Departments
Arts:
The Arts are alive and well at STL!
The Saint Theresa of Lisieux Arts Department welcomed back its student artists this past fall after a long awaited return to our in-person learning and activities. Regardless of the challenges which were presented to us by the ongoing pandemic, our Music, Visual Arts and Drama programs have been alive and well over the past few months, enriching the lives of all our students. We are more than thrilled to have the Arts touch our lives, as well as the wider STL community, in our return. Here are a few highlights of the things we are grateful to have participated in and experienced, together.
As in STL tradition, our Drama students once again took on the important responsibility of honouring our Canadian soldiers and veterans in our Remembrance Day presentation. In a new, virtual format, the Grade 10 students presented “Letters From War,” an interpretive series of tableaus adapted from real, World War I and World War II letters sent home by Canadian soldiers to their loved ones. Coupled with moving performances of “O Canada” by the STL Vocal Class, as well as Brianna Nita’s performance of “Strong” by the Arkells, the presentation was a moving tribute to those who have fought and paid the ultimate price for our country and our freedoms.
Our Visual Arts program has also continued to thrive, providing our student-artists with a variety of opportunities to explore and expand their artistic abilities both inside the classroom and beyond. Our ever-popular Sketchbook Club, with Mr. Meiorin at the helm, has provided an extracurricular opportunity for dozens of students to enjoy exploring their skills in a carefree, supportive environment. With weekly prompts, our artists have found enjoyment and solace in the beautiful world of Visual Arts outside of their classroom spaces.
No pandemic will stop our STL Music program, which has continued to serve our incredibly talented student-musicians throughout even the most uncertain of circumstances over these past few months. Specifically, our music program lifted our holiday spirits with our outdoor, socially distanced, “Christmas Cheer” event on December 4th, 2021. The Grade 9 to 12 Music classes, Student Ensembles and Vocal classes wowed the STL community at this inaugural event. Attendees were kept toasty with cheer with renditions of Christmas classics like, “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” and “Feliz Navidad,” among many more! With the care and guidance of our dedicated music teachers, Ms. Doria and Ms. Buffa, the morning of music did not disappoint and truly showed us that music brings us peace, joy and above all, hope, all year ‘round.
Finally, STL Music ended off the year with two more major milestones. First, our hands-on, in-person drumming workshop featuring Professor Steve Mancusco, provided students with an immersive experience into percussion. Second, our music program is proud to announce that our Senior Vocal Ensemble, directed by Ms. Buffa, made the Top 10 in CBC’s Canadian Music Class Challenge. Our Senior Ensemble was in esteemed company, as this competition featured music students from across Canada! We congratulate them on this incredible accomplishment.
We are proud to create a home for the Arts and student-artists here at STL, as we believe in the importance of creative thought and expression, in person or online. We hope you will join us in engaging with our program on our Instagram page - @STLarts. We are immeasurably proud of our student artists and the incredible community they are creating and contributing to! BRAVO!
Business:
The Business Department would like to congratulate all FBLA students on their amazing accomplishments and success at the Canadian National Leadership Conference. Our STL Chapter was committed and determined to compete in individual and team categories. Once again, STL students showed their spirit and drive to succeed.
In addition to STL’s Chapter awards, “Chapter with most members who placed,” and “Largest Chapter,” we would like to recognize a few students in our FBLA group who did exceptionally well.
Top 3 - Advancing to Internationals:
Romelo Perera - Business Calculations
Ivy Li - International Business
Rachel Chen & Jordan Lee - Business Plan
Top 10:
Maya Umicevic - Accounting I
Adrian Vasiliev - Personal Finance
Victor Banica & David Ilijevski - Sports and Entertainment
Alyssa You, Alyna Gangji, Pauline Botros - Marketing
Hena Park & Emma Shi - Hospitality
Marcus Shen & Elon Cheon - Business Plan
Top 20:
Darlene Ballkaniku - Accounting I
Richard Hamawi - Accounting I
Richelle Antonythasan - Personal Finance
Rayna Lima - Personal Finance
Sarah He - Personal Finance
Devin Chauhan - Business Calculations
Maya Korvat - Health Care Administration
Claudia Dai - Health Care Administration
Charles Zhang & Angela Zhou - Marketing
Emma McRae & Mark Niro - International Business
Connie Xie & Vivian Song - Hospitality
Kevin Liu - Entrepreneurship
Congratulations again to all!!!
The STL Business Department would like to showcase our brand new Instagram account. You can expect to see all business students’ achievements and success stories within the department as well as a day in the life of an STL Business student. Come check us out @stl_business.
Library Learning Commons:
The STL Library Learning Commons is finally open for business. From the time we opened, students have continued to stream through the library doors. On average, approximately 200 students come to the library each day. They work independently in the study carrels and in groups at the tables. Students and classes collaborate and study together in a space that is conducive to learning. The energy of student learning and social interaction is welcomed. Students are now allowed to borrow books from the library. I am very pleased that novels and print sources for research assignments are being signed out again. Students also consult the many ebooks and other digital resources we have. We would like to thank the Catholic School Council for their donation to our library. The money is always used for the purchase of resources which will help students with their assignments and with leisure reading. The Library Learning Commons is as vibrant as it was before Covid; it is once again the hub of STL.
Math:
On February 23rd, our students wrote the prestigious University of Waterloo Pascal, Cayley and Fermat math contests. Good luck to the over 90 students that wrote the contests. Next up is the World renowned Euclid Contest on April 5th. Good luck to all!
Modern Languages:
In recognition of the lengthy past, two hour and thirty-minute periods, a "REFRESH" of ten minutes was standardized. This reprieve was designated to support successful pedagogical practices and acknowledge the well-being of our staff and students.
Mme Sabatini's class took this opportunity to do a fun and physical activity during this block. Sitting constantly gave the group the idea to get up to dance. Why not? Dancing is great as a bodily and mental exercise, especially since the long stretches of class time were occasionally tiring. The favorite pop selection made was “Waka Waka; Time for Africa.” This song was ideal for the French class, as Africa has the most Francophone countries in a single continent in the world, 21 to be exact. The class’s special guest was none other than Ms. Mastromartino.
On the second floor of St. Theresa of Lisieux, nestled on the south east wall, one will find an enchanted work of Art. It is a mural depicting a glimpse of French culture. C'est absolument magnifique!! This remarkable chef-d'oeuvre was created by Mr. Meiorin's talented team of students under his brilliant guidance.
The members of the Department of Modern Languages would like to express their profound appreciation and gratitude for this unique piece. The design, selection of colours, and the movement are truly representative of a picture perfect day. The "peinture murale" has certainly impressed the "berets" off our department members' heads. Mme Cappella, Mme Tomasone, M. Puopolo, and Mme Sabatini along with their students are thankful for their efforts and time put towards the planning and execution of this mural.
It brings an uplifting and joyful presence to the space. For those who travelled to Paris, it captures a certain nostalgia and associated happy memories. And for those who were considering visiting Paris, it now provides an aspirational goal, when travel once again becomes a norm of our life.
This labour of love is most definitely a piece the entire school will be able to enjoy for years to come.
