School Events
Alberta Student Leadership Conference
Four BCHS students and one advisor had the amazing opportunity to attend the 2018 Alberta Student Leadership Conference in Airdrie. The three days were full of keynote speakers such as Molly Burke and Orlando Tyson, as well as fun and games. “It was an a great experience and I am lucky to have the opportunity to attend such an inspiring conference,” says one student. Jenae Harahus, Katie Paskowski, Aislyn McDonald, Pakeeza Mushtaq and Mrs. Gilborn were great representatives of our school!
Four BCHS students and one advisor had the amazing opportunity to attend the 2018 Alberta Student Leadership Conference in Airdrie. The three days were full of keynote speakers such as Molly Burke and Orlando Tyson, as well as fun and games. “It was an a great experience and I am lucky to have the opportunity to attend such an inspiring conference,” says one student. Jenae Harahus, Katie Paskowski, Aislyn McDonald, Pakeeza Mushtaq and Mrs. Gilborn were great representatives of our school!
CWSF: Not Your Average Science Fair
By: Aislyn McDonald
When you hear the words: Science Fair you probably picture baking soda volcanos and colourful trifold boards. But the Canada Wide Science Fair is a whole other ball game. Over five hundred students attended the 2018 National Science Fair in Ottawa, where projects ranged from a colorimetric assay for detecting breast cancer to making an autonomous car. Pakeeza Mushtaq’s project, Essential Oils: A Smelly Cancer Treatment managed to take her all the way there.
Her research started in December of 2017 at Hyperion Research Ltd under the supervision of Dr. Peter Wallis and in Dr. Thakor’s laboratory in the University of Lethbridge. From there she began testing essential oils as treatment for colorectal, lung and brain cancer. The essential oils treatment were effective in killing the cancerous cells and had no effect on the viability of non-cancerous cells. Pakeeza then determined the mechanisms employed by the essential oils in order to induce cell death. Results indicate that essential oils have therapeutic applications in cancer treatment.
Prior to attending the National Science Fair, Mushtaq participated in the Southeast Alberta Regional Science Fair which was held in Medicine Hat on March 24th, 2018. There Mushtaq won the Genome Alberta award, Intermediate Gold Award and the Grand Award. Her wins enabled her to participate in the Canada Wide Science Fair. “Regionals were a great experience.” she says.
Canada Wide Science Fair or CWSF took place May 12 to May 19. The days were jam packed; full of judging and other great experiences. “My favourite activities were visiting Parliament and the National Museum of Space and Aviation." she says. Yet the week wasn’t just filled with site seeing and other activities. The students were ultimately there to participate in the science fair. Students were judged by researchers and scientists with Masters and PHD degrees. Pakeeza's project won her a Silver Excellence Medal along with a two thousand dollar scholarship to Western University
“I enjoyed talking to other finalists and learning about their projects. All finalists are very passionate about their work and it is a great opportunity to learn about different fields of science you may have not explored previously" she said. The CWSF may have been a competition, but it did create lifelong memories and gave students the opportunity to meet other like minded students from across the country.
“During times it was extremely difficult to balance school, family, extracurriculars, and science fair however, it has enabled me to develop into a mature individual and pushed me to develop time management strategies. Taking on university level research in high school is a daunting task, however it is beyond beneficial when you realize that your science fair research has the potential to help others. Moreover, science fairs benefit individuals in every aspect of their lives whether it be critical thinking and problem solving or public speaking. Science Fairs generate the next generation of innovators.” Mushtaq says.
Mushtaq describes science fair as a life changing opportunity that everyone should experience and she encourages students to consider participating next year.
By: Aislyn McDonald
When you hear the words: Science Fair you probably picture baking soda volcanos and colourful trifold boards. But the Canada Wide Science Fair is a whole other ball game. Over five hundred students attended the 2018 National Science Fair in Ottawa, where projects ranged from a colorimetric assay for detecting breast cancer to making an autonomous car. Pakeeza Mushtaq’s project, Essential Oils: A Smelly Cancer Treatment managed to take her all the way there.
Her research started in December of 2017 at Hyperion Research Ltd under the supervision of Dr. Peter Wallis and in Dr. Thakor’s laboratory in the University of Lethbridge. From there she began testing essential oils as treatment for colorectal, lung and brain cancer. The essential oils treatment were effective in killing the cancerous cells and had no effect on the viability of non-cancerous cells. Pakeeza then determined the mechanisms employed by the essential oils in order to induce cell death. Results indicate that essential oils have therapeutic applications in cancer treatment.
Prior to attending the National Science Fair, Mushtaq participated in the Southeast Alberta Regional Science Fair which was held in Medicine Hat on March 24th, 2018. There Mushtaq won the Genome Alberta award, Intermediate Gold Award and the Grand Award. Her wins enabled her to participate in the Canada Wide Science Fair. “Regionals were a great experience.” she says.
Canada Wide Science Fair or CWSF took place May 12 to May 19. The days were jam packed; full of judging and other great experiences. “My favourite activities were visiting Parliament and the National Museum of Space and Aviation." she says. Yet the week wasn’t just filled with site seeing and other activities. The students were ultimately there to participate in the science fair. Students were judged by researchers and scientists with Masters and PHD degrees. Pakeeza's project won her a Silver Excellence Medal along with a two thousand dollar scholarship to Western University
“I enjoyed talking to other finalists and learning about their projects. All finalists are very passionate about their work and it is a great opportunity to learn about different fields of science you may have not explored previously" she said. The CWSF may have been a competition, but it did create lifelong memories and gave students the opportunity to meet other like minded students from across the country.
“During times it was extremely difficult to balance school, family, extracurriculars, and science fair however, it has enabled me to develop into a mature individual and pushed me to develop time management strategies. Taking on university level research in high school is a daunting task, however it is beyond beneficial when you realize that your science fair research has the potential to help others. Moreover, science fairs benefit individuals in every aspect of their lives whether it be critical thinking and problem solving or public speaking. Science Fairs generate the next generation of innovators.” Mushtaq says.
Mushtaq describes science fair as a life changing opportunity that everyone should experience and she encourages students to consider participating next year.
Brooks Buffalo Baseball
By: Megan Hartling
Hats off to the Buffalo Baseball team, the boys have had a very strong season, after losing their home opener they came back to win their next few games including their home tournament. The 4th annual Riley Martin Memorial Tournament, held in memory of Riley Martin, a former member of the team. The tournament ran Thursday to Saturday evening and the Buffalos brought their best, going undefeated and taking the trophy for the first time in the tournaments history. Way to go boys!
Following the tournament, the boys had games on a regular basis and continued to play strong. At the end of the season the boys went to Provincials. Sadly, they did not walk away with the provincial title, after winning their first game they lost in a tight second game with a score of 10-9.
One thing that should be mentioned about this team is that from a spectator’s perspective they truly seem to understand the concept of teamwork. From the stands, you can hear the cheering and encouragement coming from the team when one of their own is at bat, sliding into second, or catching the opposing teams hit. The support continues even when someone strikes out, as they walk back to the dugout they are met with encouraging pats on the back. Great team spirit, awesome way to represent BCHS.
Player Roster
Nathan Jourdin
Bryden Sillito
Carson Becker
Logan Trembecki
Carson Dingwall
Dax Wandler
Ayden Matycio
Carson Troidl
Brett Gray
Brandon Hauck
Alonzo Tapia
Caleb Anderson
Kaden Liberon
Carson Morris
By: Megan Hartling
Hats off to the Buffalo Baseball team, the boys have had a very strong season, after losing their home opener they came back to win their next few games including their home tournament. The 4th annual Riley Martin Memorial Tournament, held in memory of Riley Martin, a former member of the team. The tournament ran Thursday to Saturday evening and the Buffalos brought their best, going undefeated and taking the trophy for the first time in the tournaments history. Way to go boys!
Following the tournament, the boys had games on a regular basis and continued to play strong. At the end of the season the boys went to Provincials. Sadly, they did not walk away with the provincial title, after winning their first game they lost in a tight second game with a score of 10-9.
One thing that should be mentioned about this team is that from a spectator’s perspective they truly seem to understand the concept of teamwork. From the stands, you can hear the cheering and encouragement coming from the team when one of their own is at bat, sliding into second, or catching the opposing teams hit. The support continues even when someone strikes out, as they walk back to the dugout they are met with encouraging pats on the back. Great team spirit, awesome way to represent BCHS.
Player Roster
Nathan Jourdin
Bryden Sillito
Carson Becker
Logan Trembecki
Carson Dingwall
Dax Wandler
Ayden Matycio
Carson Troidl
Brett Gray
Brandon Hauck
Alonzo Tapia
Caleb Anderson
Kaden Liberon
Carson Morris
Interest Articles
Jake’s Gift: A Love Letter to our Veterans
By: Rebecca Nielsen
The stage is surprisingly barren; the only features being a bench with an indistinguishable cardboard box underneath it, and a stand with an old suitcase propped against it. Songs like A Sentimental Journey and Maria Elena play softly in the background, reminiscent the of smoky dance halls that became the second home for young soldiers in the 40s, waiting in England to cross the channel to France. Though the music doesn’t last long, and as the house lights darken it fades away, drawing the audience’s eyes to the illuminated stage, which for a moment is the brightest thing in the auditorium. But only for a moment, as the stage lights extinguish as well. For a long second the entire theatre is dark, but then a spotlight focuses onto a single person on the stage.
The person standing centre stage is playwright and performer Julia Mackey; the creator of Jake’s Gift and the actress that brings the play’s four characters to life each performance. However, Mackey doesn’t look like the decorated artist her bio portrays her as. Instead she is the embodiment of the spirit of a ten year old. From the mischievous grin that paints her face to the fidgety, excited movements, she is every bit the first character of Jake’s Gift, the one who smiles straight into the crowd and introduces herself with the spunk only a child can muster. “My name is Isabelle, and my classmates and I have the most important job in the whole of the world.”
Isabelle goes onto tell us with an infectious smile about her job. In Isabelle’s words, along with her classmates she takes care of the soldiers. They tend their gardens, they clean their rooms, and they pull up the weeds so that they can see out of their windows. It is easy to see that she takes great pride in her job, and loves to talk about it, but something much more exciting is happening in her French seaside home that week that she can’t wait to talk about. It is the week of June sixth and veterans are gathering in her town for the anniversary of D-Day. Isabelle is practically vibrating with excitement about the return of the soldiers that liberated her country when her grandmother, Grande Isabelle, was her age. It is this excitement and her genuine curiosity that causes Isabelle to meet Jake.
Jake is an eighty year old veteran returning to France for the 60th anniversary. Like most men at his age, Jake can be described as crotchety, grouchy, and hard, but secretly has a heart of gold, which Isabelle quickly finds a place in. At first he tries to brush off Isabelle’s continuous stream of curious questions, but slowly gives in, sharing his story in his answers. Jake answers Isabelle’s seemingly endless questions simply and honestly. He was one of three brothers from Riding Park, Manitoba, all of whom enlisted to receive a new pair of shiny boots. He was on the beaches on June sixth along with his brothers Chester and Marty, but only two other them left the beaches. Chester, the oldest brother, the skilled trumpet player, perished on the sands. Marty had came back to France a few times for the anniversaries and to see Chester, but Marty could never convince Jake to come back with him. This was his first time back in France since the war. Realizing this may be the last time he could return to France, he came back to make it up to Chester and to Marty for never coming back.
The rest of the show plays out over the course of the next two days. In these two days we meet Isabelle’s soldiers; the men who are buried in Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, we sit with Jack when he finally gets to see Chester again,we walk with him as he steps foot on Juno Beach to remember that sixth of June sixty years ago, and we stand with Isabelle as she opens Jake’s final gift on the coast.
Jake’s Gift was written in 2007 and in its ten years has garnered many well deserved awards like Best of Festival at the Winnipeg International Fringe Festival in 2009 and the Touring Artist of the Year Award from the British Columbia Touring Council in 2011. As of 2017 the play has been touring for ten years, and Mackey is still doing a phenomenal job bringing her characters to life each night. Many of the performances she does, including the show in Brooks, are benefit performances for the Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation, a foundation that works to put a face to our fallen, to share a glimpse into the lives of our soldiers, and to preserve their memories through memorials.
Speaking of memorials, Jake’s Gift is in its own way a memorial to our veterans and their sacrifices. While working on the script, Mackey traveled Normandy, France for six days to attend the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day. During her visit she attended memorial services, paid her respects in the war cemeteries, walked through the countryside and down the beaches, and interviewed veterans who had been apart of D-Day. From their stories she developed Jake as a way to immortalize their memories and to say a thank you to a generation of men and women who made immeasurable sacrifices for freedom.
To learn more about Jake’s Gift, the creators, and the stories that inspired them you can visit their website: jakesgift.com, their twitter: @jakesgift, or their facebook: jake’s gift page.
By: Rebecca Nielsen
The stage is surprisingly barren; the only features being a bench with an indistinguishable cardboard box underneath it, and a stand with an old suitcase propped against it. Songs like A Sentimental Journey and Maria Elena play softly in the background, reminiscent the of smoky dance halls that became the second home for young soldiers in the 40s, waiting in England to cross the channel to France. Though the music doesn’t last long, and as the house lights darken it fades away, drawing the audience’s eyes to the illuminated stage, which for a moment is the brightest thing in the auditorium. But only for a moment, as the stage lights extinguish as well. For a long second the entire theatre is dark, but then a spotlight focuses onto a single person on the stage.
The person standing centre stage is playwright and performer Julia Mackey; the creator of Jake’s Gift and the actress that brings the play’s four characters to life each performance. However, Mackey doesn’t look like the decorated artist her bio portrays her as. Instead she is the embodiment of the spirit of a ten year old. From the mischievous grin that paints her face to the fidgety, excited movements, she is every bit the first character of Jake’s Gift, the one who smiles straight into the crowd and introduces herself with the spunk only a child can muster. “My name is Isabelle, and my classmates and I have the most important job in the whole of the world.”
Isabelle goes onto tell us with an infectious smile about her job. In Isabelle’s words, along with her classmates she takes care of the soldiers. They tend their gardens, they clean their rooms, and they pull up the weeds so that they can see out of their windows. It is easy to see that she takes great pride in her job, and loves to talk about it, but something much more exciting is happening in her French seaside home that week that she can’t wait to talk about. It is the week of June sixth and veterans are gathering in her town for the anniversary of D-Day. Isabelle is practically vibrating with excitement about the return of the soldiers that liberated her country when her grandmother, Grande Isabelle, was her age. It is this excitement and her genuine curiosity that causes Isabelle to meet Jake.
Jake is an eighty year old veteran returning to France for the 60th anniversary. Like most men at his age, Jake can be described as crotchety, grouchy, and hard, but secretly has a heart of gold, which Isabelle quickly finds a place in. At first he tries to brush off Isabelle’s continuous stream of curious questions, but slowly gives in, sharing his story in his answers. Jake answers Isabelle’s seemingly endless questions simply and honestly. He was one of three brothers from Riding Park, Manitoba, all of whom enlisted to receive a new pair of shiny boots. He was on the beaches on June sixth along with his brothers Chester and Marty, but only two other them left the beaches. Chester, the oldest brother, the skilled trumpet player, perished on the sands. Marty had came back to France a few times for the anniversaries and to see Chester, but Marty could never convince Jake to come back with him. This was his first time back in France since the war. Realizing this may be the last time he could return to France, he came back to make it up to Chester and to Marty for never coming back.
The rest of the show plays out over the course of the next two days. In these two days we meet Isabelle’s soldiers; the men who are buried in Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, we sit with Jack when he finally gets to see Chester again,we walk with him as he steps foot on Juno Beach to remember that sixth of June sixty years ago, and we stand with Isabelle as she opens Jake’s final gift on the coast.
Jake’s Gift was written in 2007 and in its ten years has garnered many well deserved awards like Best of Festival at the Winnipeg International Fringe Festival in 2009 and the Touring Artist of the Year Award from the British Columbia Touring Council in 2011. As of 2017 the play has been touring for ten years, and Mackey is still doing a phenomenal job bringing her characters to life each night. Many of the performances she does, including the show in Brooks, are benefit performances for the Canadian Fallen Heroes Foundation, a foundation that works to put a face to our fallen, to share a glimpse into the lives of our soldiers, and to preserve their memories through memorials.
Speaking of memorials, Jake’s Gift is in its own way a memorial to our veterans and their sacrifices. While working on the script, Mackey traveled Normandy, France for six days to attend the sixtieth anniversary of D-Day. During her visit she attended memorial services, paid her respects in the war cemeteries, walked through the countryside and down the beaches, and interviewed veterans who had been apart of D-Day. From their stories she developed Jake as a way to immortalize their memories and to say a thank you to a generation of men and women who made immeasurable sacrifices for freedom.
To learn more about Jake’s Gift, the creators, and the stories that inspired them you can visit their website: jakesgift.com, their twitter: @jakesgift, or their facebook: jake’s gift page.