Thursday, November 19, 2015

The Change For Change Campaign 2K15

Heads up Panthers! Starting on December 1st, Glenview will once again be participating in the Change for Change campaign by collecting loose change donated by the Glenview community.  With the money collected, Glenview will be working with Toyota to buy toys that will be donated to needy families in our Cambridge community.
The toys that are bought with the charity money will be given to our local Firefighter Basket Fund, who will be distributing the toys equally to the less fortunate children in Cambridge. Charities like the Firefighter Basket Fund, the the oldest continuously running charity in Cambridge, depend largely on outside sponsors and contributors like Glenview Park Secondary School to remain successful.
So, through the constant change that was being donated last year by you Panthers, Glenview managed to collect enough donations to buy over 2000 toys. And with the addition of our dedicated Cambridge firefighters, we managed to distribute toys to 216 kids alone in 2014!
Let's make it our goal to surpass the amount of toys we collected last year, so we can help make more children happy this holiday season!

Monday, November 16, 2015

Glenview's Got Spirit!

This year, Glenview Park created a spirit assembly that rivaled no other. There was dancing, lip-syncing, whipping-and-nae-nae-ing, pumpkin pie eating, hair cutting, and a whole lotta #PantherPride!
The field hockey girls' routine
The assembly was kicked off with our two amazing Co-Primes, Moe H. and Moosa B.,  singing their hearts out with a rendition of T-Swizzle’s “Blank Space”, followed by the band and their heartwarming version of “Flashlight”. Field hockey was up next, singing “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”. The first round of battles concluded with junior girls basketball, and their version of Drake’s “Right Hand”. After a pretty rowdy cheer-off, the field hockey team emerged victorious!
The next lip-sync battle was between junior boys football, who impressed all the ladies with “Uptown Funk”, and the senior girls basketball team, who, suitingly, did “Getcha Head In The Game”. This time, the winners were the junior boys football team.
The final round was between the choir and their insanely 60’s routine to “Grease Lightning”, followed by cross country with a sassy “Put A Ring On It” rendition. Then, our tech teachers, dressed as Glenview gangsters, “whipped” out some moves to “Watch Me Whip/Nae Nae”! Needless to say, they were proclaimed victors of this heat.

The final showdown
Then, it was time for the final showdown. One brave member from field hockey (Ranim C.), junior boys football (Mike F.), and the tech department Mr. Grasso gathered onstage. They proceeded to eat a pie each, but with one catch -- no hands could be involved. The winner, surprising everyone, was Ranim and her incredible pie-devouring skills! It was decided that the field hockey team was the most spirited team in Glenview.
The next part of the assembly was the reveal of the class that brought in the most food for the Thanksgiving food drive. Mrs. Crawford’s class brought in over 300 items of food, and a huge round of applause was given. Since the entire school gathered over 500 items for the food drive, 6 willing participants gathered on the stage, preparing to get their hair cut off for Locks of Love, a charity that makes wigs for cancer patients. Soon, every participant was sporting a much shorter haircut, courtesy of the cosmetology class.
Anyone will agree with the fact that the 2015 GPSS Spirit Assembly was a smash hit! Everyone left the gym with sore stomachs from laughing and the feeling that they made an impact in their community for those less fortunate. What was your favourite part? Comment below.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Hey There Panthers!

Welcome back to another exciting school year. The Panther Post Committee has been getting together weekly to discuss new and exciting plans for this website. We want to create more interactive content for you guys to enjoy this year, and to keep you constantly updated on the goings-on at our school. Whether it be cafeteria events, assemblies, or sports, we want you to access it all on this website. Make sure if you aren't following us on Twitter already, check us out at @gpsspantherpost for constant updates on what's happening in our school!

Friday, May 22, 2015

Dynamic Duo Captures WCSSAA Badminton Title

The athletes with their coach, Mrs. Parsons,
after their CWOSSA final game
Shuttlecocks were flying, racquet grips were sweaty, and the tension was palpable in the final round of badminton on the first day of WCSSAA. Members of the junior Glenview badminton team, Sam and Georgia, were at the apex of this action. They had worked hard all day, winning every one of their games. It was this final match that would determine if the junior girls doubles team would advance to the final round of WCSSAA. If they won this match, they would head back to the courts the following Thursday to battle for their WCSSAA title.
Watching them face off against their final opposers, the only emotion the two displayed in their final match was utter determination. They put on a fierce front for their competitors, intimidating them not only with their flawless badminton skills, but with their rock-hard facial expressions. And it all paid off! After a close round, Sam and Georgia emerged victorious, placing them in the final day of WCSSAA. “We were celebrating right on the court,” said Georgia. “It was so rewarding for both of us!”.
Not only did the girls dominate on the first day, but they won the finals as well, putting them into a pool of tough competitors for CWOSSA. The following week, the girls put up a strong fight, and claimed second place! Badminton coaches Mrs. Parsons, Mrs. Brunton, and Mrs. Gardiner, fellow badminton team members, and of course, Sam and Georgia, were ecstatic. Even though they couldn’t grab that elusive 1st place, they had come farther than they ever thought possible. Both girls were disappointed with their near-miss, but they both knew that they had tried their best. “We put our hearts out onto the court, and we fought”, Georgia admitted.
Now you are probably wondering, what made this dynamic duo so, well, dynamic? Sam thought that what helped them dominate was the fact that “Georgia is tall, and because we both braided our hair and wore capris!”, she added jokingly. The girls’ lighthearted humor was also part of their strategy during the tournament, even when the pressure was extreme. “We tried to have fun and keep it light!”, Sam said.
What is truly remarkable about this pair is the fact that they were only teamed together at the middle of this season. But after advancing this far so quickly, both girls know that they will be going into senior badminton next year as a team, right down to the matching braided hair and capris. Georgia told us that she hopes  “we succeed again like we did this year, and come back with a CWOSSA first instead of second!”
For those aspiring to become a GPSS badminton member for next season, and even for those who aren’t, Sam says that “two years ago I had no interest in joining the badminton team, but it’s actually fun! Everyone should join.” You never know, you could end up like Georgia and Sam, one of the most skilled badminton teams in all of Waterloo Region. To (somewhat) quote Wayne Gretzky, you miss 100% of the birdies you don’t hit!

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Horoscopes for May 2015

Aries - You will be ambushed by a surprise quiz, but the odds will be in your favour!

Taurus - On the 30th, fans will start to riot in the streets and One Direction will be forced back together. There will probably be water guns, torches, and tears involved. 

Gemini - The squirrel will revive and haunt Glenview’s transformers for 450 years, blessing panthers with 3 periods off

Cancer - Someone you know will say “eyebrows on fleek”, please try and contain your horror

Leo - You will probably enter the main office to gather a late slip on the 13th

Virgo - IDK who but someone is bound to goof

Libra - You will hear Uptown Funk 1 million times

Scorpio - You will probs swallow a spider

Sagittarius - As an average Canadian teen, only 70% of you will actually complete homework

Capricorn - Someone from your past will look you up on instagram

Aquarius - You will find that m&m you dropped in B112 last April, and enjoy it


Pisces - Long lost grandpa on your mom’s side, thrice removed, 8th generation Canadian, will find you and tell you that you are adopted

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Nickels for Nepal; Glenview Park Contributes

Image courtesy of Creative Commons
Panthers, check under your couch, check your pockets, and donate to the Nepal Earthquake Relief fund on Thursday! Last Saturday, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale hit Nepal, killing over 4,000 people, trapping climbers on Mt. Everest, and obliterating statues and buildings from as early as the 2nd century. The Glenview C.A.R.E.S. Club will be collecting any change that you have on;

  • Wednesday night at the dance
  • In the caf Thursday at lunch
  • In your homeroom on Thursday morning
Please help to save lives and improve relief efforts in Nepal. Remember, every little bit counts, so donate nickels, dimes, quarters, loonies, bills, anything you can. Thank you for your support, Panthers. Together we are helping the world in big ways.

To find out more about the Nepal Earthquake, click here. 

Friday, April 24, 2015

Coffee House 2015

This year’s coffee house was far from your typical caffeine-fueled, mediocre set list high school event, and everyone who attended on Tuesday, March 10th would say so too. In reality,  it was an intimate, amusing, and mellow night where budding musicians and singers could showcase the side of themselves that they love (but don’t often get to) share with the world. This is the night of the year that many Glenview students look forward to the most, because they get to show their fellow classmates and teachers their passion and talent. This alone makes coffee house a memorable experience for audience and performer alike.
As everyone paid their toonie at the door and settled into the comfy staff room couches that surrounded the makeshift stage, Mrs. Nicholas announced the only negative sentence we heard all night - the coffee wouldn’t be ready for another hour. Groans were audible at first from the coffee connoisseurs, but everyone forgot about its absence once the performances began.
Jeff, a previous coffee house performer, kicked off the night with some soulful and entrancing songs on his guitar and harmonica that the whole audience enjoyed. Next up was Connor and Zach on guitar, who engaged the whole crowd with their heartwarming rendition of “Thinking Out Loud”. Julia and Taia took to the stage with a beautiful cover of “Jar Of Hearts”, and then it was the famous brothers Alex and Matt, with a stirring rendition of “The Show Song”. Brady got the crowd singing along with a Nickelback classic, and then it was time for some special performances.
Coming all the way from Southwood, Liam, Sawyer and Isaac were warmly welcomed into the Glenview community and charmed everyone with their musical talent! Kyra, also from Southwood, caught everyone’s attention with her beautiful voice and spectacular guitar-playing abilities! Matt was next on guitar, and he did not disappoint. Karley took to the stage after that, with her version of Paramore’s “The Only Exception” that everyone in the audience loved, and then Kara singing a better-than-Bey rendition of  “Crazy in Love” and playing piano.  The night ended with an open mic, leading Connor and Zach back up onstage for a group rendition of John Legend’s “All of Me” to which everyone in the room ended up singing along.
Glenview’s 2015 coffee house was an amazing, inspiring event that would not have been possible without the help of Mrs. Krysko and the SAC team. They put together a Tuesday night that was full of laughs, good jams, and (eventually) some pretty good coffee! Be sure to come out to our next coffee house - whether you are singing, playing, dancing, or just listening, you are always welcome. That’s the Glenview way, and we’re proud of it.

Ball is Life For GPSS, It Seems

What’s up Panthers! Get ready for some debriefing on the outstanding performances by none other than our own junior boys basketball team of 2014-2015!
Our fellow panthers ran the courts in Owen Sound for the CWOSSA championships and truly showed the other teams their powerful paws. The panthers “swooshed” their way to victory and took first place in the finals.
The first round games began and Glenview won against Simcoe, 64-28, thus moving on to the quarterfinals. In the quarterfinals Glenview had a tremendous shoot-out against Wellington, winning 71-21. The semifinals were a much closer match as Glenview won 43-21 vs. Centre Dufferin; and last, but obviously not least, the finals took place February 27 at 3:30. Slayed by Glenview panthers, Bishop Mac lost 58-47, placing Glenview on the top.
With heads held high and necks glistening with gold medals, the boys were delighted to add their input on how their CWOSSA excellence  “went down”. After winning the final game, Luke, team captain, thought “the feeling was amazing, knowing that all of our hard work and dedication paid off. Winning a CWOSSA championship isn't something that many people can say they did, but we can, and I'm proud of myself and my teammates for that”. Kishaun says “it was an exceptional experience to be a part of Glenview’s first junior basketball CWOSSA title".
It is not easy being on a basketball team. Through talent and teamwork, the juniors survived another season of yelling crowds, hours of foul shots, oodles of suicide lines, smelly lockers, bad ref calls, coach Jarman and his all-or-nothing, no-nonsense attitude, and of course the physical strain of practice every day.  

Their valiant accomplishment adds to the many successes of Glenview’s students. Thank you coaches and basketball players for your dedication and hard work, it has paid off in new levels of school spirit and pride. Let’s hope the next junior boys basketball season will be as triumphant as this one!

Fundraisers Are Flourishing, Thanks to Glenview C.A.R.E.S.

Sitting in the healthcare room on Tuesday at lunch, one could easily sense the eagerness coming from the ten or fifteen students and teachers in the room. Despite the small number of attendees, the newly merged Me To We, Eco, GSA, and International clubs all share a desire to change our school and our planet in big ways.
The meeting begins with the group tallying results from the recent “Guess The Number of Jelly Beans” contest. One person emerged victorious, who can now add the title of “Best Jelly Bean Estimator” to his resume and that famous jar of jellies to his stomach. It was 25 cents per guess, with the funds going directly to the club’s Free The Children campaign, raising money to send goats to Africa for families in need.
It is all thanks to you, the students of this caring school, that we are able to send one more goat to Africa, with money left over! If you would like to contribute to this campaign to get another goat to a family in need, drop by the library anytime and put some change in the box - a little goats a long way...get it?
Compared to the Argus House fundraiser that ended in November, the Jelly Bean Contest was a smash hit! And we owe it all to the C.A.R.E.S. (Community Acting Responsibly Environmentally and Socially) club. The merge brought strength to the school in both numbers and spirit, and what was achieved with this fundraiser would not have been possible without this co-operation. The creation of the C.A.R.E.S. club means that each club now has more members, meaning more input, opinions, and action. All of this has translated into more school action and more successful fundraisers!

So Glenview, let’s keep the success of the C.A.R.E.S. club and their fundraisers going! Whether it be toothpaste or toonies, shampoo or saving paper, a little goes a long way. They are always looking for passionate members, so drop by the healthcare room on Tuesdays at lunch to get involved in some major changemaking! And don’t worry, as long as Mrs. Nic and Ms. Caplin are there, it’s pretty much guaranteed that you will have a great time.

Semi 2015; A Superb Success

What is the precise formula for creating the perfect school dance? Well, no one really knows for sure, but at Glenview Park, the SAC council seemed to have pretty much figured it out in time for the annual semiformal. Start with acquiring a killer DJ, then add some delicious punch and plenty of food, a hilarious photo booth with props a plenty, and of course, a fantastic venue (a.k.a. the Polish Club). Don’t forget about inviting guests that know how to dance, but Glenview students already had that down, lets face it. Yes, one could say that Semi 2015 will go down in history as the best dance that Glenview has ever had!
With over 200 students and their friends in attendance, tickets sold out not once, but twice! And it seemed that the success of tickets sales was translated into the success of the night itself. People who had already experienced what a GPSS Semi is like from previous years were surprised by the event’s outcome. “There was a good DJ, and I could see that it was very organized and well prepared...it looked good”, said Georgia. Another hit this year was the food table. Chuchu thought “it was absolutely scrumdiddlyumptious!”. She thought that the fruit table was a much-needed addition to the dance, and many other students would agree.
Some of the newcomers to a GPSS Semi were equally, if not more, happy with the results. Having been to several school dances before, Bhuvna was glad that semi, supposedly the best dance of the year, was held in a venue other than the caf. She enjoyed the fact that “there was a little more room, which made everything a bit easier”. When asked if she would go to another semi like this, she immediately replied with a confident “Definitely!”.

The results are in, and thanks to SAC and their fantastic ideas and hard work, every Panther agrees that we had a smash-hit dance. Maybe it was the gorgeous decorations, or perhaps the killer music. Whatever it was, everyone who was expecting a great dance got exactly that, and everyone who went could say that our Panther spirit made the night even better! All in all, it sounds like everyone’s giving a resounding vote of excellence to this perfect Winter Wonderland!