Use Not Abuse

When it comes to abusing power, more often than not our police forces are the biggest culprits. Recently many unarmed citizens have been killed due to police bias and assumptions of the victim's character. The matter of police forces killing innocent citizens is not just an African American race issue, it is a human race issue. In order to prevent these kind of events from continuing the local police forces need to be training our police how, or about to correctly go about dealing with so called criminal actions. We need to be training officers how to effectively use their weapons and how to follow proper restraining procedures. By teaching officers these correct occupational procedures we are ensuring the safety of citizens will be improved for all races. Along with having all police officers aware of the methods used when in communication with the public we need to be holding the officers accountable if they do wrong. This means that if an officer goes against protocol they are to be held accountable if they do wrong. The killing of innocent citizens is 100% preventable and is completely the police force's wrong doing. The police are given authority for them to use not abuse against the civilians who look to them for protection. Having strict laws in order for both police and the public can improve the quality of life for all and ensure that these random killings will come to an end. 

Turn Dreams Into Reality

Anne Frank was and continues to be one of the most inspiring and influential young writers of all time. Anne Frank was a Jewish citizen in Amsterdam who hid from the Nazi party during World War Two when anti-semitism was at its prime. Anne along with eight other friends and family hid in a secret annex for approximately two years until they were discovered and transported to a concentration camp.  Before being captured, Anne had written in her beloved diary, Kitty, which she received for her birthday. She wrote daily about the terror of real war and her struggles of being an average young woman. Shortly after being freed from a German work camp, Otto Frank, Anne's father, was given the news that his his wife and two daughters had died in the camps. Devastated from this announcement, Otto returned to their place of shelter to visit a family friend, Miep Gies. Miep hands Otto Anne's diary and tells him to read her writings. Otto was so deeply moved by his daughters writings and wanted to share her work with the rest of the world so he requested her diary to be published. On June 25, 1947, The Secret Annex was published in honour of Anne. Many read the diary and forever changed their perspective of children authors. 

“Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.” 
Anne Frank 

I chose this quote for a reflection piece about facing the future because I too believe that parents and guardians put their children on a path for the future that will lead them to success but in the end the future  is created by the individual who posses it. Parents may want one outcome for their child, but the child may have a polar opposite idea in mind. I believe that as long as the individual is constantly growing and improving themselves for the better it should not worry the guardian's what-so-ever. Young adults such as myself have quite a lot going on in our lives. We get moody and change our minds on a daily basis but that does not mean that we do not respect and cherish the advice that our loved one offer to us. At the end of the day, we are going to do as we please and it is all on us if we make a mistake. Not only is the mistake on our shoulders, but also how we grow and learn from it. I believe that Anne Frank summed it up perfectly, "the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands", if one wants to be happy and successful, they are going to make that dream a reality. It goes the same if one wants to sit around drowning themselves in self pity, that attitude will become character. In conclusion, it is up to the individual to make the best out of themselves because in the end there will be no one else to blame but themselves. 

Protect The Protectors

On November 11th, 2014, Our Lady of Lourdes CHS, was invited to attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at the Guelph Sleeman Centre. The events included guest speakers, musical aspects and a moment of silence to remember the events that occurred on this day many years ago. While listening to one of the guest speakers, Dr. Bill Winegard, he touched on many topics including the role of the government in the lives of veterans. He spoke on the behalf of veterans who received little to no help from the government of Canada. Mr. Winegard said, "If veterans can't count on government promises, it is a very sad day indeed." He went on to say that more Canadian militants committed suicide than were killed in action in Iraq wars due to the lack of support. The government's lack of assistance for veterans who are currently overseas and those who have returned home is a unspeakable nightmare that many veterans live everyday. Winegard was insistent on trying to receive a more effective method of support for our veterans who need it the most. 

I could not agree more with Mr. Winegard. I too believe that the men and women who fight for our rights and freedoms should receive much better support during and after these traumatic life experiences. Winegard provided an honest and eye opening point of view from a true veterans perspective which makes one more aware of how fortune we truly are to be able to call Canada home. We should never take our freedom for granted because their are many Canadian soldiers who have laid down their lives for us. As Canadians it is our duty to protect those who have protected us in the past. We should also remember that Remembrance Day should not be limited to one day a year, it should be everyday.

Keep Calm And Halloween On

The freedom to express oneself and create an alter ego for one night is what Halloween is all about. Halloween allows men, women and children of all ages to dress up and become someone or something that they have always wanted to be. It is an entertaining and harmless way to create community and create countless memories that will last forever. A greater sense of community is created when all members in the neighbourhood come together to celebrate this made up holiday that everyone can participate in. While the children are out ''Trick-or-Treating" our fellow neighbours provide an extra set of eyes and ears to help ensure that all participants remain safe and nearby in the late hours of the night. The memories of dressing up with friends and family are ones that will always stay with individuals due to the fact that everyone is involved and able to be themselves on this day of festivities. Halloween should be viewed as a positive part of our culture that promotes community and enables us to make fulfilling memories with our loved ones that will last forever. 

The Art Of Poetry

The art form of poetry is one that allows individuals to express feelings and ideas through the use of distinctive style and rhythms. Poetry is a form of writing by which a variety of stories and emotions may be told. Through writing poetry it shows writers that there is much more than just the generic writing styles we are familiar with. 
Writing poetry teaches potential poets that they must choose their words wisely. Due to the fact that the majority of poems are relatively short, poets are forced to pick the best words while still allowing their work to carry the same meaning. Poetry also encourages us to write about something that is impacting us at this set moment. By picking a set time frame to work in we allow ourselves to be specific and concrete on the set topic. 
Writing has always been one of the best ways to express oneself so why not try something new. Give poetry a go and see just how much your writing skills grow. 

Give And Take

As an average high school student in North America, it is quite easy to manage one's education and ensure that assignments meet individuals needs. A teacher may assign a generic project, but it is up to the student to put their own personality and specific twist into it to make it their own. The expectations of the instructor are often geared to meet interests of the students and current events relevant to course material. In some cases this is not the truth, some instructors stick to the book and only teach what they are told to teach. This teaching method may create tension between educator and pupil and lead to an unenjoyable experience for both parties. Teacher-student relationships need to have an equal balance between give and take. A teacher should take into consideration the needs of the specific student body and how their learning interests may influence the future generations. That being said, students also need to respect that teachers have set curriculum that needs to be up to provincial standards in order for them to keep their career as an educator. If teachers kept communication with their students and asked them what they would like to study within a set of guidelines this could creates a positive balance between teachers and students and allow for fixed learning set for each student body. 

Bleed It Out

Best known for his works such as A Farewell to Arms and The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway, is a Nobel Prize winner who has impacted the world tremendously through his creative and insightful expression of self. Ernest was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1899. He served in World War 1, which he says had a large impact on his style and content of writing. He was also well known for his many quotes that have changed the way young authors look at classical pieces. 

One of his well known quotes is “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” I genuinely enjoy this quote because I believe that writing should be a direct expression of the author. Writing should be directly from the author and something that they can take pride in knowing that it is a part of them for the public to appreciate. By putting all their heart and soul into a piece of work it allows the reader to convey the same emotions and feeling as intended by the creator. If all authors followed Hemingway’s mentality of expressing oneself without influence, we would have a richer culture and more diverse range of literature to savor.