AWARDS DAY

On Saturday morning, the campus was a hive of activity, with people and equipment in a frenzy of motion completing last-minute tasks. Furniture removal, litter pickup, flower arrangements, and numerous cars, vans, trucks all being loaded with a collection of exotica. A cacophony of shouted commands, laughs, and "We're not taking that!" assailing the normally quiet pathways and a steady flow of traffic onto the campus bearing families seeking their missing offspring.

FINAL FINAL EXAMINATIONS

With the academic year winding down, the number of students left on campus slowly diminished as each day of this week passed The procedure soon became routine: a final examination, a last-minute packing session, then a fond — and in many cases an emotional — farewell. Leaving from Brentwood is different from the situation in other schools, with friends saying goodbye after living together for three, four, or five years. The many hugs and tears — from both students and staff — are a tribute to the close-knit bonds that are formed.

It is no surprise, therefore, to find that friendships formed within the residential houses are carried forward to university apartments and homes surrounding campuses throughout North America. Mini versions of the Brentwood campus can be found

at Queens, McGill, UBC and anywhere that the Brentwood grads journey for their post-secondary education.

The very last examination (Geology 12) was written Thursday afternoon, with a select group of 12 candidates. On Friday, the campus was declared as student-free, with only the academic and support staff busy in preparation for the new influx of students in September.

One unusual examination session was the Literature 12 paper. All students enrolled in Literature 12 had already taken this examination in April and the session was offered simply to students who wished to improve their mark. On the day, only one such student (right) arrived to write the paper, the only session with more invigilators than candidates!

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT

The new The T. Gil Bunch Centre for Performing Arts will be officially opened on September 27, 2003, and Brentonians will at last have a facility that complements the commitment and high achievement they give to our Performing Arts Programme. Learning opportunities for our students abound in this new facility!

Front Rows Seat $5000 (57 are already endowed, 32 remaining)
Main Floor Seat $2500 (88 are already endowed, 122 remaining)
Balcony Seat $1500 - $5000 (91 are already endowed, 41 remaining)

HOUSE OUTINGS

After the final (internal) examination Friday last, and after all the desks from the exam center were returned to the classrooms, and after student dorms were cleaned, and after all testing was complete... students departed, eventually, for the House outings. These traditional end-of-year parties provide an excellent relief from the stress of examinations, an opportunity for swapping plans for the summer ahead, and — as a first this year — a means of announcing the House Captains for the new school year beginning in September. Each house chose a different destination, with Shawnigan Lake, water slides, and various local restaurants among the favourites. The pictures below show the members of Mackenzie House enjoying the amenities of Shawnigan Lake, and Whittall house enjoying a series of games and a barbecue on the playing field behind the house.

Mackenzie pictures: Jane Jackson

THE LAST ASSIGNMENT FROM THE WEBPAGE TEAM

Hmm…what to write… Week after week, it is the responsibility of each individual member of the web-page team to come up with ideas about what to write about. Even at the most exciting times of the year, this can be difficult. I have been known to occasionally send Mr. Crossley an e-mail asking, “Is there anything that needs to be covered this week?” By the end of the year, one become expert at coming up with new article ideas quickly. Right now, however, I have to write some sort of good-bye piece, and to be honest, I don’t really know what to say!

I think it is safe to assume that none of the people who graduate from Brentwood are the same people they were when they started. I am certainly not the same girl I was when I was in grade eight — a naïve, shy thirteen-year-old. We have to change because we have to grow up — that is what high school is all about. The most important thing I’ve learned at this high school in particular, is that you cannot please everyone or do what everyone else does; you must find what makes you happy, what you enjoy. Being a member of the web-page team this year, for all its frustrations (mostly computer-related), has been one of the many things I have enjoyed about Brentwood. The chance to step back and look at this place from different angles, through different peoples’ eyes, is not one that every student gets. Thank you, Mr. Crossley, for your patience, editing, and general advice. I am leaving Brentwood a less naïve, more creative, and decidedly more punctual person because of teachers like you.

Gillian Gregory (Grad of 2003)

To all those thinking of joining the web team, I wish to offer a few words of advice. I could not have gotten through the year if I had thought about the hundreds of people who would read my articles. Instead, I regarded each write-up as just another assignment. Don't worry that you will have trouble funding enough to write about. All year long, I wrote my articles by "saying what there was to say". Even using that method, I wrote books instead of articles. Less is more, even if the phrase is overused by English teachers. For example, compare Dickens to a drivers' manual. Also, the editor, as his title indicates, is known to edit. This is normal, and is nothing to fret about.

Thank you for reading the Webpage all year, and best wishes for a fun summer.

Fred Zenker (Grade 11)

Zander Mackie, Mara Cowan, Gillian Gregory,
Meshach Heenatigala, and Kelsey Norlund.
Missing: Fred Zenker who left earlier in the week to cherry-pick (stories?) in Oregon

Driving through the Brentwood gates yesterday I felt a terrible weight of finality — this was it, I had graduated. I wasn't sure whether I should smile or cry, but I think the crying won. When Mr. Crossley first assigned this "valete" I cringed at the thought of saying goodbye, but today, sitting at a terminal at an Internet cafe in downtown Duncan, I am grateful for the opportunity to reflect.

Each week at Brentwood our lives are scheduled to the last minute, and often, when the weekend rolled around, I would do anything rather than attend the arranged events. Writing for the webpage, week after week, forced me out of the common room and away from my twenty-fifth viewing of Dazed and Confused or Dirty Dancing. I attended open houses, school dances, and even the grade eight "staff only" drama production! I was able to view the hectic pace of the school through the lens of the digital camera, always searching for a suitable story to write at a frantic pace on Monday night. These school events, while seeming insignificant to current students, form my memories of Brentwood, all encapsulated within a burgundy binder. I thank Mr. Crossley for assigning the Compendium project, no matter what my initial reaction
to the project had been!

Looking back, I am also thankful for the opportunity to work with Mr. Crossley, a man who has been my inspiration since my first day of Math class as a nervous grade ten student. I am sure that first week he was horrified at my primitive article about Ms. Meyer — I know I recognised the amount of editing that occurred. I hope that my writing has improved, even my photography, and I know the level of editing has decreased. Thank you, Mr. Crossley, for not simply deleting my first articles and pretending they got lost in cyberspace.

I know that next year, even if Brentwood is physically distant, I will always be able to check in through This Week.

Good luck to next year's production team — the work may seem insignificant, but the end result is incredibly rewarding.

Kelsey Norlund (Grad of 2003) 

FAREWELLS

The end of the year is also the time to bid farewell to members of staff. Unusually, as compared to last year, there are no full-time members of the academic staff leaving. The five interns, however, will be moving on to new developments in their careers. Their contribution to the school was recognised by a standing ovation from the student body at the Awards Day ceremony. We wish them well

RYAN GRIFFITH

Even though I suffered through the last two months of the school year with an injured knee, I can still say that I enjoyed my year at Brentwood. Even though people kept mistaking me for Mr. Griffiths and asking me how to fix their hard drives, I can still say that I enjoyed my year at Brentwood. Even though I had to put up with Grade 11 shenanigans in Whittall House during prep duty, and even though I had to confiscate headphones and ball caps in library prep, I still enjoyed my year at Brentwood. In fact, despite the fact that I had to wake up early every Tuesday for Breakfast duty, despite the fact that I would sometimes catch people playing video games on their calculators when covering classes, and despite the fact that I was exposed to every bug and virus known to man by living in the health centre, I still really enjoyed my experience at Brentwood. I found it quite rewarding.

In Mill Bay, there was no winter this year. Thus I went surfing in Tofino with the other interns, and then with Ellis House. I experienced swimming in the ice-cold water of the Pacific with Nick Mackaness and Gord Eby at Saltspring, I got lost in the frozen wilderness of Strathcona while snowshoeing with Dan Norman’s outdoor pursuits group, and I also had the opportunity to travel to Calgary via plane with Gord Clements and the school band. I started playing basketball with the Fats (the appropriately named staff team) and loved it, and I also learned how to work a camera, thanks to Paul Fletcher.
What am I trying to say? Well, I had a blast here. It was great getting to know 400 students and 50 plus staff members over the course of the year. It was great being part of Whittall house (really the best house, no matter what the points say), and it was great listening to the students really taking the time to get my name right: “Mr. Griff-fith-the”.

CHRISTINA MEYER

This year has certainly been a whirlwind experience. I feel as if I have just arrived and yet, at the same time, that I have been here for years. Who knew I would be able to coach 3 rowing practices, run breakfast/cookie break duties, cover 4 classes, monitor computer and library preps (simultaneously) and put a house to bed all in the same day? Ok, so I haven’t had to do them all in the same da, and simultaneous prep only happened once. But, as I have told many students this spring, yes, I really have enjoyed my year here. I will always remember chats and DQ/Tim Hortons/ Slurpie runs with the Mack House girls, chatting with Ms. Walker in our “pleasure craft”, greeting the rowers upon their return from St. Catharines, and making a student cry with sheer joy and surprise when I walked in to cover her class.

Living in the “fishbowl” that is Brentwood and watching people grow up here, is the opportunity to see what the truly important things in life are. While my head told me it would be sensible to use my

GORDON EBY

The most important thing about the Internship position at Brentwood is that both sides benefit: the interns exploit the school, and the school exploits the interns!

It was pretty easy to get stuck in at Brentwood, whether I was fully ready to or not! It took a little while to get used to people calling my ‘Mr. Eby’ and trying to stand up every time I walked into the room, but once the shock of these things faded away, it was down to business. And was there ever a lot of business to get down to! Class coverage, prep duty, History 9, History 11, Geography 12, History 12, Asian Studies 9, Colt B Rugby, Jr. Girls’ Basketball, 2nd XV Rugby, and admissions tours — all coupled with a million other smaller but equally important activities and events.

It is very difficult to highlight certain things above others, because every part of working and living here was so different. I loved living in Ellis House — the boys were lots of fun all year, and Messrs. McCarthy and Hardie were excellent Houseparents to learn from. I was fortunate to work with excellent teachers in the classroom, Mr. MacLean, Mr. Yaremchuk, and Mr. Cowie, all of whom taught me a great deal. Mr. Felix and Mr. Medina did likewise about coaching sports, and the rest of the staff were wonderful people for me to work with and learn from.

The students at Brentwood have to be the best in the world. They never ceased to amaze me in some way or another. Sporting events (the regatta, for example) and fine arts performances (such as My Fair Lady and Java Hut) throughout the year were always outstanding. I really enjoyed getting to know all of the students in whatever context, I only wish I could have done this even better. I wish everyone good luck in the future, especially the graduating class who are in for the change of a lifetime.
As for me, hopefully I’m off to Graduate School next year at UVic, which means that I’ll be back to visit.

Thanks for having me Brentwood!

KRYSTLE BRAGG AND NADIA TOOTH

Our time here at Brentwood has been fantastic! The staff and students are wonderful, and the overall atmosphere of the Brentwood life is something we will never forget. Our six weeks at the school contribute to completing our Bachelor of Physical Education degree back in Sydney, Australia. Once this degree is completed, we hope to continue studies in other fields before settling down to becoming a full time P.E. teachers. We both plan to travel around the world for the next couple of years, being involved in both summer and winter camps in the US and Canada. Back home, Krystle will continue to work as a netball, softball and athletics coach as well as doing promotional work around Sydney. She hopes, someday, to be involved with the entertainment and film industry! Nadia will continue to coach Indoor hockey, water polo and swimming while also working part time in the sales industry. She hopes to study nutrition and sports psychology!

We would like to thank everyone at Brentwood for making us feel so welcome, and we hope to see you all again in the future!