I.L.I.T.E.

I.L.I.T.E. stands for Intermediate Leadership in Training Event. On
Friday, February 3rd, 2012, Grade 7 students and teachers all went to
the I.LI.T.E Presentation. I.L.I.T.E teaches Intermediate students
about Leadership and how to never give up in what you believe in.
I.L.I.T.E. was at Mother Teresa Catholic High School which was about
twenty minutes from Cardinal Leger. The event started at 8.30 am and
ended at 2.30 pm. Once we got there our teachers gave us name tags
that had our name, grade, name of our teacher and the two workshops
that we would be going to in the morning and afternoon. Before we
started our workshops, we went to the cafeteria to learn more about
I.L.I.T.E. I learned that leadership is not about being in charge of
everything, it's about leading others by example.

During the first part of the presentation, a comedian named Stu
Saunders came on stage and shared a few stories with us. What I
learned from Stu is that when life gets difficult it doesn't mean that
it is going to stay that way. Stu went through a hard time when he was
younger, but he didn't stay upset for the rest of his life, he stayed
strong and got through it. He also told us a few other stories that
made us laugh. Stu's presentation was great especially because of the
way he his story connected with the audience.

After Stu's presentation, we got instructions on how to get to our
workshops and what to do once they were over. My first workshop was
called the Circle of Life. The teachers at the workshop told us an
amazing story about a girl named Meagan. Meagan was 2 years old when
she found out that she had a brain tumor. Her friends from school and
her community decided to make paper cranes for her. Paper cranes are
like wishes, so they made some for Meagan. Even the people in the same
hospital as Meagan made paper cranes for her. Once Meagan passed away,
her Mom thought that the least she could do is help others who had
brain tumors like Meagan. A few months later, Meagan's Mom thought of
a way to raise money for research for brain tumors, a walk to finding
a cure, this was named after Meagan. We made paper cranes too, this
was a lot of fun. I never knew how to make paper cranes before and now
I do. Another story they told us was about a girl named Hailey. She
had the same illness as Meagan. Hailey wasn't a survivor either.
People around the community would make a large circle around the
hospital that would look like they were hugging the hospital. It put a
smile on everyone's face.

Next we had lunch and watched the talent show. The talent show was my
favorite part of the trip. The first performance was by a dance group,
they did a dance called the meringue and it was really entertaining to
watch as it was because I have never seen anyone dance meringue
before. The second performer was an actual singer, called Star Child
X! He sang a few songs and everyone started to dance and it was a very
cool experience. Later, Diego Gomes performed and everyone stated
screaming and jumping. He sang two songs and left. My friends and I
got an autograph and picture with him which made I.L.I.T.E. the best
trip I have ever been to.

The last workshop was called 'Who Are You'. The first thing we did was
talk about the super power we would have that would help the planet.
My super power was to be able to zap away the garbage that polluted
the oceans. Next we had to think about how we could save the earth
without a super power. I said that you could organize a club that
could help clean up the garbage. Lastly, the teachers did a little
presentation on their organization called One Focus. One Focus is
about helping under privileged children. I learned that if you set
your mind on something you should focus on completing it.

I learned from a lot from I.L.I.T.E. and also really enjoyed it.
I.L.I.T.E. is definitely something I would go to again. Not only did I
experience new things, but I also met some really cool singers.
I.L.I.T.E. was the most inspiring trip I have ever been to.