People's Picks (November 1-4)

The middle school teacher of the week is Ms. Paula Davidson. Ms. Davidson said that her favourite thing about teaching is the students because they make everyday different and exciting. She said that she had a lot of trick or treaters this year; over 70! Ms. P. Davidson's advice to all of her students is to always be kind to others and don't ever take your life for granted. We asked Ms. Davidson what is something that she wants her students to know about her, she said, "I want them to know how great I think each and everyone of them are. I love my job because of them."

The middle school student of the week is Tessa Munn. Tessa got student of the week because she is always helping the other students, and she is very kind. Tessa had a lot of fun on Halloween this year trick or treating with all of her friends. Tessa's favourite class in school is Home Economics, she thinks that it is really interesting.

The staff member of the week is Educational Assistant Bonnie MacRae. Bonnie's favourite thing about working at the school is all of the students. Bonnie wants all of the students to know that they can always come to her if they ever need anything no matter how big or small. Her advice to the students is to stay in school and to further your education after high school, so you can do whatever you want in life. 

Eagle Talk for Nov. 04, 2016

Hosts Ciara Arbeau and Nicole Nicole share news from Blackville School. The "Eagle Talk" podcast can be heard on Life Radio on Friday evenings.

Viewpoint: Daylight Savings Times

Take Your Kid to Work Day

Isabella Hallihan mixes paint with her mother Cheryl
at Home Hardware.

Grade nine students participated in "Take your Kid to Work Day" on Wednesday November 2, On this day, students are required to visit their parents' workplace or an area of employment that interests them.

This is a great opportunity to experience a normal day in the work industry, and get a feel for what their future job may be like. It also helps them realize what their parents lives are like outside of the house, and become more aware of their everyday responsibilities.

Abby Keenan and her mother Jennifer in the school cafeteria.

Isabella Hallihan spent the day at Home Hardware, a local business, learning many useful skills for the job, such as mixing paint. Abby Keenan worked alongside her mother here at the school cafeteria.

Article and photos by Jensen Urquhart and Samantha Stockless

Mountain Bike Club Grows in Popularity

Grade 7 student Logan Urquhart 

It's a newer club at Blackville School, and it's growing in popularity. In fact, the Blackville Middle School Mountain Bike Club has grown extensively over the past two years.

Blackville School teacher Mr. Paul MacKinnon started the club in the fall of 2015. There was interest in the club, and 18 students participated. However, many of those students went on to high school this year.

But many grade six students expressed interested in the club, and the club has even more members this year with a total of 26 students participating. There are also some female students who joined the club this year. The club originally had 9 mountain bikes for members who needed a bike to participate, but that number recently increased to 14.

MacKinnon explained that students like the club for many reasons. He jokingly said, "some like trying to see how filthy they can get by the end of a run." "Others like simply getting out for a ride with some like minded people. Some participants want to be challenged to climb steeper inclines and go fast. Still others just want to 'wheelie' and 'catch air'."

As a sports-minded individual, starting the club was a good fit for MacKinnon. "Mountain biking is a passion of mine. One can always be building upon their technical skills and fitness, so it is a great sport to introduce to students," he explained.

"I love seeing kids progress with mountain biking, witnessing them conquer some terrain that used to spook them is pretty cool," he added.

MacKinnon also likes the flexibility of the sport. "With traditional sports you need a small crowd to make it happen. Mountain biking sessions can be as big or small as you want," he said.

"A lot of people start mountain biking a little later on, when opportunities to play traditional sports are harder to make happen. Exposing the students now will hopefully ignite the spark for them to continue riding," he added.

Grade 8 student Caleb Gillespie said he became a member of the club, "because I love mountain biking. It is a fun sport and I can learn how to do different tricks on the bike, like wheelies."

Grade 6 Josh Mercer follows Mr. MacKinnon

Grade 8 student Lane Weaver agrees. "It allows me to do another fun activity outside of school. We do it once a week, and we also get to go to French Fort Cove at the end of the month, so that's a plus."

The club is planning another run at French Fort Cove in the City of Miramichi to close down their fall season sometime this week.

MacKinnon explained that the cove is mainly a single track riding on some 15-20 kms of groomed mountain bike specific trails. "There are lots of hills, rock features, bridges and many more obstacles. It is one of the top places to ride in the Maritimes," he said.

Article by Samantha Stockless
Photos by Jules Keenan

Athletes of the Month

Caleb Gillespie
Strong leadership Skills
Easy To Coach
Strong player
Always Helping Out.
(Middle School Male Athlete of the Month)

Layla Hallihan
Team Leader
Hard worker
Great Attitude
(Middle School Female Athlete of the Month)

Tanner Manderville
Strong Defensive Player
(High School Male Athlete of the Month)

Erin Moody
Reacts Well Under Pressure
Made Many Important Goals
Constant Effort
(High School Female Athlete of the Month)

Halloween Spirit at Blackville School

Grade 12 students hosted Halloween activities here at Blackville School, as part of their fundraising, on Wednesday, October 26.  Kindergarten to Grade 5 enjoyed a night of fun, playing games, being scared in the haunted house and eating a lot of treats.

                   

To view more photos of the Elementary parties click here.

That same night, Middle School Students had their Halloween dance. Filled with the Halloween spirit, everyone came dressed up in their best costumes.

                   

To view more photos of the Middle School dance click here.

The Class of 2017 also had a very exciting night with everyone and many memories were made. They would like to thank all who attended and made the evening a great success.

High school students had their Halloween dance the following evening, Thursday, October 27.
To view photos click here.

Photos by Jules Keenan
Article by Jensen Urquhart

Viewpoint: Halloween

Eagle Talk for October 28

Hosts Ciara Arbeau and Nicole Nicole share news from Blackville School for the week of October 28, 2016. The "Eagle Talk" podcast can be heard on Life Radio on Friday evenings.

Halloween Colouring Contest

People's Picks (October 24-28)

The high school teacher of the week is Ms. C. Underhill. Ms. Underhill's favourite thing about being a teacher at Blackville School is that she loves working with all the students every day. We asked Ms. Underhill what her favourite movie was, and she chose the movie Couples Retreat. We also asked her what she enjoys doing in her spare time, and she said that she likes to relax and watch TV. Ms. C. Underhill was very excited to receive teacher of the week.

High school student of the week is Chloe Donovan. Mr. Carter chose Chloe to be student of the week. Chloe is always friendly and positive, and she works well with all of the other students. Chloe is a hard worker and always has a smile on her face. We asked Chloe if she is going to the Halloween dance this Thursday and she said she was going and could not wait. Chloe said that she is dressing up as a Care Bear for the dance. Chloe's favourite movie is The Amazing Spider Man. Chloe also prefers candy apples over caramel apples. 

The staff member of the week is Lisa Sturgeon. She was very surprised to win staff member of the week. Lisa's favourite thing about working at the school is all of the kids. She loves to work with them and see them learn new things. In her pastime, Lisa likes to relax and watch some of her favourite TV shows.

Photos and article by Sarah Jardine and Laura Sturgeon

Halloween...Age Limit?

Photo from morguefile.com

Halloween has always been one of my favourite yearly events, and it still continues to be despite the fact I am now older. It's a fun time to dress differently than you normally do, and have a great time with friends. Each year, my sister and I go trick or treating together, and it is something I really look forward to. On top of all the free candy, for me it's also a great opportunity to have a quick visit with some of the people in the community who I know well, but usually do not get a chance to see very often.

Halloween is an event that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, and deep down I think we all feel like children at heart, no matter how old we may be. I can't imagine not going trick or treating on Halloween night, and would be very upset if that privilege was taken away.

In Bathurst, New Brunswick, a recent bylaw was renewed that prohibits teens older than 14 from trick or treating. This can result in up to a $200 fine if not obeyed. I am unsure of what to think of this.  "Older than 14" certainly covers a wide range of ages, which may bring about further conflict.

I feel that if teenagers can be mature, and behave in an appropriate manner, there should not be any major issues. However, I realize that this is not always the case, and some people may use Halloween as a time to be destructive and careless.

I think there is a lot of stereotyping when it comes to all teenagers misbehaving on Halloween, and this idea is certainly not true for everyone.

Bathurst also has a 7 p.m. curfew. The curfew here in the Village of Blackville is 8 p.m. As far as the curfew goes, for older kids, I agree that sometimes it can be hard to be inside by this time, but it is possible. I think complaints about the curfew should be the least of our worries, and we should be grateful our village has not introduced an age limit.

On another note, I can understand how some elderly people may feel uncomfortable or even frightened by older kids entering their homes. This becomes a problem when people refuse to dress up in a costume, and only use Halloween as a way to get free candy.

I believe everyone should have the opportunity to participate in Halloween. Whether they plan on staying at home to give out treats to younger kids, or actually trick or treat themselves, everyone should be allowed this choice, while keeping in mind to be safe and respectful.

For more information on the Village of Blackville's curfew along with some great tips and advice, click here and Happy Halloween!

By Jensen Urquhart

The Coding Quest (Video)

Top Ten Halloween Movies to Watch This Year

source

With Halloween coming shortly, there's no better way than to celebrate with some spooky movies. Below is a list of bone-chilling movies that everyone will enjoy.

10. Girl vs. Monster - In this adventurous, spooky Disney movie, Skylar discovers that her parents are monster hunters when she lets monsters out of a secret chamber in her house. Along with her friends, she must go on an adventure to capture the revenge-seeking monsters.

9. Spooky Buddies - The movie features the adorable, well-known puppies and their adventures in a haunted mansion!

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8. Casper - This genuine, comical movie includes the adventures of four ghosts; one is friendly and lovable and three that are a bit on the mischievous side.

7. Double, Double, Toil and Trouble - The Olsen twins star in this lovable movie. Their family is having money troubles and and are on the verge of losing their house. Shortly after the news of this, the twins discover that their Aunt Agatha is a witch and is the source for all of their problems, including losing the house. The girls set out on a quest to take the magic moon stone (the source of her powers) from their evil aunt.

6. Scared Shrekless - This movie, as you can tell by its title, features the lovable and well-known Shrek and his pals! They get themselves into trouble when they try to put on a scary story contest, but soon find out that they will have to stay the night in Lord Farquad's haunted mansion.

5. Twitches - This Disney movie follows two tween witches that were separated after they were born and adopted by two different families. The girls finally end up meeting on their 21st birthdays, and find out that their birth mother needs them to use their powers to save the spooky world where they were born.

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4. Return to Halloweentown - Following the many movies of Halloweentown, this movie follows the main characters Marnie and Dylan, who decide to go to college at Halloweentown University. The college is also known as Witch University, where they find themselves into a bit of trouble because of the magical powers.

3. Halloweentown High - In this drama-filled Halloween movie, the gang wish to attend their local high school. The only downside? If they do attend they have to do so under certain circumstances. If they cause trouble at the school, they will end up losing all of their powers! Unsurprisingly, they do bring trouble to the school, but not the kind that they would expect. The Knight of the Iron Dagger comes to the mortal world to bring down Marnie and her friends!

2. Halloweentown II: Kalabars Revenge - The Cromwell family respectfully divides their time between "Halloweentown" (a world in which the magical monsters can escape and be themselves) and the real world. A son of their old rival threatens to reveal the monsters' world, and Marnie is the only one who can save things!

1. Halloweentown - These well-known spooky movies features the world of the monsters in Halloweentown.  When a teenage girl named Marnie learns that she is a witch, she is given a responsibility to take care of a whole other world with supernatural monsters. This one is a family favourite!

by Samantha Arsenault and Rayna MacVicar

Senior Boys Soccer Team Headed to Regionals; Girls Season is Over

The Blackville School Boys Senior Soccer team defeated Baie Ste. Anne with a score of 3 -2 on Thursday, October 20.  Scoring for the Blackville Eagles was Avery Brennan, Daniel Moody, and Peyton Gillespie.

With this guaranteeing win, the team is headed to regionals with the first place position giving them an ultimate chance of moving on to the provincials for the second year in a row.  The players are hoping to have a repeat, or what is called a "double decker."

The boys have been working hard all season with their coach Mr. Rodney Buggie. The team has the true heart to move on and the school community is hoping the players do well in the future games. The team will be playing two exhibition games against Jame M. Hill. The first game is Wednesday, October 25.

The season for the Blackville School Girls Senior Soccer team has sadly come to an end. Their last game was in Baie Ste. Anne where they suffered a close defeat. The girls had a good season overall.

By Riley Keenan and Aaron Dunn

We Need a Balance When it Comes to Food Choices

For many students, a vending machine full of junk food might seem like the best thing the school has done yet!

After the recent introduction of pre-stocked vending machines here at Blackville School, I was honestly quite disappointed in the selection that was offered. There should be a greater variety of "healthier" foods.

The idea that our school was focused around healthy meal choices has been talked about quite often. I think it is safe to say, based on what is consumed by students, that our school hasn't exactly lived up to those expectations.  

According to the nutrition policy from Anglophone North School District:

"Schools will offer healthy food choices to students. The school district will reduce foods high in fat and sugar, and will educate students so they may make healthy lunch and snack choices."

Speaking as a high school student, I think that as a group, we are at the age where we should be mature enough to choose the type of food we want to consume.

No matter where you go, the option to eat processed food will be available, and school is no exception to that. We all know processed foods, whether it be regular chips versus oven-baked chips, are not the healthiest options.

Unfortunately, however, it is very unlikely that celery sticks will sell over chips or fresh fruits over a chocolate bar. Schools struggle to offer healthier food choices while at the same time make a profit or at least cover costs. 

In a recent Blackville Talon Viewpoint, Grade ten student Kel Vickers gave his opinion on the issue:

"I think it should be pretty even down the middle, because some people prefer healthy snacks, and some people would rather have, let's say chips. I think it should just be a healthy mix." 

School is a place we should come each day to learn. In order to be at our best, we must be fuelling ourselves with food that will enhance our ability to learn rather than hinder it. However, this is a personal choice that we must make for ourselves.  

I think that a better approach needs to be made for an issue as pressing as the food we eat on a daily basis, although I won't argue that the chips and chocolate are sure to be a best seller. There is nothing wrong with indulging in a treat every once and a while, and having a balanced diet.

By Jensen Urquhart 

Viewpoint: Vending Machine and Food Options

From Vampires to Witches - They Will be at Blackville School

Blackville School has many activities planned next week to celebrate Halloween.

The grade 12 students are organizing Halloween Parties on Wednesday, October 26 for the children from kindergarten to grade five to fundraise for the class of 2017.

The school is inviting the kindergarten to grade two students to come at 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm and the grade three to grade five students at 5:45 pm to 6:45 pm to celebrate this scary holiday with this year's graduates. The fee for the party is $4 per student, but many sweet treats and drinks will also be available.

The Blackville School is also organizing a Middle School Halloween Dance that same night at 7:00 pm till 8:30 pm, and the fee will be $5 per student. They are expected to come dressed in the scariest or cutest costume they own.

The High School Halloween Dance is scheduled to be on Thursday, October 27 at 8:30 pm till 10:45  pm, but the doors close at 9:00 pm. Don't miss it. There will also be Humans Vs. Zombies on Friday, October 28 at 7:00 pm till 9:00 pm. Students will have to pay $2 at the door to participate.

Next week will be filled with scary but fun activities. Don't miss out on them!

Article by Samantha Stockless

Illustration by Cassidy Brennan

People's Picks (October 17-21)

The elementary student of the week is Tally Luce in grade 4M. Mrs. McLean chose Tally to be the student of the week because she helps other people without being asked. Tally loves to watch Sponge Bob. This year Tally is going to be a Zombie for Halloween. Tally was very excited to be this week's student of the week. 

The elementary teacher of the week is Mrs. Norton. Mrs Norton's favourite part about being a teacher is getting to spend lots of time with all of the little boys and girls. Mrs. Norton's favourite TV show is This Is Us. Mrs. Norton's favourite thing about the fall season is watching all of the trees turn pretty colours. Mrs. Norton was very excited to be the elementary teacher of the week. 

The Blackville School staff member of the week is Brent Wilson. Brent's favourite thing about working at this school is that he gets to torment all of the student and staff members. Brent loves to watch the TV show American Pickers. On his spare time Brent loves to sleep, and he also loves to spend time with his grandson, Tristen. Brent was very proud to be the staff member of the week.

Articles and photos by Laura Sturgeon and Sarah Jardine

Eagle Talk for October 21

Hosts Ciara Arbeau and Nicole Nicole share news from Blackville School for the week of October 21, 2016. The "Eagle Talk" podcast can be heard on Life Radio on Friday evenings.