Reading such glowing praise, it’s hard not to feel excited about Halton’s 3rd Annual LGBTQ2+ Pride Dance. This year’s dance will take place on Thursday, March 24th from 7-10 at Craig Kielburger Secondary School. The dance is a Masquerade Ball (so don’t forget your mask!) and features food and drinks, a photobooth, awards, door prizes, a relax room, beauty bar – and a special guest.
Hayden students at last year’s dance!
You can purchase tickets through Hayden’s GSA club (and GSA clubs throughout HDSB schools) or through Halton’s Positive Space Network by emailing marcusl@rockonline.ca. If you want to stay connected or get more information about the dance, you can check out the Facebook Page or tweet with #HaltonPrideDance2016. So that’s logistical information – but what makes this dance such an amazing experience for the students who attend?
One of the many reasons the Halton Pride Dance is so great is because it is an inclusive and safe space. It is an opportunity for members of the LGBTQ2+ community and allies to come together and hang out, relax, and of course, dance!
One student has a head start on this year’s theme of a Masquerade Ball! For more photos from last year’s dance, follow this link.
There’s also the fact that the dance is being organized by Positive Space clubs across the board, meaning it is student driven. Speaking about last year’s Pride Dance, which was held here at Hayden, HDSB Superintendent of Education Yaw Obeng said, “This is certainly an example of a promising future when our students are the leaders for social justice and social change.”
Above all, this dance is a positive place to express who you are, meet new friends, and be part of an uplifting atmosphere. After attending the dance last year, one student remarked that they had “never felt more like” their true self, and another commented that “you could legitimately feel the love in the room.” If those quotes don’t convince you that this is a wonderful event, I don’t know what will. With tickets costing only $10, there’s no reason not to buy a ticket, buy (or make!) a mask, and head on over to Craig Kielburger on March 24th for a night to remember.
There are many things that can seem difficult about graduating high school, and choosing your grad quote shouldn’t be one of them. That being said, many students are indecisive about their quotes. There are a lot of viral yearbook quotes floating around the Internet that increase the pressure of having a “perfect” yearbook quote.
If you’re struggling to find your graduation quote, read on for some tips and tricks from members of Hayden’s Writing Club. Use this form to submit your quote. They’re due no later than December 1st.
When picking your graduation quote…
Do be authentic and be yourself. You want people reading your quote to recognize that it sounds like something you would say.
Don’t forget to give credit where it is due. If you are quoting someone (a real life person, a television character, an author), include their name!
Do be memorable. Let your quote reflect the legacy you want to leave behind.
You may not be Beyoncé, but your life still means something. Source
Don’t feel pressure to be funny. If you can make people laugh, that’s great – but if you can’t seem to find a humorous quote, try settling for making people smile. There are so many other things your quote can be, besides funny: try being inspiring, thought-provoking, or positive.
Do look for inspiration in your passions. Your favourite books, movies, and tv shows offer tons of great one liners and quotes – not to mention all of the potential quotes in song lyrics!
When in doubt, look to Harry Potter for inspiration. Source
Don’t be cliche. Even if you truly believe that people should shoot for the moon because if they miss they’ll land in the stars, some quotes are overused and don’t reflect an individual’s true personality.
Do show how much you’ve grown since you entered high school. If you regret your grade 8 graduation quote, this is your opportunity to turn things around.
Thanks to Ms. Bokhari for submitting this write up and these photos!
Grade 10’s Celebrate the end of their Final Performance task by playing computer games! For their final performance task, they were to create a game using one of the software programs/languages that we used in class. For them that would have been either Scratch or Turing. As you can see they created a range of games from complicated “Solitair”, to an all hand drawn “jelly fish” game where the mother jelly fish is protecting her young, two versions of pong, “War” card game, space invaders, quest based games, rapping, jeopardy, simon says, car racing, frogger and the list goes on… check out their games in the photos below!
Hard work pays off. This is a philosophy that grade 11 students Abby Berendt and Sean Whalley embody. Both students are dedicated athletes, each playing three sports at Hayden this year (basketball, soccer, and volleyball for Abby and football, hockey, and lacrosse for Sean). Abby and Sean’s leadership, positive attitudes, and work ethic paid off on the field, ice, and court, and led them to become Hayden’s Senior Athletes of the Year!
“I’m very honoured to win it,” Abby says of the award. “I just really love playing sports.”
“It’s a great feeling to be recognized,” Sean adds.
Managing sports, academics, and other commitments isn’t easy, but both student athletes have found ways to make it work by handing in work on time, and taking advantage of in class time to work on assignments. These time management skills have allowed Abby and Sean to dedicate more of their time to being on the court and field.
These student athletes love donning their Hayden jerseys. “I love representing my school,” Abby says, and Sean adds that spirit days and days when people come out to the games are a lot of fun. One such spirit day occurred in fall 2013, when the Hayden junior boys football team made it to the Halton championship – an incredible accomplishment for the school’s first football team.
With no grade 12s to help out, “I was a little skeptical going into it,” admits Sean, who played on the team. “But we had a really good program, and we had committed players who worked hard.” The team’s efforts paid off, as they won the championship!
Both Abby and Sean encourage Hayden students to get involved in athletics next year. “Any athletic program that you could join at Hayden is gonna be well run, and well coached,” Sean enthuses. “The school supports all of its sports teams; you’re gonna have a lot of fun.”
“You’ll regret it if you don’t join the team you wanted to,” he adds.
“If you’re scared about missing class because of joining a course, don’t be!” Abby says. “All of the teachers are understanding, and they give you extra time to work on things so that you can be successful.”
Abby and Sean will represent Hayden on Tuesday, June 16th at Burlington Sport Alliance’s recognition dinner. On behalf of all Hayden students and staff, congratulations to Abby and Sean for being Hayden’s Senior Athletes of the Year, and congratulations to everyone who participated in Hayden’s athletics programs this year. Go Huskies!
Are you coming to Hayden in September, and curious as to what you should expect? Look no further than this post! Here, straight from the mouths of Hayden students and staff, are 10 things future Huskies should know:
1. Hayden has a unique energy that makes it an awesome place to learn.
We do super fun things like school-wide lip dubs!
2. Our teachers are fun, understanding, and want to see you succeed.
These are some of our math and science teachers. They’re awesome at teaching, and also great at synchronized walking.
3.Hayden has tons of clubs and teams – get involved!
Basically your reaction looking at the list of clubs and teams.
4.On the first day of school, you will have an amazingly fun day with your Link Crew group and senior student leaders.
These are your link crew leaders! You will have 2-3 leaders and a group of other grade nine students, so you can meet new people and make lasting friendships!
5. Hayden is a 21st century learning school.
Students are encouraged to bring their own tech to use in class! Laptops are also available to loan out from the library.
6. However, you can totally make paper work if you want!
If you like paper as much as this cat does, then feel free to bring it! Whatever helps you learn best. (No textbooks and less binders – your backpack will thank you.)
7. You’re going to love the school campus!
On the left is the Haber community centre, then the Alton Branch of the Burlington Public Library, and then Hayden. Chill spaces are located throughout the campus! You’ll soon find your favorite one.
8. Classes start at 8:40 and end at 2:50.
Time flies when you’re having fun! Lunch is an hour, and you can bring your own food, buy something from the caf or community centre, or go out for lunch.
9. Try hard in your classes!
Working hard throughout the semester pays off at exam time! There’s always extra help if you need it; all you have to do is ask! (And FYI, sleeping in class isn’t usually a good idea).
10. We’re all super excited to meet you in September!!!!
Coming to Hayden will open the door to your future. You will make friends and memories that will last a lifetime! GO HUSKIES!
Grade 11 Hayden student Kevin Han was recently awarded the Junior Citizen of the Year award at the Burlington’s Best Awards Gala for his dedication to volunteering with the Chillzone after-school program. The Hayden Howl (HH) asked Kevin (K) a few questions; read on and be inspired!
Kevin at the awards ceremony.
HH: Why did you choose to start volunteering at Chillzone’s after-school program?
K: I was just looking for somewhere to volunteer on Volunteer Halton website about two years ago. There were plenty of opportunities. But one of them stood out among others. Chillzone’s mission of providing friendly and warm environment for disengaged children seemed like a very satisfying job for me. The program’s relations to local communities and its proximity got me interested. So I sent them an email and I have been volunteering there ever since then.
HH: What do you do there as part of your volunteer role?
K: There’s nothing special about what I do. I just go in and try to have a good time with the kids. As a volunteer, I must stay disciplined and sometimes be strict to the children. But mostly I help them with homework, talk with them, provide them snacks, play sports, lead games, and run other recreational activities to keep the children motivated and active.
HH: What does it mean to you to win this award?
K: It’s just truly a massive honour to even be able to be on that nominees’ list. To win the award, it’s just unbelievable. I still feel like it’s a dream. This is definitely my biggest accomplishment so far and I just hope that I can continue on to pursue greater things in the future. I take this award not only as a reward, but also motivation and reminder for myself to maintain good citizenship and to continue to assist the community in any way I can.
Kevin and Mr. Gallant at the awards ceremony.
HH: What would you like to say to other young community volunteers?
K: All I have to say is to always be committed. If you focus on one big cause that you believe in and support, that is the best volunteering experience that you can have. Stay determined, but also try to have some fun with whoever you are working with! Most importantly, be proud of your contribution to the world, because it means so much to those you help.
April 2015 will not be remembered for its gloomy days and mid-term stress, but rather for its strategic, sock-filled mathematical test: Hayden vs. Zombies.
April 27 to May 2, senior Hayden math students and teachers from all subjects participated in Hayden vs. Zombies: a game where participants started as humans (with the exception of two original zombies) and worked their way to stay human without being tagged by a zombie throughout the week. Originating from Human vs. Zombies in many universities and colleges across North America, the termly played game utilizes the motive of “tag” and “hide-and-seek” to exemplify different mathematical concepts, such as exponential functions.
The rules were simple: humans wore neon orange wristbands while zombies wore neon pink wristbands. Once the human was tagged by a zombie, they would trade their human ID and orange band for a pink one. But the zombies could not tag the humans without a couple hurdles…humans had to underhand throw rolled-up socks at zombies, making them zombie resistant for 15 minutes. Humans were also safe for 2 minutes after each bell and in conditional environments such as classrooms, washrooms, offices, and the library.
Wrists, arms, foreheads, and ankles were all spotted with pink or orange.The difference between life and death. (source)
Recreational environments however, such as hallways and the for’em, were 24/7 safe-free zones; and thus became the perfect human hunting grounds. “I was caught on the second day during accounting class,” recalls senior math student Wajiha Ahmed. “My internet wasn’t working, so I asked the supply teacher to work in the hallway. Sitting against the lockers, I felt a tap on my shoulder from a guy asking ‘Are you in any senior math classes?’ That’s when I knew.” Wajiha was surely enough converted to zombie form soon after that question.
Although the tagging of a human was simple, the plot to catch one wasn’t always a walk in the park, as student-teacher competition grew to infinite proportions. “I think everyone was fairly competitive, but things went to the next level between students and teachers.” says English/social science teacher Ms. Diehl. “Once I had been zombified, I teamed up with Mr. Mitchell, Ms. Fehir, Ms. Kourniotis, Mr. Malarczuk, and Mr. Warner to try to get grade 11 Harsh Patel. We got pretty close, but he thwarted our attempts.” Harsh owes his zombie-teacher escape and 5-day human life to his zombie avoiding strategies. “It’s just trying to go outside.” said the math student. “The larger radius I have, the better, since I’m fast. I’m faster than fast, I’m Lightning McQueen.”
Unfortunately, Harsh’s orange band didn’t stay with him the entire duration, as he was caught in a very picturesque way. “On Friday I posted a message to my twitter that surviving humans should come to my classroom at 2:30 to get a victory photo,” says math teacher Mr. Mitchell. “Harsh and Mr. Quenneville (two of the last humans) both fell for it and I was able to snap a selfie of me tagging both of them.”
“The moment of defeat. I think I fooled them. #HaydenVsZombies” (source)
Not only did senior math students enjoy the thrill and suspense of catching humans and dodging zombies, they also appreciated the game’s positive contribution to their mathematical curriculum. “It’s a fun way to learn about mathematical concepts,” says math student Sharon John. “It’s also a good way to collect data.”
“At first I thought it was kind of lame, but seeing people actually get into it was fun,” added grade 11 math student, Bryanna Samayoa. “It was a good break, a change from typical math.”
When asked if they’ll be participating next year, both students answered unanimously, “Yes!”
In terms of the Hayden vs. Zombies in the upcoming 2015-2016 year, the game is expected to only grow and improve. “My favourite thing to do is give each team (Humans or Zombies) different missions to complete during the week,” says Mr. Mitchell. “Typical missions are for the Human Team to protect a teacher while they travel around the school, or for the Zombies to create their own Flash Mob at some location in the school. We haven’t done that yet at Hayden, but it is something we plan to do next year now that Hayden Students have a taste for the game.”
As all zombies resurrected the following weekend and humans stored back their socks, the Hayden vs. Zombies game yet again reflected the integration of two topics that are seeming to grow closer on the number line: “school” and “fun”. From understanding math in a hands-on way to getting your daily run in during school hours, the game successfully ensures that mathematical happiness will be on your side no matter what state of life you’re in. That being said, remember these formulas:
When you think of a cheerleaders, you probably think of a bunch of girls with pompoms on the side of a field, cluelessly cheering about football. That’s fine, but is not quite accurate. Taking that image, replace the pompoms with weights, the field with a fitness room and the clueless expression with looks of utmost determination. Now this image is more accurate to the Hayden Huskies Cheer team.
The team was chosen in September after a round of tryouts and includes 22 hard working individuals. They are no longer a group of individuals however but a team, bonding over the love of a sport.
For the first 6 months of this year, the team trained hard 4 hours a week lifting weights, doing cardio, cheering and practicing dances. In February, they moved over to a rented gym space and began to practice stunting and preparing for competition.
This competition in question will be held on May 23rd at Wonderland. The team, lead by Mme. Monzavi will present their routine that they’ve been practising since almost February. We encourage Hayden students to come out to the park for the day to help support the team!
This week is Hayden’s second Multicultural Week! Curious about what’s happening? Watch this video, and check out what’s happening each day. Throughout the week, tweet pictures and thoughts with #haydenvaluesdiversity !
Lacrosse on last year’s Den Day!
Monday – come to the for’em at lunch to take part in a simple and fun craft to showcase your heritage! Later in the week all of the crafts will be displayed as a mural of Hayden’s multiculturalism!
Tuesday – Den Day afternoon! Some examples of activities include mendhi, multicultural food (free!), karaoke, and more! Stay tuned for a full list.
Thursday – Inner Peace Day! Wear white, and take advantage of several opportunities to meditate and realize your inner peace.
Meditation during last year’s Den Day!
Friday – Student Council will be hosting a drum circle event, and all are welcome!
The Hayden Howl 
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