Earth Day 2018: This year's theme is End Plastic Pollution. Individuals, groups and schools can get more information on the extent of the problem and concrete actions they can take at https://www.earthday.org. Montreal, Victoria and other municipalities have banned plastic bags and Vancouver and other municipalities are taking steps to ban single use plastics such as take-out drink and food containers. Plastic doesn't compost so "recycled" plastic ends up in landfill
Earth Day is probably the largest civic observance in the world now, observed in some 195 countries. This is a day to enjoy fresh air, contact with soil, and touching nature in some way. Gratitude for nature and a desire to appreciate the natural world help all of us to live with more joy.
This year, at the invitation of the General Council, the Congrégation de Notre-Dame’s Mother House sisters and staff assembled to celebrate Mission Day on the theme of “The Common Home.” This day, April 17, highlights the birthday of Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, the Congregation’s foundress. What better way to wish her a happy birthday than to deepen our understanding of her mission?
Love, Simon is entertaining, funny in spots and reflective at times. It’s a story about a young man – a rather privileged affluent teen, with a good home, a stable family, and a secret he hasn’t shared. He’s gay, and he lives with the not uncommon fear that he may not be accepted in society. The characters resemble people we teachers (and one-time students?) can recognize – the class-mates, the principal, the drama teacher, the kid sister – and we walk with Simon through his days of seeking to be his real self, even while he experiences a loneliness and a fear of revelation of that real self. Teachers, and parents of teens and tweens, would do well to see this film. The world is becoming more tolerant of differences and this movie is gentle, leading to a happy ending and an at-peace Simon, comfortable and confident in counting the days to graduation and whatever will come after that.
