Middle School

by Amita

On December 2nd, the Middle School had its annual carol service. I sung in the Grade 8 choir. The two songs we sung were “Away in a Manger” and “Agnus Dei.” I enjoyed singing “Agnus Dei” the best because it was Latin which was totally awesome! There were eight Grade 8 soloists in “Agnus Dei”: Jen Shan, Airlia Hie, Athena Kerins, Elizabeth Morton, David Lee, Keiran Large, Matty McColl, and Tim Bernstein. I thought that they did a very good job and brought life to the performance.

The Grade 6 and 7 choirs also sang. For the first few songs, they sang from the balcony, creating a very meditative atmosphere. The audience joined in for “Silent Night” and “O Come All Ye Faithful.” Several students shared reflections on “Good King Wenceslas” which really gave a feel of classic Christmas spirit. Merry Christmas everyone! Have a great holiday.

by Amanda and Amita

Last exploratory, we spent our class visiting some of the other exploratory classes. We visited the cross-stitching, broadcasting, wood-working, games, house council and calligraphy exploratories.

Everyone we talked to was enjoying their chosen activity. Here’s what some people had to say about their classes:

House Council
“I like that you get a nice combination of crafts/outdoor activities.”

Woodworking
“I like working with my hands.”

Cross-Stitching
“It’s a fun activity. I enjoy making designs.”

by Amanda and Amita

The Middle School is beginning work on our upcoming production of Oliver and the lead cast was recently accounced. We asked a few of the students to tell us about their roles and why they chose to be part of our Middle School musical.

Alexander Mabberley (Mr. Bumble)

Why did you audition?
Because I thought it would be fun.

What do you like about the character you’re playing?
He is respectable.

Have you ever performed on a stage before?
In the Grade 5 production of There’s a Monster in My Closet, I was also a lead role.

Amy (Nancy)

What do you like about your character?
I like how my character acts appears to be very strong but on the inside she is in love with someone who puts her life in danger. Her life isn’t what she expects and she thinks that there is more for her but instead she chooses to love, which gives me the chance to act both sides of the story. She has great songs as well as speaking lines and it’s honestly an honour to play her.

Have you ever performed on a stage before?
I have a few times now, but all through SMUS. When I was in Grade 6, I performed in The King of Elfland’s Daughter and in Grade 5, I performed in the Magic Flute.

Ethan (Mr. Sowerberry)

1. Why did you audition?
I auditioned because I wanted to get involved in the play and more involved in the school.

2. What do you like about the character you’re playing?
I like that he is an undertaker and pale.

3.Have you ever performed on a stage before?
Yes, I had a small role in the Junior School production.

Trevor (Artful Dodger)

What do you like about the character you’re playing?
I will be playing the role of the Artful Dodger in the school’s upcoming performance of Oliver. I think that one of the things I really like about my charecter is just how he is always up beat and even when things get serious he always tries to look on the bright side of things. I also enjoy the mischevious involving him.

Have you ever performed on a stage before?
I was involved in the opera at the Junior School, The Magic Flute, and I was also involved in the schools musical in Grade 6, The King of Elfland’s Daughter. However, I didn’t have roles in either of these, so I am really looking forward to Oliver this year.

by Amita

On Thursday, November 4th the middle school had a service day. Everyone went out and did something for the community or the environment. My group went to Woodwyn farm. Woodwyn farm is a farm that helps rehabilitate homeless people who are recovering from addictions. It was a pretty cool farm. They had a lot of overgrown blackberries, so our group helped cut them back. We had to work as a group. The people who had pruning sheers cut, while the people with gloves dragged the clipped branches into a pile.

Using the gloves were kind of fun, because you could pick up super thorny branches without getting pricked. When we had a big pile of prickly blackberry bushes, we burned them. The smoke filled the whole farm and looked like mist. It was hard work, and tedious at times, but when we finished and looked at what we had done, the work was very gratifying, and it was nice to know that we were helping make a difference in the world.

by Amanda

On November 4th, the Middle School had its very first service day. Every student in the Middle School split up in groups to go out and make a difference. The group I was in went to Mt. Tolmie in the morning and a French immersion elementary school in the afternoon.

When we got to Mt. Tolmie, we met a member of the Mt. Tolmie Conservancy Association. He told us about an invasive plant species called broom weed, and Mt. Tolmie was covered with it! So, we were given clippers and gloves and pulled out a decent pile of broom. After lunch break, we got back to work and finished up. When we were done we boarded the bus and drove to the French Immersion School.

Everyone was sent to a class and I went to a kindergarten class to help a few kindergarteners finish up their booklets and helped them with their French.

by Erin Anderson, editor of the SMUS Review

On November 1, the Middle School began a new series of exploratory classes, where students can choose a topic they want to study. For the first time, students could choose to learn about blogging, which two of them did! So we’re very happy to announce that until the end of January, two SMUS students will be running the Middle School blog. Meet our web-savvy team!

Amanda

Welcome to the Middle School blog. I’m Amanda, a seventh grader at SMUS Middle School, and I chose to do blogging this term for exploratory. I chose blogging this term because I really enjoy blogs myself, and I thought it’d be fun to learn a little bit about blogging. Some other things I enjoy are photography, reading, writing, and listening to music. My last exploratories were song-writing, hip hop, and cross-stitching. I really hope you’ll come back and read some more entries on the Middle School blog.

Amita

Hi! I am in Grade 8 and I have been in SMUS for two years. I like, music, drama, hanging out with friends, reading, art, dancing, motorcycles and computers, and I’m on the Middle School student council. One of the past exploratories I’ve done is mind games, and I enjoyed it because I enjoy playing chess, and playing other strategical games.

by Athena Kerins and Keeley Copeland, Grade 8

On October 17th, Desmond Hoebig, a professional cellist, came to the Junior School with us. He played the Schumann Fantasy Pieces, the Prelude and Sarabande from the 6th cello suite by J.S. Bach and Chopin’s Polonaise Brilliante. He was accompanied by Robert Holliston on the piano.

We were amazed by the speed and perfection that Desmond played. The notes were so fast that they sent him from first position to the bottom of the finger board in seconds. The music was very complex and impressive. We were also very impressed by his cello itself. It was made in the late 1700s in Venice. It was so big that it had to be altered to make it playable. It has quite a history judging by its dents and scars.

It was an honour to hear Mr. Hoebig play and an even bigger honour to be able to play with him. As a finale to the recital Mr. Hoebig, Mrs. Smith, Jake, James, Jason, Graeme, Amy, and ourselves performed an arrangement of Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus” for cellos and double bass.

Although we were only with him for an hour, he taught us so much and we are very grateful for that opportunity. He taught us that if you work hard and practice a lot, even the seemingly impossible pieces can be played and you can create beautiful music.

by Rachel Olson, Grade 8

As I walked along the stone-brick path to chapel, I thought what was about to happen was going to be a regular chapel. When my friend notified me about the Time Benders, I was excited because I enjoy high energy music and dance. When I sat down with my TAG group and watched them introduce themselves, I looked around to see if anybody else was in their PE strip: I would not want to stand out!

I found the Time Benders very entertaining. Each song that they performed was full of enthusiasm. It made me think of how much fun the 70s, 80s and 90s must have been! I was enjoying the show when the lead man asked for a volunteer who could sing. The boy sitting behind me, a friend named Simon, raised his hand and got called up on stage. I cheered him on with the rest of my colleages. The male lead asked him his name and his girlfriend’s name. Of course I laugh about it now, but at the time I sunk in my seat when every single head turned to me. I couldn’t help hiding my face, wouldn’t you?

The show continued after Simon (my all of the sudden “boyfriend”) sung “I’ll Be There” and played the tamborine. As if that wasn’t bad enough, a few songs later the male lead walked down the aisle and down my row.

“We need another volunteer, but this volunteer is special,” he said as he stopped in front of me. “It’s you right?” he asked.

I was speechless, literally, as I looked at him with a are-you-kidding-me stare. He invited me up on stage, I reluctantly followed him. My friends clapped and cheered for me, but I couldn’t help but feel my face going red. Obviously I don’t get to play the tamborine. NO, NO, NO! I HAVE TO DANCE! The lead girl told me to follow her, unfortunately I didn’t get all the moves, but I have to admit…I had some fun!

They sent me back to my seat and continued to play semi-familiar songs as we clapped to the beat. I have never seen so many people, completely unable to stop laughing! Including me, everybody was close to tears in laughter as Anderson (A-dawg) got up and started dancing with two other teachers! His hilarious moves made everybody smile!

We finished with a dance party, conga line and a big thanks to the Time Benders!! Just another chapel, right?

There are two Middle School stories on the SMUS Review:

• SMUS: Where Everyone Belongs
  
• House Games Victory at the Middle School

A message from Ms. Wilkens

Students, please stop by the Art Room during recess, lunch, or after school this WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY or FRIDAY and pick up your art. Everything will be sorted by class number and project. Please be neat when you sort through the piles so we can keep everything in order. Also, please take home your folder from your class drawer. We ask that the work on display in the school stay up to greet us when we return in September. If you really need it before then, please be careful when you take it down, and if it is in a frame, bring it to the art room so we can take it out of the frame for you. The work that is going to be on display for Friday’s closing ceremonies can be taken home that night, or we can make arrangements for it to be picked up on Monday from the office.

 Please note, any work left unclaimed after Monday, June 21st will be sent to the art recycling center

 Thanks for producing such amazing projects!_______________________________________________________________________________