The STA Mock Trial team is made up of grade 12 and grade 11 law students, led by Mrs. Robertson. Given a fictitious case at the beginning of semester two, the members of the team worked to prepare witness statements, questionings, and opening and closing statements to compete against the other schools at three different tournaments: one in Toronto, one at Corpus Christi, and one in Milton.

Lawyers and witnesses alike among the team were well prepared and put forth their best effort at all three tournaments. At the first, the grade 12’s fought their hardest, and showed the grade 11’s how it was done. However, they were sadly knocked out of the tournament after the second round.

At Corpus Christi in April, STA was well-represented by two teams, one consisting of the grade 12 students, and one of the grade 11’s. Both teams fought hard, and even went up against their rival team, Assumption, but were ultimately defeated in the semi-finals with dignity, knowing they had lost to worthy opponents.

A month later, the team made their way to Milton, seeking redemption and a chance to take down their rivals. The grade 12’s once again went up to bat, and obtained third place overall in the tournament. They set out to celebrate their victory, and the whole season with a lunch at the Mandarin.

The torch will now be passed on to the grade 11 students, with high hopes that next year they will emerge above the competition, and place first. The team would like to thank Mrs. Robertson for her hard work and dedication throughout the whole season.

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The scrum has started to form, and as a former Rugby player at STA I know the fear that runs through your veins as you run onto that rugby pitch. The fear that you feel as a newcomer to the game of rugby is vivid, but once that scrum forms, and once you make that first tackle, everything fits together perfectly. Rugby is a sport that has been forgotten at STA but this year shall be remembered. Stay tuned for rugby updates.

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Scavenger hunts and singing around a campfire were a couple of the fun activities that the students had the opportunity to do, along with throwing fellow classmates over a man-made rope spider web, and balancing on the low-ropes. The grade 12s also put together a memorable performance of The Stations of the Cross with Mr. Dunn, the Chaplain and Mr. Szpakowski, the drama teacher.

“The Grade 12 retreat was a lot of fun and it was a good chance to hang out and remember our four years at STA,” said Michelle Glover, grade 12 and STA Student Council President.

I would have to say the most exciting part of the retreat, for me, was a letter Mr. Dunn had us write to ourselves. In exactly one year, all of the students at the retreat will be receiving letters that they wrote for themselves with their goals that they hope to have accomplished in one year time. It gave us the chance to think about what we really wanted to do next year after graduation and it was definitely a memorable experience.

Although the turnout was smaller than expected, everyone had a great time singing “Don’t Stop Believing” and other inspirational songs, and the retreat ended after a long day of teambuilding and remembering our years at STA.

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Mr. Olivera, one of the team’s coaches, is confident that the Raiders can do it.  Many of last year’s core players have returned, stronger and better than ever.  The coaches believe they have some of the best talent in Oakville. They say the team has few weaknesses.  The midfield, however, is particularly exceptional. 

Although the team is strong all around, a few players stand out in the coaches’ minds.   The team gets its drive from its on-field leaders, team captains James Langlois and Francesco Cardillo.  Branden Galea-Andrews anchors the team in net.

The Raiders have a promising season ahead of them. The soccer team has already participated in many tournaments.  Unfortunately, they lost in the finals in the first two they attended.  This was an important learning experience.  The team hopes to build on these losses to become even stronger.  They are confident that they can win at OFSAA.  That is the ultimate goal, and it is not a stretch of the imagination, given the incredible talent this year.

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The annual stations of the cross ceremony took place at Aquinas on Thursday April 1.  The assembly, always powerful, moved the students in the gym, who took in the sights and sounds.

The production ran smoothly.  The cross was not dropped, lines were not forgotten, I did not fall off the stage… We couldn’t have asked for a smoother production.  The audience, staff, students, and parents, all seemed to enjoy the show.

This year, however, was different (at least for me).  Instead of just watching the events unfold, I was a part of the story.  Mr. Szpakowski approached me and requested that I be a Roman soldier for this year’s production.  I heartily agreed.  This opportunity gave me a new perspective on the same story I’d watched and heard time and time again.

I was able to see all the hard work that goes into memorizing lines, decorating the stage and co-ordinating the lighting.  I was able to be in the story of Christ’s passion.  Suddenly, the pain and suffering of Christ’s death seemed more real.  He was there, beside me, as he died on the cross.

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Not only was there great musical talent this year, but grade 9 John Lu showed off his Chinese Yo-Yo skills, leaving the audience in awe. Some other performers at the coffeehouse were Grade 11s Renata Martone and Caitlyn Traynor, Olivia Gaudio, Barbara Hucik, Peter and Matt Lozinski and grade 12 student, Joe DaCosta who participated in his last STA Coffeehouse with an excellent performance. With many grade 9s, 10s and 11s performing this year, their return to future Coffeehouses is very much anticipated.

“The coffeehouse was very well organized and the performers were very good,” said a grade 12 student, who attended the coffeehouse for the first time. With great performances and entertainment also comes excellent food! The PJ`s provided decadent baked goods, including brownies, cookies and Tim Horton’s coffee and hot chocolate, donated  for the event.

This year’s coffeehouse profits were given to the Red Cross, and Danielle DeRango, a PJ Quad leader and one of the organizers of the coffeehouse said, “The coffeehouse was very successful and the Red Cross will definitely benefit from our donation.”

Overall the coffeehouse was very entertaining, and with a great turnout this year, next year’s coffeehouse is bound to be superb. We congratulate all of the performers for their excellent talent and the STA Peace and Justice club for their excellent 2010 Coffeehouse!

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But it never happened.

A committee of teachers and students, including the likes of Mrs. Miller, Mr. Boyle, Mr. Knap, and Mr. Daly; Michelle Glover, Barry Robertson and Ryan Arnie had it all planned out.  It was to be an event just like summerfest.  The whole school (or a good portion of it) was to be bussed out to Bronte Creek Provincial Park.  Activities like a snow-obstacle course were set to be run throughout the day, with a staggered lunch and the option of skating also available.

Unfortunately, the event was cancelled before it even got off the ground.  There was a severe lack of interest.  Out of a student body of 750 students, only about 100 responded.  In the eyes of the organization committee, this was not nearly enough response to rationalize running the event.

According to Mrs. Miller, the issue is not merely one of general student apathy.  Some students were just plain unaware of the event to begin with.  Many planned to buy tickets then just go home.   Most likely, however, is the prospect that there wasn’t any snow on the ground when the event was supposed to run.  Students may have felt that the event was going to be a day to stand around in the cold.

While the event did look promising, ultimately, the Aquinas Olympics were left out in the cold.

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     The Scott Mission is a Catholic-based soub kitchen, helping citizens who are either homeless, or simply need nourishment until they can get back on their feet to provide their own. there is also a daycare, to look after children if the parent(s) are working full time in the day or at school, a food bank for either families or single people needing food over long periods of time, and a clothing bank consisting of entirely donated clothes.

      The Scott Misssion relies heavily on the help of volunteers to assist in sorting food and clothes, assisting in the daycare, or serving food, and this is exactly what the chaplaincy team did.  Led by Mr. Dunn, these students served foor and cleaned up the dining room, prepared food to be given out for the food bank, and sorted clothes for the clothing bank.  Both these trips are a prime example of how the STA community steps up to the plate to help others through such a rewarding experience.

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