Club Updates

In December, the University Transition Program Robotics Club will be sending their now-finished robot to the Vex Ro-botics Competition BC December Qual-ifier at Vancouver. Although the club has intentions to achieve something during this event, the club also wishes to use this opportunity to have a great learning ex-perience and interact with other students around BC who share a passion for robot-ics. Good luck!

RoboticsBy James Yu

Soup DaysBy Shawn Lu

Soup day has been one of Transition’s traditions for quite a few years now. Every Thursday, students, teachers, and even Grads would come together to enjoy a freshly-cooked homemade meal prepared by our most wonderful Transition parents. Not only do soup days save us students a lot of time by not having to worry about getting our lunch, they are also a way to show our tight-knit community which all of us are proud of. Moreover, soup days also highlights the idea of multicultur-alism, since there was food from many different cultures- Italian, Russian, Chi-nese… However, no matter what food we get, we can all agree on one thing - it is delicious.

December 2017

LuminaryTHE

Vol. 4 Issue 3

University Transition Program

Although we are still relatively early into the year, it’d be prudent to start collecting photos for the Yearbook now. If anyone has photos of events or any photos that are appropriate for the Yearbook, put them into the Yearbook photos folder. For example, I thought the coloured flame lab the Year Ones just did would be a great representa-tion of the various labs we do throughout the year, so if anyone has photos of that lab please put them in.

YearbookBy Sherman Zhu

Year One First AidAiza Bragg

The Year Ones set off on November 3rd to receive their First Aid train-ing and certification, following in the footsteps of the Year Twos. It was an enjoyable experience that ranged from training AEDs to heart attack skits and oddly creepy baby dolls. The Year Ones are now certified to give CPR, identify symptoms of a heart attack, and do the heimlich maneuver. This does not mean that you have an excuse to forget to chew on Soup Day.

Ms. Safarik’s BirthdayDonson Dong

On December 1st, the school had a celebration for Ms. Safarik’s birthday. The parents bought a cake, cupcakes, other snacks, and a present for our English teacher to celebrate this special event. Our school has the opportuni-ty to celebrate the birthdays of all the hardworking teachers each year due to the small number of them in our tight-knit community. We all wish you a happy birthday, Ms. Safarik!

Coffee Morning Felicia Liu-Fei

On November 17, twenty parents of the Year Ones, Year Twos, and graduates came together for Transition’s second Coffee Morning. Coffee Morning allows parents to gather in a relaxed and supportive social setting to connect and share experiences. Our emphasis on community extends beyond Transition students to our parents, where a tight-knit network is created. During this Coffee Morning, we had two alumni families (from 2010 & 2015) come back to speak to the cur-rent parents about their experiences and perspectives. The laughter that students heard from the classrooms was a great indication of how much the parents enjoyed being in each other’s compa-ny, which reflected back on the relationships we have built with each other. This Coffee Morning was a great success that brought many people into the growing network of the Transition family.

ConnectMUN 2017

If a stranger were to walk into one of the MUN committees, they would have no idea it was the full of first time delegates. Full of witty rebuttals and passionate speeches, the LEGAL committee sessions at ConnectMUN 2017 were packed with excitement and humor that contributed to lively discussions. Delegates talked endlessly for hours about upholding the UN Convention against Tor-ture, each country with a unique stance. However, the heated debate was interrupted when a crisis happened: North Korea had captured and was torturing a Japanese reporter! Not only did it cause hilarious conversations and strategic problem solving, things quickly took a turn, resulting in a new country: The Greater Soviet Union. With their love of communism, Russia and North Korea joined forces and became the GSU - complete with their own flag! Once the crisis was resolved, delegates were eventually able to collaborate and reach a consensus on a unified stance against torture. A strong, successful resolution paper was created, encompassing each country’s perspectives and ulti-mately passing with an unanimous vote. While difficult topics lay at the heart of the discussion, less serious topics were also briefly debated, including the important issue of whether or not the president of the USA has better hair than Kim Jong-Un. Overall, it was safe to say that the whirlwind of Con-nectMUN 2017 and the humorous moments from LEGAL contributed to a memorable and stunning MUN conference for all who attended, and marked the first of many more MUN conferences for delegates. We cannot wait to see more delegates at VMUN 2018!

Janie Zhang and Caitlin Han

Tales from LEGAL

From November 17-19, sixteen students from both Year 1 and Year 2 spent their weekend at the Hyatt Regency Hotel to participate in ConnectMUN 2017 discussing issues ranging from the enforce-ment of the UN Convention against Torture to the illegal arms trade. The delegates represented differ-ent countries engaging in high-level debates with other students from across the Lower Mainland, to create solutions to the issues regarding the topic of each committee. We would like to congratulate all delegates who won awards for their achievement and contribution to discussions, including 4 first-time delegates. We would also like to give a big thanks to Mr. Wilkie who sacrificed his weekend to accompany us to this event.

Ray Hua

Louis Yang: Distinguished Delegate in AU as Nigeria Emily Grabovac: Outstanding Delegate in AU as Ethiopia Ray Hua: Outstanding Delegate in WHO as UKCaitlin Han: Outstanding Delegate in LEGAL as CambodiaWony Lee: Honourable Delegate in DISEC as USAEddie Lee: Honourable Delegate in LEGAL as RussiaFloria Gu: Honourable Delegate in SOCHUM as RussiaDonson Dong: Honourable Delegate in Interpol as RussiaIvan Feng: Verbal Mention from AU as Cameroon

Awards

Merry Christmas!

Remembrance Day Donson Dong

On November 11, our school host-ed a Remembrance Day Ceremony to honour all of Canada’s fallen soldiers as well as the veterans who served for our country. This ceremony was en-tirely led by the Year Twos, including the MC’s, many of the poems, and the slideshow, which was the first time this was done, and it proved great success. The ceremony included a history of Canada and World War One, recitations of poems, and two minutes of silence followed by the “Last Post” and “The Rouse”. This ceremony allowed all the students to reflect and remember all the sacrifices our ancestors gave to give us the free country we have today.

Important DatesUBC Applications Due : December 1

2nd Applicant Info Session : December 4

2nd Applicant Testing : December 8

Winter Social : December 14

Last Day of School : December 22

Christmas! : December 25

Back to School : January 8

CreditsEditors: Jean Zheng, Daniel Kong, James Yu, Fannia Xu,

Shawn Lu, Donson Dong, Joey LuoMs. Safarik’s birthday photos by Laurel Yang

Soup Day photos by Laurel YangCoffee Morning photos by Laurel Yang

Bagle 2.0 Photo by James YuMUN Photo by Mr. WilkieDesigned by Sherman Zhu

COMCDonson Dong

On November 2, many Transition students of both years took place in the annual Canadian Open Mathe-matics Challenge (COMC). Although the competition is only composed of twelve questions, the contest is very challenging, ranging from across all mathematical areas. Even though it was quite tough for the students, it was a new experience for many and a way to improve their skills in mathematics. The students await their highly antici-pated scores, which will be published in early January.

BirthdaysJessie C. : December 5

Floria G. : December 9

Elwin Z. : December 13

Pro-D Day: December 15