CHSS Chronicle

No Boundaries

On October 22, Amber Walton, Melissa Disher, Matt Austin, Eric Armstrong, Josh Behnish, Mrs. Vercruyssen, and Rob Tarnawski attended the second annual documentary and digital media festival at Stratford Central Secondary School. Participating students had the opportunity to join film teams consisting of other high school and Fanshawe College students. They spent the day learning the basics of the Documentary Film technique. Groups started with an ice breaker, then moved onto brainstorming ideas, storyboarding, filming and finally editing.

Fanshawe Film and Audio students assisted throughout the entire process. In the end all teams showcased their final product. Students were encouraged by William Shatner who was there demonstrating his support for the Festival. A fantastic time was had by all that participated.

(Story and photos courtesy Mrs. Vercruyssen)

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New York, New York!!

Our drama, music, and visual arts students had the luxury and pleasure of visiting the Art Capital of the World for a full schedule of activities, tours, and evening shows. Hair, the musical, and the dramatic Wicked were favourites. We also took part in a wild show called Fuerzabruta which had loud techno music and spectacular effects with water and dancers in a moving glass ceiling. Blueman Group was a multi-media performance using a lot of percussion and also involving the audience.

Our tours of the city, architecture, museums, and the famous Museum of Modern Art were incredibly educational, exposing layers of perspectives and  styles. We became familiar with the big city, learning how to use maps and the subway. It was fun to see famous people and places usually seen only on TV and in the movies.

Our students were wonderfully behaved, always on time and a pleasure to take traveling. We hope to offer a similar trip next fall to give our next generation a taste of the arts and life in America's proud multi-cultural city.

(Story courtesy Mrs. Browne)

(Photos courtesy Curtis teBrinke)

Pillowcases for Charity

CHSS fashion classes have just finished sewing bright cheery pillowcases for a charity group that helps children feel special while battling life challenging illnesses. ConKerr cancer has established 83 chapters serving children in 96 hospitals and pediatric hospices across the United States, Canada and South Africa. In just over two years, ConKerr Cancer has delivered over 75,000 cheerful pillowcases to sick children. For more information on how to help make pillowcases or make a donation visit ConKerr.

(Story and photo courtesy Mrs. Godkin)

Communication Technology Photography

Do You Love Photography? We Do Too!

Check out this fantastic collection of photographs taken by Communication Technology students. All photos in this collection were taken by students in either grade 10 (TGJ2O) or grade 11 (TGJ3M). Most shots are creatively taken in and around Central Huron Secondary School. There are also a few personal pics in there. Keep in mind that photos are compressed for viewing over the web, the original clarity is twice what you see on your screen. Several of these photos will be entered into Henry's Digital Photo Competition. Keep your fingers crossed for your fellow Redmen. They have a chance to win $300.00 if their photo wins.

If you want to develop your photography skills, you should consider taking Communication Technology. CHSS offers it in Grade 10, 11 and 12. See you there! (Also consider joining the CHSS Digital Photography Club.)

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Jacqui Vercruyssen
Central Huron Secondary School
Communication Technology Teacher

Light Painting

Please enjoy this collection of Light Painting. This is a photography technique that students in Grade 11 Communication Technology (TGJ3M) explore. On September 16th, all students in TGJ3M and TGJ4M brought in various light sources and had some fun painting with light in the small gym.

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CHSS Students Get Animated: Win Awards

On Wednesday, June 3rd, twelve students from the Communication Technology program at Central Huron Secondary School participated in the 3rd Annual Animation Festival at Cawthra Secondary School in Mississauga. The Festival is a Provincial event which had 85 entries from 175 students. Twenty three schools were represented from 10 different school boards.

Due to the large number of entries, not all were able to be shown at the screening. All entries went through a judging process prior to the big night where a panel of judges from various animation backgrounds concluded that of the seven screened for the Stop Motion Category, three from CHSS were of exceptional quality! Honourable mention went out to Amber Walton, Danielle Kruse, and Kody Jacobs for their work on "What iPods Do".

 Sara Johns, Carissa Schenk, and Tyler Mudde were the proud recipients of first prize for the Stop Motion Animation category for their work on "Sound The Alarm". Not only did they receive a statue/trophy for their efforts, they also won a day at an award winning Stop Motion Animation Studio; Cuppa Coffee Studios in Toronto, where they will have the opportunity to tour the studio and learn from the experts!

Students in attendance had the opportunity to hear Stephen Barnes of Pixar fame (Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters' Inc) address the audience with some insights into his work and the animation industry. Several animation schools were also in attendance to discuss post secondary opportunities with interested students. Everyone that participated received a certificate of participation for their efforts.

The Communication Technology program at Central Huron Secondary School is anxious to participate in the event again next year. Mrs. Vercruyssen, program teacher, was extremely proud of her students' accomplishments. "This was a terrific experience for all students who participated. It was fantastic to see them recognized for their hard work." If you would like to view the entries, please visit the Comm Tech page.

A Successful Year Draws to a Close

Our very own CHSS Music Department finished off a very successful year with their annual cabaret night, "Shout! A Tribute to Britain." Music classes and ensembles all performed for the last time this year for a very appreciative crowd. This was a night to pay tribute to the music of Britain and the bands that made it big in North America: the Beatles, the Who, the Sex PIstols, Duran Duran.....  It was also a night to celebrate the accomplishments of our concert band, jazz band, and percussion ensemble, the musical growth of our grade 9, 11, and 12 music classes, and the dedication of our graduates.

A special thank you to all who made tonight possible....Ben Shepherd, Nicole Kuiper, Liz Saldivar, Dean Haycock, Fraser King, Mike Park, Miss Rose, and Miss Williams.You were awesome!

(Story courtesy Mrs. Haines)
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Wawanosh In The Rain

Rubber boots, bugs, a flooded creek, red-backed salamanders, a swallowtail caterpillar, and a bit of rain makes for a great afternoon adventure at Wawanosh Nature Centre. Grade 10s, and especially Mrs. Durnin, enjoyed a Belgrave Creek Study on Thursday, May 28th. Even though we couldn't enter the creek safely due to its speed and volume, we were still able to perform chemical tests and some physical tests on its water. It was a very enjoyable afternoon back on Mrs. Durnin's home turf.

(Story and photos courtesy Mrs. Durnin)
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The End Is Near!

The final exam schedule is now in place and can be downloaded as a PDF or viewed as an image.
Download June 2009 Exam Schedule

Click on the image for a larger view.

Field Trip to the ROM—Indigenous Peoples in a Global Context

On Monday, May 11th Miss Hohner's NDW 4M: Indigenous Peoples in a Global Context class traveled to Toronto to spend the day at the Royal Ontario Museum. Students spent two hours doing a self-guided tour of the ROM where they visited various exhibits such as the First Nations, South America, Africa, Ancient Egypt, the bat cave, dinosaur remains, and they also viewed the rocks and minerals display. The afternoon was spent in the ROM's learning lab working as an archaeologist with First Nations artifacts. Students handled authentic artifacts and were required to document their physical appearance and the ways they were used by the specific native groups. Students worked with tools, weapons, clothing, and artwork. Following the lab at the ROM, students had time for lunch and a bit of shopping at the Eaton Centre before heading back to Huron County.

(Story courtesy of Miss Hohner)
(Photos courtesy of Audrey Chambers)
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