February was quite the month for SHSS and everyone was very busy with the new quarter and their new classes. It was the perfect time for a change in routine for staff and students and now across the board, the inspiration for success has gone through the roof. Now, let’s take a closer look into February.
Valentine’s Day
Every year at Stanley Humphries, each student and staff member receives a paper heart with their name and a kind message. Thankfully, SHSS was able to keep up this tradition despite the pandemic. Instead of each heart being pasted on the walls and ceilings of the cross halls, the hearts were attached onto classroom doors. Shout out to student council for hand making every heart with love and making this possible. Candy grams were also sold before Valentine’s Day and students were able to send their significant others and close friends a treat and a message for only two dollars.
SHSS also did a matchomatics quiz, where students answered a series of questions and then were matched with similar people in the school. Students had the choice of purchasing their results for two dollars or leaving their results to be a mystery.
Grad spirit week
Unfortunately, the 2021 grads were not able to have their grad banquet at the usual time of year it takes place due to COVID-19 guidelines, so grad executive decided to organize a spirit week unique to grads only. Thanks for coming in clutch guys!
Grad Spirit Week dress up days were as follows:
Tuesday - Stupid Cupid Day. Grads dressed in Valentine’s Day themed attire, some brought props and others wore pink and red.
Wednesday - Career Day. Grade twelves dressed the way they would look if they were working in a certain career. Some wore their rendition of their attire in their dream job and others wore whatever they had at home.
Thursday - Music Festival Day. The group got to bring their Coachella and Shambhala dreams to life and wore what they would wear to a music festival of their choosing.
Friday - Sign a T-Shirt Day. On the last day of the week, grads wore blank shirts and had sharpies at hand for members of their grad class to sign their name on their t-shirt. These t-shirts will certainly be a memento for grads long after graduation!
Good luck and congratulations Mr. Jones, kudos Mr. McKay, and welcome Ms. Livingston
In February, SHSS bade farewell to their much appreciated vice principal, Mr. Terry Jones. SHSS was extremely lucky to be exposed to his kindness and amazing efforts throughout his time at the school. SH wishes him the best of luck in this new chapter of his career as the principal of Glenmerry Elementary School in Trail. Stanley Humphries will miss you Mr. Jones!
SHSS is also extremely proud to welcome Mr. Rob McKay as their new vice principal. Mr. McKay has been a senior science teacher at SHSS for seventeen years and now, he has moved on up to administration. Within his first weeks in his new position, Mr. McKay has done an incredible job and words cannot express how much the school appreciates his hard work and dedication. Thank you Mr. McKay, we are so lucky to have you!
This month SHSS welcomed a new chemistry teacher, Ms. Christina Livingston. This quarter, Ms. Livingston is teaching a Chemistry 12 class and she has done a spectacular job. In each and every class Ms. Livingston makes sure that every student of hers understands the material and has confidence within their chemistry work thus far. Her hard work has not gone unnoticed and her class is extremely lucky to have someone as amazing as her teaching them about the wonders of chemistry. Thank you Ms. Livingston, we’re so excited to have you!
Pink Shirt Day
On Wednesday, Feb. 24, SHSS wore pink shirts to school in order to take a stand against bullying. Staff and students wore their pink shirts with pride and showed their support for anti-bullying and made sure to treat others with the utmost respect and kindness.
Fun Facts about Black History Month:
If you are a white person, take these last couple days of Black History Month to educate yourself on Black History in Canada and around the world. Reflect on your privilege, raise black voices, support black businesses. Most importantly, be an ally, not just February, but year round.
Martin Luther King Jr. improvised some of the most iconic parts from his speech, I have a Dream.
The earliest protest of slavery was in 1688.
Mary Ann Shadd Cary arrived in Canada from the United States at the time of the Underground Railroad. In 1853, she broke the glass ceiling in the Canadian print media industry when she became the first female publisher in the country with her newspaper, The Provincial Freeman.
Slavery was abolished throughout the British colonies by an Imperial Act which became effective August 1, 1834. The act formally freed nearly 800,000 slaves but there were probably fewer than 50 slaves in British North America by that time.
Book Recommendation from Claire
Hello and happy February everyone! This month I am back with another book recommendation and it is one of my favourite books of all time. Drum roll please … A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown. This is the first book in a fantasy duology. A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is a story inspired by West African folklore, here is the novel blurb: “For Malik, the Solstasia festival is a chance to escape his war-stricken home and start a new life with his sisters in the prosperous desert city of Ziran. But when a vengeful spirit abducts his younger sister, Nadia, as payment to enter the city, Malik strikes a fatal deal— kill Karina, Crown Princess of Ziran, for Nadia’s freedom.
But Karina has deadly aspirations of her own. Her mother, the Sultana, has been assassinated; her court threatens mutiny; and Solstasia looms like a knife over her neck. Grief-stricken, Karina decides to resurrect her mother through ancient magic … requiring the beating heart of a king. And she knows just how to obtain one: by offering her hand in marriage to the victor of the Solstasia competition.
When Malik rigs his way into the contest, they are set on a heart-pounding course to destroy each other. But as attraction flares between them and ancient evils stir, will they be able to see their tasks to the death?”
This story truly transports you into an amazing world with insane imagery and incredible characters. This book is also an outstanding read for February considering it is Black History Month! If you happen to pick up A Song of Wraiths and Ruin I hope you fall in love with Ziran in the exact way I did when I read it for the first time. Read more books and treat people with kindness.
Riddle of the Month (except there’s two of them because I didn’t have one in my last column)
What did the octopus say to their valentine?
Answer: I want to hold your hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand.
Do skunks celebrate Valentine’s Day?
Answer: Of course they do. They’re very scent-imental!
