For some time now, Delview Secondary has provided an opportunity for students to prove that they are some of the most compassionate young people in the province, and it continued its efforts earlier this October at Delview’s 17th annual Thanks 4 Giving.
The canned food drive supports both Deltassist and the Surrey Food Bank, reaching out to people who live in poverty from both communities. It enables students to help those in need, and it allows others to get involved as well; because it is a food drive, anyone living in Delta can help without ever leaving their home. Every single can or other non-perishable food item is greatly appreciated, so even someone who is suffering the negative effects of the economy’s downfall can participate.
Since Thanks 4 Giving’s debut in 1992, then known as Ten in One, students have successfully collected over 10,000 cans each year. In 2007, the record was broken, as canvassers brought back over 14,000 food items. Delview set another record last year, reaching an incredible total of 16,155.
This year, students collected their second highest total ever, donating over 14,500 food items and more than $1000 in cash. A big thanks goes out to the Surrey Volunteer Fire Department, who wrote a $500 check in support of Delview’s cause.
Perhaps the most important statistic, however, is the number of students participating. Delview is a small school, but over two thirds of its student population helped out, either by canvassing or working tirelessly behind the scenes. Even former students came back to help out. Next year, Delview expects to see much the same, and students hope to set a new record for cans collected.
November 2, 2009
September 29, 2009
WE Day [S. Kallu]
On September 29th, twenty-six Delview students were given the unique opportunity to attend Vancouver's first ever WE Day event held at GM Place. A variety of inspirational speakers and performers addressed the youth on topics regarding the promotion of peace and taking the leap towards creating a better world. WE Day is an initiative put forth by a non-profit organization called Free the Children (which many of you may recognize as the power behind other programs like Volunteer Now).
The beginning of the day was definitely discouraging because of rush hour traffic, crowded busses and the even more crowded sky trains. The poor weather wasn't particularly helpful either but, once you entered the stadium, you couldn't deny the energy and enthusiasm of 16,000 eager audience members.
As the speakers and performers took the stage to promote awareness by sharing stories and statistics of social injustices around the world, they were greeted by cheers and roars from a spirited crowd of today's generation. Undoubtedly, those who attended the event gained plenty of knowledge to aid them in creating positive changes, whether they be small or large. This year's line-up included His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Jane Goodall, Mia Farrow, Jason Mraz, Jacob Hoggard, Spencer West, Sarah McLachlan and a number of other incredibly motivating acts and speakers (including the founders of Free the children: Marc and Craig Kielburger).
Although each honourable guest had different things to say, and different ways to go about getting across their message, the main ideas behind the youth rally were heard loud and clear. As Governor General Michaëlle Jean stated, we are “the leaders of today”. Students were encouraged to immediately implement a youth-driven movement in order to help others. After all, hope for a better future is influenced by the actions we take now. It's easy to feel small and insignificant in a world so large, but, like Jane Goodall discussed, it takes a ripple to create a wave.
The beginning of the day was definitely discouraging because of rush hour traffic, crowded busses and the even more crowded sky trains. The poor weather wasn't particularly helpful either but, once you entered the stadium, you couldn't deny the energy and enthusiasm of 16,000 eager audience members.
As the speakers and performers took the stage to promote awareness by sharing stories and statistics of social injustices around the world, they were greeted by cheers and roars from a spirited crowd of today's generation. Undoubtedly, those who attended the event gained plenty of knowledge to aid them in creating positive changes, whether they be small or large. This year's line-up included His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Jane Goodall, Mia Farrow, Jason Mraz, Jacob Hoggard, Spencer West, Sarah McLachlan and a number of other incredibly motivating acts and speakers (including the founders of Free the children: Marc and Craig Kielburger).
Although each honourable guest had different things to say, and different ways to go about getting across their message, the main ideas behind the youth rally were heard loud and clear. As Governor General Michaëlle Jean stated, we are “the leaders of today”. Students were encouraged to immediately implement a youth-driven movement in order to help others. After all, hope for a better future is influenced by the actions we take now. It's easy to feel small and insignificant in a world so large, but, like Jane Goodall discussed, it takes a ripple to create a wave.
May 12, 2009
Skills Canada Competitions [C. Prideaux]
At the end of April a group of students from Delview Secondary climbed aboard a bus bound for the annual BC Skills Competitions in Abbotsford. The common denominator for our adventurers was an interest in the trades and desire to understand the many opportunities, benefits and rewards of skilled trade and technology careers. The bus ride down to Abbotsford gave students considering trades as a career option a chance to mingle with and question other students already in trades apprenticeships or studying trades at other schools while remaining Delview students.
The apprenticeship program at Delview has seen increasing success as more young people have seen the value of and challenge in skilled trades and gotten a head-start on well paying careers that can last a lifetime. This year more than a dozen students in our senior grades have signed up for trades training at North Delta, Kwantlen and BCIT or will be working this summer as apprentices in a variety of trades. If trades and technology is of interest to you, drop by the Career Centre and speak to Mr. Prideaux or Ms. Livingston.
Once at the site, the competitions showcased a wide variety of activities and demonstrations of trades craftsmanship. Delview students could experience for themselves~different professions with hands-on activities or check out a wide variety of national skill competitions. These competitions are serious business. They provide an opportunity for young Canadians studying a skilled trade or technology to be tested against exacting standards and against their peers from across the nation. In September, winning students will travel to Calgary, Alberta to participate in 35 contest areas and represent Canada at the 40th World Skills competition.
The apprenticeship program at Delview has seen increasing success as more young people have seen the value of and challenge in skilled trades and gotten a head-start on well paying careers that can last a lifetime. This year more than a dozen students in our senior grades have signed up for trades training at North Delta, Kwantlen and BCIT or will be working this summer as apprentices in a variety of trades. If trades and technology is of interest to you, drop by the Career Centre and speak to Mr. Prideaux or Ms. Livingston.Photos can be found here: Photo Gallery
April 28, 2009
Graduation Day at the Bay [C. Prideaux]
Graduation day came early for one group of Delview students who were enrolled in the Bay Junior Management program earlier this year. Almost every Thursday afternoon after school since early October these intrepid students have been heading off to the Bay at Guildford Mall to learn management techniques at the Bay. 
The Bay Management program helped them realize the complexities of running a large modern department store in today’s competitive market environment. They were given practical lessons in sales and marketing such as building rela tionships with customers through listening and communication. As managers they came to understand how to motivate and inspire employees, select as well as develop leadership qualities. On a personal level they discovered how personal accountability can overcome obstacles, achieve goals and help create new opportunities. 
Like a scene out of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice”, they were given responsibility for a particular department in the store and presented with a final in-store challenge of a personnel, financial, merchandising nature. Their remarkable strategies and solutions were presented in a Powerpoint presentation to a group of Bay managers and School administrators in the “boardroom” on graduation day in mid-April. I am pleased to report that they all came through with flying colours. We congratulate them all and wish them many more successes in the future. We are very proud of them.
April 15, 2009
You Can't Take It With You [N. Clark]
Delview Secondary has always been known for its spectacular theatrical performances and the talent of the students involved in them. Now, having recently become a Fine Arts school, Delview is going even further. A total of four shows are being put on over the course of the year, though two of them have already run their course; Steel Magnolias and Our Town opened to much success. Next up is the mainstage production, and it promises to be a good one.
You Can’t Take It With You is light-hearted comedy that provides the audience a glimpse into the lives of two very different families and what happens when they finally meet. Alice Sycamore, played by Melissa Taylor, is used to her family’s quirky ways, but she also knows that her boyfriend’s family is radically different. While the Sycamores spend their days pursuing whatever activity makes them happy, be it dancing, writing plays, or playing the xylophone, the Kirbys are much more business minded, and prefer to stay on the straight and narrow. So when it comes time for Tony, played by Matt Franke, to introduce his parents to Alice’s rather extended family, it’s only to be expected that something will go wrong.
This play has been in the works since January, and no small amount of effort has been poured into it. Students who are involved as actors, stage crew, directors and techies have attended rehearsals four days a week, sometimes staying after school as long as six o’clock. Finally, months after the preliminary work began, You Can’t Take It With You is ready to be presented to the world.
Tickets are $8, but students and senior citizens can purchase them at the reduced price of $6. Doors open at 6:30PM on the nights of the performances: April 21, 22 and 23. Boasting an elite cast that are, as Mrs. Hillman, the director, put it, “the cream of the cream” of Delview’s actors, You Can’t Take It With You is a must-see show and one that nobody should miss out on.
April 14, 2009
EuroTrip 2009 [K. Nishi]
After two years of planning, Delview’s 2009 Globetrotters, consisting of 38 students and four teachers, spent this year’s Spring break experiencing the arts, history, architecture and cultures of central Europe.
After flying through the night, we arrived in Berlin. We were a little travel weary but excited and ready to explore the city that allowed us to step back in time to the Cold War when Berlin was divided by the Wall, and Checkpoint Charlie separated East from West. For many of us, it was our first experience in connecting what we learned in class with the real thing. Our tour then moved southward to the Czech capital. On the way to Prague, we had the opportunity to visit the city of Dresden. We were able to marvel at the remaining baroque architecture of this medieval city and could only sadly imagine what the city looked like before being fire bombed in 1945. As we approached the outskirts of Prague, we could clearly see the famous spires that people associate with this beautiful city. It is so fortunate for the world that this city, unlike Berlin and Dresden, escaped virtually untouched by both World Wars. Even though it was unusually cold and at times it even snowed, we particularly enjoyed touring Prague Castle, the oldest medieval castle in Europe, and exploring the Jewish Quarter of old Prague. It was difficult to leave the Czech Republic but we knew there was so much more to see as we headed to Dachau and Munich. The tragic history of the Holocaust hit us very hard as we visited the Dachau concentration camp. A common comment from our students as we walked through the camp was “…the things we whine about seem so small compared to what the people here had to endure.” While in Munich, we dined on schnitzel and sauerkraut and waited patiently for the Glockenspiel to perform. As Roger, our tour guide, predicted we were not “blown away” by the performance but it was something that we had to see so that we could cross it off our bucket list. We were not visiting Euro Disney on this tour but while in Germany we did visit the inspiration for the Disney castle, King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein. The castle tour was somewhat brief but the 45 minute hike up the mountain while the snow was heavily falling was quite magical. On our way to Switzerland, we briefly stopped in the Principality of Liechtenstein. In the shadow of the prince’s castle we rested and shopped before boarding our bus for the final leg to Lucerne. Our hotel was not the fanciest but the location was sensational. It was nestled at the base of snow capped mountains on the tranquil shoreline of Lake Lucerne. All that was missing were the sounds of yodeling, but our walks along the cobbled streets of beautiful Lucerne more than made up for the missing sounds of music. Our wake up call on our last day in Lucerne was 3:30 am, the early start was necessary in order to board the train which would take us to the last city on our tour, Paris. This elegant city which boasts amongst so many sites the Eiffel Tower and Mona Lisa was a highlight for our tour. The tree lined boulevards of the Champs-Elysees, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and the home of the Hunchback, Notre Dame, were post card perfect sites and provided a fitting end to our most memorable journey.
The 2009 Globetrotters was the largest Delview group to travel abroad. As with past groups, this group of young travelers were complimented by many of whom they came in contact with as respectful and eager to learn. Again, as in past trips, it is nearly impossible to fully describe all that was seen and experienced, but it is hoped that this tour was exciting, fun, and educational, and just the beginning of many more travels.
After flying through the night, we arrived in Berlin. We were a little travel weary but excited and ready to explore the city that allowed us to step back in time to the Cold War when Berlin was divided by the Wall, and Checkpoint Charlie separated East from West. For many of us, it was our first experience in connecting what we learned in class with the real thing. Our tour then moved southward to the Czech capital. On the way to Prague, we had the opportunity to visit the city of Dresden. We were able to marvel at the remaining baroque architecture of this medieval city and could only sadly imagine what the city looked like before being fire bombed in 1945. As we approached the outskirts of Prague, we could clearly see the famous spires that people associate with this beautiful city. It is so fortunate for the world that this city, unlike Berlin and Dresden, escaped virtually untouched by both World Wars. Even though it was unusually cold and at times it even snowed, we particularly enjoyed touring Prague Castle, the oldest medieval castle in Europe, and exploring the Jewish Quarter of old Prague. It was difficult to leave the Czech Republic but we knew there was so much more to see as we headed to Dachau and Munich. The tragic history of the Holocaust hit us very hard as we visited the Dachau concentration camp. A common comment from our students as we walked through the camp was “…the things we whine about seem so small compared to what the people here had to endure.” While in Munich, we dined on schnitzel and sauerkraut and waited patiently for the Glockenspiel to perform. As Roger, our tour guide, predicted we were not “blown away” by the performance but it was something that we had to see so that we could cross it off our bucket list. We were not visiting Euro Disney on this tour but while in Germany we did visit the inspiration for the Disney castle, King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein. The castle tour was somewhat brief but the 45 minute hike up the mountain while the snow was heavily falling was quite magical. On our way to Switzerland, we briefly stopped in the Principality of Liechtenstein. In the shadow of the prince’s castle we rested and shopped before boarding our bus for the final leg to Lucerne. Our hotel was not the fanciest but the location was sensational. It was nestled at the base of snow capped mountains on the tranquil shoreline of Lake Lucerne. All that was missing were the sounds of yodeling, but our walks along the cobbled streets of beautiful Lucerne more than made up for the missing sounds of music. Our wake up call on our last day in Lucerne was 3:30 am, the early start was necessary in order to board the train which would take us to the last city on our tour, Paris. This elegant city which boasts amongst so many sites the Eiffel Tower and Mona Lisa was a highlight for our tour. The tree lined boulevards of the Champs-Elysees, the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe and the home of the Hunchback, Notre Dame, were post card perfect sites and provided a fitting end to our most memorable journey.
The 2009 Globetrotters was the largest Delview group to travel abroad. As with past groups, this group of young travelers were complimented by many of whom they came in contact with as respectful and eager to learn. Again, as in past trips, it is nearly impossible to fully describe all that was seen and experienced, but it is hoped that this tour was exciting, fun, and educational, and just the beginning of many more travels.
March 31, 2009
Sunstone Construction Tour
How many times have you thought to yourself as you relaxed after a long day at work or at school …. home sweet home? Home certainly is a great comfort from the hectic pace of our daily lives. And what exactly goes into making a home the sanctuary we so cherish? Contemplate this question the next time you turn the front door key (locksmiths) and enter the hallway that leads to the rest of the house (carpenters, drywallers, painters). Think about this when you turn on the lights (electricians) and make your way (floor and carpet finishers) to the kitchen (cabinet makers and installers) where you pour yourself a cool glass of water (plumbers). As you peer out the window (glaziers, framers) consider the protection our homes provide from the rain (roofers and masons) and cold (furnace and heating, metal fabrication, welders). No doubt you will realize that our modern homes result from the skills of many talented and hard-working tradespeople.Before this year’s spring break, ten Delview students got to see first-hand the many trades and professions that contribute to the building of today’s contemporary home. A visit to Radiance at Sunstone (a large scale housing development on Nordel Way in North Delta) gave them an opportunity to witness the construction of a town-home through all the various stages - from framing the first walls and raising the roof to adding the final finishing touches to kitchens and bathrooms. At each stage, tradesmen and women were only too pleased to explain the skills and training required for their particular specialty. When the tour was done cookies and juice awaited our students in the gorgeous model home that was the last stop for the visit. We are very grateful to Dan Johnson and the whole team at Polygon Homes for their efforts in making the tour inspiring and informative.
The Sunstone tour is one of a number of visits planned for the term to help students to explore various careers in the trades. Upcoming tours in April and May are planned for BCIT, VCC, North Delta and Seaquam as well as a special event visit to the Skills Competitions in Abbotsford on April 22nd. If these explorations are of interest to you please contact the Career Centre for more information.
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