Category Archives: Social Science

Europe 2014 Day 7

Padwrr's avatarPoverty, Agony, Distress & Want!

Day 7 is calm and very foggy. Daylight gives us a much better impression of the chateau and its grounds…stunning! I would definitely come back here if given the opportunity. Before breakfast I had a chance to walk around a bit and it was very beautiful with the fog, trees and the small waterfall. I’m interested to see what it is like when the fog lifts. We are really in the heart of Normandy and it is so pretty and idilic here.

So we are about to leave for the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, which is literally five minutes away. We are so close to the beaches it is amazing. This should be a great day of remembering, exploring and discovery.

We’re back on the bus now, making our way past Arromanches toward the American cemetery behind Omaha beach. Beny was probably the most touching yet, mostly because we had…

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Europe 2014 Day 6

Padwrr's avatarPoverty, Agony, Distress & Want!

Good morning Day six! We’re on the bus waiting to leave for Vimy. There is a bit of fog this morning, but mind you it is before 8am and maybe it hasn’t had a chance to burn off. Our journey should take us about an hour and a half. Can’t wait to get there!

So it’s hard to believe that we’ve already arrived at the halfway point of the tour already. Where does time go? It has been an awesome time so far, and there is so much more yet to come. Today is the transition from the WWI part of the tour (Ypres, Arras, Somme and Vimy) to the WWII part (Dieppe and Normandy). Many of the places we will visit are a contrast between tragedy and triumph, the proud moments in our history and the darkest days. In the end we will commemorate it all, and remember those…

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Europe 2014 Day 5

Padwrr's avatarPoverty, Agony, Distress & Want!

Day five is bright and sunny. It is supposed to be very warm again today, with highs around 17C. I am very tired this morning, but that is a long story. I’m looking forward to today’s journey, especially since we’re going to a few places that I’m not as familiar with.

Rolling on the bus now, on our way to Thelus. Once again we are travelling through the countryside and it is really neat to see this part of the country. It’s supposed to take about an hour and a half to get to our destination, so I can relax and enjoy the view.

So we stopped at a neat little memorial, called the Zivy Crater Memorial, which is a crater that was turned into a memorial to the Canadian artillery. It was neat to see this very interesting memorial, especially the design of it. Even better, the stop provided…

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Europe 2014 Day 4

Padwrr's avatarPoverty, Agony, Distress & Want!

Hello Day four! I had a decent night’s sleep (I felt tired this morning, even though I got at least 7 hours…must have been all the walking) and had a good breakfast. I’m sitting here in the hotel lobby waiting for the kids to come down with all their gear and board the bus. We will be leaving for Bergen at 9:30. After two days of walking, it will be nice to sit for a bit on the bus.

So we’re on the bus on our way to the Bergen cemetery. It is very neat to be driving through the countryside and see a side of the country that you never would. Lots of flat land (the Low Countries, duh) and farms. The aroma of the air really tells you where you are.

Bergen-op-Zoom will be the first cemetery that we visit. It should be very interesting to see their…

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Europe 2014 Day 3

Padwrr's avatarPoverty, Agony, Distress & Want!

Alright, day three. After a pretty decent night of sleep, I am ready to go (I was out like a light at 10). Hopefully the kids are ready too, and that they got some sleep under their belts. It’s bright and sunny this morning, and the high is expected to get up to 14…and there’s no snow!

Wow, what a busy but exciting day. I’m sitting on a bench outside the Anne Frank House freezing my butt on the cold marble as I write this. I’m waiting for everyone to exit the building; we’re supposed to be done by 8:30, but it seems as though they will be a bit longer.

So our day started early, but not too early. Everyone got some rest and were very ready to go in the morning. The hotel had a nice buffet for breakfast with all kinds of meats, bread, cheeses, eggs, yogurt…

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Europe 2014 Day 2

Padwrr's avatarPoverty, Agony, Distress & Want!

It’s day two kids! Thanks to the wonderful miracle of air travel, coupled with a few hours of back-wrenching contorted “sleep,” it is now Friday. My body still thinks it’s 10:30, but according to my watch it’s 4:30…can’t wait for the jet lag to set in. Not sure how the kids are doing it. Of the ones that I can see from my seat, only a few have attempted some sleep. Oh to be young and have energy!

So we’re nearly across the Atlantic; the in-flight map is showing us just about to pass over Ireland. I’ve been scanning the ground below us for signs of land, but I haven’t seen any yet. Twenty more miles apparently.

With less than two hours of flying time remaining, I would imagine that they will be bringing “breakfast” soon. Oops, I spoke too soon…cue the flight attendants! I wonder what’s for breakfast?

The next…

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Europe 2014 Day 1

Padwrr's avatarPoverty, Agony, Distress & Want!

Well, I guess you can say we’re on our way…sort of. Let the journey begin!

So we’re here waiting in the airport. We’ve all checked in, did a prayer service and passed through security. I even did an interview on the news…hopefully I sounded okay! Unfortunately, our flight is delayed; there is snow in Toronto and I’m sure the plane is behind schedule there. Hopefully we can get out of Toronto on time tonight and make our connection in Frankfurt okay.

The kids are beyond excited. You can see and feel their anticipation, which is awesome to see. I’m sure this hurry up and wait thing is driving them crazy. It’s driving me crazy. If I we can get to Europe without too many hiccups that would really be great. I’m going to say a little prayer 😉

Bombardier Q400, March 2014. Bombardier Q400, March 2014.

In the air now; we’re roughly an hour…

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Canada’s Battlefields 2014

So here we are. At this time tomorrow we will be on our way to Europe for this fantastic trip. For many of the students, this is the trip of a lifetime; for some, this is their first time on a plane! The excitement is so intense it is palpable.

When we began this process back in September 2012, we were some 550 days away from departure. Now we are down to mere hours. It has been quite the journey for us in the planning process.

This trip is about students “touching” history and experiencing it firsthand. However, it is also about remembrance; students honouring the sacrifice that was made by Canadian soldiers in the two world wars. It is fitting that this year is the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, the 75th anniversary of the start of World War II and the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Landings. Marking these important milestones in Europe will certainly add to historical feel of the trip.

Internet connection permitting, we will be posting an account of our adventure on a daily basis. These posts will be re-blogs from Mr. Battistel’s personal site. Make sure you check back every day. Next stop Amsterdam!

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The Latest-March 2014

Truth is the cry of all, but the game of few-George Berkeley.

It’s hard to believe that we’re already a month into the new semester. It has been a very busy start to the second half of the year, but also very exciting.

On Wednesday, February 12th St. Patrick High School hosted its annual open house for prospective Grade 8 students. The event was very well attended and quite a number of students and parents stopped by the Social Science booth to learn about our programs. It also gave us an opportunity to promote our many extras in the department, such as field trips and out of town excursions. We look forward to welcoming these students to St. Pats next year.

Social Science booth, February 2014.

Social Science booth, February 2014.

Social Science booth, February 2014.

Social Science booth, February 2014.

iPads ready to go, February 2014.

iPads ready to go, February 2014.

Ms. Caza & Ms. Hallarn hard at work, February 2014.

Ms. Caza & Ms. Hallarn hard at work, February 2014.

Now speaking of excursions, next week 22 students from St. Patrick and 3 teacher chaperones will be making a historical pilgrimage to Europe. They will be joining students and teachers from St. Ignatius on EF Educational Tours “Canada’s Battlefields Tour.” Leading this amazing journey will be Mr. Cappello, Ms. Borgo and Mr. Battistel.

The group will be travelling to Amsterdam, the Scheldt, Ypres and Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, Normandy, Dieppe and Paris on this 10-day trip. To honour Canada’s sacrifices during WWI and WWII, they will also be visiting the cemeteries at Bergen-op-Zoom, Beny-sur-Mer, and Bretteville-sur-Laize. It is the culmination of two years of planning and preparation and the travellers are eagerly anticipating the March 6th departure date.

Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, April 2012.

Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, April 2012.

During the trip, Mr. Battistel will be attempting to blog everyday about our experiences (wifi permitting). Be sure to check this blog everyday starting March 5th for the latest news and information from this awesome adventure. See you then!

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The Latest-February 2014

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself-Friedrich Nietzsche.

Things have been busy as of late for the Social Science Department. January marks the end of the semester and the start of the first round of exams for students. Following this, February brings with it the start of a new semester and a number of important events.

On February 12th St. Patrick High School will host its annual Open House for Grade 8 students. The event begins at 7:00pm in the school gymnasium. Most of the attendees for the open house are drawn from our feeder school, Pope John Paul II Senior Elementary. For St. Patrick, this is our second and most important opportunity to promote our school and our programs (the Grade 8’s visited in late November).

As usual, Social Science will have a booth set up in the gymnasium along with all of the other departments to showcase our subject areas, especially Grade 9 and 10 geography, history and civics. A heavy emphasis will be on our access to and use of technology, as some of our classes are involved with an iPad pilot project. Be sure to stop and pay us a visit.

By far the most exciting news from the department is the forthcoming March break trip to Europe. 2014 marks several important historical milestones; the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, the 75th anniversary of the start of World War II and the 70th anniversary of the Normandy Landings.

To mark these events and honour those that fought for Canada, particularly those who made the supreme sacrifice, 22 students from St. Patrick and 3 teacher chaperones will be making a historical pilgrimage to Europe. They will be joining 23 students and teachers from our sister school, St. Ignatius, on EF Educational Tours “Canada’s Battlefields Tour.” Leading this amazing journey will be Mr. Cappello, Ms. Borgo and Mr. Battistel. They will be visiting Amsterdam, the Scheldt, Ypres and Passchendaele, Vimy Ridge, Normandy, Dieppe and Paris on this 10-day trip.

German bunker, Nan White sector-Juno Beach, April 2012.

German bunker, Nan White sector-Juno Beach, April 2012.

Canadian National Vimy Memorial, April 2012.

Canadian National Vimy Memorial, April 2012.

This should prove to be a fantastic opportunity for everyone involved, much like it was on the April 2012 trip to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. If you are interested, you can follow our adventures overseas on a daily basis starting March 6th.

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