My Contribution to this Month's Question...

If you haven't heard of TOMS SHOES, check them out. For every pair of shoes you buy, they give a pair to a child in need.

You can find them at several stores, including the Downtown Artizia, the Billibong Store, and other trendy spots. I'm sure you can find them somewhere in Richmond Centre.

Check out their website

They have vegan shoe options as well - which if you are vegan (so you don't eat/wear ANY meat products) you will know is very hard to find vegan shoes.

They are a very environmentally friendly, sustainable, and an ethically minded company.

A Revolutionary Alternative to a Not-So-Revolutionary Product

FOREWORD: To be honest, when I looked upon this topic, a barrage of ideas came to me, all yearning to be put into the written word. However, my idea of ‘an environmentally friendly/ethically made/sustainable product’ proved to be of a much higher standard than what my original ideas presented. Stalled, but not defeated, I gazed towards the heavens (the internet) for answers. When I finally found my product, I instantly realized that my solution was not normal in the least. In fact, it was so unique that I, along with my parents, found it downright disgusting but yet somehow remarkably refreshing and fascinating. So bearing that in mind, dear readers, read on at your own demise.

            Shoe polish is extremely harmful to the environment.  It contains an unethical amount of neurotoxic chemicals, namely trichloroethylene, methylene chloride, and nitrobenzene, all of which are known human carcinogens easily absorbed through the skin. By using commercial shoe polishes, we expose ourselves and put our fates into the unmerciful hands of these deadly chemicals, potentially leading to our premature deaths. Also, with chemical disposal, our world becomes further endangered. Pollution will increase in the air, in the water, and even in the food we eat. Soon, all natural resources will become unusable, and all life shall fall. In short, the health of our environment defines the health of all species inhabiting Earth. Shoe polish simply is not worth killing Mother Nature in return for a smelly resolution to our shoe problems. Therefore, an alternative must be presented. And with this simple product, we humans can entirely eliminate the need for any funeral marches and extinct races, and instead smile at the fact that our environment is cleaner and our lives are intact. By using Edible Shoe Cream, composed of 100% organic virgin coconut oil, commercial shoe polish can be negated as a shoe-cleaning necessity. Edible Shoe Cream is eco-friendly, without any harmful chemicals, while paralleling the shine factor that normal shoe polishes boast. Edible Shoe Cream also serves as an agent in lovely-looking skin, beautiful lip balm, and a delicious snack! By eradicating conventional shoe polish and replacing it with Edible Shoe Cream, we are doing the world, and ourselves, a huge favour. In summary, we can save our world, give our tastebuds a blast, and look smexy doing it, all with Edible Shoe Cream. Go green!
http://www.greenfibres.com/product/44/62542/edible-shoe-cream.html 

A Practical Alternative

I decided to pick my topic by picking a random item in my refrigerator and trying to argue that it is environmentally friendly or fair trade. Therefore, I apologize if the topic of my paragraph is somewhat mundane or unusual.

       In this day and age, nobody is satisfied with just living off the resources of the Earth and land. We have a preference for using and creating our own resources, such as batteries, stainless steel, plastic and high-fructose corn syrup. Therefore we often take for granted resources that are already lying out there for us to use. For example, the amber-coloured natural sweetener associated with Canada: maple syrup. Maple syrup is arguably one of the most natural products of all the products available to us in our shops and supermarkets, requiring no preservatives, sweeteners or additional chemical of any kind. Also, unlike cane sugar, honey, or corn syrup, which require land to be cleared for the purpose of farming, farming maple syrup is relatively non-invasive and needs only a few paths to access the maple trees and a building to process the sap into syrup, therefore preserving the natural habitats of many different species of animals. Processing maple syrup consists of simply boiling the sap to achieve the required consistency, and requires and produces very few polluting chemicals, if any. In addition, the packaging for maple syrup, whether it be hard plastic or glass, is typically recyclable. Therefore, maple syrup is the most environmentally friendly sweetener that can be found, and is an excellent alternative to honey and especially high-fructose corn syrup.

And, as an added bonus, you can support Canadian farmers by purchasing Canadian maple syrup, thus helping our economy!

Brilliant Earth Jewlery

Many things harm the environment, but has it ever clicked that jewelery also contributes to this problem. People wear jewelery during everyday occasions. The majority of people however don’t think about how jewelery is made and the illegal actions companies engage in to obtain these jewels, such as trafficking and environmental effects. Consequently, by wearing jewelery, we are in turn destroying the earth and harming Mother Nature. Dirty gold mining releases toxic waste into the ecosystem which results in widespread water pollution and damage to landscapes. For instance, cyanide and mercury, two highly toxic substances have been released into the atmosphere freely because of dirty gold mining. Conflict diamonds also known as “blood diamonds”, refer to diamonds mined in African war zones and sold to diamond companies across the world. This involves with human right abuses including violence, worker exploitation, environment damage and child labour.

With all these horrible side affects to the environment, Brilliant Earth is a jewelery organization that does its part to contribute to the environment by obtaining jewelery in eco-friendly ways. They certify conflict free diamonds from Canada and Namibia, have fair labour and eco-friendly practices, and 5% of their profits are donated to help local African communities. Brilliant Earth also recycles precious metals. By doing so, they are reducing the global demand for newly mined gold and decreasing toxic waste substances into the atmosphere. Therefore, recycling metals is a naturally renewable way to make more jewelery. At Brilliant Earth they track how diamonds are transported from mine to market and ensure that they are mined, cut, and polished in a minimal environmental impact. Because diamonds are able to come from ethical sources, they are free from violence and other human discrimination. Personally I love jewelery, and rings are my ultimate accessory. Knowing that I am able to buy jewelery in an eco-friendly way, without causing any harm to the environment or be involved in conflict diamonds is a great thing. Brilliant Earth is still affordable and is the same quality as any other jewelery store. But also, having part of my money contribute to African communities should encourage all people to purchase jewelery from this organization. So is it not amazing that you can look great in high fashion and still be loyal to the environment?

http://www.brilliantearth.com/

Reusable Bag

A bag is everything that one needs to make the world a better place. A bag that can be used over and over again, every week, every day, whenever and wherever one wants. A reusable bag saves oneself, the environment, and your wallet, a little bit at a time. Unlike regular plastic bags, this bag won't cut through skin and that is very helpful for people who walk around with a large load of groceries. The cost of a plastic bag has increased in many stores from being free to an entire FIVE cents PER bag. Saving that nickel will eventually add up, and if the bag is shared among neighbors, it can save hundreds of dollars annually*. Plastic is absolutely horrible for the environment. It destroys the landscape , piling ever higher in our landfills. Plastic bags also kill thousands of animals every year, because animals think they are food and after eating it the WILL die**. Furthermore plastic bags do not degrade well and will sit there for a very looooong time. SO if people start using a few reusable bags, we would have several thousand less plastic bags*, floating in the oceans, sitting in the wilderness, and our landfills. I would use this bag every time as it saves me money, and will reduce the number of bags floating around my house, keeping it organized. Plastic bags hurt when there is too much weight in them and they snap easily, and this reusable will solve both of these problems, so I would use this bag anytime. A single bag, that is all it takes to save the lives of animals, keep the environment that much cleaner, and peoples' wallets filled with nickels.



*Your own results may vary
**Trust me on this, DO NOT try feeding plastic bags to animals at home.....or anywhere else for that matter

The No More No Less Faucet

Water is a vital nutrient needed for the survival of all life forms. This includes plants, animals, and us humans. Yes, even the mighty human race must depend on water to survive. When it comes to helping the environment, water conservation is an important key factor. Even if it is just using less water at home, or turning the tap off, our little contributions often make the greatest difference in water conservation. The product I have chosen is the "No More No Less" faucet designed by Jasper Hou. This product not only provides visual ecstasy, it brings cooking and saving water to a whole new dimension. The LCD screen displays a number of functions that will aid our journey of water conservation. The screen shows the current amount of water flow, and the temperature of the water. This is exceptionally useful when we are making instant coffee or similar products. The amount and temperature of the water can be preset and controlled so that no amount of water goes to waste, and the faucet will immediately stop water from flowing. That means making the perfect cup of instant coffee every single time. Furthermore, the faucet can also record the total water outflow from this faucet, so we will have an idea of how much water we are using. Another function this faucet provides is the 30-second meter. The 30-second meter will turn off the faucet 30 seconds after it was last used to ensure that there is no flooding, and no extra water is wasted. Moreover, to top all of this off, the running water from the faucet powers the LCD screen. This water-conserving faucet does not need any extra electricity and energy to power it. In conclusion, I am tempted to buy this product not only because it is extremely stylish, but it can also help conserve water. Water is important for every living organism's survival, and everyone should participate or try to conserve water. I believe that by using Jasper Hou's invention, the "No More No Less", we can save water from our own home, and spread the idea of water conservation.

http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/09/23/a-quantitative-tap/

Biodegradable Doggie Bags

This planet is a beautiful oasis in our barren solar system, and it is very important the we preserve it by buying and using environmentally sustainable products.One product I would buy and use regularly are biodegradable doggie bags. My dog, Rusty, requires daily walks twice a day. And of course, this requires me to pick up his mess. Since he is a fairly large dog, I use a lot of plastic bags. These plastic bags take hundreds of years to decompose and pollute the environment for a very long time. Therefore, by using these biodegradable doggie bags, I can reduce the amount of waste I produce. This is because these bags decompose and are converted to carbon dioxide, water and humic matter, which can then be converted into other natural substances. This is a much smaller burden on the environment compared to conventional plastic bags. Not to mention that once I start using these biodegradable doggie bags, I can go further and use biodegradable bags for my garbage as well. This is an easy, environmentally sustainable product that I can use to contribute to the growing green movement.

Go to this link for more information:

http://www.ecosafeplastics.com/qs/page/2858/0/-1

Biodegradable Doggie Bags

Smart Power Mat!

http://www.powermat.com/us/

The Power Mat

Ever since I've been into highschool, I see electronics everywhere. Mainly cell phones. As a cell phone user, such as myself, I need a long battery life so I can communicate with friends and family. Every night I would need to charge my phone. Charging my phone every day isn't just bad for the battery life, but it is also bad for the environment. My parents and I share the same power outlet. We plug 3 phones into 3 separate outlets. But with this product called The Power Mat, there won't be 3 phones using 3 separate outlets. Not only does this power charger mat provide people much convenience because of the wireless charging that it provides, it also saves more energy. Think about it. Would people rather use 3 plugs for 3 separate phones, or 1 plug for 3 separate phones? Of course many people would pick 1 plug for 3 phones because of its convenience and its eco-friendly way of saving energy. It might take awhile to charge a phone, but if it was set it on charge overnight, it wouldn't even matter one bit. The Power Mat charger doesn't only charge phones, but it can also charge the Nintendo DS, PSP, and many other products if they buy the attachment that allows people to charge their electronics on the mat. Also, the Power Smart mat will not give anyone the hassle of the tangling cords, because of course, this product is a wireless charger. The Power Mat charger also has a auto shut off function. Once the electronic is done charging, it would automatically turn off. This not only saves energy, but it also prevents overcharging of the device's battery, which can shorten battery life. Behind the mat also has a magnetic function which shifts the electronic to the best spot that will provide the most efficient charging. Using this product will help the environment if a lot of people use it. Although it won't change the environment right away, but this is a very good first step.

An Incredible Invention

Since the beginning of time, all organisms require water to survive. Animals drink from streams and ponds directly, but for humans, we use cups. By storing water in containers, it is more efficient for us to obtain it whenever we want. We use paper cups all the time at parties and picnics; however, using them will greatly harm the environment, so mugs and water bottles are tremendously preferred instead. By reusing one metal water bottle instead of hundreds of paper ones, it will be a lot cheaper and environmentally friendly. Also, by using water bottles made from thin stainless steel, it will be extremely light and durable, making it more efficient for people to carry and use. Therefore, just by using a single water bottle, we can save thousands of trees and decrease the amount of land fills on our precious earth. 

Fight the rain without pain

It sure rains a lot in Vancouver, during the fall and winter months and droplets of depression often fall for weeks ruining our mood every day. After a hard day of work, the only thing to make things worse is to look  out and find out that it is raining and one did not bring an umbrella, which means one would be soaking wet by the time he or she gets home. There are, however, ways of changing the situation and since I cannot stop the rain, I found umbrellas that could improve people’s mood as well as save the planet. 

My first product is called the “Brelli”, a great looking Japanese styled umbrella which is made out of 100% biodegradable material. Plus, the design of the umbrella is phenomenal enabling one to walk in the rain in style as well feeling guilty free.   If one wants to pursue more fun, let me welcome you the “Eco Brolly”, it is a metal frame which combines with newspaper that transforms magically into an umbrella. It will not leak in the fall drizzle while making traveling in the rain fun, be it letting a politician one hate soak in the rain or letting Justin Bieber’s face turn soggy, it will definitely make a rainy day more entertaining. Not to mention that it is reusing and putting the newspaper to better use.  Since I walk to school every day, both umbrellas would suit me very well. All in all, it would be extremely difficult to chose between the two, maybe I will take the Brelli, maybe I will take the Eco Brolly, or maybe I should take both.


Eco Brolly
Brelly

The Rotating Cell Phone @_@

Ever since mankind has walked the earth, they have always communicated with each other. Whether it is by speaking with the mouth, with your body, or even with hand gestures, there has always been ways to speak with other people. However, the only problem in communicating back then was that you could not speak to someone from quite a distance. This problem was solved when Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone. This allowed humans to speak to each other from a far distance. This was further revolutionized when Martin Cooper made the first cell phone. The cell phone allows people to be able to bring their cell phone around places with them. However, there is a battery life which needs to be recharged every two to four days. This could be solved with the eco-friendly telephone by Mikhail Stawsky. The cell phone is very simple to use and has a sleek design. The most important is that the phone is charged by either spinning the cell phone around, or by cranking the end of the cell phone. This replaces the method of using batteries on a cell phone with a more eco-friendly item. I, personally, would buy this item because I usually have the problem of my cell phone running low on battery. Thus, with this cell phone, I can recharge my battery by twirling/cranking it and I can do something entertaining at the same time! Therefore, I believe that this product will be a great way for me, and other people, to be more eco-friendly considering the several millions of people that own cell phones.


http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/12/01/fully-analog-cellphone-charging/

First Question of 2010!

SHOPPING!

We all shop (or will eventually have to shop) for all sorts of things.

I want you to look at the things you or your family buys. Do you just buy them because they are convenient, cheap, or brand names?

Think: Shoes, coffee, clothing, food… et cetera.

You task for the first entry is to find an environmentally friendly/ethically made/sustainable product that YOU would buy regularly (or use often).

Write one paragraph on WHY you would buy this paragraph, and provide a link to your product (hopefully there is one available).

To be published by Oct 31, 2010.

* TO PUBLISH: Log in, click on the class blog. Click on "new post". When you have checked it, edited it, and made sure it's perfect, click publish at the bottom of the post.

What Do I Do?

Welcome to your class blog!

Every month or so I will ask you one question to respond to on our class blog. The questions will change from month to month. You may have to reflect on world news, yourself, or think about what we did in class.

The requirements:

• Minimum of ONE paragraph, maximum of TWO.
• Do not repeat what someone else has said! If you agree/disagree with someone, say that and explain why.
• Make sure your responses are on topic.
• Support your opinion. If you use outside sources, make sure you submit the citation information or link.
• Proof-read! Do not submit something that is not edited or is grammatically incorrect.

English Incentive 2010-11

Welcome Back!

I have decided to combine the blog from last year, to this year's blog. Feel free to comment on each other's posts - no matter what year you are in. To the Incentive 11's - please keep the comments appropriate and on task.

This blog is for:

• Dylan
• Just
• Lawrence
• Timmy
• Summer
• Matthew
• Leny
• Roxanna
• Shan
• Sean
• Kate
• Michael H.
• Dania
• Jerry

The other class blog, which you can also comment on, is here.

School Budget Cut : We ONLY lost a few coins

My excuse for my late post is the Ashland trip. I have been so hyped up about Ashland for the past two months that I have forgotten all about the blog. I'm sure that twenty or so of my fellow classmates were too, RIGHT?

I expected school budget cuts a long time ago. Maybe it never occurred to people until schools started panicking about funding. Maybe I never knew there were budget cuts before. Maybe I'm totally incorrect. Anyhow, in my opinion the economic crisis should have struck the school boards faster. Firstly, I have totally no idea how the school board works, in terms of funding. If a school is given an amount of money at the start of the year, the budget cuts would not have affected them until the following year. Considering the economic crisis started around 2007, the school board is doing quite well! It took three years, from what I acknowledge, before we finally have a budget cut. Some call the economic crisis “The Great Recession.” I call the school board's budget cut “The Infamous Cut.” The school board's budget cut wasn't anything spectacularly unreasonable. What needs to be done is done. What is unnecessary is gone. There are many ways to cut budget efficiently without too much of a rattle in everyday school activities. Palmer's computer lab had a tremendous upgrade. All the computers are new, including the second computer lab where there used to be broken ancient Mac's. And we did all that from the donation of FutureShop. We never used a penny to get those computers. However, all the necessities must be acquired. For example, the funding towards helping the disabled or special needs must be satisfied. In addition, everyday spending can be reduced. Look at Mr. Wong, he uses cheap gray recycled paper for our homework. Imagine the amount of expensive bleached white thick paper we would throw away every year. Also, we can use a certain font that releases less ink as the printer prints. And there's a bonus, it's more environmentally friendly. To make a final remark, we are very fortunate to have a school system where we get funding and more importantly, free education. A small change can lead to a great saving!

-Gordon F.

Thank you Mr. Baines for giving me a lethal weapon.

In these past few months I have learned a lot from Mr. Baines and his “dictatorship” of Ms. Barley’s classroom. I have also learned, recently, that humor is not only the best medicine for the human soul, but also the best weapon in a writer’s arsenal to bring forth a message. With Ms. Barley’s new Blogspot question in relation to school budget cuts, I have decided to harness the majestic and limitless weapon that the English language dubs as “Satire”. Enjoy!

Budget cuts. School system budget cuts, to be exact. It’s the most popular topic on the minds of hormone raging adolescent teenagers today. The headlines of pop up ads on MSN yell, “NEW GOVERNMENT POLICY, SCHOOLS WILL HAVE LESS FUNDING” and are highlighted in every corner of the internet, whereas “tweets” saying “Usher is babysitting Justin Bieber tonight” are rarely even heard of. Indeed, the budget cut to student education is the one problem in life that keeps us teenagers up at night. We are constantly told of how the government is cutting funding to the art programs in schools and the community, of how many workers within the education system must be laid off, and of how all of this effects our own education. One hundred percent of the student populace knows exactly why, when, how, what, and where these budget cuts are happening. We even study entire encyclopedias on how the government is able to take away the much needed funding to support the public education system. Most importantly, though, we pride ourselves in not being able to do anything to change it. Sure, the budget cuts obviously affect us – as actual students who are actually learning—but we don’t have a need to vote at all. Psh, voting is for old people! Youth today don’t need our voices to be heard, we don’t need our opinions expressed, and we don’t need to know about what the government is planning to do with all the money that they cut from our education. Bah! Who needs education anyways? It’s just the vital process of which our juvenile brains are subjected to through long years of critical instruction, right? Right. And with the budget cuts come limited materials for students, limited programs, limited courses, limited exploration, and limited learning. All these budget cuts will touch almost every aspect of our educated lives, but we don’t need to worry about it. The government can worry about it. Students today, we don’t even need to know about it. But we do. Every single last one of us knows all about the budget cuts that are happening right under our noses. Every single last one of us pays more attention to our education than they do to Justin Bieber.

-Khu

Be observant!

In my opinion, it is definitely very important for students to be aware of the control the government has on their education, and also budget cuts on the school system. A real-life example is the extension on Spring Break. It won't be very nice if a student became oblivious to this too-good-to-be-true fact, right? Imagine waking up and rushing to school in morning just to discover that school is closed. By adding about 15 minutes to every school day, the school board can do away with 5 days of expenses. It's a win-win situation, more breaks for us and teachers, and the school board saves money. Here's another example, what if, and I mean what if, the government decides that all "A" students will have to take out the trash across Vancouver starting from after school till dinner time. Any hard-working "A" student oblivious to this new rule will be shocked to be submitted to this consequence after school. Any hard-working student who is wise enough to be aware of government control on their school system will make sure that their marks are no higher than a "B+". So, it is good to know the changes in our education and our school, just like how it is good to know what is going on around us in the world, that is, not be ignorant. Does it sometimes seem annoying when you want to converse about something and they give you the "confused" look?

Next Question...

Firstly, I miss you!

Secondly, I am going to delete your blog randomness.

Thirdly, here's your next blog question. It is due on April 30.

Government Policy/Budget Cut Question...

Some places you may direct your answers...

Are you aware of the budget cuts going on in our school system?
How will the budget cuts affect you?
How important is it for you to be aware of the control the government has on your education? You cannot vote - so is it important at all?
If you are oblivious to what is going on, why?

Take the topic and go in any direction that feels right to you. Please have ONE well organized paragraph. Make this one the best yet.

Vancouver Youth Poetry Slam

There has been some interest in going out and participating in the Van Youth Poetry Slams.

This event is amazing. If any of you are interested, get together and go! I am happy to help you get involved.

Check it out here! Read the rules before you go.

Spirit Weak?

Spirit Weeks, something my peers and I rarely get involved with. There are many reasons why people do not participate in spirit week events, let it be a club meeting or simply a lack of interest. To be honest, over the period of two years, I have only participated in Spirit Week activities once. Why am I such a boring and "spirit weak" person you may ask? I am not boring, nor am I a dispirited person. In fact, i'm quite the opposite. I just have a different way of showing my spirit. To some people, being involved in Spirit Weeks may seem kind of preposterous. However, it is impossible to cook a dish that suits everyone's taste. Therefore, I really appriciate the time and continuous effort the Student Council members puts in to plan and host Spirit Week Events, and I hope they will continue to do their best. Because many people do enjoy Spirit Week Events. Spirit Weeks, as fun as it may be for some people, is not something I really forward to every month; Nevertheless it gives the repetitive school life some color. And what's so bad about watching other poeple have fun?

Poetry Contest!

Again, congrats to Jisong for entering and winning the Creative Communication Poetry contest!

I would like all of you to enter the next one. Since you have all just written wonderful poems, it will be easy! Check it out here

Spirit weeks or just another dull week?

Spirit weeks are a fun way to interact with other students in our palmer community and it is definitely important to our Palmer community. In Palmer, spirit weeks allow students to feel like a part of the Palmer community and it also gets students excited about going to school the next day. Feeling like a part of the Palmer community is a big achievement to students especially for grade eights who are new to the school environment. Also students spend most of their time in school learning, so why not make it fun? In our small palmer community student council try their best to encourage other people to participate in these events because it shapes one’s view on high school. For example, many graduates will probably not remember what they did in their period 2- 4 class instead they will remember their club activities and their participation on spirit weeks. Personally if I ever looked back in my high school memories I would not want them to be regrets of what opportunities I missed and the fun that I would have got from it. Overall, spirit weeks motivates students to come to school in a positive way, make them feel like a palmer student, widen their social circle and gives happy memories about their high school live. So here is the real question: Would you rather participate at a spirit week and experience the ride or look back to high school and question yourself “what would have happened if I tried participating at one spirit week, would my whole high school life be changed?”

Spirit Week

Yes, those five days in which we call Spirit Week. Unfortunately, I usually don't participate. Let me tell you why. Honestly, some of the events, or shall I say, a lot of the events, require us to act unusual. Take, for instance, Wacky Hair Day, I think it is inconvenient to spend time making your hair look unusual, and, most importantly, showing people how unusual you can be. Maybe some people like to do that, but I don't. Here's another example, take Inside Out Day, first of all, there seems to be no point in wearing your clothes inside out, anyway, it looks messy with all the stitches and pockets showing out. It's just another way of showing everybody how unusual you can act. This is why I don't participate in Spirit Week. This is why half the Incentive class doesn't participate in Spirit Week. We (as in, half the class) don't like to act out of our moral code. Not everyone likes to try new things everyday. There are lots of people with different personalities in this world. So far, I have only complained about how "bad" is Spirit Week. By now, if you are someone who agrees with me, then, well, Good! However if you are someone who loves Spirit Week, you would probably want to chuck whatever is at your disposal at me. Now, before you do that, let me tell you what I like about Spirit. I said that I would not participate, but I never said that I wouldn't be a spectator. It's fun to watch all those shows they put up in during lunchtime. Looking at all the crazy concoctions people can cook up. It just makes the day less boring. The Student Council did do a good job of providing free entertainment. Anyway, isn't that what Spirit Week is for?

Do you have spirit week? OF COURSE.....

Sprit week? Spirt week? Sprite week??? Spirit week! Exactly something I rarely get involved with. I thank all the people who help create this wonderful event every once and then. But too bad, not everyone is enthusiastic enough to participate. Do you remember the “Inside-out day?” Personally, I prefer to wear my pants with the pockets on the inside and also my underwear under my pants and not showing my favourite cartoon characters. I, as an Incentive student, have two personalities. One, I am a hard working student and two, a gamer addict. Does Incentive have any relationship to spirit week? I doubt it. There are many Incentive students, who are far far far far far more enthusiastic than me, who participate in, if not all, 75% of the spirit weeks. There are just people who are more academically involved rather than showing “spirit” to everyone in the school. Heck, student council should create events that involve academics. For example, they can host a competition of some academic subject. Most importantly, the participants don't have to perform on stage, they only want to join and have fun. There can be spectators but not in large areas, like the lounge at lunch. Keep in mind those are just opinions. Spirit week isn't bad at all. Everyone has fun on spirit week, for spectators and participants. Look at all the people laughing at the lounge at lunchtimes when there's an event from student council. The events are awesome and it is something special about Palmer. We have a group of wonderful students who dedicate their times to make the spirit week possible. Compared to some other schools, we rock. Every school needs something to remember about. This is called childhood memories. All in all, spirit week isn't something we'd all participate in but we'd enjoy watching others do. Yeah... since we are talking about spirit week, we should be having fun so this paragraph was written in a more speech-like and talkative way. The end.

Why not?

Why not dress up for spirit week? Why not have some fun with friends? Why not show some Palmer pride? Many people do not dress up for Spirit week because they are scared of embarrassing themselves, but who will actually make fun of them? Palmer is a relatively small school which is great, because everyone’s friendly and familiar with one another. Some people do not dress up for Spirit week because they think it’s a hassle. Yes, some of the Spirit days are quite hard to prepare for because of their complicated themes, but it only takes 10 minutes maximum to plan out something. Take those ten minutes you spend rolling around in bed trying to sleep, and use them to plan out a superb Spirit week costume! Like growing tulips, a little effort will bring beautiful results. If one thinks that “Oh, even if I dress up it won’t make a difference. Other people aren’t going to do it anyways”, then they are wrong. If a couple of people see you, they might dress up as well, and if their friends see them have so much spirit, they might do it too. Pass on the Palmer Spirit! One can only attend Palmer for five years maximum (for most people anyways), so how many Spirit weeks will there be? When one is done with secondary school, where else can they participate in a school Spirit week? Enjoy being a Griffin while you still can, for time flies by quickly. Be involved with our school, make memories that will last for all the years to come, and most importantly, have Spirit! So now, why exactly won’t you want to participate in Spirit week? WHY NOT?

Lame Jokes to Spirit Week

“Knock, knock,” I spoke into the microphone that day in the lounge.
“Who's there?” Came a chorus of voices from the Grade 10 student body.
“Kallie.”
“Kallie who?”
I waited momentarily for the words to sink in.
Then, when they finally understood, my fellow peers laughed happily and loudly at the lame joke my brother and I had derived from our last name, “Hu”.
This was me back in the June of 2009 when I stood in front of the whole Grade 10 populace of R.C. Palmer Secondary School. Why had I decided to tell a horridly bad joke to all of my peers? Simply put, I was running for Grade 10 Representative for Student Council. Though it was not the most mature and intelligent way to draw attention to your election speech, it was a very effective one. During the rest of my speech, I spoke of how I wanted to help bring fresh ideas to Student council and it's events. Things like school dances and functions were on the top of my list, but one of the most important points to me was the one about Spirit Weeks. I had often taken part of spirit week back in grade eight, when I was a gleaming eyed and bushy tailed eager beaver suddenly tossed into a pool of high school adolescence; but as I entered grade nine I lacked the thoughtful participation I would usually bring to Spirit weeks. I found myself too lazy to follow through with all the suddenly pronounced and sometimes outrageous spirit days that were advertised in hugely painted posters in the lounge. I found spirit week somewhat of a hassle for I had a busy schedule with lots of incentive homework to worry about. But, most of all, I found that the spirit days were just not interesting anymore and were slightly repetitive. Don't get me wrong, I still partook in the celebration from time to time but there was something monotonous about it. From this, I was given the thought that maybe I should contribute my own ideas for spirit week. I had friends who were in Student council already that could deliver the ideas to council, but then I thought that I could definitely do more in helping Palmer's student body have some fun and show it's spirit (and I mean not just through spirit weeks). So then I stood in front of my grade in June and stumbled through my “lame-joke” speech, and I became a member of Student council. When I was in student council, though, I learned that figuring out spirit week days were actually a very difficult task. There are so many variables to consider about the students, time of year, and difficulty level of each day while trying to keep it creative. Also, it was something that had to have the majority vote in the council. Ideas that are creative and interesting for the entire school are hard to come by and the Student council puts in a lot of effort to try to make these ideas succeed through advertisements and lunch events. Now, I know many of these advertisements are not heard (for example, in the announcements) and that some days are hard for people to do (for example, pajama day for the people who do not own pajamas), but I've seen that if we can get the whole lounge to be bathed in a neon glow from their clothing on tight and bright day, or if we see a sea of raging monsters strutting down the runway on Halloween, or even if we just have people eating caramelized onions and wasabi cupcakes, that we can really join Palmer together as a community that has spirit. And, in the end, this is the definite goal of spirit week.

Spirit Week

Every time Spirit Week announcements are made, it seems that barely anybody listens and take notice of the themes that are coming-soon. This seems to happen in most of my classes, but I am not sure about the other classes. Anyways, I am not a participant of the Spirit Weeks at Palmer. Yes, participating in these school events demonstrates that one does have school spirit and pride, but some of the ideas/themes are just "no-comment." I temporarily can't find the word I'm looking for, but picture-wise, it would look something like this: o_o" . An example of a Spirit Day that is "o_o" is BYOB (bring your own banana) day. Even though fruits are healthy and we should be bring and eating them daily, it doesn't quite fit into the lifestyle of a student. What I mean by that is directed to students that enjoy Spirit Week, but doesn't bring fruits to school, compared to ones that do bring fruits daily. For example, student Z hates fruits, but once BYOB was announced, student Z immediately brought one the day of the actual event. It does not fit to Z's regular lifestyle. Well, back to reality. As I have said before, I do not participate in Spirit Week activities and themes, but with one exception. I have participated in one Spirit Day over the lapse of x number of Spirit Weeks several times in the past. That Spirit Day is Blue and White Day. That is the only Spirit Day I am willing to take part in. Although I am not the type of student to take part in these school events, I do show my Palmer pride by wearing blue and white on the day of the actual blue and white day. I am not completely "unenthused," for I do participate in 20% of the Spirit Week days. (5 days in a week; 5 themes in a spirit week; blue and white day being one out of five spirit days;1/5=20%)

Spirit Week

"I've got spirit, yes I do, I've got spirit, how about you?"

Apparently not. At least not to the majority of the students at RC Palmer Secondary. Spirit week is five school days with different themes and interesting activities put on by our very own Student Council. It's fun to participate in, promotes school spirit, and provides us with a legitimate excuse to "forget" to brush our hair or wear that goofy shirt we could never wear on a normal school day. The question then becomes, why does it seem like only a fraction of the school population participates in this event? In my opinion, I think this is the case simply because most people "don't bother." If you're reading this, tell me: Do you participate in Spirit Week? Some of you may sit up in your chair and exclaim, "Yes, I do!" But I'm sure there are some people who don't. People feel it's unnecessary to waste their time doing something that won't benefit in them in anyway (because, as we've all realized from our previous blog, the new generation wants things fast and to the point). However, we must realize that Student Council puts in countless hours not only deciding on the days of the spirit week, but also on what kind of days to have, what activities to have, and they must also make posters and announcements. Who do they do this for? The students of Palmer of course. Sure, maybe in the long run, dressing up as a cowboy for a day of school won't assist you in your future careers. But in two and a half years, we will be leaving high school and all of this behind. By then, we will have plenty of time to do things that WILL benefit us. Don't we all want to look back someday and think, "WOW, I can't believe I did that in high school!" ? Some people may also be worried that if they participate in spirit week, they'll look silly, or people may laugh at them. The best solution: Get a group of friends and dress up together. Ironically, it's the people who DON'T dress up for spirit week that are "out of place." Spirit Week is really Student Council's effort to strengthen friendships and SPIRIT within our school, so let's show our appreciation to them, and show just how much spirit a little school like Palmer has. :)

Spirit week is one of the most exciting parts of high school and Palmer. I don't always dress up for spirit week but it is always very exciting to see other people dress up for it. My favorite spirit week day was multicultural day and I was so excited about that because I was going to wear my Indian clothes. Even though I could not wear my suit on that day it was still nice to see other people wear it. I would like to be a part of spirit week more often because that way I get to participate in the lunch time activities. That is another reason I love spirit weeks because of the lunch time activites. Those are so fun to watch and more fun to participate in. I haven't participated in any before but I would for sure like to be a part of one of the games. It also makes me feel a part of the school if I dress up for something. If we could choose a spirit week day by ourselves my first choice would be dressing up like a famous person. That way there is a lot of choice and everyone would look so different then their usual selves and than everyone else. If we actually have that day I would love to dress up as MICHAEL JACKSON!! I just hope we have a lot more spirit weeks because this year we have just had about 4 but more than that would be great so that we a have a lot of variety and if we could not dress up for the first one there is always another one.

Spirit Week!

" Hello students of R.C.Palmer, remember, next week is Spirit Week! Monday is "blah" day, Tuesday is "blah" day, ( goes on till Friday ). "

You have probably heard those announcements several times this year, yet students are still not willing to participate for Spirit Week. I mean, come on, what is there to be embarrassed about? Palmer is a small high school comparing to the ones in Vancouver or other places, and spirit weeks are perfect for Palmer! As a member of student council, I must participate in these events. But even if I am not in student council, I would still dress up. In my point of view, many students in the school are most likely embarrassed to dress up for events such as " Crazy Hair Day " or " Tight and Bright Day ", but if the majority of the school does it, then there is nothing to be embarrassed about. But I can understand that students don't participate because they don't " feel like it ", but maybe just participate in one or two events out of the week. Honestly, I think spirit week is an awesome thing to have in the school. The members of the student council work hard for these events; don't you guys see those big posters? We spend hours working on them! My recommendation: Just try, dress up for one of the events; trust me, it is fun, if not, sorry, no refunds or exchanges but prizes will be rewarded if you participate:)