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JUNE 2022 ISSUE 10 THE VOICE Blizzards Digest School Newspaper of Harold M Brathwaite Secondary School Works inside this issue THE UBIQUITOUS EXPERIENCE AN IN EVENING PAGE PAGE PHOTOGRAPH BY PRATYUSH JAJODIA SCHOOL 4 TORONTO 6 7 MAGIC ROY HIGH CARNIVAL SCOTTIE PAGE BARNES 13 PAGE 14 VIETNAM PAGE IN MY HEART 18 AND MANY MORE Why You Should Read A Classic This Summer Jane Eyre Book Review WRITTEN BY SEREENA SODHI I seemed to have forgotten that classic books are considered classics not because my English teacher deemed them as such not just because they are old but because they are novels that have made a contribution to literature oftentimes their popularity has stood the test of time In essence I had forgotten that classics are good books and I believe many other students have forgotten too The first classic novel I truly enjoyed was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bront The story published in 1847 revolves around the growth of Jane Eyre an outcasted orphan from childhood to adulthood As a young adult Jane gathers enough money to work as a governess in Thornfield Hall which is owned by the troubled and reclusive Mr Rochester Jane falls in love READ ON PAGE 8
Table of C The Ubiquitous High School Experience Sereena Sodhi 4 Hello June Siya Duggal 5 An Evening in Toronto Gajanandi Rajakulenthiran 6 7 Why You Should Read A Classic This Summer Jane Eyre Book Review Sereena Sodhi 8 9 The Perfect Capture Pratyush Jajodia 10 Summer Delights Avneet Sahota 11 Summer Vibes Avneet Sahota 12 Magic Carnival Nirositha Gunaratnam 13 Eating a Popsicle Siya Duggal 13
Contents Artwork Sukhmanjit Shinh 14 15 The Big Dipper Rishi Patni 16 Rooftop Starry Night Rishi Patni 17 A Fun Little Carnival Samin Tahmeed 18 22 Vietnam in My Heart Julie Nguyen 23 Tiffany Wong International Student Voices 24 Pratyush Jajodia International Student Voices 24 Julie Nguyen International Student Voices 25 26 Pankti Panchal International Student Voices 27 Helen Tran International Student Voices 27
JUNE 2022 POETRY PAGE 4 The Ubiquitous High School Experience WRITTEN BY SEREENA SODHI Not so long ago a senior who appeared more adult than child to me advised us with deep gravity These four years are going to fly past you I scoffed There was no way these four years would pass by quickly And now here I am Leaving
JUNE 2022 ARTWORK PAGE 5 Hello June CREATED BY SIYA DUGGAL
JUNE 2022 PHO An Evening BY GAJANANDI Metropolitan by day colorful haven at night
TOGRAPHY PAGE 6 7 g in Toronto RAJAKULENTHIRAN
JUNE 2022 ARTICLE PAGE 8 Why You Should Read A Classic This Summer Jane Eyre Book Review WRITTEN BY SEREENA SODHI I seemed to have forgotten that classic books are considered classics not because my English teacher deemed them as such not just because they are old but because they are novels that have made a contribution to literature oftentimes their popularity has stood the test of time In essence I had forgotten that classics are good books and I believe many other students have forgotten too The first classic novel I truly enjoyed was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bront The story published in 1847 revolves around the growth of Jane Eyre an outcasted orphan from childhood to adulthood As a young adult Jane gathers enough money to work as a governess in Thornfield Hall which is owned by the troubled and reclusive Mr Rochester Jane falls in love with Mr Rochester but unfortunately there are numerous obstacles in this relationship including social class their clashing personalities and Mr Rochester s obscure past While the plot seemed intriguing I was more concerned whether or not this book would be easily legible for me Although this book was written around 2 centuries ago I was surprised to find that the writing and diction in Jane Eyre is perfectly understandable It was at this point that classical literature transitioned from an insurmountable challenge to a genre of interest for me A common misconception surrounding classics is that it is a genre which requires great intellectual capacity to understand While that is true for some classics depending on how old they are that is definitely not a universal truth Returning to Jane Eyre shortly after starting this book I fell in love with it Simply put Jane Eyre is a 19th century feminist icon I do not think sir you have a right to command me merely because you are older than I or because you have seen more of the world than I have your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience Throughout her life a girl of no status and no money continuously stays true to herself even if that means giving up everything she knows Even after falling head over heels in love Jane maintains her self worth and is not afraid to stand up to the men in her life It is liberating to read about a woman who has no external ties no family no title and yet is able to pave a path for herself she secures herself a good life all on her own
JUNE 2022 ARTICLE PAGE 9 Unfortunately this review had to be left intentionally vague because of the novel s numerous plot twists that made both my heart and jaw drop Jane Eyre is an extremely long book with a plot that seems cut and dry and yet it is not Through the pacing of the story having covered Jane s entire life and the use of the first person the reader begins to feel connected to Jane At some points in the novel I remember feeling distressed my heart racing If anything that s a sign of a great read This quintessential gothic novel has a vivid atmosphere that will definitely transport you to the gloomy British moors Overall classical literature as a whole cannot be continued to be perceived as boring While some classics may very well be dull and even while Jane Eyre had multiple religious motifs which I did not necessarily connect to you are doing yourself an injustice by cutting yourself off from ever interacting with this genre Additionally classical literature does not only consist of Victorian era British romances You can find a classical book that suits any reading taste including but not limited to science fiction horror and historical fiction Personally I would recommend some Agatha Christie if you enjoy mystery All in all if you re looking to read something a little different turn towards the books that have kept people talking for centuries
JUNE 2022 PHOTOGRAPHY PAGE 10 The Perfect Capture BY PRATYUSH JAJODIA When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon my soul expands in the worship of the creator Mahatma Gandhi
JUNE 2022 POETRY PAGE 11 Summer Delights BY AVNEET SAHOTA The sunshine the blue sky the smell of freshly cut grass The stars at night and the sound of crickets all night The fun the play the nice food everywhere funnel cake ice cream and cake all wonderful and delicious The love the joy the summer break birds chirping flowers blooming during the best time of the year
JUNE 2022 ARTWORK PAGE 12 Summer Vibes BY AVNEET This artwork shows my experience personally of what a summer carnival looks like that includes Funnel cake ice cream and my overall idea of what I think the colours of a summer carnival are like SAHOTA
JUNE 2022 ARTWORK PAGE 13 Magic Carnival BY NIROSITHA GUNARATNAM It is typical to have vending machines at carnivals but the many carnival delights coming to life showcase that this is not a typical carnival but perhaps magical Eating A Popsicle BY SIYA DUGGAL
JUNE 2022 ARTWORK PAGE 14 Artwork BY SUKHMANJIT SHINH ROY SCOTTIE BARNES
JUNE 2022 ARTWORK PAGE 15 ALL NBA PASCAL SIAKAM
JUNE 2022 PHOTOGRAPHY PAGE 16 The Big Dipper BY RISHI PATNI The Big Dipper A constellation we all are familiar with this shot shows the Big Dipper Look closely and you can even see the double star system or visual binary Alcor and Mizar on the second handle
JUNE 2022 PHOTOGRAPHY PAGE 17 Rooftop Starry Night BY RISHI PATNI Rooftop Starry Night You don t have to be looking at a pristine dark sky to see a multitude of stars and this shot shows exactly that Sometimes staring out into the night from your very own backyard can be enough
JUNE 2022 SHORT STORY PAGE 18 A Fun Little Carnival WRITTEN BY SAMIN TAHMEED Trigger warning This is a horror story James wasn t happy about leaving the comforts of his room The cool AC on blast the windows covered by curtains and a lovely bed So to him it was a crime that he had to leave his paradise because his friends wanted to head to a carnival Alright where s this carnival doing something he asked one of his friends Adam It s Carnival Pecatti it s on Two Zero avenue Adam responded searching for the three tickets that were needed Where s George I thought he was the most excited to go there Did his parents hold him back for something or is he stuck in some form of traffic James really wanted to get back to his room he wasn t interested in carnivals No he texted that he s waiting for us by the entrance Adam finally found the tickets that he was carrying and in the nick of time James sighed and reached down to the voice recorder in his pocket They were now at the pearly white gates of Carnival Pecatti a strange man towering above everyone stood at the front James was certain that the guy was on steroids or ate elephants for breakfast Tickets It was just one word but James and Adam felt compelled to obey Um they re right here sir Adam chirped his arm mechanically stretched out I see only two of you Is there another They didn t seem to care as he just let them walk on Once the two were sure that they were out of the man s hearing range they began to speak That guy was huge Did you see the size of his fists They were practically boulders They continued to speak about The Guard Dog until they remembered that George still hadn t shown up Odd it isn t his style to show up so late James was getting worried that something happened George was many things an impractical joker a slow learner a fast talker a hustler and if push comes to shove a very loyal friend But ate was never an attribute that stuck with George Maybe he snuck in I mean there s a lot of people who want to get in maybe he managed to sneak in with one of the crowds Adam tried to remain confident but a sliver of doubt snuck in Yeah he s probably on the merry go round or on the Ferris wheel God forbid if he went into an area with clowns James joked trying to fall for the horrible lie Still to ease their worries they decided to search the fair for George While passing the merry go round James saw a strange figure She was tall and pointed like a pencil and had on outfit that matched Long black hair with a yellow outfit and sharp eyes that were so dark that no light was in them The worst part was her smile It looked off as thought it wasn t supposed to be on her Hello would you like a caricature of yourself as anything you would like for 10 Her voice was too much like chalk on a blackboard shivers ran down his spine Still he had to be polite
JUNE 2022 SHORT STORY PAGE 19 Um yes I would like to see myself as a detective please James said sitting down on an uncomfortable stool and waited for Pencil to finish her work James noticed the very sharp exact o knife that was on her work bench After that uncomfortable encounter James continued to search for George and now Adam He was looking around for anything that could be of use when he bumped into someone Oh sorry about that James stretched a handout to the fallen man in a very fancy suit It was shining red with black outlines and a top hat to top it all off The man s smile wasn t off like Pencil s instead it felt too simple it was like it was trying too hard to fit in Still it was much more comfortable No need to apologize young lad After all a little boy can t do much against Mr Desmond Tiny Mr Tiny stated in a very flamboyant style Right well Mr Tiny have you seen a guy around my height brown hair green eyes and light skin Or how about a guy with dark skin black hair and brown eyes James asked knowing that the likelihood of that is very low Of course they re in the mansion of mirrors I believe that they are in the revealer section Mr Tiny pointed to a massive mansion that was filled with mirrors James gave his thanks to the man as he ran to the mansion It was filled with various mirrors of all kinds simple strange odd etc However they did not matter because James was getting a bad feeling a really bad feeling Maybe it was because of the carnival maybe it was because of the people that James has met or maybe it was because of the Mansion of Mirrors feeling creepy but James felt like something happened to his friends James took a turn at a crossroad and continued to run everywhere he looked he saw the same boy was running all through space and time And then he saw the dead bodies James knew he should have left it to the police but he couldn t he wanted revenge for what happened He needed revenge James also knew that there were three suspects Guard Dog Pencil and Mr Tiny The only issue was which one James had to get it right so he needed to do some investigative journaling Hey officer how come only two of you showed up I thought that there would be more after all it s a murder James asked Well kid the murder happened close to the city hall the bank and to the statue of our founder We got a tip recently that someone was planning to blow city hall up so more cops are placed around it The cop explained quickly scanning the bodies for anything at all James took his own look at what was once his friends They weren t anymore instead they were empty husks husks riddled with stab wounds and broken bones The only issue was that it didn t help him in figuring out what killed them James had three people in mind The first was the Guard Dog after all he looked like he could snap a person s neck without any issue the second was Pencil because of her knife However that didn t make a lot of sense because she was busy drawing people Finally was Mr Tiny the only person who knew where the bodies were located James already told the police but it wasn t likely that they would be able to do anything So it was up to a teenager to solve a murder mystery Why am I doing this this isn t a story I ll die before I can do anything meaningful
JUNE 2022 SHORT STORY PAGE 20 James first move was to watch the Guard Dog as he did his job After a while it got boring The only thing that he did was stand there and take tickets All right then let s talk to the guy James muttered knowing that it was most likely futile to do so Hey Mr James trailed off not knowing the man s name It s Chu Chalainn Chu rumbled out Like the hero Yes Oh well just interesting I know why you re here James immediately tensed when Chu Chalainn said that I really wish that I could help but I ve been here the entire time Not once did I leave my spot You probably don t believe it but just ask everyone here and inside Actually you ve helped plenty Mr Chalainn I might be able to bring my friends spirits to peace James said as he turned around and ran off to the last area where he saw Pencil On the way there he noticed how the crowd hasn t decreased even if there was a murder announced a few minutes ago It felt strange to see these faces smiling and happy when death occurred only seconds ago When James got to the merry go round he saw nothing but children riding the horses Did she move her station James asked around about Pencil Are you talking about Ms Periwinkle A familiar voice asked James jumped at the sudden voice and turned to see who it was To his surprise it was Mr Tiny Um who is Ms Periwinkle James asked not knowing what else to say Well she is often here in a yellow dress and creates portraits If you are indeed looking for her then you ll have to go over to the daycare area Mr Tiny explained his eyes looking different to James for some reason The only thing that James was sure of was that he had to get out of there Yeah That s the person I was looking for Thanks for the help Destiny James stated quickly trying to get a lot of distance between the two of them James was out of breath when he reached the daycare Still he got back up and searched for Ms Periwinkle Welcome to Arma Fracta The world s safest daycare in a carnival Yeah I ll be the judge of that James began to scour the area hoping to find Ms Periwinkle anywhere However all James saw was children all over the place There were a few people around James age probably watching over the children That s when he saw her She was surrounded by a circle of kids that were staring intently at her as she showed off various kinds of work Soon the children left and James moved in Hello Ms Periwinkle I was hoping to ask you a few questions if that would be alright James asked Sure dear go on ahead Ms Periwinkle was packing things up and lent her ear Where were you in the timeframe of 1 20 pm to 2 o clock I was at the backstage of the Mansion of Mirrors Where were you when the deaths of Adam Citrus and George Leaxsander I was in staff cafeteria Where is your exact o knife I left it in the cafeteria
JUNE 2022 SHORT STORY PAGE 21 Thank you for answering my questions ma am Have a good day James said but before he left he noticed that Ms Periwinkle was muttering about how she didn t have a coin to use for perfect circles That wouldn t have been too bad but her face was twisted into a frown as she looked at the Mansion of Mirrors Looking closer James saw that she was looking at Mr Tiny James wasted no time running to him James my dear boy what s got you running around like a headless chicken Mr Tiny was smiling as he watched James pant I just wanted to ask you a few questions Mr Tiny James replied Well you wouldn t mind if we walked and talked Mr Tiny wasn t really asking because he was already moving so James had to catch up Well I was just wondering how you knew that Adam and George were in the Mansion of Mirrors Oh well I saw Adam running in here earlier and when he didn t come out I thought that something bad happened Then you came rushing through the doors and I knew something bad happened So I called the police your welcome for that Um was there anyone else who was in the area at the time Why yes Ms Periwinkle was there during the time That reminds me I need to get the exacto knife back to her Why do you have the exacto knife with you Because of this James stopped and looked to where Mr Tiny was pointing to a huge tent like structure I don t really under James trailed off as his vision began to blur and fade in and out of black His arms got heavy and loose like rubber bands He tried to turn around and saw Ms Periwinkle behind him holding a huge hammer that a clown would use Her yellow dress was covered with blood A second later James saw black and felt like a weight was finally lifted When James woke up the first thing he realized was that he got caught by the murders the second was that he was tied up and the third was that he had a horrible headache Well my boy I really feel sorry about what s to come Now chop chop Sara Quickly before Chu Chalainn or the cops find us Mr Tiny yelled at Ms Periwinkle I m trying I m trying She snapped back rising and lowering the hammer that she was holding So it was you two who killed them James stated Why yes George tried to sneak his way in and accidentally found all of this Adam accidentally found the body in the Mansion of Mirrors and then I had to put him to sleep Mr Tiny explained a calm look on his face as though this was mundane work for him You killed two teenagers James stated
JUNE 2022 SHORT STORY PAGE 22 I ve killed men women and a few teenagers before I won t lose any sleep over it Mr Tiny explained James took one look at the tunnel that was being created and started to piece things together You re here to steal all the money from the bank James started breathless Indeed James We are going to steal from this bank and continue the Carnival Pecatti Mr Tiny bowed flamboyantly before turning around to face Ms Periwinkle Just as he did Chu Chalainn bust in with police Hands where I could see you two The barrels of the guns were pointed straight at the two and they had no choice Soon the two were cuffed and escorted out to the police cruisers Ms Periwinkle was yelling curses at the cops Chu Chalainn and James Meanwhile Mr Tiny was laughing We ll meet again James and when we do it will be even more thrilling
JUNE 2022 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VOICES PAGE 23 Vietnam in My Heart Breathtaking Sights and Unique Cultures BY JULIE NGUYEN Insert Video Here
JUNE 2022 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VOICES PAGE 24 International Student Voices When I first came to Canada I felt that everything was different that I didn t belong and that this was not my hometown However it just took me some time to adapt to the environment and find people who I could socialize with I now understand that it is a long path that does not have an end During this period I realized that I was not alone as my friends and my family from my home country of Hong Kong showed me support unconditionally They are not here with me but are always inside my heart My advice is to enjoy every moment here After finishing this stressful process you will definitely have a different perspective but remember it s just a process Tiffany Wong Coming to Canada in the middle of the pandemic has been quite a journey for me After one year of studying online remotely from India I am grateful that I was given the opportunity to experience high school life in person Changes have been overwhelming for me be it leaving my home country and my friends behind or shifting schools in such a short time in Canada Everything felt so quick but I am thankful to my parents and my teachers who made the settling process easy for me During my short journey at HB I undoubtedly made some of the best memories Be it getting to know so many people making new friends building connections or just being a part of this lovely community I had a wonderful time being a part of the cricket team at HB I had a great deal of fun and got to learn a lot The best part was that I built friendships that will stay forever Also it was a valuable experience getting to know other international students and being exposed to diverse cultures And yes it was nice meeting you Julie Be it through the meaningful conversations with my English teacher Mr DeJong or the valuable life lessons from my physics teacher Mr Broersma I have certainly learned a lot from this school Thank you to my chemistry teacher Ms Syed for being so cool I really enjoyed your class Finally I d like to give a special thanks to my guidance counsellor Ms Rampersad who stood by me through thick and thin I am eternally grateful Looking back I feel that I have come a long way Goodbyes are hard but they are part of our journey so thank you HB for everything Pratyush Jajodia
JUNE 2022 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VOICES PAGE 25 International Student Voices Harold M Brathwaite The second home that nurtures my warm heart and wise mind As an international student my journey in Canada has been incredible exciting and challenging Along this journey Harold M Brathwaite is my second home where teachers and friends witnessed not only my academic progress but also the positive growth in me as a person Back in 2018 when I was 13 years old studying abroad in Canada was something that I never thought I would do in my life It was a scary world that I was afraid to enter Part of the reason was because so many friends and family members did not believe that I could live independently knowing that I was too young and inexperienced at that time However HB made me feel welcomed as I received lots of support from teachers and friends I am grateful for Ms Jones who printed out her slideshows in Food and Nutrition class as I was struggling to understand English in the first place my considerate Geography teacher Mr Brown who came to me after every class to check up on me Mrs Gardner Blake who taught me everything I should know about Accounting for university and Ms Giron Mr Hui and Ms Bryan who gave me the passion for Math and English Moreover the school community at HB is extremely engaging and welcoming in which everyone respects each other regardless of nationality and religion I am so thankful to be surrounded by supportive and warm hearted people especially my friends Amna Taedra Lakshita Sanya and Pankti Thanks to all the teachers staff and friends I realized that the best way to live one s life is to move forward with kindness and gratitude When my heart is filled with gratitude I will not see any unfairness in my life but precious lessons and experiences instead As everything happened for a reason I m grateful for every person who has come into my life and everything that has shaped the person I am today Also I believe that giving and receiving rings true to everyone because once we express our gratitude and kindness to others we get in return others respect and compassion As a result the support that I receive from others turns into my passion and motivation to help other students who are in the same situation as I was Recently I was the peer leader of Link Crew and WOW World of Welcome programs which supports the transition of grade 9 students and International students into high school During the past orientations I could see myself in each and every student who came to this country with their dream hope and pride At that moment I wondered why I took
JUNE 2022 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VOICES PAGE 26 International Student Voices this role and the only answer that came to my mind was that I wanted to become the person I needed the most I needed someone who could teach me everything I never knew about this country someone who could sit down and listen to my problems or tell me things as simple as the insurance policies for International students I wished I had had someone who could teach me these little things that I had to learn from my own experiences But because I had teachers and former students who helped me I always wanted to do the same thing for the new students By taking these leadership roles I realized that those experiences at HB greatly matured me It was meaningful because I could take the role that I always wanted and hopefully impact someone s life Above all I m grateful to Ms Rampersad for always being there for me supporting me throughout high school and giving me the opportunities to share my experiences and provide advice for other students whom I also wanted to help All in all I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my parents teachers and friends who have been with me throughout this journey helping me become a rounded student To all the students who are attending and will attend Harold M Brathwaite Secondary school as the wisdom of life comes with challenges there will be times of hardships and times when you doubt yourself As you move forward in your high school journey reach out to seek support get involved in the school community and always remember to be kind to others grateful for what you have and have trust in bright days ahead Julie Nguyen
JUNE 2022 INTERNATIONAL STUDENT VOICES PAGE 27 Home Away from Home Home is where love resides memories are created friends always belong and laughter never ends Anonymous This quote encapsulates all of the emotions I ve had in such a short period of time It has been six months since I ve joined HB and let me tell you in these six months I have grown as a person in many different ways Coming from a school that would not let you voice your opinions or let you be yourself HB allowed me to do both Being away from home and coming to a country where I did not know people was rather intimidating partly because I lacked confidence in myself and thought I could never make it But here I am one month to graduation and I m doing better than ever This was possible because HB made me feel like I belonged This school allowed me to be myself and it also helped shape me into the person I hoped to always be I believe the reason I ve changed so much and become the person I want to be is because I ve met such beautiful people who have shown me kindness and supported me on this new journey To begin with prior to my arrival my mental health wasn t great to say the least However through the connections I ve been able to make they ve made a significant impact in my life I ve improved in areas such as my physical well being I ve become comfortable with the person I am and I ve also gained more confidence which helped me become involved in more things I normally wouldn t like helping to organize events and speaking in front of even a small amount of people I couldn t have done this without the endless support from the HB community especially because of the friends I made Taedra Julie Amna Lakshita Sanya Simrit and Hasan Furthermore I am beyond thankful for Ms Nguyen who acted as not only my teacher but stood as one of my friends that I could rely on in times of need Also Ms Rampersad who checked up on me regularly and made sure I was doing okay and well Leaving my country that had my family and friends was as hard as living alone in Canada Although this was a hard and drastic change in my life I cannot complain because this has given me the opportunity to experience life alone grow up faster and given me the will power to believe in myself This experience has matured me On the whole HB has given me the best experience of my life and I am beyond grateful for that Pankti Panchal I have been an HB student for almost three years and HB has given me many things I have been able to meet many friends from many countries even many friends from different lands from Southern to Northern Vietnam More than that the teachers here are very patient with me They are devoted and always provide me with a very comfortable study environment Thank you for loving me and always making me feel like home here Helen Tran