New 2012-13 Student Executive

Senior girls gathered for a special forum assembly on Tuesday morning for Election Week.

There was stiff competition for all roles, including a record number vying for position of Head Girl. Ballots were cast on Wednesday and Thursday morning (second round of votes for Head Girl), and election results were announced Thursday, end of day.

During the forum, the panel fielded a series of prepared questions followed by an impromptu round. Staff and students had the chance to learn a little more about the candidates:

  • Being the youngest of three sisters, Amy recommends that incoming Grade 8 students get involved: “there are so many opportunities, take advantage and try new things.”
  • Andrea’s proudest Moment as a Yorkie was representing YHS with the Senior Concert Band in Eastern Europe: “the beautiful cathedrals were amazing.”
  • Breanna thinks the greatest challenge facing Yorkies today is time management: “It’s really important to use your agenda and prioritize.” Serena says, “don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.”
  • Jenny thinks she’d be a valuable asset to the exec team as she’s “quite calm, organizes things quite well and can bring humor to Monday’s assemblies!”
  • Amabel says she smiles to “brighten the mood” as a way of contributing to the York House Community on a daily basis.
  • Keira says that the advantage of being a member of an all female student body is that she “is given the opportunity to pursue my interests without fear of judgement and can speak up in class.”
  • Madeleine looks up to Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF: “She is a women of intelligence and poise heading an international organization.” Keira is inspired by her mom: “She’s involved in so many different things, but doesn’t neglect the needs of herself or someone else.”
  • Poljanka says that as a member of the new exec she would establish a new Spirit Day in Term 2. Breanna shared the idea of having a “giant hide-and-seek with the entire school all at once.” Vanessa would like to see a new Spirit Day after recitations that incorporates “winter themed activities such as a snow man competition”.
  • Mercedes says that to be an effective team leader, you have to “know when to draw the line, be a good public speaker and delegator.”
  • Vanessa wants to be Vice Head because “she loves this school and wants to give back.”
  • As Head Girl, Andrea says the impression she’d want to leave with someone watching assembly is “what a great community we have.”

Congratulations to the new Student Executive for 2012-13:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Head Girl – Andrea
Vice Head Girl  – Vanessa
Community Service Captain – Mercedes
Community Service Captain – Libby
House Captain (Iroquois) – Jenna
House Captain (Algonquin)  – Danielle
House Captain (Nootka)  – Katie
House Captain (Huron)  – Shayna
Class President 12A  – Sophie
Class President 12H – Janet
Class President 12I – Denice
Class President 12N – Consuela

Michelle’s Junior Nationals Experience

Michelle, Gr. 6, lets us know what it was like to compete at the Junior Nationals for Tennis:

Michelle,6Y-TennisNationals
Team BC after the tournament holding their trophies. Michelle is 2nd to the left in the second row.

I’ve been very busy these last two weeks playing tennis in the U12 Indoor Nationals in Calgary and the U14 Indoor Nationals in West Vancouver.

To make it to the Junior Nationals, I had to play in five qualifying tournaments and ended up in the top five to be selected for the provincial team. Five girls and five boys were on Team BC.

The U12 Nationals took place at the Tennis Academy in Calgary and lasted for six days. Sixty-four kids from across Canada participated in the tournament. Each player on Team BC had to room with another player from the team. I had a fantastic time playing in this tournament and I gained a lot of experience as a tennis player. I learned about how other kids play tennis and I got to compare my game against the best kids my age in all of Canada.

In the U12 Nationals, I played 6 singles matches and I got a very good result. I won 4 matches and lost 2 and I beat a few top players from Quebec and Ontario. I won Flight 3 and took home a trophy!

The following week, I played in the U14 Nationals, which took place at the Hollyburn Country Club in West Vancouver. It was another amazing week for me, this time playing kids who were at least 1 to 2 years older than me. Some of girls were as tall as my mom. The opponents were definitely tougher and more experienced, but I tried not be intimidated and stuck to playing my game.

From both my national experiences, I learned that it is not all about winning or losing and getting a good result. Playing Nationals is about gaining experience and getting better. I feel that I have definitely grown as a player from the first day of U12 Nationals to the last day of U14 Nationals.

HERE IS A TYPICAL DAY AT NATIONALS:

5:30 (AM) the alarm goes off and we have to get up
6:00 quick 5 minute team meeting in the hotel lobby
6:05 we go down to eat breakfast in the hotel lobby with all our teammates
6:25 the shuttle comes to pick us up to go to the Tennis Academy
6:45 we arrive and do our physical warm up as a team
7:00 the players on the team with the earliest matches have a hitting session until 7:45.
7:45 the players on the team with the later matches have a hitting session until 8:30.
8:30 the first matches of the day begin. We cheer on our team-mates. 20 minutes before our match we do our final preparation with our team coach.
3:00 (PM) all matches usually end and we have a practice session until around 4:30
4:45 the shuttle takes us back to hotel and we shower and rest
6:00 we have dinner as a team in the hotel restaurant
8:00 team meeting in the hotel lobby and we find out what time we are scheduled to play the next day
9:00 Lights out.

Michelle
Grade 6