Study Matrix-Core Competency Reflection
on Category: Grade 9
on Covid-19 Self-Reflection
on Desmos “Name” Project and Core Competency Reflection
on 
Mini Track and Field Meet
on British Govern Quebec
on As a British official, I realize there are many alternatives to governing Quebec. I have chosen the policy of assimilation to ensure the colony is properly run. The reason assimilation would help me control the French better than my other options is because each of the other options have something wrong with them. First of all, biculturalism and maintaining status-quo would be extremely hard to govern and besides, I wouldn’t want their inferior culture in my colony, only the superior British way of life. My third option would be isolation which at first I thought “Hey that’s not a bad idea, I could send them off to some remote location and forget about them”, but then I realized that those murderous French would plot against me and there would be nothing I could do to watch over their isolated colonies where they could easily form an army with the Natives and take back Quebec. That leaves me two options, assimilation or deportation. Both options would achieve my goal of getting rid of all inferior cultures from my colony, but I had to decide because I couldn’t do both. My final decision is assimilation but if they make me I could always deport them. The reason I would prefer assimilation over deportation is I could grow my new colony even bigger with those who have been assimilated and use them to farm and gain wealth for my new colony. Additionally, I could cleanse the French and Natives from their inferior beliefs and culture. As I have outlined above, I believe the best policy for governing Quebec is assimilation. This will ensure that the colony will remain under British control and provide wealth for our glorious country.
Community Connections
on 
For my Community Connections project I interviewed helicopter pilot Jarrett Lunn. I chose to interview to interview Jarrett because I’m interested in becoming a helicopter pilot. I’m only in grade 9 so I have no clue what I want to do for the rest of my life but becoming a helicopter pilot has definitely caught my eye as a potential option.
The Interview:
Why are you passionate about your job?
“I am passionate about my job for a few different reasons that come to mind. First off, I am lucky enough to be able to help people in need (I do a lot of Search and Rescue flying which can be quite rewarding helping out others). Another reason I am passionate about it, is because this job has let me continue to explore this beautiful planet we live on! I have flown all over Canada (including up in the arctic) and I have seen so many places, and so many things not many other people are lucky enough to see in their lifetime. I also work with a great group of people. Working with likeminded, passionate people can make it easy to enjoy your job and it makes me appreciate it that much more.”
What obstacles have you faced to get you where you are today?
“Some obstacles I have faced to get to where I am today would be the initial challenge of saving enough more (and I also needed to take out a loan) to pay for flight school. Once flight school was complete in the end of 2007, the economy crashed in 2008 and that made finding work initially very difficult.I did manage to find work, but it meant spending upwards of 9 months per year, for my first 4 years in the industry away from home. I do consider myself lucky, since I went to flight school with 5 other people that year and I am the only one that was able to make a career out of it. I believe the economy crash was a big reason why, but I am sure other factors played in as well, as some people could not afford to spend 8-9 months away from home at the time.”
What advice would you pass on to someone interested in what you are doing?
“Do your research, learn what the job really entails. Many people think flying is JUST FLYING, but there is a lot more that goes along with it. This could include spending hours and hours landed, sitting in swamps waiting for your customers. Days sitting in a hotel in a small town, waiting for the weather to improve, or even lots of office work, and paperwork required for your employer.If aviation truly is something you are passionate about, and you enjoy spending time outdoors exploring the world, it could be a great career!”
What kind of training do you need to get where you are (Post-secondary education, work experience, volunteer hours)?
“In Canada you need a Commercial Helicopter Pilots Licence to be a working pilot. This requires 100 hours of flight training, several exams, and a flight test to validate your training. There are many flight schools in B.C which offer a full package of flight training, ground school, and even accommodations at some of them.
The tricky part is, once you have a licence, you somehow need to gain experience in order to become a valuable pilot to employers out there. This is typically done by working as a “ground crew” member at a helicopter company once you have finished your flight training. You would learn from the veterans as you help with whatever is needed(pump fuel, wash the helicopters, help out however you can). Slowly the management will give you some flights here and there, under supervision and help you gain the experience to get out flying on your own! For me, it was about 3 years of working as a part time pilot, part time ground crew until I became a full time pilot (Of course I still help with washing the machines now!!!)”
What’s the hardest part of your job/what’s your least favourite part?
“The hardest part of my job is the mental aspect. When I am flying, I am responsible for everyones lives on-board that aircraft. 90% of the time, the flying isn’t very difficult, but when things get difficult, you always need to be ready to act. Sometimes the hardest part is being able to say “no” to a client who is pushing me to fly in bad weather. You need to be confident and strong mentally to keep a level head through the ups and downs, and through the easy parts and the hard parts along the way.
My least favourite part? thats tough, there isn’t much I don’t like… Maybe just the fact that my work is so busy in the summer, I don’t get much time off while the weather is nice! We do a lot of fire fighting, which can be quite fun, but it is still work… I rarely get a summer holiday, I always plan to take time off in the spring or fall, never summer.”
Would you be open to further contact from Riverside students and if so, how can someone contact you?
“I am happy to discuss more with you if you have more questions. Also feel free to share anything from this email with other students if they are interested.” (However at the moment he is really busy so if anyone did want to contact him they would have to wait a bit until he was less busy).
This interview told me a lot of things that I would not have known if I had not used this opportunity to ask Jarrett these questions. Almost all of his answers I had not known from prior knowledge but I also learned that this job could definitely be for me as I love the outdoors, and I think it would be really cool to be up in the air every week. Despite the obvious hardships that come with the schooling and finding a job part of becoming a helicopter pilot, I would definitely consider this to be a future career.
Thanks Jarrett for letting me interview you!
Resources:
Jarrett Lunn
DNA Candy Model
on 
How Things Work – Solar Panels
on Solar Panels
What are solar panels used for? Solar panels are used to try to solve the problem of using renewable energy instead of non-renewable. They also try to make electricity cheaper which they do by reducing electricity bills for people in sunny areas. People in places like California, Arizona etc. can save money by using solar panels to power their homes.
How do solar panels work and what makes them work? These are the most important parts. The most noticeable part of a solar panel is the solar panel itself. The solar panels are usually placed on the roofs of houses although they can also be placed in large fields with other solar panels or on free-standing poles. The solar panel is what converts the sunlight into electricity. These panels are placed on solar array mounting racks. The racks hold up the solar panels and are angled so that they can use the sun as much as possible. There are two types of mounting racks. The cheaper kind, fixed mounts, have a fixed height and angle for maximum efficiency, but the sun moves throughout the day and throughout the year, so your solar panels won’t always be working to the best of their abilities. The more expansive rack is called a tracking array. Tracking arrays move east to west with the sun and adjust their angle to use the most sun possible. These solar panels need maintenance and you can’t just take them apart while they are on. The array DC disconnect is used to disconnect the solar panels from the house while doing maintenance. The reason it is called the DC disconnect is because the electricity that solar panels produce is direct current. Standard appliances in most peoples homes use AC. That’s why you need an inverter. Inverters convert the DC from the solar panels, to AC so that it works with your appliances. Solar panels don’t work all the time because days can be cloudy, and there is night. That’s why most solar panels have batteries. The excess electricity made during the sunny hours, go into a battery pack that holds the electricity until its needed. Although, the batteries can’t hold too much voltage. A charge controller fixes that problem. The charge controller allows you to maintain the proper amount of charge going into your battery, and when the electricity comes out of your battery into your appliances. The electricity enters your home at the breaker panel. There is a circuit breaker that prevents the appliances on a circuit from drawing too much electricity and causing a fire hazard. If this happens, the circuit breaker will switch off, interrupting the flow of electricity. These are the main parts of a solar panel that do the most to keep your system running.
How do solar panels actually work? The answer is chemistry. The main element in solar panels is silicon. Silicon atoms have room for eight electrons in their valence shell but naturally carry only four. Silicon bonds strongly together so this is what makes the plates of the solar panels because the silicon allows an easy platform for electrons to flow. Silicon alone does not create electricity so it is chemically combined with phosphorous, and chemically combined with boron. Phosphorous has five electrons that it gives so when combined with silicon, the result is negatively charged. Boron only has three electrons to offer so the result is positive. Sunlight sends many different particles of energy but the one used by solar panels is called photon. If the panels are faced right, the photon from the sun’s rays, hits the silicon-phosphorous mix and eventually knocks the extra electron out of its shell. One of these doesn’t create much energy, but together they start to build up. These negative electrons are attracted to the positive phosphorous-boron mix (because opposites attract) which is attached to wires. The electrons then move through the wires that connect to the home or whatever is getting charged.
Solar panels have many strengths, but also many weaknesses. One of the biggest strengths is that it gives a different option for a more renewable power supply. Instead of having to burn fossil fuels, and create nuclear waste, solar panels makes for a completely eco-friendly energy source. Even Hydro dams have a problem with not letting fish get up rivers. Solar panels use nothing but the sun to make energy. Their next biggest strength is cost effectiveness. Solar panels can cost a lot to install, however, if you live in a sunny area the price can actually be paid off and eventually, you can save money. Solar panels take a lot of money off energy bills so if you live somewhere sunny, the money you save from energy bills will eventually pay back the money spent on buying and installing the solar panels. These are the biggest strengths but, solar panels also have some pretty big weaknesses.
The main two weaknesses are connected; they can’t run all day because there isn’t any sun at night, and they don’t work very well in places that don’t have as much sun, for example, right here in British Columbia. With solar panels, you still need normal electricity, because it doesn’t last all day, so in the hours with no sun, you need an alternative. In places without enough sun, its just not worth it because you’ll end up paying more for installing it and paying for the solar panels, than you would save from actually using them. Yes solar panels can help, and yes, they are eco-friendly, but they only work in the right conditions, so its not a complete solution to the problem it is trying to solve.
The problem solar panels are trying to fix is using more renewable energy. Do solar panels use renewable energy? Absolutely, but do solar panels fix the problem entirely? Although solar panels are useful, and a good start to the fight against non-renewable energy, they don’t fix the problem completely. People in sunny areas might be able to get by with them if each day is perfect, but if not, they will usually have to rely on a secondary source of power. Solar panels are useful, and they definitely eliminate the use of some non-renewables, however, they don’t quite fix their problem.
Model
Sources
“Components of A Residential Solar Electric System.” Cleanenergyauthority.com, Chris, 6 Jan. 2010, https://www.cleanenergyauthority.com/solar-energy-resources/components-of-a-residential-solar-electric-system.
Pollick, Michael, and Niki Foster. “How Do Solar Panels Work?” WiseGEEK, Conjecture Corporation, 29 Nov. 2019, https://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-solar-panels-work.htm.
Fox, Stuart. “Sizing the DC Disconnect for Solar PV Systems.” CivicSolar, Inc., 11 Nov. 2011, https://www.civicsolar.com/article/sizing-dc-disconnect-solar-pv-systems.
“Tubular sunshine; Solar energy.” The Economist, 11 Oct. 2008, p. 99EU. Gale In Context: Canada, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A186568185/GPS?u=43sbo&sid=GPS&xid=fe04895e. Accessed 11 Dec. 2019.
FlipBook-Little Brother
on TOKTW 2019
on 
Name of your host: Gord Ryznar Relationship to you: Father
Interview:
- What is your job title?
Watershed Protection Patroller.
- What is your job description?
Responsible for the protection of our three watersheds that supply drinking water for Metro Vancouver.
- What are the duties and/or tasks you perform at your job?
Watershed orientations for Metro Vancouver staff, contractors and other agency employees that require access into the watersheds to do work. Working with software related to security, access control and CCTV camera systems. Also enforcement of regulations that relate to the protection of our drinking water, and patrolling watershed boundaries and land within, as well as assisting various projects that take place in the watershed.
- What qualifications do you have for this job in the following areas:
a) training?
First aid, wild land fire suppression, chainsaw, helicopter, and boat training, incident command, emergency spills response, and basic security training.
b) education?
Bachelor of science in forest resources management; registered professional forester.
c) experience?
Years of experience working in forestry, and eighteen years working for Metro Vancouver’s Water Services Department, Watershed and Environmental Management Division.
d) skills and attributes (personal qualities)?
Good communication and writing skills, computer confidence, good work ethic, passionate and knowledgeable about the environment and working outdoors.
- What are some of the things you like about the job?
Working in the outside environment, 4 days-on 4 days-of work schedule, playing a role in environmental protection of our coastal mountains, and diversity of tasks done at work.
- What are some of the things you dislike about this job?
Long 12 hour days-have to get up every morning at 4:45, sometimes have to work weekends, sometimes have to attend long meetings, and increasing amount of computer/office work.
- How do you anticipate this job changing in the next 5 years or so?
In the next 5 years there is expected to be major water treatment infrastructure project planning because of the increased threat of climate change and population increases so they are going to have to account for these changes to make sure there are sufficient drinking water available in the future. Therefore, there will be increased work and activity in the watersheds to start planning these projects so the job may involve more work dealing with the facilitation of these projects. The job may also involve using and installing advanced software, including potential use of drones, remote sensing technology, and upgraded camera systems.
- Other question(s):
How often do you have to deal with trespassers entering the watershed?
They frequently get trespassers in many parts of the watershed varying from fishermen coming up the river, to hikers accidentally crossing over watershed boundaries, and occasionally people intentionally coming into the watersheds for unknown reasons. This job needs to deal with these people, communicate with them, recording the incidents, and coming up with strategies to prevent a recurrence of the incident.
My Reflection:
- Give three reasons why you would like this job (be specific):
a) The main reason I would like this job because of all the time spent working outdoors and in nature.
b) I would also like the diversity of work that is done because the same thing would get boring after a while.
c) Sometimes my dad has to go on helicopter flights and I would really like that part of the job because I’m interested in being a pilot whether it’s a helicopter or plane.
- Give three reasons why you would not like this job (be specific):
a) I wouldn’t like dealing with trespassers because I would find it hard to tell them that they can’t be there especially if they didn’t know what they did wrong and were really nice.
b) I also wouldn’t like the hours as this job would require me to be there at 6am. The 4 days-on 4 days-off would be nice, but I’m not sure I could do it if I had to wake up for 6 every morning.
c) I wouldn’t like sometimes working weekends because weekends are usually when other family members plan dinners as most work 5-on 2-off. The biggest part is that I wouldn’t want to miss my sports, and if in the future I have kids, I wouldn’t want to miss their sports.
- Is this job for you? Why or why not?
This job could be for me but I do not yet know if it is. I have no clue what I want to be when I grow up so this could be one of the options as it has many things that I enjoy, but I’m not quite sure. It could be a job I try and then move on to a different one or it might be a job I don’t even consider once I start to realize what I want to do for the rest of my life. All I know is that it is an option because of all the things that I enjoy that are done in this job.
- Explain the value of the TOKTW experience in relation to your ideas about your post secondary (after high school) plans (education?, training?, travel?, work?).
I learned a lot about my dads work which could be a potential job for me. However, I also learned a lot about Metro Vancouver and how many jobs there are to chose from. Just for Metro Vancouver there are hundreds of jobs and I’m not limited to British Columbia or even Canada. I will need to figure out what I want to do eventually but for now I can look at my options and Watershed Protection Patroller is definitely one of them.
