Christmas is only a few short days away, and MSS has been full of Christmas spirit. The MSS Students’ Council has continued the 12 Days of Christmas celebration. There has been a gingerbread house building contest, a canned food drive, Give Change to Make Change, floor hockey, apple cider pong, and dodgeball. The festivities will continue with Christmas karaoke, and an Ugly Christmas Sweater Day. All these activities are getting the students and staff sharing the anticipation for the holidays.
The MSS bands and choir have been busy rehearsing for the past few months. On December 13 and 14, the group of students accompanied by Mr. Theijsmeijer, Mrs. Leeson and Mrs. Gosse travelled to Assiginack Public School, Central Manitoulin Public School, Lakeview School and Little Current Public School. The senior band played ‘Jingle Bell Rock,’ ‘Frosty the Snowman,’ ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,’ ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town,’ ‘Do Re Mi,’ ‘The Nutcracker Themes,’ and ‘We Wish You a Merry Christmas.’ The junior band played ‘Jingle Jumble,’ ‘All Aboard,’ ‘O Come All Ye Faithful,’ and ‘Deck the Halls.’ The choir sang ‘The Rhythm of Life,’ ‘Seasons of Love,’ and ‘African Noel.’ The group was originally supposed to perform at C.C. McLean as well, but due to bad weather were unable to go to Gore Bay.
The SHARE/Go Green group hosted their Christmas Coffee House for Kenya on Thursday, December 15. A small group of students stayed after school to decorate the school library for the event, making it as cheerful and cozy as possible. Emceed by April Torkopoulos, the event started at 6:30 pm. At the entrance, guests were asked to make a donation. Guests could purchase donation cards, desserts and enjoy the musical evening. There were student and staff performers: Alisha LeDain, Mr. Nelson, Skyler Danville, Sabrina Bondi, Tommy Wiwchar and Mr. Theijsmeijer. By the end of the evening the group had fundraised $285. April Torkopoulos, the event MC, said, “The coffee house went really well. All the performers were great and we had a good amount of people attend. We did receive a lot of donations.” The group is already coming up with more ideas for fundraising after the Christmas break and is planning another Coffee House for the spring.
On Friday, December 16, the Sacred Circle group organized a school-wide assembly about how to help someone who is being harassed. The assembly started with anonymous students reading the stories of other students who have experienced and witnessed any form of harassment, bullying, or discrimination. As the students behind the curtain told these stories, the audience was silent. Social Worker Alison Orford gave a short presentation at the end of the assembly, telling the staff and students how they could help in a situation where someone is being harassed. Ms. Bauer walked around the cafeteria and asked students what they were going to do to help MSS seem like a more welcoming place for everybody. Mason Golder, a Grade 11 student, said, “It was important because the students in the school are now aware how upset and scared their classmates are. I think the assembly was terrific. People really listened to the stories, and I do think they were moved.”
On Tuesday, December 14, the boys’ basketball team travelled to Central Algoma for a basketball game. They played hard but lost. The boys’ hockey team had a hockey game on Thursday, December 15 against Lively. They lost 3-5 but played well. The girls’ volleyball team are hosting a volleyball tournament on Wednesday, December 21.
Everybody have a happy, safe, and fun Christmas holiday. ‘Til 2017, stay golden, Mustangs.