Blackville School Celebrates Winter Carnival

Students at Blackville School are celebrating Winter Carnival this week. The high school students held a door decorating contest in homeroom showing school spirit and using the school colours. The students were also encouraged to dress in school colours, blue and gold (or yellow). Meanwhile, the elementary students had dress up day, and students came on Monday dressed as animals. For photos from the door decorating contest, click here. Photos of the elementary students can be viewed here.

A Closer Look at the Effects of Cigarettes

By Nathalie Sturgeon

Gasoline, rat poison, toilet bowel cleaner, battery acid, are just a few of the ingredients found in cigarettes. Angela Thomas, a respiratory therapist in Miramichi who owns her own business, was on hand at Blackville School February 13 to discuss the topic of smoking. Juanita Curtis who is a victim of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) accompanied her.

Curtis has smoked a pack of cigarettes per day for 25 years. “My lungs are completely destroyed,” said Curtis. Curtis said she finds it hard to complete her simple daily routines.

Students were asked to place a small marshmallow at the end of a straw and attempt to breathe through it for the entire lecture to demonstrate a patient suffering with COPD.

Students were provided with numerous options to avoid, quit and help support others with smoking and its dangerous effects.

According to Thomas there are 4000 chemicals within the common cigarette, 50 of which are cancer causing. And on average it takes a smoker seven attempts to finally quit smoking.Thomas visited with both middle and high school students and staff offering helpful options as well as cessation groups to be set up within the school.

Nathalie Sturgeon is a high school student at Blackville High School. She can be reached at nast00296@student.nbed.nb.ca

In photo: (l-r back): Presenter Juantia Curtis, students Julia Astle, Michael McNeil, Cassandra Waugh and presenter Anglea Thomas (l-r front): Students Marissa Donohue, Morgan Donovan, Morgan Coughlan

Golden Eagle/Cobra Basketball Challenge

It will be an action-packed evening of basketball at Blackville school when both the Blackville senior high school girls and boys teams will face off against North and South Esk Regional.

On Thursday, February 16 the Blackville Eagles and NSER Cobras will compete in two games. The senior girls game will be at 6:00 p.m. and the senior boys will play at 7:30. The winners will receive a trophy that will be kept for display at their school until the following year.

Admission to watch both games is $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for students. A canteen will be available.

Korean Students Studying in Blackville

By Nathalie Sturgeon

Two exchange students arrived at Blackville School from Korea this month. Jin Seok Kim and Su Gyung Park are both grade six students and will be here until February 28.

The Korean students came to the area to experience the rural and country environment. Over the years the school has hosted many international exchange students.

The two host families this year are Brian and Denise Kelly and Dana and Quentin Campbell.

Both Kim and Park came to Canada to study English, and said their favorite subjects are Math with Mrs. Carmel Fiander.

Park said she enjoys her host family and friends and enjoys gym class. Kim enjoys the snow in Canada and the people; he also said he really enjoys gym class.

The goal of bringing exchange students to Blackville is for the students to see what another culture is like and for them to help the exchange students learn all about the school and community of Blackville.

Nathalie Sturgeon is journalism student at Blackville School. She can be reached at NaSt00265@student.nbed.nb.ca