Overarching Reflections

Although I've only been at Collingwood for 3 years, I can tell see great of an environment it is to grow up in - not just for learning, but for maturing. The teachers are passionate and knowledgeable, and they inspire us to be better students. The four-stranded approach encourages everyone to be balanced and well-rounded, which is truly reflected in the incredibly diverse and talented student body.

As everyone leaves for college, Collingwood will always hold a special irreplacable place in our hearts. Personally, I have changed a lot for the better since I began attending Collingwood. I have become a greater risk-taker, a greater leader, and a greater person.

Grade 12 Reflections

Service Reflections - Human Services

After taking Pre-AP and AP Art History, I asked Ms Walsh to be her Human Services student and sit in on the Art History classes this year. I helped out in lesson preparation and attending lunchtime sessions, answering questions from students. 

In the past two years, there were times when I wasn't looking forward to going to class, or blanked out in the middle of a lecture. However, seeing how much work and effort is put into every class makes me appreciate every class and every teacher; the work that is put into every lesson that teach. 

Being able to give back to teachers who have done so much for me is a very important thing for me, and I am happy to have had the opportunity to do so.

Athletics Reflections - Soccer 

After trying out for the soccer team in Grade 10 and 11, I finally made the team in my grad year. I was able to play a large amount of the games, and I believe I made a valuable contribution to the team.

Being part of a team is a very special feeling - of being accountable not only for yourself but for the other 10 people on the field with you. That feeling of not wanting to let others down makes everyone run faster and tackle harder, and contributes to the great team spirit that we had.

I made many good friends on the soccer team, from shivering at 6.30am practices to stretching down after a great win. We had a very good season, making the playoffs and almost winning the league, but it is the bonds that we formed that we will remember long after we forget the score.

Academic Reflections - University Acceptance

At the start of the year, I was quite intent on going to the US for college. However, things didn't work out and I began to consider Canadian Universities. I am very happy to be attending University of Toronto next year; the feeling of receiving my acceptance letter was a wonderful recognition of all my hard work throughout high school, and a huge burden lifted off my shoulders.

Grade 12 Highlights

Academics - AP Physics C

I decided to take the AP Physics C course in Grade 12, which has definitely been one of the most difficult courses I have taken in my high school career. It combines calculus and physics concepts – which led to

Service - Human Services

After taking Pre-AP and AP Art History, I asked Ms Walsh to be her Human Services student and sit in on the Art History classes this year. I helped out in lesson preparation and attending lunchtime sessions, answering questions from students

Athletics - Soccer

I played on the soccer team this year. It was a very rewarding experience, as I was able to form some bonds with my teammates. We went to the island for ISA’s, where we had some great games and had a lot of fun. In our North Shore League, we finished 3^rd, we were just a couple points off 1^st place. We eventually lost in the playoffs, but we exceeded expectations, and definitely put in our best effort.

Encounter XXI

Encounter XXI is one of the most prominent highlights of my high school career. I took a lot from it that I will remember for a long time.

Robotics

Once again, I was a part of the robotics team. However, this year in robotics was very different because of my role within it. It was run this year as a class, with more of an organized structure. I was the leader of one of the teams, so I had a very different role – I had to be more organized and had to give out instructions to my team members. Responsibility and accountability, especially to deadlines, was something I had to learn.

U of T

After all the stress of university applications, I was accepted to University of Toronto, where I will be attending next year, studying Physics.

House trivia

As part of the house competitions, I represented Geer in House Trivia. We played round robin games, and managed to beat most of the other houses, advancing us to the finals. Although it wasn’t our day in the finals, we were happy with our second place finish, and with the fact that we could help our house in the standings.

Grade 11 Reflections

Academics Reflection - Chess Subject Prize

Before I took the Chess 12 course, I didn't really even know the rules of chess, let alone be able to recognize the finer points of the game. Through the course of my grade 11, I developed a deep interest in chess, and sought to improve my game constantly. This is greatly due to the teaching of Mr Streit, who brought the history and strategies of chess to life in his classes.

Because of my passion for chess, I began to read quite deeply into the different opening positions, and thus I scored very highly on the "tests" that Mr Streit would give us. Thus, I was happy to receive the subject prize for Chess, which I felt was a recognition for the time and effort I had put into learning the game.

Although I may never be able to duel Mr Streit in a game, I have learnt so much about the game, and I would like to continue learning more and more so I can one day challenge him.

Athletics Reflection - Table Tennis

Table Tennis is often viewed as a hobby as opposed to a sport, an activity which doesn't require much skill or physical ability. Joining the table tennis team in Grade 11 showed me how wrong this is. Under Lester's coaching, I went from a complete blank slate to a member of the Collingwood team. I attended practices faithfully, eager to see what new shot or skill Lester would teach us that week.

His enthusiasm was infectious, and soon I developed a passion for the fast-paced, intense game that is table tennis. Before I knew it, I was going online to watch matches and videos of the top players, and trying to see how I could improve my own game.

I went to the BC Championships held at St Georges School, but unfortunately I lost in the 1st round of the singles, and our team was unable to progress past the group stages. However, it was eye-opening to the great skill and ability of my peers, and showed me just how far practice can get someone.

Service Reflection - LiveWire

After having such a good time at Grade 5 camp, I decided that I enjoyed volunteering with children around that age. Therefore, I volunteered at an after-school program at my church entitled LiveWire, designed to give Grade 5-7s a safe place to hang out at after school. There would be a schedule for the day, usually involving crafts or sports, and I had lots of fun joining in.

Interacting with the kids really opened my eyes up to how lucky I am to have grown up in the environment that I did - most of the kids grew up without parents or from very broken homes.

I believe service should give yourself a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment, which is exactly what I felt when working with these children.

Grade 11 Highlights

Academics - Chess Subject Prize

I decided to take the Chess 12 course taught by Mr Streit. We learnt about the history of chess, and the various tactics we can use. It was a very fun an engaging course, and I managed to  achieve the subject prize at the end of the year.

Chess Tournament

A group of 5 Collingwood students entered the Vancouver Regional Chess Championship, where we took part in individual and team events. Our team won the championship, to our great surprise. It was a fun, rewarding, and mentally exhausting day with a great outcome.

Service – Livewire

I began volunteering at an after-school program for under-privileged youth in Vancouver. It is catered to Grades 5-7, giving them a safe place to hang out after school. I would go after school and play hockey or watch a movie with them,

Athletics - Table Tennis

I joined the table tennis team, coached by Lester, at the start of the year. We had practices once a week, where I would learn the basics of table tennis. It was much harder than I’d expected, requiring great reflexes and quick decision-making. Although I was possibly the worst player on the team, we all went to the tournament hosted by St. Georges. I didn’t win a game, but I enjoyed watching Lester beat everyone.

Robotics

I joined the Robotics team at the beginning of Grade 11. We met at lunch 2-3 times a week, and after school to discuss, plan, and build. It taught me about teamwork and communication, as well as being interesting and challenging. We went to tournaments at BCIT and on the island, and we placed reasonably well in them, we won the Create Award for best design at the VEX Championships.

Bass

In the summer before Grade 11, I picked up the electric bass, having wanted to do so for quite a while. Since I had lots of time on my hands, I decided to get a bass and amp from Craigslist and self-teach. It was difficult, but it was extremely rewarding to learn any skill on your own, and to carry through with an ambition.

Physics Olympics

I took part in the Physics Olympics competition organized by UBC. There was a pre-build component, where we had to build a musical instrument to play a specific sound frequency made of Styrofoam, and a quiz component. We did well on both components, placing 7^th overall out of over 30 schools. As a Grade 11, I was able to learn a lot from the experience and am glad I was given the opportunity to attend.

Grade 10 Reflections

Arts Reflection

I created this model using Autodesk Maya in Multimedia 11 class. The project was to model something from real life, and I decided to use this pair of headphones because they were made of fixed shapes, so I thought it would be easier to model. I spent about 5-6 classes on the model, perfecting every ridge and colour. Also, I configured the lighting and the shadow in the image. 

While creating this piece, I was extremely focussed on creating my desired result. As opposed to a usual piece of art, I didn’t have to use much creativity as I was drawing on a real life object. I had to be patient and careful, as making a mistake while rushing would only waste more time. I am extremely proud of this piece of art as it required a mastery of the software, which I had only just learnt. I had to navigate the many menus and options of a foreign interface in order to render my desired effect.

From the process of creating this piece, I definitely learnt how to concentrate on a single piece of work until I achieve my result. I learnt that achieving technical perfection takes a large amount of practice and patience.

Athletics Reflection

In Grade 10, the only sport I played was Badminton. Before joining badminton, I had only ever played it leisurely, so to have organized competitive play was definitely a change. I attended most practices, and my ability improved through the few months that we were playing. Although we rarely won our matches, we gave a good representation of ourselves by having fun, trying our best, and being sportsmanlike.

Most of the time when I played, I was in a doubles pair. Being in a doubles pair requires so much communication and constant encouragement, as well as being able to acknowledge your own faults. Thus, I learnt far more than just badminton skills, but also how to effectively work as part of a team.

Although I never joined the badminton team in the following years, I thoroughly enjoyed my team in it, and made many good friends while I was on the team. I learnt some valuable skills which have definitely proven to be applicable later in life.

Service Reflection

Toward the end of Grade 10, I volunteered to be a Grade 5 Camp Counselor. It was a three day camp, and through those three days I picked up many things, including my own strengths and weaknesses. I was put in charge of a group of 10 boys, which was much larger of a responsibility I have ever had until then. I was put through a whole range of emotions, from stress, to concern, to joy. 

On the first night we were there, I was extremely tired and wanted to sleep, but all the boys in my cabin were still awake and keeping me awake. I lost my temper and snapped at one of the boys in particular, and while he immediately fell silent, I felt as if I could have handled the situation better. 

This is just one example of the many things I learnt during the camp, which was supposed to be a learning experience for the Grade 5's but ended up benefiting me greatly as well. 

Of course, the counselors and I had a great time at the camp in our free time, and I made many new friends there. The camp was an overall great experience, and I am very glad that I took the leap to volunteer for it. 

Academics Reflection

As I was new to the school in Grade 10, it was the first time I was doing a "science fair" project. To make matters worse, I chose to partner with another student who was a first-timer. We decided on the topic of "The Aerodynamics of Flight", a research project that would detail how aeroplanes fly.

We procrastinated a good deal on this project, and left it to the last minute to start organizing. We met on the weekend before it was due, and had to rush through most of the content. I created a model biplane made from styrofoam and toothpicks for the exhibiton. Still, we received a 91%, which we were both pleased with.

The main things I learnt from this project was that I must be proactive and diligent in work, something that I must really apply in college so I don't fall too far behind in my work. 

Grade 10 Highlights

Athletics – Badminton

In the Spring, I decided to take up Badminton, seeing it as a good way to keep my fitness levels up and have some fun at the same time. Previously, I didn’t have a lot of experience playing badminton, but decided to see how I did. When we played in our first match, we were surprised at the extremely high standards of other schools. This inspired us to work even harder at improving our skills and teamwork.

Arts – Multimedia 11 Project

For a project in Autodesk Maya, a 3D rendering software, I modelled a pair of headphones on a stand. Using only pictures for a guide, I managed to model the object and colours, then added lighting effects. I did this in about 5 lessons, without any prior experience in using the software. Although I had to have several consultations with Mr Rogers before finally getting everything to look right, I has satisfied with the way it turned out.

Service – Grade 5 Camp counselling

This year, I volunteered to be a counsellor for a three day camp in Camp Squeah, Hope, B.C. for the Grade 5s. I learnt a lot of accountability and responsibility, while having lots of fun engaging in activities with the kids and fellow counsellors.

Academics - 91% on Science Fair

For science fair, my partner and I worked on a project entitled “The Aerodynamics of Flight”. As we were both relatively interested in the subject, we were able to find motivation to do research. We both put effort and time into the project and were pleased to have received a good mark. Although it was our first time doing the project, we managed to attain 91%, a mark which we were happy with.

Academics – Math 12

At the beginning of the year, I decided to take Math 12. I found it challenging, but under the tutelage of Mr Rose, I began to understand the key concepts and tricks behind it. Although I didn’t do very well in my first tests, I continued to work hard and finished Term 1 with a strong A. In Term 2, I kept at it and managed to improve my mark further, finishing Term 2 with a 94%.

Choice – Art History lesson at Wentworth

At the end of the academic year, we had an assignment to design a lesson plan for Grade 6 students, then go to the Wentworth campus and spend an hour with them. We had to balance keeping them engaged and teaching them, which was a struggle. My group did our lesson about Egyptian art, and we felt we managed to successfully convey the key points about the time period while keeping them entertained and sustaining their interest throughout.