In my pursuit for graphic novels in the classroom, I stumbled upon the popular Hellboy series and bought a few issues for perusal - and I have to say that I have enjoyed it very much! The books have great story lines, very witty dialogue and wonderful artwork. I have not watched the movies as of yet and I am trying my best to avoid it all together. Look out grade 12’s, Hellboy is coming!
I have been grappling with a pedagogical concept (beauty word, eh?) for the past couple of years now: how can I incorporate comic books into the classroom? As a child I was a regular reader of comics and would classify myself a fan, and it has been years since I have devoted any time or energy to what has been going on with them. But as I continue to expand myself in the classroom the more I feel that comic books have a genuine place - a) I think the kids would love them (I know I did) and, b) comic books use and explore all the motifs/literary ideas we are regulated to discuss in the English curriculum (ie. characterization, plot structure, etc). In any day in age I think getting students to read (let alone enjoy it) is a real challenge and that is why I feel comics can be a great motivator for them into the world of literature. So, with all of this said, I have purchased a few of these new concept “graphic novels” and plan to incorporate them into my yearly teaching strategy. The other day I picked up Batman: Year One and have thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It’s got a great story, it’s edgy and it has fantastic artwork - 3 for 3!! Haven’t figured out what other comics I want to get but I have been hanging out a comic book store here in Victoria and getting some good advice. Not 100% sure exactly where I am going to go with the concept but the ideas are in full motion; so if any of you have any to throw my way please do. Anyways, I am pretty excited about this and just hope that the students enjoy it as well.
While the championship final game was a very hard fought battle, in the end Team Grey simply proved to be the better team and won the 2008 Dong Bei Cup by a score of 4-0 over Team White - yes, Cinderella left the ball without her slipper. Two quick goals in the first half seemed to put Grey in control and while White did have their chances Billy C just proved to be too good cementing the first-ever shutout in Dong Bei Cup history. Congratulations to Team Grey on their fine performance as champions, there is no question they were the cream of the crop in 2008!
The first semi-final game on Wednesday night was the top seeded Black team (3-0) play off against the last place Team White (0-3). In what all were considering to be nothing but a formality, this game proved to be a Dong Bei classic with Team White coming out on top 8-7 in overtime. Playing very similar styles, the scoring was very even throughout the game with Black never up more than two goals at any given point. With three minutes left in the game Blake Defieux scored to make it 7-5 for Black and all but assuring their advancement into the finals. But, Team White did not go away and with a minute and a half scored to make it 7-6 and then with a staggering 10 seconds left to go in regulation time Darren Seath shoveled the ball in to send the game into overtime. Then roughly five minutes in, Brad Helgason scored a beautiful top shelf goal to seal the greatest upset in Dong Bei semi-final action.
In what was a classic match-up in their last game of the round robin, unfortunatewly the semi-final rematch proved to be otherwise. Wednesday’s game proved to be far more defensive minded and Team Grey simply shut down Green’s top line of Beeke, Foster and Ng, thus nullifying their chances of victory all together. The final score was 9 to 3 for Grey and a date with Cinderella.
Week #2 saw the round robin portion of the tournament come to a close and cleared up the playoff scenarios once and for all. Tuesday afternoon’s game - Black vs. Grey - had 1st place bragging rights on the line to which Team Black came away with the obvious edge in a 5-2 victory. Adrian Conradi led the charge with a three point night for Black and goaltender Neil McIntyre played solid in between the pipes. On Wednesday Team Grey had to rebound and focus their efforts on a feisty Hubert Wong and Team Green. While this game ended up in a 5-5 draw, for all of those who watched it was a classic Dong Bei Cup game that offered everything a hockey game should: great saves, great passes, great goals and a lot of heart and soul. Then on Thursday the 0-2 Team White was pitted up against the 2-0 Team Black. While Engleson’s team did not get what they wanted, they did play a hard fought game in a 4-2 loss. So, with the round robin portion over we are all ready to go for the playoffs on Wednesday night where we will see all four teams play for their spot in the championship game next Friday. Individual achievements so far have Adrian Conradi, Cam Secret, and surprisingly, Shawn Forde at the top of the scoresheet battling it out for the Dong Bei Ren as the tournament’s top point getter. The top goalie looks to be solidified to Black’s Neil McIntyre but a strong last game by Grey’s Bill Colorado has given him a slight chance. Tournament MVP has not proven a clear cut front-runner although this reporter gives his nod to rookie Brent Foster for his strong performance so far; and after 6 round robin games it also seems to be consensus that no one has really stepped up to the plate to claim the Simon Kissinger Trophy for most heart and soul.
Semi-Final Action:
(1) Team Black vs (4) Team White
(2) Team Grey vs (3) Team Green
Well folks, week 1 has come and gone and the fifth version of the Dong Bei Cup is fully underway. Going into the tournament Team Grey looked as though they had the strongest team on paper and then decidedly put their stamp on that claim with an 8-4 victory over Team White. Then in game #2, the rain filled venue definitely caused problems with the style of play on the court but Team Black was able to defeat Team Green 6-4. Two players emerged from their first games with 6 points - Cam Secret (Grey) and Adrian Conradi (Black) - and both are hoping to see if they can continue on this pace for the Dong Bei Ren; a surprise second in overall points is Shawn Forde (Black) with a huge 5 point game. Then on a beautiful sunny day on Thursday, a rested Team White played a tired Team Green but was not able to come away with the victory, losing the 4-2 and rendering the White Tigers to a lowly 0-2 record thus far. Interesting note on Thursday’s game was the near shutout bid by Team Green’s Hubert Wong, who with 5 minutes remaining in the game, had no goals against and was looking to become the first goalie in Dong Bei history to record a shutout, only to have that snapped away by Darren Seath. Coming up on Tuesday, May 13th, will be Team Black versus Team Grey for what will most likely be bragging rights for the top seed in the round robin.
Standings after Week 1:
Team Grey - 1-0
Team Black - 1-0
Team Green - 1-1
Team White - 0-2
Yes folks, beginning on Tuesday, May 6th at 4:10 pm the 2008 version of the Dong Bei Cup will officially begin. This is the fifth anniversary of the Dong Bei Cup and I believe this year’s tournament will be hotly contested and (on paper) we look to have 4 fairly balanced teams. The colors we will be sporting this year are: Team White (Engleson), Team Black (McIntyre), Team Gray (Colorado) and Team Green (Wong). The Engleson Files have renewed their contract with the Dong Bei Cup Corporation and will be continuing their extended coverage of the big show - so if it happens in the Dong Bei Cup you will see it here first. With that said, I would like to wish all the competitors the best of luck and may the best team win!
Game #1: Team White vs. Team Gray
I am not going to go into any detail about it, but this past week has been one of the most intense and craziest times I have ever experienced at our school. Yes folks, we are involved in crazy, crazy times right now…
Photo courtesy of Blake Defieux
Yes, today was our last day of work before our upcoming 5 week holiday. I know the rest of society will not sympathize with me, but the last 3 months have been a long haul and it feels good to finally have some time to rest and relax and be with family. For the past two days at work (don’t tell the boss) we have had Pro-d sessions in the morning and then it has been out to the pond in the afternoon for our last chance at some good old fashioned wintertime fun; for some reason it just seems to be that much more fun getting paid to do it. Anyways, it was absolutely glorious out on the huge ice surface and we are all exhausted from playing, but sadly that will probably be the last of it because the ice will most likely be gone once we all return from holidays. But for now, that is it, the time card has officially been punched and we are now on vacation!
Well, it’s back to work we go and today I go get the job done in my 1952 Hickory Huskers State Champions cardigan sweater. Who are the Hickory Huskers you may ask? Go and watch the movie Hoosiers to find out; once you do you will see that it clearly deserves a cardigan!
Sorry I didn’t tuck in, but hey, it’s Boxing Day - I’m not even supposed to be dressed!
At any given moment on any given day while in room 302 in the old building at Maple Leaf, this is what you would see: Mr. E slaving away at his desk ensuring that all his marks are calculated to the exact percentage and are done on time. He is a staunch professional who cares only about his students (which this picture clearly shows) and he does it well in his 1920’s circa Winnipeg Falcons cardigan sweater. Keep up the good work Mr. E!
One of the on-going school jokes at Maple Leaf is the large collection of cardigan sweaters I have, and wear, every year come wintertime. Basically, once it gets cold I have ready at my disposal 14 different sweaters that I begin to rotate until the sunshine forces me to take them off. A little extreme? Yes. But, as I sit here before you now I defy anyone to show me a greater cardigan sweater collection - I think it is safe to say my collection is second to none anywhere in the world! Anyways, all of my sweaters have a different theme, but most are hockey and curling. I know I may look ridiculous in them and have dated myself many decades, but, I love my sweaters dearly and would not change them for the world. Today’s sweater: Islanda Ishokki (Icelandic Ice Hockey).
And yes, the beard is coming along very nicely.
Last week I began reading the book Into the Wild with my Grade 12 English students. Not to sure if many of you are familiar with this story, but this is a book that attempts to find the spirit of a young man who disappeared from everyone who was close to him, journeyed across North America for two years and then wound up dead in an abandoned bus up in Alaska. The story of Chris McCandless is ripe with debate over whether or not he was just an unprepared and naive fool who died a meaningless death, or, was a purist in search of a perfect new lifestyle for himself - I tend to lie somewhere in the middle but more towards being an unprepared fool. Anyways, the students have really taken to his story due to the fact that this type of behavior is not very prevalent here in China. They are fascinated with the spirit of Chris McCandless and his pursuit to create a new life for himself, and are totally perplexed by his method(s) of carrying it out. As it stands right now, I am really into this book and I am now desperately trying to find the newly released movie to show the kids, but am having terrible luck in doing so. (please, if anyone has any ideas, let me know!) Now, I am normally dead against showing the same movie as the book in my classroom, and I know Kevin Chow will want call me out on this point, but, for this book I think it is imperative - and I heartily welcome Kev’s challenge! If all goes according to plan, this book should take us into our winter holiday and be a nice way to end term 2.
