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Submitted by L.W., Gr. 6 Student from Camrose, Alberta
Published December 9

Celebrating excellence

I am 11 years old and in grade 6. I am in scouts and that gives me lots of opportunities to help the community through bottle drives, popcorn sales and things like that. I have been in lots of sports such as taek wan do, biathlon, cross-country skiing, swimming and soccer.

At home I help recycle and compost because it important for the environment. I take vitamins and eat healthy because it is important to eat healthy. My sister is in a wheel chair so I get to help her with things such as opening doors, pick in up things she drops and turning the TV on for her.

At school I have a grade 1 buddy. We do activities together such as swimming, pumpkin carving and things like that. I think he enjoys our time together. I think a good leader is someone who tries their best to help others and are a person people look up to.

Submitted by D.V.H, Gr. 10 Student from Red Deer, Alberta
Published December 9

Being a “leader” is more than just participating in activities outside of school and being there for your friends. It’s about setting an example for others. It’s about showing people what you’re capable of, and encouraging them to strive for excellence. Leading isn’t about influencing solely your peers, but about influencing people 5 years younger than you or 50 years older than you. When you’re a leader, you aren’t an “Average Joe”. People know who you are. They may love you; they may hate you. You have still impacted their life somehow.

I strive to be a leader every day. I am always making a conscious effort to be the best that I can be. The older I get, the more I realize the importance of making a difference in the world. Everywhere I go, I’m setting an example for those younger than me, and changing people’s perceptions on teenagers. This year I joined the leadership class in my high school. I thought this class would be about learning how to be a better person by listening to speeches, etc. This class is completely contrary to that. The teachers are just “facilitators” to my classmates and I. They send us out into the school to make a difference. They either let us fall on our faces, or give us 100% credit for whatever we do.

I didn’t think this would show me how to be a better leader, but it has. I’ve organized a suicide awareness week that found us selling over $600 of merchandise. All profits went to a suicide charity. I also planned a week long fundraiser for the local food bank. I have had to find creative ways to get people to want to participate in these activities. Most high school students act too “cool” to participate in things like this. We have to change this and show that making a difference is the cool thing to do.

Submitted by A.C., Gr. 12 Student from Innisfail, Alberta
Published December 8

Leadership is not about commanding but rather encouraging others to go above and beyond themselves, to believe that they are capable of anything. There was a quote on the wall in my Grade 9 Math by an unknown author that states, “Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something”. This quote has stuck with me over the years and whenever I’m in a leadership position I like to work as a team; everyone’s opinions and ideas are shared with everyone.

I have taken part in many leadership roles over the course of my life. My primary role would be my participation in Girl Guides of Canada as a Jr. Leader to the Brownies (ages 7-8). Other roles include being a student leader in the school’s Social justice and Environmental club, One Earth; as well as my participation in four school drama productions and directing my own one-act play in drama class.

Girl Guides has been an inspiration for me, I am who I am because of my participation in Guides. I am currently in my tenth year as a Jr. Leader to the younger girls. My role as a Jr. Leader is to assist the Leaders with any planning, activities and events that take place. As it is my third year as a Jr. Leader, I have been given the task of planning many of the activities for the girls in my quest to receive the Chief Commissioners Award, which is the highest award that can be received in Guiding. I try to create fun and interesting activities that build self-confidence, discover their own identity, and create positive relationships. We also put some focus on helping the girl’s build their own leadership skills. It was through Girl Guides that I learned to become confident in myself and to make a difference in the world, my dream is to see the Brownie’s grow into young women who are confident, courageous, resourceful, and make their own mark in the world.

On top of Girl Guides I am a student leader in One Earth Club. One Earth is a social justice and environmental club that I helped to start two years ago. We are currently entering our third year and we have already made a big impact at our school. Last year we challenged our school to raise $600 to help bring clean water to a small community in Kenya. Our school surprised us by raising double the amount we challenged them to get. This year we have many activities on the go and plan on attending a few youth conferences throughout Alberta to increase our knowledge and skills as leaders. I also take part in both the school’s drama production as well as the drama courses that are offered.

I’ve taken part in four productions since Grade seven, though these productions I have learned many things about working as a team member and how no matter how small your part is, the show can’t go on without you. I have also had the pleasure of directing my own one-act play. I was required to pick a script, cast, and piece it all together complete with lighting and sound ques. Being the director taught me new ways of leading a group of people. To me, Leadership is a chance to help others realize their own potential. I do this though Girl Guides, One Earth and Drama. I hope that by being a leader I can help others realize that they can do or become anything that they want in life and succeed at it.

Submitted by R.R.J., Gr. 12 Student from Calgary, Alberta
Published December 7

With the endless issues plaguing us today, teenagers who must learn to step into the shoes of the leaders of tomorrow bear a heavy burden. How do we deal with teenage depression and violence, world poverty, and the increasing threat of global warming all in time to get back home and maintain straight A’s? This is a question I have mulled over many times as I lay awake at night. Our own lives are hectic enough, and when faced with such dilemmas it’s so very tempting to give up. Sometimes we come to an impasse, and sometimes we stray off track, unable to figure out how to even make a dent. However, throughout my experiences, I have realized that being a leader does not necessarily mean leading a popular initiative and raising thousands of dollars for the poor. We, as teenagers, can do something no adults can come close to achieving. We can influence the next generation of leaders, youths around us, through more subtle means. Just because we can’t make a widely recognized difference doesn’t mean we can’t make any differences.

By working together with a dedicated group of youths like myself, I host two annual spring events called the Global Youth Summit, and this day of workshops and participatory learning inspires students to become more aware of the current issues, brainstorm ideas, and develop their leadership skills by being interactive and proactive with their community. They are shown examples of past and current projects carried out by other youths and organizations as well as ways to get their voices heard creatively; just a few of the examples we have demonstrated are crafts using environmentally friendly materials (t-shirt bags), drama and spoken word, pop culture and hip-hop dance, and artistic exhibits (pyunchuk dolls). Over the course of my work with youths, I have observed fellow students contribute to their communities and mature in their own rights as activists, simultaneously balancing everything they have on their plate because they’ve found something precious to work for aside from school. In turn, their enthusiasm and optimism have motivated me to work harder in my goals for change, and this chain of energy is still propelling all of us forward today. I always come to the same conclusion at the end of my musings. As hopeless as it may seem trying to navigate the world alone, what we are morally obligated to do is to help others to realize they shouldn’t motivate themselves to make change simply because others tell them to, but because they want to. That’s where it all starts, isn’t it?

If by a stroke of fate we were born on the other side of the world, in another family, we could easily be the war-stricken African girl hiking miles away from her home right now to find water. If we reach out to help a little girl who falls on the sidewalk, why do we not help humans who are suffering simply because they live on another continent? Because we can’t help everyone? No! It matters to the person we help, and that’s all that matters. We must not brush off their pain and selfishly, ignorantly, indulge in our own lives because they do not deserve to suffer anymore than we do.

“If we forget, we are guilty, we are accomplices.” Elie Wiesel said this of the Holocaust, and I repeat it now, because regardless of time and place the victim count is still increasing. If we listen and answer that insistent voice inside telling us to do something, anything, then we are leaders.

Submitted by R.W., Gr. 6 Student from Calgary, Alberta
Published December 6

I am almost eleven years old, and in Grade six in Calgary. I am writing about how I help out at school and in the community. At my school every year, we have a Terry Fox fundraiser. It started with me helping out in a bake sale to raise money. My friends and I did it for two weeks, and raised over $700. Later, I got more pledges from families and friends. My aunt was joking around, and said “I’ll donate 1000 dollars if you shave your head.” I said “no way,” since I loved my hair. But then I started to think about it. Luckily, I had a bit of time to think it over.

Meanwhile, my family and I went to the annual Terry Fox run downtown. My sister, my dad, and I walked the 5km. My mom ran the 10km. It was a lot of fun, and by the end of the day, I had made my decision. I was going to get my head shaved for my school fundraiser. The day came. It was a very memorable day. I was really nervous. First I had hair, and then I didn’t. I raised over $3 800. My school raised over $22 000. Later, we had a wrap up assembly. Every year, my school gives out a Terry Fox award to a student that most exemplifies the spirit of Terry Fox. This year, I was presented the award with another student. I was proud but also kind of sad that I had won, since I thought other people deserved it as much as me.

Later, Terry’s brother, Fred Fox came to our school to thank us for all the money we raised. Our school always has a Christmas fundraiser, and this year we chose Operation Christmas Child. My family has filled shoeboxes in previous years, and we went on a tour of the Samaritans Purse building in 2008. Before our school started bringing in boxes, we had an assembly. A man who worked at Samaritans Purse came to talk to us. His stories were amazing. He told us a story about a girl in South America who received a box, and started screaming. It was the first gift she had received in her life.

I think its amazing how people around the world receive our gifts. Knowing somebody does is the best feeling ever. I brought in my box, which I had fun filling and wrapping. In the whole school, we collected close to 230 shoeboxes. It made me happy to know that people care. Our school always has foodbank donation boxes every Christmas. I donate food, like noodles and soup. Our church collects donations every month too. My family went on a tour of the foodbank when I was little.

In 2009, my family started volunteering at a place called Inn from the Cold. Inn from the Cold helps people who are homeless. What we do is serve dinner and make lunches for the families for the next day. After, we wash dishes, and clean tables. People from our church help out too. We do this once a month, or once every two months, on a Tuesday night. Now that my sister and I have piano lessons on Tuesdays, we had to stop. We will still do it in the summer though. I helped the librarian at my school by shelving books at lunchtime, mostly in Grade 4 and 5. This year, I am part of the school patrols. Our school also recycles and I help out when I can. T

hank you for giving me a chance to write this. I think it is very important to help out. I think this whole experience has really changed me. When you help out, you feel like a better person, and that feels good.

Submitted by J.C., Gr. 8 Student from Leduc, Alberta
Published December 5

Excellence of Hockey

Sidney Crosby is a good role model for excellence in hockey. I pursue excellence in hockey by practicing everyday and every night. Another way I pursue excellence in hockey by watching NHL hockey and committing to my team. I believe I pursue excellence in hockey. I spend a lot of time everyday practicing to get excellent. I play ice hockey, Street hockey, floor hockey and even use those little mini sticks. In those games it teaches me to shoot the puck better. It teaches me to deke the goalie out to score. It also teaches me to be a better team player. So by spending a lot of time practicing it makes me an excellent player.

I watch a lot of NHL hockey because the NHL players are really good. I watch it because it teaches me to be a better player. They hustle really hard every shift they get. They know where to be to score and they are team players. For these reasons I watch a lot of NHL hockey. To be excellent in hockey I have to be committed to my team. I listen to my coach when he is speaking. I listen to my captain and I also show up to every game and every practice on time. This makes me committed to hockey.

Sidney Crosby is a good role model for excellence in hockey. I am a good hockey player by practicing everyday and every night. Another way I pursue excellence in hockey is by watching a lot of hockey on television and committing to my hockey team. I believe I pursue excellence in hockey.

Submitted by M.N., Gr. 8 Student from Rosemary, Alberta
Published December 5

I think that a good leader is someone that listens to other people’s problems and tries to help them. When I am barrel racing and I hear my friends saying to themselves that they will never make it but then I bud in and say no matter what happens I think that you are a really good barrel racing.

A good leader should always make sure that nobody is left out in any sort of sports and groups. I think that when you are playing sports that you should always be kind and if something happens and people are blaming it on that person I just say that we will get the next one back and that it wasn't that person’s fault.  I think that if any body is feeling bad that it is my time to jump in and be a good leader by asking what is the matter and trying to make the person feel better.

Also another good leader is that if anybody is being hurt by other kids that you should go and see what is the reason that they should be picking on that person and then make them stop. That is what I think a good leader is.

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