This year, Sentinel hosted its first Creative Writing Contest! Inspired by the GUARDS value statements, Sentinel students were tasked with writing a short narrative about someone who inspired them. The contest was a huge success and there were over 60 entries submitted! Four winning entries were selected - two from the junior category and two from the senior category in both English and French. The Sentinel Sun will be featuring the senior winners in this edition! Congratulations to Sherry Yu, Matthew Harland and Raihaan Lalani for winning the Sentinel Creative Writing Competition in the senior category! The Sentinel Sun sat down with the winners to learn more about the people they wrote about, why they like creative writing, and their favourite memories at Sentinel. We have also included their winning essays below.
What made you choose the person you are writing about?
R: Matthew and I both love the movie The Shawshank Redemption so when we were brainstorming, we realized that Andy Dufresne, the movie's main character, exhibited lots of GRIT, making him an easy choice to write about.
M: It was difficult to find a person who inspired both of us, but through the brainstorming sessions, we remembered that we had the same favourite movie: The Shawshank redemption and that the protagonist in that movie, “Andy Dufresne,” is very inspiring.
S: Because my grandparents live so far away it's not as easy to talk to them as I'd like. My grandma has always been such an important part of my life, for once she deserves the credit.
Why do you like Creative Writing/why do you think it is important?
R: Creative Writing is a great way to express your thoughts by reflecting in a creative and laid back way.
M: Creative writing important to express thoughts that you might otherwise forget which can later be reflected upon.
S: I think narrative/prose writing can help you tap into the imaginative part of your brain that rhetorical analyses or literary responses can't. It's often overlooked in many public education systems, I'd love to see it being actively focused on in our school's curriculum - Mr Al Assadi had an entire term on creative writing in grade 9, which is kind of what got me into it.
What is/was your favourite class at Sentinel? (This year or from high school overall)
R: PE 8 with Mr. Gibson
M: My favourite class with Raihaan was grade 8 P.E with Mr. Gibson (he told us about the movie).
S: Either English 9 with Mr Al or my Spanish class last year w/ Ms Newman
What is your favourite memory at Sentinel? (This year or from high school overall)
R: Dressing up as the LA Papers for Halloween in Grade 10.
M: Our favourite memory together from high school overall has to be dressing as the LA Papers for Halloween in grade 10.
S: Probably staying behind with my grade 10 art class to finish a project. it doesn't sound fun now, but everyone just stayed and talked for hours - we also ordered pizza and had several TV shows running in the background.
What are your future goals? (personal or career wise)
R: Go to university and get a degree.
M: Start and run a successful business.
S: I'm going to UBC in the fall for social sciences - I'm not 100% sure what I want to do career wise, so I guess we'll see where that goes.
Scroll down to read their winning essays!
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Sherry Yu: “Portrait of My Grandfather”
When I went home last year, it was my grandma who stood to greet me. Her already slender frame barely stood against the doorway, her shoulders dropping from the burden of my grandfather's recent death.
As if being sick wasn't already enough, the weight she now had to carry was too much for her to handle - I could see it in her bags under her eyes, in her frazzled hair and in the wrinkles of her tired smile. Backlit by the soft glow of her old fluorescent lights, she welcomed me effusively; but I knew the sea of raging emotions in her eyes had more to what she felt than expressed aloud. I had been right.
That night, I heard her voice clinking softly throughout the night, fragile as a china doll through the oak doors, which must've been thinner than she realized. And then I understand that they were sobs. Cries of pain that could only be inflicted from an experience far beyond belief; a cry of love, of pain, of humanity.
I froze, contemplating the burden of choice I now carried on my shoulders. To let her mourn, or to offer her comfort?
Quietly, I slid out of bed and tiptoed into her room.
Her expression was grievous and morose, her sadness lining the walls and seeping through the cracks of what sounded like her heart. Together, we sat on the bed as we soaked the white linen with our sadness. She held me, I held her, and we held each other in the emptiness that my grandpa had left behind.
I couldn't bring him back for her. All I could offer was a shoulder to cry on; a hand to help her up. It was at times like these it was difficult to remember faith, and easy to question why religion existed. Why love someone when this was inevitably the result? What kind of price was this to pay?
When the sun rose an hour later, she had fallen asleep in a small damp pile of sheets, of which she managed to soak all by herself.
As I sat up and looked around, the bedroom which my grandpa had lived in his entire life was exactly the same as I always remembered. Carefully I got up from the bed, managing not the disturb the grumpy, creaky bedposts. I thought I had emptied myself, that I wouldn't have any tears left to cry. But when I picked up a picture frame on the oak dresser and saw a young couple standing in the middle of a schoolhouse, smiling at each other - giving each other the world, I felt my eyes grow damp once again. It was the perfect portrait - the true definition of a candid photo, filled with happiness and blissful ignorance.
"I never spent enough time with him," I told my grandma quietly, the floorboards creaking while she padded towards me. We stood in silence for a couple minutes, watching the golden wash of light in the early morning and the sun rise over the city.
She smiled sadly, finally taking the frame from my hands and glanced endearingly at the portrait of my grandpa. "Sometimes we don't realize until people are gone that moments are worth spending."She didn't need to say anything else. In the silence of the morning we stood as I soaked in her wisdom.
It was then I understood what she was trying to tell me. Every moment is worth memorizing, and if you can't live in the moment with those who love you, what can you do? Because when you realize they're gone, it'll be too late. You can reach and reach, but all you'll grab is empty air.
My grandma inspires me to not only be strong, but love furiously, and in the moment. I can only hope in my lifetime I will be half as wise as her, and a quarter of the way happy. She inspires me to embrace life - both the ugly and wonderful things in the world. Why do we choose to love someone when grief is the price we pay for love? The answer she gave me was simple.
Because we are human, and humans love.
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Raihaan Lalani et Matthew Harland: “Andy Dufresne”
Quand vous êtes au bord du désespoir, qui est là pour insuffler du courage, de l’ardeur et de l’audace ? À notre avis, il n’y a pas de personnes qui sont capables d’être inspirantes tout le temps, par contre il y a un personnage fictionnel. Lorsqu’on cherche à remonter nos esprits, Andy Dufresne dans le film The Shawshank Redemption est inspirant. Nous allons montrer que ce personnage fait preuve de persévérance, l’état d’esprit de développement et par conséquent peut servir comme étant une inspiration.
Andy a été reconnu coupable du meurtre de sa femme -- alors qu’il était innocent -- donc il s’est rendu à la prison de Shawshank. Il a eu du mal à s’adapter à une vie en prison éternelle; en outre, il s’est fait attaquer et violé à plusieurs reprises par une bande de malfaiteurs appelée les Sisters. Puisque les gardes en prison ne se souciaient pas du bien-être des prisonniers, Andy a dû combattre les Sisters lui même, quoiqu’il devait ensuite aller soit à l'infirmerie ou un cachot disciplinaire. Il ne se plaignait jamais et ne leur a pas laissé contrôler sa vie en dépit du 'harcèlement. Pendant ce temps difficile, il a continué de lire des livres et de s’éduquer pour qu’il puisse maintenir son intelligence et formuler un plan ingénieux: obtenir la confiance des gardes en offrant d’aider avec leurs problèmes financiers. Cette ruse lui a permis d’accéder aux endroits interdits aux autres prisonniers et d’établir plus de connexions. Cette action est inspirante parce qu’il surmonte les obstacles avec la sagacité et la perspicacité pour atteindre son but à long terme.
En plus de posséder des caractéristiques comme la sagacité et la confiance en soi, Andy démontre des compétences de la persévérance. Cela est évident quand Andy, qui travaillait comme assistant à la bibliothèque de la prison, a écrit une lettre à la législature de l'état d'Ohio chaque semaine afin d'amasser des fonds pour améliorer la bibliothèque. Il a continué d’envoyer des lettres jusqu'à ce que l’état réponde. Après quelques années, l’état a accédé à la demande, ce qui était bénéfique pour les prisonniers. Une leçon dont on peut extraire est que si vous échouez, essayez à nouveau parce que même s’il semble que tout espoir est perdu, il y a toujours une chance de réussir. De plus, cet exemple démontre que pour être remarqué dans une foule -- ou dans ce cas, une pile de lettres avec des demandes -- il faut se séparer de la foule en faisant quelque chose de spectaculaire. Cette chose spectaculaire était la répétition pour Andy. C’est évident que cet acte courageux d’Andy manifeste la persévérance et la détermination.
Au début du film, Andy a demandé à un détenu s'il pouvait lui procurer un petit marteau pour qu’il puisse collectionner et sculpter des roches. Tandis qu’il a fait cela un peu, la raison principale était pour créer un trou dans sa cellule. Chaque nuit pour 19 ans, il a martelé le mur discrètement et systématiquement jusqu’à ce qu’un trou assez grand pour son corps ait formé. Il a étudié l’architecture de la prison pour savoir comment s’échapper et pour cacher le trou, il a demandé au même détenu de lui trouver des affiches. Enfin, il a trouvé la bravoure pour exécuter son plan. Andy a rampé pour quelques minutes avant d'atteindre la conduite d’égout où il a rampé pour 500 yards dans la saleté en vomissant pour parvenir à la liberté. Il n’a jamais perdu d’espoir et il a trouvé une façon de surmonter l’un des obstacles les plus difficiles au monde: l’évasion d’une prison. Il est un symbole d'optimisme et il nous rappelle que les circonstances peuvent toujours être encore pires.
Bien que Andy Dufresne soit un personnage fictif, il exhibe des caractéristiques -- la persévérance en particulier -- que n’importe quelle personne non fictive aimerait posséder. Son endurance du harcèlement physique, sa persistance en écrivant des lettres et son attitude jusqu’au-boutiste dans la conduite d'égout: Dufresne est l’incarnation du courage. Selon nous, Andy Dufresne personnifie particulièrement la persévérance, mais c’est certain qu’il pourrait représenter une des autres valeurs de G.U.A.R.D.S pour quelqu’un d’autre qui a le privilège de lui regarder dans le film The Shawshank Redemption.
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