Post #72: Relay University

Relay for Life is an event in collaboration with the Canadian Cancer Society where schools from across the nation come together as a community to raise money and awareness for those impacted by cancer. Last year, on the 16th year that Newmarket High School had been partaking in Relay for Life, we reached our million dollar milestone. I relay because when we come together as a society, we are bigger than cancer.

Post #70: Empowering Youth Leaders: A Networking Conference

As the Event Chair of the Newmarket Youth Leadership Group, a not-for-profit organization, the first big event we planned for the 2023-2024 school year was a Networking Conference called “Empowering Youth Leaders.” Being a leader can seem daunting and scary, but when I came up with the idea for this event, I wanted to showcase that anybody can be a leader.

Post #69: Central Ontario Leadership Seminar 2023

The Central Ontario Leadership Seminars is a not-for-profit organization that has been running since 1987 with an aim to empower youth from across the province to reach their leadership potential. One tenth grade student from every high school in Central Ontario is nominated to attend the three-day-long seminar, where they are subjected to icebreakers, team-building activities, keynote speakers, and daily reflections with a group of talented individuals they have never met before. I had the fabulous opportunity of embarking on my COLS adventure from May 26, 2023 to May 28, 2023 at the University of Guelph as a brand new ambassador. 

Post #68: Deceptive Figures

Seeing people solely as how they present themselves is a common lapse in human judgement. William Shakespeare plays with this notion of deceitful appearances in his The Taming of the Shrew, a play in which several of the characters take on disguises in order to achieve their goals. By using clothing as a prominent symbol for deception, and by slowly revealing character, Shakespeare demonstrates that outer appearances are not indicative of a person’s social role or actual characteristics.

Post #66: Student Outreach Meeting!

On Monday, April 24, 2023, I acted as Newmarket High School’s grade ten representative at the Student Outreach Meeting organized annually by the York Region President’s Council. The atmosphere we built was lively and personally inspiring, and I look forward to working with the YRPC as I continue my high school education.

Post #65: The Right to Make a Choice

Something as simple as a choice can mark the difference between one person’s life and another’s. Jillian Horton explores this idea of choices and their consequences with “The Bicycle,” a short story about the coming of age of Hannah Golandsky. The story conveys that a person must accept the responsibility of making their own choices in order to attain true fulfillment.

Post #64: Inner Demons

As the sun sets in the first hour of evening, it bathes the clearing in an orange glow. Somewhere in the distance, the birds are humming and the chipmunks are chattering away. The trees stand at the edges like mighty guardians, their flowers glimmering in peak bloom. It is the perfect place to have a picnic, or to have a tranquil nap. And there you are, standing right in the midst of it. Right there, to take in the sweet scents and the warmth on your back. But you feel cold.