Social Sciences

As a final assignment in Ms. Fainsilber’s Contemporary World class, Secondary V students created Cellphilms – very brief videos created on mobile devices – on a topic related to the course's theme of Wealth. Three students earned recognition and a monetary prize in the competition’s Youth Category of McGill’s Cellphilm Festival: Roxana's film “CATS: The Big Boss” will receive an honourable mention, while Lola’s “L'exploitation des ressources naturelles" and Sofia’s “Where are you from?" were selected to win prizes.

The films will be shown and their placement in the competition (1st, 2nd or 3rd place) will be revealed at the festival on Thursday, June 13th. Meanwhile, please enjoy the variety and creativity of the three films at this link.

Congratulations, Lola, Sofia and Roxana! We are so proud of you!

This Tuesday, Secondary IV and V students attended a special session offered by The Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal in collaboration with the Holocaust Education and Genocide Prevention Foundation. The workshop titled "Misinformation and Disinformation: Down the Rabbit Hole” was facilitated by Leo Wurmbrand and Gabriel Steinberger, two young Austrian interns who defined the terms misinformation and disinformation, provided examples of each, and drew comparisons between the use of Nazi propaganda and the information spread by white supremacist hate groups on the internet today.

Traf students shared their own experiences with mis- and disinformation and their strategies for identifying false information. As well, our students found out that in lieu of a 6-month compulsory military service, Austrian men can volunteer for 10 months in Holocaust memorial institutions. The Gedenkdienst commemorates the victims of the Holocaust and educates people around the globe about this genocide and the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis. At the end of the presentation, Traf students asked questions to learn more about the experience of the two interns who visited our school and over 30 other schools in the Montreal area.

Congratulations to Lexi, Violet and Sofia for participating in the 37th iteration of the Marianopolis Model United Nations Conference (MariMUN). Lexi and Violet, respectively representing Denmark and Sweden in the General Assembly - UNIDO (Sustainable Industrialization and Workers' Rights), advocated for better working conditions in the fashion industry. Meanwhile, Sofia took on the role of Genevan philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau in a specialized agency called The Age of Reason: An Enlightenment Salon. Although it was her first Model United Nations conference, Sofia quickly developed her skills in diplomacy over the course of the weekend and earned herself a certificate and gavel as the recipient of the committee’s Kew Dock Yip Award for Remarkable Determination.

All three students are to be commended for their active involvement in committee sessions and we hope they will continue to shine at future MUN conferences.

This afternoon, the Sec 3, 4 and 5 students hosted Mr. Ephroim Johnny Jablon, a Holocaust survivor, who was born in Krakow, Poland, and was sent to the Plaszow concentration camp at the age of 17. He told students the many times he came very close to losing his life, only to survive until the liberation. His words and stories were incredibly moving and we thank him for taking the time to visit us. A donation in his name was made to the Montreal Holocaust Museum.

This past Thursday, Trafalgar students wore red shirts to show solidarity with Indigenous communities, as a part of the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. This student-led initiative was proposed and promoted by Secondary II student, Iotsistokwatenion.

From Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1st, Traf represented the Philippines in an online Model United Nations event, SOMA XLIX.

As part of the general assembly, Camila T-M discussed neocolonialism in Africa and Asia as well as privacy rights in this digital age of surveillance, while Lexi D worked on resolutions to help women have better access to medicine and to reduce the impacts of air pollution on global health as part of the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, after much research and preparation, Betsy B was all set to dive into her bilingual committee, Interpol, when it was canceled at the last minute and, with grace and flexibility, Betsy joined the Adhoc Committee about Western Australia during the Great Depression.

Students in grades 9 through 11 are invited to participate online in SOMA (the Southern Ontario
Model United Nations Assembly) from Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1, 2022. 
 
Please see the details regarding this exciting opportunity on the Parent Portal at this link or on the
Resources page under Permission Forms.