Grade 11

Leave a comment Posted on English Honours 11, Portfolio

Spoken Word: An Ode to the Porta-Potty

In your life, there will be a selection of days that change you. These days, and the events they hold, will influence who you are as a person and shape your values from that magical day onwards.  

For me, one of those such days began under the blazing sun, my parents and I cruising down one of those highways in Northern BC that go on forever and ever. Sweet melodies of my dads severely outdated music and the magnificent view of absolutely nothing interesting racing by our windows, I felt like something interesting had to happen.  

And then, I started to feel like something disgusting was going to happen, and it was going to happen all over our brand-new leather interior.  

It turns out that sketchy gas station tacos, three bags of Doritos, and 1200 gallons of water do not a fun road trip make. In fact, it is the perfect recipe to the most awful, deplorable, nauseating bowel movement. The kind of bowel movement that would win “Heaviest Stench” four years running and only lose to the smell of a middle school boys changeroom after the Beep Test.  

Now, being on the highway in the middle of “God forgot about this place and so did real estate developers,” there are few established structures, and even fewer blessed with the luxury of plumbing. This is because there are no people. There are, however, trees and bears and something that seems to lurk on the side of the highway that actively discourages relieving oneself in the forest. (Spoiler: it’s the crippling fear of getting a mosquito bite in the places you are least willing to scratch in public.)  

Five agonizing minutes later, I was ready to accept my fate and walk straight in to the certain doom some malicious deity dealt unto me with my head held high and legs crossed when suddenly, on the horizon, gleaming like an oasis does to some dumbass who decided to walk the desert without a sufficient water supply, I glimpsed my saviour: A Porta-Potty. A plastic blue beacon of relief, signalling to all weary travellers and makers of bad decisions that yes, you are safe to defecate here.  

And defecate I did. I’ll spare you the gory details.  

It was on this fateful day, this day of immeasurable stress of Herculean proportions and CIA-mandated torture on my kidneys, that I learned to appreciate and revel in the glory that is the Porta-Potty. In time of desperation and immense hydration, of cheap nourishment and too-long lines at ladies’ washrooms, of strife and pain akin to watching old people figuring out Facebook, the Porta-Potty is always there for you when you need it most. Friends will leave, family will turn out to be devout Republicans, and you will discover that your digestive system is not as reliable as previously thought and the presence of the Porta-Potty will become an essential aspect of your life at that moment, a necessity that you will indulge in with your dignity hopefully still intact. The portable toilet – or as it used to be called, a “thunder box” – is the uniting force between all mankind, destroying social barriers with only a hole in the ground and the offering of privacy. There is no differentiation between rich and poor in the Porta-Potty, black or white, male or female, or even those who think that Comic Sans is a good font and those who are right: there are only those who need to go. The Porta-Potty is a gift bestowed unto us mere mortals and it is imperative that we recognize it for what it is: a blessing. So, the next time you are graced with the sight of a Porta-Potty, whether it be blue or pink or green, remember how privileged you are to be in its presence. It does, after all, go through a lot of shit.  

Leave a comment Posted on Francais 11, Portfolio

Projet de Zone: Les Scenes

Projet de Zone : Les Scènes 

Ces scènes sont supposées de se passer après les interrogations des membres du groupe, mais avant le commencement de la 3e acte. Idéalement, les comédiens qui jouent Passe-Partout, Tarzan, et Tit-Noir sont moins âgées dans ces scènes que dans la reste de la pièce, mais ce n’est pas si important. Le but est que ces scènes donnent plus d’histoire pour ces personnages et donnent les spectateurs une raison d’avoir de la compassion pour eux. J’espère que je l’ai accompli.  

Scène 1 : Passe-Partout   

La scène est complètement noire. On peut entendre le souffle du vent, le bruissement des arbres, la sirène d’un policier dans la distance. Soudainement : une lumière apparait dans le coin et un garçon tombe sur l’étage. Il ne peut pas avoir plus que seize ans.  

VOIX D’UN HOMME : Je ne veux pas te voir dans ma maison encore !  

VOIX D’UNE FEMME : Jacques, non !   

Le bruit d’une frappe forte. La femme crie. Le garçon commence à courir vers l’autre côté d’étage. Il court maladroitement, comme son corps veut aller plus vite que ses jambes sont capables à courir. Le garçon arrête au milieu d’étage, entouré par les bâtiments. Le souffle du vent devient plus fort et le garçon commence à frissonner, donc il frotte ses bras. On peut voir la lumière de la lune, mais la scène n’est pas calme. C’est complètement silencieux, trop silencieux pour une ville occupée. On entend le hurlement d’un loup seul dans la distance. Le garçon tourne sa tête à gauche, à droite, et finalement en haut. Il bouge ses yeux comme il essaie de trouver quelque chose dans le ciel, mais il n’y a aucune étoile. Il prend une profonde inspiration tremblante et tire sa chemise plus proche au corps. Il essaie d’ouvrir la porte d’un bâtiment. Quand elle n’ouvre pas, il prend une épingle de sa poche et le mettre dans le trou de serrure. Après quelques secondes, la porte ouvre et le garçon l’entrer.  

Quelques heures plus tard. Les rayons de soleil sont faibles, suggérés de la pluie qui vient. Un homme entre la scène, une serviette à la main. Il entre le même bâtiment que le garçon de la nuit avant est entré. Il laisse la porte ouverte ; on peut voir dedans. Le garçon est endormi sur le plancher.  

L’HOMME, fortement : Ah, t’es qui ?  

Le garçon saute en l’air.  

LE GARÇON : Je suis désolé, monsieur, j’avais seulement besoin de quelque part pour me reposer, mon père m’a –  

L’HOMME : J’ai demandé qui tu es.  

LE GARÇON : Je m’appelle René, monsieur. René Lang- René. Seulement René.  

L’HOMME : Comment es-tu entré ? T’as un passe-partout ou quoi ?  

RENÉ : Pas exactement. Je juste… passes partout.  

L’HOMME : Sortes maintenant et je ne téléphonerais pas la police.  

RENÉ : Merci, monsieur.  

René sort. L’homme ferme la porte en arrière de lui avec de la grande force. René saute un peu en l’air. Il tourne sa tête vers le gauche, puis vers le droit. Il ne sait pas où aller. Il commence à marcher lentement, ses mains dans les poches et son regard vers le plancher.  

Soudainement : le projecteur tourne vers quelqu’un, un garçon, sur le toit d’un bâtiment. Un peu plus âgé que René, mais pas par beaucoup. Il saute du toit et s’attire devant René. René est surpris.  

RENÉ un peu fâché : Penses-tu t’es qui ? Tarzan ou quoi ?  

LE GARÇON : Tarzan… j’aime ça.  

RENÉ : Bon pour toi, t’as un nouveau surnom maintenant. Pourquoi as-tu sauté devant moi ?  

LE GARÇON : Je voulais savoir comment tu es entré le bâtiment là-bas. Le verrou, c’est presque impossible de forcer sans le casser.  

RENÉ : Je suppose que je peux passer partout.  

LE GARÇON : Évidemment. (Il se tends la main.) Je m’appelle François. T’es qui ?  

René est suspicieux et hésitant de se serre la main. Il le fait quand même.  

RENÉ : René. René Langlois.  

FRANÇOIS : Ah, le fils de l’ivrogne fameux de la 13e Rue.  

RENÉ durement : Surveille ton langage. Mon père n’est pas ivrogne.  

FRANÇOIS : Mais non ? Donc pourquoi est-il dans la taule trois fois par semaine pour commencer les disputes dans les bars ?  

RENÉ : Comment tu sais ça ? Évidemment tu n’es pas assez âgé pour aller dans les bars.  

FRANÇOIS : Bien sûr, mais je suis assez âgé pour passer la nuit dans le poste de la police.  

RENÉ : Pour quoi es-tu arrêté ?  

FRANÇOIS : Le crime simple de chercher pour quelque part de dormir.  

RENÉ : Pourquoi tu ne dors pas chez toi ?  

FRANÇOIS rire : T’es mignon, tu sais ça ? Pourquoi tu ne dors pas chez toi ?  

RENÉ : Parce que mon père m’a mis à la porte. Ton tour.  

FRANÇOIS : Dehors est mieux que chez moi. Tellement mieux.  

René sens de la compassion pour François. Ici, c’est une âme sœur, quelqu’un qui lui comprend. Il est aussi un peu impressionné par François – qu’est-ce qu’il a vu ? Qu’est-ce que se passe pendant sa vie ? Il vraiment vis la vie seule. Le visage de René réfléchie ça – à un fois si dur, c’est maintenant plus gentil.  

RENÉ : Je peux trouver quelque part pour nous ce soir, si tu veux.  

FRANÇOIS : « Nous » ? 

RENÉ : Nous.  

FRANÇOIS pause, puis dit : J’aimerais ça. Merci.  

Ils partent l’étage ensemble, en parlant de tout et rien au même temps. Ils ne touchent pas. L’atmosphère est plein d’espoir, même s’ils ne sont certaines de rien.  

 

 

Scène 2 : Tit-Noir  

La scène ouverte sur une église modeste. Il y a une croix en bois et quelques bancs, et pas beaucoup plus de tout. La lumière crée par les fenêtres en vitrail est rouge, jaune, bleu. Elle peinture l’église simple en une œuvre d’art merveilleuse. Un garçon s’assis sur le banc en devant, ses mains ensembles et tête basé en prière. On peut entendre qu’est-ce qu’il dit.  

LE GARÇON : Le Dieu, je vous cherche. Je vous cherche parce que j’ai besoin de l’aide, des conseils, au moins une signe que je suis sur le bon chemin. (Il pause, respire, essaie de ne pleurer pas.) Mon père est mort. L’alcool, bien sûr. Il était un bon homme, mais pas un bon père. Il soutenait la famille, mais maintenant qu’il n’est pas avec nous toujours, ma mère travaille deux emplois – un dans le jour, un dans le nuit. Elle est malade, vielle, et ne peut pas travailler pour beaucoup plus du temps. Je ne crois pas qu’elle ait beaucoup plus du temps pour vivre si je ne fais rien. J’ai besoin du travail. J’ai déjà quitté l’école, mais il n’y a personne qui veut employer un enfant de 16 ans sans l’éducation et sans père. Mais j’ai trouvé quelqu’un, un garçon qui souvient de moi de l’école primaire – il s’appelle René Langlois et il veut faire la contrebande mais il a besoin de quelqu’un pour prendre soin des finances parce qu’il n’est pas très bon aux maths. Il a dit que je peux recevoir 25% des profits, qui n’est pas beaucoup mais c’est assez. Je veux lui aider, mais c’est la contrebande. J’aurai cassé les lois si je le fais. Mais j’ai fait ma recherche et j’ai vu qu’il n’y a rien dans le Bible contre la contrebande, donc je pense que ça va. J’espère que ça va. S’il vous plait, laisse-le ça va.  

Un prêtre vient sur l’étage et approche le garçon.  

LE PRÊTRE : Arsène, que fais-tu ? N’est-ce pas que tu dois être à l’école ?  

ARSÈNE : J’ai quitté l’école.  

LE PRÊTRE : Pourquoi, mon fils ?  

Arsène hausse les épaules. Le prêtre s’assit à côté de lui et regarde à la croix dans le centre d’église. Ses yeux semblent qu’il voit quelque chose qu’Arsène ne peut pas voir.  

LE PRÊTRE : Tu as l’aire que tu prends une grande décision.  

ARSÈNE : Vous pouvez dire ça.  

LE PRÊTRE : Peux-tu me l’expliquer ?  

ARSÈNE : Il faut que je fasse quelque chose mauvais, quelque chose illégal, mais c’est pour survivre moi et ma mère. Je me demande si c’est toujours mauvais si mes intentions sont bonnes.  

LE PRÊTRE : C’est une décision vachement difficile.  

ARSÈNE : Oui, mon Père. C’est pourquoi je demande le Dieu.  

LE PRÊTRE : Qu’est-ce que tu demandes du Dieu ?  

ARSÈNE hésite, puis : Le permission, je suppose.  

LE PRÊTRE avec une sourire : Je pense que tu as déjà ta solution.  

ARSÈNE : Quoi ?  

LE PRÊTRE : Tu sais déjà ce que tu dois faire, et je pense aussi ce que tu veux faire. Même si c’est illégal, tu aurais toujours l’opportunité pour recevoir la rémission. T’as un bon cœur, Arsène Larue. Il faut que tu l’écoutes quelques fois.  

Le prêtre s’élève et parte Arsène. Arsène signe la tête, comme il essaie de lui convainc pour la dernière fois qu’il fait la bonne chose. Il regarde à la croix pour quelques secondes, puis s’élève. Il marche hors d’église, ses mains dans les poches et son dos un petit plus étroit. La lumière semble un petit peu plus brillant et une chorale commence à chanter doucement.  

 

 

 

Leave a comment Posted on Tech Team

YearEndReflection

Tech Team: 2017/2018

What are some things you have learned and/or tasks you have accomplished this year?

I’m really proud of the work I’ve done this year in regard to technology. I helped create an interactive voice-activated mirror with Microsoft, contributed to the design plans for the Makerspace/library, contributed to the development of the alumni showcase, helped run various events at the school such as the grade 9 digital boot-camp and pro-d days, and built up the Eddy’s media department. It was a lot of work and it was really challenging, but at the end of the day, it was rewarding as well.

What aspects of your work are successful? Explain why.

I always felt good leaving one of the Tech Team-aided events this year, like the digital boot-camp, Parent Tech Night, and the district Pro-D on February 23. I think that, due to the tremendous amount of work that went into planning and making sure these days ran smoothly, as well as the amazing skillset of everyone participating, those events went really well. I’m glad that we can help share how awesomely Riverside uses technology with the whole district.

What aspects of your work is challenging? Explain why.

I spent a lot of time this semester at the WAVE, as there is not much to do with a Block A spare. Not only did I learn about the different problems students and teachers experienced with their digital devices, but also how to solve them. It was really difficult to help solve problems that I had never encountered before, and I had to learn how to get over my pride and just google the solutions if possible. I know more about computers and troubleshooting now, but I also know how to be patient when things aren’t going my way.

I also did a lot of technology work for the Eddy. We’ve never really had a focus on media before, so there wasn’t too much too work in terms of building up our social media presence and putting out videos regularly. There were a lot of roadblocks I had to overcome, especially with the latter. It turns out writing, producing, and editing videos is hard, even if they’re only a few minutes long and I have some people helping out. Eventually we’ll find our stride, but I think we did a really good job this year breaking ground. The Padcaster will also be a big help.

Is there anything you can do improve?

I have to be more tenacious with the various projects I’m involved in. I think I sort of dropped the ball on some things this year and didn’t give certain things the thought they deserved, but I’m definitely going to try and do a lot better next year. My schedule has lessened up (hallelujah) and I’m more passionate about technology than I was at the beginning of this year. In terms of the Eddy media, we did a good job of starting everything out, but I would like to produce content regularly and periodically next year. I have to be more willing to include others in this, but also encourage people to get the job done. The big thing right now is passion – if there’s no interest, there’s no improvement.

As Riverside continues to immerse itself into innovation and technology, what do you think Riverside can do to provide support and help for teachers and students?

I think a big problem we encounter right now is the lack of quick-and-easy tech support we offer. The WAVE is a great thing to have, but sometimes people just need a quick guide on how to figure something out on their Edublogs or Office365 and their teachers don’t know how. Think the Telus support website: there’s step-by-step guides on how to solve the problem yourself, and if those don’t work, then you seek a real person. We could be a lot more efficient by having more online resources (that are publicized throughout the year) accessible to students and teachers, that simultaneously solve the problem and teach them about their digital devices. It’s two for the price of one! Education AND support – what more do you need?

I think we also need to work more with teachers. A lot of teachers don’t know how to use Office365 to its full capacity, or don’t know how solve problems that arise with technology. If possible, I can see it being beneficial to have training sessions with teachers on some of the stuff that Tech Team kids and the LIF team normally do. With the huge number of new students coming in, there just isn’t enough of us to offer help to every student who needs it. The more efficient we can be, the better.

Do you have any feedback or suggestions, as we move forward, that could help the Tech Team meet the needs of our school and staff / be more effective?

As I mentioned, the creation of online support guides would be helpful, or even a package of them that can be found in every classroom. We should also advertise ourselves. Tell the school that “Hey! We’re here and ready to help!” A lot of people don’t know they can go to Tech Team kids for support.

Leave a comment Posted on Physics 11

Wave Interference

How do noise-cancelling headphones use wave interference to eliminate unwanted sound?

They emit their own waves that counteract the sound-waves from the environment, thus cancelling the sound and only letting you hear your own sweet tunes.

Leave a comment Posted on Physics 11

Newton Would Be Impressed

Newton’s First Law 

Unless acted upon a large enough force, an object in motion will stay in motion. In this example, the cart moves in a more or less straight line and will do so presumably forever. However, Jaya standing in the path of the cart acts as a strong enough force to stop the cart, as her mass is greater than that of the cart.

Considerations: If there are unbalanced forces present the object will not continue in the same path of motion. Jaya stood in the way and applied a strong enough force to stop the moving cart. Even if Jaya wasn’t standing in the way, the cart would have eventually slowed down due to friction between the wheels and the floor. 

 

Newton’s Second Law

Newton’s Second Law is built off of the First Law. It states that the acceleration of an object due to unbalanced forces will depend directly on the unbalanced force (referred to as net force) and inversely on the mass of the body. In other words, the more mass an object has, the more net force is needed to cause it to accelerate. The formula for Newton’s Second Law is a=F/m, where F is net force, a is acceleration, and m is mass.

Considerations: There was a force of friction between the wheels and the floor. This would cause the cart to slow down quicker for each situation separately. There is also friction present between the wheels and the surface of the cart; since each cart is only supposed to support one person. This would cause the cart to slow down much quicker in the second situation. 

 

 

Newton’s Third Law 

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This can be represented by the equation F1 = F2, or m1a1 = m2a2, where F=force (N), m=mass (kg), and a=acceleration (m/s2). In this example, the cart is pushed towards the wall, which it then hits. Upon impact, the cart is pushed backwards due to the equal and opposite force being exerted from the wall.  

Considerations: In ideal conditions, this cart would rebound off the wall with the same amount of force as it hit the wall and continue going in the opposite direction forever. However, this is clearly not the case because the cart does not travel at the exact same speed directly back to the pusher. This is due to the force of friction between the wheels and the floor acting on the cart after the point of impact with the wall, and potentially the inability of the wheels to quickly change direction of rolling. Also, if the wall had any elastic properties, the cart would experience less force on the rebound become some of the initial force would be absorbed by the wall.  

 

Leave a comment Posted on Tech Team

Tech Team Passion Project

a) Briefly describe your new and improved idea, by incorporating ideas and/or feedback.

The main focus of the Support Team is to provide tech support to anybody who needs it and maximise the use of technology in the school. This year, we would like to work on building up the general knowledge of school staff surrounding technology and teach them how to use programs that will be helpful in the classroom, as well as give them the resources and knowledge to teach their students how to use their digital devices effectively.

We would also like to inform parents and visitors to the school about the 1:1 program and all that entails.

 

b) Answer the following questions:

– What problems might I run into?

Most of the main goal will rely on teacher cooperation. It may be difficult to be able to set aside times to sit down with teachers and help with their familiarity with digital educational tools. All teachers will also have varying levels of proficiency with technology, so identifying the needs of the teachers regarding technology may be tricky.

– What skills do I need to complete this project? How can I attain these skills?

We will need to have a lot of patience and the working knowledge of programs that we will be teaching people. These skills can be acquired with researching programs that will be helpful in classrooms and figuring out the most effective ways to teach them, as well as working in the WAVE and always being opening to helping others with their digital devices.

 

c) Create a brief timeline of key things that need to happen to ensure successful completion of your project. What happens next?

The first step will probably be the upcoming Pro-D day where we will talk about the core competency reflections and how those will happen with Edublogs. If necessary, we can hold sessions for teachers on how to maximise the use of Edublogs (especially regarding new plug-ins), and proceed from there. What programs we intend to teach will depend on the school and what administration and the LIF team would like to see in classrooms. This may also be influenced from visiting delegations from other schools and companies who want to learn more about the 1:1 program.

Leave a comment Posted on Pre-Calculus 11

Math11PCQuadraticFunctions2017

In this unit, we built upon what we learned in the previous unit about quadratic equations and learned how to analyse these equations on graphs, how to model quadratic equations on graphs, and how to interpret those graphs. 

My lifeline this unit has been the following key:

General form: y=ax^2+bx+c 

Standard form: y=a(x-p)^2+q

To convert between general form and standard form, complete the square (we learned how to do this in Unit 3.) 

a:

  • a > 1 = vertical expansion (becomes thinner)
  • 0<a<1 = vertical compression (becomes wider)
  • a>0 = minimum value (open up)
  • a<0 = maximum value (open down)

p:

  • p>0 = horizontal translation to the right
  • p<0 = horizontal translation to the left
  • p determines the x value of the vertex and the axis of symmetry

q:

  • q>0 = vertical translation up
  • p<0 = vertical translation down
  • p determines the y value of the vertex.
Leave a comment Posted on Tech Team

TechTeamEdublog

  1. What Widgets and Plugins did you choose?
    1. Calendar+
    2. Footnotes
    3. Image Widget
  2. What are their strengths?
    1. Online platform to keep track of school events, tests, homework assignments, etc.
    2. Great for students to keep track of their sources and where information in their work is taken from, or for those like me who tend to put little comments in their work and don’t like using brackets.
    3. Offers opportunity for additional customization to blog (which I needed more of). Very user friendly and can add multiple additional images
  3. What are their weaknesses?
    1. No way to sync it with normal Calendar widget to make upcoming school events, tests, etc. public to those who view the blog. Widget is mostly for personal use.
    2. In the published version of a post with footnotes, there’s a less-than-aesthetically-pleasing blue symbol at the end of each footnote.
    3. No opportunity to preview how image looks on site, or add additional content without the presence of an image.
  4. Can these programs be used in a classroom setting to enhance student learning? Would you use it and/or recommend it?
    1. It’s good for students who would like an easy-to-use online platform to keep track of all their upcoming events and due dates. I wouldn’t personally use it because I use my phone calendar to keep track of these things, but to each their own.
    2. It’s an excellent tool for sourcing work (helps students keep track of what they used their sources for, etc.). Would definitely recommend.
    3. I would recommend it to students who want to add a bit more flair to their blog, especially those interested in photography/art and would like to show their work on their homepage.
Leave a comment Posted on Pre-Calculus 11

Math 11 Sequences and Series Blog Post

 

Arithmetic
General Term: t_{n} = a + (n-1)d
To figure out the value of any given term (t_{n}), a (the first term), d (the common difference), or n (the term in which a certain value appears).
Sum of Terms: s_{n} = [(a+t_{n})n]\div2
To figure out the sum of any given arithmetic series (S_{n}), n (the last term), or a (the first term).

Geometric
General Term: t_{n} = ar^{n-1}
To figure out any given term (t_{n}), a (the first term), r (the common ratio), or n (the term in which a certain value appears).
Sum of Terms: S_{n} = [a(r^n-1)]\div (r-1)
To figure out the partial sum of any geometric series if not given the last term, the last term, the first term, or the common ratio OR
S_{n} = (rt_{n} - a)\div (r-1)
to do the same thing, but if given the last term of the series.

You can have two types of geometric series: convergent (terms come closer together) or divergent (terms become further apart).
When you have a convergent series, the common ratio is greater than -1 but smaller than 1 (and cannot equal zero). Convergent series have infinite sums (the number in which the sum of all the terms converge at), which can be calculated with the formula S_{\infty} = a\div (1-r).
Divergent series don’t have infinite sums.