#21...lions and tigers and zebras...oh my..

I thought this was really cool! I'd never heard, or even thought of a zebra's stripes playing such a key role in their survival. But really, humans are the same way. I like to think of the zebra with the red spot on it as a target for a bully, and the lion as the bully. In a crowd, the first thing a bully usually looks for is a physical or mental characteristic, because then it's easier to attack them. But if you take that dot away, and look at what all the zebras can do if they stick together, they can overcome an attack from a lion (or a bully in our case). It just goes to show that standing up for those in need, or working together as a team, we can overcome or beat the lion, whether the lion is a bully, or a world issue such as hunger, or even something as simple as the fear to stand up against what is wrong. Together we can make a difference.

#20 Kim..Mike...and Brenda..three more me to we heroes

Personally, I find Kim's story inspiring. I love hearing about success stories based on personal experiences such as Kim who realized that a child her age was being forced into child labour in order to make the clothes that she was wearing. At such a young age of 11, it's amazing that she could attract so much media attention to the issue and collect 6000 signatures to stop child labour. I believe that her actions have truly made a large impact on child labour in other countries. With so much media attention, change is imminent. I also find it amazing that even after four years, she still had the courage and strength to continue finding signatures to end child labour. It really sparked a question in me: If she can make such a difference in the world, why can't I too?

#16 Back To The Book

Surviving Survivor

The story Surviving Survivor really made me think about "reality" TV and how it not only corrupts the viewers, but also the participants. Yeah, the show brought fame and fortune to the "Survivor friend," however the show still carried on in his life. I think its amazing that even participating on a reality show can affect your life so much. It even forced him to the point of dropping everything and moving to Ecuador for a year just to get away from the corrupt life he'd began to live. I think that the fact that he moved to Ecuador changed his whole perspective on his life and I think that it really made him rethink his personal values. It not only amazes him, but it amazes me also that in areas such as Ecuador where supplies and food and shelter are scarce, the people still have welcoming hearts and are still very generous. If we look in North America, however, we are very greedy and selfish, yet we are, for the most part, a very blessed and wealthy country. I think that if we tried to be more selfless like that of the Ecuadorian people, we would live much happier and peaceful lives.

#22 Belonging

To be completely honest, the group that I feel most connected to besides my family, is everybody in Leadership class! They've really helped open my eyes to so many things, and it's just interesting to hear everybody's story. When we sit in a circle and share different things about our lives, I learn so many new things about people I'd never known before. As well, they've really taught me to be more outgoing and to just be myself! They've really inspired me to be there for other people as they have all been there for me. Leadership class has also helped build new strong friendships with people I might never have had the chance or opportunity to meet outside of it.

#18 the blue and white overnight

I think that everything we've done so far (making posters and putting them in the cafeteria, and going into every class and presenting about the blue and white overnight) has really helped promote the Blue and White Overnight, and I have a feeling that there will be a good turn out. I think that there should be announcements every day about not just "The Blue and White Overnight" as a generalized thing, but I think that we should promote some of the activities that will be taking place as well so that people will know what to expect for this year's event. As for money making activities, I think that a raffle (sell tickets for a dollar or so each) for something could work. Also, competitions for prizes, for example a "who can throw a ball closest to the centre circle of the gym game wins", could also work. We could charge a dollar to enter, and everybody gets one throw, but they all have to throw at the same time, and whoever gets it closest to the centre circle wins.

#17 back to the book

Personally, I feel that empathy is the most important skill we possess in order to go from "me" to "we." Everybody has their own story, and sometimes people get discouraged when people try to help them because they have no common ground with that person. The person just attempts to make a difference in their life, but with no commonality, they're just doing what everyone else is capable of doing. But when somebody goes out of their way to learn about that person and their problems and achieves a common ground with them, I feel that much greater things can be done to change that person because they now feel that they can talk to or relate to that person straight up, rather than being "assigned" a generalized problem and having people try to help them using prior knowledge of that problem, whereas now they can relate to them and help them based on their own individual needs.

#15 blue and white overnight

I think a big scavenger hunt would be a lot of fun. It's easy to set up, and can be a great time filler. The scavenger hunt could be done in teams of four, but each team would only have on sheet of paper with the items on it to make it more difficult so they don't have much of a choice but to work together. The items that could be used could be anything from a metal spoon to a red sock. There is really no preparation needed, only the list of items. The items do not have to be hidden, but at a camp I help out at in the summer, it was amazing to see where some of the teams found their items. Just an idea!

#13 The Roseto Mystery

I think that the Roseto Mystery was very interesting. I think that the main reason behind the mystery is community involvement, independence, and cooperation. To begin with, all of the communities around them had bad cases of heart disease, whereas this independent group of immigrants did not. Since they only have themselves to depend on, they must work together as a community to complete a task rather then working individually. This could possibly result in their good health, because they are working more as a team, and they don't have to deal with as much stress as if they were working by themselves. They are all coming from the same past experiences, and thus they all have the same views and similar opinions, so no one's opinion is frowned upon, and everyone is looked at as equal. As well, since they have to work together, they would have to avoid fighting and arguing, and these things cause stress, and stress is very bad for the heart. Without stress, the heart does not get damaged like those of the other surrounding communities, and thus they have healthier hearts. I found this story very interesting, and it really makes me take a look at our community and wonder what we could do to change our lives and live healthier lives like the Roseto people.