Jack Denton<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n With the 100th<\/sup> Anniversary looming, I decided to have a chat with two NT <\/p>\n What was your involvement in Graffiti M: <\/strong>During my graduating year I acted as a student D: <\/strong>I was a writer in grade 9 and 10, a senior Why did you feel there was a need for a M: <\/strong>Honestly, I think the position emerged out D: <\/strong>There were specific skills we looked for What was the initial role the Student M: <\/strong>It all felt like a joke at the time. D: <\/strong>I remember one of Meg’s first brainchildren Today Graffiti has four Student M: <\/strong>Every organization, be it a corporation or D: <\/strong>I think\u00a0involving and consulting many How do you feel about your overall M: <\/strong>The 2003-2004 editorial board pushed the D: <\/strong>I look back on the old days in the Graffiti What do you feel the purpose of Graffiti M: <\/strong>Graffiti fostered communication among D: <\/strong>Sitting back at the ripe old age of 25, I When you left NT and Graffiti, how did M:<\/strong> I was highly cautious and actively D: <\/strong>Meg and I How do you feel about NT today?<\/strong><\/p>\n M: <\/strong>I do not envy high school students of D: <\/strong>I was lucky to What would you wish for Graffiti in the M: <\/strong>God help Graffiti if\/when Mr. Zohar D: <\/strong>I second Meg’s comments about Mr. Zohar wholeheartedly. There are a This is the 100th<\/sup> M: <\/strong>Cookies were big back in the early D: <\/strong>So important. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jack Denton \u00a0 With the 100th Anniversary looming, I decided to have a chat with two NT grads that I know quite well: my sister Dianne Denton and her best friend Meg O\u2019Keefe. Dianne and Meg were the type of … Continue reading
\ngrads that I know quite well: my sister Dianne Denton and her best friend Meg
\nO\u2019Keefe. Dianne and Meg were the type of involved, academic students NT prides
\nitself on; they both held senior positions at Graffiti, founded TREE (an
\nenvironmental club precursor to NEAT), Meg resurrected the dormant girl\u2019s rugby
\nteam, and they both were veracious band students. So without further ado, this
\nis an abridged version of what they had to say about Graffiti, NT, and the role
\nof cookies in the early 21st<\/sup> century.<\/p>\n
\nduring your time at the school?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nadvisor.<\/p>\n
\neditor in grade 11, and an editor-in-chief in grade 12.<\/p>\n
\nStudent Advisor?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nof a desire for the editors to surround themselves with friends and to have
\nmore fun.<\/p>\n
\nin editors – superior writing skills, excellent syntax and grammar, good
\nproofreading skills – along with generally good\u00a0ideas for articles. Sometimes
\nthe best editors didn’t have the most creative ideas, and the most creative
\nbrains weren’t necessarily the best technical editors. (Plus, it is true; I
\nwanted Meg on the paper).<\/p>\n
\nAdvisor played?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nDianne and I were in cahoots and we made up the role. We really just brought me
\non so that we could eat cookies.<\/p>\n
\nwas the “Cookie War”\u00a0idea\u2026the\u00a0Graffiti team tested five
\ncookies from food\u00a0joints around NT and rated the best cookie.<\/p>\n
\nAdvisors. How do you feel about that?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\na school newspaper, has an intrinsic desire to grow. Graffiti was highly
\nsuccessful and I am confident that it remains one of the best student
\nnewspapers in the city, perhaps the country.<\/p>\n
\npeople makes for a rich and vibrant product, with the caveat that\u00a0it is
\nimperative that every person bring something to the table.<\/p>\n
\ncontribution to Graffiti?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nenvelope\u2026Graffiti helped channel and direct our energy. We staged a fake
\npregnancy and openly wrote about getting drunk, doing drugs, and evading the
\npolice.<\/p>\n
\noffice, which was a dingy broom closet in the super hot basement of the old
\nschool and it really does feel like the “good old days.” We won more
\nToronto Star newspaper awards my year than the year before, and the paper would
\ngo on to win more and more every year. I felt proud to play a\u00a0role in a paper
\nwith such a great legacy.<\/p>\n
\nwas back in 2003-2004?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nstudents and between the student body and the administration. It gave us a
\nlegitimate and coherent voice. It promoted activism and the exploration of new
\nideas, while enabling students to build skills outside of the classroom.<\/p>\n
\nthink its main purpose was to\u00a0provide a forum for students to push limits,
\nvoice opinions, spread their passion for whatever they have learned about, and
\nultimately call for social change. As a shy, dorky \u201cNiner\u201d prone to wearing
\noveralls and running shoes, writing my first article was an act of courage.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nyou imagine NT in the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\ncritical about the new building project. It seems my fears have been proven
\nunfounded. North Toronto\u2019s energy has certainly survived the move.<\/p>\n
\nwere quite involved in the discussions over the new school. There was some
\nopposition from alumni who were attached to the old building. The decision to
\nrebuild was eventually made, and so I always imagined a brighter, shinier NT.
\nBut that’s just the building, and really, a school is about the people. I
\ndidn’t really expect the essence of the student body to change.<\/p>\n
\ntoday. I cannot imagine trying to navigate the world of social media while
\nstill craving out an identity and clashing with parents and authority. I made a
\nlot of mistakes, and I am thankful they were somewhat erasable.<\/p>\n
\nstop by the new school last year and I was happy to see that the students, although
\nmuch younger and\u00a0taller than I remember being in high school, were as I
\nremembered NT students to be; curious, engaged, and vocal.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nfuture?<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nleaves. He is the guardian of NT\u2019s history. Though the students are essential
\nto the development of Graffiti, Mr. Zohar is indispensable to the students\u2019
\ndevelopment. <\/p>\n
\nwhole slew of adjectives I could use for Mr. Zohar (inspiring, insightful,
\nquirky), but I think it suffices to say that I have\u00a0never had a better
\nteacher or mentor through four years of university, a year of grad school at
\nHarvard, and three years of working. The man rocks.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nAnniversary\u2026any other historic notes?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n2000s. Cupcakes are too up scale for regular folk.<\/p>\n
\nCookies were vital to our high school experience.<\/p>\n