Celebrating Excellence Rules
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Submitted by S.M., Gr. 8 Student from Calgary, AlbertaPublished November 27
Hello. This is what I think leadership means: it is in which one person can enlist the aid and support in others around you in the accomplishment of a common task. Leadership means a lot to me now that I have been accomplishing my goals at school and helping others. In my experience I have started to know that people will start to respect you and follow you when they understand that you have their well being in mind at all times. The only way I know how to establish in understanding is to drop my guard and let other people know where I stand.
When it is your time to speak make sure you say what you really have on your mind let other people know what you know that way people will see and hear that you are a true leader and they will soon BELIEVE. Sometimes I take a stand for my self and go out of my way just to help others IN and OUT of my team, that’s what makes the group stronger and how I enjoy being in leadership. You will get lots of credit for saying what you need to say and for helping others to succeed in there work better. You will always know that when you need help someone will ALWAYS be there to help. They need to know that when help is needed, there will be someone available for them no matter what he/she may think they will lose. The percentage in losing trust is about 40-50%, once this trust is gone; communication is not strong. When this happens the team will confront you, and let you know that this is headed in a negative direction.
It is very important for a leader to know that the fact is, a leader you will not have all the answers. You should know these 5 Most Important Leadership Traits: 1.Honesty 2.Belief 3.Competence 4.Inspiring 5.Intelligent. I'm doing this because I believe in myself and the changes that have happened to me and this is very important. I will achieve ALL these goals by helping out others and telling them why leadership is so important and that they will soon become a true leader if they believe, have trust in yourself, being there for others when they really need it and, most importantly to be HONEST.
One last thing: Learning to become a true/real leader. E xperiencing different things. A sking questions. D eveloping new things. E ducating your self. R especting others. S haring ideas. H oping to have trust in others. I mproving on your skills. P articipating in all you can.
This is what leadership means to me and how to be a leader, and why leadership is so important in my life. And I have been playing soccer since I was 4 and now I’m 13 in u16, also I was doing gymnastics for 6 years also I did some hiphop for about 2 years but I have stopped both of them because now I am in soccer.
Submitted by J.F., Gr. 8 Student from Picture Butte, AlbertaPublished November 27
Hello, I attend school in Picture Butte Alberta. I am 13 years old and in grade 8. I am involved in many extra curricular activities at my school. I have also done my best to have high grades all year round, I try my hardest to be a leader to many younger students at my school. I play volleyball, basketball, and badminton at my school.
Outside of school I swim, and I used to be very involved in figure skating. I have come very far in sports, 2 years ago I finished all the swimming I could do, and now I am waiting until I am 14 to go take my lifeguarding courses. I have played basketball since grade 6, volleyball since grade 6, and badminton since grade 7. I have figure skated since I was little, and I have been taking swimming lessons since I was little. In volleyball I always stay positive, I always tell my team mates that they had a great serve or a great hit, I am always trying to keep the teams’ spirit’s up. You can hear me and my team mates yelling “good hit”, “good serve”, and “shake it off ladies” when the opossing team gets a point. We have been taught that yelling “balls up” is very unsportsmanlike and we never call “balls up” in games.
In basketball, my team is the same, we always stay positive and always help each other out when we need it most. I am very involved in my school work as well. My grades are never lower then 80%. My quarter one average is 89% and I am very happy and proud of myself. My grades come before my sports and I never mix them up. You can always find me helping class mates out if they don’t get it and need help.
I have also gotten the “Christian Action Award” which means that I showed the greatest Christian attitude throughout the school. I got this award in grade 6 and every year I try my best to achieve this much once again. I also help out at “Pyami Lodge” in Picture Butte. I help out with serving dinner and keeping the residents entertained. The residents always tell my mom that they appreciate me coming and helping out, and that they love seeing me. They always tell my mother that she should be proud of me, because I am such a wonderful young lady. I am also in the youth group at my church, and in the fall we went around Picture Butte and cleaned the leaves out of people’s yards.
Submitted by S.G..., Gr. 7 Student from Lethbridge, AlbertaPublished November 26
I am 12 years old. I am trying to better our community by being more involved. I am in Lethbridge Air Cadets and through them I can participate in the roadside clean up and Veteran events such as Poppy Days and Remembrance Day. I have also helped out at the soup kitchen and fundraisers such as the MADD and STARS carnival at Wal-mart.
I will also be serving to the homeless with Streets Alive. I also help read to the younger kids at our school. The girl I read to is in grade three. She helps pick out our books and sometimes will try to read them.
I feel it is important for us to get involved with younger kids in our community and to get to know them. My favorite part of helping out with the kids is to see their smiling faces and the joy we bring to them. I hope to continue to help out and participate with the younger kids in our community and others around it.
Submitted by N.B., Gr. 12 Student from Edmonton, AlbertaPublished November 26
My school has a tradition of excellence. In our jazz band, I play the lead trumpet. In this role it is my responsibility to organize sectional practices in which I help the other trumpet players with reading their music and playing with appropriate style. By refining and improving our section in the band, we can go back to our regular practices playing with unity and a better understanding of how our part contributes to the whole of the band. I try to set an example by playing accurately and with emotion. Last year this jazz band won the provincial jazz band competition.
Outside of school I participate in club soccer. I practice leadership by encouraging team mates and trying to do my best on the field. I work hard and practice good sportsmanship. Soccer demands that we work as a team in order to accomplish our goals and win the game. Without strong teamwork we would not have been able to win Tier III Provincials for the last two seasons. Soccer is a sport that keeps us fit and builds lasting friendships.
I have practiced karate for 10 years and have achieved the rank of brown belt. As a brown belt I contribute to the club as a junior instructor. In this role under the supervision of our Sensei I teach beginner students, both children and adults. I instruct in Kata, sparring and technique. Teaching gives me the opportunity to give back to the club and to strengthen my knowledge of karate.
Submitted by K.S.., Gr. 10 Student from Lac La Biche, AlbertaPublished November 25
To start this off I will be honest and say I am not involved in a whole lots of activities, but I am involved in the ones that I really enjoy. The one sport/activity that I am lucky to be in is dance, which I have one night a week. It is a Hip-Hop class and words cannot express how much I love to dance, though I may not be the best dancer my heart is set on dancing. This is like one of my passions.
I also use to be in rhythmic gymnastics, which I also enjoyed, but I am no longer involved in it. I enjoyed it during the few years I was in it, but eventually I got into dancing and I am now on my third year of dance. In school I work my hardest to keep my grades up and have managed to get honors every year in school by doing this. I believe that as long as I get a great education I can do anything I want in the world.
In school I have been taking drama and I love it, and have been in it for a few years. I think the reason I enjoy it so much is because I love to act, and it helps with my shyness. I am glad to be in this drama class and I am super excited to be doing the musical 'Alice in Wonderland.' Singing is one of my weak points, but as I said I love to act.
Another thing I participate in is my little brother’s hockey team. I love watching all his hockey games and last year I would help by running the time box for his team. This year I volunteered to sell the 50/50 tickets at his game so I could get my hours for gym, but also so the hockey parents didn't have to work as much during the games. I love to help out with my brother’s hockey team, because it feels good to help out the team.
To sum this up I will be short and sweet. I think that a person doesn't need to be involved in everything to have a fulfilling life. Being in the small things I am makes my life great and helping out with hockey just adds to the joy I feel. So whether I am volunteering or doing the things I love I think it allows me to celebrate excellence.
Submitted by D.H., Gr. 9 Student from Lacombe, AlbertaPublished November 24
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” -John Quincy Adams
I am a 9th grade French immersion studentl. It is my eighth year being involved in my town’s ringette association. For the past two years I have become more than just a player of the game by exploring nearly every other aspect of the sport. I am a player, an on-ice official and a coach for a younger team. I have a very busy schedule but I wouldn’t change anything about it. I love the feeling that I am bettering the community and enriching my own life at the same time.
This past year, I had quite an experience. At the beginning of the season I decided that coaching was what I really wanted to do. At the time, I didn’t have a complete understanding or realization of how much it would influence my life. I was assigned to a young team of 5 to 7 year old kids who, for the most part, were new to the sport and a few could barely skate. I enjoyed more than anything teaching them all new skills and watching them improve leaps and bounds above were they started the season. Their undying smiles were by far the biggest reward I could ever receive! It would be a huge understatement to say that I liked coaching, because in fact, it changed me in every part of my life.
After having this inspiring adventure, I can’t imagine my life without the joy of volunteering. I wish that everyone could have this same type of experience and witness the pure happiness of children and teaching. Thank you for this contest and giving myself and the youth of Alberta, the opportunity to experience the most fantastic and global celebration of excellence!
Submitted by S.A., Gr. 12 Student from Cold LakePublished November 24/P>
I’m a grade twelve student. I participate in a lot of extra curricular activities like students union, and an adult’s volleyball team based out of Ardmore.
In the past I have helped coach a middle school volleyball team, I raised over $1000 for the sustainable income project, and I also shaved my head for cancer and raised $700 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
I also took a trip to Vancouver when I was in grade 10, with leaders today they set up many activities like soup kitchens, cleaning yup the town, and throwing a party for a disabled group. I enjoy volunteering and I plan to do much more in my near future like raising money for different organizations, and collecting food for the food banks.
I believe in my future I will be helping everyday in the community because I’m hoping in become a police officer and I want to make this world a better place.
Submitted by K.F., Gr. 4 Student from Calgary, AlbertaPublished November 23
Hi!! I am in Grade 4 in Calgary. I love school and I love helping other kids at my school. I have a school buddy who is in Grade 1. I help her learn to read and to learn the alphabet. She is doing really well!
I am also helping her with an eco project. I care about the environment very much. Our family has put in low flow toilets and shower heads, new kind of light bulbs, energy star appliances which my dad says are good and other things that will help the earth.
In school we learn about helping the earth and what we can do like recycling, composting, not wasting food, saving wetlands. It's really really important to save the earth.
I am also very active. I love to play soccer. I am on a Tier A soccer team and we have games and practices every week. I play striker and score goals. I even had a hat trick in one game. I also sometimes play goal and my coach says I am very good.
I love the Olympics and can't wait to see them. It would be awesome to see the Olympics by really going to them. Thank you.
Submitted by K.C., Gr. 11 Student from WhitecourtPublished November 20
"Be Happy for this moment, this moment is your life."
These are words I live by. I am 16 years old, and I am currently attending school in Whitecourt, Alberta. I am in grade 11. I have been involved in leadership and 2 in-school student mentoring programs for just over 2 years now. The programs I am involved in are known as “Ronald’s Readers” and “Homework Counts”. Several other teens and I go to the elementary school twice a week to help the younger children with their studies. I feel we provide them with role-models whom they can look up to.
Seeing these children learning and smiling is wonderful and inspiring to me. I enjoy being able to help them, but I also enjoy learning from them as well. I have learned that having fun is so important and that it is definitely okay to make mistakes you don't always have to be so serious. I find it inspiring how they are so care free, of course they have their own stories but they just put a smile on and are positive.
Sometimes you hear people say that today’s children are unkind and disrespectful. I completely disagree, there is good in everyone and everyone has potential, it is very important to look at the bright side of everything, including life.
I want to teach the children that I help that this world may have bad, but it also has so much good. Thank-you for taking to time to read my contribution, whether or not I am chosen as a winner, I feel that this was a great incentive for all the children and teens of Alberta. Thank-you.
Submitted by A.S., Grade 10 Student from CochranePublished November 19
I am a grade ten student. I have been involved in many activities in and out of school. Some activities involve for the betterment of myself while other activities involve the betterment of my peers, and community at large.
My first involvment of helping others was when I was four years old. My family had moved to India for approximately two years. Here, we made a commitment to feed the less fortunate on a monthly basis. At the time, I was too young to understand the significance of this but as I matured, it provided me with sense of responsibility towards the human race. It was this that lead me to become the founder of "Darfur Fundraiser", 2007. I held this fundraiser at Manachaban Middle School and at other events. This money goes towards the children of Darfur-food, clothing, shelter and schooling.
Further, I am currently involved with our Sustainable Development Committee at my school. This committee's main responsibilty is to focus on recycling, use of solar power and the use of reusable products. On the athletic side, I participate in various school sport teams-cross country, badminton, curling, soccer, & track along with community sports-soccer and karate. I take pride in everything I do. If time permits, I get involved in volunteering at the Bethany Care Centre where I look after the elderly. They have contributed to the society and now it is my turn to pay back.
Submitted by B.A., Grade 8 Student from CalgaryPublished November 19
Hi! I am 13 years old and in grade 8. My whole life I have had a love and passion for horses. On and off over the years I have had opportunities to ride and groom them. Because I live in the city and don't have a horse of my own, my chances to be around horses have been far and few between. Until last spring when my mom asked me if I would like to do some volunteer work. It sounded like a good idea and I told her that I was really interested in working with special needs kids.
It turned out that there is a stable near by that provides theraputic horseback riding for special needs kids! And guess what! Not only does it satisfy my craving for horses but now I have developed a love and passion for the kids,too. I volunteer twice a week at the stables. Sometimes I help to get the horses ready and then I either walk beside the horse or lead the horse while a child rides. I feel really moved by the kids and have made a friend who has special needs through this program. I feel very commited to these kids and all the other volunteers and leaders. I can hardly believe it! I have the best volunteer job ever and I know it can only lead to great things.
Thank you for the opportunity to enter the "Celebrating Excellence" challenge.