By Victor Yin
On the chilly morning of October 6th, Grade 11 and Grade 12 students, from Ms. McChesney’s second block Film Studies 11 class, traveled to the Vancouver International Film Festival at the International Village Shopping Center. Their objective? Bad Genius, a Thai film about a troupe of ingenious students with plans to make millions of dollars through cheating on standardized exams. The film, directed by Nattawut Poonpiriya, was inspired by real-life events regarding a cheating scandal on the SAT exam and has received critical acclaim. Many of the themes in the film will resonate with students: the tension of an exam, the drama of relationships, and the uncertainty of the future fill the movie with constant suspense. The nature of cheating brings viewers into an ethical dilemma: should we be rooting for the brave students standing up against the injustice of standardized testing? Or is the movie more of a warning about moral corruption and the consequences it leads to? Either way, Bad Genius is a gripping adventure through the world of tests. “I really liked it,” said Katlyn Hui, Grade 12. “It had a really nice message at the end.” Vancouver International Film Festival aims to bring some of the world’s best cinema to multiple theatres in Vancouver. Although VIFF is now over for the 2017 year, you can expect a similar line-up of fascinating films next year as well, making VIFF a worthwhile way to spend a spare afternoon.
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By Sara Wong
Thanksgiving is a holiday meant to be celebrated with family and friends and with that in mind, Alpha’s leadership class presented not one, but two campaigns leading up to the first long weekend of the school year. Their first campaign, Thank U Grams, ran from October 2nd to 5th. “They’re candies that people bought to send to their friends to show them that they’re thankful for them,” leadership student Tiana Farouk explained. “They were sent out on Friday [October 6]...it was okay,” she added when asked about the turnout. The class also held a food drive in support of the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. “We wanted to give back to people because it was Thanksgiving week,” Mira Yung said with a smile. In total, the leadership class was able to collect five boxes of food. “It was organized pretty well,” Mira recalls. “We’re all learning. It’s a learning process...and we have got some valuable feedback, and we’re going to use that feedback to make it better next time,” leadership teacher Ms. Douglas says. When asked about what her class was going to do next in terms of campaigns, the response was an enthusiastic one. “I think maybe we’ll do some candy grams for Halloween. I think we’re going to do some stuff around Christmas...maybe doing some more random acts of kindness around Christmas time,” Ms. Douglas revealed. Whatever Alpha’s leadership class does next, it’s bound to be great! FASHION & ANGST - FIRST EDITION
Hey Alpha! Welcome to the first publication of the fashion column “Fashion & Angst”!! Even though the month of fresh beginnings has already passed, that doesn't mean that we can't look fresher than the approaching winter! This time around, I'm going to be talking about two groovy fashion items from this season that you just cannot miss. HERSCHEL BAG The Herschel bag is a high quality—with an even higher price tag—bag that's been appearing everywhere in school. A favourite amongst the "Hypebeast" crowd—a recent phenomenon that has been taking young boys by storm and lets them flaunt their hard-earned money. But don't be fooled! Just because they've claimed it as a fashion icon of their own doesn't mean that you can't rock one too! It's a stylish bag that complements just about any outfit that you might put together so that that you can look slick without even trying! Feeling tired and don't want to put any effort into your OOTD? Then don't! Throw on those lazy sweats and the Herschel bag will make you look cooler than a penguin! Get yours today at any overpriced clothing store for the low price of at least $100! AESTHETIC ILLUMINATI SHIRT Up next is the Aesthetic Illuminati Shirt. This trendy shirt that has a photo of the New York skyline in the darker hours of the night in the background and showcases a geometric design incorporating triangles and angular lines. It's this exact triangular design that makes it the Illuminati shirt. The triangle looks suspiciously like the infamous triangle with an eye that's associated with the Illuminati—a supposed secret society of world leaders, business authorities, innovators, artists and other influential members of this planet who basically want to take over the world. What a thought! This shirt is in fact from the men's section and is 5 sizes too large—perfect for when you want to hide from the world! This shirt goes great with a pair of leggings or something similar, with the bagginess of the shirt contrasting nicely with the tightness of the pants. Plus, you get to show off those untoned calves! Available at any store that sells shirts of aesthetic landscapes! Q n A I need you lovely readers to send in any fashion questions that you might have. You might want to ask: what sort of clothes are in style? How should I colour coordinate? Or what on earth is a colour wheel? Ask me anything! Please email your questions to apjfashionangst@gmail.com! *** DISCLAIMER: This column is mostly fictional and entirely satirical. By Sara Wong
La Forêt, located on 6848 Jubilee Avenue in Burnaby, is a newly opened restaurant, patisserie, and café. Formerly an old auto body shop, the new owners have completely renovated and transformed the space into a large, light, and open environment filled with planters. Since opening, La Forêt has been featured on several popular Instagram accounts such as @foodcouver and @hellobc, drawing a huge crowd to their 5000 square foot space. On the menu are dishes you can’t find anywhere else in the area, like bingsoo (shaved ice topped with ice cream and fresh fruit) and sweet squid ink bread. At the counter, you can find an array of quality desserts and pastries, as well as specialty coffee creations. You’ll definitely want to give this place a try! Need something to read? Here are a few suggestions that you can find in the Alpha Library, located on the second floor.
Throne Of Glass Written by Sarah J. Maas In a world where magic has been banned by the king, a renowned assassin is offered a chance at freedom instead of spending the rest of her life in prison. Celaena Sardothien has to defeat twenty-three other criminals in an intense tournament to become the king’s champion. As she befriends the Crown Prince and learns to tolerate the captain of the Royal Guard, her opponents start dropping dead like flies, and Celaena has to defeat the evil lurking within the castle walls. Full of surprises, thrilling plot twists and well-formulated worlds, the beautifully crafted plotline in Throne Of Glass will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Chantal and Makenzie both love this book, and both agree it deserves all the awards it has received. Chantal also admits to crying multiple times both while reading this book and after realizing she had to wait for the next book in the series to be released! Sci-fi and fantasy blend into a seamless masterpiece that will be loved by all. Red Queen Written by Victoria Aveyard Imagine a world defined by the colour of your blood. This is the life Mare Barrow lives as a red-blooded commoner, until she discovers that she has an ability just like the silver-blooded elites, right in front of an entire court of them. (Whoops?) To refrain from giving the foolish commoners hope, the king fools the country, saying that she is a lost Silver princess, and ‘gifts’ her to one of his sons to marry. Mare decides to join the Scarlet Guard, a group of Reds rebelling against the Silvers, smuggling information to them as she plays a dangerous game where if she makes one wrong step, she's dead. Red Queen may have broken Makenzie and Chantal's hearts a few times. Romance and sci-fi collide in Victoria Aveyard’s masterpiece. The storyline and overall idea make it an exceptionally written book. Read this, and you will understand why Red Queen one of our Alpha Reads this year. Read this, and you will understand why it won the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Debut. Read this, and you too will be so engrossed in the book that you won't be able to finish your homework! The Lying Game Written by Sara Shepard When Emma Paxton, a mistreated foster child, discovers she has a long-lost twin sister, she contacts Sutton Mercer and agrees to meet up. However, Sutton isn't there. In fact, she isn't anywhere. Emma suddenly realizes that she has to play the role of her lost twin sister as she investigates who exactly murdered Sutton Mercer, the most popular girl in school . This well-known thriller will have you looking constantly behind your shoulder as it commences with a mysterious and eerie beginning but quickly escalates into a thrilling series. This book includes suspense, clever clues, the most 'I should have seen that coming' plot twists that will have you pointing fingers at every single character in this book. Makenzie and Chantal agree that by the time you finish this book you will be desperate for the follow-ups. |