2014 Anthology of Award Winning Essays

288 Pages·2014·2.03 MB·English

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Award Winning Essays 2014
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A Message from the
President & CEO and
Program Manager
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Akela Peoples, M. Ed. Marni Angus
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President and CEO – Molière National Program Manager
The Learning Partnership The Learning Partnership
All of us face challenges in life. In overcoming our challenges, we strengthen our character
and become stronger. The pages of this anthology are filled with stories of young people who
faced a difficult situation and chose to turn that negative into a positive and create a turning
point for themselves.
This publication features essays written by students in Grades 6 through 12 that capture
a significant event – a turning point – in their lives. In insightful, thought-provoking and often
moving prose, these young people explain how this one event has changed their lives.
The Learning Partnership is humbled that since our Turning Points program began in 1999,
over 111,000 students have shared their stories with us across Canada. This year, 15,000
public school students from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and
Newfoundland and Labrador submitted an essay in English or in French.
On behalf of The Learning Partnership, thank you to all of these students who participated
this year. It takes courage to share such personal accounts and we are impressed by the
incredible courageousness you have demonstrated.
Thank you also to the many judges, teachers and sponsors whose support and
participation continue to make Turning Points possible. And of course, thank you to our
dedicated staff members for their hard work in carrying out this program across the country.
Reading these stories is truly inspirational, and it gives us all at The Learning Partnership
great confidence in the future of our country to see how well our young people are able to
overcome adversity and turn that experience into something positive. We can certainly all learn
something from them.
Akela Peoples, M. Ed. Marni Angus
President and CEO National Program Manager, Turning Points
The Learning Partnership The Learning Partnership
Turning Points – 2014 Award Winning Essays | 1
Table of Contents
Alberta ......................................................5 Grade 11 & 12 ................................................47
Paisleigh Maye ..................................................47
Grade 6 ............................................................6 The Monster ......................................................48
Think Positive ......................................................6
Everything Happens for a Reason ......................50
Unique ................................................................7
Just a Tad More Hope ........................................52
Be Thankful for What You Have ...........................7
The Sunny Side of Hell .......................................53
The Spoils of Victory ............................................8
My New Future ..................................................55
Follow Your Heart ................................................9
A Job for the Better ...........................................56
My Roots ...........................................................10
Every Man's Life Ends the Same Way .................58
Alone ................................................................11
Relentless ..........................................................59
Why to Me? ......................................................12
The Vacation of Lessons ....................................13 New Brunswick ......................................62
Grade 7 & 8 ....................................................14 Grade 6 ..........................................................63
Reminiscence ....................................................14 Middle School ...................................................63
Alone in a Crowded Room ................................15 Kamikaze ..........................................................64
Regret ...............................................................16
My Brother, the "Special" One ..........................17 Grade 7 & 8 ....................................................66
In the Blink of an Eye .........................................66
Life Goes On .....................................................18
Everest ..............................................................67
Escape With Literature .......................................19
All Too Familiar ..................................................68
Discovering My Hero .........................................20
The Enjoyment of Dance ...................................69
Zip ....................................................................21
My New Home Invasion .....................................70
A Not So Ordinary Family Vacation ....................22
The Mud ...........................................................71
Grade 7 (Français) .........................................24 Perfect Clarity ....................................................72
Mon petit frère est mon tout .............................24 The Last Delivery ...............................................74
L'importance de prudence .................................25 Never Forget .....................................................75
Le cadeau de Dieu .............................................26
Ma confiance et courage ...................................27 Grade 9 & 10 ..................................................77
Count Your Blessings ........................................77
Mon père ..........................................................28
Finding the Missing Pieces .................................78
Mon enseignante de piano ................................29
My Mom's Battle With Cancer ...........................80
La patience, la détermination et de la pratique ..29
Sadly Ever After .................................................81
Ma famille .........................................................30
The C Word .......................................................83
Le déménagement ............................................31
Appreciate the Little Things ...............................84
Grade 9 & 10 ..................................................33 From Hardship to Happiness ..............................85
Words Are Not Adequate ..................................33 Holding On .......................................................87
The Crucible ......................................................34 A Moment ........................................................88
Hidden Side .......................................................36
A New Perspective .............................................38 Grade 11 & 12 ................................................90
The Day My Soul Left My Body ..........................90
Welcoming New Angels ....................................39
Out of Context ..................................................91
Scars .................................................................40
Fortunately Gay .................................................93
Through the Looking Glass ................................42
More Than a Game ...........................................94
Canada: Land of Opportunities ..........................44
Missing Piece to Our Family Puzzle.....................96
Changing Perspective and Perseverance.............45
A Celebration of Life ........................................98
Jigsaw ...............................................................99
2 | Turning Points – 2014 Award Winning Essays
The Wake Up Call ............................................101 North Bay, Ontario ...............................150
When Nothing Made Sense .............................103
Grade 9 & 10 ................................................151
Newfoundland and Labrador ..............105 We Are Not Time Travellers .............................151
Numb ..............................................................152
Grade 7 ........................................................106 The One Person Horse .....................................154
Waterfall of Tears ............................................106 The Magic of the Piano ...................................155
Living With Kate ..............................................107 My Freedom ...................................................156
A Newfound Escape ........................................108
Just Ask Me .....................................................109 Grade 11 & 12 ..............................................158
The Click of a Switch .......................................111 Daunting Freedom ...........................................158
The Mask ........................................................112 One Decision, One Uniform, One Life: Mine ....159
Wish You Were Here .......................................113 Invictus ...........................................................161
The Empty Room .............................................114 Reading is Wonderful ......................................163
Hard to Say Goodbye ......................................115 She Grew Into a Butterfly ................................164
Nova Scotia ..........................................117 Greater Toronto Area, Ontario ............167
Grade 7 ........................................................118 Grade 6 (English) .........................................168
Tragic Tournament ...........................................118 Hillary ..............................................................168
Father's Day ....................................................119 No Words ........................................................169
Goodbye .........................................................120 A Cherished Memory ......................................170
The Unforgettable Gift ....................................121 Seriosity, Anticipation, and Memories ..............171
Jack .................................................................122
Grade 6 (Français) .......................................172
It's For You ......................................................123
Rencontrer la mort ..........................................172
The First Day is Always the Worst Day ..............123
Je suis finalement acceptée .............................173
It's My Life ......................................................124
He Was a Big Change in My Life ......................125
Grade 7 & 8 ..................................................174
Drifting into Oblivion .......................................174
Kenora, Ontario ...................................127
Moving to Canada ..........................................175
Grade 10, 11 & 12 ........................................128 The Unpredictable ...........................................176
Wisdom’s Story ................................................128 Two Steps Forward One Step Back ...................177
Who Am I? ......................................................131 Corpses of Nanking .........................................178
Who Am I? ......................................................132 The Unsaid Lesson ...........................................180
Me and My Condition .....................................134 On My Own ....................................................181
Promises ..........................................................135 Coming Home .................................................182
It's Not Who You Are That Holds You Back ......183
Niagara Peninsula, Ontario .................137
Grade 9 & 10 ................................................185
Grade 10, 11 & 12 ........................................138 Opening My Curtains ......................................185
Medicine Game ...............................................138 An Inevitable Truth ..........................................186
Dark vs. Light ..................................................139 The Learning Project ........................................188
Pain of the Past; Promise of the Future ............141 151 .................................................................189
The Great Escape .............................................143 Beneath the Surface ........................................190
My Unpredictable Journey ...............................145 Three Wooden Steps .......................................192
There’s Always a Light at the End of the Tunnel1 46 Spreading My Wings .......................................193
Season of Sadness ...........................................147
Turning Points – 2014 Award Winning Essays | 3
The Monarch Butterfly .....................................194 I Lost Her .........................................................238
Gone Too Soon ...............................................195 Time to Make a Difference ..............................240
M-m-m-my Obstacle ......................................241
Grade 9 & 10 (Français) ...............................197 A Song of Self-Confidence ..............................243
Le cadeau ........................................................197
Reminiscing in Fear ..........................................245
Un appel à l’aide; un coeur qui l’entend ..........198
The Big Move ..................................................247
Aftermath .......................................................248
Grade 11 & 12 ..............................................201
Don't Worry ‘Bout Me .....................................250
Ursa ................................................................201
It Isn’t Easy Growing Up In WWIII ....................251
Acceptance .....................................................203
Searching for Yellow ........................................204
Saskatchewan ......................................254
A Beginning ....................................................206
Medicine Game ...............................................208 Grade 6 ........................................................255
Break Free .......................................................209 When Our Dog Died ........................................255
Nearly Dead and Truly Alive .............................211 The New Girl ..................................................256
Embracing Differences .....................................213 New Girl ..........................................................257
Towards Relativism ..........................................215 My First Trophy Deer ........................................258
Shooting My First Deer ....................................258
Grade 11 & 12 (Français) .............................217 Getting to the Games ......................................259
Sous le feu des projecteurs ..............................217
My First Goal ...................................................260
Un pas vers le bord ..........................................219
Un signe miraculeux ........................................221 Grade 7 & 8 ..................................................262
You Don’t Know Their Story ............................262
Sudbury, Ontario ..................................223 Fishing Adventure ............................................263
Learning How to Ride a Bike ............................264
Grade 7 & 8 ..................................................224
Awakening ......................................................265
Torn Map .......................................................224
A Choice .........................................................266
Always a Part of Me .......................................225
Winter Games .................................................267
My Eye Opener ................................................226
All Alone .........................................................268
Grade 9 & 10 ................................................227 Challenge Accepted ........................................269
Winter Games .................................................270
Blooming Vitality .............................................227
Wanderlust ......................................................228
Grade 8 (Français) .......................................271
One Step at a Time ..........................................229
L’été miserable ................................................271
The Moment That Changed My Life Forever ....231
La perte ...........................................................272
Someday .........................................................232
La separation ...................................................273
Picture Perfect .................................................233
Let the Jump Come to You ..............................234
2014 Turning Points Adjudicators .........275
A New Normal ................................................235
Participating Schools ...........................281
Grade 11 & 12 ..............................................237
A Light in the Dark .........................................237 In Appreciation ....................................283
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Alberta
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(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:89)(cid:72)(cid:86)(cid:87)(cid:80)(cid:72)(cid:81)(cid:87)(cid:86)(cid:3)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:68)(cid:87)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:85)(cid:72)(cid:3)(cid:90)(cid:82)(cid:85)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:3)(cid:68)(cid:81)(cid:92)(cid:87)(cid:75)(cid:76)(cid:81)(cid:74)(cid:17)(cid:180)(cid:3)(cid:3)
– Walt Whitman, Poet
The Learning Partnership is grateful to our Anonymous Corporate Donor.
Turning Points – 2014 Award Winning Essays | 5
Alberta
Grade 6
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– Albert Einstein, Scientist
Taya Ferguson
First Place – Grade 6
Calgary Board of Education
Think Positive
My heart was pounding out of my chest and my hands were getting hot and clammy. My
sneakers crunched the ground beneath my feet as I dashed down the pebbly path. I breathed
heavily. Today was going to change everything.
The doors burst open and I arrived at the prison of school. Exhausted and out of breath, I leapt
down the hallways, darting through crowds of kids laughing and screaming. It was very rough in that
hallway, but it was also very hot and muggy. With every step, I became more and more anxious to see
the list of who got a part in the school play.
Acting means the world to me. When I walk on stage, feel the lights on my face, and speak my
lines, I feel home. All of a sudden, I had to stop in my tracks. I groaned. There was a giant group of kids
in front of me, and they were all waiting to look at the list as desperately as I was.
Finally, they all peeled off to their classes. Many had given me a little grin as they passed and I was
very confused. I could feel myself suck in a deep breath. I inched forward to the sheet and began to
look for my name.
My backpack began to slide off my shoulders, giving me a sharp tingling feeling in my arms. All air
started to escape my lungs. I gasped. I read the list over a few times in my head, worried I might be
hallucinating. I was going to be Charlie in the chocolate factory: the lead role.
I thought I might scream; I was shocked. No, I was thrilled. I couldn’t feel better about myself.
I learned when you’re passionate about something and when you work hard, you will achieve your
goals. Just like Charlie says in the play, all you have to do is think positive.
Taya just turned twelve and she is a big sister and special friend to her nine-year-old brother, Nolan. She loves
acting and singing as well as rhythmic gymnastics, curling, badminton, swimming and golf. She enjoys spending
time with her family and friends and always seems to be full of energy.
6 | Turning Points – 2014 Award Winning Essays
Alberta
Ananya Arya
Second Place – Grade 6
Calgary Board of Education
Unique
I had an ordinary childhood until the age of 5. At that age, something unusual started happening:
my skin started to turn... white. My natural skin colour is olive, so having white skin is, indeed,
very mysterious. My parents were the first ones to notice this problem because I was young and
therefore oblivious to such things.
It began on my eyelids. At first, we thought it was just dry skin, but then it spread to my knees and
parts of my face. That was when my parents started worrying. I can only remember brief moments,
but I know that the situation was very stressful for my mom and dad—especially when they found out
what this “condition” was. I had skin pigmentation.
Apparently, skin pigmentation is very common. Affected individuals can usually get back their
normal skin tone, but it is a slow process. My parents tried everything they could on my skin like creams
and UV light treatment, but we weren’t gaining acceptable results.
At first, I didn't care what I looked like—even with questions from others that went something
along the lines of: “What's on your face?” I tried not to let their words bother me, but as my brain
started to mature, I realized that my skin labelled me in life. I would get teased, stared at, and judged
by others. Even though no one would say it to my face, I knew that people thought that I was a freak. I
even started letting myself believe it.
As time moved on, things started to improve. I began to notice that the treatments for my
condition were having a positive effect on my skin. I am thankful that my parents were always so
supportive and never left my side. Now, I no longer have low self-esteem. I have started making true
friends that don't care what I look like and appreciate me for my personality. I can now stand up for
myself. Most importantly, I realize that I am unique, and I am definitely proud to be me.
Ananya is in grade 6. Dancing is her life. She has loved dancing since the early age of four years old. She has
done hip-hop, contemporary, and jazz. Ananya also likes being able to make people laugh. She finds that being
different than others is a gift and that she couldn't treasure it more. This is simply her. An original!
Abilene Davis
Third Place – Grade 6
Calgary Board of Education
Be Thankful for What You Have
“Be thankful for what you have; you end up having more. If you concentrate on what you
don’t have you will never, ever have enough.” – Oprah Winfrey
Turning Points – 2014 Award Winning Essays | 7
Alberta
I was invited to my friend’s 10th birthday party, and I was so excited. As she opened her gifts, she had
the biggest smile on her face. She got an iPad and an iPhone! Everyone else at the birthday already
had iPhones and iPads; I had an iPod. I was embarrassed: all my friends could text and call each
other, but I couldn’t.
When I got home from the party, I asked my parents if I could get a phone or an iPad. I saw them
roll their eyes, I knew what the answer was going to be and I didn’t like it. My Dad said I had an iPod
and that was enough. This was not the reaction I had hoped for.
A few weeks later, my Dad took my brother and me to volunteer at a Christmas party for
underprivileged kids. I was so excited, but as I entered the building, I saw one of the most depressing
things I had ever seen. I looked around and saw kids with over or undersized clothes, kids with beat up,
ripped sweatpants and t-shirts, and kids with tangled and messy hair.
I was no longer jealous. At that moment I thought, I have many things while some of these kids
don’t even have their hair brushed. I don’t need all that just because my friends do. Near the end of the
party, I heard a little girl say to her mom that “This was the best Christmas ever!”
Before we knew it, Christmas Day was here! I got everything I had asked for, but as I opened my
gifts I thought of those kids I had seen the week before. In my head I heard that little girl say “This was
the best Christmas ever!” and it kept echoing. Every night I see those kids in my head, like I’m re-living
that moment. I have realized that my parents were right; I don’t need what all my friends have. I am
thankful for what I have.
Abilene is a very compassionate young lady with a very big heart. On a large scale, she is passionate about raising
money for "Me to We" with Spencer West, and on a smaller scale, she is very caring towards her three younger
siblings. For fun, Abilene loves to hit the slopes on her Snowboard.
Weider Chen
Honourable Mention – Grade 6
Calgary Board of Education
The Spoils of Victory
My car is practically an interrogation chamber! Eleven hours of heavy bombardment may be
common to soldiers, but for me, a car ride to Vancouver is worse than trying to kill a turkey
when you’re afraid of blood. Then again, you might not have motion sickness, so allow me
to explain…
“But why do I have to go?” I whined again. My mom countered, “This is a family trip, so you have
to go! And I won’t say this again, so stop hiding and come here now!”
“Ha! Mom will never find me in here,” I mumbled, blowing at the little piles of dust.
8 | Turning Points – 2014 Award Winning Essays