#26. Ideas for Idols or Idols Video

I have a couple ideas for Idols...

• Christmas music playing while people enter the gym


• Christmas movie/song trivia between acts?


• Prefects (or leadership students) dressed up as Elves

#25. Ideas for 10 Days of Festive Fun

• Red, green & jingle day!


• Picture with Santa is a hit but we need to have better advertising for it this year


• Candy canes hidden under random desks


• "What do you want for Christmas?" tree - kind of similar to the Thankful tree but instead we let kids write what they want for Christmas on presents and put them under a Christmas tree! :)

#24. Challenge Day & Week - Final Thoughts

Final thoughts? Holy crap. Holy crap awesome! Holy crap weird. Holy crap crazy. Challenge Day was an amazing experience for me. It really solidified for me that we need to understand that everyone has something going on in their lives and most of what you see is just a front they put up. To quote the song, "Everybody's got a story that could break your heart". This is so true! Everyone has things going on in their lives that tear them apart, but they are forced to keep it all together for the sake of the fact that live carries on. What was incredible for me at Challenge Day is that you don't realize how you are NOT alone with the things going on in your life. Someone hugged me simply because they said "I saw you crossed the line a lot, and I really want to give you a hug." That was one of the most important moments I took from the day. It was an amazing gesture of just the fact that they cared for me. Now when I see this person we don't just pass each other, we stop and say hello, or make sure we smile at each other.

The "fall out" from Challenge I know some people were disappointed by it but I think it is only fair to admit we saw this coming. And I think everyone handled it well and I think the assembly was an incredible event. We witnessed people from the school, not only those that participated in Challenge Day but other too being completely engaged and giving the love symbol. It was amazing to see! :)

#23. Penn State Scandal

When I first heard the story of the Penn State Scandal I was confused and unsure, because I didn't have all the facts so I didn't understand what the big deal was. After reading and doing more research on the story I can confidently say that what I feel is sadness, and disappointment. Sadness for the families and children who had to experience the assault and confusion, sadness for the students who watched the horror unfold of their beloved school and faculty. I feel disappointment in the adults. Respected adults, who as teaches and coaches have a responsibility to protect the students. These are role models who are shaping the lives of people in their community. They are supposed to set an example...and DO THE RIGHT THING. The right thing was to go to the police. Not stop at the top of the faculty so the accused could receive a slap on the wrist. A full investigation should have been made NINE years ago! Instead of reporting an assault that would have made sure no other children had to suffer, the people at the school did their best to protect their school programs, and their football team. And now they're being forced into embarrassing defeat. One thing that is greater than losing a football game? Losing the respect of people who once looked up to you.

#22. ToUcH DoWn

Such a good story! If was refreshing to see a team doing something strictly for the happiness of another athlete. It reminds me of the story of the ball player who's opponents carried her around the bases after she hit a home run but was unable to complete her "run" around the bases due to an injury. This people represent honorable leadership qualities, mainly that of putting others before self.

#21. Harassment Articles

Harassment happens everyday. Whether it's at school, or online it has become a regular part of everyday life in society. Is it bad? Obviously. Is it slowly becoming more excepted? Yes. People refuse to stand up against harassment because they are worried about the fall out. It also scares people because it will cause them to have to examine themselves. It forces people to look at their lives and think, "Gee, maybe I do that sometimes." So instead of forcing themselves into the grueling self evaluation they simply choose to ignore it. The internet and social media has become the bully's safe haven. It's a perfect tool for them. They can be cruel, mean, whatever they choose...and more often than not, they can do it anonymously.

Society has become sickeningly accepting of disrespectful behaviour. Instead of pushing blame on schools, technology, media...we need to take a look in the mirror and practice what we preach. It's called, BEING NICE PEOPLE. Sure, sometimes we get upset. We get frustrated that the lady in front of us in line is taking too long. The man in the blue car just cut us off. But going out of your way to make someone else's life miserable... just ridiculous.

#20. Challenge Week

My idea for Challenge Week is similar to one event that is run at my cousin's school. After a simulated car accident first thing in the morning, throughout the day student's are randomly selected to leave classes. This causes some curiosity among students, and at the end of the day a statistic is revealed of "x number of students killed due to (drunk driving, driving while texting, under the influence, etc)". I thought we could shape this into a challenge week event. Instead of the car accident, during a certain period (maybe period 4? so we could have the announcement right before the home-bell), students are randomly escorted from class. I think having the people taking students from class dressed in all black would add kind of a creepy reality to the event. At the end of the day we could say something like "x number of students commit suicide per year in Canada, the students taken from class were to represent this statistic" (obviously something a little better worded) but it gets the point across.

#19. United Way Stair Climb

WHOSE HOUSE? OUR HOUSE! Yay! Champs for 8 years in a row! :) The United Way Stair Climb this year was excellent! I'm very proud of the Blue Bombers for pulling up their socks once again and raising just over $8700. Now unfortunately I have a beef with part of how the event is run. 1) If you want everyone to be pumped and spirited, don't ask everyone to be quiet and settled down like a minute later. 2) GET A MICROPHONE SYSTEM. They must have a PA system that they use to announce hockey games! It is really frustrating when we can't hear the announcers during the events; welcoming us and while our schools participate in the challenges. Other than that, job well done!

#18. From A Student's Point of View

I know the right thing to say is that suicide can be stopped with the help of the school board. But I don't know if I necessarily believe that. The scary thing about teens being suicidal is that friends feel trapped when they think their friend may be suicidal. I think they get scared to speak out, because they don't want to be another person that ends up letting down their friend by confronting them about being suicidal, because it's a very serious issue. I don't really know if that makes sense, but that's what I think. Teen suicide is a tragedy. Nobody should ever have to experience a feeling where they feel so alone that they have no other choice but to take their lives. I think the school boards DO need to continue to make sure students are aware that there are resources available and safe places. Students need to know they don't need to be afraid.

#17. Steve Jobs Commencement Speech

There are a couple things that I will take from Steve Job's speech. I think it is important for young people to be given reminders that life is short, our time is limited so we need to live it to the fullest. And not as someone else, but as OURSELVES. People seem to forget that life is fragile, so it is important for us to keep this in mind. Lots of times we get so busy with "life" (friends, work, school) that we forget about what's really important like our family, spending time with loved ones, doing what you love, staying healthy. I also really like his end remarks and will continue to use them as an inspirational quote... stay hungry. Stay foolish.

Da Bombers!

(sorry amy)

Watch the video...before you make fun of the band!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjCbGHI_4Hs&ob=av3e

#16. At The 1/4 Term Mark...What have I been doing?

Victory lap! Well, as you likely already know by the end of last year I was ready to jump off the "leader"-ship... hahaha! (but I kept my charming sense of humor)... my original plan for this year was to coast a little bit, and enjoy my time at school before going off to university next year with bigger and better things.

Well...old habits die hard I guess. I HAVE been enjoying my year, and for me the only way to do that? Get involved!!!! If being involved was a bad thing, I'd probably be spending my victory lap in rehab. I'm addicted. This year, I am still on Student Parliament, focussing on using my past leadership experiences as Prime Minister last year to help this year's cabinet with any advice they may need, or with running events. I have been named "the den mother" and I welcome that name with open arms. Already this year we've organized and ran the Orientation Dance, re-worked the recycling program, orentation week, began developing a strong relationship with the grade 12 leadership class (which I am also in) and we're currently planning a pep rally, and a halloween dance! Another important task I've been helping with is to help develop the yearly calender of school events this year.

Other clubs and things that I have been getting involved with this year include; Athletic Council (buyout/pep rally), Eco-Warriors, and organizing and being an MC for the Remembrance Day assembly in November.

I eventually will also hopefully become a member of the Senior Girls Volleyball team again this year. I know that sometimes as a student my life can get a little hectic, but I love my school, I'm blessed to have so many leadership opportunities and I wouldn't change a thing!

#15. Leaders & Leadership

Thursday was the big election! And guess which 18 year old danced her way to the polls....this one! I loved voting, it felt so empowering and really cool. I kind of felt like a spy or something. That, I can't really explain. I also know a lot of my friends who didn't vote, simply because they didn't really know the candidates. Lots of people don't like to vote if they aren't really aware of the issues, and they don't want to just vote how their family does. I think this is fair. I think that the lack of inspiration for young people to vote is a two-part blame. One, I think that lots of young people are too lazy. They just aren't interested, because showing interest would mean having to do some research about the people running and the issues that are happening. I am guilty of being one of these young people. I really didn't want to find out what was happening in the election, because I almost felt like I don't deserve to vote, because the issues don't REALLY effect me at this time in my life (the major issues that is). So the fact that lots of young people don't want to vote for me is understandable. Which leads me to why I think it's hard for leaders to reach young voters is because they don't seem sincere in trying to get their votes. They try to appeal most to the people they DO know will be voting, and that's the older generations.

#14. Why Do White People Have Black Spots?

This was super cute video that definitely makes you stop and think about the world you live in. One thing I really like about the video is how we quickly learn that simple questions can be more meaningful and impactful than we tend to believe. For example when they ask about whether the dad is the main leader of the house, and about the effects of the use of the cane on white people.

There were two parts to the video that made the biggest impact on me. The first was when the boy said "why do war and oil move together"? This is INCREDIBLE for a boy who we believe to live in an uneducated, "third world" country to have a better understanding in the way that war and politics work is unreal to me. This was a huge eye opener.

The second part that left a huge impact was when one student asked if we had an enjoyable life like they did. This makes you stop and think. Living in a western civlization we for some reason believe that it is our duty to go around to poor countries and improve their life. In reality, they teach us that money really can't buy happiness.

#13. The Challenge Day 100

I'm very excited that we get to go through with Challenge Day @ IDCI. I think it looks amazing and it seems like it can have an enormous effect on the way that students treat other students, and just overall how the student body interacts with eachother. It creates a group of students who are all working towards developing a safer environment in their school.

I think we need to be careful when selecting the 100. Obviously people automatically assume that we need to have stereotypes like "emos" and "jocks", and "mean girls". News flash people, that is TV. On "If You Really Knew Me" that do intense planning to make sure that the TV SHOW has the proper amount of entertainment value. This is REAL LIFE. The purpose of Challenge Day is to break down the barriers of those that we would think to be "average" people. We are giving "average" people the chance to share their unique story with some of their peers. I think that the selection needs to be random. There should be some from every grade. Someone in class mentioned this may give senior students a chance to offer advice to junior students and I agree with that. I think everything needs to be random. Obviously we know people from grade 12 leadership will be there but I think even that selection needs to be RANDOM. We need to keep REAL LIFE real, and stop trying to achieve stereotypes from the tv show. Just because you're not a jock, and emo or a mean girl doesn't mean you don't have lots of problems going on in your life.

#12. Nelly's Side of the Story

This is my response to the article written from Nelly's point of view. I think that it was very big of her to admit that she had been ignorant to the situation that was currently happening in Libya, and I think that we can all admit to this kind of ignorance at some point at time. I think it was kind of weird how she needed to say she had her "blackberry in hand", I'm not really sure why but for some reason I feel this little bit of information was irrelevant to the bigger story. I know that what she did by admitting her wrong was a big positive thing, however I still stick with what I believe in the sense that she only did it because her conscience had finally eaten away at her for too long. I do respect Nelly's attitude on how she is focusing on the future and I think she can set a positive example for some celebrities who often refuse to right any of their wrongs, simply because of money and pride.

#11. Comments on Comments

There is one comment on the article that I strongly agree with. In the article, it talks about how they look forward to bringing the money "back to Africa". One "raincitygal" commented that she is all for schools in Kenya, but shouldn't the money be redirected back to the people of Libya. I totally agree with this comment. I think that it is amazing what Free the Children, and schools like IDCI have done for the children and communities of Kenya, but if anything this money should be going back to the people that it techinically came from. People will argue that this would be dangerous, especially during the current state of Libya. Honestly, if Nelly felt comfortable keeping the money for four years and was planning to give it to charity, I don't see anything wrong with her waiting until Libya had returned to a better state, and she could have given it back to their people.

Yes, I realize that Nelly did an amazing thing. One million dollars is more than some people will ever make in their entire life. The issue is, are we giving the money to the right people for which is was meant for. Are we robbing Peter to pay Paul?

#10. Nelly Furtado donates $1M!

I think what we need to start by doing is to recognize the fact that what Nelly Furtado did was a hugely positive thing. Donating a million dollars to Free the Children will have a large positive impact in Africa and will help to improve the lives of many children. Unfortunately, that being said, for me I believe that she only wanted to donate the money after the orgins of the money became public. I am not saying that she doesn't regret taking the money, I belive that she truly has good intentions in her donations, however I don't know if the donation is out of generosity or out of guilt.

#9. The One You Forgot - Poster

For this task I worked with the wolfpack! We created the "Aware" poster. The reason that we chose this topic, is because we thought it best described one of the best qualities that makes IDCI such a cool school. Not only does IDCI contribute to many important charities that makes a difference but we are aware of many of the problems that we are facing around our community and also around the globe. Sometimes we can't always raise money to solve a problem, but raising awareness about an issue is the first solid step towards solving it. IDCI creates awareness for many very important causes such as the ones portrayed on our poster like: recycling and the environment, remembrance day, white ribbon campaign, sea of pink and halloween for hunger.

#8. A Love Letter to Canadians

My favourite part of the letter is the last part... "...love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than dispair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world." I think this quote is INCREDIBLE! It should jump off the page and smack everyone reading that letter right in the face! Those are three qualities that everyone needs in order to live a successfull and happy life! I also really appreciate that Jack expressed his appreciation for the younger generation. The youth. it was refreashing to read something about how he understands that we need to be in the centre of things. We need to stop hoping that the adults will just take care of everything for us. We need to take our own actions to ensure that we have a bright future. One thing that I also admire about the letter from a political standpoint (and I don't mean to be disrespectful) is that it is a very well-worded letter in throwing numerous pitches for the NDP party. He lists everything that is great about Canada, what we can do to improve it, and then BAM basically suggests that by voting for the NDP party, you will be helping this to be done! I'm not saying that Jack Layton didn't do amazing things with his party while he was leading them, sometimes it is just frusterating that everyone is suddenly a huge Jack Layton fan because of his death. I totally respect the man, I just feel like there is a false sense of appreciation by people. Like when Michael Jackson died, suddenly EVERYONE wanted his music to be played around the clock. However, I did like how inspirational the letter was. This is extremely important to me, especially since I did have my 18th birthday in May and I am now a registered voter, I will be voting in the upcoming election. I will take Jack's advice and give careful hearing and consider all alternatives before I make my decision. I think Jack's death was a tragedy. I think that he was did show incredible leadership skills and there is no doubt he would have brought even more positive change to his party.

#7. Real Heroic Behaviour

In grade 11, I had the priviledge of getting to know someone I consider to be a true hero. Wade K is doing his 5th year @ IDCI along with myself this year. Getting to know Wade was one of the best experiences of my life! He is one of the funniest, most charming people that I have ever met. I think that everyday Wade goes to school with a smile on his face is him proving to the rest of us what real leadership is. Wade has taught me not to take things for granted, and not to stress over little things. I look forward to working with Wade again this year for our 3rd annual Walk For Wade! In my eyes, Wade is a fearless warrior. He's a fighter. And he also has the biggest heart out of anyone that I've ever met. All of us can learn something from Wade. And that's a real hero.

#6. The Emotional Comment Debate

This is crazy! As a "third party", I can easily see valid points on both sides of the arguement. Firstly, I can understand why students at Banting are getting defensive. This "Field Riot" seems to be a tradition at their school. Yes, it does have many positive qualities to it because it eliminates things that usually devides student bodies, and introduces a sense of "unity" to the grade nines. However, just because it is "optional" does not rule out the fact that is can be considered hazing. One definition of "to haze" from www.dictionary.com , is to subject (freshmen, newcomers, etc) to abusive or humiliating tricks or ridicule. To harass with unnecessary or disagreeable tasks. Yes, it's optional. Yes, it's unnecessary. Some comments said that most students chose to participate. Obviously! They don't want to be ridiculed for not rolling around in the mud. I do not agree or disagree with what they have done but I certainly think they are walking a very fine line. I probably wouldn't support an event like that @ IDCI.

#5. Grade 9's Get Down & Dirty

I think the one main thing about this that is good, is that it equals the playing field for all grade 9's. Nobody has to worry about how they're acting or what they are wearing, because everyone is in the same boat. That is an excellent idea...in theory. Our stars game was a great idea too. However, our grade nines didn't participate because they thought we were trying to "initiate" them. If they consider THAT initiation, there is no way they would agree to humiliating themselves like they do at Banting. Just sayin'.

4. Pat T... a leader? A hero?

Yes, I believe that Pat was a leader. I think that Pat earns the title of a leader firstly, because he gave up his comfortable life as an NFL star to fight for his country. After 9/11 Pat left behind his NFL turf to fight on a very different kind of battlefield. This act of leadership proves that Pat was willing to give up money and safety to protect what he loved most, his country. Pat showed another act of leadership when he tried to leave the war. He realized that the war the USA was fighting was not one that he supported and so he was planning to expose the horrors that were being committed over seas. Pat's death led to more heroic actions back at home. His mother continues to fight for justice and to bring the truth of Pat's story to the world.

#3. Ineffective Habits

The following list that I have created are what I believe to be the top five ineffective habits or characteristics that can be harmful and damaging to a succesful and happy life. 5) Being Jealous of people around you is extremely damaging to your sense of self pride and self worth. In order to be effective you need to be thankful for what you have in your life and not take things for granted. 4) Cruelty is completly unacceptable in order to have a successful or happy life. Being cruel to people, animals, or the environment around you may give you a sense of power. However it will isolate you, leaving you lonely and feeling crappy about yourself. 3) Manipulation is a sneaky little tool that people use to get ahead of others in life. This is an unecessary way to bring others down. 2) Procrastination is one of the MOST ineffective habits that a person can have (and this I can speak from personal experience). Being a procrastinator means leaving things to the last minute so you have to rush to get things done. When you do this it does not give you adequate time to complete the work to your best of ability. Finally, 1) Greed is what I believe to be the worst habit that will lead to a miserable life. Being greedy means always wanting more, more, more and never being satisfied. Being greedy will lead to a downward spiral of unhappiness in anyone's life.
5. Jealousy
4. Cruelty
3.Manipulation
2. Procrastination
1. Greed

#2. The Leader Within

I do belive that under the right circumstances, everyone is capable of great acts of leadership. I believe that when we are in our darkest moments, we learn how truly strong we really are. Most people would probably say that they are not capable of these great acts, however I don't think it's fair for them to say that, until they have been put in a situation that requires leadership. Also, a sign of true heroism is when a person does not recognize what they have accomplished to be an act of heroism. True heroes do not wish to receive any recognition or fame for what they have done.

#1. Your Definition of Leadership

Leadership is not tangible. It is not something that you can feel or touch. Leadership is a quality that can be found deep within the heart of a person. Someone who posses leadership is fearless. They will go above and beyond when people or obstacles try and stand in their way of achieving their goals. Leaders can be a group of people or one person doing the right thing, trying to make positive change in their environment. Sometimes showing true leadership can be a difficult task. It may mean overcoming fear, discrimination, humiliation or just a whole lot of darn hard work. Leadership is one of the most rewarding things a person can experience.