GOODBYE WINTER EDITION - APRIL 20, 2011

Goodbye, winter and hello spring that does not involve the wearing of hiking boots to pre-vent frostbite! Ah, this is a won-derful occurrence. The herons are back, the seals are back, and the rugby teams are practicing outdoors. With springtime comes the wrapping up of many things. There isn't much time left in the school year and be-fore we know it, we'll be on summer break and you'll no longer have my column to sus-tain you. It will be hard, but I know that with perseverance you will all survive. My infor-

mation regarding the school clubs we are lucky to have is all fairly ordinary. Yearbook

photos for most of the clubs and groups have been taken at differ-ent times, locations and inter-vals. SAGL is cooking something up so look into the library every so often and you may see some-thing different. The Writing Club is planning a gala night perform-ance of their work. The awesome bobcats of the Junior Achieve-ment group did very well at their end-of-the-year awards night, accepting many prestigious awards. Good job future business people of Prince Edward Island! Step Up has been doing a great job raising money for such amaz-ing causes, and we wish them

luck. “Bingo!”, the recently col-lected funds for Easter Seals will go toward one of the most awesome past times. Classes will compete, and as with every-thing, there shall be a winner with ice cream sand-wiches ga-lore! I have i n f o r m e d you all as best I could. Thank heav-en s f o r spring. I don't know if bobcats hibernate, but if they do I'm one of them. I have awaken and am on the prowl.

IN THE HALLWAYS By Agent Blue

By Agent Blue

Hey there all you Bobcats! Everyone is fantastic! A big thank you goes out to all those who recently brought in money for the relief efforts for Japan and participated in our Red and White Spirit Day on March 31st. We raised over$300.00 in t w o d a y s . Amazing stuff, eh? We are currently doing another fund-raiser but this time,it is for Easter Seals. As you should all know, we're fundraising by playing Home-room BINGO. H a n n a h MacLellan is this year’s Easter Seals ambas-sador for P.E.I. She is a feisty young Grade 6 lady who has Cerebral Palsy. Her smile never fades.

"Hannah was in bad shape when she was born. Doctors believed she would

have trouble walking, talking and eating. Yet she has walked away from a walker and leg braces that were once needed for mobility." -The Guardian. The 2011 Easter Seals Soci-ety of P.E.I. Campaign Goal is to

r a i s e $100,000 for Islanders with Disab i l it ies . Money collec-tion is com-plete but you can always try to help Easter Seals achieve their goal and donate online via their web-site. We will let you know how much money you've raised

as soon as p o s s i b l e . Keep your

ears open for any announce-ments Bobcats! You never know when you'll hear a voice from student council. Keep it real Bluefield!

Local: Alex Compton and Julia McKillop, a Greenwood Elementary School student and teacher, both dyed their hair blue following a fundraiser at the school for arthritis research which raised sixteen hundred dollars. Compton is one of the one in a thousand Canadian children affected by juvenile arthritis, defined as joint in-flammation lasting more than six weeks. National: A Nova Scotia family must make a tough deci-sion in a case of Facebook bully-ing against their daughter by someone impersonating her on the website--should they let it go, or learn the name of the cul-prit at the expense of having the publication ban on the case lifted? The Ontario Humane Society reports that they have received three morbidly obese dogs in the past several months, including one three times a healthy weight; according to a representative of the Ontario SPCA, allowing your pet to be-come that fat constitutes animal

IN THE HALLWAYS

Blueprint Editors Rhyanne Beatty, Lucas Olscamp & Emily Cornish

Comics Editor Lauren Adams

Teacher Advisor Nancy MacIntosh

By Bill Macgregor

NEWS

Easter Seals ambassador Hannah MacLellan

(Continued…)

abuse due to the health complications inherent to obesity. In Manitoba, the Red River has flooded, causing several communities to evacuate north of Winnipeg. International: The turmoil in Libya contin-ues as the rebels fight for political reform against dictator Moam-mar Gadhafi with military aid from NATO. So far, international in-volvement has e n t a i l e d a i r strikes only, with no ground troop o p e r a t i o n s . Meanwhile, in Egypt, things are

Winter disappeared, but so did Cougar Town. Replacing Courteney Cox, funnily enough, is Matthew Perry (who played her counterpart, Chandler Bing, on Friends) and his sitcom, Mr. Sunshine.

I've watched a couple epi-sodes, and although Perry is as Chandlery as ever and Allison Janney is perfectly delirious in her boss role, it hasn't caught me the same way as Cougar Town did. Thankfully, the cul-de-sac crew returned for a little more penny-canning on April 18th. The show moved to a 10:30 Monday slot, which may be good, as I need something to cheer up those dreary first weekdays and, dangflabbit, Cougar Town is the show to do it. If you didn't watch Cougar Town after the first time I told you to, now is the time to do it. Although I only started watch-ing at the beginning of the sec-

As I sat down to write this there were less than 40 school-days left in the school year. Midterms have just passed and our graduation planning will start in the next few weeks Our school will be undergo-ing extensive work on the out-side of the building starting in mid May. Every window in the school needs to be removed and installed properly. To do this a lot of the brick work in the building will have to be re-moved. It will be replaced with metal siding, brick and split faced block. Construction has a possible start day of May 16 with com-pletion in S e p t e m -ber. The co n t r ac -tors will be start-ing at the “old" main entrance and work around the gym to the Automo-tive area. When students are out of the building, construction will start on other parts of the school. There should be little if any disruption to the school day. When the job is complete the school will have a com-pletely new, water tight exte-rior. A reminder to all students to work hard until the end of the school year. It is never too late to improve upon your marks. Enjoy the spring weather.

By Sean Young

heating up yet again as protests are violently bro-ken up by the currently ruling military, which took over following Hosni Mubarak's downfall. In Ja-pan, a magnitude 7.1 aftershock to the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that unleashed a devastating tsu-

nami in March, killed three people and left close to a mil-l ion homes without power recently, terri-fying many in the wake of its March prede-cessor.

Photo of Breezy Point Road washed over by the Red River. www.cbc.ca.

ond season, I likely will never watch the first. Cougar Town started as a Courteney Cox vehi-cle on ABC, driven by the cougar wave in 2009. Throughout the first season, it took itself a little too seriously and played too much on the ups and downs of the dating world at 40. As the trend died down, the writers took back the show they came to make, and created the perfect dumb-as-rocks-but-hilarious

leading cast. Forget Jersey Shore, Cougar Town is where the dim really shine. Every episode is packed with happiness in every corner, from the title card in-jokes to Ellie's sarcasmier-than-thou atti-tude. So, when you've come to your senses and gotten out of the sunshine, flop on that couch and watch Cougar Town.

THE LAZY MAKER

By Mr. Coady

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

DID YOU KNOW... The character Ellie Torres in Cougar Town is played by actress Christa Miller.

(...Continued)

As we say a much awaited goodbye to winter, we greet spring with open arms (and muddy shoes). Spring brings on numerous arts-related events around the school and outside the school as well. Our Grade 12 Wind Ensemble will be making their biggest trip yet to Cuba, de-parting April 22. The trip will include many concerts with groups such as the Havana Wind Ensemble and the Pipe Ensemble. The BWE will also be taking in as much sun as pos-sible, of course, along with visiting a local orphanage, salsa danc-ing with professionals, and learning about the beautiful Cuban cul-ture. Also look out for... the annual Arts Coffee House! This special night is creeping up on us, so if you’re inter-ested in auditioning to perform, now would be a great time to prepare. The Arts Coffee House celebrates music, drama, writ-ing and art within the school, with awards being handed out to our top artists here at Blue-field. Bring some friends, and enjoy the night with sweets, music and “table drawing.”

Lastly, the East Coast Music Awards were just in Charlotte-town! Bluefield’s very own musi-cal duo, The Alphabettes (featuring Bridgette Blanchard and Allieanna Ballagh) competed in the Soundwaves Competition on Wednesday, April 13. When you heard that an East Coast band was coming to Bluefield, I bet most of you thought that the artist would be

some old man with a fiddle and a twangy voice, shaking between notes. Well there was a fiddle, but there was no old man or shaky voices! Instead there was one of P.E.I.'s most up and com-ing artists along with his oh so talented band, Morning Fold. From the second Tim Chaisson strummed his guitar it was a non-stop showcase of talent, beauti-

THE ARTS By Dan Bevan-Baker & Cameron Francis

ful lyrics, and tunes that were catchier than some KE$HA song. He commanded the stage for the entire 80 minutes, never letting the audience get bored. Not only was Tim extraordi-nary, but his band equaled him in talent, and presence. Not only were Tim and Morning Fold incredible, but what about the Alphabettes? Allieanna and Bridgette were

absolutely splendid! They kicked off the show with one of the best renditions of "Home" that I have ever heard! And then balladized a Brittany Spears song. The Queen of Pop has noth-ing on the Alphabettes! Finally, they wowed the audience with an origi-nal song! The girls’ voices complimented each other beautifully and the piano and gui-tar added the perfect accompaniment. It just goes to show how much talent there is on P.E.I.!I really hope all of you will look into more Island artists

because they truly are spectacu-lar. Here are just a few names to search for: John Connolly, Haunted Hearts, Raccoon Ban-dit, Meghan Blanchard, Boxer the Horse, and Paper Lions. I also hope you all got a chance to check out some Small Hall ECMA shows, as it is so impor-tant for us to support our Island artists.

Would ya look at that, it’s spring time and you know what that means Bobcats: summer is just around the corner! I know many of you will be looking for summer jobs, and that’s just what I’m going to talk about in this article. Looking for summer em-ployment can be tricky, but not if you’re looking in all the right places. A few places you could start looking are right in your community: the local general store or gas stations, close-by fast-food joints and also in re-tail, like Sears or Walmart. Even babysitting jobs or yard work are great starter jobs.

When looking for jobs, there are always great sources to help you out like the internet, news-papers, and local stores’ bulletin boards. For example, there is the Employment Journey. They are based on helping you find work and much more. Their newspa-per is filled with great informa-tion on success stories about helping others, about their jobs and about helping people find jobs. They also have a website and a blog. Their site tells you about upcoming events, ways to prepare your resume, and prepa-ration tips for interviews. Top summer jobs for most students are in Tourism, Retail, a n d C o n s t r u c t i o n . O n www.employmentjourney.com they have a page called “Search for P.E.I. Industry and Job Infor-mation” which has a list of 40 or more categories. On the home-page of the web site they also have a Hot Job Search Sites.

You'll find Construction, Tour-ism and Retail listed under there among other industries. The link connects to various companies and associations' websites. You'll find general job search websites here as well as government websites. On their 2011 Blog it has various videos on job interviews, resumes and volunteering. Since it’s summer you don’t want to be spending all your time on the computer searching for work, so from May to August you can find Youth Services Of-fices at your local Service Can-ada Office and ask them about jobs that are available in your area. They can also help you out with resumes and job interview skills and preparations.

By Katie Snow

EMPLOYMENT RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS

For more information, visit:

www.employment journey.com.

Volunteers Wanted! Organizers of the Mikinduri Children of Hope Gigantic Yard Sale are looking for

student volunteers. The event takes place on May 7th from 9:00am to 1:30pm, at the Charlottetown Civic

Center. For more information, please contact Karen McKenna at kandgmckenna@pei.sympatico.ca.

The P.U.R.P.L.E. Committee is asking for submissions (anonymous or signed) from all voices and perspectives. These submissions include, but are not limited to:

Individuals who are or have been the victim of harass-ment of any kind Individuals or groups that have bullied or are bullying in the school Staff voices on instances (past or present) that they have witnessed

Experiences that students and staff have gone through that can relate to bullying/harassment Individuals that have opinions on eliminating harass-ment/bullying

Please note that there is no correct format for submissions. Sketches, images, paragraphs, poems and quotes are all en-couraged. The goal for the campaign is to create a visual display of written testimonials and images that will allow the school population to physically see and read about issues related to bullying and harassment in their school. The writing and creations of students and staff will be compiled, typed and displayed in the glass cabinet outside the library. The P.U.R.P.L.E. Committee is hoping to have selections posted on the school’s website as well. The committee believes that this is an effective way to educate and begin a con-versation about bullying and harassment at Bluefield. Please place submissions in the purple boxes located around the school or submit them directly through the Bluefield website. Any questions can be directed to Jill Coffin, Jane Hastelow, or Chris Doi-ron. The following texts are examples and inspiration from Kid’s Help Phone’s “Letters Written Never Sent.”

BULLYING AWARENESS CAMPAIGN Join this months P.U.R.P.L.E. committee campaign to raise awareness on issues relating to bullying and harassment.

Subject Me

Author thebestthingaboutmeisyou

I wish I had the courage to let my true

colors shine.

Subject Is it wrong? Author HMFSML Is it wrong? To want to be noticed?

To want to be happy? To want to be the best at what you love? Is it wrong?

Subject Dear… Author scarred4life93 Dear all the ppl who treat me like sh*t and know I’ll put up with it. you’ve never done me any good you steal from me you’ve never cared your not good ppl I wish I would stand up for myself and get rid of all of you you use me you make me hate myself you lie to me you hurt me I wish I never met any of you JUST STOP HURTING ME AND START ACTING LIKE HUMANS!

Subject I wish…

Author DanceGirl29

I wish we could go back and change that day, the day you

started ignoring me and didn’t talk to me whenever they

were around. I wish you saw what you were doing to me. If

you did you wouldn't have done it in the first place. Now

I've moved on (sorta) and realized the person you really

are. I wish you were the person I knew when I was younger.

If you knew what you did then, you would still be my BFF,

but things are different now and you don't care about your

ex-BFF. At least that’s how it feels. If you don't know what

you did to me, you ah-bviously didn't care enough to see my

expressions whenever you came close.

Alone doesn't mean "not with other people."

Alone is when you are utterly isolated in mind and soul.

Alone is like an oceanless beach, dry and safe,

but without danger, what is "safe"?

When you are alone in body, you can dance and be yourself. It's only when the others arrive

that you hole yourself away where you can hide in plain

sight. Some have wondered what the

weight of the soul is. Alone can give you that answer. It is as large-heavy-dense as you need it to be in order to escape.

Alone is not bad. It is you as you know yourself. It doesn't mean "no friends".

It can mean no peers. It can mean retreating until you

feel you can share who you are.

Alone is reached by yourself, an independent achievement.

Alone is okay.

A poem by Abby Sawyer

ALONE

On Wednesday, April 6th, Bluefield’s Junior Achievement group, the Cooked Company, took home seven awards at the annual JA Company Program Awards Ceremony. As a com-pany, they were awarded Best Website Award, Best Business Plan, and Company of the Year. The Cooked Company’s advisor team, which consisted of Emma Lund, Ellen Jones, and Katie MacMillan, was awarded as Ad-

visor Team of the Year. Rhyanne Beatty was awarded as Achiever of the Year. Irene MacAulay was awarded the Doug Hambly

Memorial Scholarship. Lastly, Evan Beatty was awarded as VP of Information Technology of the Year. As well, the company is proud to announce that they will be returning their shareholders’ initial investment of $10.00 with a $12.09 increase! Members of the Cooked Company would like to recognize all of the individuals who supported their venture throughout the Junior Achieve-ment Company Program.

By Lucas Olscamp

CONGRATULATIONS ACHIEVERS!

Pictured from left: Irene MacAulay, Rhyanne Beatty, Becky Waite, Evan Beatty, Haley Myatt, Lucas Olscamp, Mike Gass, Nick Wells, Jamie Sentner, and Phil Reid (former Company Program Manager of JA PEI).