Fall 2015 Edition of Inspired Magazine.pdf

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COMMUNITY A Day at the Statehouse David Richardson Grade 8 Decatur Township School of Excellence Editor’s note: On Tuesday, Feb. 24, 350 middle and high school students from around the state came to the Indiana Statehouse for Youth Advocacy Day, sponsored by COBI (Children Our Best Investment). Students learned how bills become laws, ate lunch, then met one-on-one with their state legislators. I’m really glad I got to experience the COBI statehouse day. The day started with information about a set of bills that were going to be voted on by the Indiana House of Representatives or Senate. Then they had us find which one of those bills we felt passionate about. I chose House Bill 1638, which is about helping schools with failing grades achieve better grades. I chose this because my school, Decatur Township School of Excellence, doesn’t have a very good school grade but our school has a different learning environment. DTSE is an expeditionary learning school which means we learn much more hands on and in the field — unlike a traditional school that reads out of textbooks and researches online. I was afraid that people who don’t know how our school is run might want to change it in a bad way. We later talked to our representative about how we felt about the bill and how we wanted them to vote. It was really cool to talk to someone with power about a subject that matters to us. My classmates and I never realized we had a voice in politics, especially at our young age. After that we got to sit in the gallery and watch the Indiana Senate or House of Representatives in session. I think the most important thing people can take out of this COBI day at the Statehouse is that everyone has a voice, teenager or senior citizen and everyone in between. This experience has really changed my mind about politics and politics is now on my list of possible career options. 22 Inspired /InspiredKidsIndy /inspiredkidmag
If I Don’t Do It, Who Will? COMMUNITY “If I don’t do it, who will?” This is what ran through my mind when I decided to begin speaking out about Tourette Syndrome. My name is Ian Weiker. I am 16 years old and am currently attending University High School in Carmel as a junior. Even though I live in Indianapolis, I grew up in New Jersey and only moved here in the summer of 2014. I have participated in service for much of my life and have only gotten more involved since I moved to Indy. I grew up knowing that service was important. Doing what you can for your community and the people around you is necessary because they do so much for you. My first experience with service was in third grade. The father of my best friend was in a severe car accident. My family and others in our community created a fundraiser, ML Cares which held a Super “Bowl-a-Thon” fundraiser, where children, and adults, raised money by getting sponsors to pay a certain amount per game. My friend and I went in front of the Board of Education and asked for the community’s support and awareness, which we thankfully obtained. With everyone’s help, we raised over thirty thousand dollars to cover some of the medical costs for the family. Through Boy Scouts and a post-Bar Mitzvah program at my synagogue in New Jersey, I participated in multiple service projects. I have de-weeded and replanted many areas in the town I grew up in. I burned audio books onto CDs for the blind or visually impaired and put on concerts for the residents of multiple elderly homes in New York City. These all were important and I felt like I was making a difference doing them. But all of these were just me following a group, and even though I cared about these activities, they were never made out of my own ambitions and values. Ever since I moved to Indiana, I have gone off on my own and started to forge my own path. I was bullied from an early age. I have ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, and www.readinspiredmag.org Asperger’s. I was also bullied because I was very far ahead of the pack in elementary school in intelligence. I suspect some of my bullies were jealous. This lasted until eighth grade, when the principal finally stepped in. Bullying can occur anywhere and I was once bullied for the oddest of reasons. One summer I attended a weight loss camp, and while there I was bullied because I was “skinny.” Just imagine it, a group of overweight kids making fun of the one kid who’s at least somewhat less so. It seems impossible, but that’s what happened. This past year University High School held a program called “Year of Service” where every student participated in a service project throughout the year. We broke into groups and I ended up in a group by myself because no one else was interested in my project. I was discouraged at first, but I worked extra hard nonetheless. I became a Youth Ambassador for the Indiana Chapter of the Tourette Syndrome Association. This is giving me the opportunity to speak at different schools and youth groups and raise awareness about Tourette Syndrome. One unique thing about University is that anyone is allowed to present at our daily morning meetings or weekly assemblies. This past March, I presented a 40 minute presentation on Tourette Syndrome in front of my entire school of 300 people. It was well-received and many people talked to their families about it afterwards, spreading the word even further. Back on the subject of bullying, my newest service project is just getting started. I am excited to set up a hotline or mentoring program/group for kids being bullied, especially those with learning or social disabilities, but anyone is welcome. In this coming year, I hope to do this as my new Year of Service project and hope that you will join me in this endeavor over the next year. Oftentimes, people avoid service because they think someone else will do it. I am just one example of the success of the reverse. I, and hopefully you, will continue to think, “If I don’t step up, who will?” My program’s working title is STEP UP AGAINST BULLYING. IAN, 16 Grade 11 University High School Carmel, IN Kids Speak 23
Page 1 and 2: Fall Edition 2015 Volume IX NSPIRED
Page 3 and 4: departments features CONTENT Letter
Page 5 and 6: THE WORLD More than Dots in Blue Wa
Page 7 and 8: Give our kids every chance to get b
Page 9 and 10: ART Lizbeth, 16 Grade 10 Broad Ripp
Page 11 and 12: Christopher, 16 Grade 12 Christel H
Page 13 and 14: WRITING Visions of Light: A Christm
Page 15 and 16: WRITING of the retreat Lesia Cartel
Page 17 and 18: FEATURE speaking. I opened my book
Page 19 and 20: Musical DNA® Ken Lemons Patented M
Page 21: Sponsored By: MUSIC to gain motivat
Page 25 and 26: COMMUNITY Melanie M. - age 15, inco
Page 27 and 28: Sponsored By: POETRY HE WHO PREVAIL
Page 29 and 30: PHOTO Victoria,17 Pike High School
Page 31 and 32: Advanced EndoCare is a privately ow

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