A Boy in a Man's Body

He can be found walking through the east building, towering over everyone and yelling at people on the other end of the hallway. For ten years Mr. Garraway has been picking on people half his age and height at Oak Bay High School as a teacher. Mr. Garraway was also a student and graduate of OBH back in 1994. He has lived in Victoria all of his life and attended the University of Victoria. He decided to become a high school teacher when he realized that the high school age is the most influential age in one's life (and he enjoyed taking the pe classes at UVic). At UVic he was a stand-out soccer player and placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and tenth at the national championships in his five years as a Vike. He also plays on the Gorge men's team who have won many provincial and national titles.

Mr. Garraway is as passionate about playing as he is about coaching. He claims to have been coaching for an eternity and has been a coach for many high level soccer teams in Victoria. He has coached the girls' soccer team at Oak Bay High for eight years, helped with the boys' program for ten, coachs premier Gorge women's team for four years and the skillful Victoria Stars women's team for two and a half.


"I like coaching because I love seeing the massive improvements individuals and teams go through. Also, there is nothing better than be a part of a good team," Garraway comments, "and the gifts at the end of the year are by far the best part."

Mr. Garraway poses with his girls soccer team after winning a silver medal at the 2009 Provincial Tournament.

Jokes aside, Mr. Garraway has been recognized throughout the city as one of the most passionate, caring, and successful coaches there is and Oak Bay High is lucky to have him.

Although soccer is a large part of his life, he does enjoy other things. He claims to be the champion of the Wii Tennis World Championships 2010. Mr. Garraway also loves to disappear. He has travelled to over 130 cities worldwide. Camping is another big part of Mr. Garraway's hobbies. This summer he is backpacking around Costa Rica.

Over Spring Break, Mr. Garraway took a large group of students down to Mexico on a Hero Holdiay trip. The group spent one week building two houses for two families who did not have the resources to do it themselves. "I teach a lot about helping others and I realized I talk about it more than actually do it. I took on this project because I wanted to change this," he says. It was a life changing experience, beyond anything he could've imagines. Mr. Garraway hopes to do another Hero Holdiay trip some day.

In his young age, Mr. Garraway has already definitely made a big impact on Oak Bay High School through teaching, coaching and travelling. He is well-liked by the staff and the students.

One decade at Oak Bay done, hopefully many more to go.

Nicole Van Belleghem- Don't worry she can't pronounce her last name either

Nicole Van Belleghem is graduating from Oak Bay High School this year and has been a student here since grade eight. Nicole has really left her mark on the school from planning successful projects to participating on many sports teams to being loved by staff and students alike. Rarely is Nicole found without a smile on her face or an embarassing story to be told. Nicole is always getting herself into embarrassing situations whether it is tripping up the stairs, asking if Nova Scotia is a province or getting locked out of her car in the Yates street parking lot then taking the wrong bus home. Her life is anything but boring.

Although people have their doubts, Nicole is, in fact, a very bright girl. School seems to come easy for her and her report card has always been filled with A's. Nicole also has planned many big events during her years at Oak Bay High School- each one receiving high praise from staff and students. Junior Prom, Cops for Cancer events and YAC Softball tournament are only a few of such events. Furthermore Nicole has been a member of multiple school athletic teams including soccer, basketball, softball and volleyball. Nicole also plays women's soccer outside of school. She is an active member of the community as well and has a love for volunteering and coaching. On Sunday mornings, Nicole teaches Sunday school to a group of kids (and I won't mention that she gets paid $30/hour). If that isn't enough, this girl is also musically talented. Not only does she play the piano outside of school, but in Grade 7 she was named Monterey Idol after a close race with fellow competitor Darragh Hirsh. Oh right, and just because she can and loves to have a thousand things on the go at once, Nicole was a member of a small little musical at the school this year entitled 'Fame', one of Nicole's highlights of her high school career.

The great thing about Nicole is that she knows how to balance work with play and boy does this girl know how to have a good time. Either in or out of the walls of the school she is the "life of the party". She also takes a special liking to meadow dancing, fist pumping and singing (usually the wrong words)- put music on and you put Nicole in an even better mood. Even interviewing this superwoman was a fun task!

Nicole jams out.

At the ripe old age of 17, Nicole has been to Germany, Barbados (twice), the Dominican Republic, Hawaii, Florida, California, France, Italy, Monaco and Canada (...I was as surprised as you are to find out that she has been to Canada). As much as she loves to travel and see the world, Nicole is a self-proclaimed food-and-tv-junky. Any show you talk about Nicole has seen, her favorites including 'Say Yes to the Dress', 'Criminal Minds', and any show on the family channel. When asked "What is one thing you can't live without?", her immediate answer was dessert. After some time to think Nicole came up with money, a full wardrobe and the ocean (all said while smiling).

Nicole's relationship with her sister is one that provides endless entertainment for their friends and endless bruises for the sisters. Maddy Van Belleghem is in Grade Nine at Oak Bay High School and is one of the most confident and loud grade nines in the hallways. Nicole and Maddy are constantly arguing, frequently over the tv, and their love/hate relationship is one of many exciting things in Nicole's life.

Maddy will have the tough task in filling in Nicole's place after she graduates for Nicole has bigger and brighter plans for the future. In September 2010, Nicole will be starting at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She hopes to graduate from dental school and eveuntually own her own dental practice. Nicole has vowed to make her practice completely environmentally friendly because she is "all about the environment."

Nicole has a fairly specific view of herself in the future. When she was asked "Where do you see yourself in ten years?" she replied with:

"I hope to own my own dental practice, live in a modesly huge house and be married to an Olympic medalist. We will live in Finland and have either 2 or 3 kids with a cleaning lady and a driver. Our car will be a lexus hybrid and we will not have any cats. We will have dogs, oh wait, only puppies. We will have a puppy farm where we raise puppies and when they turn into a dog we will sell them." Other hopes she has for the future include world peace.

Nicole will miss the teachers at OBH and her "peeps". She will also extremely miss playing sports competitively. Nicole will not miss the library at the school or 7:30 am mornings or the gross bathrooms.

One thing is for sure though, Oak Bay High School will definitely miss Nicole.

Grad Dinner Dance: X-Rated

The Oak Bay High School graduating class of 2010 were dressed to the nines this past Saturday. The group gathered on St. Dennis street for a block party with their families around 3:30pm to endure billions of cameras and painful cheek cramps. Girls shone in their extravagant dresses and the boys looked smashing in their suits and tuxes. While the girls complained about the mounds of make-up on their face and hairspray in their hair, they had to admit that they had never felt more beautiful. Parents were gushing over their daughters and other daughters the entire time and the boys couldn't help but stare, barely recognizing their fellow classmates. "This is the most beautiful grad class ever!" commented an official photographer. The boys, although they hadn't spent nearly as much money or time on their look as the girls, sported their outfits with pride and maturity. As the couples, with their colour coordinated outfits, walked and posed (and danced in the case of Nicole Van Belleghem and Peter Noakes) their way down the red carpeted, the flash of cameras was endless, blinding the grads as they finally made it to the arch at the end of the carpet.

Nicole Van Belleghem and Peter Noakes spice up their walk down the red carpet.

Around 5:30pm the buses began to whisk the grad class away from the proud families and excited cameras to the Laurel Point to enjoy a dinner, slideshow and dance. The night continued, parentless, with friends snapping photos of friends and group shots being interrupted by a very happy Jaqueline Metcalfe. The fountain made a very romantic place for couples to snap some good pictures and the men to get a few more bromance shots before dinner.

These Monterey Grads have come a long way since Grade 7. Five years together and they are still smiling.

Dinner consisted of bred, pasta, seafood and some cold meats, failing to meet Justine Sanders expectations, "It was a good try I guess," she said about the food. Aija Salvador piled her plate full of food, clearly stoked about the buffet. Salvador also took advantage of the bottomless punch bowl using a coffee mug to scoop the red punch when there was no ladle to be found.

Jeremy Bell considers what to have for dinner, while Kristin Robinson, Thomas Hoyer-Wood and Chris Wright smile for their billionth picture (note: this is probably the only picture where Hoyer-Wood is without his hat!)

After dinner, the graduates waited outside as the staff set up for the slideshow. While they waited, the girls freshened up in the bathroom and the guys passed around a cigar at the fountain, much to the teachers' disapproval. Once it was ready, the grads filed in for Al Charmicahel's video montage of Grad X. He tried his best to capture every part and person of the grad class while throwing in some humour. Despite his best efforts about using voice overs and funy quotes, the pictures of Andrew Lily, comments from Rupert Vey and chant from Sam Tibbets "Crowd Surf Drew" seemed to make the grads laugh more than anything.

Once the endless slideshow ended, the grads waited outside once again, feasting on dessert and cups of coffee (in preparation for a long night). The dance began, drawing a total of 5 people for the first three songs but once more popular songs started to play and people finished their desserts, the dance floor was quickly populated. Unfortunately, during a song the speakers blew-probably catching grads in mid fist pump. This did not phaze the hoards of guys who surrounded the four casino tables, betting chips that will one day actually mean something. After a short set-back, the DJ managed to fix the speakers and the energetic grads were back at it, harder than ever.

Slowly the population diminished and some groups of grads were whisked away in limosine. Once the festivities at the Laurel Point came to an official close, the grads moved on to their next event- After Grad- and, well, let's just say they really know how to celebrate. "Although I can't remember a lot of it, the after grad party was the best part of the night!" commented Rae Linklater. They enjoyed music, red plastic cups and cameras that took pictures too embarrassing to put up on Facebook.

This Grad class is one of the best Oak Bay High School has ever seen and the class of 2011 has a lot to live up to!