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How Does One Become a Big Bear?

By: Paul Jacoby, Ryan Tsui, Adriana Luccetta and Emek Yaakov

It's a fact that grade nine students would be lost

without their mentors, the Big Bears. Big Bears are

grade eleven and twelve students who have the

honour of being chosen to be the peer-mentors of

grade nine students at Langstaff Secondary. A very

select few are chosen to accompany the grade nines

to Camp Green Acres for two days of bonding

exercises and never ending fun. The grade nines

then return, accustomed to high school life, and to

their new classmates. The process to become a Big

Bear is highly vetted and every teacher in the school

is involved within it. Students need to proceed

through the following steps to become a Big Bear.

They need to begin by having a good attitude, be

active members of the school community, and

finally, they must apply for the position.

A good attitude is vital to the success of a Big Bear.

Schools in York Region are founded upon several

transferable character traits that a Big Bear must

possess. Throughout the day, the Big Bears are

faced with team-building exercises, which are

impossible to complete without applying these

character traits. Some of these include:

responsibility, fairness, optimism, initiative and

respect. For example, there is an activity called the

“web of trust,” where the Big Bears will, without a

doubt, be facing a question in their ability to lead.

They must be able to successfully lead their whole

team through the empty spaces provided in the web,

without touching the web at any point. The activity

requires teamwork and responsibility, as the Big

Bear needs to ensure that the group does the activity

safely; they need optimism as they should cheer

their team on throughout the activity; and they'll

need respect as there will be grade nines who do not

feel comfortable doing the activity, and the Big

Bears have the responsibility to respect their wishes.

Few people possess the traits vital to a successful

day. The search for Big Bears can be difficult, and it

is important to start with recruiting students that are

actively involved within the school community.

VOL. 1 | OCTOBER 2014

(c) Nancy Chu, 2013

VOL 1 | OCTOBER 2014

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Experience is an important trait to becoming a Big

Bear. A goal of the Bear Necessities program is to

help the grade nines become accustomed to high

school. Langstaff offers a variety of extra-

curriculars, ranging from sports, to academics, to

the fine arts. The school truly offers something that

caters to the interests of each individual. A large

part of having a successful year in high school is

often is based on whether or not a student has

contributed to the school. Big Bears who are

actively involved within the school are able to guide

the grade nines with their experiences. For example,

if a grade nine is interested in trying out, or even

starting a team, the Big Bear mentors will be able to

explain the process. That way the grade nines can

benefit more from their past high school

experiences. This is why this type of experience is

imperative to the success of a Big Bear, by having

the know-how to deal with others; it contributes to

their success in leading. Starting a club or team

requires a lot of initiative, so hopefully, the Big

Bears will instill that trait in the grade nines.

Although it seems obvious, applying is vital to

becoming a Big Bear. Big Bears must apply the

year before. Announcements are made, and tweets

are sent to all the potential applicants. The

applicants must then take the initiative to retrieve a

form from room 101 in the Family Studies hallway.

The form needs to be correctly filled out, by

answering questions like: “How has your

experience at Bear Necessities benefited you?” and

“Describe your involvements around the school?” It

is important that the applicants complete the

applications honestly, and with the right

grammatical conventions. The form also asks for

teachers’ signatures. Teachers play a big role in the

application process. After the forms are handed in

on time, an e-mail is sent out to all the teachers with

the names of potential Big Bears. If names are met

with concerns from teachers, the students may be

taken off the list. Ms. McAvoy and Ms. Mendez de

Franca, however, make the final decision.

According to Ms. McAvoy, they try to choose Big

Bears from a variety of backgrounds. This means

not choosing all of the athletes or the drama kids,

but rather a mixture of both. They also try to select

Big Bears from a variety of backgrounds and

interests. Not all applicants need to have extremely

strong academics. All selected Big Bears must then

attend a meeting to confirm their commitment.

If these steps are followed directly, one can succeed

in becoming a Big Bear. However, it is important to

note that the application process should be taken

seriously, and not every person who applies can

become a Big Bear. The Big Bears are by definition

friends and mentors to the grade nines. Contact

between the two should not be severed at the end of

Bear Necessities. Big Bears should always be

available to counsel the grade nines and answer any

questions grade nines may have about high school

life throughout the year. After all, Langstaff

believes in maturity through responsibility, and if

maturity is the goal, what requires more

responsibility than mentoring the next generation of

Langstaff students?

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Langstaff’s Colour Run

School Dance: BLACKOUT

BVBLACKOUT

Photos provided by: Shawn Ness, Skylar Peters, and Kristian Fabbro

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BLACKOUT: Langstaff's First Dance

By: Jenny Chu

Langstaff started off the new school year right with

a night to remember. On October 2nd

, some of the

student body gathered in the small gym to dance the

night away! This year, the theme was BLACKOUT,

and those that wore white glowed in the dark!

Before entering, students had the chance to grab

glow sticks and apply face paint of various colours

to spice things up. With music provided by a

brilliant DJ, students had the chance to have a great

time with their friends while sneaking in a workout.

For only $12 per person, Langstaff's annual

beginning of the year dances are a must-go,

regardless of your grade. Shout out to all those that

attended and kudos to Samara Bengall and Rachel

Booth, who planned the event!

Ask Adriana

Are you curious about something but too shy to

ask? Don’t sweat it! Send your questions to Adriana

and she’ll make sure to get back to you as soon as

possible. Your questions are all anonymous, so

there’s no need to worry!

Q: Hey Adriana,

I want to get started on my community hours but I don’t

know where to start. Also, are there any afterschool

activities within the school?

Help!

Mandy2000

A: Hey, Mandy2000!

There are many ways to get involved around the

school by volunteering. You could check the board

near the guidance office every now and then to see

upcoming events and volunteer opportunities! They

are lots of fun and you can collect your hours!

Here’s a tip: Make sure to get your hours early.

Once you get busy with school, you’ll keep pushing

opportunities away and it’ll most likely be too late

by the time you’ll want to start! Some amazing

opportunities are with L.E.A.F and parent teacher

interview night! You can also ask your teachers if

they need any help after classes to gain volunteer

hours!

For after school opportunities, try signing up for

clubs like Free the Children, H.O.S.A, R.A.C.E/

Red Cross, Book Club, J.S.U, and many more!

These help take up free time and give you the

chance to meet new people and have a great time!

Also, if you are interested in drama, fall plays and

spring plays are some of the best experiences you

will have during your high school years! Make sure

to audition when they start to get involved!

Don’t stress: everyone starts somewhere. Once you

start volunteering, you’ll never want to stop because

of the amazing experiences and the many skills

you’ll learn! Good luck!

Q: Hi Adri!

I am so scared! I have a heavy workload but I want to

spend time with friends and live my teenage years

without missing out on anything. What would you

suggest I do to balance these two important things?

Thanks,

Anonymous

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A: Hi, Anon!

No need to fear. Start off with taking a deep breath.

Scaring yourself over something that can easily be

balanced is unnecessary! First off, start by making a

schedule of all the work that needs to be done that

day or week. An agenda is one of my necessities for

school! When you have spare time, do extra work

because when it comes to the night before the

assignment or test, you’ll be thankful that you don’t

have to stay up and cram. Procrastination is NOT

the key!

Making sure that you have enough time to study and

have a social life is very important. Give yourself

breaks every now and then and treat yourself to

something you enjoy. Another amazing way to

balance your social and school lives is by making

study groups with friends. With this method, you’ll

be in each other’s presence and get work done!

There are many effective ways to balance these two

important factors, and it all depends on how you

approach it. Try out different methods and you’ll

eventually get a feel for what is most effective for

you. I hope some of my methods help!

2 D.I.Ys to Combat Stress

By: Julia Pivetta

October is finally here! School is in full swing,

which means that there are tests, quizzes, and worst

of all, stress. During these tension-filled times, it

can be difficult to properly take care of your body if

you don’t have the time to get the right amount of

exercise and sleep. Stress can take a huge toll on

your body and mind, but have no fear! I'm here to

share two essential and effortless tips that will help

keep your body and beautiful skin glowing!

Step 1: Hydrate

Water is your best friend. Not only is your body

made up of 70% of it, but it also helps you lose

weight, expel toxins, and hydrate your skin and

body. Also, in the

long run, it can help

prevent disease, so

drink as much of it as

you can! If you find

regular water boring,

you could add some wedges of your favourite citrus

fruit, cucumber slices, or even some crushed fresh

mint leaves to spice up your drink. It adds flavour

naturally and helps your immune system, so drink

up!

Step 2: Exfoliate

Two of the worst

symptoms of

dehydration are dry

flaky skin and

chapped lips, usually

brought on by the

cold, dry air of the fall months. One of the best

weapons to battle this is by using an exfoliator on

your skin. There are many exfoliators on the

market, but here’s one you can make that’s

chemical and cost-free, with ingredients you have at

home!

Here’s how to make it:

1. Take one tablespoon of honey and one tablespoon

of sugar;

2. Put both ingredients into a small bowl;

3. Mix with a spoon until you have a smooth paste.

How to apply:

Take a grape-sized amount of the paste and gently

rub it all over your face and lips, avoiding the eye

area. To remove, rinse your face and wash away any

residue with cold water.

Voila! You've created an all-natural face mask and

gotten rid of the dead skin cells, leaving behind

smooth, beautiful skin, and it hasn’t cost you

anything!

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School-caused stress can be tough to deal with, but

with Julia's essential beauty tips, you'll have a

healthier body and radiant beautiful skin. Stay

gorgeous!

Memorizing Formulas 101

By: Chloe Anderson

Can’t get the hang of memorizing that quadratic

formula by heart? It isn’t just history class that

wants to test your memory! If you aren’t Cam

Jansen, it’s probably difficult for you to memorize

numbers and formulas. To help you out, there are

some memorable tricks to get those equations

burned into your head, in time for your big test.

Here are a few ideas to get you going. Once you get

the main idea of these “cheats,” you can apply them

to any formula, set of digits, or other information

you need to memorize.

Density, Mass, and Volume

Although less common in high

school mathematics, this

formula will sometimes pop up

during a physics or chemistry

class. This formula measures

mass (how much force an object is exerting),

volume (how much space an object takes up), and

density (the quantity compacted into an object per

unit volume). If you don’t care about that and just

want to know this formula, continue onwards.

To remember the formula, just use this sentence:

In Den City, the mountains are over the valleys.

Speed, Distance, and Time

Here is another common formula in both physics

and mathematics. This formula will help you find

speed (how fast an object is going), distance (how

far an object is travelling), and time (how long it

took for that object to travel).

To remember the formula, just use this sentence:

Watch the speed of that dog running over to the

toy!

Area and Circumference of a Circle

These two formulas are used to find the area and

circumference (perimeter) of a circle. To refresh

your mind on the basics, the area is the amount of 2-

D space inside the circle and the circumference is

the distance around the circle.

To remember these formulas, just use these

sentences:

A pie runs too! (area)

See two pies run! (circumference)

The Digits of Pi

This most likely isn’t a requirement for school,

however it may or may not help you in math if you

forget the digits of pi. This can also be a neat trick

you can use to impress your friends. The number for

pi ( ) is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its

diameter. You can also apply this memory trick to

remembering phone numbers or any long list of

numbers in general. This trick involves assigning a

word to each number. The word should have the

same number of letters as the number you have

assigned it to. Just remember that the more numbers

you have, the harder it is to think of sentences!

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3. 1 4 1 5

Yay, I have a trick!

3. 1 4 1 5 9

Can I have a small sunflower?

Last-Minute Costumes for

the Busy Student

By: Sasha Pollak

Halloween is on its

way and so is the end

of October! Go out

with a bang with one

of these bangin’

costumes. They’re

super-easy and perfect

for your last minute costume, that we students love

to throw together. But, who can blame us? These

costumes require minimal effort so go on and take a

look at what could be your 2014 Halloween

costume!

1. 404 Error: Costume not found.

Grab a Sharpie and go at it on a plain white tee and

you get a clever costume with minimal effort!

2. 1-2-3 Smile You’re a Tourist!

Add a fanny pack and bang!

Literally any outfit you already have

can instantly become a tourist

costume. But, it doesn’t hurt to pull

out that Hawaiian floral or sun

block!

3. Wednesday Addams

Grab any of your black

button-down shirts tucked

into a black skirt. Add

double braids, put on a

scowl, and you could

practically be part of the

family.

4. The “Lazy Night” Costume

Just wear whatever you wear while

binge-watching Breaking Bad.

5. Want to be a Banksy?

Throw on a black top, white bottoms, backward cap,

bandana and a bouquet, and you’re a Banksy piece.

6. Feeling crafty? Be a bag of Jelly Beans!

A clear trash bag (with holes for your arms and

legs) with some nutritional facts, filled up with

colored balloons, and finished off with a bow.

7. Couple Costume Alert: Velma and Shaggy

For Velma, throw on an

uber-fashionable orange

turtleneck with socks, a

red skirt and red shoes,

with some black-rimmed

glasses. Shaggy just needs

a baggy green shirt and

brown pants to tie it all in.

8. Group costumes alert! Care Bears

Make some coloured ears out

of felt or paper then wear

clothing that matches a

colour with a white belly

(paper or felt) stuck on.

Colour in your signature care

bear symbols with sharpies to

finish the look off.

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Director of the Month: Tim Burton

By: Michelle Pollak

Tim Burton's instantly

recognizable dark, gothic

and unique style has

earned him the

prestigious title of the

Bear Truth’s director of

the month.

Burton, 56, is known for

his stylized films bringing characters like Edward

Scissor Hands, Jack Skellington, and Betelgeuse

(Beetlejuice) to life in his most iconic films. These

films include Batman Returns, Charlie and the

Chocolate Factory, The Nightmare Before

Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, and many more.

With Halloween coming up, Burton is the perfect

director of the month with all of his movies

expressing a quirky, slightly creepy vibe, yet still

always having a comedic aspect: perfect for

Halloween. Alongside an Emmy, Golden Globe,

and countless other awards and nominations, he can

now tuck The Bear Truth’s Director of the Month

award under his belt.

October’s Movie Countdown By: Michelle Pollak

Too old to go trick-or-treating? Then how about a

Halloween movie marathon with your family or

friends? This month we will be looking at six of our

favourite and most iconic Halloween movies to get

you in the spirit for this spooky season.

#1. Halloweentown

You're never too old for Halloweentown. If this

movie wasn't a part of your childhood Halloween,

or every Halloween for that matter, you need to stop

and ask yourself, why not? It's never too late to get

into this creature and pumpkin filled flick. For most

of the LSS student body, this movie rules supreme

among Halloween movies and probably pulls at all

those nostalgic strings this time of year.

#2. The Nightmare Before Christmas

A Halloween movie you can watch at Christmas?

Brilliant. Written and produced by our Director of

the Month, Tim Burton, this film without fail

exhibits his unique styling and appreciation for

Halloween. The film is set in a Halloween town that

revolves around and is obsessed with the holiday. A

beautiful work of claymation, this film is both

artistically beautiful and entertaining!

#3. Beetlejuice

Betelgeuse, Betelgeuse, Betelge- Make sure not to

say this crude ghost's name three times or your

Halloween may end up being a bit wilder than you

had initially envisioned. This movie is equally dark,

fantastical, and just downright funny. Instantly

recognizable as the unique styling of Tim Burton,

this movie is one with laughs and scares.

#4. The Addams Family

These masters of the macabre

are infinitely fascinating

characters and not your regular

family. Celebrating the

dark and gloomy, this family

not only embodies the pure

essence of Halloween, but they

do it all year long. This family

is creepy, kooky, and altogether

spooky!

#5. Hocus Pocus

Three witches are resurrected on Halloween night

and on the hunt for children to eat. Does this flick

resurrect those feelings of nostalgia for you?

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#6. Dracula

You know what’s even scarier than a man creeping

into your bedroom in the dead of night and sinking

his teeth into your neck? Someone who has never

seen this mega classic! It’s the real OG (Original

Gangster) of Halloween. We’ve all seen the

costumes and heard the tale, but the movie is

terribly good in all of its black and white goodness.

Scotland’s Independence

Referendum

Scotland's referendum for independence has been a

big talking point internationally. The vote for

Scotland's independence was held by the National

Party of Scotland, who won the 2011 Scottish

Parliamentary election. On the 18th of September

2014, voters across Scotland and the U.K. set out to

polling booths to answer the YES or NO question:

"Should Scotland be an independent country?" The

Bear Truth decided to see what the students of

Langstaff had to say and held our own voting poll

These were the results...

Langstaff Voted:

60%

Against

Separation

40%

Pro-separation

To participate in our next poll, make sure to join the

Langstaff Student Body Facebook group! Keep an

eye out for future polls and remember to vote!

A Letter from the Editors

Hello students of Langstaff!

Thank you so much for taking interest in The Bear

Truth's first issue this year! We hope you loved

reading it and are anticipating next month's issue.

Our goal for the paper this year is to create a

bimonthly newspaper that not only highlights events

around the school, but provides articles that are

helpful and fun to read for students like YOU! With

your help, we can make this happen! Feel free to

drop by Room 149 after school on Mondays to

listen in on a meeting to see what we're about. We

will keep you updated on when they will take place

via email or the Langstaff's Student Body page on

Facebook. There are tons of ways to participate, so

just ask either one of us on Facebook, in person, or

through our email, beartruth.langstaff@gmail.com.

With your support and participation, we know we

can make this the best year, yet! Everyone is

welcome to contribute. For more information about

joining the newspaper club or to submit articles,

please contact us at beartruth.langstaff@gmail.com.

You can also find us on Twitter @LSSBearTruth.

We would like to thank all the writers and editors

that contributed to this issue. Another special thank

you goes to our teacher advisor and editor, Mr.

Link, for walking us through this first publication.

We couldn’t have done this without any of you!

Jenny Chu and Sasha Pollak

The Bear Truth Chief Editors

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Volleyball Intramural

Cross Country Team

Girls Basketball

Photos provided by: Shawn Ness, Parnian Tajbakhsh, and Ksenia Ioussoufovitch