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In the Heat of the Night by John Ball, the book paints a clear picture of how people of color were treated in the southern states of America after the civil war. Racism was a norm in South Carolina where Sam Wood, a police officer, worked. However, while working on a murder case, Sam meets Virigil, a black homicide cop, who subtely starts to change Sam’s attitude for the better towards people of color.

When first introduced to our main character Sam Wood, he is presented by the author as a hardworking and diligent man. Sam is on the night shift and patrolls the town when everyone else is asleep. Being on the night shift does not require one to pay attention while on duty, most officers would be sleeping in the car. Yet, Sam takes pride in his work and stays “awake and on duty”(2). This shows how Sam is diligent by showing how important it is for him to put in ththe extra effort that is not required by most. Furthermore, Sam shows his high regard for morals when presented with an opportunity to get seduce by a woman. He states that he “despised the kind of man who would peer in windows at night”(3) and immediately, when he knew that “no one was ill (he) turned his eyes away”(4). This displays him as a man who is not swayed by seductive actions shows how he was a high standard for his behavior.

Despite being a conscientious cop, Sam is inherently used to the racist norm of the south, which also makes him a racist. In Chapter 1, Sam claims that black people aren’t as civilized and human as white people, “They haven’t got the same nervous system”(5). His statement shows us how the color of one’s skin determines how they are perceived in the southern states. Sam views people of color as a different group of humans that seemingly can only find success in jobs like being a professional fighter due to their physical build. This is a really demeaning regard because it’s like comparing people of color  to animals that are wild and always fighting. In Chapter 2, Sam physically demonstrated his negative attitude towards people of color by cuffing up a black man without a second thought. Furthermore,he made demeaning remarks by calling the black man a “black boy”(15). This shows us how racism is a determinant of people’s interaction with one another.

However, as he begins to work on a homicide case with Virgil, a black cop, he begins to showcase a change in his behavior. In Chapter 3, Sam prevented himself from saying the n-word and instead said “I found this ni- this man in the railroad station.”(21) This demonstrates a positive affect Virgils has on Sam. By spending time with Virgil, Sam is beginning to see him as an equal. An example of how this relationship is breaking the barrier of racism was when Sam made the police keep their promise of giving Virigl some breakfast. Contrary to when Sam met Virgil earlier on, instead of being exposed to the racist norm, he stands up for Virgil and holds onto his promises.

The author was able to demonstrate Sam’s dynamic character trait by giving us a somewhat limited omniscient point of view in the novel. The author specifically highlights Sam’s interactions with Virgil, showcasing his change in character. We see this portrayed in Chapter 9 where Sam thinks that “Despite his training, he was beginning to like (Virgil) Tibbs as a person.”(90)

In conclusion, the author has chosen Virgil to guide Sam on a path to move towards his non-racist self and start to judge a person for their character traits and not the color of their skin. I predict that Sam will come across a dilemma where he has to choose between Virgil or his old self, a test to see if he has really changed or not. The author has crafted the story in way that has allowed me to empathize with the characters.

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I believe that bottled water should be banned in schools. This is mostly because of two points, plastic pollution and carbon pollution, both leading to environmental damage.

First, plastic bottles, obviously made out of plastic, are really hard to be properly dealt with. As demonstrated in California, not only do over a billion plastic bottles end up in the landfills, they take over “1,000 years to biodegrade” and further “leak toxic additives such as phthalates into the groundwater.” Such damage to the environment should be avoided, not just saving our planet, but saving ourselves as well.

Second, in the process of creating these plastic bottles over “1.5 billion barrels of petroleum are used.” Petroleum, when used, releases carbon dioxide into the air, further adding to our carbon footprint, damaging our planet. Besides, the petroleum used, according to Patrick Thorson, can power 250,000 homes with electricity or 100,000 cars with gasoline for a year. Considering inflation and the prices of such products right now, it would be really helpful for everyone to be able to power their homes at cheaper costs.

In conclusion,  not only does getting rid of plastic bottles help reduce our environmental damage, giving us a chance at fighting climate change, it’ll also drive down the living costs, giving financial mobility to lower income households.

Reflection: Written as one of my first works with Ms. Nazli, this was an argumentative eassy based on plastic bottles. Upon reading multiple articles and watching videos, I wrote an argument on why plastic bottles should be banned from school. I learnt how to incorporate multiple reason to support my argument as well as how to properly structure an essay.

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The Island of Fear

Where children dance, where fires die, beware

our doors lock tight by rules and laws we saw.

On Isle of Fear the devil and angel flare.

In people, lie in wait their hyde’s harsh glare.

A witch’s kiss, releases secret flaws.

Where children dance, where fires die, beware

The wisdom of a man, a beasts cruel snare,

potions carve the two edges to sword's claw.

On Isle of Fear the devil and angel flare.

With flowers that conceal a serpents snare,

He asked for it! We swear, it’s not our flaw!

Where children dance, where fires die, beware

The king, who scrambles for a crown to wear.

Tis was failed hope! Cursed I was to withdraw.

On Isle of Fear the devil and angel flare

Must he lose his aces, before he’s aware?

Targets are found, Spears point, and Swords to draw.

Where children dance, where fires die, beware

HUSH, when the waves of Neptune’s tide are bare,

the mountain’s peaks that finally withdraw.

On Isle of Fear the devil and angel flare

Will we at last foresee ourselves bare?

To end the repeat of humans' tragic paw.

Where children dance, where fires die, beware.

On Isle of Fear the devil and angel flare

Reflection: Written as a final assignment for English class this year, it was fun to approach a new form of poetry. By taking away the tedious task of writing a 500-word essay and introducing a more challenging yet shorter assignment, I was faced with the task of learning. Villanelles consist of two refrains(bolded) that repeat itself throughout the poem. It also includes ABA rhyme for as well as an iambic pentameter structure. The topic for this piece is "the duality of man the exists within each and everyone of us". Futhermore, the poem synthesises "The Lord of the Flies", "Strage Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde", as well as "Macbeth".

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In the novel, Indian Horse, one character that was really interesting was Father Gaston Leboutiller. He was a teacher and priest at St. Jerome's and also the character that introduces hockey to Saul. Father Leboutiller would watch hockey games with Saul and teach him everything about the plays. Furthermore, the priest would fight for a place for Saul on the hockey team which eventually led to him leaving the residential school. However, Saul later paints him as an evil character that was perhaps the reason why he is on such a dark path. Although Father Leboutiller doesn't show up after Saul leaves St. Jerome's, his image is constantly changing for the viewers. Is he an ally for releasing Saul from the school, or is he an enemy for being the reason why Saul lived such a hate-filled life?

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Storytelling has been a method of teaching generations of cultural values and beliefs within Indigenous communities. The stories create an appreciation for the Indigenous community about nature and resources to teach others to cherish them. In my own experience, my family never told stories about our culture or the Earth. This may be because we aren’t deeply rooted in spiritual beliefs and therefore do not feel connected to the land and earth.

In Canada, colonialism has stripped a lot of Indigenous land and culture away from their communities by asserting control over it. Residential schools were built on the idea of taking the “Indian” out of the children. This is an example of ethnic cleansing. A section of the museum highlighted the interactions between the colonists and the Indigenous peoples of Canada, it displayed the colonists seemingly mocking the Indigenous and belittling them for their attire and behaviors.

MOA is a unique museum because as part of reconciliation, it gave the role of designing the museum to the Indigenous peoples of Canada. The design creates a more authentic and therefore, impactful voice where the Indigenous want to paint an accurate and whole picture of history. Not one taught through the lens of colonists and capitalists.

The visit has brought a greater understanding of how the Indigenous peoples of Canada have previously lived their lives as well as the beliefs and values that they harbor. It taught me the importance of education as an act of reconciliation. One important thing the museum taught me was how the Indigenous worked and lived as a community, not as individuals. Different people had different roles that contributed to the greater society. I believe that our current community would benefit from having the same values where we try to serve society before serving ourselves.

If I was given the chance to design an exhibit for the MOA I would want it to highlight different stories that the Indigenous peoples of Canada told. This could be stories of different deities, nature, or hunting experiences. I believe that we can learn a lot about their culture through the stories the elders tell. This would improve the education aspect of reconciliation.

In conclusion, the MOA visit was very eye-opening, and a lot of the "objects" carried deep meanings. It taught me to observe not from one perspective or lens but to observe everything as a whole, including myself. As a visitor I was also part of the exhibit.

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My grade 10 year was where I could truly integrate my learnings in the classroom and my passions. Some notable projects included writing a real estate playbook for teenagers, starting a teenage entrepreneurship community, making a documentary, and more. I took two English courses this year: New Media and English First Peoples. New Media gave me a chance to explore different mediums to connect with my audience, while English First People’s aided me in exploring the world of indigenous learning. Throughout the year, I’ve overcome different academic challenges, experimented with different projects, and learned a lot about myself.

Synthesizing is a skill that I’ve improved on while analyzing texts. Earlier in the year, I struggled with uncovering themes and understanding symbolism. This was because I wasn’t a responsive reader. Although I was an active reader and enjoyed books, I never really stopped to annotate or think more about the text. I overcame this challenge by slowing down my reading and looking for specific clues. It was also due to my passion projects that I learnt how to connect these themes to bigger meanings or learnings. For example, in my last writing assessment this year, I wrote a comparative essay about an Indigenous movie and a poem. I was able to score higher on this assessment because I delved deep into different symbols.

One of my favorite projects this year would be starting the free entrepreneurship community called Bright Ventures. Bright Ventures was originally created for profit, I was trying to sell my experience and network. However, I ultimately decided to keep it free as I wanted to share my experience with as many people as possible. The community aims to be a teenage community, fostering partnerships and relationships between teenage entrepreneurs. As Bright Ventures helped me develop multiple skills, the most notable ones being speaking on camera, interviewing, and staying creative. Posting on Instagram is a big thing among teenagers, especially for those who aim to grow an audience. I thought a lot of people would react cringely or mock me for my posts; however, many were engaged with it. They helped like and boost engagement with my posts, which was a pleasant surprise. In my grade 11 year, I wish to officially launch the Bright Ventures community, along with the help of a couple of other nonprofits and corporations. My goal is to get 100 members by the end of the year.

As a teenager entrepreneur, I started off as a very rushed individual. I would constantly jump at opportunities regardless of whether they seemed real. This nearly caused me to get scammed twic,e which could’ve resulted in tens of thousands of dollars lost. In this year, I’ve learned to slow down and take gradual but certain steps on my journey. I learned to think twice and be more cautious before agreeing to anything. This actually directly ties into one of the Indigenous learning principles - “Learning takes time and patience.” Instead of chasing after the destination, focusing on the journey and the individual steps would yield the greatest returns.

My grade 11 year would most likely be the toughest year of my high school career. My 5 APs, university applications, and student leadership would definitely be tiring. As a grade 11 student, I wish to learn how to properly do test preparation. It isn’t entirely false to say I’ve never actually properly reviewed for a test and instead mostly relied on just listening in class and doing homework. I know that my usual methods would no longer work for the AP exams, as they are advanced for a reason. Over the summer, I wish to develop test preparation and test-taking skills before I have to take those exams through my SAT preparation.

Here are the links to Bright Ventures’ Instagram page and community hub: https://www.skool.com/bright-ventures-9241/about?ref=69251c26b1ee4d98837b113f951fa2b6

https://www.instagram.com/brightventures_?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==