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Vol. 7 Issue 1
Oct. 2010
Food for thought
Shenita Dennis
Spartan staff
Soda, potato chips and French fries, doughnuts, coffee cake and other baked foods, luncheon meats, hot dogs, and canned soups, these are all unhealthy foods. We eat them every day and don't even realize what they can do to our health. Think about this, an average can of soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55mg of caffeine, artificial food colours and sulphites. Potato chips and French fries contain neurotoxin which is formed when foods are baked or fried at high temperatures, which is very unhealthy, and acrylamide which causes several thousand cancers per year. You can still have these foods once and a while but you shouldn't over do it. Try having an apple instead of a doughnut, have a salad instead of fries. It’s your body; it’s in your hands take care of it and think about the food you eat.
Ontario students will cough up the cash
Province named costliest place to attend university
Christine Tran
Spartan staff
For the second year in row, Ontario has the highest tuition fees in all of Canada.
According to the Statistic Canada Report, Ontario university students will be spending an average of $6,307 this year on their undergraduate tuition.
Canada’s national average is $5,100.
“Having this record is embarrassing,” said Sandy Hudson, chair of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario. “It’s simply unfair. Students who reside in other provinces [may] be paying $2,500.” She refers to the going rate in Quebec.
Elsewhere, British Columbian students will be paying an average of $4,802 for the 2010/2011 year. Also, tuition rates have declined for the third consecutive year in Nova Scotia to an average of $5,495.
In Ontario, tuition fees continue to rise partly because government funding dwindles. Universities are relying more than ever on students in order to meet operating costs.
Dentistry, medical undergraduate and pharmacy remain Ontario’s most expensive programs.
“The cost of equipment is rising,” said Dunbarton guidance counsellor Mrs. Mohorovic. “It can take hundreds of thousands of dollars to set up a modern lab in certain programs.”
As a result, prospective dentists will be paying an average $14,701 a year and medical undergraduates will be paying $10,244 a year.
First-year York University student, Amit Praharaj, thinks that the high fees are justified.
“In different provinces, it’s a different case,” he said. “They’ve got more funding and less things to worry about.”
However, he also thinks that Ontario should compensate students for the extra money they pay in order to study within the province.
For example, Praharaj suggested that the government drop certain taxes for graduated students with OSAP debts.
For students not yet in university, there are still debt-preventing options.
“There are many scholarships out there, but very often students do not apply,” said Mrs. Mohorovic. “Huge amounts of money end up sitting around because the students don’t want to make the effort to list all their activities and accomplishments.”
They rely too much on entrance bursaries, which don’t amount to much.
“What students tend to do is apply for the bigger [scholarships] where they compete with students across Ontario,” the counsellor pointed out.
“They neglect small ones, where $500 here and there can add up,”
As the national student debt will surpass $15 billion by fall’s end, students should know that Dunbarton’s guidance office has resources on scholarships and financial aid options.
Too Old for Halloween.. Think again!
Cooper Gibbons
Spartan staff
As you all know Halloween is coming up on the 31st and your going.. were to old for this. I’m here to tell you that there are many great things that can be done this year to celebrate Halloween. For example this year DHS is having a Halloween dance. It’s only $2 dollars with and SAC card and $3 without and SAC card. This dance will go down on October 29th, it should be a great night for all who attend!
So hurry and sign up this is an event you won’t want to miss!
Another event that you can attend is at Wonderland, During the month of October they make the Amusement park a huge Halloween event and they deck out all the rides and attractions. This is great for everybody. It is the real deal and is not to be taken lightly you will truly get scared which is what Halloween’s all about right? Get together with friends and have a great time this Halloween. Halloween drops on a Sunday so you have all weekend don’t miss out on the action this Fall!
Daily Food Bank Relies on Torontonians’ Generosity
The Daily Food Bank appeals for thanksgiving donations
Ayesha Rahaman
Spartan staff
October 11th is Thanksgiving in Toronto and most families had been looking forward to a turkey dinner with all its trimmings. However the majority of the low income population in this city didn’t experience such a delight.
The Daily Bread Food Bank can provide families with food and resources. Their main objective is to fight hunger in the community.
The recession may be over but it has left a lasting impact on those with a low-income and who have lost their jobs. These people are struggling to get back on their feet and find daily meals.
Most people use the Daily Bread Food Bank as a source to supplement their meals and to make ends meet. Dependence on food banks grew by an estimated 16 per cent last year.
This year the Daily Bread Food Bank is had difficulty with meeting its Thanksgiving food drive goals. Their aim was 500,000 pounds of non-perishable food items and $500,000 monetary donations raised, however only $140,000 in donations and 250 pounds in food donations were donated.
“When giving thanks this weekend remember those hungry and less fortunate, when you’re thinking about buying and giving thanks with your family, think about those who don’t have a lot to give thanks for and try to make it a good time for them”, said Gail Nyberg, director of the Daily Bread Food Bank, as he urges people to think about their own thankfulness, and give back to society and humanity by donating to the bank.
The food banks’ next event is Halloween for hunger which is going to take place on October 31, 2010. To join this event you can Trick or Treat for canned goods in your neighbourhood.
To donate to the Daily Bread Food Bank please call (416)-203-0050, visit the website www.dailybread.ca or drop off non perishable food items to any Loblaw’s, Valu-Mart, No Frills, Canadian Superstore and any fire hall. You could also text ‘hunger’ to 45678 and $5.00 will be added to your cell phone bill, which would then be donated to the food bank.
Eating Disorders Pray on High School Students
Bringing awareness to eating disorders can change lives
Rebecca Palen
Spartan staff
This month the Heath Committee at DHS celebrates healthy eating. They are highlighting and bringing awareness to eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
Since the early 1960’s the frequency of eating disorders has more than doubled in North America. Poor body image and media pressure are leading young girls to diet and develop these dangerous problems.
Anorexia Nervosa is a serious psychological disorder in which a person starves themselves in an attempt to lose weight.
Bulimia Nervosa is also a psychological condition where vomiting is self-induced after eating meals, in an attempt to purge.
These types of disorders are often difficult to discover and come with life threatening consequences. Weakness, dizziness, ulcers, tooth decay and death are just some of the risks associated with anorexia and bulimia.
Millions of people are diagnosed with eating disorders every year. Nearly 90% of them are women between the ages of 12 and 25.
Of equal concern are the pro-Ana (pro anorexic) and pro-Mia (pro bulimic) groups. These organizations encourage people to become anorexic or bulimic, through media displays such as thinspiration and the promise of “a happier and thinner you”. For many, these groups are a way of life.
The Health Committee will be holding an assembly near the end of the month to inform students about these conditions. In attendance will be a dietician, as well as a guest speaker who suffered from anorexia for many years.
Assembly information will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
Leadership Camp 2010 Goes Around the World
Leadership Camp Was Full of Laughs
Sarah Henderson
Spartan staff
This year at Camp over 90 student leader’s attended, and stayed from September 21st to 24th at Camp Couchiching in Orillia.
The camp’s special theme this year was ‘Around the World’.
Every student attending leadership camp had to bring a costume to wear to the theme dinner on the final night of camp. The costume had to represent something or someone from “Around the World”. Camp Counsellors planned many activities for the campers. Every day had a jam packed schedule.
Campers were able to choose which different outdoor activities or creative projects they wanted to participate in, such as Arts and Crafts, Canoeing, and Drama. “Camp is an experience like no other. I have the most amazing time every year,” says Camper Katelyn Davis.
This was her third year at Leadership Camp. I, myself went to camp this year for the second time, and it was fun like always. The event that I looked forward to the most was ‘The Night Game’. It’s basically like Manhunt in the dark, where the counsellors try and catch you.
Like every year, camp was wrapped up with a bonfire, a Talent Show, and a dance which were all enjoyable and fun. We were all left with new friends, and memories, to last a lifetime.
The Ocean May No Longer Be Blue
Oceans are rising in levels and temperatures
Elizabeth Carmichael
Spartan staff
It is not new news that ocean levels are rising because of global warming. The oceans' temperatures are also rising.
Global warming, which is caused by the emission of heat trapping gases produced by vehicles, power plants, industrial processes, and deforestation, is causing the glaciers and polar ice caps to melt.
With all this ice melting the water has to go somewhere. That somewhere is into our oceans resulting in their levels rising. This could threaten islands and coastal regions. It could also cause severe coastal erosion. However, rising ocean levels are not the only concern, but also the increase in ocean temperatures.
It is believed that with ocean temperatures rising it could affect a species' success in breeding since temperature can be a signal to reproduce. The increase in temperature in the oceans may also result in the relocation of species. A study has been conducted that fish in the North Sea have moved northward and into deeper, cooler water to escape the rising temperature.
Ocean temperatures rising have also increased coral bleaching. The water warms so the oxygen content reduces and the coral becomes bleached and colourless.
The bleaching leads to the coral's death. Coral reefs are important for biodiversity and provide a home to 25% of marine life. However the combination of the rising levels and temperatures is devastating to species like the sea turtle, the North Atlantic right whale, and the polar bear.
Sea turtles lay their eggs on beaches in Brazil. With the water levels rising, it is affecting their reproducing grounds. A species can only survive by reproducing.
The right whale is the most endangered whale. With the water temperatures rising there are less plankton that the whales can eat. This decreases their food availability and is an increasing factor of their mortality.
The more common known affected species are polar bears. Canada is the home to 70% of the world’s polar bears. The polar bears are dependent on the sea ice that is melting and causing the waters to rise. Currently the government is trying to find out how much they're worth as a national icon. They're spending about $44,000 on the study.
Take action now to help stop this crisis. You can go to www.wwf.ca for more information and to find out ways to help.
Communities band together to support Breast Cancer
Pink Ribbon
Rick Frank
Spartan staff
October is breast cancer awareness month Worldwide. Many different organizations have raised money for the cause.
In support of raising breast cancer awareness, the 19th annual Canadian Breast Cancer foundation CIBC run for the cure raised over $30 million nationwide, a 25% increase from last year.
Over 60 communities throughout the country participated and Toronto raised $5 million. NFL players also participated in the support of raising breast cancer awareness by sporting pink cleats, or pink on their jerseys. Different teams donated money to different charities. Games from October 3rd-27th are Breast cancer awareness month promoted games.
Even firefighter and celebrities like Miley Cyrus promoted and supported the cause by wearing pink and donations.
“Some people try to spin it positively, but it’s like being injured at war. It’s not fun. It sucks.” says Shelley McCaughtry breast cancer survivor.
The Susan G. Komen, nonprofit organization raises millions of dollars worldwide, and says that every 69 seconds; a woman dies from breast cancer Breast Cancer is a deadly cancer that affects over 23,000 women and kills over 5,300 women annually. Men are affected by breast cancer but at a much lower rate. 180 men are affected and only 50 die annually.
There are more than one type of breast cancers, which are Localized cancer or invasive cancer. Localized cancer spreads more slowly than invasive cancer, which spreads rapidly.
Signs and symptoms include lumps on or around the breast, changes in breast size and redness. If you feel that you are experiencing any of these symptoms, go see your family physician immediately.
Grade nine dance leaves everyone smiling
 
Tiana Khan
Spartan staff
New students enjoy their first event
Grade nines started to pour into the cafeteria at 7 on Thursday, September 30th. The Grade nine dance was held to welcome all of our new students at Dunbarton. SAC sold chips, pop, pizza and glow sticks to keep the party going. It was a slow start to the night, but the DJ kept the students dancing with new music and hot mixes.
When the Spartan costume came out, which was worn by Alex Kitigawa, everyone screamed and cheered as he danced with the grade 9’s. Kitigawa enjoyed going around to different students as they danced with him. “I was very excited to come out and show our students how much spirit we have. It was a lot of fun; I can’t wait for our next event and the year to begin!” Alex said with a huge smile on his face.
SAC danced to a song that they learned from leadership camp, and performed it for the grade 9’s. At the end, everyone came out of the cafeteria with smiles on their faces.
RUN TO END BREAST CANCER A HUGE SUCCESS
Our community walks to find a cure.
Cassie Gibson
Spartan staff
On Sunday, October 3rd, thousands of Canadians met up at King’s College Circle in Toronto to “Run for the Cure”.
Though the weather was much cooler than expected, the participants still walked with their heads held high, many sporting pink costumes such as feathered boas, cowboy hats, and bras worn over their shirts.
This year was the 19th annual Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure, and volunteers chose to either run or walk 1k or 5k. The foundation’s number one goal is to create a future without breast cancer.
A “wall of hope” was put up for volunteers to write anonymously. “Its amazing to see a sea of pink at the walk. My sister passed away 4 years ago with this disease. She would have been so pretty in Pink,” wrote one participant.
This was the CBCF’s most successful year, raising a record-breaking $33 million for breast cancer research, treatment and care.
“I’m really happy about the success that this year’s run had. I’m glad that I got to be a part of it,” said Anita Keogh, member of Team CIBC and a participant of the Run for the Cure.
DHS goes to AGO and a cemetery
Students go to Art Gallery of Ontario and Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
Tareque Moatar
Spartan staff
On Friday, October 8th, students from Dunbarton high school, who were made up of two English classes and a film studies class, got ready for their trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario and Mount Pleasant Cemetery. When the clock hit 8:40 am, everyone started getting onto the bus. The first destination was to the AGO. After 40 minutes, the bus had finally arrived.
Everyone had gotten out of the bus and entered the building. Once everyone dropped off their bags, the classes had split up to explore the different floors of the building. Unfortunately, taking pictures of the artwork was not allowed.
One of the artists that was featured at the art gallery was Julian Schnabel. Julian Schnabel is a film director and an artist. Most of his art pieces are smashed pottery that are placed together and painted on. His other pieces involve photographs that are painted on.
At 10:30 am, the classes met up. They all went to a different floor, filled with European and medieval artwork. Most of it was religious. At 11:30 am for lunch, everyone went out to a food court, that was close to the AGO. The food court had plenty of restaurants from various cultures.
At 12:20 pm, the students headed back to the AGO, picked up their bags, and got on the bus. The next destination was Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The purpose of going there was to inspire the English classes on their poems, and the film studies classes for their films.
The area was beautiful, sunny and windy. There was a lot of trees and gravestones. Many of the gravestones looked beautiful. The graves, trees, and leaves on the ground gave an eerie feeling. It was a depressing but a heart warming scene, with flowers on the graves of loved ones. When it was 2:00 pm, all the students had gotten on the bus. The bus arrived back at school at 2:50 pm.
DHS OPEN HOUSE NIGHT A SUCCESS
INFORMATIVE AND ENGAGING, PARENTS THOUGHT DHS OPEN HOUSE NIGHT WAS A GREAT TIME.
Sara Mehraban
Spartan staff
On Thursday September 30th, Dunbarton High School hosted an open house where the parents of the students came to hear what the school had to offer.
The 2 hour event was schedueled with presentations benefiting all four grades, a gallery advertising a majority of the schools departments, and a raffle for the parents, awarding the winner with a $100 gift certificate to Swiss Chalet.
At 6:36 PM, parents filled the halls, searching for the theatre, where Ms. Finley gave information for grade 10 parents, room 307 where Ms. MacIntosh gave parents knowledge about some specialist high skills major, and 3 other great presentations, all very informative for every student and parent curious.
Mr. Arkoh-Forson engaged the parents of Grade 9’s with his information and humour. Jean and Brent Foster, parents who attended the open house, found the presentation “organized and informative.” and Chris and Fred van derVliet thought Mr. Arkoh-Forson was “engaging and had great humour.”
SWISS and the Youth Centre took advantage of the opputtunity to shed some light on the services they had to offer.
SWISS offers immigrants and newcomers to Canada information about schools, the environment, languages, and offers all of their services in over 20 languages, including Arabic, Hindi, Farsi and Swahili.
The Youth Centre offers kids ages 13-26 individual and group counseling, outreach workers and other programs to help youth through difficult times in their life.
The student volunteers were great and helped out many of the parents. They also found the open house night a great success. When asked what she liked about being a volunteer, Shannon Harrison, grade 11, said, “Meeting new people and learning social skills.”
“You get to meet and interact with people.” added Amelia Mazarharally.
Mr. Blair, an educator at DHS, thought the night was a great opportunity. We need “mor programs where parents have direct involvement in helping to implement and drive new programs for kids” he said.
Overall, most parents left the school with smiles, and some parents left with not only more familiarity on the school but also on the Youth Centre and SWISS.
Dunbarton Changes the World
DPP tries to bring a new light to Dunbarton
Brianna BaderSpartan staff
The newly formed group, Dunbarton Peace Project (DPP), has started for the first time this year. The DPP is focused on giving back to developing countries.
The group meets on Fridays in room 307 at lunch to go over events that are happening throughout the year.
The president, Sajjad Jaffery, is the organizer of the group along with vice-presidents, Ayesha Rahaman, Soheil Ahmadyar, Hansin Shah and the senior representative, Tarek Abu-shaar. The teacher in charge is Mrs. LeMoine.
Dunbarton’s Peace Project is now focusing on collecting pennies and other spare change. They call it, “Pennies for Peace”. What they do with the money is use it for building schools in Pakistan. The symbol of the penny is that such a little thing can make a big difference.
DPP is also concentrated on getting more people aware of the group and what they are trying to do to make a difference.
The group will send certain members out to Dunbarton’s feeder schools so that they can educate the future students of DHS and aware them of the issues of the world.
VP, Ayesha Rahaman says, “DPP has great opportunities to raise money for good causes and make a change.”
The group is starting to run a food drive program in a couple weeks and there are also requests to start a “Me to We” program that concentrates on giving back to the world.
This Wednesday, Dunbarton’s Peace Project will be outside of the cafeteria to collect loose change and this will continue for many more weeks.
“Pennies can move mountains” is one of the group’s mottos, along with many.
Local teen stands up to bullying with the power of the internet
Fighting against homophobia and bullying in our schools and at home.
Karen O’GormanSpartan staff
In recent weeks, the discussion about youths in the gay community committing suicide has been heating up around the nation. There are six reported cases in the United States and two reported cases in Canada. All of these cases are mainly caused by homophobia and bullying in their schools and in their homes.
Samantha Rogers, a local grade 10 student attending Pine Ridge High School, decided to make the event on the social network Facebook called “Wear purple on October 20th to commemorate the Suicides caused by homophobia”.
“I created the group to commemorate the lives lost, but to also raise some awareness about preventing bullying and homophobia. I made the event on facebook because it was the easiest way to tell everyone about it.” Explained Samantha.
Within the first day of creating the group 13,000 people joined, which took Samantha by surprise. Every day the number of people attending the event grew larger and larger.
The event had many different people from all over the globe, and from different walks of life, coming together for the same cause.
“I hope that a few hundred people around Pickering/Ajax might join,” said Samantha.
Although there are many people who support the cause, there are also people who do not support what Samantha is doing.
“I mean is it really that hard to wear a purple ribbon or bracelet? I don’t understand people that write on the wall saying they won’t wear purple, or they won’t support the cause,” says Samantha.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youths are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers according to a youth risk survey in Massachusetts. If we do not do something about this now, these numbers will increase.
If you are in a situation where you are in distress there are many different resources you can use to help you. You can go to your local guidance or talk to a trusted adult on how you’re feeling and can get help.
If these feelings are very strong or you are highly considering suicide, then you can contact the suicide prevention hotline (1-800-784-2433), or you can contact the local distress line of Durham at (905 433-1121).
“I guess the message I’m trying to send is if anything, think twice before calling someone a name or making fun of someone. Especially based on something that they have no control over. Being gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender isn't a choice. And to the LGBTQ youth, believe me it does get better, and there is hope,” Says Samantha Rogers.
Calling all Pickering teen artists
Requesting teenagers to submit pieces for November art show
Nabiha NaqviSpartan staff
The third annual Teen art show is on its way and the city hopes for even more teenagers to submit in their work this year. The event will run from November 22nd to November 27th at the Petticoat Creek Public Library on 470 Kingston Rd. The deadline for teens to submit their work is November 19th from 5-7 p.m.
Pieces may include sculptures, drawings, paintings, photography and new media. Participan ts can submit a maximum of two pieces, and they must be framed and ready to hang.
Its open to teens aged 13-19 who have a City ID card which can be picked up at the program and by filling out an application found online on the website below. Prizes will be awarded to first second and third overall.
Awards will be handed out on Nov. 27 at the Petticoat Creek Community Centre at 7 p.m.
For a complete list of rules, regulations and to fill out an application, visit www.cityofpickering.com/teen or call 905-420-4660 ext. 6101
Grade Eleven Classes Discover Early Humans at the ROM
“It was fun, educational and awesome!”
Elizabeth Carmichael
Spartan staff
In the back of the mind two questions come up. Who am I? And where do I come from?
The grade 11 Introduction to Anthropology, Psychology, and Sociology classes went to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) to find out where they would be doing a lab.
The trip was on Monday October 4th and was for their anthropology unit where they were discussing human origins and evolution.
The two classes split up to do the lab. The morning class did the lab in the morning and the afternoon class did the lab in the afternoon.
The lab was run by Egyptologist, Gayle Gibson. In the lab there were eight stations where they got to examine and compare different skulls and tools.
One student on the trip, Lauren Khan, said, “I liked seeing the skulls but I didn’t want to touch them. They were creepy.” Most of the skulls weren’t actually real but were just casts of a real skull. There were skulls of early humans, modern day humans, and even a few animal skulls including two gorillas.
Noor Bahsoun, another student on the trip, said, “Handling the millions of year old tools that homo erectus (an early human) used was awesome.” However on the trip there was much debate whether evolution was real or not.
Noor added, “Darwin’s theory of evolution is interesting, and though I don’t necessarily believe we evolved from apes, it’s an interesting perspective about life.”
On the other view point Natalie Bohm-Mcquaig said, “I think, based on the evidence, evolution is very possible.”
When the lab wasn’t being conducted the classes were allowed to explore the museum at their leisure. They even had the chance to see The Warrior Emperor Terra Cotta exhibit.
“I couldn’t believe over 6000 terra cotta soldiers were in the First Emperor’s tomb! They were very interesting,” said student, Matthew Johnson.
Overall the trip was an amazing experience. The class would like to thank Mrs. Lusted for organizing the trip and Gayle Gibson for teaching the lab.
Vocal Cabaret A Success
Dunbarton’s first Vocal Cabaret of the year brings in the largest crowd seen in years.
Shannon Rogers Spartan staff
The South Campus theatre was filled with enthusiastic audience members and eager performers on the evening of October 12th, 2010.
Tables were decorated with an autumn theme, and candles throughout the room helped set the tone of the evening.
The night began with a performance by the Chamber Choir, who were followed by an acoustic solo from student Katie Hawley.
The Gospel Choir was next to perform, singing the well-known All My Trials.
The evening continued with performances by Ashana Sivalingam, Kira Guthrie, and Desmond Flowers, who sang an original song.
The duets performed included Desmond Flowers and Jess Portlance (Hedley’s Perfect), Gabbie DesVignes and Brooke Warford (Paramore’s The Only Exception), and Kirk Russell and Michelle Wilkinson (Bruno Mars’ Just The Way You Are).
Other choirs that sang include: Jazz Choir, Girl’s Choir, Men’s Chorus and Concert Choir.
The grade nine and eleven/twelve vocal classes also performed, drawing more spectators than normal to the event.
“It was a lot of work for Kirk [Russell] and I, because it was our first music event as co-presidents. Thankfully, we had a lot of help from the council and everything ran smoothly. It was fun!” said Music Council Co-President Eric Horton.
Tickets were sold onsite, and money from the tickets sold went towards fundraising for the 2011 music trip to Chicago.
All choirs are conducted by Ms. Joyce and rehearse in the mornings at 7:30 a.m., except for the Gospel Choir who rehearses Tuesdays at lunch and is conducted by Mrs. Galberg.
The Concert and Gospel Choirs will be performing at the Dunbarton Awards Ceremony on October 15th, 2010.
All choirs will be performing at Dunbarton Music Night on December 9th, 2010.
The Big “M” on Liverpool will be giving free fries for Halloween, a tradition since ‘65
Stephanie Gertsakis
Spartan staff
In 1965, Ted Papatheodorou opened a drive-in restaurant on Liverpool road in Pickering called The Big “M.” The restaurant was not only a career for Ted but also a home for people who live in Pickering, which back then, only had a population of 1400.
Teds’ son Chris started working at the restaurant only at the age of eight. From peeling potatoes to working cash, Chris loved it and decided that after completing university at Ryerson, he would take over the restaurant.
At twenty years old, Chris had the restaurant almost in both of his hands. Ted was now shortly handing over the restaurant to his son who would become the owner.
Ted made The Big “M” welcoming to old friends and new faces treating everyone like family and serving them home made food. Homemade onion rings, French fries, steak on a kaiser, pizza and most of all, the burgers, which won him a award for readers choice best burger.
Once Chris’ father had passed he took the drive-in, into his own hands. In the last 10 years or so, Chris has managed to remodel the drive-in to make it look like it use to back in ‘65. One tradition that Ted had was to give out free ice cream on Halloween.
Following this same tradition will be Chris as he is handing out free fries on October 31st 2010. Make sure you stop by on Halloween to grab a free box of fries and maybe have your parents take a trip down memory lane.
Ontario Goes Gold
 
Alex Lodu
Spartan staff
Over Thanksgiving weekend, the BMO National Soccer Championships have been taking place in Vaughn, Ontario for the U-16 boys and girls soccer teams. This tournament is one where the top team from most provinces and territories all meet in one province to compete and determine who the top club in Canada is.
This year the Ontario teams represented well, as both the boys’ and girls’ gold medals were given to the Ontario teams. Representing Ontario at Nationals for boys were the Ajax Strikers, and for the girls, the Pickering Power. Both teams displayed an excellent amount of talent and sportsmanship to earn themselves the gold medals and the title of number one club tea in the nation!
The Ajax Strikers defeated the Winnipeg FC Northwest Lions (Manitoba), by a score of 3 to 1 in the gold medal game. It was a fantastic game to watch, full of teamwork, talent and sportsmanship. The girls’ game was just as good a game to watch The Pickering Power defeated the Monteuil Extreme (Quebec) 4 to 1for their gold medal game.
Both of these two Ontario teams have players that attend Dunbarton High School. From the Ajax Strikers there is Rafiq Suleman, Nicholas Axhorn and Alexander Lodu. Girls from the Pickering soccer team that attend Dunbarton High School are Chanice Rhoden and Ashley Nater.
If any of these student-athletes are seen throughout the school, they deserve to be congratulated on the victories that they have achieved.
Leafs Are 2-0 in the New Millennium
Leafs beat the senators 5-1, to make them 2-0 in the regular season
Justin ManningSpartan staff
After coming into the season many leaf fans had doubts on the offence drive they would have, after sending NazimKadri down to the marlies, and that important center postion.
After the Leafs won 5-1 against the tired and overmatched Ottawa Senators squad on Saturday, the Leafs are into an undefeated season. This is Leafs best record since 1999. With the help of Grabovski and Brent playing well on the second and third line the anxiety of the Leafs management and fans is downgrading.Toronto is no longer suffering about the important offence drive, and center position.
Other Leaf players like Tyler Bozak has left off where he started last season and Mike Zigomanis is a true help to the 4th lines face-offs.
But its Grabovski’s true offensive help that is making the Leafs organization successful.
He was extremely good in the rivalry against visiting Senators. Grabovski was very effective and tenacious on the forecheck, causing the opening goal, by linemate Nikolai Kulemin, by hounding Jason Spezza. Though he finished with just one assist, the 26-year-old made several tape-to-tape passes that easily could have resulted in Toronto pushing the score towards double figures.
It’s hard to remember that game against Ottawa in theirend of the ice. From the starting face-off the Leafs were all over Ottawa and were leading 3-0 after two periods. Which lead to outshooting Ottawa 31-12.
The domination was displayed and well earned. The Leafs made key dumps and passes. They battled hard for the puck and were unstoppable on the face-offs. It’s hard to tell which player didn’t play well. Currently up to printing date the Leafs are 4-0-1 in the season and are leading the eastern conference with 9 points.
The Leafs next game is against the New York Rangers Thursday October 21st, 2010.
Gold; one stroke at a time
Dunbarton Girls’ golf team win gold; Boys’ golf team just miss top 10
Stephanie Gertsakis
Spartan staff
In Whitby, Ontario on October 4th, Alisha Corringham, Meghan Bennett, Kaitlyn Verdonk, Kristie Rebek, and Stephanie Gertsakis competed at L.O.S.S.A. for golf at the Winchester Golf Course.
Ryan Chiu, Michael Stewart, Scott Rudderham, and Stephen Mintsopoulos were the four boys who competed at L.O.S.S.A. in Whitby, at the Royal Ashburn Golf Course.
The top three scores from the girls were from Bennett, Corringham, and Gertsakis. Bennett won silver for the individual medals, shooting 88. As a team the girls placed first for a gold medal, following Dunbarton was Sinclair, and Henry High School. Six girls from L.O.S.S.A. will be going to O.F.S.S.A. Bennett and Corringham will both be going. O.F.S.S.A. is in Richmond Hill, at the Richmond Hill Golf Course.
The boy’s team just missed the top ten scores and finished in twelfth place. Every boy golfed extremely well but the competition was tough. Six boys got to go to O.F.S.S.A. Eastdale finishing first, followed by Dwyer and D.A. Wilson High School.
The girls’ team has won at L.O.S.S.A. for the fourth time in a row, the boys could have won and been returning champions. October 13th and 14th is when Bennett and Corringham will be going to O.F.S.S.A.
Dunbarton spirit helps out Terry Fox
Dunbarton helps cancer research by raising money during Terry Fox run.
Amanda AdamsSpartan staff
A crowd of Dunbarton students and teachers came together in order to help raise money and support cancer research, the cause that Terry Fox so passionately ran for.
During second period, on Thursday, September 29th 2010, students participated in a run for Terry around the school.
The Terry Fox run was a success. A total amount of $683.51 was raised by those in the school. Two dollars was the minimum to which a student/teacher had to donate in order to run but many decided to donate more. Those individuals obviously felt the Terry Fox run was a great cause.
When Kate Nitsis was asked why she chose to run, she replied, “It’s a good cause and makes you feel good.” All other students and teachers asked agreed.
The students running the Terry Fox event, Amelia Mazaharally and Ricci Cinco, thought it went exceptionally well. They both were pleased at the amount of money raised and students/teachers that participated.
“With the help of everyone the Terry Fox run was very successful. I would give it a 10 out of 10. It was really good to see so many people come out and run for a great cause,” Amelia said enthusiastically when asked about her opinion on the success of the Terry Fox run.
After the run was finished a huge group of people were seen from far away gathering around tables. On the tables were certificates and an assortment of snacks for the participating runners.
The Dunbarton mascot, the Spartan, even made a surprise appearance during the Terry Fox run. The Spartan encouraged the students and brought more school spirit to the event.
Lively music, provided by Mr. Hopkins, was heard playing over the speakers outside. As a result, the music made the event even more exciting. It gave some of the runners that extra boost to keep them going.
The Terry Fox run was not a race but a run that everyone could participate in at their own speed. Some students/teachers were seen walking, some jogging and some running. Each individual earned their spot on that field when they donated.
Lots of Dunbarton spirit was noticed throughout the students and teachers as they helped Terry Fox continue on his legacy.
A PHANTOM COMING TO DHS?
This year, musical theatre class is working extremely hard on preparing Phantom of the Opera for this year’s musical.
Eric Elson
Spartan staff
This year’s musical theatre class is preparing for their take on the classic Broadway musical, Phantom of the Opera. This winter, the Phantom, played by Brandon McMackin is here to astonish you on Dunbarton’s very own South Campus theatre stage.
Phantom of the Opera is a drastic change in style from last year’s Wizard of Oz musical, “It’s good because it’s a different genre of music than normal. Last year with Wizard of Oz it was more show tunes where people could sing-a-long, whereas this is really hard, dissonant music with a lot of opera singing,” says Ashana Sivalingam, who splits the role of Christine with Gabbie Desvignes.
A lot of work goes into the musical every year. Cast members and the pit band attend extra practices and a few Saturday rehearsals in order for the show to go on. “Saturday rehearsals are incredibly productive, we do two weeks’ worth of work in the eight hours we’re there,” says cast member, Andrew Wright. “It gets hectic, especially near the end,” states pit-band member, Adam Spears.
“Pit-band has to work their butts off in the beginning, but in the end it’s the people on stage who are scrambling around,” says Ashana. “The whole production is a lot of hard work from the teachers and all the students involved.”
“We make the sets, we make everything,” says Ashana. The students not only have to make and design the set themselves but they also need to perform their own stunts, and special effects,
“The stunts are really hard to pull off, because all the work is done by the student’s. For example, the phantom needs to shoot fireballs, and disappear, and we need a chandelier to randomly fall onto the stage.”
Students also look at music theatre as a bonding experience with fellow cast members and participating students. “It’s an unforgettable experience, you make lots of friends,” says pit-band member, Kirk Russell.
“Afterwards, you’re a lot closer to everyone,” says Adam.
“You really bond well,” states Ashana, “Music theatre is a great experience, it’s really nice to showcase the things we do in this school."
BERLIN LIGHTS
Karen O’Gorman
Spartan staff
A band who made their debut at last years Fashion for the Cure fundraiser, wowed the crowd and made a great start for their musical career. Berlin Lights sound is a mix of electro pop meets alternative rock, with very strong vocals. Overall it’s pretty easy listening.
The band members include Dunbarton’s own Justine Houseley as lead singer, also Daniel Houseley (lead guitar), Liam MacRae (rhythm/drums) and Marco Lee (Synth/keyboard) all of which attend Pickering High school. These four talented musicians spend hours writing songs and making their unique music come to life.
“My favourite part of being in the band is coming up with music and being totally impressed with the outcome of a song. Most of the time, we write songs with a small idea of what it’s going to turn out like, and then once we’re done, it ends up ten times better then we expected”, says lead singer Justine Houseley.
If you are into bands like Metric or Tokyo Police Club then I would definitely recommend checking out Berlin Lights. There songs are about love and loss, but have a cool electronic twist to it.
“We’re all not expecting fame and fortune, but we expect to do well. It’s going very well at the moment. My expectations are just to get better at what we do and advance in the types of shows we play as we progress”.
Although their music is not out at the moment on any sort of site they plan on recording once they get some money to fund the band. Until then you can listen to their music by going to their band practices or shows.
The Face of Facebook
Mark Zuckerberg changed the way we communicate.
Tareque Moatar
Spartan staff
Facebook has over 500 million active members since it was created. Though many people are familiar with the site, most do not know how it had originated. Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, made a site called Facesmash on October 8th, 2003 while he was attending Harvard.
The site was a Harvard version of Hot or Not where students would choose between two students and decide which one they found more attractive. He obtained the photos by breaking into online campus directories.
When it launched, it became very popular but also very controversial. After protests from women’s groups on the campus, Harvard shut down Facesmash and charged Zuckerberg for breaching into security, violating copy rights, and violating individual privacy. The charges were later dropped.
This incident had gotten the attention of many students at Harvard, including three seniors, Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra, who were interested in building a social networking site called The Harvard Connection (later changed to Uconnect).
Mark Zuckerberg had come up with his own idea, which was to make his own site called Thefacebook with the help of Eduardo Saverin, Chris Hughes, and Dustin Moskovitz, but it was only open to Harvard students. He made it as a online directory for the campus, which the administration were unable to implement in response to student requests.
Soon, the Winklevoss brothers had found out about Thefacebook and accused Zuckerberg of stealing their code. This dispute started in 2004, but was settled in 2008. The site was originally for students at Harvard, but then it was open to students from other universities. Soon enough, it was available to most of the universities in North America.
Sean Parker, who was an entrepreneur, became Zuckerberg’s adviser and the company’s president in 2004. In 2005, the was removed from the title and the site was renamed Facebook. Facebook was open to high school students in September 2005. In September 2006, the site was open to anyone who was 13 years or older and had a valid email address.
Since then, Facebook has become one of the most popular sites on the Internet. People went on Facebook more than Google. The movie, The Social Network, which was released on October 1st, 2010 is based on the creation of Facebook and the lawsuits that Zuckerberg had received. Zuckerberg claims that most of the movie is purely fictional.
Did You Know?
Halloween Fun Facts
Jenna Gloazzo
Spartan staff
- Halloween is one of the oldest celebrations in the world, dating back over 2000 years to the time of the Celts who lived in Scotland.
- Halloween was originally spelt as Hallowe’en.
- Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the roman harvest festival that honours Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
- Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first.
- The world-renowned magician Harry Houdini died in Detroit from a ruptured appendix on Halloween in 1926.
- The tradition of pumpkin carving is Irish. It started with the carving of turnips, but when Irish settlers immigrated to the US, they found pumpkins were easier to carve.
- The movie "Halloween" was made in only 21 days in 1978 on a very limited budget.
- The original name for Halloween is ‘Samhain’ (pronounced sow-in). The name comes from an ancient Celtic language in Scotland.
- Samhainophobia is the fear of Halloween.
Fall Fashion Must Haves
Sarah Henderson
Spartan staff
So far it’s been a pretty mild September and October; therefore summer outfits are still somewhat in style.
A lot of guys at DHS have been seen wearing neon coloured Etnie shoes from West 49, and rocking ‘Foxhead’ striped sweaters. Flannel plaid shirts have also become quite popular for boys and girls, and you can get them in any colour and at almost every store. Last but not least, Forever 21’s cardigans are a must-have this season, especially neutral coloured ones.
Essential B-movies for the cinematic freak in you
So bad, they’re good…
Christine Tran
Spartan staff
Not all flicks can be blessed with the budgets of say, Avatar. This fact has never been more relevant than in B-movies.
Back in the day, they were called “quickies” or “cheapies” because they came free when you bought a ticket to a headlined flick.
They remained under the radar for good reasons; B-movies were, for the most part, horribly acted and constantly recycled from other movies’ sets and plotlines.
However, there is still a thrill to be had from finding one. Whether it’s because of nostalgia or the fact that ridiculing others is just plain fun, people still torture themselves with these two-bit flicks.
Troll 2 (1990)
(PG-13) Directed by Claudio Fragasso
In this horror film, a really annoying family goes on vacation to the creepy town of Nilbog.
Unintentional hilarity ensures as vile “goblin” creatures start turning the horrible cast into plants and begin feasting on them.
Troll 2 boasts the some of the laziest special effects to ever grace cinema; people melt into piles of green silly putty or morph into trees by either taping leaves to themselves or standing behind plants.
Fun Fact: Don’t fret if you haven’t seen or heard of a first “Troll” movie. The “2” was only added by the director to make the film seem “more commercial”.
The Room (2003)
(R) Directed by Tommy Wiseau
Summarizing The Room is an almost impossible task.
While the main plot is about the love triangle between a man, his fiancée and his best friend, other storylines are often introduced and abandoned at whim.
In between these forsaken storylines, irrelevant scenes take place in order to kill time and disturb audiences; more than twice do grown men stand in tight alleys playing catch football.
Despite these huge issues, star/ director Tommy Wiseau steals the show with his unique brand of acting.
With his thick indefinable accent, Wiseau can barely speak without earning looks of horror or laughter. Even so, his half-hearted man-tantrums have left audiences in awe.
Fun Fact: In late-night showings of The Room, fans throw plastic spoons at the screen in tribute to the movie’s strange choice of set decoration.
I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)
(NR) Directed by Gene Fowler Jr.
Troubled teen Tony Rivers goes to a hypnotherapist to deal with his issues. Unfortunately, his therapist changes him into a werewolf.
Werewolf Tony looks a lot like a poor man’s Chewbacca, but nonetheless he goes on a terrorizing rampage across town.
Those looking for gory horror will be confused by the large amount of bad 1950s swing dancing and petty milk-tossing that precedes the main plot.
Fun Fact: American International Pictures recycled this film’s title for the fellow B-flick, “I Was a Teenage Frankenstein” (1957).
Movies!
In Theatres this Month…
Brianna Bader
Spartan staff
Life As We Know It
This movie was portrayed as a comedy in the advertisements and trailers. It had its moments, with the quirky lines and pretty celebrities but this movie was not as expected.
What started out as a funny movie turned serious very quick.
Life as We Know It is about two god parents who hate each other but have to care for their late best friends’ daughter. It is a movie about family and romance with some funny lines.
The theme of this movie is not so unique, you have two people that originally hate each other and then in the end… well I won’t completely ruin it.
The starring actors in this movie were Katherine Heigl (the godmother) and Josh Duhamel (the godfather). The actor’s chemistry alone makes this movie very appealing.
Life as We Know It was good and can make you laugh but don’t expect a full out comedy.
GOING TO A HALLOWEEN PARTY?
Amanda Filardi
Spartan staff
Some popular ideas that will leave people amazed this Halloween season.
As Halloween 2010 approaches, all teenagers are at a standstill. We don’t want to spend our valuable money on a costume from a specialty store, when we need that money for things like lunch, clothes and video games. On the other hand, we don’t want to show up at possibly the biggest party of the year looking, well, normal.
Here are some easy, yet creative costume ideas that are becoming the icons of 2010.
LADY GAGA
Lady GaGa has taken the world by storm with her outrageous style, and now you can too. Try a blonde wig (or your blonde hair if you already have it) with a few coke cans in it, and you have your hair done for the night. For the shirt aspect, try a body suit or romper with some lacy leggings. You can even draw hearts on the lenses of your sunglasses with white-out to style hers. Some bright red lipstick and a fake pearl necklace for accessories would put the icing on the cake for this costume. Who knows? Maybe your freezer has a few too many steaks in it. Just kidding.
JERSEY SHORE
It’s costume time! Jersey Shore is easily becoming the most watched reality show on television, so why not dress up like the ultimate party gang at your party? If you’re a girl, try rocking the rapidly expanding popularity of the “Snooki Poof”. A sparkly, cheetah printed dress would do just fine for the outfit. Complete with intensive spray tan and hoop earrings (make sure they’re easy to take out should someone need to hold them for you) and you’re Snooki. For the guys, you could try a Pauly D look with a container of hair gel, a muscle shirt and jeans. Like Snooks, you’ll probably need a spray tan job and some drawn on abs. Whether you’re a girl or guy looking for a costume, after taking this advice, you’ll be fist pumping all night.
TWILIGHT
Yeah, I know, this one is for all you major twi-hards out there, whether you want to be innocent Alice Cullen, or hardcore Edward. First you’ll need sparkles, lots and lots of them to go on your pasty white skin, which you’ll need your sister or mother’s makeup kit for. For Edward, you might want to try some form of ray-bans, jeans and a V-neck t-shirt. For Alice, wear your most girly outfit. There you have it, everything that Bella Swan has ever wanted to be. Minus, you know, the whole animal blood loving, super strong, “I hate Taylor Lautner” thing, because really, who hates Taylor Lautner?
CLASSICS
Every year, whether you’re giving out sugar filled candy or roaming the streets, you’ll always see recurring costumes that seem to be a hit every year.
Girl’s costumes can be easy; anything that has anything to do with a cute, fluffy animal or a princess will hit the spot. Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz is always a hit with her plaid dress and clicking red sequin heels. Of course this may be a costume you have to go out and purchase, but somewhere like Party Packagers has them for adults for only $50. There’s also the Cowgirl costume, which only requires you to buy the hat, and the rest is created with jeans, some boots and a plaid shirt. No one wants to do anything alone in high school, so if you’re looking for a pairs costume, try Tinkerbelle and one of her fairy friends, or all of them if it’s a bigger group.
Guys are a little trickier. Try ripping up some of dad’s old clothes, along with some red food colouring and an old mask if you want to go scary. If you’re looking for something more mellow, get your sports equipment and dress up as a sports player. Guys looking to go in pairs can go as the video game icons Mario and Luigi. Any more than two and you can consider things like the A-Team.
Whether you’re making a homemade costume or you’re buying one, the main goal is to have it be creative and make sure it’s a costume you can have fun with. Happy Halloween!
MUSIC LEGEND OF THE MONTH
JOHN LENNON
Cassie Gibson
Spartan staff
On October 9th, John Lennon of The Beatles would have celebrated his 70th birthday. In celebration of his birthday, Lennon is the music legend of the month. The Beatles were formed in 1958, when Lennon was eighteen. According to fellow band member, Paul McCartney, John was always the leader of the group. He co-wrote nearly all of the Beatles’ songs with McCartney, and wrote “Dear Prudence”, “Across the Universe”, “All You Need is Love”, “Come Together”, and many more.
During the beginning of his career, Lennon’s lyrics were purely about the power and innocence of love, though once he began to become more popular around the world, he became influenced by hard drugs, which became the inspirations and topics to many of his newer songs.
After 11 years of The Beatles, Lennon decided to begin working on solo projects, where he released fourteen albums with the help of his wife, Yoko Ono.
Lennon was a peace activist, and was a part of many projects with his wife that were made to inspire the world to “give peace a chance”. The two also plastered billboards in 11 cities around the world saying “WAR IS OVER! (IF YOU WANT IT)”. John and Yoko’s intentions for the billboards were to “sell peace”. Lennon said “It may make people laugh, but it may make them think, too.”
Lennon had also wrote songs to do with his views on peace, such as “Give Peace a Chance”, and “Imagine”, which became an anti-war anthem.
Lennon was a huge inspiration to many future artists because of the new style of music that he helped create. John and The Beatles had a unique sound, and catchy and meaningful lyrics that were hard not to love. Not only did his music and lyrics inspire future musicians, but his views on world peace have definitely inspired many people to this day.
LENNON QUOTATIONS:
“If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace.”
“I believe in everything until it's disproved. So I believe in fairies, the myths, dragons. It all exists, even if it's in your mind. Who's to say that dreams and nightmares aren't as real as the here and now?”
“Reality leaves a lot to the imagination.”
This Months Quotes!
Brianna Bader
Spartan staff
Inspirational quote:
Be patient and tough; some day
this pain will be useful to you.
—Publius Ovidius Naso
Success Quote:
Watch your thoughts; they
become words.
Watch your words; they
become actions.
Watch your actions; they
become habits.
Watch your habits; they
become character.
Watch your character; it
becomes your destiny.
—Lao-Tze
Motivational Quote:
People often say that motivation
doesn’t last. Well, neither does
bathing – that’s why we recommend
it daily.
—Zig Ziglar
Funny Quote:
Heart attacks are just from loving
too much.
—Heather Morris,
Glee (Brittany Pierce)
He Said, She Said
“My boyfriend always tries to makeout with me in the hall at school. I don’t feel comfortable with the PDA. What should I do?”
- Shy and Concerned
If you’re uncomfortable with PDA, talk to your boyfriend so that he understands your concerns. At the same time, if you feel uncomfortable with your actions in public, chances are other people are uncomfortable seeing you. PDA is not what I want to see in the hall and nor do many other people.
- Jenny Humphrey
Maybe the problem is with your boyfriend and not with the school environment itself. You should mention to him that this makes you feel uncomfortable. If he’s a good guy, he should understand. You should be able to talk to your partner about such things, relationships should make things easier, not more complicated.
- Tom Hamilton
Shelters vs. Mills
Adopting dogs from shelters is the right thing to do, not supporting puppy mills
Jonelle Littley
Spartan staff
Many pet owners would rather buy a puppy from a pet store than adopt a puppy/dog from a shelter. But why exactly?
Most puppies in the pet stores come from puppy mills, while the animals in shelters are either strays; once abused, or left homeless.
Animals from shelters are harder to find homes for because of their background story.
Many families looking for a new member would much rather have a brand new puppy from their mall’s pet store than adopt a dog that was once abused.
But shelters aren’t just full of abused and scared animals. No, they are also filled with animals due to over population.
Pet owners don’t always neuter their pets. When this happens the pets can mate; creating more pets. Sometimes the owners cannot handle all the work and responsibility of taking care of so many animals at once. This creates an overpopulation and the pets get dropped off at the shelter or on the streets.
At other times some people just want younger pets. They may have a dog that they’ve had for years, but decide they want a dog more active and playful. When this happens the owners drop off their older pets and then quickly go off to buy a new puppy from a pet store.
The older animals have a harder time getting adopted for the same reason; they aren’t as playful or young.
A lot of people don’t realize where most puppies in pet store come from. They usually come from puppy mills.
Puppy mills, sometimes called puppy farms, are a breeding facility operated upon profits rather than animal welfare. In other words, the facility doesn’t take very good care of their dogs and the facility is usually in very poor condition.
There are roughly 4 000 puppy mills in the U.S. alone, producing more than half a million puppies each year. The poor breeding conditions mean the puppies have very poor health and no social skills.
Many of the puppies transported over long distances suffer from stress and often die. The surviving mill dogs can develop health conditions such as respiratory ailments, pneumonia, and hereditary defects such as hip dysplasia.
Many of the puppy mill breeders lie to pet stores claiming to be authentic breeders, when actually most of the pure-bred puppies are actually not.
Adopting from shelters is a better option when looking for a pet. There are so many that need homes, especially the older animals.
So many people are picky about what they look for in a pet, that they over analyze the animals. People may see a three-legged cat and it could be everything they want in a pet, but because it doesn’t look as appealing the person would rather have a cat with four legs.
Shelter animals need adopting. By adopting from shelters rather than a pet store, you save lives and decrease the puppy mill business.
Hopefully in a few years the most prosperous puppy mills will start shutting down for good.
Petting farm a hit at the local fall festival!
Local petting farm appeared at the Greenwood Fall Festival, bringing smiles to all faces
Jonelle Littley Spartan staff
The local petting farm, “Wild Things”, was easily seen at the Greenwood Fall Festival Sunday October 3rd. While visiting the many activities and presentations, you couldn’t miss a man and his critter family.
Norman Collier, the owner of the small petting farm, spends his days with his animals; they are his family. During the warmer season, Collier books events in which he can set up a pen and bring some of his animals for people to see, pet, and feed.
Collier along with two Dunbarton High School student volunteers, brought a total of six goats, including two babies; Florence and Nancy. Also there were six baby bunnies, three guinea pigs, a few baby chicks and three ducklings at the festival.
“I’ve never seen so many kids at one of these festivals before! In all the festivals I’ve gone to, never were there so many!” Collier says.
The petting farm was a huge success with the children and their families, with some kids not wanting to leave and others asking if the animals were for sale.
Fortunately enough, the bunnies were for sale. For $5.00 two families were more then happy to take a bunny home with them and thanked Collier for their enjoyable visit.
While the younger children and their parents grew fond of the bunnies and chicks, some older children were fascinated by the goats and their bold personalities.
At one point during the day one goat, Caroline, escaped and surprisingly enough didn't wander off from where the pen was located.
“Caroline is a sweetheart, she won’t wander off from where she’s supposed to be.”
Some of the kids, with parental permission, were invited into the pen for a more “up-close and personal” look at the goats. Many of the kids could barely control themselves from running after the animals and playing with them.
By the end of the day the “two baby goats were ready to go home,” says Collier. Before Collier collected the babies they were willing to put on one last little show for those who were watching the crew pack up to leave. Florence ran around the pen in a quirky little trot while Nancy sprung from haystack-to-haystack ending with a little shout for her mother.
The day ended in many smiling faces and some families with a new member. Over all, Collier and his ‘Wild Things Petting Farm’ was a huge success and more than likely to appear at similar festivals.
When not doing events, his business provides school and group tours, birthday parties, movie locations, farm therapy workshops and family fun! The petting farm is located at 2825 York Durham Line, Pickering.
Dunbarton High School Clubs and Councils
Ayesha Rahaman
Spartan staff
|
Name of Council
|
About
|
President
|
Where
|
When
|
|
SAC: Student Activity Council
|
The spirit of Dunbarton. Runs most school activities including: dances, spirit days and pep rallies.
|
Sarah Donaldson & Sherricka Case
|
Rm. 410
|
Tuesday's at Lunch
|
|
MSA: Muslim Student Association
|
Islamic based group. Plans cultural activities such as the annual Eid Luncheon, Islamic Awareness Month assembly which spreads awareness about Islam and eliminates discrimination in DHS.
|
Sarah Hassanein
|
Rm. 307
|
Tuesday's at Lunch
|
|
GO STAR
|
Discusses ways to help animals at shelters and creates events which raise money and awareness on current animal issues.
|
Emily Goodwin & Kailey Pugh
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Rm. 218
|
Tuesday's at Lunch
|
|
Environmental Club
|
Dunbarton is a gold level Ecoschool. Helps to promote awareness to the community on the conditions of the environment.
|
Rafiq Suleman
|
Rm. 440
|
Wednesday's at Lunch
|
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S.T.O.P: Students together opposing prejudice
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Bringing students together to promote multiculturalism and diversity, helping to eliminate problems concerning prejudice and discrimination around the school.
|
Erin Ramoutar
|
Rm. 508
|
Thursday's at Lunch
|
|
French Society
|
Anyone that aspires to raise school awareness of national bilingualism, increase appreciation of French culture, strengthen French skills, and to enhance French through education as well as intellectual, social and creative activities
|
Sarah Newman
& Kyle Gauder
|
Rm. 416
|
Thursday's at Lunch
|
|
Music Council
|
Plans musical events such as the vocal cabaret and spaghetti dinner. Takes part in Santa Cause, Carnival and hosts a Talent Show that is open to the entire school. Joint with music department
|
Eric Horton &
Kirk Russell
|
Main Music Room at south campus
|
Thursday's at Lunch
|
|
G.S.A.- Gay Straight Alliance
|
Raises awareness and improves the relationship between gay and straight students. Creates a welcoming climate for all students while promoting acceptance and reforming school policies.
|
Tiffany Williams
|
Rm. 704
|
Tuesday's at 3 p.m.
|
|
Health Committee
|
Provides information on health issues.
|
Emma Adams
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Back of guidance
|
Friday's at Lunch
|
|
Arts Council
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Organizes art department activities such as coffee house.
|
Ashley Sparks
|
Rm. 821
|
Wednesday's at Lunch
|
|
D.A.A.- Dunbarton Athletic Association
|
Organize many different sports related activities such as the 10 km run, intramurals and host the Athletic Banquet
|
Sarah Beairsto & Megan Kimble & Shannon Harrison
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Rm.308
|
Thursday's at Lunch
|
|
Impact
|
Christian based group. Leads Santa Clause which is an even that raises money and is donated to Salvation Army.
|
Kaitilin McGilvray & Breanne Wylie & Alex Broad
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Rm. 307
|
Wednesday's at Lunch
|
Dance Council
|
Runs events that involve dance activities joined with dance department.
|
Sarah James & Nine Matos
|
Rm.414
|
Every other Wednesday
|
|
Grade 9 Council
|
Talk about grade 9 issues and how these problems can be solved.
|
Rafael Gonzales
|
Rm.829
|
Every other Wednesday
|
|
S.S.C.: Students Saving Children
|
Brings awareness for children in distress. Organizes events such as the 30 hour famine. All the money from this event is given to World Vision.
|
Emily Goodwin
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Rm. 416
|
Wednesday's at Lunch
|
|
Anime Club
|
Drawing and creating cartoons such as Anime.
|
Miranda Davis & Victoria Richardson
|
TBA
|
TBA
|
|
Student Senate
|
Class senates meet and discuss issues, needs and wants from each individual class.
|
Alycia Proskos
|
Upper cafeteria
|
The 28th of each month during last period
|
|
S.S.V.- Students Stopping Violence
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Students promoting and creating healthy living lifestyles and relationships without violence.
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Melissa Sutaroski & Nicole Brightling
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Rm. 307
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Thursday's at Lunch
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DPP- Dunbarton Peace Project
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Allows students to discuss their thoughts and beliefs. Organizes events that help build schools around the world and educates people about peace. Also allows students to take part in equal opportunities which raises voices, and advocates for change.
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Sajjad Jaffry
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Rm. 307
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Friday's at lunch
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Staff Writers:
Amanda Adams
Brianna Bader
Elizabeth Carmichael
Davis Crerar
Eric Elson
Amanda Filardi
Rick Frank
Stephanie Gertsakis
Cooper Gibbins
Cassie Gibson
Jenna Gloazzo
Sarah Henderson
Tiana Khan
Jonelle Littley
Alexander Lodu
Justin Manning
Sara Mehraban
Tareque Moatar
Nabiha Naqvi
Karen O’Gorman
Rebecca Palen
Ayesha Rahaman
Shannon Rogers
Hollie Smith
Shenita Thompson
Christine Tran
Senior Staff Editor:
Mr. Hopkins
Senior Student Editor:
Brianna Bader
Editors:
Elizabeth Carmichael
Jenna Gloazzo
Rebecca Palen
Senior Print Layout:
Rick Frank
Stephanie Gertsakis
Jonelle Littley
Sara Mehraban
Senior Web Editors:
Alex Lodu
Tareque Moatar
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