On this page...Answers to some of the anonymous questions that are sent to BCI.
Recent Questions
Q: On the BCI Home Page, whenever I click the
link to the June Exam Schedule, the file always appears as
"damaged and cannot be repaired", which prevents the
file from being uploaded... It would save quite a bit of
nagging my friends at 5 in the morning to figure out
what exam we have on which day if this wasn't the case!
A: Since I cannot duplicate this issue
using different computers in different locations AND using both our sites...
http://bcivs.brantford.on.ca/
and
http://schools.gedsb.net/bci/
I can only assume that you are doing
something wrong.
I can, however, let you in on a little secret... your
exam schedule is pretty simple, Per 1,2,3,4 (or 6,7,8,9) exams
are on Tues, Wed, Thurs and Fri of this week at 8:15 or
10:30 senior/junior. So if you're staying up late worrying
about this, may I suggest a little low teck solution?
Use a pencil and paper and write it down.
Q: Are we going to use Victoria as a campus for next year? (June 17, 2010)
A: Since the 1963 wing is going to
be renovated, some courses will be taking place at Victoria. Business,
Family
Studies, Art and some Drama will be among those at
Victoria.
Q: Why do these never get answered? Jeeeeeez (June 16, 2010)
A: Pronunciation: \ˈne-vər\
Function: adverb
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English n?#772;fre,
from ne not + ?#772;fre ever ? more at no
Date: before 12th century
1 : not ever : at no time <I never met her>
2 : not in any degree : not under any condition <never
the wiser for his experience>
Now, of course, you never meant never or even ever, you
probably meant not often or not always or some other
group of words that mean less frequently than you would
have liked.
I use two conditions to determine if I will answer the
anonymous emails;
1. It is a question that many have and the answer will be somewhat helpful to a
group or groups of people.
2. It gives me an opportunity to amuse myself, if anyone else finds the answer
entertaining, well, that's ok,
but reason number two is really all about me.
3. If I feel like doing it. (Did you notice that there are really three reasons?
It's new math, don't try and
understand it - just take a few economics courses and you'll see how 1 + 1 = 3,
the government does
this all the time.)
Unfortunately, many of the emails we get are either
very silly questions like 'what time is it?', 'How do you spell
B.C.I.?' or the question is about something so specific
or personal that only one person can possibly
be interested in the answer, so why don't they just
include their email address so we can answer them directly?
My guess is that they spend so much time on Facebook,
they've forgotten who they really are.
If you like this answer, send me $100.00 and I'll send
you my new book,
Answers to Questions my Aardvark
asked me or How to get a Lemur to cook dinner for you.
Q: Why do we have to raise $100 to participate in Relay for Life this
year? Won't that decrease turn out?
I know I won't be able to go this year because of
it. (March 10, 2010)
A: The suggested amount given by the
Canadian Cancer Society is $1000 per team. Raising $100 in two months is not
that difficult ... parents, friends, friends of
parents, parents of friends, co-workers, TEACHERS...
This is a fund-raiser for the Canadian Cancer Society.
If people show up and don't bring any funds, then it's just a
big party, not a cancer fund-raiser.
So... if you have 10 people on each team and each
person raises $100, then that's $1000. We need to keep in
mind that this isn't just a party to hang out
with your friends... the objective of the exercise is to help raise money
for a worthy cause. [M. Cameron - BCI Relay
for Life Coordinator]
Q: Are you excited for Relay for
Life? (March 9, 2010)
A: Excited? Just look at me! Relay
for life is, of course, a terrific and worthy cause. All of us have been or will
be
affected by cancer in some way, and this is one way we
can help find a cure and remember those that have beaten
cancer and loved ones that have been lost. Relay
For Life is not only important it's FUN too! Where else can you
hang out all night with your friends making noise and
having a good time and have no one telling you to stop. BCI
has a solid reputation for caring and service to the
community. I think we can make this one of the best events
EVER! So let's get organized, sign up and plan on being
at this outrageously, awesome, baby-approved event.
(May 28, 2010)
Q: Mrs Hazell? Smart person/people like her? (March 8, 2010)
A: This question is a bit confusing
to me. If you are asking the whereabouts of Mrs. Hazell, you can find her in
room
503 at 8:00am any day of the week. If you are
asking if I am Mrs. Hazell, well, nice try but BZZZZZZT.
If you are asking if Mrs Hazell is a smart person
and do people like her then are you in luck! Yep she is
smart, else how would she be allowed into that
august group of BCI teachers? Not only do people like her,
but so do small animals (except those that end up
in her biology classes.) Or are you asking if there are other
people like Mrs Hazell whom are also smart?
Well, there are a few, but she is pretty special and if she
is your teacher you are blessed.
Q: Do you not think that BCI's
student morale would be boosted by a healthy dose of lemurs?
I have noticed that our school is suffering from
an abject lack of such marsupials. SADNESS. (March 3, 2010)
A: How could anyone not agree that
having a troop of lemurs at BCI would be a terrific boost to morale? Why,
just
the other day I was watching Zoboomafoo and I wanted to
leap about too! Perhaps we could have a lemur day
where everyone has to lemur-leap between classes
instead of walking...aweSOME! On a serious note...
lemurs are not marsupials - they are
Primates
of sub-order
Strepsirrhini,
Infraorder Lemuriformes,
Family
Lemuridae.
See your local biology teacher for more info.
Q: Mr. Utting answers these, doesn't
he. (March 2, 2010)
A: While Mr. Utting certainly has
the requisite linguistic and literary skills necessary to complete this totally
important
and awesome job, I am sorry to report that he it
is not, not he it is? ahhhh it is not he! The severely underpaid
word monkey that attempts to answer some of these
questions is totally out of his depth when it comes to
adequately and competently answering any question
in a clear and concise manner not to mention the complete
absence of any grammatical ability, don't even
get me started on his two finger typing technique. I did let it slip
earlier in this poor hamburger paragraph that is
missing bun and meat , that the author has both an x and a y
chromosome (just one of both).
Q: An arts student I am not, but we
are curious as to who answers these?
A: Serious, personal and private
questions are shared only with administration and are dealt with in a sensitive
manner.
I do not fully understand your reference to arts
students, perhaps you secretly wish you were an arts student?
If you do, we offer many fine courses with
excellent teachers. As to who writes these particular answers on this
particular page, I shall give you a hint
(although it should be patently obvious) I am not an English
teacher.
It should require very little sleuthing to
discover who the writer is or is not. The answer is hidden on this page.
Q: I was curious as to why our vending machines pop was replaced by diet
when aspartame is more harmful than
regular?
A: The school itself does not really
have any say in what is placed in the vending machines, there are board and
provincial policies that may have an effect.
Recently, many health groups in the province have been very vocal
about the amount of sugary snacks available to
students in our schools and the change to diet pop may be a result.
The average pop has about 30 - 50 grams of sugar in it
while aspartame is about 180 times sweeter so requires a
very small amount. Aspartame is also not a carbohydrate
and thus will not add significant calories to the pop. As
yet, there has no clear scientific study on the long
term effects of aspartame use, however, there is much evidence
that heavy use of sugar may harm your health. In
either case, no matter what is sweetening your pop, you should
be moderate in your consumption. If you are concerned
about what is in the vending machines, I would urge you to
get in contact with your trustee and let them know your
concerns.
Q: My heart broke at the fact that in the computer room in Victoria, the
blue paint isn't all across the wall.
The white splash of wall looks extremely lonely. You
should fix that.
(The computer room. Across from the office in
Victoria.)
A: I'm sorry that it took me so long
to reply to this question, I went to see this sight for myself and was overcome
by feelings of despair and anguish. You must be a
sensitive soul to feel so for the wall. For a time I too was
inconsolable, but then I starting thinking about how
brave that one lone white wall was, lost in a sea of blue and still
able to hold its roof up high! What a lesson for the
rest of us. Some see a lonely wall, different from the rest, I see
a heroic struggle for independence, a yearning to
express its difference, three cheers for the white wall!
If you are an Art student, you could always volunteer
to paint a mural there.
Older Questions
Q: When will the construction be done ?
A: As far as we know at this time,
we will be in the new school next September as planned.
Q: I signed up for glee club and apparently
there have already been meetings for it. can you please put that on the
announcements or something so me and my friends don't
miss any more?
A: According to Mr. Oakes, students
are in charge of the Glee Club and there have been no meetings that he was made
aware of. If you want to know the student to contact,
speak to Mr. Oakes.
Q: I would like to start a petition to form
a Glee club at our school. I think it would go over well..
A: No Need for a petition, This
suggestion has been forwarded to the music department. I suggest you speak to
Mr. Oaks or Mr. Winters in the Music Department and
express your interests to them.
Q: It's J. Link - who answers these
questions or reads them? Just curious.
A: No, Serious questions are referred to
BCI administration. Simple questions may be handled by our simple
web person.
Q: bci's construction is very very slow.
A: What you cannot see is much of the work
inside the old building, electrical, plumbing and wall board is progressing
well. This week (Nov 23) you will notice the window
frames/door frames have been going up in the new section,
the new building should be enclosed in a few weeks.
Q: Why don't we hear about junior boys
basketball? You report all the senior boys and girls but not anything about the
junior teams in the paper or on your website. We are
building for the future and we are proud of all our BCI
athletes!
A: You are right, ALL BCI athletes are
great and we ARE proud of them. I do not have enough time to do the research
on each team, therefore the teams whose coach or team member
submits information to me gets that info posted on-
line. If you are on a team, bug your coach or become
the team publicity agent. If you send it I will post it.
Q: I think we should have another dance
within the next month, we just need to advertise it more. Thanks :)
A: Dances are fun. Student council
is for students! Find out when the meetings are or who your reps are and
tell them
about your desire for more dances. I have passed on
your comment to the student council president.
Q: I think we should get paper towel
dispensers in the BCI washrooms! and quickly because it wastes my class time to
have to wait under the air dryer.
A: Three cheers for your concern about
missing class time. While I can sympathize (and agree) with the use of
paper
towels over air dryers, air dryers have two advantages;
they do not run out during the day, they are cleaner as far as
germs go. Air dryers are also more economical, a
fact you will appreciate as you become a property tax payer.
Q: I feel that the decision to take away
alternate Wednesdays is hurting our student body. Without time to meet for
various clubs, it discourages student participation and also
puts more stress on those who are trying to stay involved.
Please bring back the alternate Wednesday schedule.
A: You are certainly correct. The
Ministry Of Education approves school schedules, you have to take it up with
them
through the Board.
Q: Mr. Winter looks a lot
like Everett Smith from so you think you can dance Canada.
A: While both are undeniably talented,
they are not the same person.
Q: There is no good food in the vending
machines. we should have a longer selection, or not get in trouble for going to
the store.
A: I hear your pain. There are two
solutions to your problem; Only go to the store before or after school NOT
during
classes OR pack a lunch at home, you save money and you get
what you want.
Q: The system whereas we receive a detention if
late 3 times does NOT work. Personally, if late for a third time, I do
NOT attend the class, thereby missing more than if I
had gone, but effectively avoiding the detention while
receiving even more free time. Punishment should
be the last resort for incentive, as opposed to giving students a
reward for attending.
A: While detentions are not always fun or
effective for some people, there is a need for some consequence for actions
that do not lead to success. The fact that
you decide to skip class in order to avoid detention may seem clever to
you but in the end it is you that suffers by
missing learning that may result in lower rates of success for you.
You are missing the point of the detention, it is
an attempt to correct behaviours that stop you from being the best
you can be.
Q: Hi
A: Back at ya.
Q: R u listening?
A: No, but I am reading!