Dear Jack,



               I just wanted to let you know how much I miss you and how much you mean to me. Ever since I was born, you've always had my back. I know ever since we've gotten older, there has yet to be a bigger pain in my butt than you, but now that you're gone to school, life is so much different without you. I love seeing how happy and excited you are for your future, making me just as excited for mine. You are such a hardworking and dedicated student. Although I've never mentioned this to you in person because its extremely hard to say, I'm am so glad you decided to take a gap year. I've lost count of how many times I've wished you were on your way to Western last year, but that was only because I knew how ready you were. You're such a great brother and I wanted to thank you for always being the first one there when I had a problem. Whether it was asking if you could beat someone up for me, beating me up, or just being your annoying,older-brother self, I can and will always count on you. I love you! Can't wait to have you home for the holidays.

- Emma

For or Against?

   

    The art of writing should first and foremost be a way of expression and creativity, empowering imagination and inventiveness.When writing freely, you should feel as if you have no boundaries and no limits. I believe writing gives others the chance to speak their mind, with endless possibilities and opportunities. By banning the literary work of authors, the art of imagination, creativity and originality is not being able to reach audiences as the authors intended to. From watching the Youtube video "Banned Book Week: 13 Authors Speak Out,"I was able to clearly see the author's viewpoint on these situations, being strongly affected. Although authors write for themselves, readers are everything to them.In my opinion, censoring or banning books seems like hiding the truth from society. When schools ban books to "protect" their students, they are taking away their freedom and their choice. As far as limitations in writing go, everybody has a different idea of when a line has been crossed. Yes, there are times where some writing styles and techniques can be viewed as dark, depressing and disturbing, but we must remember, writing is a gateway to many, expressing their inner thoughts and feelings. To conclude, I believe everybody has the right to like and dislike things, just not the right to choose for others.

A Little Deep

The one thing no one can take away from us is our identity. Our identity makes up who we are. Our name, our personality, our appearance, our interests; the differences between each other. People know us because of our identities. For starters, my name is Emma Pickering and I am sixteen years old. I live with my Mom, Dad and my two siblings. I am finally a senior at Our Lady of Lourdes, having a hard time accepting that this time next year, I'll either be starting my future career at university or working diligently for university the following year. Over the four years I have had at Lourdes, I have made enough memories to last life time. So many aspects of high school, have given me a better sense of who I am, and who I want to be. The friends I have made here, know me better than I do, and often I cannot believe how similar we've become. I don't think I would be half the person I am today, without my crazy friends by my side. On a less sappy note, 99% of the time my friends and I are chirping each other, I love to dance, eat, watch 90210 and Gossip Girl. I have a pretty basic life, but I often wonder about what I could be doing instead of sitting in front of a computer or TV screen. I have such a desire to travel and explore what else is outside of Guelph, I am leaning towards a job that involves travelling and really being able to understand the world. I am interested in a job involving English, History and French, because I am thriving at these subjects, and loving them the most. I am very eager to see how this final year at Lourdes shapes me into someone ready for my future, so I can discover more of who I am, eventually being without my family, old friends and a comfort zone. I want this year to be like no other year I've had before. Cheers to my first of many blog posts, I'm excited for not only my readers to learn more about me, but myself as well.

Who Has The Key?

The key to success, does anybody really know? Everybody wants success, but does anybody know what it takes to achieve such a thing? After watching Angela Lee Duckworth's Ted Talk- "The Key to Success-Grit," I can't help but agree with her own vision of success and the pathway many need to take in order to obtain this valued and wanted characteristic. I thought it was amazing how after each area of knowledge studied,the same characteristic that was needed kept unveiling. That characteristic was grit. A four letter word, that says so much. Grit is the passion, the stamina, the perseverance and the integrity that lead you to your goal. When you have grit: being lazy is completely out of the picture. You know that nothing will come easy without grit. You strive to make your dreams and goals a reality. This video is perfect for high school students, being at an age of competitiveness with universities, colleges and future careers. The thing that will set you apart from all the others is grit. We all have grit inside of us. Its up to us however, to use it to the best of our ability. I do believe I have grit inside of me. I really want to make a mark this year and to come out of high school ready for the future and what else the world has to offer. I want to put 100% into everything I do, knowing this year counts. When I want something, I know I have to work to get it. The feeling of achieving something you've worked so hard for is more rewarding than the achievement itself. Success outweighs your IQ by a landslide. Whenever I come across a bump in the road this year, I am going to remember this "Ted Talk" about grit, to motivate myself to look at the whole picture, be open to failure and to keep my eye on the prize. Let's see how much grit I need to get through grade 12! (or this course).