Powerful Perseverance
By: Kyle Obra
Introduction
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill is a strong willed and inspirational historical figure. He was born on 1874, in Marlborough England, at his grandfather’s house. He had a little brother, named Jack. His childhood was pretty lonely, since his mother and father had busy lives. His nanny took care of him and was almost like his own mother. Throughout his life he has shown perseverance, inspiration, and courage. For example when Winston Churchill was a student, he was struggling and was known as a trouble maker. Despite his adversities, he worked hard and persevered, which got him accepted in many prestigious schools like Harrow School and Royal Military School. He also had been kicked out of politics many times. But instead of giving up, he was resilient, he still kept active and continued to paint and write books. Around 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister. However, he is known for leading Britain in WWII. He gave a speech called “Blood, Toil, Tears, and Sweat” which gave the people hope that they will beat what seemed like an invincible enemy. During this time, Britain was preparing for war, and looked up to Winston Churchill. He had a lot of courage to lead and protect a country. Winston Churchill once said, “Do not let us speak of darker days, let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days- the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our race.” This quote shows that Winston Churchill worked on getting optimistic thoughts to people during a rough period of time. He kept people going during the war. What would’ve happened to Britain without Winston Churchill? What would’ve happened to the world?
Carry On, Leroy and Dartanyon
Jackie Robinson and the Noble Experiment
Branch Rickey’s Noble Experiment was a big turning point for the rules of baseball. Back then, African Americans were mistreated and judged, even in sports. But Branch Rickey had a goal, to convince the world that race shouldn’t matter and everyone should be treated equally. Before Rickey met Jackie Robinson, he knew a player named Charley Thomas. He experienced the agony of Charley Thomas when he was mistreated for his race. After seeing this, Branch Rickey was given a new strength to fight for equality. He then starts the Noble Experiment, which is to find an African American player to play baseball. Rickey finds Jackie Robinson. Although Jackie Robinson was called a “racial agitator” Rickey saw through the stereotype and saw a talented baseball player. He lets Jackie Robinson play for the Dodgers. At first, Robinson was hesitant to play, he thought “why is this white man suddenly nice to me?” But Jackie Robinson started to trust Branch Rickey after seeing how sincere he was. Jackie Robinson plays for the Dodgers, despite knowing the fact that the public will be hostile. He feels that he should stand up for Branch Rickey, since he has done so much for him. Finally, with the help of each other, Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson were able to take the first step into equality for all. Will they be able to get rid of the hostility of society?Branch Rickey’s Noble Experiment was a big turning point for the rules of baseball. Back then, African Americans were mistreated and judged, even in sports. But Branch Rickey had a goal, to convince the world that race shouldn’t matter and everyone should be treated equally. Before Rickey met Jackie Robinson, he knew a player named Charley Thomas. He experienced the agony of Charley Thomas when he was mistreated for his race. After seeing this, Branch Rickey was given a new strength to fight for equality. He then starts the Noble Experiment, which is to find an African American player to play baseball. Rickey finds Jackie Robinson. Although Jackie Robinson was called a “racial agitator” Rickey saw through the stereotype and saw a talented baseball player. He lets Jackie Robinson play for the Dodgers. At first, Robinson was hesitant to play, he thought “why is this white man suddenly nice to me?” But Jackie Robinson started to trust Branch Rickey after seeing how sincere he was. Rickey wasn’t sorry or just sympathetic, he was really determined to make a change. After that, Jackie Robinson plays for the Dodgers, despite knowing the fact that the public will be hostile. He feels that he should stand up for Branch Rickey, since he has done so much for him. Finally, with the help of each other, Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson were able to take the first step into equality for all. Will they be able to get rid of the hostility of society?
Losing to Win, The Lady Jags
Losing to Win is a video that shows us that for these young teen girls, winning isn’t everything. The video focuses on how believing in yourself can lead to beautiful things. Sometimes you have to lose to persevere through the hardships in life. Because we have a family that loves and cares for us everyday, and friends who support us, we can’t really imagine a life that these girls face everyday. Many of these girls face adversities, like alcoholic parents, poverty, divorced parents, abuse, problems with drugs, bipolar disorder, and one girl’s parents were both in jail. Many of the girls thought that they had hit rock bottom, but they didn’t. They still had hope, but didn’t know where to find it. Luckily, they found Carroll Academy, a school that doesn’t only teach math and science, but also teaches kids that you shouldn’t give up on life. Basketball is part of the girls’ everyday school routine. It teaches them to learn to trust each other and believe in themselves to reach success. The only problem however, is that the Carroll Academy Basketball Team, The Lady Jags, has a 218 game losing streak. This led the girls in The Lady Jags to learn how to open up their hearts to the people who care about them, and learn to depend on each other. With each game, they got better and better. They started to believe in themselves and in each other. Although the Lady Jags didn’t win a game yet, they were pretty close. And for these girls, it didn’t matter if they won or not. All they cared about was finally getting together as a team and beating their own demons. At the end of the year, many went back home, many went back to public schools, and many don’t even play basketball anymore. But each girl will forever carry the memories they made at Carroll Academy, the school that saved their lives.