The Citizen, 2000-07-05, Page 13THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2000. PAGE 13.
Brussels Public School
Brussels grads told of qualities to make them complete
By Jessica Spink
Fellow graduates, guests and
teachers.
The graduating class of 2000 has
been through
thick and thin
together. We’ve
overcome many
obstacles, alone
and together.
Each of us has
stored volumes of
memories of our
lives at Brussels
Public School.
Now we have
graduated and
have completed the first part of our
journey.
With the guidance of parents,
teachers, friends and daily experi
ences I have learned that there are
certain qualities that makes a person
more complete and happy with
themselves.
To begin with, achieving self-dis
cipline is an important virtue. We
can all relate to the regret you feel
by saying something in a fit of anger
to a close friend or family member,
or perhaps putting off a homework
assignment because of a Much
Music special on ‘N SYNC! Self
discipline allows us to have courage,
perseverance, and eventually suc
cess in life.
Sometimes it takes courage to
stand up for what you believe in. It
Grade 8 grads— In back, from left: Pat Rushton, Jonathon Marcoux, Jake Turner, David Bondi, Kelly White, Cory Quesenberry, Michael Leppington,
Steven Thornton, Christine Seili, Daniel Cameron, Michael Somerville, Megan Kingwell. Front: Heather Little, Sara Mason, Elyse Wilkinson, Candice
Ross, Ashley Keffer, Kate Aitchison, Michelle Smith, Morgan Bishop, Jessica Spink, Rachael Spears, Amy Bridge, Jennifer Stagen and Rachel Elliott,
also takes courage to admit that
you’ve made a mistake. Sometimes
when we are overcoming obstacles
we need humour to get us by. It can
ease the bumps along the way, just
like the shock absorbers on a bike
seat.
What it comes down to is perse
verance in overcoming obstacles.
We have to learn to create goals for
ourselves and try to achieve them.
As we go through life, we will all
experience roadblocks that will
make it difficult to achieve these
goals.
One example is Thomas Edison.
When he invented the light bulb, he
tried over 2,000 experiments before
he got it to work. A young reporter
asked him how it felt to fail so many
times.
He said, “I never failed once. I
invented the light bulb. It just hap
pened to be a 2,000-step process.
Our friends can also help us
through hard times. Good friends
boost you up when you’re feeling
down, accept your weaknesses as
well as your strengths, and simply
go a little out of their way for you.
All of us have developed friend
ships over the years and they have
helped us in developing more com
passion towards each other.
Everyone knows how it feels to be
teased for one thing or another. It is
important to remember to put your
self in the other person’s shoes.
Good friendships depend on honesty
and loyalty, not only to one another,
but also to yourself.
You know your friendship is
strong when a friend sticks up for
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