Latest news with #St.Michael'sSchool
Hamilton Spectator
11-06-2025
- Science
- Hamilton Spectator
Pincher Creek teen lands summer research spot at University of Alberta
Wendellynnea (Wendy) Ritz, a Grade 11 student from St. Michael's School in Pincher Creek, will spend her summer at the University of Alberta after being selected for the Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology Summer Research Program. Each year, the University's WISEST program places 40 to 50 high school students — including young women, gender-diverse, Indigenous and racialized students — in six-week research internships. Participants are matched with university laboratories to gain hands-on experience in fields where their genders are traditionally underrepresented, such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The program offers students real-world research exposure, mentorship from professionals and access to post-secondary networks. Since its inception in 1984, WISEST has welcomed students from across Alberta and Canada. This year, 17-year-old Ritz is expected to contribute to research on clubroot disease in canola plants — an assignment informed by her interests in biology and chemistry. However, she can be placed in other programs depending on availability. 'We get to say what science disciplines interest us most, but we don't get to choose our exact placements,' she said. 'My placement in the lab was partly due to my interest in biology and in chemistry, but it was also due to availability and what projects they were looking for students to help with.' Ritz's path to the program began in Grade 10, when her science teacher, Sheena Adamson, herself a WISEST alumna, encouraged her to apply. She submitted her application this spring, 'and mid April I got a notification that I had gotten an interview,' she told Shootin' the Breeze. 'I was very, very excited.' Her application stood out for its creativity. She chose to submit a less-common digital art response instead of a traditional essay or video. 'I went with digital art. In this, you put together an artist response that basically details the meaning and symbolism behind your piece, the medium you used and how it addresses the questions that were given as options for your response,' she explained. 'I put together my art response and I put together my artist statement.' The other thing Ritz believed really helped her was her work in disability advocacy. Diagnosed with ADHD and autism in recent years, she has used her position on student council to promote inclusivity at school events. She will live on campus in Edmonton during the program, which runs July 3 to Aug. 14, with her residency covered by the Margaret-Ann Armour Endowment Fund. In addition to her academic accomplishments, Ritz is an active volunteer and community member. She earns high school credits for training with the Pincher Creek fire department, volunteers at Vista Village, is active at Trinity Lutheran Church and in the local youth group, and provides babysitting services. She's also a multi-instrumentalist, with training in piano, violin, ukulele and recorder. 'I've been in music lessons since I was about five,' she said. 'It's a different way of looking at things. It's like a different language, and it's really given me connections and ways to see patterns and rhythms in life.' Her goal is to pursue post-secondary studies in environmental sciences, with interests in hydrology, impact assessment and environmental monitoring. According to Statistics Canada, women continue to be underrepresented in STEM occupations, especially in fields like engineering, physics and computer science. The gap is even more pronounced in rural areas, where only about five to 6.5 per cent of women hold post-secondary STEM credentials,compared to 11.6 per cent in urban or easily accessible communities. Programs like WISEST play a crucial role in helping girls see themselves as future scientists. Wendy's selection for a national research program reflects not only her individual passion and dedication but also underscores the importance of supporting rural youth in accessing science opportunities. 'My advice to other girls in small towns who are interested in science? Go for it!' Wendy says. 'If you're not sure about something, try it anyway and it will be fun.' In 2024, WISEST placed 41 students in various research positions. According to the U of A, over 85 per cent of program alumni pursue STEM education and careers after participating in the summer research program. In addition to the U of A, students have attended other academic institutions across Canada and internationally. Some alumni have been co-authors on peer-reviewed papers, presented at conferences and received significant awards. In recent years, 14 alumni have received prestigious national awards, including six Schulich Leader Scholarships and two TD Scholars Awards. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Los Angeles Times
12-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Review: ‘Bacon' treads the line between love and abuse for teenage boys in a Rogue Machine powerhouse
Acting doesn't get more combustible than in Rogue Machine Theatre's explosive production of 'Bacon,' performed upstairs at the Matrix Theatre on the inescapably intimate Henry Murray Stage. When you head back downstairs at the end of this two-hander by British playwright Sophie Swithinbank, you might need a moment to gather yourself. The play, which explores masculinity, bullying, sexuality, internalized homophobia and violence, chronicles the abusive relationship between two wounded adolescent boys who are struggling to understand the adults they're becoming. It's also, in a way, a love story. A destructive one that neither is equipped to handle. Mark (Wesley Guimarães) is a shy and polite newcomer to St. Michael's School. Self-conscious and friendless, he's anxious not to attract the kind of attention that has clearly made him a target of bullying in the past. Darren (Jack Lancaster), who lives with his volatile father in less middle-class circumstances than Mark, is a troublemaker at the school, a regular in detention who smokes where he shouldn't, takes what doesn't belong to him and carries a knife to settle disputes. The play, set in London, moves back and forth between two time periods. When 'Bacon' begins, Mark is working at a café, hiding out from his life in what will eventually be revealed to be a post-traumatic limbo. Darren's entrance into the café prompts Mark to tell his story — their story, actually, an entwined set of narratives that the two characters will take turns delivering. The scene changes to four years earlier, when Mark and Darren meet at St. Michael's School. They are drawn to each other like predator to prey. Darren, a menacing presence, instantly sizes up Mark, who wears his heart on his neatly pressed sleeve. Their backgrounds and temperaments could hardly be more different, yet both sense in each other a missing piece. Neglected and roiling with rage, Darren needs to be loved but can't face his own vulnerability. Mark, who longs to give comfort, doesn't have the self-esteem to protect himself from cruelty when it's mixed up with the promise of connection. Mark is taller and brighter than Darren but infinitely more docile and far less street-smart. There's no question who's in control. Guimarães' reveals Mark's limits — there are certain things he will not tolerate. But the character's terror of social isolation keeps the door open to a friendship that can resemble a hostage situation. Early on, Darren grabs Mark's phone and refuses to give it back, establishing the pattern of violation that Mark rejects but cannot seem to escape. Later, when Darren shows up at Mark's home, the unexpected social call is laden with lethal suspense. Lancaster's Darren is like a coiled snake, ready to spring at the most unexpected moments. As Mark and Darren spend more time alone together, the tension, both sexual and otherwise, rises exponentially. Cut off from the world, they tentatively explore their mutual curiosities. But these private moments create a backlash in Darren that is terrifying to witness. The brutality of his upbringing has made him dangerous. The sight of weakness, a reminder of what he's covering up, compels him to pounce. Swithinbank probes deep beyond the topical surface of her drama. 'Bacon' defies category. It deals with school bullying but doesn't takes refuge in social-issue talking points. This sharply psychological work uses the two-character format to dramatize a dance of fractured identities. The production, directed by Michael Matthews, concentrates intensely on the interplay between Guimarães and Lancaster. The actors, while adopting the English accents of their characters, bring their own individualities to the roles. 'Bacon' is the kind of play that will transform through the particularities of its performers. Unfolding in the tight quarters of the Henry Murray Stage, the actors rearrange a few minimal set pieces to shift the abstract locale from school to home to work and beyond. (Stephen Gifford's production design understands the theatricality of the play and keeps the focus squarely on the actors.) 'Bacon' grapples with trauma — and doesn't flinch from what it uncovers. Guimarães and Lancaster give themselves fearlessly over to a story that is extreme but in a way that is true to the extremity of adolescence. The production, another Rogue Machine powerhouse in a compressed package, is one of the most intense outings I've had in the theater in some time. Acting, playwriting, directing and producing combine into unmissable theater, an experience that could happen nowhere else but the live stage.
