At Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School, teachers and students promoted anti-bullying week. This year’s theme was “Peace”. Students created the “Tree of Peace” where students pledged to be bully free by placing their palm print on the tree. Other events during the week included a presentation to grade 9 students on the effects of cyber-bullying and the role that bystanders can play in decreasing incidents of bullying. Students also posted myths and facts about bullying in each of the classrooms. A new group of students at BAC will soon be trained to become leaders within their school in developing programs and presentations for their fellow classmates.
Category: Community
Bishop Students Partnering with Crimestoppers
On November 6th, the students of Bishop Alexander Carter C.S.S in Hammer were given a presentation from the nonprofit organization Crime Stoppers. Sudbury Rainbow Crime Stoppers is a partnership of the public, the police, and the media, which provides the community with a proactive program for people to anonymously assist in the solving of crime and contributing to an improved quality of life in our community. Students at Bishop were not only informed about this organization, but also encouraged to use the program to report things that they might see in their community or school that is a crime. They are taking a stance that “this is our community and we want to keep it safe”. A poster will be displayed in the school cafeteria reminding students of this message. Students also learned about the dangers of distracted driving. One student said “It really made me think about how much I affect others when I divert my attention from the road; I definitely think it should be shown to more schools, especially high schools”.
Bishop Students Walk for Mackenzie Rooney
The entire student body of Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School has much to be proud of. Over the past couple of weeks, the students have rallied to kick off the Mackenzie Rooney Memorial Scholarship Fund. Mackenzie Rooney was a Bishop Alexander CSSS student who passed away last year. The students and staff wanted to do something in Mackenzie’s name to keep her legacy alive.
Beginning with a pep rally hosted by the New Hot 93.5’s G-rant – the students were challenged to raise $20,000, and proceeded to raise as much money as they could through a series of fundraisers and community canvassing. To end off the event, the students, joined by Mackenzie’s parents, participated in a memorial walk from the Metro parking lot in Valley East back to their school – approximately 8.3 km. All donning pink toques as it was Mackenzie’s favourite colour, the students were led by staff from Zumba-Vibe for a pre-walk warm up, and then the Greater Sudbury Police Services escorted the group back to their school. Once they had returned, the students enjoyed a barbeque and revealed the grand total raised to go towards the fund.
“For our students to have raised well-over $16,000 for this fund is absolutely incredible,” Cassandra MacGregor, Principal of the school explained. “The entire Bishop ACCSS community united together for a great cause, and I am so proud of their efforts. I am sure that Mackenzie would be just as proud. I am so privileged to work with such an incredible staff, and with such an enthusiastic and passionate group of students.”
Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School Principal “Arrested” for School Fundraiser
On Wednesday, October 23, Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School principal Cassandra MacGregor was taken away in handcuffs by their school liaison officer, Victor LaRoux. As part of the school’s memorial fundraiser for Mackenzie Rooney (a BACCSS student who passed away on August 6, 2012 at the age of 16), MacGregor was met at the school by LaRoux, handcuffed and taken to the Greater Sudbury Police Station and booked. MacGregor had to raise at least $1000 in order to be release as part of her own fundraising challenge for the fundraiser. By the end of the day, MacGregor suppassed her goal of $1000 by collecting $$1243.15 to add to the school’s collective total as the students and staff have been canvassing their neighbourhoods for the past week. The group is capping off this fundraising drive on Tuesday, October 29 with a entire school Zumba session in the Hanmer Metro parking lot and then just over an 8 km walk back to the school. The students will be joined that day by Mackenzie Rooney’s parents.
“Go Gators Go!”
Bishop A. Carter students showed their school spirit at their pep rally October 10th. The host of Hot 93.5 afternoon show, G-Rant, made a special guest appearance and cheered on the students. G-Rant brought his own energy to the pep rally as he challenged the students to raise $20,000 for a Memorial fund for Mackenzie Rooney, a former student who was killed in a tragic accident last August. Students will be canvassing the community to help raise money to reach our goal. A 8.3 km walk is planned for this event on October 29th.
“Think”ing Important at Bishop Alexander Carter
On September 30th, the Sudbury Regional Police and Liaison Officer Victor Leroux visited Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School to hand out “Think Bands”. These are rubberized bands that can be wrapped around cell phones, ipods and other devices. These bands are a symbol to remind students to think before they post things to social media. Constable Leroux handed out over 140 bands and spoke to students about the importance of thinking about what they will post before they press send. Key questions students need to ask themselves include is the information true? Will what they post be hurtful to others? It is illegal? Is it necessary and is it kind?
St. Charles College Hosts University Information Program – October 10
St. Charles College will host representatives from all of 21 of Ontario’s universities on Thursday, October 10, 2013 from 6:30 pm to 8:30pm. The University Information Program (UIP) is free and all secondary school students and their parents/guardians are welcome to attend.
Students who are considering university will be able to speak to university representatives and learn more about different admission requirements, scholarships, residence the application process, campus life and much more. The University Information Program is designed to help graduating students make an informed decision before they apply to universities in January 2014.
“ We are proud to offer this information program for students and parents in our community,” says St. Charles College Program Lead of Guidance Silvia Faggioni. “ It is important that students make informed decisions regarding their future. This is a perfect opportunity to explore universities across Ontario, meet representatives and ask questions – all while not having to leave Sudbury.”
At this event, students and their parents/guardians will be able to attend three 30-minute university presentations. A question and answer period will follow. After the presentations, students will be able to visit all Ontario university representatives for the remainder of the evening.
BACCSS R/C Club Bishop Cup: Gators vs. Patriotes September 23, 2013
They say good things are worth the wait, and Monday’s R/C car race at Bishop Alexander Carter C.S.S. proved it true! After having to postpone the race due to adverse weather conditions, the 1/10th scale racing machines hit the track at the Bishop Carter R/C Speedway. As an added twist to this year’s Bishop Cup event, the Gators invited the R/C club from Franco Cite, located in Sturgeon Falls, to take part in the festivities.
It was an afternoon of high speed and high flying action as over 20 cars raced in 4 exciting classes. At stake were trophies and school pride. To keep track of the action, Bishop Carter set up a state-of-the-art electronic timing system. The system not only tells drivers when to go and stop, but it also keeps track of the number of laps, lap times, and fastest lap all while giving verbal cues to the drivers about their performance during the race.
Not only were students and teachers racing, but a special group of “All Stars” came out to try their hand at R/C racing. This group of star racers included, Bishop Carter’s Principal Mrs. Cassandra MacGregor, Constable Joanne Russell from the Greater Sudbury Police, and Mr. Dan Turnbull from the Greater Sudbury Fire Service. Not only did the All Stars have fun, but they also gained a whole new respect for how difficult these little racers are to control.
R/C racing is an inexpensive hobby. Many students have joined the club. Some students are racers. Some students are part of a tech crew, while others are part of the track crew. Some students serve as race marshals. Evidently, there is a role for any student interested in joining the club. Proceeds from the R/C buyout will go towards purchasing a set of school racers for students who are interested in trying out this activity before buying their own R/C racer.
After the dust settled, it was a fun and exciting day for everyone involved, including not only the students and teachers who were racing, but also for the students, parents, and special guests watching from the grandstands. With this fall’s R/C buyout being such a huge success, they are excited about planning for the up-coming spring’s R/C buyout.
Bishop ACCSS Holds Club and Sports Fair
Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School hosted a Grade 9 Club and Sports Fair during the third week of school. Often Grade 9 students find entering Grade 9 and a new high school scary or intimidating. The staff and students at Bishop want students to feel comfortable in their new school and want to encourage students to get involved. Many studies speak to the importance of students getting involved in their school. Students who are involved in any extra curricular activity (sports or clubs) are more likely to stay in school and report higher levels of engagement. Grade 9 students had the opportunity to see the many clubs and sports teams at the school during their annual Club and Sports Fair. Senior students at the school were responsible for setting up a booth and promoting their activity to the Grade 9 students. The Grade 9 students were able to sign up for a club/sport and enjoyed seeing what the school had to offer.
“The Bishop Cup” – BACCSS’s First Ever R/C Car Race
On May 9th, 2013, Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School hosted its first ever R/C (remote controlled) car races. It was a great day for motor car racing. The sky was blue and the temperature was holding study at about 20 degrees. There was an impressive turn out of about 18 cars and approximately 75 spectators. The cars were divided up into 3 different classes, Monster Truck, Stock, and Mod. To wrap-up the day, a no-holds-barred race named “Top Dawg” was held where all the drivers raced at once.
It was an afternoon full of thrills, spills, and speed as racers participated in a total of 16 different heat races. In the end, four winners crowned. In the Monster truck Class, student Liam Mitchel came out on top and student Zander Fortier topped the field in Stock. In the Mod class, teacher Paul Mailloux prevailed and finally in Top Dawg, student James Roque beat out all the other competitors to claim first place. When the dust settled at the end of the day, all of the drivers (students and teachers alike) did an awesome job of keeping the crowd entertained and the cars running strong all afternoon. A special thanks goes out to all the spotters (people who flip the cars back on their wheels after a crash), lap counters, announcers, grillers, and spectators. Without your help and support, none of this could have happened!
BAC R/C club didn’t pop up over night. It actually began way back in September 2012, when a group of teachers (Kirk Mckee, Serge Remillard, and Paul Mailloux) thought it would be great if there could be a club that would interest the schools large population of “Gearheads”. I was decided that R/C car racing would be the perfect club because it’s very hands on, students learn about how cars work, safe, and it’s affordable. Anther bonus is that the racing ties into curriculum nicely. The Manufacturing and Wood Working classes were crucial in the actual fabrication of the track. The Gr. 9-10 Workplace Math class was put in charge of measuring and dividing the track into 10 equal sized chunks. The Specialist High Skills Major class recorded the event from an array of different angles and are currently editing the footage. Numerous teachers are incorporating the cars into physics and math questions. In the future, the club plans on further expanding its membership and possibly team up with some community clubs. While the members aren’t racing, the teachers are showing the students how to maintain and tune-up their machines.
Brand new “Traxxas” R/C cars start off at $200 for a ready to go package which includes the car, battery, charger and radio. Also, all the parts to repair the cars are available at Best Buy and Future Shop. Lots of people think of the old, slow, clumsy R/C cars that they had when they were a kid. Don’t get confused, these aren’t toys. Out of the box, these electric 1/10 scale cars can go anywhere from 35-70mph!
There are all kinds of ways to get involved with R/C club at BAC. Maybe the most obvious way is to buy a car and race, but that isn’t the only way. The club is always looking for members who want to be involved in track maintenance, spotting, lap counting, marshalling, and so on. Without members doing these important jobs, the races are very hard to put on. The club will be hosting several other races this spring. Spectators and new members are always welcome, and remember, no car is needed!