in the summer term).
The presentations to the winners listed below served as an excellent lead-in to the announcement of the Fabrications 1 contest for this year. The given prompt of "Freefall" (visualized as one word or two) serves to stimulate creative ideas. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 8th October and the winners, with extracts of winning entries, will be published in later pages.

Poetry Runner-up: Corey Ranger
Winner: Tella Osler

SEPTEMBER 11th SERVICE

One year ago, in utter disbelief, the world watched America's (once untouchable) liberty and security collapse as symbols of such freedom fell shatteringly to the ground. On a gorgeous September day, again we sat in wonder recollecting the past year. Set as an outdoor memorial surrounding the flagpole hung with both Canadian and American flags at half-mast, the Brentwood community registered the tragedy. Our own tribute to the calamity of a year ago echoed the silent shock that was felt across the globe.
Led not only by Head of School Mrs. Pennells, but also by a variety of students, the remembrance ceremony eloquently expressed our hopes for the future of humanity. Lauren Selman (Grade 12) mentioned the void she felt herself when she visited Ground Zero, months after the attack, witnessing so many people's personal pain. Defne Gunay, another senior, spoke of the effects the brutality has had on the perceptions of her religion and culture — Islam. She noted how, although reactions toward the Arab and Muslim world have been generally negative, that her peers at Brentwood have further investigated her lifestyle in Turkey and the culture that she brings with her to school. Mariko Constable (Grade 11) devoted her own tribute through the beautiful notes of her violin. The notes resounded exquisitely over the water and around the silence of the audience. Head Prefect Adam Schneider gave a speech urging the unification of the world, connecting the ideas with the new needs of our "increasingly smaller world". Brothers, Liam and Cailen O'Brien closed the spoken ceremonies with a moving solo singing of the Canadian national anthem and the "Star-spangled Banner" (by Liam) and a speech for peace (by Cailen). Mr. Curry's solemn French horn sounded the end to our powerful meeting beneath the flags of the free, yet not invincible, world.

Mara Cowan (Grade 12)

(The full text of the speeches by Head of School Mrs. Andrea Pennells,
Adam Schneider, Lauren Selman, Defne Gunay can be seen at Memorial Speeches).

FUN AND GAMES NIGHT

On the first Wednesday of term, in an annual tradition, new Brentwood students were introduced, initiated if you will, into the most serious, important, and all consuming activity Brentwood has to offer: Inter-House competition! Fun and Games night kicked off this year's Inter-House cup with a bang, a blast, a yell, and a very loud racket played on a mixing bowl.
Fun and games night, for the uninitiated, is the first night where guys and girls meet as a House (Ellis, Privett, Whittall, and Rogers), and compete for glory and fame against one another. A series of events encompassing many skills, from the musical and the mental, to athletic and acting challenges, are put forward to selected House champions for their competitive pleasures.

The House songs and cheers this year were of a particularly high level. Rogers house won the competition with a well synchronized and creatively written, although not so creatively conceived, song sung to the tune of Queen's "We are the Champions". Whittall house was a close second with their version of "House of the Rising Sun", sung by the entire House and accompanied on guitar by Brendan Hodge.
Despite the occasional act of sabotage by both Ellis and Whittall through covert and stealthy mascot theft, and slanderous remarks made by the crowd as to the pitch of Mr. Collis' voice, the night was a huge success. Rogers House was the official winner, Whittall second and Ellis a close third. Although the members of Privett left the auditorium a bit downcast and everyone woke up the next morning quite hoarse, the evening demonstrated the immense House spirit that the returning students already possess and that the new students were quick to recognize and emulate.

Alexander Mackie (Grade 12)

BAMFIELD OF DREAMS

On Saturday 7th September, Mr. G. Pennells took the Biology 12 AP students on a trip to the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre (BMS). The travel route involved driving to Port Alberni, which is west of Nanaimo, and then taking a "well-maintained logging road," as Mr. Pennells put it, to Bamfield. The marine station is located on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, in a small community of around 200 people. This small size, coupled with very little commercial development, allows the local ecosystem to be relatively undisturbed. This quiet ocean site thus proved ideal for a weekend-study of aquatic life.

Upon arrival, the students were taken on a tour of the facilities and soon after were engaged in laboratory work led by the BMS staff. Soon after, a field trip to the beach was arranged and, although the beach turned out to be somewhat different from the white, sandy shores initially imagined by one anonymous student, it was teeming with exposed life at low tide.

At the end of the long day, the students found themselves enjoying recreational activities. The highlight of the night was undoubtedly Blowball, with almost everyone gathered around a ping-pong table exercising their lungs (the player's objective in the game is to prevent the ping-pong ball from rolling off the table in front of the player). The next morning, students continued their studies via field trips and several lectures. The first activity was a field trip to Brady's Beach. This beach turned out to be closer-than-originally-thought to the imagery created in the head of that anonymous student. Wonderfully contrasting the sandy shores, are rocky cliffs, which hold many excellent grappling sites. It was at Brady's Beach, where several students learned the truly relaxing, soporific effect of wading in the waves equipped with gum boots (surprising, but true).

As Monday morning arrived, the students (and the BMS staff) knew that the end of the visit was near. After doing group-presentations in the Lecture Theatre, it was time to say good-bye. On the way back, a quick stop at a sandy beach was made. Although the water was described as being "frightfully cold" by one student, six intrepid boys mustered the will to enjoy the waves up close. All in all, the trip proved to fulfill its original, didactic purpose, and, despite Mr. Pennells' seemingly-inaccurate description of the logging road, it also proved to be a most enjoyable experience.

Meshach Heenatigala (Grade 12)

In the September sun some prefer to be in, and some prefer to be on, the water, that is. Relaxing from a red hot field hockey practice are Ashley Van Order and Maria Vogt, while Head Rowing Coach Tony Carr conducts the first experience on the water for a group of novice rowers.

On Saturday, Houseparents Dave and Lisa McCarthy took all grade 8 and 9 students from Ellis house on an overnight camping expedition to the marine park on Sydney spit (an island east of the Saanich peninsula). The students traveled in two boats, the McCarthy galleon and the Hardie — one of the Brentwood rescue craft.

MACKENZIE HOUSE BARBEQUE

Question: What do you get when you combine fifty hungry girls with limitless quantities of hamburgers and Haagen-Daaz ice cream? Answer: A Mackenzie House Barbecue!

On Friday, 13 September, the girls of Mackenzie House gathered on the lawn of Houseparents Mr. and Mrs. Flynn for the annual beginning-of-year barbecue. For an hour, the barbecue provided a welcome relief from the hectic schedules that one becomes accustomed to at Brentwood College. Mr. Flynn became the so-called "head barbecuer", Mrs. Flynn the official hostess; other special guests included Mrs. Khanna, Mrs. Jackson, Mr., and Mrs. Rodford, and M. and Mme. Receveaux. In short, there was good food, good music, and good company — a healthy start to the 2002-03 school year.

Gillian Gregory (Grade 12)

"It's…" a tall, thin man looks at you through a pair of rounded glasses, hoping for deliverance to come in some form. He runs his fingers through his spiked hair, contemplating some more. Finally, he smiles, "Of course! It's Jack." Mr. Wardrop has just remembered your name, and the class returns to compound interest. It has been usual with Mr. Howard Wardrop this first week of school to start off class with a game called "What are my students names?" in which there is one contestant and twenty-three game show hosts. One of Brentwood's new staff members, Mr. Wardrop teaches math at the grade 8, 9, 11, and 12 levels.

Mr. Wardrop has had an interesting professional career. Working in Toronto, he co-authored a McGraw-Hill Ryerson textbook entitled "MathPower 11". Mr. Wardrop last taught in a public school in Surrey, B.C., where the class length was 78 minutes. He says that Brentwood is very different from a public school. Even if the classes here are 55 minutes long, he enjoys the smaller class size, the pleasant tone on campus, and the positive student-teacher relationships.

With a father in the Air Force, Mr. Wardrop grew up in such varied locations as Holland and Ontario. His arrival at Brentwood comes from a desire to teach in a private school, and a deep love for the beauty of British Columbia, which blossomed while he earned degrees at UBC and SFU. At this point, he plans to finish his career here, a period he estimates at 20 years. His family, which consists of his wife Sharon, daughter Caitlin (almost 4), and son Connor (almost 2), has nestled into the Cobble Hill area. Despite initial complications with the garage door (no handle), they plan to stay.

Welcome, Mr. Wardrop!

Fred Zenker (Grade 10)

Christina Meyer is one of five interns to join the Brentwood faculty this year. While rowing for the University of Michigan she found fellow team members were Old Brentonians Tara Medina and Petra Juzwishin, who encouraged her to apply for a position at Brentwood.

Coming to Brentwood with a B.A. in Psychology, Ms. Meyer is eager to take part in all the different aspects of Brentwood life. Initially, she was amazed at how busy everyone was, but now has come to realize that it is a lifestyle that one soon becomes accustomed to. During her time here, Ms. Meyer has chaperoned the Grade 12 Biology trip to Bamfield, as well as beginning her work in Mr. Zenker's Psychology 12 class. On Fine Arts afternoons, Ms. Meyer can be found on the water where she is assisting the rowing program. Hoping to gain valuable experience at Brentwood, Ms. Meyer is considering a future either coaching rowing at the collegiate level or possibly a career in teaching or counselling.

Kelsey Norlund (Grade 12)

SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES

Last Saturday, the Student Activities Committee (SAC) organized an outdoor movie on the soccer pitch. To view the movie in comfort, students carried couches, chairs, and plenty of blankets on to the field, to watch the movie projected against the wall of the Sports Complex. The movie itself earned a general consensus of approval, with one student describing it as a "comedic blast" and Chris Chu (Grade 12) coining the term, "mojo-riffic" to summarize the entertainment factor.
The star-filled night sky set an auspicious stage for a successful event. A vote of thanks goes to the SAC for the idea and implementation.

Meshach Heenatigala (Grade 12)

SUMMER ROWING RESULTS

It was a very busy summer for coaches and athletes and former athletes of the Brentwood College Rowing Club as shown from the details below. The Rowing Club wish the grads of Brentwood Rowing all the best in the coming year as they try and qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games. Further news will be posted We will report on those athletes later on in the Fall when we have the complete list of those who are trying out in Victoria.

Brendon Hodge (2003) and Russ McShane (2002), Canada Junior National Team (Double): 18th

Will Pickles, Brandon Diana, Jonathon Henning (2004), Junior Canada "B" team: Gold in the eight at the Can/Am/Mex Regatta

Lauren Selman (2003) and Barrett Briske(2003), United States Junior Development Camp. After the camp, both athletes competed at the United States National Rowing Championships. Results were:

Barrett - Gold in the Open Jr. 4+ and Bronze in the Intermediate 4+
Lauren - Bronze in the Jr. 2X and Jr 8+

Pete Dembicki (1998), Scott Frandsen (1998), David Tso (2000): Silver medal in the Men's Eight, Canada Under 23.
Scott Frandsen (1998): Pair: Senior World Championships

Jamie Faris (2000, Canadian Men's Eight: Silver medal at the Commonwealth Regatta and Gold at the World University Games

Katie Toews (2004) competed at the Canada Cup Regatta for Team British Columbia. She was the coxswain for both the men's and womens 8+.

Ryan Gallagher (2003), Calgary Rowing Club: Stroke of the Senior Lightweight Four Team Alberta at the Canada Cup in Montreal

Derek Gosling (2001), Brock University: Silver Medal at the Canadian Henley -- Under 23 Lightweight Eight.

Derek Woods (2001), Maple Bay Rowing Club: Fifth at the Canadian Henley -- Under 23 Quad.

Tara Medina (2001), Michigan University: Fifth at the Canadian Henley -- Open Women's Eight.

Malcolm Howard (2001), Harvard University: Thames Cup winners at the Henley Royal Regatta, England.

Tony Carr (Head Coach), Under 23 World Championships: Men's Eight Silver Medal,
Junior World Championships (Double): 18th

Brentwood Grads to Universities:

Katrina Wechselberger: Princeton University
Russ McShane: Orange Coast College
David Framptom: Orange Coast College

If a former Brentwood rower reads this and feels that an addition to this list is necessary, then I apologize. Please send complaints to carrb@brentwood.bc.ca.

This term should be a busy season with trips planned to Seattle for some of the senior crews, visits to Brentwood from Seattle crews, and the Vancouver Island Championships.
We are hoping to have a separate webpage posted by the beginning of October which will cover all aspects of the Rowing Club. If you have any questions about the Rowing Club, please contact Debbie Sage at saged@brentwood.bc.ca or Tony Carr at carrt@brentwood.bc.ca.

Brian Carr
Brentwood College Rowing Club

Fencing

Olivia Tso (Grade 11) participated in the Elite National Fencing Team trials in Saskatoon last week, after having been absent from fencing for almost two years. Although she did not qualify (finishing out of the top 4) in her age group (under 17) she did place in the top 8 out of 30 competitors.

Captains

Congratulations go to Kelsey Norlund and Charlotte Philippson who have been appointed as Captain and Vice-Captain of the girls 1st XI Field Hockey team;
Jonathan Macintosh, Captain of Soccer;
and Cassidy Shore, Captain of Volleyball.