Miss Teen Nova Scotia-World Goes ‘Green’

I would call going ‘green’ like a new fashion trend. In today’s society, going green is in news, politics, fashion and even technology. And now with Planet Green TV Network, you can enjoy green entertainment 24/7.

What is going green? Going green doesn’t mean that you have to change your whole lifestyle, just a few little things for the better of the environment you are living in. When going grocery shopping, try changing your plastic shopping bags, to reusable cloth bags or changing your regular light bulbs to the energy efficient ‘green’ bulbs. Or possibly just lessen the amount of water you use in a day, ex; don’t leave the tap running while brushing your teeth, and take baths instead of showers.

Why go green?  Going green can make your community a cleaner place to live, it can improve air quality, and the best part of all it can reduce your electricity and water bills.

I have been a part of my high schools environment club ‘BMHS Green Team’, for the past 5 years and have noticed a lot of people going green and becoming environmentally aware of the harm done.Our green team has been involved in many green projects around our community, some of them being;

Beach Sweep; Early in the school year, our environment club worked with Richard Crowell (retired Royal Canadian Navy), Bird studies Canada, CPAWS, CSIBA and our Minister of Environment, Sterling Belliveau, to clean Daniels Head beach which is a piping plover protected area. There we found new and old washed up lobster traps, and much more waste.

Walking trails; With the assistance of Dan Earle, I along with the other members of the Green team were involved in making a walking trail around our school. We are still in the process of finishing this project which we started early in September. These trails are used for leisure walks, outdoor classrooms for science classes and workout routes for sports teams in training.

Green Schools Nova Scotia; Our school met up with Spencer Fowlii from Clean Nova Scotia, and the head custodian to discuss how efficient our school is. Through this we were informed that our recycling program is very effective, and we save water through our schools grey water system. The grey water system collects rain water and uses it to flush the toilets at school. (this may sound gross, but it helps our environment and lessens our water costs)

Think Recycle; We were also involved in a Think Recycle program, this is  where we collected empty ink cartridges and old and broken laptops, cellphones, and digital cameras to raise money to make our school more environmentally friendly. All of the products we donated to this company were then used again.

REAL Garden; Our school has conducted a ‘REAL’ garden. The students in our school, the environment club and community members worked together to plant and maintain a beautiful garden in the middle of our bus loop at school. This is a nice and peaceful place for students to study, eat their lunch, or just hang out.

Along with all of these efficient green projects, we also travelled to Acadia University, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia this past weekend (May 4th-6th) to attend an environmental conference. Through going to this mini GOMI conference, we will also be travelling to Boston in July to take place in a Big conference and learn more about our environment. During the three days we spent at Acadia this is what we did;

DAY ONE;  Arriving at Acadia in the late afternoon, first we were assigned our dorms and asked to quickly settle in. This gave us the chance to experience University living, before having the actual out of school experience. Later we were called to the Acadia Cafeteria. Overlooking the whole residence of Acadia, this beautiful view was the perfect backdrop while eating our fresh out of the oven, turkey dinner served to us by the wonderful cooks at the university. After our supper, all of the teams gathered in a meeting area for introductions and an up close and personal game of twister, to get the teams warmed up for more exploration the next day. The night ended with a never ending game of ninja at our dorms.

DAY TWO; Early mornings are definitely not my favorite thing, but when it’s for a good cause I am ready and willing to work. Up at 7am, and off we were headed. First thing in the morning and leading into the afternoon we went on a hike through the mountains. On our hike, we got to see frog eggs, which was very fascinating because I had never witnessed anything like that before. Nature is truely beautiful when you really get to observe it. We spent hours going up and down hills, over rocks, under trees, through marsh muck, swamp water and much more. We also observe many ‘Bear Buscuits’ on the trees. Bear busquits as we call them are a type of fungis that grow on trees, but are very nice to look at. Many people keep them in their homes for decoration. Another thing we got to see, was a woodpeckers hole he had make in a tree. The hole was so deep that it almost went the whole way through the 1/2 foot deep tree.Through this experience we learned about a lot of different flowers, plants, trees, and wild animals. I also learned something about myself.. I’m not in the best shape for hiking, however it is a very good workout. Nonetheless I had an amazing time, and at the end of the hike we got to observe a beautiful eagle in its nest. We then went to a park, overlooking the ocean for our lunch. The view there was spectacular. And at the end of the day, we went and toured Acadia university. Filled with plants, trees, gardens and plant research, this is the most green school I have ever been to.

DAY THREE; On the last day at Acadia, after all the teams ate breakfast and packed up their belongings, we all gathered in front of the university to say our goodbyes. But before we left, the teams took turns planting a tree in thanking the university. We than gathered around the tree, holding hands and gave our blessings and last goodbyes.

So when asked Why go green, remember what it can do for you and your community.

Miss Teen Nova Scotia-World 2012 Kelley Penney.

Written by: Kelley Penney Tagged with:, , , , , , , , , , ,
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Posted On:May 13, 2012 Categories:High School, Miss Teen

Hello from Kelley Penney, Miss Teen Nova Scotia-World 2012

Hello everyone.

My name is Kelley Penney, I am 17 years of age (as of January 12th) and currently in my grade 11 year at Barrington Municipal High School. I am involved in many extra cirriculars, committees, sports and have a passion for volunteering and making a difference in the lives of others

Nova Scotia

Since birth and as of now, I am continueing to live in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia. Located on the tip of Nova Scotia, and only 4 hours from the City of Halifax, I couldn’t picture myself living anywhere else. From the warm sandy beaches in the summer, to the beautiful blanket of white snow in the winter, Nova Scotia is my home. In my community we are always encouraged to stay active. From ‘Row for Nannys Cure’ to ‘Walk for a Cause’, the town of Shelburne County, and the wonderful people in it are always looking for new and exciting ways to bring awareness and help others in the community.

I believe in staying active. Whether it be active in your community events, or physically active, I am always a part of the fun. At my high school, I am apart of many groups and committees. One of them being ‘Circle of Friends’. This is a group organized by one of the teachers, and exercising the help of 5 individuals to take on the responsibility of helping out others in our school. I am a part of this wonderful cause. When enetering high school for the first time, it is very emotional. You quickly learn people change and things are different. You lose some friends and you gain some, the classes get harder, the schedule more confusing and the stress overwhelming. Most people get over these feelings after a year or so. Imagine being in the position of someone who faces these emotions everyday of high school. Having the fear of losing what friends you have, fearing bullies, and some days not even wanting to come to school because of this. The ‘Circle of Friends’ group, helps individuals like this to overcome these fears, and live out their high school years to the fullest. And through helping them become more outgoing and stress-free, we become friends with these people whom were once just classmates. I believe everyone deserves the right to be accepted for who they are, not how they look, act or feel.

Some of the sports I am involved in, include my high school Badminton team. This year was my very first of joining the Badminton team, and it was a thrill to be accpeted and treated like one of others. A short season it was, but during this time I got to compete in badminton games at other schools in my area, and the badminton districs which were held at my school. Although I did not advance, it was a thrill to compete with some of the best in Nova Scotia. I have also been involved in figure skating, since well.. I was able to stand. It took a while to get the hang of, just like walking or riding a bike, but it soon became one of the many things I am passionate about. Since the age of 5, I have been skating competetivly and just for the love of the sport. I have traveled all over Nova Scotia to compete, and have recieved over 10 medals for placing in the top three. I will continue to figure skate, and be active for as long as I can.

One of my many hobbies are photography. The feeling you get being infront of or behind the camera is amazing. I love to model for local photographers, getting tips on ways to pose and attract the camera is really fun. Although I have to say I most enjoy being behind the scene. To capture a moment for someone to cherish and be able to look back on and share with further generations is priceless. Everyone has their own beauty and I love to bring that out in my works.

Most of my spare time I like to spend volunteering. I have been involved in many community and charity events in my lifetime. Every year I enjoy volunteering at my local elementary schools ‘Spring Bazaar’. The children and adults alike in the community come out to this local event for games, auctions, entertainment and great food. All the proceeds raised go back into the school for educational purposes, such as books and learning utensils. Also in my community, for the past several years I have volunteered at my church on Tuesday nights from 6:30-8:00pm, as the Youth Group leader. I organize games, snacks, stories and lessons for the kids to enjoy and spend their Tuesday nights. And lastly, my love for figure skating has brought me to volunteer my time in the fall and winter months, teaching aspiring young skaters. “Practice makes perfect”.

Lastly, I would like to express how thankful I am to have this once in an amazing life time opportunity. I am so greatful to be crowned the new Mss Teen Nova Scotia-World. Last year Sophie Church did an amazing job, in her rein of Miss Teen Nova Scotia. She competed in the Miss Teen Canada-World pageant and placed in the top five, and recently went on and competed in the Miss Teen Universe 2012 pageant and placed 3rd. Congrats to her. I have some very big shoes to fill. I hope I can accomplish great things in my year, and live up to the amazing role model she was, and is.

Photoshoot with local photographer, Jody Vannoden

Thanks for all of you support.

Kelley Penney (Miss Teen Nova Scotia-World 2012)

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Posted On:May 8, 2012 Categories:Fun, High School, Miss Teen, My Hobbies

The Miss Teen Legacy lives on.

 
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Posted On:March 1, 2012 Categories:Uncategorized

Miss Teen Canada-World Pageant

It’s hard to believe it’s finally here, but I am in Toronto right now! So far, this experience has been a whole lot of fun and I am so grateful for this opportunity. I arrived here on Saturday evening, and I got to meet all the lovely ladies. They are all so beautiful and friendly, it’s a great atmosphere. I am so glad that I am fortunate enough to be able to meet all these amazing young women from all over the country.

On Sunday,  things really began to move quickly. In the morning, I got to to go a modelling convention with some of the other girls and do a runway competition. It was really cool. After that, we returned to the hotel (We are staying at the Royal York, and it is gorgeous!) where we had our hair and makeup done for our photo shoot, video shoot and interview. It was a very long day, but lots of fun too. I was extremely nervous for the interview, but I’m glad it is out of the way now. After we finished all these things, we ate dinner, had a briefing of the next day and then went to bed.

Monday was a fun-filled, exciting day and we got to see a lot of really neat things and tour the city of Toronto. We started out with breakfast at 6:15 (meaning I had to wake up at 4:45). Then we went on a Hippo Tour. It was on a bus that actually acts as a boat too and can go in the lake! This was neat, and it let us see more of the city. Next, we went to the CN tower! I am so scared of heights, so I was nervous going up the elevator, but once we got to the top, I was fine. I even stood on the glass floor to take pictures! Then we went to the BallRoom, a new age bowling alley/restaurant/sports bar. We got to bowl, eat some yummy food and hang out for the afternoon. I got to have a nice talk with Miss Teen World, Anastasia from Greece. She is so nice and down to earth. She had some really great advice for us girls. She said to have fun, and focus on the friendships you are making instead of the competition. She’s such a great role model, and so beautiful. We also had Miss United States and Miss Teen United states with us, but I didn’t get to talk to them much yet. After bowling, we went back to the hotel to practice walking before going out for supper. We went to a really nice Greek restaurant, in honour of Anastasia. The food was delicious! Then we came back to the hotel and recieved our opening number shoes and dresses! My dress is pink. Then it was time for bed.

Tuesday began with rehearsals for our final show. We have an opening number, swimsuit number, evening gown and lots of other things to learn and remember. For lunch, we went to Franky Tomatto’s, the buffet was sooooo good! The restaurant had a little leaning tower outside, which was neat. Then, we came back to the hotel and did some more rehearsals. That evening, we went out to see the musical Billy Elliot! I absolutely loved it. It made me laugh, cry and the production was amazing. It is definitely worth going to see. After the show, we got to meet three of the stars! We met one of the four little boys who plays Billy, the boy who plays Michael and the guy who plays Billy’s older brother. I got a picture with Billy! After that, we went out for dinner and karaoke. We all sang along to old songs, like the Spice Girls and Britney Spears and had a blast. It was a pretty late night, and I fell asleep almost as soon as we returned to the hotel.

Wednesday, day 5 was another day jam-packed with rehearsals. We started learning the coreography for our opening number. Our coreographer’s name was Omar, and he’s hilarious. Thankfully, the dance number wasn’t too challenging since I am not a dancer. After lunch, we got to go the store opening of Stylexhange, a cool store in downtown Toronto. They were generous enough to give all of us girls 50% off on everything! Since I just can’t resist a sale, I bought a few things. The clothes there were really nice and they had all the popular trends. Here is their site:http://www.stylexchange.com/ When we were there we also recieved gift bags from Rimmel London, packed full of sweet makeup products! I can’t wait to try them all out. We went back to the hotel and had some more rehearsals. We had a nice surprise that night when one of our hosts showed up to practice our names. Guess who it was? Luke Bilyk from Degrassi! I even got a picture with him. That was pretty exciting.

Thurday was the day of preliminaries, and we had a lot more rehearsals. It takes a lot of work to produce a great show. We also recieved our swimsuits from Baltex Swimwear to wear in the show. They’re super cute! I know I’m going to wear mine all the time. That night, the preliminary competition took place. I was pretty nervous before it started, but once I got on stage I felt good. Everyone looked so elegant and beautiful in their evening gowns. I was so happy to have my parents, my brother, my uncle and two of my close friends there to cheer me on. It felt nice to know that there are so many people who care about me and I know I wouldn’t have been able to do this without their support.

The next day was Friday, and we appeared on Breakfast Television bright and early that morning! Here is a link to the segment: http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/1057029716001.000000/miss-teen-canadaworld/ Being on the set was really cool. We got to see how the show works behind the scenes. On the show, 15-year old Rowan Morrisy performed her tribute to Taylor Swift. She has an amazing voice, check her out on youtube! Throughout the week we also appeared on Etalk and ET Canada. We had a lot more rehearsing to do for the show. Thankfully, that afternoon we got a little nap since we were up so late the night before and woke up so early that morning. It really helped, since that evening was the talent gala. I wasn’t performing, but I really enjoyed the show. There were so many talented girls and it was fun to watch. After the show, we recieved our Miss Teen Canda-World gift bags! Inside there was Marc Jacobs Lola perfume, a T-shirt from Me to We Style, a Harmony Phi pendant, lots of makeup from Pari, hair accessories from Goody, etc. A huge thanks to all of our sponsors for the lovely gifts!

Saturday was the last day of the pageant and also the final night. We went to the Queen Elizabeth theatre in the morning where we had some food and rehearsed some more. Then we went into hair and makeup. I want to thank all of the hair stylists and makeup artists because I know how stressful their jobs must be with 74 girls needing to get ready for the show. They were awesome. Show time got closer and closer but for some reason I wasn’t getting nervous. It was the stangest thing, because I normally get so nervous for things like this! I wasn’t even nervous when we got on stage and performed the opening number, which I must say went really well. Drew and Alicia from Degrassi, our hosts, introduced each one of us individually, and then began to announce the top 20 girls who would compete that evening. My name was called, and I was so excited! I really didn’t know if I would make it or not, since there were so many beautiful, amazing girls. I got ready for the swimsuit portion and still didn’t feel nervous, even when I was on stage walking by myself! I was just so happy that I had made it into the top 20, I didn’t care what happened at that point. After singer Danny Fernandez performed, they brought us out again and announced the top 10. My name was called again! I was astonished! This meant I would compete in the evening gown portion. This was my favourite part of the whole competition because it made me feel like a princess. I love my dress and I feel so confident in it. After evening gown, the top 5 was announced. When the host said my name, I hardly believed it! I was so so happy. Then came the onstage question. If anything, this was what I had worried most about in the whole competition. My question was “What have you learned about Free the Children and what Me to We trip would you take?” I can’t remember exactly what I said because I was in such a daze! Then we walked one last time for the judges to score us 1-5 and exited the stage. Everyone came back on for the special awards to be announced. Top fundraiser and a Me to We trip to Kenya, as well as Miss Congeniality went to Caroline Holley. Best in swimsuit and Supermodel with style went to Alexandra Hanasz (my roomie!) Most photogenic went to Sara Winter. The academic scholarship went to Vanessa Peynenburg. First place in talent went to Tiffarrah Gosman. Then they started to announce the top 5 placing. This was when my heart was beating out of my chest. Fourth runner up was Caroline Holley! Third runner up was Danielle Furneaux! Second runner up was Sophie Church! I was so happy! Then it was Alexandra and Lauren left, and the hosts did their best to drag out announcing the winner. The new Miss Teen Canada-World is… Lauren Howe! Meaning Alexandra Hanasz was First runner up! Congratulations to Lauren and to all the lovely ladies, you were incredible. I feel so fortunate to have met each and every one of you and I hope that we can stay in touch, despite living all over the country. I cannot express how grateful I am for this opportunity. I have learned so much and I had such a good time. Going away from this, I look at it as a huge victory for myself and I hope all 74 girls do as well. I plan to make the most of my title as Miss Teen Nova Scotia-World this year and I hope to take part in more pageants in the future. I feel as if this is something that I am meant to do and I love every minute of it. Thank you all for supporting me, and you can look forward to lots of blog posts!

xoxo

Written by: Sophie Church Tagged with:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Posted On:July 12, 2011 Categories:Toronto

The National Pageant is Just Days Away!

It’s hard to believe that July is already here, and that in two days I will be off to Toronto to compete in the Miss Teen Canada-World pageant. I am so excited, and the time is finally here! I will be flying out on Saturday afternoon, and it’s now Thursday night. I just can’t wait to meet all the girls in person; I know we are going to have an awesome time and develop amazing friendships! It will be a busy week for sure, with all kinds of appearances to make and sights to see. I’m looking forward to the hectic scheduele though, because it will allow us to get the most out of our time in Toronto. I know we will be going to the store opening of stylexchange (http://www.stylexchange.com), visiting the CN tower, and seeing a Billy Elliot concert. I have also heard we will be on T.V, which is pretty exciting!

Preparation

I have been busy over the past few weeks preparing for this pageant! After I finished school for the summer, I went to Montreal with my mom to shop. That’s where I got most of the things I need for the pageant week. We had a really great time, and it’s a beautiful city. It was funny though, because we had planned it as a shopping trip, but when we got there, we found out it was St. Jean-Baptiste (holiday in Quebec) and everything was closed! We still managed to have fun.

Then of course I did my fundraising for free the children. I held a yard sale, which I wrote another blog post about: http://www.missteennovascotia.com/yard-sale-for-free-the-children/. This was a lot of fun and I was able to raise a good amount of money for the charity.

I also spent some time in the salon this week, getting beautified. I had my nails, hair, pedicure and eyebrows done. I was in there just about every day this week! I got real gel nails put on for the first time ever today and I really like them. If you’re in the Bridgewater area, The Look 4U is a great salon, and everyone there is so nice.

Butterflies Already!

As excited as I am for next week, I’m alse feeling really nervous. I don’t really know what to expect but I’m willing to jump into it! This will be such an amazing experience for me, and I’m so grateful that I get a chance to participate. I would like to thank my lovely parents and everyone who has supported me. I wouldn’t be able to do it without you guys!

I hope to be able to keep you updated on all the fun events while I’m in Toronto, but it is going to be very busy! Please take the time to vote for me online (the girl with the most votes automatically moves on to the top 20)! The polls open on Saturday and close one week later. Here is the link:http://www.missteencanadaworld.com/mtcw-finals/finalist-details?id=37084

Written by: Sophie Church Tagged with:, , , , , , ,
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Posted On:July 7, 2011 Categories:Preparing for Toronto

My Own Talk Show

I wonder what it would be like to have my own T.V show… I bet it would be blast! I mean, everyone imagines being the star of their own show at some point, but what would it really be like? Would it be a reality show, a drama, a comedy or a news show? My dream would be to host a talk show, just like Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres or Tyra Banks. These women are all great role models and I would hope to be as successful as they are. It would be fascinating work and I would get to meet so many incredible people. This would be an opportunity to help people and share their stories with the world.

On my show, I would interview all kinds of people, from heroes to celebrities to athletes and politicians. The set would have couches, screens and of course a live audience. Just like Oprah’s show, I would want to cover many controversial issues and educate people about them. In particular however, I would like to focus on issues affecting today’s youth, since I am a teenager myself. These issues would include things such as eating disorders, bullying, teen pregnancy, depression and drug abuse. There are many teens that struggle with these issues and the stress of being a teenager today can be almost unbearable.  I would meet with teens that have lived through these horrors and share their stories with the world in hopes of inspiring other teenagers who may be facing the same problems. By showing how these issues can be overcome, I would hope to help others and impact someone’s life for the better. My first choice for a guest would be Demi Lovato. She is a teenaged Disney star who has met some huge challenges in her life, including depression and bulimia, as a result of the pressure in show business. She is a strong person, and by going to rehab she has been able to heal herself and come out of it a better person. For more on her story, see:http://www.starpulse.com/news/Kevin_Blair/2011/04/24/demi_lovato_opens_up_about_her_breakdo I have heard many inspiring stories on shows like Oprah or Tyra that taught me things I didn’t know before. Maybe I could even offer support and help to people who face such issues, in order to overcome them. This show could also help to educate the general population about the struggles that many teens face in their day to day lives and what they can do to help. Thousands of people watch shows that cover interesting and controversial topics.

 Of course, if I had a talk show I would want to do as much as I possibly could for charity, the same way Oprah, Tyra and Ellen do. I look up to their achievements and the things they have done for others. My show would team up with different charities in order to make a difference. Of course, Free the Children would be a great choice, since they do so much across the globe to help children and youth. I could team up with Me to We Style, a social enterprise that makes ethically manufactured clothing, and donates 50% of its profits to Free The Children. Here is a link to their website, where you can see all their original designs: http://www.metowestyle.com. This organization has great values, and I think it would be cool to work with them. They could provide funds or fun, unique clothing to be worn on the show or given to the audience, and I could advertise their products and highlight their charity contribution. That way, people would be encouraged to buy their products because their money would be going to a good cause. I could do some shows on the issues that affect youth in third world countries, and talk about how Free the Children and Me to We are helping. 

Another sponsor that would be great to work with would be Rimmel, the cosmetic company. Their makeup is all about setting trends, not following them, an important message for teen girls.  Rimmel promotes beauty and confidence, which are also important for teen girls to learn. If Rimmel provided funding for my show, I could provide them with positive advertisement. Perhaps by doing a show on the importance of inner beauty and confidence, I could talk about the way they help give girls confidence. I could also give their products to the audience, so that they could try them out, and buy them if they liked them. Check out their website:  http://www.rimmellondon.com

All in all this show would be about uncovering interesting stories and sharing them with the world. It would allow me to meet amazing people and learn things I may never have learned before. Besides the fun factor, it would give me the opportunity to be a positive role model and to make a difference in the world, something I aspire to do in my life.

Written by: Sophie Church Tagged with:, , , , , ,
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Posted On:July 6, 2011 Categories:Fun

Yard Sale for Free The Children

As a part of competing in this pageant, the contestants are all required to fundraise a certain amount of money for Free The Children, the children’s charity supported by the Miss Teen Canada-World organization. When I learned this, I was excited and ready to take on the challenge. I had a number of ideas for what I might like to do, and in the end I decided that I would hold a yard sale, with all the proceeds going to Free The Children. With the help of my family, I gathered old things to sell, such as books, toys, decorations and household items. It was a lot of work getting all the stuff into boxes, and we ended up having two car loads full! Since my grandparents and their neighbours were already planning to have a yard sale, we went to Dartmouth on Saturday and combined our things with theirs. Generously, they allowed all of the profit to go to the charity and I was very grateful.

Yard sales are actually a lot of fun! People come really early in the morning to get the best items at great prices. There was one man there at 6:50am, even though we weren’t starting until 8:00! Once we did open for business, we had a lot of traffic. All the neighbours were having yard sales too, and they had all advertised well, with posters and ads on kijiji. It was really great because I got to meet all the neighbours and chat about how the day was going and what people were buying. I put up a sign to let people know that the money was going to Free The Children and everyone was very supportive of the fact that we were doing it for charity. People were interested in knowing more about the charity and they were glad to help. I was happy to explain what Free The Children is and tell them all about it. Normally at yard sales, there is a lot of bargaining and haggling to get the best prices. I found that once people knew that this money was for a good cause, they were less likely to try to beat down the prices. A few people even gave me money and told me to keep the change, since it was going to children in need. This warmed my heart and I was so glad to see people really caring about the cause.

Overall, it was a really fun (yet tiring!) day. When people stopped coming by, and things really slowed down, we packed up all of our things and counted up the money. Since it was for my charity, I counted it. I was very excited and pleased to find that we had made twice what I had needed! Since I already had $200 from Miss Teen Nova Scotia 2010, Jessica Atwood, I only needed to make another $200 to meet the $400 minimum. However, in total on Saturday we raised $403.35! I’m so happy, because I know that this money will make a really big difference in the lives of children who really need it. I can’t wait to do more fundraisers already!

Written by: Sophie Church Tagged with:, , , , ,
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Posted On:July 4, 2011 Categories:Free the Children

My School Year 2010-2011

This school year has been quite an eventful one for me and it is one that I will never forget. I started out attending Bridgewater Junior Senior High School, as I had for the last four years (grades 7-10). Then, around Thanksgiving I started thinking a lot about where I wanted to be and what school was right for me. I eventually made the decision to start attending Kings-Edgehill School and I transfered there around the end of October. It was a good decision for me, although it was a very difficult one to make. I am glad I chose to switch schools. While some people may think that Kings-Edgehill allows no freedom (we have mandatory breakfast, cadets, prep-time and lights-out at 10:30), I found the structure very useful. It allowed me to accomplish many things and I am grateful for that. As an I.B. diploma student, I was in fact quite glad to have the two hours of quiet to do homework each night!

This year, I made lots of new friends. I met people through volleyball, school, rugby and living together on campus. These people I will surely never forget, although some of them have graduated and will be moving on to new beginnings. Luckily, I was also able to stay connected to my friends here in Bridgewater, despite the distance, and I look forward to spending time with them over the summer.

Academically, the 2010-2011 school year was by far the hardest I have ever seen. My courses were: Higher Level Chemistry, Higher Level Biology, Higher Level History, Standard Level Math, Standard Level English, Standard Level French, African Studies and Theory of Knowledge. It was quite the load of work, but I pulled through and recieved honours, as well as the Standard Level English award.

There were some really memorable things that happened this year, which I will never forget. Travelling to Kenya with 44 students and teachers from my school to help construct classrooms for children in need was truly an experience of a lifetime. Being crowned Miss Teen Nova Scotia-World, and then having all of my peers and teachers congratulate me was really awesome. Watching the school musical Cabaret in the fall, which was a huge success. Learning a new sport, rugby, which I never though I would try. Marching in the band with my entire school’s cadet corps on Rememberence Day and our annual Sunset Ceremony in May. Going to prom with my good friend from Jamacia, who I will miss dearly. Finally, watching my older brother walk across the stage and recieve his high school diploma, a moment I will always treasure.

My brother Benjamin and I have always been close. Being only 20 months apart, we grew up together and we were often mistaken for twins. Seeing him graduate on Saturday morning really plucked my heart strings, and I shed a few tears. I know that he will be home to visit us from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario as much as he can, but I am still sad to see him go so far away. I wish him, as well as all of the other graduates of 2011 the best of luck in their future indeavours.

In many ways, this school year was full of new beginnnings for me. I just hope that my senior year will be as memorable and incredible as this one was!

xox

Written by: Sophie Church Tagged with:, , , , , , ,
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Posted On:June 21, 2011 Categories:High School

The Webkinz Foundation & Free the Children: Making a Difference in the Lives of Kids Everywhere

When most people hear the brand name Webkinz, they think of the cute, cuddly stuffed animals that come with secret codes. These codes are used to log in to Webkinz World, a virtual world where kids can play with and take care of their pets online. They can play games and perform jobs in order to earn Kinz cash, which buys them things for their Webkinz. The Webkinz World site was launched by the Ganz company in 2005, and it has been very successful ever since. The Ganz corporation is a family-run Canadian company which was founded in 1950 by holocaust survivor Samuel Ganz . Today, brothers Sam and Howard Ganz have been able to found the Webkinz Foundation, a charity that focuses on children’s programs across the globe. The Webkinz Foundation is a corporate partner of the Free the Children organization.

                Free the Children is an organization that focuses on children helping children through education. It is a very reputable charity worldwide, and the Miss Teen Canada-World organization is one of its many supporters. Free the Children has a valuable and important mission to “Free children from poverty. Free children from exploitation. Free children from the idea that they are powerless to change the world.” Here is a video from the Free the Children official website that explains what this charity is all about, and how it is helping kids around the world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RiUHRCK0yw&feature=player_embedded#at=143

                You may be wondering how these two great organizations got together. Since both charities are all about making a difference in the lives of children around the world, it was a natural fit. In January 2009, two years after the Webkinz Foundation was established, it granted 135,000.00$ to the Free the Children’s Adopt-a-Village program. This generous amount of money was used in the rural community of Caihe, in Gansu China where the education of children had been greatly hindered the year before by the Sichuan earthquake, which destroyed the community’s only school. The goal was to provide this underdeveloped community with health care, education, water and sanitation and an alternative income program. This phenomenal partnership allowed for serious changes to be made in Caihe, and the lives of many children were bettered as a result. Here is a link to the progress report of this project, written in the autumn of 2009 : http://www.webkinzfoundation.org/news/report3.html. It is evident that this partnership has allowed both organizations to make a difference in the lives of the children and people of the community of Caihe. It is really incredible how teamwork has made the sustainability of this poor, rural place a possibility, and a reality. I highly recommend that you read this story of the people of Caihe, for it touched my heart and I have no doubt it will touch yours as well. This partnership, between Free the Children and the Webkinz Foundation brings hope for the future, as the two organizations plan to collaborate again in the future. This beautiful relationship will surely bring about positive change in our world, by educating the leaders of tomorrow and providing them with the necessities of life.

                The Webkinz Foundation also supports many other great charities, in order to carry out their the mission of “Improving the Welfare, Development, Health and Safety of Children”. The Webkinz Foundation has a beautiful vision of a world where all children are educated, well nourished and have access to quality healthcare. This is something we should all strive to see, for children are the future of our world and yet they are often the people who suffer the most from poverty. Children cannot control their situation; they are sometimes born into a life of problems and misery which they can do nothing about. I think that what the Webkinz Foundation does is very honourable and important. They are helping to give children what they need and deserve, by supporting programs that benefit children all over the world.

               The Caring Valley is yet another way that the Webkinz Foundation contributes to the development of children. It was created to teach children about the importance of giving to others and how “something wonderful happens when you show you care”. In this area of the Webkinz World site, members are able to plant four saplings where ever they choose to do so.

There are 5 different sections of The Caring Valley:

  • Making Dreams Come True (wish fulfillment)
  • Learn for the Future (education)
  • Healthy & Happy (health care)
  • Dare to Discover (medical research)
  • Caring Round the World (international programs)

In each section, the kids can learn about different children’s charities, and then choose to plant their saplings with the charity that means the most to them. The Webkinz Foundation considers where members plant their saplings when they are making donations to child-focused charities.

                Now, you might wonder why I chose the Webkinz Foundation to write about as one of Free the Children’s valuable partners, as there are over sixty and they are all fantastic. Well, I will let you in on a little (or maybe big) secret of mine: There was a time when I played Webkinz myself, and I can tell you from experience that it is really fun, and addictive! I had five Webkinz: a pug, a Chihuahua, a panda, a beaver and a cat. It might seem nerdy of me, but if you try it out, you will understand that it can be fun for people of all ages as well as very young children! Here is a picture of me with my adorable Webkinz pets, which I have kept safe and sound in my attic until now.

                This assignment is about Corporate Social Responsibility. I think that it is very important for successful corporations to help out in the world and the Webkinz Foundation is a great example of this. They have a strong cause and they put a lot of money into programs to help children. It is great how they teach kids about compassion for others, and giving. Their partnership with Free the Children is a very beneficial one, and I hope that the two organizations continue to collaborate in the future.

For more information on the Webkinz Foundation, please visit:  http://www.webkinzfoundation.org/index.html

For more information on Free the Children, please redirect to: http://www.freethechildren.com/

To learn how much fun Webkinz World is, see:  http://www.webkinz.com/

xox

Written by: Sophie Church Tagged with:, , , , , , , , ,
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Posted On:June 21, 2011 Categories:Free the Children

Canada’s Ocean Playground

The sign that welcomes you to my town, Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, says that it is The Main Street of the South Shore. This is true in many ways. Although it is a small town with a population of just 8 000 people, it offers many great amenities, including restaurants, shopping and sports facilities. It is a town that is growing quickly and new businesses are popping up all the time.

Bridgewater gets its name from the LaHave River that runs through the middle of the town, and the bridges that connect the two river banks. The rivière LaHavre was first discovered by Samuel de Champlain in 1604, and it was the first place he settled when he came to the New World. Since then, the town of Bridgewater has grown and flourished into a lovely little place I am proud to call home. I have lived in Bridgewater my whole life, and it is truly a great place to grow up. It is just large enough that there is always something to do, but small enough to have that great small-town atmosphere. People are very friendly in Bridgewater, and it is a tight-knit community. It’s nice to know that every time I go out in town, I will see a familiar face and a warm smile.

Lunenburg County and the South Shore also have much to offer visitors to the area. Lunenburg is a quaint old fishing town with a beautiful waterfront and many interesting attractions. It was designated a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage site in 1995. Lunenburg is home to the famous Bluenose, (no, the people here do not have blue noses!) the schooner that is represented on Canada’s dime as well as Nova Scotia licence plates and postage stamps. Today, the replication of “the queen of the Atlantic” can be seen when it comes back from its tour of the world. Lunenburg is famous for shipbuilding and fishing, and the heritage of these can be seen at the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. In Chester, the village where I have my cottage just 35 minutes from Bridgewater, sailing is a way of life. This little place comes alive in the summertime, particularly during Race Week, when people come from all over to visit and watch the races. Haven, the television show about police in New Hampshire is filmed in the pretty little village of Chester. Mahone Bay is another small community that is famous for its three historical churches, one of which I have actually been to for worship in the past. Another attractive waterfront town, Mahone Bay hosts many tourists in the summertime and is the home of the Classic Boat Festival and the Scarecrow Festival which is held every autumn.

The South Shore of Nova Scotia is a great place for people who love the outdoors. There are many places for camping, boating, fishing and hiking. Risser’s Beach is one of my favourite places to go in the summer. It is one of the many gorgeous beaches with campgrounds located just outside of Bridgewater. It’s always bustling with people swimming, walking their dogs and laying in the sand. I personally love the ocean that I have grown up with around the South Shore. There is no place I would rather be in the summer time than at the beach, relaxing with friends. National and provincial parks such as Graves Island and Kejimikujik are beautiful areas to explore and great for camping. These parks are very popular with visitors and bring many people to the area.

What makes my hometown and region so unique is that it is unlike any other place you will ever visit. Graced with beaches, quaint fishing towns, parks and historical sites, the South Shore is one of the most interesting places on Earth and is truly Canada’s Ocean Playground, as our licence plates here in Nova Scotia say. People come from all over the world to experience what I enjoy every day and this makes me feel extremely lucky to be able to say that I am a South Shore girl.

Written by: Sophie Church Tagged with:, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Posted On:June 20, 2011 Categories:Miss Teen