January, 2012

Eclectic Art Show
Student poets and artists collaborated on a series of art pieces, which were sold for charity in a professional gallery.

Dinner and Music in Boarding
Boarders share a meal together and enjoy a performance from Danny Park in chapel.

The Freezer Bowl
An unexpected snow fall led to this footage of a Grade 9 PE class playing some very chilly football.

Back to School for Faculty
Our teachers returned early to hear from an educational guru during a day of professional development.

Updates by Month

• December, 2011
• November, 2011
• October, 2011
• September, 2011

Filmed and Edited by Darin Steinkey
Music
“Dub Magnets” by Dub Magnets
“Tears in Heaven” by Eric Clapton

In the video, new and experienced teachers discuss what they thought of the day and offer their insight into the 21st Century classroom.

December is full of holiday celebration at SMUS. From the delicious shortbread cookies baked in Brown Hall to the pile of snow brought in as as a grad prank, the spirit of the season is alive all over the school.

Author, humanitarian and recipient of the Order of Canada Dr. Samantha Nutt visited our school through our Scholars in Residence program. In addition to her public talk on campus, she spoke with us about ongoing partnership between SMUS and War Child, the connections between the developed and developing worlds and how we can best end suffering around the world.

On Friday, December 2nd, the Alix Goolden Performance Hall at the Victoria Conservatory of Music was filled with sonorous sounds from SMUS small ensembles. The types of music played varied from classical music to jazz and swing.

The Concert Singers opened up the concert, followed by the Vocal Jazz Ensemble. The Concert Singers’ beautiful blend and the falsetto soloist set the tone for the rest of the concert. The contrast shown between the two vocal groups was very entertaining to listen to. The Vocal Jazz Ensemble’s rendition of “Somebody to Love” by Queen featured numerous soloists among the group.

Listen to “Somebody to Love”: Somebody To Love

The performances of the vocal ensembles were followed by the two bands, the Jazz Band and the Swing Band. The Jazz Band brought life to the atmosphere of the concert with their rhythmic style of playing. There were incredible solos from various instruments such as saxophones, trumpets, keyboard, and even drums. Their last piece demonstrated their superb technique.

The Swing Band began their set with a selection called “Tequila”, in which they shouted “Tequila” at the end of that piece. In another piece, they got the crowd clapping as they played the refrain. The Swing Band concluded the concert with a flashy piece featuring all the instruments.

Video by SMUS, partial footage courtesy Eric George
The hard work that went into the organization of the concert was evident. Thank you to the directors of the ensembles: Ms. Williams, Mr. Butterfield, Mr. Reid, Mr. Farish and Mr. Flello.

The SMUS Middle School students performed at their recitations finals in early December. Recitations – a long-held school tradition where students memorize poems, monologues and other material – are learned in Language Arts classes by all students, who then perform for their peers and teachers. For an impressive recitation, students must not only learn their piece thoroughly but also portray emotion, incorporate movement and create a scene without any props. Ranging from the comical to the tragic, these performances are a great way for students to engage with literature, modern or otherwise, and to learn the basic elements of a good dramatic performance.

Saturday, November 19, was a very special date on the SMUS sporting calendar, as students, staff, alumni, parents and friends joined together for an evening of basketball and socializing. Appropriately, everything ran smoothly under the 2011-2012 theme of “one team.”