BY LINDA HOWARD, MIDDLE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT If you’ve ever seen the movie UP, then you know how short the attention span of a dog can be. Fitted with an electronic collar that voices the thoughts of the dog, just about every other sentence is interjected with the dog calling “Squirrel” because the dog has [...]
BY SHERRY DRADER, GRADE 4 TEACHER This past Christmas left me flabbergasted—the cardboard box STILL became the most sought after “toy” between my three kids! I’ve always been fascinated by the hours of enjoyment children get from a simple cardboard box, as the adult in me just wants to clean up the mess, flatten the [...]
Just a few days before the Christmas break, I received a phone call from my friend Dave MacDonald. Dave and his wife, Danaya, have a very collaborative relationship with our school, even though their children don’t attend ACS, as they homeschool in order to volunteer in Guatemala. They have hosted several school events at their [...]
A few weeks ago, three important guests visited our school whose sole purpose was to evaluate our school for the BC Ministry of Education. Every six years, a team shows up at every independent school in BC to check everything. And, I mean everything. The water quality and swing set bolts Among other things, they [...]
This summer, I drove up to Vernon with my little Boston Whaler and we arrived around 9 pm at night. We launched the boat on Wood Lake because all the launches on Kalamalka Lake were closed due to flooding. I drove the boat by myself through the canal and then in the pitch black for [...]
BY: SALLY VAN GEEST, GRADE 6 TEACHER I am not a musical person. I can’t clap to the beat, piano lessons were lost on me, I never learned to play the recorder, and I just don’t get rhythm. Musical rhythm, that is. What I do understand is the rhythm of the school year. It flows [...]
My daughter got married last summer and moved to Sidney on Vancouver Island. They have a nice little rental house just a few blocks from the ocean and only 3 minutes from the Victoria Swartz Bay ferry terminal. Debbie and I enjoy going over to visit them. Heading where?! A few weeks ago we finished [...]
During spring break, my wife and I went to visit family in Phoenix, Arizona. We saw the Grand Canyon, Sedona and went on some spectacular hikes in the desert. It was a terrific trip. One of the highlights was a visit to the Kartchner Caverns near Benson. These caves are incredible to see. But they [...]
On Friday, February 17, we did our annual pilgrimage from the multi-purpose room at the secondary campus to the middle school gymnasium with literally tons of wood. I will admit that this pilgrimage is not my favourite day of the school year. In one day, we have to organize 25 students to help us move [...]
Not long ago, I heard secondary teacher Trent De Jong describe athletics by saying, “At ACS we don’t just compete, we represent.” I heard a great story the other day from one of our coaches in the staff room that exemplified this idea. Here is Joanne Friesen, the Junior Boys’ Volleyball Head Coach, in her [...]
