Our CAMP OLYMPIA trip was a huge success!  We learned a great deal and had a blast doing it!!!

Camp O is all about student leadership! I'm so proud of the commitment of our Student Leaders. They worked really hard on all the required tasks! Check our winning performance!

                                                                                                       Camp Olympia essay                     

                                                                    By: Kristen 

                                                                     Grade: 7

                                                                             

" One dies, one million cry. One million die, no one cries ". Doesn't that quote hit you hard? Doesn't that remind you of world hunger? How so much infants and children are dying, do to hunger. I think all food drives, all communities should help the hunger all together as one. It would be amazing because it would help them all out, but you know, we only have so much opportunities for these things. I know this might be a long way ahead of us but, I think we can make it.

Study shows that 250 000 people die in South Africa every year due to world hunger. Canada's  population is roughly around 34 million people. That's like a quarter of Canada's population, can u believe that? Do you people find this even acceptable at this rate? The people in South Africa usually die from disease, contaminated water, the list goes on and on, but you know what is terribly horrible? How kids in wealthy life style's complain or even cry about how they don't get Iphones or blackberries' for Christmas or for their birthdays. When they don't realize that half way around the world, there's a kid their age having to walk at least 8 to 10 km for just a drink of water that might not even be sanitary to drink. What has our society even become? All of our priorities have drastically changed into things that are completely useless. Our world needs to have a total reality check and end world hunger!

What is world hunger? World hunger is when a poor village or small city is badly in debt or not as wealthy as some countries. Kids and adults die from not eating much and usually labeled as "skin and bone". It brings tears to my eyes because I cannot stand to realize how these people are dying just because of hunger. People die every day because they can't even get a crumb of bread.

So I positively think that we should end world hunger, remember there has to be an ending for everything. I don't think God has brought us to this world to be selfish and greedy do you? Therefore I think that we should do fund raiser's, car washes, chocolate and bake sales. Anything that can raise enough money for us to reach South Africa, the Philippines', just anywhere in need for help. We should give these people food and water, doctors, certainly anything that could help them in their everyday lives. Just enough to see that giant smile on their faces. Wouldn't you just love to see that? Honestly, I just want to go to a place in  need and just give and you know return the favour. These are just one of my dream wishes.

So teachers, parents listen up! Let's all join together as one and help the needy and people struggling to live a normal life. I undoubtedly think that this should end. This might just take a little step each time but I think we can solve this world wide problem. So just please, I'm begging you to all donate to you local food drives or places for all of these people in need. All of you take the initiative and help out. I believe in all of us that we can resolve this social justice issue.  

    RACISM           

                                                                                                   Name: Alexandra

Date: Monday, March 5 2012

Teacher: Ms. Babb

 Stupid… Ugly…How would you feel if you were called these names just because you have different coloured skin, are part of a different religion, have different customs or are have a different background? This is racism, one of the world's major issues which must be stopped. People are made fun of everyday because of this. A lot of people think that racism only existed decades ago however they don't know that racism still exists today in our social lives. Racism can affect the stress in our lives. We should help and stop racism so that we can all be treated equally.

            Racism is vicious because it is against human equality. It can really hurt someone's feelings, make them feel less confident about themselves and lower their self esteem.  For example a new student arrives at a new school. He is Chinese and doesn't know any English. Then a group of kids come up to him and start to make fun of him and laugh at him because they can't understand what he is saying. The person who is being laughed at would feel very left out and sad because no one likes him/her. Why must we treat others like this? They shouldn't be treated like this.

           

            Many people attempt and some commit suicide over racism. Stress can affect racism because if someone is being made fun of (often called bullying) because of their race/background they probably would become very stressed about it and wouldn't want to see the people who are making fun of them again. If they are really fed up and can't take the stress anymore, then one of their options would have been to commit suicide. We can save lives by making everyone feel like they all belong. We can also comfort them if they are having a tough day.

Like Michael Jackson said in his song Man in the Mirror, if you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make a change. There are many things that we can do to stop racism. We can start with simple things like telling an adult that someone is being bullied or made fun of. Another way is standing up for the person and telling the bully that it is not right and that they should stop. If everyone changes, cares for one another and helps one another rather than making fun of everyone's differences, we will become a better community.

As you can probably see, racism is something that needs to end.  Even if we help by doing small things like calling an adult if someone is being bullied about their race we can make a difference. It shouldn't matter the race of the person. There are many famous celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Beyonce, and Whitney Houston who are all successful African-Americans and many people encourage them. Like Michael Jackson said in his song Black or White, it doesn't matter if you're black or white. Now, I would like to end with a quote from an unknown author. "Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by colour."  

           

                                                      

Fighting fear in school

        For so long, one word has been taken for granted. That word is Bullying.    Bullying can be described in many different words, terrifying, strong, cruel, and maybe even suicidal.  Bullying is more than just a part of growing up. It is a form of aggressive behavior shown to children who are quieter, shyer, or less outgoing than the bully. Bullying is a form of harassment that would normally involve someone who is older, stronger, or socially powerful upon weaker acquaintances. It often occurs in schools.  Shockingly, bullying can take over someone's life! Knowing about bullying will make your life much easier and happier, and you will most likely not get bullied as often.  

            There are many different types of bullying. The three main and most common forms of Bullying are Verbal, Physical and Relational. They are all very harmful in different ways, but each one of them can make your life miserable. In order to prevent and control bullying, it would be a good idea to understand it a little better.

The first type is Verbal bullying. This type of bullying involves name calling, teasing, cruel criticism, racist comments and much more. It can affect one's self image in emotional and psychological ways which can lead to low self esteem as well depression and other problems. This type of bullying can get to the point where the victim is so depressed, and wants to escape so badly, that he or she might turn to substance abuse. In extreme cases, that could be suicide. Girls use verbal bullying by dominating others to show their strength and power. Boys also use verbal techniques for domination.10 to 15 percent of all students reported involvement in weekly verbal bullying. There are no significant differences between girls and boys in this type of bullying.  In the end, words have a power of their own.  

The second kind of bullying is Physical. Physical bullying involves punching, kicking, hitting, and sometimes choking. You could be walking down the street and someone can push you and ask you for your money, that's physical bullying. In High school, a stronger student can threaten another to do their homework or else they will hurt them, that's also physical bullying.  In elementary and middle schools, 30.5% of all bullying is physical.  Sometimes students would come home to their parents with cuts and bruises on them. When parents ask what happened, the child would often say that they just fell or bumped their head since they don't want their parents to get involved in the problem.  This can cause the child to make up an excuse and not go to school. As a result, their grades can be affected. Research conducted in Canada, Europe and the United States has shown that roughly 10 to 15 percent of students aged 11 to 15 admitted being involved in weekly physical bullying.

This last type of bullying is known as Relational. This kind is more emotional than physical. It involves ignoring, isolating, excluding, and shunning.  There are many types of relational bullying, a few examples are stonewalling or the silent treatment where people ignore each other, exclusion from the group is when a student or person can be cut out from all activities and participation in a group. Spreading rumors and gossip is when children often say things about each other behind their backs. Relational bullying is often tough to notice since it's hidden and not recognizable. It's difficult to determine who is doing the bullying. This type of bullying is a massive problem and its best to try and prevent them. Lastly, developing a strong personality can be the most important element in dealing with relational bullying. If you are capable of feeling good about yourself then you will be less hurt by bullying.

In conclusion, people are encouraged to bullying by the society they live in. Above all, teachers need to inform themselves and the rest of the school community so that together they can develop a policy to discourage bullying. By educating themselves about bullying, parents and teachers have the knowledge to set up effective programs and structures within the classroom and school. Furthermore, by removing the opportunity for children to bully, providing children with a stimulating environment and giving them the tools to deal with conflict appropriately, teachers can reduce children's inclination to bully.

 There are many ways to put an end to verbal, physical, and relational bullying and bullying in general. You can disregard it or stand up to it! In my opinion, bullying is strong but just one person can make a difference. We need to accept who we are no matter what anyone says and step up, so others won't get stepped on! Bullying is a worldwide undeserved issue that has to come to an end otherwise this violent environment will grow larger and larger. Although, bullying will never be fully eradicated and must be dealt with as soon as it occurs, increasing awareness of the problem is making schools a safer and more enjoyable environment in which children can learn.

By: Megan.D

Social Justice Issue: Racism

Name: Josh

Teacher: Ms. Babb

Date: Sat, March 3, 2012

There has been a plague effecting humanity for many centuries. It is a true injustice that's still haunts the human race everywhere on the globe today. This wicked injustice is none other than racism. Racism is the discrimination against others because of race, nationality, religion or skin colour. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." I know that when Rev. Dr.  Martin Luther King Jr. delivered this golden statement he believed in it but at the time it seemed like an impossible dream. We have achieved most of his dream but not enough. How long will racism carry on? It seems like it will never end.

The original slaves were found by European traders or colonist. They defended their oppression of the native populations by claiming that they were superior to the natives therefore they claimed to have the right to treat them as they did. Hundreds of thousands of Africans were chained and shipped away to European colonies. The conditions of the ship were so dreadful that most of the slaves died during the transport. The slaves were then sold to wealthy people who gave them hard labour in the fields, horrible living conditions, and they also tore families apart in the process. The root of all this madness was racism. Thankfully, we don't experience slavery today due to a hard stand of our ancestors who stood against all odds.

There are many great leaders who were affected by racism. Some of the prominent personalities who faced this injustice are Ghandi, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. Ghandi was born in October 1869 at British India. He went to the University of London. While he stayed in South Africa to study law he faced racism directed at all coloured people. Ghandi was thrown out of a train after he refused to move from the first class because of his race. While travelling on a stage coach he was badly beaten by the driver because he didn't move from his seat for a European to sit. Ghandi was also thrown out of several hotels because of his skin colour. After these events Ghandi experienced a turning point in his life. None of these incidents brought him down but built his determination to rise above hate. These problems built his character so strong that it enabled him to fight against racism and drive the British rule out of India. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in January 15, 1929 in Atlanta Georgia. He was a clergyman, activist and a prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. He was influenced and inspired by Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, Ghandi and many more. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is most famous for fighting for civil rights in The United States and around the world using non-violent methods. He was one of the greatest leaders ever born. Nelson Mandela is another living example of racism. He was sabotaged and sent to prison for life in 1962. After being released from jail Nelson Mandela served as an anti-apartheid activist and was the leader of Umkoto we Sizwe which was the armed wing of the African National Congress. He later became the president of South Africa. He has won over 250 awards over 4 decades including a Nobel peace prize. He was a victim of racism and later on fought against racism and succeeded. We are so privileged to have had these great leaders in history that changed the world for better. Personally, I am inspired by these leaders who have paved the way for future generations and I hope I can be a torch bearer of my generation to fight against racism.

Today, racism is still found around the world. Thankfully it isn't as horrific as it used to be but it can still affect us negatively. Even with kids racism comes into play. Kids can make fun of others because of their skin colour or race and even they can reject each other because of it. People nowadays are not getting opportunities for development or to further their careers because of racism. I bet you can think of many other ways that racism haunts us today. Sometimes we pass down comments on other races which may amuse us but it deeply hurts the other person. Even a small racial comment that brings amusement can cause a big scar on others personalities. It must come to an end no matter how much humor it brings. 

In my opinion racism has lost its grounds but still it has to be rooted out from our society for the betterment of our future generations. Nobody benefits from racism instead they degrade the human race because God created all humans equal. God also stated, "Treat others the way you want to be treated." If I become a future leader I will try my best to fight against racism by taking a hard stand like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ghandi and Nelson Mandela. We all want to be treated with respect and dignity---don't we?

Camp O Essay !

Name: Lucas

Date:  Sunday, March 4, 2012

World Hunger one of the most despairing things you will ever hear about. There is not many medical assistance. There are about 7 billion people in the world. 98 percent of the world are undernourished people that live in developing countries. Hunger effects every country in the world. Hunger is dreadful in Asia because 578 million people are hungry and dying just from this one thing. We need to put a stop to this!

Two thirds of the world hungry live in Bangladesh, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, and  Pakistan. In Asia 578 millions of people are dying because their water and food are scares in some of these countries. Men, women, and children in these countries are a prone to diseases because of poverty.

WE NEED TO PUT A STOP TO THIS! Too many people are dying and suffering form this. To help with world hunger , people should support their local Food Banks, and Churches. Toronto is one of the many cities in the world that donate to Food Banks to help those in need. Schools do their part by asking students to bring non-perishable foods that can be give to Food Banks. Poverty makes hunger worse because if you have no money you can't buy food.

Medical assistance in the third world countries aren't the same as what we have in the North America. When people in third worlds get diseases they don't get the proper treatment they need. When i get older I would like to volunteer in Food Banks. I will feel good about myself knowing that I've helped someone get through another day.

Hunger a despairing thing that is happening to people in the world. Do you really want people to be going through this helpless situation? Do you want people to die from starving? People don't know how good we have it here, all the food we have, the fresh water to drink, and all the doctors that help.

 Name: Katrina

Teacher: Ms Babb

Grade 7                    

March 3 2012                                

CAMP O  ESSAY

"Child abuse casts a shadow the length of a lifetime," Herbert Ward.  Child abuse comes in two ways, physically and emotionally, including beatings, neglect and sexual assault.  Some children go through these atrocious acts.  Unfortunately these people who abuse their children are usually very angry with themselves or have a serious problem like alcohol or drug abuse.  These people need help but some of them are just too stubborn to realize this.

         Physical abuse is the physical act of abusing someone.  More than 80 % of the abusers are the parents.  Ways of recognizing abuse is looking for these signs, bruises shaped like an object, bruises in unusual places, suspicious fractures and bite size marks.  Often these kids try to hide the signs.  When a teacher or adult asks about the marks the children will make up excuses.  Everyday these poor kids suffer from the torturing of their parent.  This urgently needs to change.

         Emotional abuse is where you are constantly putting someone down or you are neglecting them.  Emotional abuse destroys the confidence of the child.  Ways of recognizing emotional abuse is the child won't care, doesn't eat, overeats, hostile or aggressive, won't take part in any activities and will suffer from depression.  The children's parents neglect them so much that these deprived kids come to school in filthy ill-fitting inappropriate clothing for the weather.  Their hygiene is horrendous and they are usually very bony.  They are usually late or missing school.  These parents don't provide love to their children, they call them worthless and not important.  That lowers their self- esteem.  

         "The best inheritance a parent can give to their children is a few minutes of their time each day." M. Grundler.  These children need to feel loved; they want to know that everything is going to be okay.  90% of child abuse can be prevented.  It is known that abused children will likely abuse their own children or become addicted to drugs or alcohol.  This social injustice needs to end.  Ways to help these children is they could call kids help phone line or talk to an adult or teacher.  The teachers should tell their students that no one not even your parents should abuse you.  The abuser needs to know that children do what children see.

"Abuse changes your life…..Fight Back and change the life of your abusers by Breaking Your Silence of Abuse!" Patty Rase Hopson.  Anyone can do these actions if they know someone who is being abused.  Supporting a friend who is going through this, tell them to tell an adult and don't fight violence with violence, be a good listener and tell them your are there for them. 

         Advice for the abuser: take a deep breath, write down your feelings and realize that you are stressed. 

In conclusion if we all come together to fight abuse through love it will show how much we care.

Camp Olympia Essay;Racism

One World, Many Colours

Name: Ranielle.M

Date: Monday, March 5, 2012

Teacher: Ms.Babb

Did you know that many people are still affected by racism everyday? Even just one word can mean so much and can put many different images into your head. Racism leads to discrimination, teasing, and many more horrible things. You've probably already heard what racism is and how it's tremendously affecting people in the world, but have you ever thought about how these people feel? Well, I personally think that judging people based on their racial differences is definitely not right! God made us all equal according to His likeness and image and that we are unique and proud of who we are, not to treat others in undesirable ways. Now, what can you do to help? You can speak out when you witness people being racially discriminated or teased, tell friends and family about racism and your opinion so that they can all help and support you, or join any organization that is on the negative side of racism.

One thing that we should do to help is to speak out for people when we witness them being racially discriminated or teased. Regardless of who is watching or even if you don't know who you're speaking out for, all that matters is that you did something that can make a difference in someone's life. When people are being teased just because of who they are, it destroys their confidence.  Martin Luther King Jr. once said "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character." He was trying to tell us that we shouldn't judge people by the colour of skin but by what's on the inside.  Racism has been a problem for many years and this is one thing we can all do to help.

Besides that, another helpful thing we should do is to tell friends and family about racism and your own opinion so that they can help and support you. The more you spread about how racism is an awful thing, you can get more support from people you know.  They can also tell other people about racism and how it affects everyone, therefore, people can also help make a change. Racism may not be what most people talk about, but there are others that are greatly affected by it. Don't you want to make the world a better place to live in?

Lastly, you can also join any organization that supports your belief. By doing this, your voice can be heard. When you hear people's opinion on racism, some of them might relate to how you feel about it, with a greater voice you can achieve the goals to help reduce the racism in the world today. When you join organizations, you have to be committed, especially when it comes to a serious case like racism. Dedication, commitment, and bravery are all the things to be successful when you want your voice to be heard. In addition, it's a great thing to do because it can help many people gain back the confidence that they lost.

By doing these things, I'm sure that you would become a wonderful leader to all. I believe that racism must come to an end and to reduce the racism, we can stand up for what we believe in, inform family and friends about racism and its effects, also we can join anti-racism organizations. Racism may not be the easiest thing to stand up to, but it's worth it all at the end. Remember, stand up for people even if it means standing alone. Be a leader; tell the world that there is someone out there that wants to put an end to racism! Want to make a difference? The answer is all up to you!

Name: Anthonia I

Teacher: Ms. Babb, Gr.7

 Date: Monday, March 5, 2012

Racism in Primary Schools

                Racial discrimination was years ago a social issue associated with adults. Today racism has entered the schools including the primary school.  Racism is a social problem where people discriminate each other on the bases of culture, skin color, religion and groups. Teachers show favouritism according to religion, race or social groups. School children choose their friends; playmates and project members based on were the person come from, religion or group. Although religion may not be an issue in my school there are other factors that we need to think about.

                Nowadays racism is found much more among kids than adults. Unfortunately, these are the leaders of tomorrow. Discrimination of skin type, culture or religion is now found on playgrounds, in primary schools, among teenagers and peer groups. Since God does not judge us by our genders, skin colors or religion, then why do we do the opposite? For example: an Asian boy was charged for assaulting his age-mate (boy) whereas his age-mate was the one that started the brawl. This boy was charged for defending himself. I ask you, my reader, is this justice? Children verbally abuse other children who they see as coming from lower cultures like them. Teachers in public schools sometimes allow their religious belief to influence their judgement. This is unjust hence we must find a way to bring an end to racism!

                Obviously the rate of the growth of racism in primary schools in Toronto shows that the District School Board has not done enough to stop it. We should put more effort into stopping racism in primary schools in particular. The District School Boards should develop a program on racism in every school. I encourage schools to have class and school captain that will take care of this matter. My previous school was known as one of the best in the city. They had good, responsible and mature captains to take care of crisis such as racism. Severe punishments should be administered to those caught violating other students in any way that is unjust.

The fact that we all are peculiar persons does not give us the audacity to chastise our fellow classmates because they are different. Racial discrimination is evil, atrocious and a repulsive issue in our schools. As Mother Theresa said, "If you judge a person, you have no time to love them". I quite agree with Mother Theresa. We criticize people before getting to know them. There are ways to prevent it, only if we listen and observe what is happening around us. If we venture out to find the answer, every loathsome problem will be cured. A statistic observed 5/7 pragmatic equations were solved in one day because of unnerving, brainstorming. Therefore, if it is possible to solve those equations then we can stop racism too!  Everyone would agree that with the above suggestions, racism and inequality would be extinct from schools and society in general.

CAMP OLYMPIA

Many students have begun to ask about Camp Olympia. This video should answer some of your questions!

http://stream.tcdsb.org/academicit/CampOlympia.wmv