A Busy Festive Season at Blackville School

Choir and Band Christmas Concert

As Christmas day approaches the Blackville School community held many different holiday events. One of the earliest events was the Choir and Band Christmas Concert on Tuesday, December 8 in the school cafeteria. Click here for photos from the concert.

Students from K-5 held the "The Good Ole Country Christmas Special"  in the cafeteria on Wednesday December 16 and Thursday December 17.  The program featured Red Green, the Elementary Drama Club and the K-5 Christmas Singers. To see photos from this event, click here.

The Good Ole Country Christmas Special: Gift Wrap 101 

The High School Drama club held their play Santa-Napped on Thursday evening December 17.

The High School Student Council organized the Christmas Chaos Week (December 14-18). Throughout the week there were many activities played at lunch and each day was a different dress up day.

Monday was Red and Green, Tuesday was snow day, Wednesday was Ugly Christmas sweater day, Thursday was Santa's workshop day and Friday was PJ day.

Also on Friday the Student Council hosted a pancake breakfast for High School students and had karaoke for anyone who wanted to participate. Many of the students and teachers had a great time singing and dancing up on stage in the cafeteria. To see photos from the Christmas Chaos Week activities, click here.

Christmas Sock Hop

Elementary students from K-2 held a Christmas Sock Hop Friday afternoon, December 18. This was followed by a Christmas Sock Hop for Grade 3-5 students. For photos from the sock hops, click here.

The Middle School Formal was on Thursday December 10. To see photos from this event, click here.  The middle school students also had a pancake breakfast that week.

The High School Formal was on Friday December 4th. To see photos from the formal, click here.

Article by DeAnna Donovan
Photos by Jules Keenan, Robyn Stewart, Laura Jardine, Maria Williston, Kali Nicholson and Cassidy Jay

Blackville School Christmas Concert 2015

School's In Podcast for December 18

Hosts Dylan Keenan and Brooke Underhill shares news from Blackville School for the week of December 18, 2015. The "School's In" podcast can be heard on Life Radio on Friday evenings.

Christmas Colouring Contest Winners

Viewpoint: Christmas

People's Picks (Dec. 7-11)

Teacher of the week is Ms. Underhill. Ms. Underhill is a great teacher that is well liked by the students. Sometimes, if you're lucky, she'll even give you candy. So make sure to stop in for a say! For Christmas, she said she would love to get clothes. Her favourite type of music is country music and her song is "Amnesia." Also her favourite colour is blue.

Staff member of the week is Mrs. Moody. Mrs. Moody works great with her students and is always around in case you need someone to talk to. Ask Philip Underhill about her. He'll tell you that she is a very nice lady. He spends more time in her class then in his actual class. For Christmas all she wants is for her friends to be healthy and happy. Her favourite colour is blue. Her favourite type of of music is rock, and her favourite band is Aerosmith.

Delanie is student of the week. Ms. Coughlan is a hard working and funny grade 10 student. She is always in good spirits. Her favourite colours are pink and green. Her favourite type of music is "Kenny and Dolly's Christmas."

Written and photos by Amelia Underhill, Philip Underhill, Jacob Donahue

Students Participate in the Hour of Code

Blackville School students in Broad-Based Technology 10
 participated in the 2015 Hour of Code

Grade 10 students in Broad Based Technology participated in the Hour of Code this week.

The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries. This year it was held from December 7-13. 

The event has been held annually the last few years to promote coding and programming during Computer Science Week. 

Through different online tutorials students are introduced to the basics of coding. 

For more information, you can visit the Hour of Code website, by clicking here.
 

School's In Podcast for Week of Friday December 11

Hosts Dylan Keenan and Brooke Underhill shares news from Blackville School for the week of December 11, 2015. The "School's In" podcast can be heard on Life Radio on Friday evenings.

Athletes of the Week (Dec. 07-11)

Our High School Male Athlete of the Week is Dylan Storey. Dylan was chosen because of his leadership on and off the basketball court and his "never give up" attitude. When asked how he felt getting athlete of the week he said it was a great honour. 

Our High School Female Athlete of the Week is Abby Donovan. Abby was chosen because of her leadership on and off the basketball court and her hard work ethic. When asked how she felt about getting athlete of the week she said it was a great honour and she feels great.

Photos and articles by Jared Vickers and Connor Duffy

Anti-Bullying Art Contest Winners

Lydia Sullivan, DeAnna Nordin and Micah Lynch

Three students from Blackville school developed some creative ideas for Anti-Bullying Week.

Student of all ages were asked to draw a picture about how to stop bullying in Blackville School or the community.

Winner were selected from Elementary, Middle and High School. The winners were Grade 5 student Lydia Sullivan, Grade 8 student Deanna Nordin and Grade 9 student Micah Lynch.

This contest was sponsored by the High School Student Council during Anti-Bullying week in December.

Article and photo by Calvin Furlong

School's In for Friday December 4

Hosts Dylan Keenan and Brooke Underhill shares news from Blackville School for the week of December 05, 2015. The "School's In" podcast can be heard on Life Radio on Friday evenings.

Viewpoint: Christmas Formal

People's Picks (Nov. 30-Dec. 04)

Staff member of the week is Jamie. Jamie is a loved staff member here at Blackville School. After school when she goes home she likes to lay back with her feet up and relax. Her favourite type of music is country and her favourite colour is purple. She said that there's nothing in particular that she wants from Santa for Christmas. 

The teacher of the week is Mrs. Hallihan. She is a very caring and loving teacher here in our elementary. The students love her as a teacher. After school she enjoys going home and spending lots of time with her grandkids. She also loves good old country music. Her favourite colour is purple, and the only thing she wants for christmas is to be healthy and have fun with family and friends. 

Kenley Estey is in Mrs. Norton's kindergarten class. Kenley enjoys watching TV and the colour purple. Kenley is a very good hard working student! Kenley asked Santa for makeup for Christmas this year.

Photos and articles by Jacob Donahue, Amelia Underhill and Philip Underhill

School's In Podcast for November 27

Hosts Dylan Keenan and Brooke Underhill shares news from Blackville School for the week of November 27, 2015. The School's In podcast can be heard on Life Radio on Friday evenings.

Viewpoint: Black Friday

Blackville School Celebrates the Senior Boys Soccer Provincial Championship Win

High School Students Attend MADD Presentation

High School students with MADD guest speaker (centre)

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a gut wrenching presentation with three real life stories told by family members and survivors who were affected by impaired driving.

MADD presenter Martin Savoie came to Blackville School on Thursday, November 19 to speak to the high school students about impaired driving and how people should never drive while under the influence and to always have a safe drive home.

This presentation was meant to give awareness to teenagers about driving impaired. Martin Savoie said that MADD is not only about alcohol intake while driving, but it is about drugs and how they also affect your driving ability too.

The students watched three real life stories about people who were affected by impaired driving and family members who talk about losing someone special to them. The first story was about a teenage boy and his friend who went driving and got hit by an oncoming vehicle who was driving impaired.

The second story was about a woman who was walking home and was hit by a vehicle who was impaired. She was hospitalized and cannot walk for more that a few minutes.

The third story was about a young man who was only the age of 19 and died after hitting a parked car. He was in a vehicle with someone he thought was a sober person and acting as the designated driver.

Students commented that the presentation was very moving and emotional. For more photos from this event, click here.

Article by DeAnna Donovan
Photos by Calvin Furlong

People's Picks (Nov. 23-27)

Teacher of the week is "Grampy" Mr. Grattan. With that white head and serious face he shows that he has lots of experience. Which is why he was picked. Mr. Grattan's favourite show is Criminal Minds and he enjoys country music. After school his favourite thing to do is to go home. His best friend is his wife Brenda. Last but not least, his favourite hobby is to ride his motorcycle.

Student of the week is Sarah Jardine. Sarah is currently a grade 11 student at Blackville School. Her favourite show/movie is The Vow. After school Sarah likes to watch TV. Sarah's favourite song is She's With Me and her best friend is Kailey Donovan. Her favourite hobby is doing hair.

Staff member of the week is Diana. Diana is an amazing janitor here and her work is extremely appreciated. She works hard to keep our school clean. Diana's best friend is her fellow staff member, Brent Wilson. After school she enjoys laying back on the couch and watching TV. Her favourite movie is the Christmas movie Elf. Diana's favourite type of music is country, and her favourite hobby is ATVing. 

Articles and photos by Jacob Donahue, Philip Underhill and Amelia Underhill

Viewpoint: Paris Attacks

Outdoor Pursuits 110: Survival of the Fittest

(l-r) Marshall Curtis, Tannar Maderville,
Calvin Furlong, Tyler Gorbett,
Mr. Mackinnon, Hally Ross
and Cody Taylor

Mr. Mackinnon and his outdoor pursuits class have been hard at work with their debris shelters.

Students could work on the shelters in groups or on their own. They stayed out over night on Thursday, November 19.

Only six stayed the night out of 19 in the class. Those students were Calvin Furlong, Marshall Curtis, Hally Ross, Tannar Manderville, Cody Taylor and Tyler Gorbett.

Mr. Mackinnon treated the six students to a breakfast at Burke's Diner.

Shelter photos by Calvin Furlong

School's In Podcast for November 18

Hosts Dylan Keenan and Brooke Underhill shares news from Blackville School for the week of November 20, 2015. School's In podcast can be heard on Life Radio on Friday evenings.

Students Participate in Anti-Bullying Activities

(L-R) Shelby Furlong, Chloe Curtis, Chloe Donovan and Piper Duffy

This week at Blackville School many students showed their support during anti-bullying week by wearing pink on Wednesday.

The students also participated in many anti-bullying week themed events.

Middle and High school students started off the week with showing up to kind notes posted on everybody's locker, with saying such as "You're loving" and "You are kind".

They also had events such as the K-12 drawing contest where students were asked to design a poster showing their support against bullying. The posters were to have an inspiring message about bullying.

They also had Thank You-Thursday, where high school students were asked to make a new friend at lunch and bring their new friend to get pink lemonade. For more photos from this week's activities, click here.

Article by Amelia Underhill
Photos by Laura Jardine and Cassidy Jay

People's Picks (Nov.16-20)

Student of the week is Ava Walls. Ava is in Mrs. Manderville's class. She enjoys the TV show Hotel Transylvania, and she likes the colour pink. Her favourite food is pizza, and after school she likes to play soccer. 

Teacher of the week is Ms. Hogan. Ms. Hogan is a very focused teacher here in our elementary. She is good with all of her students and works hard. She likes the TV series The Walking Dead. After school is done for the day, she enjoys going home and taking her dog for walks. Ms. Hogan's favourite food is spaghetti, and she likes the colour purple. 

Staff member of the week is Tammy Donavan. Tammy is a dedicated hard working staff member here at Blackville School. She is a very nice person. Her favourite TV show is The Walking Dead. She also enjoys pizza and the colour purple. She also likes to read.

Composed by Philip Underhill & Jacob Donahue

Students Express Creativity In Welding Project

Braxton Stafford holding his metal car sculpture.

"I just want to build metal toy cars for the rest of my life," says Braxton Stafford a grade 12 student in Metals Fabrication at Blackville School.

Students got a chance to tap into their creative side by creating statues using materials, such as nuts, bolts and old scrap metal.

Many of the students googled their ideas or got them because they enjoyed it as an activity.

Grade 12 student Josh Underhill made a basketball court with two players playing the sport. The idea came from the fact that he enjoys playing basketball with his brother.

Before their projects were finished, they took their time in perfecting and creating as much detail as possible. The projects took from two classes to over a week to complete.

Some of the students said that they were not considering this as a career; however, there were a few students who said they would pursue this further on in their life.

To see more photos of the students and art work, click here.

Article by: DeAnna Donovan.
Photo by: Jacob Donahue & DeAnna Donovan.

School's In Podcast for November 13

Host Dylan Keenan shares news from Blackville School for the week of November 13, 2015. School's In podcast can be heard on Life Radio on Friday evenings.

Remembrance Day Moments

School's In: Remembrance Day Feature

Corporal Winston Dottin and
School's In Podcast Host Dylan Keenan

For this week's School's In Podcast, Host Dylan Keenan interviews Corporal Winston Dottin who served in the Canadian Military. Corporal Dottin speaks about his experiences in the military and provides advice for young people considering a military life. He also discusses the importance of Remembrance Day and the most memorable Remembrance Day Ceremony he has attended.

Photo by Maria Williston

Blackville School Holds Remembrance Day Ceremony

Elementary Choir singing
"Why Do We Have Remembrance Day"

The Blackville school hosted the annual Remembrance day ceremony in the gym on Tuesday, November 10.

Students from K-12 participated in the event with many of them dressing in red and wearing a poppy on their chest.

The Blackville School Girls Choir opened the ceremony by singing “O Canada”. The students, staff and special guests were welcomed by Bree Hallihan and Chase Connors. The opening prayer was done by Father Laskey, followed by “Amazing Grace” sung by The Blackville School Girls Choir.

Readers were Calvin Keenan and Jules Keenan.

The assembly also heard performances from the Elementary Choir “Why Do We Have Remembrance Day?” followed by “Musical Memories from the World War” from the Blackville School Jazz Band and Grade 9T Class Band.

The ceremony ended with the wreath laying and the Last Post, followed by two minutes of silence and a closing and thank you from students Jayda MacDonald and Braden Burke.

A reception for the special guests was held following the ceremony. It was hosted by the High School Culinary class.

For more photos from the event, click here. 

Article by Amelia Underhill

Photos by Cassidy Jay and Jules Keenan

Seniors Boys Soccer Team Brings Home Provincial Championship Win

The Blackville Senior Boys Soccer Team

The Blackville Senior Boys Soccer Team were the Provincial Champions at the end of the day on Saturday, November 7 in Minto, NB.

The team finished the regular season with an 8-1-1 record.  The team won its two games on Saturday with a shoot out after the regulation scores of 1-1 in both games.

Below are reactions from the some of the team players as will as the coach and Blackville principal, Rodney Buggie.

Questions: (Answered by players in listed order)

How does it feel to be a Provincial Champ?
What do you think was the key to winning?
How did the team Play overall? 
Were there certain players you thought stepped up in the games?
Any other comments/thoughts no Provincials? 

Jonah Peterson
"It is indescribable how good it feels"
"Teamwork and dedication was key to success"
"Team played very strong overall"
"Everybody stepped up in their own ways"
"There is no better way to end off my soccer career than winning a provincial championship"

Wyatt "Loman" Vickers
"Pretty good... It's nice"
"Hard work and heart"
"Pretty good... Everyone played to their full potential."
"Yes, Jonah Peterson stepped up to the plate"
"Feels good to end the year off with the Provincial win"

Hugo White-O'Connell
"Unbelievable"
"Playing as a team was the key"
"Pretty good"
"Joe, Jonah and everybody really stepped up"
"Best year ever."

Riley Keenan
"Feels great"
"Confidence and team work"
"Played great, a lot of players had some strong leadership skills"
"Everyone played to their full potential all year"
"Go Eagles"

Peyton Gillespie
"Pretty good"
"Hard work"
"Pretty good"
"Jonah"
"No comments"

Coach Buggie
"It feels great. It's my first in 11 years, since 2004 - 2005.
"Key to winning- team effort and not giving in when we were down 1-0 in both games (semi final)
Overall the team was consistent, we were creating chances, plus knew the goals were going to come.
Joe Hallihan, Alex Hallihan, Jonah Peterson, Dylan (goalie) Riley Keenan, Daniel Richard, Daniel Moody. As a whole the team was very successful, and were all excited but still unselfish.
Still excited about the win.

Article by Bailey Coughlan and Michael Waugh
Photo by Laura Jardine

People's Picks (Nov.9-14)

Student of the week is Cassidy Jay. Cassidy is a grade 12 student here at Blackville School. Cassidy's favourite colour is purple, and she loves tacos. After school Cassidy likes to watch Netflix, and her favourite show is Grey's Anatomy. 

Teacher of the week is Mr. Carter. Mr. Carter is a great easy going teacher who is well liked by the students. After school he likes to walk his "beasts" (dogs), tend to his garden and do yard work. His favourite colour is blue, and he likes pizza. His favourite movie is Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country. 

Staff of the week is Bonnie MacRae. She is an educational assistant at Blackville School. She is loved by everyone in the school. Bonnie enjoys traveling, eating pizza and watching Grey's Anatomy. Her favourite colour is green.

Blackville Students attend Gairdner Presentation

(L-R) Dylan Keenan, Abigail Hennessy, Ashlyn Moody
and Laura Jardine

Grade 12 Blackville High School students Ashlyn Moody, Laura Jardine, Abigail Hennessy and Dylan Keenan went to a presentation at the Miramichi Regional Hospital on Tuesday, November 3.

The Gairdner presentation was hosted by Dalhousie Medical School and was sponsored by Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). Dr. Lynne Maquat spoke about her research concerning genetics, specifically ribonucleic acid (RNA).

The presentation also included information on pursuing careers and research in the field of science.

This is the first year that they held the presentation in New Brunswick. The presentation took place in Fredericton and was streamed live. Schools from Miramichi, St John, Waterville and Moncton all joined the presentation and were able to ask the scientists questions about their careers and research.

Dr. Maquat is the 2015 Recipient of the Canada Gairdner International Award. For more information on Dr. Maquat and the Gairdner Foundation, click here.

Viewpoint: Cafeteria

Take Your Kid To Work Day

Hannah Jardine at Tammy's Shop.

Each year grade nine students participate in Take Your Kid To Work Day on November 4, 2015. Students went to their preferred work place and became an employee for the day.

The purpose of take your kid to work day is for students to get a sense of what it's like to be an employee.

In the local area around Blackville, Hannah Jardine went to Tammy's Shop while Piper Duffy and Chloe Curtis both went to the Irving. Shelby Furlong went to Hooked & Cooked. Courtney Donahue went to Pharmasave, and Julia Curtis went to Rosie's Cut and Style.

To see more photos, click here.

Shelby Furlong at Hooked and Cooked.

Article by: DeAnna Donovan.
Photos by: Jacob Donahue, Philip Underhill and DeAnna Donovan.

Athletes of the Week (Nov. 02 - 06)

Erin Moody was named high school female athlete of the week. She was named because of her excellent performance throughout the season. Erin was very excited to be named female athlete of the week.

Hugo White-O'Connell was named the high school male athlete of the week. He was named because of his excellent performance and his offensive abilities and hard work. Hugo was very excited to be named the male athlete of the week. He was very proud of himself.

Articles and photos by Jared Vickers and Connor Duffy

People's Picks (Nov. 2-6)

Staff member of the week is Tim Mountain. Tim's favourite show is The Dukes of Hazzard. Tim is a great bus driver and loves his new bus. His favourite type of music is country and he likes the colour red.

Student of the week is Alex Coughlan. Alex is currently a middle school student here at Blackville. Alex's favourite show is Pawn Stars. He loves good old country music. He also likes the colour red. His favourite type of snowmobile is Yamaha. 

Teacher of the week is Ms. Davidson. She is an amazing teacher that is loved by the students here at Blackville school. She enjoys the show The Walking Dead, and she also loves all kinds of music. Her favourite colour is blue.


Articles and photos by Philip Underhill and Jacob Donahue

New Mountain Bike Club Enjoys End of Season Run

The bikers all ready for their run.

Mr. Paul Mackinnon, a new staff member to the Physical Education Department at Blackville School, started a Mountain Bike Club this fall for grades 6, 7 and 8.

When he found out that he would be coming to Blackville School he was really excited because he wanted to start a bike club to teach young bikers the skills and how to drive a bike properly.

When he started at MVHS in 1998 he began a biking club and did it for the next 13 years. He enjoys teaching the students how to drive mountain bikes.

He has also taught grades 4 and 5 how to drive mountain bikes while teaching at MVHS.

The Mountain Biking Club met once a week this fall with regular attendance of 9-12 members.

Mackinnon provides bikes and helmets for each rider, but they are also allowed to bring their own bikes.

The bikers recently had an end of the season run to French Fort Cove on Thursday, October 22, 2015.

Contributed photos. Article by DeAnna Donovan

Coewan Munn

Obstacle Course Champions

Recently at BHS the middle school (grades 6-8) participated in an elite obstacle course made by Mr. Paul McKinnon. All runners did an excellent job completing the course.

According to MacKinnon, a teacher at Blackville School, the first attempt was "a rough going over" due to weather conditions at lunch time. But later, during a second attempt, it went much smoother.

MacKinnon believed the first try was not as successful because of the lack of help and the fact the equipment was occupied by students who were not competing. The poor weather conditions played a major factor.

With the help of the outdoor pursuits class and suitable weather, the top 6 boys and girls from each class got a second chance to run the course. Each of the winners above received $10 Subway peelers.

The high school outdoor pursuits class even got the chance to run the course (grades 11 and 12) and their times were beaten by the middle school students. This led MacKinnon to state that the high school students may possibly need a fitness plan in the near future.

Overall the activity was a huge success with the middle school students. Everyone participated and had a great time leaving the students wanting to have another obstacle course in the near future.

Here are the winners:

Ryan Moody was the Grade 6 boys Champ with an impressive time of 1:17.

Helena Arbeau finished first for the Grade 6 girls category in 1:20 seconds.

Finishing first for the Grade 8 girls was Hayley Underhill with a smashing time of 1:24.

Reese Urquhart ran an impressive 1:27 to capture first for the grade 7 girls. 

Drake Donovan sprinted his way to an incredible time of 1:19 in the Grade 8 boys category. 

Article and photos by Bailey Couglan and Michael Waugh

Halloween Colouring Contest Winners

2016 Graduation Committee Receives $500 Cheque

(l-r) Lin Alison, Reilly Luce, Calvin Furlong, Carla Alison

The Blackville High School Graduation Committee recently received a cheque for $500.00 from the Dungarvon ATV Club.

This money will be used for the 2016 Safe Grad activities.

Photo by Jules Keenan

Viewpoint: Middle School

People's Picks (Oct. 26 - 30)

Student of the week is Jordan Curtis. She is a hard working student, and she does her best. Her favourite TV show is Jesse. She loves cucumbers and her favourite sport is soccer.

Teacher of the week is Mrs. Curtis. She is an amazing teacher and is loved by many of the students here at Blackville school. Mrs. Curtis is always there for her students and willing to help. Mrs. Curtis's favourite sport is hockey, and she loves pizza. Her favourite show is Love It or List It.

Staff member of the week is Ms. P. Underhill. Miss Underhill is a hard working vice principal and teacher. She is loved by many of the staff and students. Miss Underhill's favourite TV show is Heartland. Her favourite food is chocolate, and she likes walking.

Photos and articles by Philip Underhill & Jacob Donahue