FALL EDITION 2015

SAINT FRANCIS

SCHOOL CALENDAR

High School 101

September 29

Professional

Development Day

October 9 - no classes

Thanksgiving Day

October 12 - no classes

Jacket Racket

October 13 - 27

ICON Photo Retakes

October 15

8:30 - 10:30 am

Discover Saint

Francis

October 21

7:00 pm

Out of Province

Post Secondary

Fair

October 28

Faith Day

November 2 - no classes

Report Cards

November 9

Remembrance Day

November 11 - no classes

Parent/Teacher

Interviews

November 16

9:00 am– 1:00 pm

4:00 pm– 8:00 pm

Special Programs

Night

November 19 6:15 & 7:30 pm

Browns Ball

December 4

Ticket Sales @ lunch

November 24-26

Post Secondary Fair

November 23

7:00 - 8:30 pm

Drama Play

November 24, 25, 27

Dance Show

December 14 & 15

7:00 pm

Christmas Concert

December 16

Rosza Centre

7:00 pm

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Saint Francis Paw Print

Student Council

School Council

Celebrating Alumni Marissa Nahirney

Emilia de Somma

CW4WAfaghan

Student Services

The Chaplain’s Message

In Memory Joel Zukowski

SAIT Culinary Apprentice

News from the Career Practitioner

2015 Wall of Distinction

The Learning Commons

Physical Education – September at a

Glance

Fall sports

Fine Arts Dance

Drama

Fundraising

Parish News

Shave for our Brave

877 Northmount Drive NW

Calgary, Alberta T2L 0A3

Phone: 403-500-2026

Fax: 403-500-2666

www.cssd.ab.ca/stfrancis

T he school year is off to

a great start and this

year we have an

enrolment of 1615

students. We welcome all our

new grade 10’s to the 2015-

2016 school year. We also have

many students who are new to

grade 11 and 12. We hope you

enjoy this new quarterly

“magazine” and you find the

layout easy to read and

informative. It is a natural

extension of our traditional

newsletters with the goal of

having the voice of our student

authors celebrated in each

article.

Month in Review

This past week has been a

difficult journey for staff and

students as we grieved the loss

of our student, Joel Zukowski.

Joel was loved dearly by his

family, friends and staff. Our

community was blessed by his

loving spirit, his great sense of

humor and his kindness and

love for others. We will miss

him dearly.

The opening address to

students focused on the history

and tradition of our school

community. Students were

reminded of the supports our

school community provides to

assist them to stay on track and

establish the foundations for

their success. We also focused

on our faith theme of “Walk

Humbly with your God” (Micah

6:8) and how our school’s Peace

Prayer of Saint Francis

promotes love, kindness and the

virtues of humility. We continue

to encourage our students to

engage in their school

community by moving outside

their areas of comfort and by

embracing the leadership

opportunities presented.

We are reviewing our schools

Diploma and Accountability

Pillar results. At first glance

results are very positive and we

have much to celebrate. Our

school’s 3 year goals and

Annual Educational Results

Report (AERR) will be published

to our website on November 15.

This information will also be

presented in detail during at our

next school council meeting

which will be held on November

17 at 7:00 p.m.

The staff of Saint Francis has

planned an exciting year for our

community. Students will

embark on several international

trips to San Diego (Sr. Boys

Football team), Orlando (Band)

and to Paris and Venice,

Florence, Pisa, Assisi and Rome

(International Languages). We

also had a group of students

who participated in research

studies in Bamfield B.C.

Our fall sports activities began

on the first day of classes and

are now in full swing. At the time

of writing our girls’ soccer team

is competing in the Div. two

playoffs and we are hosting a

Junior and Senior Girls

Volleyball tournament on

October 16 and 17. Football

fans are in for a real treat as the

Saint Francis Browns face off

against Notre Dame Pride. Both

teams are ranked either first or

second in the nation, order

depending on the organization

who is doing the ranking. It is

amazing the top two teams in

the country are only 12 km

apart. Our other fall sports

include; junior and senior

volleyball teams, junior football

and cross-country running.

Students are advised to watch

our website and foyer monitor

for event times.

Last week as part of our annual

tradition Saint Francis inducted

five individuals as part of our

Wall of Distinction celebration.

Grade 12’s were in attendance

to witness the ceremony and

appreciate the wonderful works

of former graduates and staff.

Inducted were Justice Barbara

Romaine - Class of 1968, Mr.

Marcello Di Cintio - Class of

1991, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph and

Glenda (Coombs) Dubienski –

Class of 1976, Mr. Gerry Goetz -

Builder Student Activities.

SAINT FRANCIS

PAW PRINT

parents of our Saint Francis

Community. Student Council is

the heart, muscle and soul of the

Saint Francis student body.

This group of dedicated, hard-

working young men and women

ensure that there is always

something interesting going on

at school. Without this essential

body, a school day at Saint

Francis would just be another

ordinary school day.

Throughout the school year we

are constantly planning special

activities and events such as our

Talent Show, Sports Rallies and

Browns Ball. The activities and

events we coordinate are vital in

spreading school spirit as well

as giving students a welcomed

diversion from their classes.

Over the past month we have

been very busy preparing

student activities and planning

upcoming events. This year our

welcoming theme is “Enrich your

Spirit.” The main hallway was

covered with flying red, orange,

and yellow hawks. Each hawk

had the name of a grade 10

student printed on it. We also

held two events to welcome the

grade 10’s. Our first event was

a club convention in the Brown

Gym which promoted various

clubs offered this year and at

our second event we served free

dessert in the courtyard. We

encourage all students to get

involved and participate in

activities that will enhance

their school life and help to

create fond and lasting

memories. So try out for a

school team, join a club, audition

(cont. from the Paw Print)

Upcoming Events

We look forward to our Gala

event that will take place on

November 26.

This event celebrates the artistic

gifts and talents of our students.

Information regarding this event

will be shared to our school

community as it becomes

available.

Final Word

Saint Francis is a community

that is committed to learning

excellence. We set high

expectations for ourselves and

our students. Our staff will

deliver outstanding educational

programming for your son or

daughter to help them achieve

their full potentials’. To do so,

we require the assistance and

feedback from all stakeholder

groups. Parents are welcome to

volunteer their time supporting

our many programs and events.

Please feel free to contact the

school and let us know how we

are doing.

The Staff of Saint Francis

for a play or cheer on and

support your fellow Browns.

We also held the Fall Sports

Rally which introduced all of the

Fall Sport teams. We were very

fortunate to have Mr. Heath

Brown, a Sports Anchor for CTV

News and former graduate,

participate in the rally and act as

our MC. He urged our athletes

to excel and put forth their best

efforts; and he encouraged all

the students to attend games

and cheer on their teams. Mr.

Brown was thrilled to join our

celebration and told us he has

very fond memories of his time

as a Saint Francis Brown and

hopes that they all feel very

proud to be part of something

truly special.

We encourage all students to

participate and help enrich our

school spirit by reading the Daily

announcements, so they are aware

of the various activities and events

happening at the school.

Student Council would like to

welcome all new and returning

students, teachers, staff and

Celebrating our Alumni

Dear Parents,

Parents are invited to

communicate ideas, concerns

and feedback with School

Council and Mr.Berger.

We welcome you to be

involved in school activities,

functions, sporting and arts

events, outreach and the like to

further our objectives as stated

in our Bylaws.

As a unified team, we seek to

encourage balanced and well-

rounded students. We are

fortunate that we are a team

which puts faith first.

Parent engagement matters.

Study after study has shown us

that student achievement

improves when parents play an

active role in their children's

education, and that good

schools become even better

schools when parents are

involved. It is recognized that

parent engagement is a key

factor in the enhancement of

student achievement and well-

being.

Students are more likely to be

motivated, to earn higher

grades, to have better

behaviour and social skills, and

to continue their education to a

higher level when their parents

are actively engaged in

supporting their success at school.

It is equally important to

recognize that parent

involvement takes many forms

such as:

serving on school councils and Parent Involvement Committees (PICs)

volunteering for field trips and school activities

making sure there is a quiet place set aside to do homework

helping with homework

talking to your child about their day at school. These are all examples of engaged parents, they are all contributing to their children's education. Our bylaws state our objectives: supporting and enhancing student learning and performance; fostering, developing, and maintaining the culture and legacy of our school;

seeking and representing the views of the school community communicating with and offering support to parents and guardians; and

collaborating with the school Principalnd the school district

Marissa Nahirney (Class of 2014) is among

eight Albertans to have been awarded the

Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal for 2014. The

medal recognizes youth who have demonstrated

outstanding leadership, citizenship, volunteerism

and community service. This was presented by

the Honourable Lois Mitchell, Lieutenant

Governor of Alberta.

Emilia de Somma (Class of 2002) along with

colleagues at the Canadian Radio-Television and

Telecommunications Commission recently

received a Public Service Award of Excellence.

This award recognizes employees who have

demonstrated excellence in achieving results for

Canadians and who reflect the priorities of the

federal public service. This award was

presented by His Excellency the Right

Honourable David Johnston, Governor General

of Canada.

They are our grandfathers, fathers,

brothers, grandmothers, mothers,

sisters, neighbours ... and heroes.

Canada’s Veterans - their courage,

service and sacrifices have kept us

strong, proud and free.

Each year, in November, hundreds

of commemorative ceremonies and

events take place across the

country to commemorate

Remembrance Day. These are

opportunities for all Canadians to

recognize the contribution our

Veterans have made and to honour

those who made the ultimate

sacrifice on behalf of Canada.

The Saint Francis school

community would like to honour

these veterans in our own special

way – through a month of

remembrance. Each week soldiers

from southern Alberta will be

honoured for making the supreme

sacrifice in defense of our

freedoms. Other activities the

school will participate in include:

raising funds for the Poppy

Fund through a “shave your

head for a veteran”

promotion

organizing our own

Remembrance Day service

participating in the Field of

Crosses Memorial

We hope that through

these actions our

students come to know

the true meaning of

Remembrance Day

and that they always

remember the sacrifices

made by others in

defense of the rights

and freedoms they hold

so dear.

CW4WAfghan

Justice, Human Rights, Global

Citizenship…all vast and

complex issues. What do

they mean? How do they apply

to us? And how do they affect

our world? This October a

group of Saint. Francis students,

along with other students from

across Canada, had the

opportunity to explore, discuss,

and learn about these topics.

Canadian Women for Women

in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan)

is a Canadian non-profit

organization that works in

partnership with Afghan

women towards improving

human rights and ending

women’s oppression, particularly

in Afghanistan. They work to

achieve this by providing

education and educational

opportunities to people in

Afghanistan and to educate

Canadians on global

human rights. This past month

a group of students were

invited to a symposium

CW4WAfghan held in Banff

and were given the opportunity

to partake in several

workshops. Throughout the

course of the day, they learned

what it meant to be

a global citizen,

what justice was,

and most

importantly, how

to help with the

advancement of

human rights

around the world.

Members of the organization

worked with the students

during the workshops and

shared their own experiences,

giving incredible insight into the

world of active global

citizenship. In our rapidly

changing world, the most

important thing you can be is

an educated global citizen.

Living in Canada we have the

amazing privilege of being able

to attend school and receive

this education, whereas

millions do not. This is what the

CW4WAfghan is trying to

improve and we would like to

thank them for all their

contributions to global

education, for inviting Saint.

Francis to their symposium,

and we would like to

encourage all our youth to

become more active global

citizens.

FALL POST-SECONDARY EVENTS AT ST. FRANCIS Students can sign up for post-secondary events by using the dedicated QR code posted around the building OR by visiting Student Services.

myBlueprint myBlueprint is a broad-based

academic planner that, among

many other features, allows

students to track progress

toward graduation. It can help

instantly identify

post-secondary eligibility for

opportunities in every pathway,

as well as compare detailed

information of a variety of post-

secondary programs across

Canada. To get started visit

www.myblueprint.ca .

Use the Activation Key:

stfrancishs.

Note that all students are

expected to complete

myBlueprint, particularly those

in grade 12 as it is part of their

application for graduation.

Student Services Office A110 Office Hours: 8:30 - 3:45 Mon - Thurs 8:30 - 2:00 Friday Counsellors: Pia Foss, Coordinating Teacher Ext348 pia.foss@cssd.ab.ca Coralie Bedier Ext345 coralie.bedier@cssd.ab.ca Marc Osenton Ext347 marc.osenton@cssd.ab.ca Rob Schrauth Ext344 rob.schrauth@cssd.ab.ca

CAREER PRACTITIONER: Carolyn Campbell Ext349 (Wed - Fri only) carolyn.campbell@cssd.ab.ca Office Assistant: Peggy Pilon Ext346 peggy.pilon@cssd.ab.ca

myPass Alberta Education no longer mails out diploma exam results statements. Grades can be accessed and transcripts can be ordered through myPass, Alberta Education’s self-service website dedicated to high school students. Students can create an account by visiting myPass.alberta.ca .

Thursday, Sept. 24 Mount Royal University 10:30 - 12:00 am Thursday, Oct. 1 SAIT 11:30 - 12:30 am Tuesday, Oct. 6 University of Alberta 12:00 - 1:30 pm Wednesday, Oct. 7 Study Abroad (off-campus field trip) 12:00 - 4:00 pm Thursday, Oct 8 UBC 11:00 - 12:00 am Tuesday, Oct. 13 University of Lethbridge 11:00 - 12:30 am Tuesday, Oct. 27 University of Calgary 10:30 - 12:00 am Wednesday, Oct. 28 Out-of-Province Post-Secondary Fair 9:00 - 12:00 am Tuesday, Nov. 17 Bow Valley College 12:30 - 2:00 pm Monday, Nov. 23 In-Province Post-Secondary Fair 7:00 - 8:30 pm

REMIND for Parents

(formerly REMIND 101)

Remind for Parents offers one

more way to become involved in

your child’s high school

experience. REMIND is a safe

messaging service that sends

you up-to-date text messages

from the St. Francis’ Student

Services including post-

secondary and scholarship

information, as well as events

around the school. Rest assured

that phone numbers are not

known and communication is one

way only. Sign up for REMIND

for parents by texting the

message stfrancisp to

431.800.0409.

CALGARY TRANSIT PASS

REBATE FOR ELIGIBLE

STUDENTS

Students must meet the eligibility

criteria in order to receive a

rebate on the purchase of a

monthly youth Calgary Transit

pass. Refer to www.cssd.ab.ca

and follow the Transportation

link. Please complete this form if

you are eligible for a rebate and

have not received a waiver from

the school. The payment will be

made by direct deposit. Students

who are eligible must reside 2.4

kilometers or more from the

school.

Submit this completed form to

the school or to Calgary Catholic

School District, Transportation

Department, 1000-5th Avenue

SW, Calgary, AB, T2P 4T9. If

this completed form was not

received by June 26, 2015 (forms

were sent home with student in

June) your direct deposit

payment may be delayed in the

fall. Faxes are not accepted. A

separate form must be

completed for each student

EACH YEAR.

Students must check Calgary

Transit’s website after August

20th, to see the changes to

their route. Go to

www.calgarytransit.com /

select “School Service” on the

top menu and click on Saint

Francis for all the routes.

POWERSCHOOL:

PARENT VIEW

Parents have quick and easy

access to view attendance

records, report card marks, and

grade history. You must have two

pieces of information to create an

account. Your child’s Calgary

Catholic School District ID

number (6 or 7 digit number) and

your child’s birthday with month,

day, and year. (example: Jan 8,

1996 must be typed as follows:

181996 (month/day/year)

Go to Saint Francis Website

www.cssd.ab.ca/stfrancis / Right

side click on “Parent View” (https://

sis.cssd.ab.ca/public/) / Click “Create

Account” / Follow steps

HIGH SCHOOL 101

The departments of Student

Services and Diverse Learning

hosted our annual High School 101

presentation for parents new to

Saint Francis last Tuesday evening.

If you were not able to attend the

presentation is available on our

school website.

www.cssd.ab.ca/stfrancis

A new school year is underway. The focus this year will be on the last part of our three part theme from the prophet Micah ”Walk Humbly with God.” On October 1 the Grade 10 class had the pleasure of listening to Andy Thibodeau share his message of Care, where he encouraged students to make the best of the next three years by participating in school activities and sharing their care with those around them. October 6 was the opening liturgy for our Grade 12 class, where they took part in our Wall of Distinction induction ceremony. The Grade 11 class will have their opening liturgy on October 21 with guest

speaker Ken Yasinski.

Our Catholic Community of Caring group, Youth for Justice, is up and running. This group of students is looking for opportunities to raise awareness about social justice issues and work on initiatives to bring our students together in helping our local and global community. Our first event will be We Scare Hunger. All students in the school are encouraged to dress up on Halloween and go out into their neighborhood to collect food for the Veteran’s Food Bank. Any food that is collected can be dropped off at the school on November 3 and 4.

Ms.Reece’s ESll class is collaborating with Mrs. Hobor for “Literacy in the Learning Commons. “

This week we read If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff. After we made a craft to go with the book.

Santiago Ghio completed the 15 week course at the SAIT Introduction to Cook Apprentice Culinary Program, he was VERY highly regarded. Chef Rupert, Academic Chair of SAIT's culinary programs, said Santiago was the hardest worker in the class, and would be recommended for a position in industry.

For our Joelbear

When we were kids,

The rule was

"When the streetlights come on,

you come home."

So in this life

When it's getting late

The sun is dipping low

I will walk you to the corner

And I will watch you go

No I can't come with you

And walk you all the way

I have some things to do here

So I have to stay

I will wait under the street lamp

Until you're out of sight

Then I will turn and make my own way back

Straight into the night I'll walk and think of you As

the lights above me shine And I'll think about the

time we had And know that time is mine I can't see

you tomorrow Or the day that follows suit But I

cross my heart and promise you That we will see

each other soon I love you to the moon and back I

really hope you know That when God turned on

His streetlights I watched you go home

-Katie Holland

Joel Zukowski, a great friend, beloved son and brother, who was

loved by many and will never be forgotten.

March 10, 1999-October 3, 2015

Intro to Cook Apprentice Culinary Program

As the Career Practitioner at Saint.

Francis, I would like to

encourage Grade 12 students to

begin exploring career and post

secondary options. I am

available for individual

appointments with Grade 12

students to assist them with their

career planning needs. There

are a number of Career Planning

resources available to students

and their families in Student

Services and on line.

Two upcoming events are:

Out of Province Post Secondary Fair Wednesday, October 28

th from

9:00 – 10:30 AM 40 Universities from all provinces

except Alberta will be in attendance. All students are parents are welcome Alberta Post Secondary Fair Monday, November 23

rd from 7:00 –

8:30 PM 30 Alberta Post Secondary institutions including colleges, technical institutions and universities All students and parents are welcome.

FIRE CADET ACADEMY

Are you considering a career as

a firefighter? The Calgary Fire

Department offers students in

Grades 10 to 12 the opportunity

to apply to the Fire Cadet

Academy. This is an 18 month

program for students seeking to

find out what it is like to be a

firefighter through both

classroom, community service

and field activities. Students

must attend 3.5 hour weekly

meetings and community service

activities. Admission to this

program is competitive. Check

out :

www.calgary.ca/firecadets

to access the application and all

of the program details. If

students have any questions or

require assistance with their

application, please see Mrs.

Campbell in Student Services.

Ralph and Glenda Dubienski Marcello di Cintio

Mr. Goetz Justice Barbara Romaine

2015 WALL

OF DISTINCTION

Hello Parents!

Perhaps the most beautiful, but under-developed space in our school is the Learning Commons, formerly the SFHS library. Gone are the days of the card catalogues and the rows of shelved books organized by the Dewey Decimal system. Libraries everywhere have changed, they have become digital and we have had to adapt to the needs of today’s students. Our vision is to see the vast space used as a modern, casual, and comfortable place for students to congregate that does not have the sound and bustle of the cafeteria. It is a place for dialogue, group work, lab use, club meetings, and a place for students to study.

There is potential for this area to be really amazing. It has beautiful atrium windows with a lot of natural light. However, there is not enough comfortable furniture for students to casually gather. There is very little on the walls to offer inspiration and it would be a perfect place for student framed art, and plants to warm up the space. Our School Council is looking to fundraise for this beautification project. Quite obviously, in today’s economy this is going to be a very tough undertaking, but we realize that it will not get traction, if we don’t at least try. Donations of any amount are most welcome, and anything over $25 will be tax-deductible. We would gratefully ask that if you know of a corporate donor, or have company matching programs, that you consider Saint Francis High School as a beneficiary.

As an incentive to larger donors ($500 and above), your name will appear on a plaque on the Saint Francis Legacy Fund Wall located in the main hallway, just outside the office.

Donor Levels are as follows:

Brown Level: $500 - $2499

Orange Level: $2500 - $4999

Gold Level: $5000 +

We certainly realize that there are many places you can put your donation money, and hope that you can assist us in making the SFHS Learning Commons a welcoming and relaxing place for our students to gather. Cheques may be made payable to Saint Francis High School with “Learning Commons” in the memo line.

Questions or suggestions can be forwarded to

Elizabeth Hobor at Elizabeth.hobor@cssd.ab.ca or by

calling (403) 500-2026 extension 265, or to our Past

Parent Council Chair Pamela Rath at

pamrath@shaw.ca

The month of September has been an exciting one for our Physical Education Department. Students have dived head first into the curriculum and on and off campus they are modelling and leading healthy and active lifestyles. Off campus activities included golf and tennis; next month there is wall climbing, canoeing and kayaking, bowling and swimming. Another successful part of our program has been our Fitness Fridays. This semester has already raised the bar to a whole new level. Our most popular event, the Obstacle Course, had our students racing and competing with their peers. The QR code challenge saw our students working together to solve activity based problems. We also brought in the two leaders from November Project YYC to share their positivity, knowledge and

enthusiasm around the free fitness movement that is taking over in more than 23 North American cities. Through their modelling we created our very own positivity award for our students (renamed PAWsitivity) to showcase four students weekly who are role models for their peers, who work to the best of their ability and who act as cheerleaders to inspire and engage others throughout the workout. The week of September 30, the Physical Education staff and students, ran our annual Terry Fox Run and set a goal of

raising $35 per class for the 35th annual event. Thank you to School Council and all of our sponsors, Safeway Brentwood, Co-Op Brentwood, Lynne Willis, Canadian Tire (Dalhousie), Home Depot (North Hill), Michelle Hader, and Pamela Rath. We were able to feed our students with water, granola bars and fruit. Our total fundraising amount surpassed our goal, raising $418.70 for the Terry Fox Foundation. Look for more exciting events in the coming months.

http://urstore.ca/

The Senior Football Team seen here on the USS Midway during their trip to San Diego on September 16. The boys played against Escondido Charter High School and won 35-0. The trip included a visit to San Diego Zoo and an NCAA Football game. The team and coaches had a great time. The team is 5-0 in regular season and their next game is October 16 vs Notre Dame. Thanks to all our fans that have made it out to our games. Go Browns!

A group of girls have organized our “Oatmeal in the

Morning” program.

Oatmeal breakfast will be offered in the main foyer

for only 25 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

each week.

SENIOR FOOTBALL

Dance is a form of art and expression. It is a beautiful language that allows you to get comfortable with who you truly are. It is a way to break out of your comfort zone and play a different character. Dance can portray tons of emotions and can help an individual get through the toughest of times. It allows you to step away from the stress of the outside world and focus on yourself. Dance releases bare emotions that the world is in love with. It is a passion not a competition. It is expression and freedom. It is where people can lose themselves in the music that helps showcase all the feelings a person may have. Dance increases the confidence of a human being, allowing an individual to accept the fact that they are not perfect and that making mistakes are what helps us learn and grow. Dance confirms the saying, practice makes perfect. Everyone is different and everyone has different styles that when put together can look phenomenal. That is what the dance program at Saint Francis does!

At Saint Francis, we have an amazing dance program that does an outstanding job at blending the various styles of dancers and showcasing everyone’s skills. Students in this program spend four months developing countless dance numbers that are then

performed in a semester end dance show. The dance program not only broadens our dance vocabulary and experience, it also creates a community and most importantly, a family. Our dance shows are astounding and exceed expectations each year. Professional choreographers come to our classes and choreograph dances for us. Since dancers have many various styles choreographers are able to play with these styles in order to showcase every aspect of dance in a performance. This semester’s Dance Production is based on the theme of Temptation. The show runs on December 14 and 15 at 7 pm in the Saint. Francis Theatre.

Along with the dance show, there are many other ways to get involved in dance. There are sports Pep Rally dancers who meet and practice afterschool and perform in front of up to eight hundred people during the 3 sports Pep Rallies

we have at Saint. Francis Pep Rally

dances are student choreographed and very

fun! Pep Rally dancers create an extremely fun, friendly, and

comfortable environment that many are a part of.

We welcome all styles of dance, but our main focus is hip hop. To become a pep rally dancer, you must audition. Similar to the pep rally dancers, there is also a Gala dance that represents our amazing dance program. You must also audition to dance at the Gala and the style is often jazz based. In the past, we have dance styles such as swing and disco. The Gala is afterschool and is run by our very talented dance teacher. It is tremendously engaging and fun! This performance is also placed in the dance show! Keep an eye on the Daily for audition announcements. All these amazing performance opportunities will broaden your dance ability and allow you to become part of a community that you will cherish forever.

Musical Theatre

The Drama program at Saint

Francis is definitely one of the

best in the Calgary Catholic

School District. There are many

types of Drama classes you can

take. There is the usual drama

class, and advanced acting

class, the theatrical productions

we perform at Saint Francis, and

the musical theatre show. I am

in grade 11 now, but I started

getting into the drama program

at the very beginning of grade

10. My first drama course was

Advanced Acting. The Advanced

Acting course is an amazing

way to use our teamwork skills,

our acting skills, and our

creativity. We make up our own

show that we tour around to Jr.

High Schools. I experienced

many new levels of acting, made

lots of friends, and increased my

creativity. The drama classes

are more curriculum based, and

you learn so much about the

different types of acting, for

example, your voice, body

movement and improvisation.

This class really increases your

knowledge about the theatre

and your acting skills. The

drama productions at Saint

Francis are incredible. The

people that work on these

shows give it their all throughout

the process. Even if you just go

to audition it’s an amazing

experience to have so you know

what an audition is like. Last

year, I was in both the

productions of “Stage Door” and

“Women And War”. Stage Door

was my very first production,

and I have never more

dedicated, and talented people

working on a show, and the

same goes for “Women and

War” which was our Spring

production. I had the most

wonderful time and it was a

great opportunity to make

friends, and became part a

family.

This fall, we are in the process

of putting this years production

of, “Twelve Angry Jurors”

together. This show is about 12

jurors who have to decide the

fate of a boy who is accused of

killing his father. In this show, I

get to work with wonderful

people, and we are under the

direction of Mrs. Duma-Lorincz,

our drama teacher, Mrs. Miotti

and graduate of Saint Francis,

Zack Beer. We are hard at work

putting this show together, and

are excited to show our

accomplishments in what’s

surely to be an outstanding

production.

One of my favorite, and

definitely other students favorite

course to take is Musical

Theatre. We have 3 to 4

Broadway shows, and we must

do musical numbers from those

shows, and then come together

to make one big show. We sing,

dance, act, and we have a great

time. While working on this

production I got close to

everyone, and when we were

on the stage together, we” Let

The Sunshine In.”

There are also many

opportunities to travel and learn

from the best in different

countries. Last year, the Musical

Theatre Classes took a 10 day

trip to New York. We got to

watch experienced actors on

Broadway, and participate in

workshops that enhanced our

knowledge on Musical Theatre

and Film Acting. It was an

amazing opportunity to learn,

make new friends, and get

closer to old ones. New York

was a once in a lifetime

opportunity, and it gave us a

great understanding of how

Theatre works in the real world,

and it was so much fun. We

went to famous diners, took

tours, and got to explore New

York in ways no one else could.

Next year, we are planning on

going to London, England for

our Musical Theatre trip. It’s

going to be such a wonderful

learning experience! The drama

program at Saint Francis is an

amazing program for people

who want to pursue a career in

the arts. Looking out into the

audience and seeing everyone

enjoying themselves, is one of

the reasons we all are in Drama.

It gives us the experience we

need, but along the way, we

work as a team, and we come

together and do what we love-

experience the theatre.

By Sofia Durante

Cobs Bread Dough Raiser

At Stadium or Crowfoot locations, tell

them you are from Saint Francis High

School. They will donate 5% from

your purchase back to our school in

June. It's very simple and you will not

be disappointed with the quality of the

bread.

Crowfoot Corner

Shopping Centre

Unit 107-150 Crowfoot Crescent NW.

Calgary, AB. T3G 3T2. Phone:

(403) 239-2666

Mon to Sat 7am - 7pm

Sun 8am - 6pm

Stadium Shopping Centre

Unit 5, 1941 Uxbridge

Drive NW. Calgary, AB. T2N

2V2. Phone: (403) 282-1779

Mon to Sat 8am - 7pm

Sun 8am - 6pm

Panda Flowers

Crowfoot

Go into Panda Flowers or call and

order flowers by phone, and let them

know you are with Saint Francis.

They will keep track and donate back

to the school in the form of flowers for

our events.

#205, 150 Crowfoot

Crescent N.W.

403 239-7673