E d i t o r i a l

A mantra that I live my life by is “live life on purpose” which are the wise words of Jay Shetty. But I was no longer doing that. I had an epiphany that as a result of the lockdowns, I became so focused on when it would end and I was not being mindful of the process and the journey that I was on. I wanted to get back to growing more as a person.

Every day we meet people who seem happy and look like they have everything sorted out in life, but we never really know how they actually feel. Outside, they might appear to be happy but inside, they could be sad, stressed, or angry. For many people, money is the main cause of their happiness or grief.

The presence of fake reviews predominantly affects prospective buyers. It is quite difficult to tell the difference between a real and fake review, so the buyer might receive a product that is lower quality than expected or even a different product altogether.

The life of a perfectionist is not as glorious as it seems to be. In reality, they are the ones who work overtime at their job, restart an assignment five times, and retake a test until they receive a 100%. In other words, they are extremely hard on themselves as their success is never enough. Whatever they do, it appears that there is always a greater height to aim for, and thus, they are never satisfied with what they have already accomplished. They are extremely critical of themselves as they constantly spot mistakes when others don’t see an

Young Thug, and A$AP Rocky have worn dresses before, and they haven’t received much hate and criticism. In my opinion, Harry Styles is receiving criticism because many people may not like the idea of him wearing a dress because of the amount of fame he has. I also think that people may think he is influencing others to wear dresses, or whatever they want in the wrong way. When Harry Styles posted an image on his Instagram, he said “Bring back manly men.” a week after being criticized. Harry Styles could have possibly worn the dress for fun and may not have intended it to be a political statement.

It’s not the end of the world if everyone is similar. Even if no one is extraordinary, people are all destined to do something. They are still able to chase their dreams, learn about life, and live life the way they want. In the end, being special isn’t important anyway, because it doesn’t change the way people want to live.

The two digit number classified as my mark next to my course code on Markbook does not define my success. It is extremely easy to say this phrase, but to me and my fellow classmates at Bethune, it is not as easy to truly believe it.

The life of a perfectionist is not as glorious as it seems to be. In reality, they are the ones who work overtime at their job, restart an assignment five times, and retake a test until they receive a 100%. In other words, they are extremely hard on themselves as their success is never enough. Whatever they do, it appears that there is always a greater height to aim for, and thus, they are never satisfied with what they have already accomplished. They are extremely critical of themselves as they constantly spot mistakes when others don’t see an

Scrolling through social media, it’s easy to notice the chic outfits of influencers and the clothing companies that they purchase from. However, the trend has shifted from flaunting their designer brands to becoming more environmentally conscious. Many influencers have opted to purchase from second hand stores in a process known as thrifting. Thrifting, as defined by Goodwill, simply means to purchase items from a garage sale, flea market, or a thrift shop.

Seeds are selling out! You might be thinking, “I want to do a little gardening for myself.” You’ve never done it, but you want those cucumbers, those cherry tomatoes and even those baby carrots for yourself. Well, this is the year. You are not alone if that is your thought process, because many celebrities such as Bretman Rock, Bella Hadid, Joe Jitsukawa, and even Kylie Jenner have a green thumb!

If you have spent any amount of time on the internet, you might remember the drama surrounding influencers such as Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star or the posts using “#_____isoverparty” on Twitter. This eventually leads you into the wondrous world of “cancel culture”, which is a term used when the public finds a celebrity’s behaviour problematic. The celebrity then gets “cancelled,” meaning that they get boycotted by a large group of people. This process usually involves social shaming and the ruining of careers.

Over the years, our society has gone through many changes and consequences in humanity, such as LGBTQ rights, women's rights, gender equality, backgrounds and race. As we try to change our opinions and views on certain topics and events, we never seem to truly understand and acknowledge the change that's been made. We bring awareness to certain topics as we speak about them, but as we continue, we get distracted from our improvements on these issues and eventually forget all that we’ve done.

Over the past decades, more women have not only considered enrolling in engineering programs, but have established careers in the field. Despite the growing numbers, women are still significantly underrepresented in engineering education programs and engineering as a profession remains the most male dominated field in STEM.

With this year being so drastically different, I was curious and decided to survey some people at Bethune about their screen times before remote learning started, compared to now. The average screen time for Grades 11 and 12 students increased by 150%, from 8 hours to 12 hours. While for many teachers like Mr. Till and Mr. Harrop, their screen time increased by more than two times!

When my fast-paced world, formerly driven by to-do lists and deadlines, was confronted with a red light I never foresaw — a pandemic — my mother’s words echoed in my ears. The world and myself were in for a rude awakening.

Undoubtedly, social media plays a large role in providing COVID-19 updates. Whether it’s reading President Trump’s tweets or seeing 6ixbuzz updates on Instagram, there is news about COVID-19 everywhere. Friends and relatives are quick to repost and share the news, but how accurate are these reports?

What started as a two-week extension of March Break, escalated to the cancellation of the 2019-2020 school year entirely. While some businesses have started to open again and adults are returning to work, students are left at home with not much to do. During this time, you might be tempted to hunker down in your home and glue yourself to your computer, laptop, or phone. However, we need to take our health seriously, more than ever.

Quarantine hits differently when you’re bored at home with nothing ‘productive’ to do. Why not grow some plants? These plants can provide you with food, a sense of responsibility, and increase your property value if you choose to grow them outside. Here’s a guide to growing a couple of easy, and common vegetables and fruits you’d find at home.

During this quarantine, I’m sure many of you have been reflecting on yourselves and things from the past year and many years before. Me including, I realized the memorable and exciting moments are when you yourself accomplish or grow from an experience. After applying for the Leader’s lab hosted by two amazing organizations: 1UP Toronto and Urban Minds, I was ecstatic to find my acceptance email on July 14, 2019.

“I pity the man who wants a coat so cheap that the man or woman who produces the cloth will starve in the process,” says Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd U.S. president. Fair trade is a deal that allows producers in developing countries to earn stable living wages, work in safe conditions and receive community benefits through customers paying a slightly higher price.

But even though we know almost everyone is spending their quarantine just like we are, for many people, there’s an invisible pressure that comes with this pandemic: the pressure to do more with what appears to be more time.

Countries all around the world are taking precautions and assumed lockdown procedures to flatten the curve of the number of cases. However, as global cases continue to soar, one country managed to tackle the threat against public health and turn the tide in a matter of two months—South Korea.

Everyday, we are constantly judging others. In a span of seven short seconds, we can make a solid decision about whether a person is friendly, likeable, confident, or trustworthy in our minds. A person has seven seconds—the average amount of time it takes to spell out your name—to make a lasting connection.

Just when the world thought 2020 would bring new beginnings, second chances and fresh opportunities, it was not long before our eyes were opened to disaster. Frequent news reports such as the Australian wildfires and the rapid growth of COVID-19 soon had everyone questioning the future of the new decade.

What courses are you taking? What are you planning on going into? “I don’t know” is a common answer to these questions. In mid-February, students at Bethune selected their courses after weeks of agonizing over what direction they want to go in the future.

Although it began as a trend, its overuse has left the general public contemplating if the phrase is ageist toward the baby boomer population. It has even been brought up by a United States Supreme Court judge, John Roberts, during a woman’s case regarding discrimination due to her gender by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Is the phrase, “OK boomer” ageist?

Whether born in Canada or abroad, the children of immigrant families face intense challenges due to the differences between their cultural background and the communities they live in. The journey of learning to embrace their culture in the face of adversity is piled on top of the normal growing pains of youth.

Social media is similar to a magnet—it attracts teenagers for hours, forcing them to mindlessly scroll. As the use of social media continues to increase, so does the number of cyberbullies.

Urban sprawl is a growing problem; negatively affecting farmers, wildlife, local governments, and perhaps most importantly: the people living in these neighborhoods. This horrific cycle of heightening expenses and more fatalities will only rise if it’s left to expand.

Could dinosaurs speak fluent Spanish? Let’s be real. The answer’s most likely "hell yeah." Reason being? We have no evidence proving otherwise.

Boba, bubble tea, pearl milk tea – this beverage goes by many names. There is no doubt that this drink has grown in popularity lately. What once was a drink mainly found in Asia, now has stores selling it worldwide

A repost here, another like there. That’s what most people really know about the Australian wildfires. It’s an awfully life-threatening tragedy that is globally known, yet still not important enough to be the topic of conversation of today’s youth.

As time flies by in which the present quickly becomes the past, the future becomes the present as well. Unfortunately, it seems that we never understand the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

Recently Ontario’s Ministry of Education announced that it will be mandatory for students to take a minimum of two online e-Learning courses in order to graduate. Since the announcement, students, teachers and parents have criticized Ontario’s plan.

The generation we live in now is all about how we dress, our clothes, styles, brands, and what's trending, many of us buy new clothes every week without even considering how full our closets already are, and this leads to fashion pollution.

Club events and retreats have the potential to create the most memorable memories for students. Bethune students should also encourage each other to reach out and join more activities outside of school. There are so many opportunities for students to network and meet others who share the same passion which can be a social sport or team event.

"Field trips are a vital part of learning to say the least, however, the Saint Lawrence Market may be a very overrated place to host one due to lack of organization, student appreciation, and a decline in interest."

According to the World Health Organization, out of 1 billion people, one in seven have a form of disability.

How much sleep did you get last night? 7 hours, and you’re tired? Try four. You ever been up so late you hear the birds in the morning? How much coffee did you drink today? None? You’re insane; I need two shots of espresso to get through math.

What is the perfect pencil case? Most people would scoff at this question, thinking that this isn’t a topic worth spending their time pondering over.

Vape pens and e-cigarettes are battery-powered smoking devices that have cartridges inside the pen filled with liquid.

"Dystopian literature can help open eyes and see what has become of our world. Because the plots in this genre are to the extreme, it is easy to compare with today’s society and how “little” choices we make daily are significant."

"When you open yourself up for opportunities, failure or what may seem risky, you later find yourself in a position you may never expect yourself to be in."

Interviews can be daunting and nerve-racking, especially for high school students who are competing to obtain their first position in the job market.

One can enjoy their high school experience at Bethune through embracing the unknown.