Dear Juniors!
Yes, that’s all of you who just finished your sophomore year! We had a great year together and I want you to get a lot of rest over the summer. Also, it’s very important that you visit your local branch of the public library. As you know, IB learners and knowledgeable thinkers and communicators. One way to stay informed and see other points of view is to READ!
With that goal in mind, I’ve provided several resources to help you make the most of the summer reading for pleasure program.
- Visit http://www.saclibrary.org/ The public library has a summer reading program and you can even win cool prizes!
- IB Students’ Recommended Reading for Pleasure Book List
- IB Teachers’ Summer Reading List
Have a great summer and keep reading!
Mr. Coey
p.s. If you are interested in Camp Titan ’17, our free summer enrichment program at LBHS, there is still space available! Hone your creativity and academic skills in a fun, safe environment with other students who love to think critically about current issues facing our world. We would love to have you join us. Applications are available in the front office. Camp Titan begins Wednesday, June 28.
By: Nha Thanh
Bullying is a serious issue that roams freely in our world and needs to be stopped. This issue is so common in our society that sometimes we forget the severity and tragedies that follow it. Bullies have no repercussions for what they say and do on the internet. How many other teens have been bullied into the world of loneliness, depression, self-harm, and suicides? Bullying is not ok and it often leads to prolonged depression, severe anxiety, physical illness and even suicides. People don’t realize that hurtful words feel like bullets going through your head and knives stabbing your heart. Teachers may think the students could work it out or get over it themselves but in reality, it breaks us down more than anything.
Do you know what I see? I see students being pointed at, laughed at, and slandered at for saying the wrong answer. I see students crying in the bathrooms and their names graffitied on the bathroom walls. I see students drinking alcohol, taking drugs, and cutting themselves, thinking it’s the only way to release the pain built up inside them. I hear the endless sighs of students who are afraid to step out their houses and walk to school due to the trepidations of facing their bullies who hurt and harass them physically and emotionally every day. Everyone deserves to live and pursue happiness no matter what they look like or how different they are. We all have a choice to make and hurting people who are weaker than you and abusing them for your entertainment is not an option.
Now is the time to speak up for your friends, family, or fellow classmates who are being bullied and get involved. You may not be the target of bullying, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do something about it. Again, we are all human beings. We all face insecurities and get hurt at some point in our lives but it’s not alright to hurt others and make them want to die. Now is the time to ask for help and stand up against the bullies because there are many people out there who are going through the same thing as you are and can give you hope.
I have a dream for my generation will be more aware and mindful of what they say and understand that their words do bring consequences whether good or bad. Respect one another and treat others like how they want to be treated. Bullying is not like a rite of passage that you should pass through; it’s a serious topic that can take lives of young teenagers such as Amanda Todd who felt like they were neglected by the world and had nothing to live for. Amanda Todd was an unfortunate teenage girl who suicided because her bullies assaulted her and posted sexual pictures of her on the internet and continued to do so even when she transferred. I have a dream one day my generation will not judge people by their appearances, races, genders, sexual orientations, but the content of their characters. We can make every day better for each other by treating one another with love and respect. The bitter bully bites and beats the bullied and it continues in a chain. However, this time…. “End the chain with you.”