By Eun Bin Moon
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​​Terrance Stanley “Terry” Fox began his famed Marathon of Hope on April 12, 1980, to raise money for cancer research and to prove that an amputee truly has no limits. The marathon began in St John’s, Newfoundland, and sadly ended in northern Ontario after only 143 days because Terry’s cancer had spread to his lungs. Despite the early end to Terry’s run, Isadore Sharp, a friend, said that it was only the beginning and a fundraising run would be held every year after to help realize Terry’s dream of finding a cure for cancer.
 
On September 28, 2017, the staff and students at Alpha participated in the annual Terry Fox Run. The teachers and their students were called down to the horseshoe entrance and began the run under wonderful weather! Many enjoyed walking the distance and socializing while others earnestly jogged and broke a sweat. There were even students who participated in the run while showing their school spirit because Throwback Day took place on the same day! Temporary tattoos were also handed out to students to help them show their support for the run. Later that day, Leadership students went around the school to gather envelopes previously given to teachers to collect donations. 

The Terry Fox Run was a wonderful event that had the staff and students active for a charitable cause. It was great to see all the support from Alpha!

By Kiran Niet
September 28th was Orange Shirt Day, a day to remember the horrors of the residential schools. The first Orange Shirt Day was in 2013. September 28th was chosen because it was the time of year that children were taken from their homes to attend Residential schools. These schools were created as an attempt to assimilate First Nations culture and resulted in irreversible damage to families and communities all across Canada. This damage is still being felt today. One of the countless children who experienced the residential schools was Phyllis Webstad. On the day she was taken to the school, she was six years old. Her grandmother bought her a new orange shirt to wear to school and Phyllis was ecstatic. As soon as she got to the residential school, however, she was stripped of all her possessions and her orange shirt was lost forever. We wear an orange shirt today to acknowledge the injustice that Phyllis and countless others experienced. Orange Shirt Day is a chance for all Canadians to reconcile with the past and look toward a brighter future.

By Catherine Wang
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​​Overalls, neon tights, horse drawn carriages, prehistoric drawings on cave wall...wait! Too far back? On September 27, 2017, students and staff went just far enough back in time in the spirit of Throwback Thursday. 

This nostalgic event was the very first Spirit Day hosted by the new Student Government, and hopefully, they have a lot more spirited events in store for us in the coming year. Kaylee Nguyen, President of Student Government states: “The turnout was a little disappointing, but it was expected as [this] was the first spirit day of the year.” She further explains: One reason why turnout was so low was likely “because people didn’t know exactly what throwback meant and promotions didn’t do a good job of explaining it, but we’ll definitely make sure the promotions are more clear next time.”

Luckily, there were the few that partook in this event. Ms. McKinlay, who was decked out in neon sportswear, kindly agreed to talk to us about her costume. “When I thought about the theme, throwback thursday, the first thing that came into my mind was the 80s. I was only a child back then, but it’s a well known style, so I went with it. I dressed up because I think it’s a good way to show school spirit, and I think it’s fun; something to do and talk about. Hopefully we’ll get more participation in the future though.”

The year is off to a rough start, but by the looks of it, Nguyen and her team are ready to tackle and tame Alpha’s School Spirit! 

By Sage Fleming and Nadiya Scratchley

This year’s Clubs Day went spectacularly well, with hundreds of people coming to learn about all the clubs we have here at Alpha. Whether your interests lie in art, math, leadership, or debate, there was something for everyone at the event, and even if  you weren’t there to join any extracurriculars, it was a great time to converse with friends and discover new interests. If you missed the event, don’t worry! Here is  a rundown of what’s available:

If you love dancing, the Dance Team is perfect for you! They meet every Tuesday at lunch in the dance studio, and 7:30am on Thursdays. Dance Team is like a family, so if you are interested in making friends while having lots of fun, you should try it out! If you are more musically talented, the Musical Theatre Club might be the club for you. Meetings are on Fridays at lunch in the drama room, and it’s a fun place to express your inner musical-self. If you love math, the Mathematics Club is for you. They meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunch in room 106, and they’ll teach you math! You can practice and improve your math skills in this club, as well as participate in several mathematics competitions throughout the year.

Is acting your passion? Join the Improv Club! They meet every Wednesday in the Dance studio, and their club is fun, but challenging. They hope to perform at Dessert Theatre during the holiday season, and prepare a team for the 2018 Canadian Improv Games! There are people who love to argue, and if you are that person, you might be perfect for the Debate Team. They meet every Monday and Friday in room 110 from 3pm to 5pm. Debate is a great place to improve your public speaking!

The next two clubs are for people who want to practice their leadership skills and help the community and the world! Offence meets on Thursdays at lunch in room 319. They organize different fundraisers for various campaigns, run the Star Search Talent Show, and send a few club members to We Day. Another club that is passionate about helping others is United Relief, who meets every Friday at lunch in room 104. They find creative ways to help others around the world, and try to do one fundraiser every month. If you are interested in lending a hand to those in need, these clubs are great options.

Alpha has many councils that motivated students can join. The Student Council meets every Tuesday morning in the drama room at 7:20am, and it is a  nice way to get involved at Alpha. This year Student’s Council plans to put together a school dance, and when asked how Clubs Day went, they said they had never seen as many people at  Clubs Day before! Sports Council is a club that focuses on sports related events around the school. The council meets two Mondays every month in the Athletics room in the small gym. Students who are interested in sports should certainly consider being involved with Sports Council. Council members can expect to help referee during games and organize intramurals this year.

If you love drawing, painting or art in general, the Visual Arts Council is an excellent option! They meet Tuesdays at lunch in room 302, and it is a great place to make friends who have the same interests as you. This year, they will be making decorations for events and many other fascinating, art-related projects. However, if music is more to your taste,  you should consider Music Council. They meet in the music room at lunch on Wednesdays. Music Council raises money to help expand the music programs at Alpha; they will be arranging movie nights, and will be working together with other performing arts clubs.

Another purposeful club that is worth joining is the Mental Health Awareness Club, which meets every Wednesday at lunch. They want to spread awareness about mental health, and inform people about it! Moreover, the club will be run fundraisers such as bake sales, and prepare care packages for hospitals. Gender Sexuality Alliance is a supportive club that meets on Mondays at lunch in room 214. It is a safe and inclusive place for anyone who is LGBTQ+, or supports those who are! They plan on running jello and tie dye sales, as well as a district wide dance.

That is it Alpha! Clubs Day was a huge success that gave many students a chance to see the clubs the school has to offer! There is a club for everyone, so feel free to stop by a meeting to get involved at our school!

By Nadiya Scratchley

​If you were to walk by École Alpha Secondary on September 25th, you may have been surprised to see a large group of students hanging out by the nicknamed “horseshoe” parking lot. Rest assured, this wasn’t some kind of walk out, as they were actually waiting for a drive-by from the “Cops for Cancer” group. 

Cops for Cancer is an organization hosted by law enforcement and emergency service personnel in BC. They do a yearly fundraiser which consists of a two-week bike trip across British Columbia making stops along the way to collect donations for the Canadian Cancer Society. This year, there were roughly 40 cyclists, making this the biggest group “Cops for Cancer” has ever had.

At around 1:00 pm, the cyclists finally arrived at the school. After hearing a presentation about the history of “Cops for Cancer” from the head of the organization, the student government walked forward to hand over a check for 1,200 dollars (raised at last year’s spring semi-formal). The cops thanked student government for the donation and were back on their way.
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Since its beginning in 1994, Cops for Cancer has made over 50.4 million dollars which has made a significant contribution to the advancement of cancer research. Alpha is very proud to be able to help.