Welcome Back!!!

Welcome back KDSS Knights. Glad to see you all back for another year and a welcome goes out to the  new students! We hope this year is even better than last! Check out our Facebook Page and Twitter Feed for upcoming school events.

BAM DAY!

Roselyn Hurst displaying a finished product!

Teachers are always trying to prepare their students for college or university, and rarely bring in real world applications as the still have post-secondary school to teach them what they need to learn. On Monday June 4th and Wednesday June 6th that all changed. KDSS helped their first ever BAM day.


Thought up by KDSS business teacher Roselyn Hurst, BAM day takes the talent and skills of the Business students, Art students as well as the the Media students.

The finished products!!!

Hurst had her grade 12 business class create a company and a product. The business students sat down with their computer art partners who then created a logo, magazine ad and the packaging for the product for their "clients".

The business students also worked along side the media students who produced a 45 second commercial for the product.

On Wednesday June 6th the business students presented their product, commercial, and print ad to the rest of the business, art and media students as well to a panel of judges during the BAM Den, taken from the popular television show Dragon's Den.

This was an amazing way for all the students to get a real world understanding of what they might experience if the pursue a career in business, art or media.

Knights get their art on at the Bluewater Art Show!

The Owen Sound library is home the the 2012 Bluewater Art Show; a showcase of all the artistic talent of the students of the BWDSB.

5 students and KDSS's two art teachers, Cati VanVeen and Erin Thompson attended the opening night (see right). About 30 KDSS students have their masterpieces displayed at this artshow.

Grade 12 student Shelby Boyd designed the show's logo as well as it's poster.

Pieces such as, canvas, totem poles, self portraits, pastels, still life and many other types of art work was at the show.

KDSS paintings and canvases.  

KDSS is very proud of the students of KDSS for their skill and talent and this is a great way for everyone in the BWDSB to see how talented we really are.

Great job to everyone who had work displayed at the show.

The Bluewater art show runs until Saturday night at the Owen Sound Library.

Prom 2012!

Prom Enchanté - Prom 2012 was an amazing night! 

On Saturday May 26th, KDSS held their annual prom. A formal dance to celebrate the graduation of the grade 12's. 

This year's theme is Jardin Enchanté (Enchanted Garden). The Pavilion (location of Prom) has decorated beautifully with trees, flowers, vines and candles. 

Students first gathered at the Rock Gardens beside the Pavillion for photos with friends, family and peers. 

Once their "photo session" once complete, students made their way over to the Pavillion where the "party" began. 

The students danced the night away with the music provided by Main Event Entertainment. 

 2012 Prom Award Winners are:

Award Winners

Best Dressed Male:

 Keegan Jones

Best Dressed Females:

 Jessica Winterburn & Cheyenne Hunter

Best Male Dancer:

 Francis Lozada

Best Female Dancer: 

Blaire Courtney

Best Matched Couple:

 Hayley Stewart & Sanjay Nema

Best dressed to the Theme:

 Rachel Karsten 

Prom King & Queen:

 Paul Boyadjian & Kortney Watson 

A huge thanks goes out to the prom committee for such an amazing night! 

Visitation & Funeral Information for Michelle Taylor

Michelle Taylor (Meredith)

May 8th 1959 - May 22nd 2012  

First Visitation: Friday May 25th 2pm - 4pm

Location: The Anglican Church of the Messiah (421 Russell Street)

Second Visitation: Friday May 25th 7pm - 9pm

Location: The Anglican Church of the Messiah (421 Russell Street)

Funeral & Reception: Saturday May 26th 2pm

Location: The Anglican Church of the Messiah (421 Russell Street)

Officiating: Rev. Rob Hiscox

Interment:

Kincardine Cemetery

KDSS & the Kincardine community mourns the loss of an amazing teacher.

On Tuesday May 22nd KDSS tragically lost one of the most amazing teachers we could ever ask for for.
Michelle Taylor, 53, died at the scene of a head-on crash when her grey Buick Regal collided with a burgundy Ford pickup truck at on Highway 9 east of Kincardine near the hamlet of Kinloss.

 South Bruce OPP officers attended the scene just after 4 p.m. with the Lucknow Fire Department, Huron County paramedics and Bruce County paramedics. OPP Technical Traffic Collision investigators were called to the scene to assist the South Bruce OPP with the incident.

Highway 9 was closed from Bushell Street to Bruce Road 1 for the safety of those involved with the crash.
Police said the investigation is continuing and anyone with information is asked to call South Bruce OPP or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
 
Since 1985 Michelle Taylor (Then Michelle Meridith) has been teaching at KDSS as a science and french teacher along side her true love, Jim Taylor, also a science teacher.

Mrs. Taylor has also been actively involved in the school and in the past couple of years has been the teacher rep for the KDSS Free the Children group in which she was very passionate about the cause. Mrs. Taylor would never walk by anyone with out saying "Hello, how are you?". She was the most caring and kind person anyone could ever ask for.

Her love of horses, teaching, frog dissection, and her family will never be replaced.

 We will always cherish the time we had with you Mrs. Taylor. You never be forgotten!

More information on the visitation and funeral will be shared at a later date.

Thoughts go out to the Taylor Family; Jim, Ryan, Jen & Katie.

To share you thoughts and memories with Michelle with the Taylor family please feel free to leave a comment or post on the facebook page

OSAID brings a powerful speaker to KDSS

 By: Joshua Howe (Grade 12). Special to Life of the Knights

Members of KDSS OSAID and Paul Christie (3rd from right) 

Every year at KDSS we have a sort of tradition, if you will, of bringing in a guest speaker just before the long weekend in May. You may ask, why do we do this? Well, it’s for one simple reason.

To help the students make good decisions over the break.

And of course, to many students this assembly is nothing more than a get-out-of-class-free card. People look forward to the assembly just for the fact that the day is shortened. However, it is quite rare that our school receives so strong a story as the one told by Paul Christie this past Thursday.

Going in, it wasn’t possible to guess what was going to come out of Mr. Christie’s mouth. He looked like a normal man; someone you would pass on the street and never even give a second glance. But his story was anything but normal.

It was clear from the moment he began speaking that he had told his story many times and yet there was still that feeling of tension in the KDSS gymnasium that only comes with a story being told from the heart. It didn’t take long Mr. Christie to captivate the students and faculty with his jaw-dropping tale of despair and hardship.

His tale was one about the incredibly powerful, albeit horrible effects of drugs on a person’s life. He revealed that he had been shot and stabbed multiple times. He had milked his parents dry of money for years and was a factor in their divorce. He was taken to prison many times and even broke out once by biting a hole directly through his tongue. He lived for drugs and felt as though he needed them and he craved them constantly. He had been wanted in Canada and fled to the United States.

As if all this weren’t bad enough, Mr. Christie then came to the most intense part of his story; that being the part about his son wanting to come and see him one Christmas many years ago.

His son, who lived with his mother, had been so looking forward to seeing his dad on Christmas Day because his father told him that he knew Santa. The kid had been super excited and when he arrived, Mr. Christie had been inside his apartment, lying on the floor, unable to see him because he had just taken more drugs. His son had left crying and had been told by his mother that his dad cared more about drugs than he did about him.

By the time Mr. Christie paused to lead into the final part of his hour-long presentation, the tension had increased ten-fold. No one spoke. No one looked away. All eyes were on this man who had spent nearly all of his life a victim to the sinister effects of drugs.

A living story stood in front of the students and faculty.

By the time questions had been asked and a thundering round of applause had been rightfully given, Mr. Christie had gotten everyone into the mindset that should always be there: Drugs are not a way out. They are extremely dangerous and in many cases, you will not survive.

And with that, Mr. Christie smiled, gave a final wave and took a long swig of water from the bottle that had been sitting on a chair behind him. This had been his last school visit before he got to return home to see his seventeen year old son, who like so many others, had told his father he was glad that he had never given up on him, or life.

"What's that About?": A look at a different Career

As the school year comes to an end, many graduating students will be pursuing post-secondary education wether it's college, university or an apprenticeship.  However, from students they are unsure as to what to do post secondary or want to join the work force without the hassle of going off to school.

The Lake Huron Learning Centre with Katy from myFM (95.5) is hosting a discussion seminar on Thursday May 24th from 5:30pm to 6:30pm at the Lake Huron Learning Centre (385 Queen St. Kincardine). The cost for this seminar is FREE!

The seminar will be discussing growing up in a small community and choosing an alternative career as well as working in a male dominated area.

Accessibility is a huge factors that applies to millions of people everyday. Getting a post-secondary seems to be a "requirement" for most employers  nowadays. Distance Education is one of the best tools to defeat the accessibility issue. The Lake Huron Learning Centre offers many courses right out of their building so students don't have to move to a far away city to get an education and not be in tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

For more information on the upcoming seminar and the Lake Huron Learning Centre check out their website; http://www.lakehuronlearning.ca 

Knights headed to CWOSSA for Track & Field!!

On Monday, May 15th, KDSS hosted the BAA (Bluewater Athletics Association) Track & Field Championship yesterday at the Davidson Centre.
"The track team had many outstanding performances and many reached personal bests!" said Track & Field coach & KDSS Teacher, Carrie Houghton.

Any of the following students who placed in 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th will be heading to CWOSSA!

Midget Girls

• Jorie Elliott started the day strong with a 2nd place in javelin and 2nd in triple jump. Jorie also was named the 5th overall midget girl at BAA. 
• Eartha Phorson placed 1st in the 300m hurdles and 3rd in long jump!

Junior Girls

• Robyn Quinn had amazing throws at BAA's placing 2nd in javelin and 3rd in Discuss!
• Rachel Whitney also had a successful throw and placed right behind Robyn in javelin and got 4th!

Junior Boys

• Josh Murphy had an amazing race placing 1st in the 800m! 
• Logan Shewfelt placed right behind Josh in the 800m placing 2nd in the race. Logan was also able to achieve 4th place in the 1500m run!
• Logan Howe was also in the 800m race and was able to place 6th!
• Matt Woodhall was another male who had an amazing day! Matt placed 3rd in the 100m Hurdles and 5h in long jump!
• Derek Bernath dominated the long jump pits placing 1st!!
• Noah VanVeen had personal best throws to place 2nd in javelin, 2nd in discuss and 3rd in the 200m! Noah was also named 3rd overall junior boy!

Senior Girls

• Cheyenne Hunter had a very stung day winning both the 1500m and the 800m races! 
• Judith Gutter was 3rd in the 3000m!
• Emily McKay was 3rd in the steeplechase!
• Jessica Hiscox sped her way through the 100m in 5th, 3rd in the 200m and 2nd in the 100m hurdles!
• Hayley Stewart was able to place 3rd in javelin!!

Senior Boys

• Morgan Shaw was 2nd in the 200m, 2nd in the 110m hurdles!
• Dallas Hewitt threw the shot-put into 5th place.
• Andrew Tovey achieved 8th in javelin for KDSS!

A HUGE thank you goes out to Mr. Luinstra's gym class for helping getting the track reading for the hurdles races! Thank you goes out to all the volunteers of the day! 

The Knights head to CWOSSA next Wednesday and Thursday in Kitchener! 

Torch for Life visits KDSS

On May 11th, the organization Torch for Life stopped by KDSS to give KDSS staff & students a message  about becoming registered Organ Donors.


The Torch of Life Relay is a campaign dedicated to getting people in Ontario to join the organ donor registry. This is the 8th campaign in the organization's history. The organ donor registry is just over a year old and the campaign started with a goal of getting one million residents of Ontario signed up.

"We found out last week that presently there are 2.4 million people registered," said Relay organizer and leader George Marcello. "We have already surpassed our original goal. Our new goal is to get five million people registered. If we do that Ontario can be a leader in organ donation.

The Torch of Life Relay this year includes three incredible individual stories. Marcello calls Hélène Campbell, Kristopher Knowles and Khaled Khatib the three generals campaign.
What can be donated? 
When you register as a donor you can choose which organs you wish to donate when you pass away or can be contacted regarding a "live" donation.
The following can be donate:
- Eyes                       - Pancreas
- Lungs                     - Kidneys
- Heart                      - Bowel
- Skin                        - Bone
- Liver                       - Vessels

KDSS Teacher Kathie Hackney (centre) laughs as she
poses for a photo with Kincardine Mayor Larry Kraemer (Back)
and  Kristopher Knowles and Khaled Khatib 

Who Can Be An Organ & Tissue Donor?
- Anyone 16 years of age or over
- Anyone in possession of a valid health card number and version code (if applicable)



KDSS encourages all students and members of the community who are eligible to donate their organs and tissue to sign up and become donors!

Click Here to Register with Service Ontario and become an Organ Donor!

For more information on organ donation go to beadonor.ca or torchoflife.com!!! 

"What's that About?": Breakfast for Learning Program

For several years now, KDSS has the Breakfast for Learning  program outside of room 17 every morning offering a variety of food for free of charge.

Students can grab anything from a banana to cheese string to a juice box to a muffin.

The reason why KDSS has this program is because studies show that without a healthy and nutritious breakfast it is harder to learn. Students who miss breakfast in the morning due to sports, running late or food is an issue of access at home, are encouraged to get a bite to eat to kick start their day and get a proper day of learning.

Donations of food or money are always welcome! 

"Among Friends & Clutter" was a success!

The main characters in the final tablo. 

Every year the Sr. drama class puts on a drama production which has every student participating either on stage or behind the scenes.


This year the class put on the play "Among Friends & Clutter" written by Lindsay Price of the ThearteFolk group.  


"Among Friends & Clutter" presents a montage of characters who experience the most important relationships in life: friends, family, and love. 


The actors got many laughs and even some tears from the audience. From the acting to the directing to the lighting, all the students did an amazing job! 


Congratulations to the Sr. Drama class on your performance! 

Former Model Speaks to Students about Body Image

Nicole Clark

Body Image is a relevant topic for teens of today whether they are effected directly or indirectly. 


Nicole Clark, former model and now Director of Cover Girl Culture, Author, Public Speaker and Media Renegade came by KDSS to speak to grade students about body image and how we the media effects our view on the "ideal body". 


Nicole show photos of magazine ads and discuss how advertisers use sexual subliminal messages to get use thinking and wanting the "thing" that is being sold. 


The media uses sexual photos to sell something as simply as sunglasses. "Why do people even need to be in some of these ads" said Clark. 


Clark showed the audience what a magazine advertiser's view of an athlete is. A skinny, "nearly unhealthy" model is used meanwhile if you look at real athletes they are tone and muscular.  


"It's not just the so called overweight people who media ignores, it's even athletes that are fit that  are 
portrayed as 'not ideal' body types", Clark mentioned. 


For more information on Nicole and her message check out her website: http://nicoleclark.com/
and "Like" her fan page: https://www.facebook.com/CoverGirlCulture 

Kinetic Knights 4th at the World Championship!

After the long drive to and from St. Louis, the Kinetic Knights are finally home from the World Championship!


For the second year in a row FIRST Team 781 has made it to the big leagues and traveled to St. Louis, Missouri  for the FIRST Robotics World Championship. The Kinetic Knights qualified for this event by winning the Queen City Regional in Cincinnati, Ohio nearly a month ago.

Team 781 started off the competition by playing the second qualification and losing by only five points. The Knights however used this to their advantage. It boosted their determination and drive to win the next two matches!

The Kinetic Knights played their best for the rest of the day, achieving multiple bridge balances and many baskets. Team 781 even had a near perfect autonomous mode, wear the robot is controlled by a computer program for the first seconds of the game. The Knights were in the top 20 for the whole competition and  ended the qualification matches with a score of 6-3-0.

The team was placed fourth in their division at the end of the qualification matches which meant they are the 4th Alliance captain. The Kinetic Knights picked FIRST teams 2949 (pwnage) and 190 (Gompei and the H.E.R.D.) to assist them in the elimination round of Archimedes (Division).  The alliance played very hard but unfortunately lost their first match 59 to 39. The Knights were determined to stay in the competition. The 2nd quarterfinals were very close. The timer went and a winner could not be determined. After the referees added up the points, the Knights were out by only one point in a score of 86 to 85.

Team 781 has had such a successful year. Queen City Website Award and Winner, Waterloo Innovation in Control Award and had team member Janelle Taylor win the Waterloo Dean's List Award.

FIRST Team 781, the Kinetic would like to thank all the support from their sponsors, community partners and fans. The KDSS community has been very supportive of the Kinetic Knights and the team is beyond words of how appreciative they are of the support.

Congratulations Team 781!  You have made KDSS, Kincardine, and Canada so proud!

"What's that About?": Cooperative Education

"What's that About?" is a new weekly segment that will be written on this blog. It will explain an "Not so Known" area of the school. The first "What's that about?" is about KDSS's cooperative Education.



Cooperative Education provides students with the opportunity to gain first hand knowledge about specific careers through a work experience. The program consists of a classroom component and a workplace component. The Co-op program is planned to accommodate students and employer requirements.


The typical 2 credit program consists of 220 hours of work experience throughout the school year as well as the in-school component. The program is usually every day for 3.5 hours at a workplace. Additional credits may be achieved based on the number of hours a student works. In addition to the 2 credit package the 4 credit package is also very popular. Students must complete daily work journals as well as assignments throughout the semester. Co-op teachers as well as employers evaluate students.


Prerequisites:
students must provide their own transportation to their workplace
students must be 16 years of age or older before September 1 for some placements (e.g., construction) students should have a minimum of 16 credits
application process involves interviews with Co-op department and potential employer
all potential co-op students must complete a "Co-op package" prior to interviews, which includes an
application form, a resume and a cover letter
all Co-op placements are to be found by the Co-op department
Co-op applications are usually due during the course selection period
interviews will take place in April and May for both semesters of following year
all students will know where their Co-op placement is before they leave for the summer holidays

Bruce Power Cooperative Education
All applicants must be 16 years of age (18 for most areas). This is a 4 credit package.
Typical placements include: engineering, mechanical maintenance, fire prevention, radiation technology. The competitive application process includes an information session and an interview process.
This program is managed by a teacher outside of KDSS. For more information, contact the Guidance Office.


OYAP – Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program

Co-op students can enroll in this program and use their hours towards an apprenticeship in a trade. See the Co-op department for more specific details. 


If you are interested in being a part of this awesome program, head down to the co-op office and ask Ms. McIver and/or Mr. Yenssen for more information. 

24 Hours of Awesome!

Within a 24 hour time span, a lot of awesome things occurred!

AWESOME THING #1: 

KDSS held it's last dance of the year on Thursday (April 19th). The Much Music Video dance was held in the KDSS gym and nearly 100 students were in attendance for the dance! Prizes were handed out for dancing and there was tons of energy in the room.

The KDSS robotics team, Team 781 - The Kinetic Knights, held a "Photo Booth" were students could dress up and get their photo taken in front of different back drops.

AWESOME THING #2:

As a part of KDSS's annual Spirit Week, KDSS held a spirit assembly! This assembly had a fun introduction game of teams of 3 trying to get a frozen wet t-shirt out of a ball and onto one of the team members.

The point of the assembly was  to "Show-Off" all of the amazing achievements of the students of KDSS so far this year. Teams/Students that were mention were, the girls gymnastic teams, boys and girls hockey team, art students, Free the Children and art students who have won art competitions!

Dallas Hewitt (Grade 11) shaves Mr. Wolfe's Head.

At the end of the assembly Guidance Counsellor, Teacher and Boys Hockey team coach, Mr. Wolfe even shaved his head as majority of the players of the hockey team shaved their head.

Awesome Thing #3:


As you may already know, the KDSS robotics team, Team 781 - The Kinetic Knights are headed to St. Louis for the FIRST® Robotics World Championship!

This trip of course costs money. So as a fundraiser, team member Sarah Nagus (Grade 10) suggested that KDSS should hold a "Penny War". Pennies would be positive points and any other money (Nickels, loonies, bills, etc.) would be negative points. The grade with the most points

During the KDSS Spirit week the robotics team held their penny war. There were 5 containers; grade 9, grade 10, grade 11, grade 12/5th year and Teachers/Staff.

Students put their pennies in their own container for positive points and put other money into other containers to give them negative points.

After the hard job of counting all the money, mostly pennies, the Grade 10's came out as the winner!

The penny war was able to raise over $500 for the Kinetic Knights!

Awesome Thing #4:

KDSS Free the Children had quite a crowd Friday night as the host "Black Light Night Video Dance" a grade 6-8 dance. DJed by Free the Children members Alex and Matt Pagnan the Black Light Night was the best dance FTC has held to date. In under an hour, more than 140 students had already arrived at the dance! Students from all over Kincardine and even some students from Walkerton, ON showed up to the dance. Between the snack/juice bar and the entry fee the dance raised $1200 for Free the Children! All of the proceeds from this event will be going towards KDSS FTC's "Adopt-A-Vilage", Yomandu, Sierra Leone.

KDSS Free the Children was also able to collect a large donation of food for the Kincardine food bank as a lower price was offered if a non-perishable food item was brought.


The students of KDSS never stop doing what they do best. Being Awesome! Keep up the great work everyone! #PROUDtoBEaKNIGHT

All Tied up at the 2012 Staff-Student Hockey Game

The annual Staff-Student Hockey ended in a tie for the teachers and students of KDSS!

For years the students of KDSS have challenged the staff in an good old Canadian game of Hockey. This awesome event is organized and put on by the KDSS Student Council.



This year's game was played at the Kincardine Davidson on Wednesday, April 18th. The normal timing of hockey was altered, and the game was played with two 20 minute periods, and a 5 minute non-stopped  period was conducted.

There were roughly 20 students and 15 teachers who played in Wednesday game. Retired KDSS teacher, Mr. Vogan even came and played on the staff team.

Scoring for the staff team were:

• Ron Veenstra from Keith Colley and Dan Ogilvie
• Andy Ferguson from Vince Yenssen
• Tim Luinstra, unassisted
• Ogilvie, unassisted
• Peter Wolfe, unassisted
• Ogilvie from Roselyn Hurst

Scoring for the students team were:

• Scott McFarlan, unassisted
• Tyson Rutledge from Hailey Allen
• David McFarlan, unassisted
• Scott McFarlan, unassisted
• Michael Osadca, with two goals, unassisted

There were no penalties in the game. However, Mr. Colley tripped Hailey Allen(Grade 9) late in the second period, resulting in a penalty shot which staff goalie, Breanna Goulding, stopped. 

A huge thanks goes to the Referees of the game, Jason Dales (Grade 11),  Gerrit Satosek (Grade 12) and retired KDSS teacher, Mr. Bill Smith.


Thanks to all the student who came out to the game!

They're Home!

After spending two months in Belgium, grade 11 students Jarrett Elliott and Amber Woods have arrived home.

Delphine and Amber on a ski trip in the Swiss Alps

KDSS has a long history of exchange students, with sending 3 off to Europe this year. Amber Woods lived with her exchange Student Delphine de Borrekens, in Overjise just outside of Brussels, Belgium. "It was amazing but the culture is completely different", said Woods.


Jarrett Elliott also a grade 11 student, also lived in Belgium for 8 weeks, and living only a couple of kilometres away from Amber .  Jarrett lived with his exchange student, Jim Gripekoven.

Jarrett standing in front of a sign in
Belgium 

When asked, "Why do you think it is important to have an exchange student program?", Amber answered with "Its a great way to learn a different language and become indulge with a completely different culture" 


Other than Amber & Jarrett, KDSS still has two other studenst on exchange. Grade 11 students Kloe Moore and Sadie Shewfelt are currently on exchange in Switzerland. Sadie and Kloe come home May 6th.

It's great to have these students back home and we hope they had the time of their lives!

If you want to learn more about becoming an exchange student please talk to your guidance counsellor or go to http://www.iseontario.on.ca/ to find out more information.

2012 Garbage Clean Up!

Ethan Skinner, Scott McFarlan and Marshall Smith
Throw there garbage bags onto the pile

The KDSS tradition of cleaning up the town occurred again on April 20th.
Organized by Environmental Science teacher, Mr. James Taylor, 22 classes of students went around the town of Kincardine and picked up garbage and replying .
 "This is year we have a record breaking amount of participation" says Taylor.
"Due to the amount of classes participating, we were able to get to areas of the town we have never been able to before!"

Normally this event takes place on Earth Day as it's official name is the KDSS Earth Day Garbage Pick Up but since Earth Day is on Sunday the 22nd, Mr. Taylor picked the 20th as it is a friday.

The people of Kincardine are very appreciative of the work of the students of KDSS. Kozy Cat Kennels donated $40 to the KDSS Environmental program and the KTTPS Green School's Initiative donated $300

Mr. James Taylor accepts a donation $300 from Michelle from
KTTPS Green School's Initiative 

KDSS is very proud to have the garbage clean up as one of their annual events! KDSS is very proud of all the Staff & Students who take the time to go out and pick up other people's garbage and help make Kincardine and the environment a beautiful place!

Penny War for St. Louis

During the week of April 16th to 20th, the KDSS Robotics is holding a penny war between the grades.

THE RULES:

The Penny War Container! 

Pennies equal positive points
Other money equals negative points.
1 cent equals one point.

So a lonnie equals negative 100 points

When you bring in your pennies you put those in your grades jar, and when you have other change (loonies, quarters, dimes, nickels, $5 bills etc) you put an other grades jar (or teachers jar)

Friday at lunch member of the robotics team will be counting the money and announcing the winner at the  Spirit assembly that will occur Friday afternoon.

The winning grade will receive cupcakes for everyone in the grade baked freshly by the robotics team.

All the proceeds from the penny war will be going towards the robotics team's trip to the FIRST Robotics Championship in St. Louis Missouri!

To find out more on the KDSS Robotics team - Team 781 check out their website at www.team781.com.

Home and School Citizenship Award Winners!

Brooke Leppington, Bronwynne Harvey & Mickey Collins
proudly show off their citizenship awards.
Photo Courtesy of Lynn Collins

KDSS is proud to call it's self the place where these 3 students call school!

Brooke Leppington (Grade 9), Bronwynne Harvey (Grade 10) and Mickey Collins (Grade 12) are the 2012 Home and School Citizenship Award winners!

On Saturday April 14th, these 3 students were invited to the Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Hamilton, ON to receive their Provincial Awards of Citizenship!

Students of KDSS were nominated within the school to be the "best" citizen of the school (from their grade) Then a student from each grade was chosen for the provincial round. Amazingly 3 of the 4 students won the provincial level. The 3 students can proudly say they are the most Citizen like students in Ontario.

KDSS is very proud to have these students in our school!

CWOSSA Bound for Knights Badminton!

Marcel Fohkens who placed 4th in
Boys singles!

After hosting The BAA (Bluewater Athletics Association) Badminton tournament, KDSS is sending 11 students to Conestoga College, in Kitchener to compete in the 2012 CWOSSA tournament!

On Thursday April 12th the Senior students of  KDSS played , and six of those players placed in the top four out of nine teams:

Jacob Siekierski - 1st - Boys Singles
Marcel Fohkens - 4th - Boys Singles
Margot Treidlinger and Gerrit Satosek - 1st - Mixed Doubles
Patrick McGarvey and Tanner Dupuis - 2nd - Boys Doubles

Overall, KDSS was second with 45 points.

The senior students will be competing at CWOSSA on April 19th!

Badminton Coach & Teacher, Mr. Wolfe!

The Juniors played a day before the seniors on Wednesday April 11th at Walkerton District Secondary School, and five KDSS players placed in the top four out of nine teams:

Delaney Dundas and Ashley Boyd - 2nd - Girls Doubles
Jorie Elliott - 4th - Girls Singles
Alessandra Lozada and Raymond Tan - 4th - Mixed Doubles

Overall, KDSS placed fifth, with 20 points.

The junior students will competing at CWOSSA on April 18th at Conestoga College in Kitchener.

Congratulations to all the students! 

#PROUDtoBEaKNIGHT

KDSS Robotics Team is Heading Back to World Championship!

The drive teams of the winning alliance!

After competing at three regional competitions, Team 781 has finally come out on top!

The Kinetic Knights FIRST Robotics Team spent their Easter weekend competing at the inaugural Queen City Regional in Cincinnati, Ohio, playing against 56 other FIRST Robotics teams from Canada, Brazil and the U.S.A. 

In a basketball themed game with robots scoring baskets and balancing on a seesaw style bridge the Knights finished the qualification matches in the 21st seed. 

However, during the alliance selections the Kinetic Knights were invited to join the 8th ranked Alliance consisting of Teams 45, The Techno Kats, and Team 3940, The Cyber Tooth, both from Indiana. 

Team 781 outside Xavier University with the Winner Banner

Although their alliance were the underdog throughout the elimination matches, Team 781 found themselves competing in the finals, thanks to their alliance’s ability to balance three robots on the bridge. 

The first match of the finals finished with the alliance earning the highest scoring match of the competition, 91-83. However, the Knight's competition would not give up that easily keeping the second match of the finals at a tight score. It wasn’t until the concluding seconds of the final match when Kinetic Knights’ human player, Luke Splettstoesser, scored a basket from across the field winning the match and the competition, 64-62. 

A special mention goes out to the Kinetic Knights’ drive team, Matt Pagnan, Luke Splettstoesser, Bradley Reid, lead by build captain James Jackson. 

The Knights didn’t just come home with the regional champion title but also our 5th regional website award.  

Game Winning, Human Player
Luke Splettstoesser with the winning net around his neck

Winning this regional secures a spot for the Kinetic Knights in two weeks at the FIRST World Championship in St. Louis, MO, where they finished second last year. For those unable to make it down with the team, there will be a live stream of the competition, Facebook updates, and Tweets with more information available on their award winning website, team781.com.

Team 781 will be holding a Penny War at the high school next week and an elementary school dance in the beginning of June to help with assist the cost but they are always looking for new sponsors. If you would like to donate or sponsor the team please contact sponsorship@team781.com or call Kincardine District Secondary School at 519-396-9151.

The Kinetic Knights would like to thank all our current sponsors who have already made this season possible and the community for all their support this past year.

Photos provided by 

Mickey Collins, PR & Awards lead  of Team 781

6 Gymnast heading to OFSAA!

On April 2nd, six gymnasts from KDSS travelled to Owen Sound to competed in the CWOSAA Gymnastics Competition.  After a long day all 6 students are moving on to OFSAA! (Ontario Federation of School Athletics Association). The level one gymnasts were Valeria Contartese who place 6th on floor, and Christine Benny who placed 5th on floor and 2nd on bars. The level 2 gymnasts were Alexa Masur who placed 5th on bars and 1st on floor, Katie Morris who placed 5th on vault, 3rd on bars, 5th on beam and 4th all around, and Delaney Hasson who placed 2nd on vault, 2nd on bars 5th on floor, and 2nd all around. And finally the level 5 gymnast Taylor Hasson who placed 4th on vault, 1st on bars, 4th on beam, 3rd on floor and 3rd all around. Congratulations girls, and good luck at OFSAA on April 29! #PROUDtoBEaKNIGHT


Special thanks goes out to coaches Mrs. Hasson (Parent) and Ms. Treidlinger (Teacher). 

Kincardine Hockey Parade!

Another championship for Kincardine

Miller Insurance midgets win OMHA midget B title

The Kincardine Miller Insurance hockey team capped off an incredible season with an undefeated playoff run and an All-Ontario championship.

The team accomplished goals of winning the Kincardine MacMillan Memorial tournament, the Regional and International Silver Stick championships and the OMHA midget title. After an opening round bye for finishing first overall in the WOAA regular season, the Kinucks swept Walkerton and Listowel to win a WOAA crown, Mount Brydges in the OMHA semis and Glanbrook in the final.

Kincardine finishes with a final overall record of 41-5-4, including a 12-0 run in the playoffs.

The run came ended with a 5-4 win over Glanbrook in Game 3 Tuesday night, marking the third consecutive time Kincardine has appeared in the OMHA championship finals. The team won the 2009-10 title, but lost in last year’s final. This is the third time Kincardine has won the trophy, the first time being 1999, when current head coach Steve Stepaniak played for the team.

This year’s team includes Spencer Montgomery, Trevor Ammerman, Dallas Perkins, Matt Baker, Michael Osadca, Brady Collins, Colten Hendrie, Mitch Dickson, Gerrit Satosek, Jory Norman, Cody Bowes, David McFarlan, Brody Hayes, Derrick Bernath, Marcel Fohkens, Austin Rees and Jordan Bell. Assisting Stepaniak is trainer Jim Bernath, as well as assistants Corey McCrae, Dennis Howard and Josh Howald.

The Municipality of Kincardine fire department will lead the team in a parade Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. It will begin from the municipal fire hall, with the team travelling to Zehr’s. Special guests may be shaving hair for charity, as well.

Eight members of the team – Perkins, Baker, Osadca, Dunlop, Dickson, Satosek, Norman and Hayes won an OFSSA championship in Peterborough as members of the Kincardine District Secondary School boys hockey team. The KDSS Knights went undefeated at the provincial tournament to finish the year as BAA, CWOSSA and OFSAA champions. That team will also be included in Saturday’s parade through town.

Joining members of the midgets on the KDSS team were Easton Battler, Ashton Wilken, Brad Mangotich, Jacob Siekierski, Chris Beattie, Paul Lamont, Carter Strachan, Dallas Hewitt, Keegan McLelland, Ryker Killins, Riley Cook, Ben Scheel and Chase Ambeau.

 - Photos and story courtesy of the Kincardine Independent

Two tournaments down, and one to go for the KDSS FIRST ® robotics team, The Kinetic Knights.

March 23rd and 24th were the dates for the Kinetic Knights’s second competition. The team travelled to the University of Waterloo for the 2012 FIRST Waterloo Regional. The Knights, just like two weeks prior, had a very successful day, doing very well during the qualifying matches. Team 781 was 8th seed at the begging of alliance selections. With the assistance of FIRST Team 2809 (K-Botics ) and 288 (Robo-Dawgs). This alliance fought very hard and lost 41-40 in the 3rd semi-final match. Even though 781 did not win, they did not come home empty handed either. Thanks to the build team, 781 was given the “Innovation in Control Award”.

On Easter weekend The Kinetic Knights are headed the Cincinnati, Ohio to compete at the Queen City Regional! To follow up on the Kinetic Knights check out their website. www.team781.com and follow them on twitter @frc781.