Student Writing
The Super Hero
Jessi Spence
We all have experienced a break up, two or twelve; some can be brutal, like realizing after months together everything was a complete lie and we were wearing a blindfold the whole time. At some point in life we all will go through a situation that we, as teenagers, never thought in a million years would happen. We watched our friends who used to be happy people begin to sink into this disgusting state where they are never truly themselves, constantly wearing a mask to hide their pain that they are constantly feeling inside.
We all pretend to be “OKAY” at least, but usually we will go into a state of sadness after a break up where we don’t want to do anything. We act recklessly without thinking about what could happen to us in the long run. There are thousands of ways to deal with how our fragile heart breaks, but we tend to sink into a place that tries to force us to swim to survive.
Every high school relationship seems to be the same; a couple dates for a few weeks to a few months, then it would end due to boredom or general unhappiness. A few times I remembered watching my friends getting left by cruel guys and cruel girls and I became “The Superhero” who came to the rescue.
The superhero is someone you can constantly count on in hard situations. They come to the rescue in moments of need, but until then they hide their identity. They are the best friend who forces you to speak and get out of the house. They listen to you and try whisking you away from the pain you feel inside. They are your parents, favourite teacher, sibling, and can be our pets that sense you need them.
My superhero throughout life has been my father. When things got rocky and started to feel like they were going to suffocate me with the drama, my dad would run to my rescue and make me talk over ice cream. My friends have recently been my major superheroes, coming to my rescue making me leave the house and get back into my normal routine trying to make me smile, making me talk and not letting me pretend to be “Okay” anymore.
The superhero is always there, it’s just a matter of letting them in to help. We can be the hero in so many different ways. There is always a hero around the corner waiting for you to be ready to scream for help. Silence is the loudest cry for help that anyone can let out.
International Students
Renata Latka
There are 55 international students at Highland, from Taiwan, China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Mexico and Brazil. Our stay is between two month to a few years long. Some from us plan to go to university after high school. During the stay a few students go home to see their families (Christmas, spring break, summer holiday).
Students have many different reasons they come to Canada. Canada is a safe place to study or live and that is a draw for many. “My mom says I have to go to Canada,” said Lloyd Chin, from Taiwan. He assures us that is wasn’t just to get rid of him. His next stop will be Vancouver.
When we come to Vancouver Island, our English level can be very low because there are no rules about how good the English has to be. Over time our knowledge gets better and better, but it takes time and the power of endurance. After three months in British Columbia we feel that the English level is one to three levels better that at the beginning of our exchange.
The international student program has two special trips or activities per month planne. For example we can go to place like Vancouver or Victoria or Nanaimo to go whale watching or attend a Halloween-party. Usually 45 students from School District 71 can go on these trips. Sometimes there is some room for some Canadian friends. It is important to point out that when the marks are poor the student cannot go to the trips, and this comes up every semester.
Our first big trip was to Hornby Island. We met lots of other kids from different countries. There were some activities like climbing, hiking and games. On the way back to our host families we were tired, but we found some new friends.
“The best thing is to see the kids try something new. Like go camping (Hornby Island) or play in the snow. The opposite side is sad when the kids leave that they may not see the new friends again,“
said James Spruit, one of teachers of the program.