Music Education in Public Schools – Should the Budget Be Increased?

Jin Schofield (11) || Reporter and Editor

INTRODUCTION

         Music — a subject taught late after school in dim light on the second floors of strip malls by private tutors, unjustly detached from public educational institutions, and their vast pool of funding.  For most students, this is all they have ever known music education as.  A subject neglected at school, yet still regarded important enough by parents to be studied after school, as a pricey supplement.  Does music have to be taught this way? Of course not — it has been made to stay this way.  Despite the possibilities for equitable learning, a combination of Ontario schools’ have decreased funding in music programs. Lower student enrolment in music programs has resulted in a 7% decrease in the number of music teachers in Ontario over the last decade. In the last two decades, there has been an approximate 20% drop in specialized music teachers.  In addition, undergraduate students studying to become teachers, are only required to take one music credit, which is insufficient to effectively teach a technical, and specialized subject such as music (CBC 2018).  As arts programs in Ontario are not prioritized, rural elementary schools are three times less likely to have a budget of $5 000 compared to their urban counterparts, with 27% of Ontario elementary schools having an arts budget of $500 or less (CBC 2017). Ultimately, it is clear that music is not deemed important enough to be prioritized at schools, yet parents are willing to pay hundreds, or thousands, of dollars on music lessons outside of schools. Which party is more correct in their actions? Should music be once again prioritized in public school systems, or should we allow budgets to continue to be cut, forcing parents to educate their children privately?  Drawing on academic literature, I will examine prevailing evidence found in academic sources to solve this problem. read more

Should Humanity Know Whether it Lives in a Simulated Universe?

Jin Schofield (11) || Editor and Reporter

In Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, he hypothesizes that a freed prisoner, upon being forced to confront the false nature of his reality, would consider this newer world superior to his original conception of reality.  His fellow prisoners, upon being informed by the freed prisoner of the outside world, would believe he was harmed by his discovery, and would vow to kill anyone who tried to remove their illusion (“Republic”).  This ignorance may be bliss for Plato’s fictional characters – but, for the whole of humanity, it is nothing less than a threat to their survival.
read more

Throwback: Varying Opinions on the April 4 Walk-out within the St. Robert Student Body

Jin Schofield (9) | STAFF REPORTER

As we approach the halfway point of 2020, it is important to reflect on the events that have occurred in the past year.  On April 4 of last school year, many St. Robert students walked out against the cuts the Ford Administration made to education. While this article will not describe this event in detail, it will demonstrate different opinions St. Robert students had on the cuts, and the walk-out itself. Many events have occurred since then, but it is interesting to see what our student body feared and thought as the issue arose. read more

Determinants of Views on Euthanasia in Richmond Hill, Ontario

Jin Schofield (9) STAFF REPORTER

INTRODUCTION

Recently in the media, many stories have been published involving the wish of those wanting to be euthanized being revoked by hospitals, or restricted in a way that goes against the will of that person. These stories have sparked discussions about whether euthanasia should be legal – a battle between those who believe euthanasia to be a right, and others who see it as inhumane killing. This topic of euthanasia is very controversial, and each opinion on the issue is deeply connected to a person’s values, beliefs, and experiences. It is for these reasons that I hoped to find the factors of someone’s personality or life experiences that cause a certain opinion of euthanasia. Within this paper, I will guide you through the results of a survey I conducted within Richmond Hill, involving 72 participants, and the testing of 31 independent variables to find the most influential factors in the determination of my dependent variable, opinion on euthanasia. Of these 31 independent variables, the three that were found to be the most significant allowed me to form the following three questions: read more

Breaking (and Making) News!

Lillian Mo (9), Jin Schofield (9), Judy Zhou (9) | STAFF REPORTER

Many students misconceive academic transcripts to define their future. However, with time, they learn that the educational world is not a microcosm of the real world, but a minuscule branch of it. With building pressure for students to perform in the here and now, where would students be able to learn the essential skills needed for their potential careers? For grade 9s in Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba, Take Your Kid to Work Day is the supposed answer. read more

No Name, The Snowman – A Cherished Childhood Memory

Jin Schofield (9) – STAFF REPORTER

Her hands were cold. Melted snow and brown slush had seeped their way through her gloves and now coated her rose fingers. Not that it mattered much to her. She couldn’t care less about the state of her fingers. Not when she was so close to finalizing her masterpiece. read more

A Flight of Fancy

Jin Schofield (9) – STAFF REPORTER

She was an observant young girl. Her large, glossy eyes blinked at you with curiosity and innocence, the gentle furrows of her brow displaying a glimpse into her not-so-impressionable mind. Peculiarly, she daydreamed more than she interacted with the world. You could see her unblinkingly gazing off into space every now and then, or possibly staring directly at you. Analyzing you, you were afraid. Memorizing her surroundings, assessing the situation. As she turned to peer, with what must have been longing, out of the frosted window, you could not guess what she dreamt about. She was hardly awake with her eyes open. Where was she when she slept?

She dreamed of nothing more than escape. To embark on a journey beyond her wooden world, filled with unopened doll boxes and uneaten yogurt. She dreamt of strong, broad wings. Like that on her eagle-shaped kite. She would take a running start, and then let the wind catch her. She would glide through the sky, gazing below as her house – her entire universe – flew past. She glided for what must have been hours, away from the world she knew, until she no longer recognized the ground beneath her. This freedom – it was exhilarating. But she missed her mother, she had to return home. She would grow hungry.

But where was home? She could no longer tell. She was flying above what could have been Ottawa, for all she knew. Endless houses, all identical. How could she get home?

Folkman diagnosed in the 70s that angiogenesis –

http://amerikabulteni.com/2013/09/23/iste-2013-emmy-odullerinin-adaylari-ile-kazananlarin-tam-listesi/ read more

Why Do We Long For The Past?

Jin Schofield (9) – STAFF REPORTER

Whether it be last year, last decade, or last century, we long for the comfort of the past. With the present cold and unfamiliar, and the future a frightful mystery, we cannot help but remember the past through rose-tinted glasses. If those of us that yearned so fervently to return were granted their perilous wish, only then would the delicate mirage of our romanticized history crash to the floor. read more