Collingwood has had another exemplary year since January 2015! This year marks the opening of our new school, and it is evident that the new facilities have been enjoyed and appreciated by students, faculty, and families. Our school has been filled with lively activity as per usual, and it comes as no surprise that we have seen our impressive, successful students accomplish so many incredible feats.
In athletics, our teams finished strong. The Senior Boys Basketball team finished fourth in the province, which is the best the team has ever done! Sadly, Collingwood had to bid farewell to Mr. Virgil Hill as he took a job coaching at Simon Fraser University, but the team will undoubtedly continue to prosper under the new guidance of Mr. Andrew Wong.
The golf team took home the North Shore championships, and Senior Boys Rugby finished third at the provincial championships! Senior Girls Soccer finished third in the North Shore finals, ending their season strongly.
Another historical accomplishment was that of the Cricket team which defeated the defending champions, St. George’s, this Spring. Collingwood is now the reigning Vancouver Region Champion.
The most admirable athletic accomplishment this year is that of the Senior Tennis Team: The athletes took home the Provincial AA championship banner for the eighth consecutive year! Coach Al Rose lead the talented players through another fantastic season, and the team performed magnificently in the finals.
Liam Huebner and Kyla Jarrar pictured after the Provincial Championships. Photo courtesy of Liam Huebner.
On the artistic front, Collingwood’s art department flourished this year. Actors, singers, and dancers united to perform Grease in April, and the show was a raving success! The production took inexplicable work, lead by Ms. Cara Tench, who was supported by Mr. David Buchan, Ms. Alana Green, and Ms. Katie Anderson, as well as numerous student and staff volunteers.
The cast of Grease performing the finale. Photo courtesy of Ainsley Bustos.
The drama department also executed another riveting production- Any Number Can Die. The drama-comedy was a hit amongst all and was a special play for the graduating students as they gave their last performance to the Collingwood stage.
The music department shone in their concert titled “Songs of Spring”, which featured pieces performed by both the choir and band. This was the last concert for Mr. Michael Perkins as the band teacher will be leaving Collingwood come September.
Finally, the dance department impressed the crowd with the production “Night at the Museum.” Each dance piece was inspired by a work of famous art, which were all displayed like an art gallery in the lobby during intermission to fully enhance the audience’s experience. In all productions Collingwood put on this year, the student talent was incredibly magnified and appreciated by all.
Two unique countries were visited by Collingwood students this year. Kind-hearted students travelled to India to pursue their passions for service work. The group travelled to Udaipur, where they worked with Me to We representatives to make bricks for a local, rural school. The trip was lead by the enthusiastic Ms. Jennifer Hobson and Mr. Chris Jacoby. Columbia was the other country on the agenda: Audrey Bicknell and Brooke Mounsey represented Round Square at the international conference. They were accompanied by Ms. Meg Chamberlin and did an incredible job of representing our school across the globe. To add more travelling to the itinerary, grade 10 students participated in the Model United Nations Conference in New York, where they participated in invigorating debates and also toured around the lively city.
The India participants dressed in their sari’s on the last night of the trip. Photo courtesy of Chris Jacoby
Collingwood has much to look forward to as the year comes to a close. Cavchella takes place on June 8th and is going to be an incredible event! Commencement and Grad Ball are also mere weeks away, meaning that Collingwood will have to say goodbye to such an accomplished and inspiring graduating class. To all the returning students at Collingwood, we here at Ad Verum cannot wait to see what you all have in store for the next school year!
By: Ainsley Bustos