Spectrum is participating in the Salmon in Schools program again this year. 200 Coho salmon eggs arrived at the school at the end of January. Life Science and Library Science students will be caring for the salmon until they are ready for release into Colquitz Creek after Spring Break. Thank you to Kate MacDonald of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ms. Heidi Dyck and Ms. Joanne Beagle for supporting this initiative.
The Great Spectrum Read is underway! From a longlist of 21 titles related to the theme of “Inspiration”, students and teachers have selected 14 books to move to the shortlist:
On the Come Up – Angie Thomas
By Chance Alone – Max Eisen
Unbroken – Laura Hillenbrand
I Am Malala – Malala Yousafzai
Educated – Tara Westover
Glimmer of Hope – March for Our Lives
Long Way Down – Jason Reynolds
No Summit Out of Sight – Jordan Romero
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption – Stephen King
The Far Side of the Sky – Daniel Kalla
Princess Bride – William Goldman
Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson
You Are Awesome – Neil Pasricha
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
Final voting in May will decide 2020’s “Great Spectrum Read” winner.
“Off Topic”, Spectrum’s Student Book Club, meets every Wednesday in Room 160. Students are currently reading and discussing “Six of Crows” by Leigh Bardugo. Students are also organizing a board game café event and a trivia contest with Vic High.
We are looking forward to I Read Canadian Day (February 19) Freedom to Read Week (February 23-29) with activities and displays in the library.
Attention writers! The Greater Victoria Public Library is sponsoring a Teen Writing Contest for grades 7-12. This year’s contest focuses on writing that is inspired by Michael Nicholl Yahgulanaas’s book Flight of the Hummingbird, which challenges each of us to do our part, bit by bit, to make the world a better place.
The contest runs from January 2 to February 27, 2020. Enter your original poem, short story, or something in our creative writing category. Entries have a limit of 1,500 words; works that surpass the word count may be disqualified.
If your entry is selected by the judging panel, you will win a gift certificate to a local book store of your choice. Further details and an entry form is available at https://www.gvpl.ca/play/teen-writing-contest/
Students are also encouraged to enter stories, poems, and artwork to Spectrum’s literary magazine, The Muse by e-mail at spectrumbreakout@gmail.com. Please see Ms. Havelaar, Ms. Irwin or Mr. Clark for more information.