You be the Judge – a word from the Fair Queen Contestants

The public is being invited to take part in the Emo Fair Queen competition, by voting for their favourite Letter to the Editor. The reader favourite will be awarded a special prize at the crowning ceremony.

To cast your vote, visit https://buff.ly/3CB07tp. Limit of one vote.

I’m Only 17!?!

by Leah Eve Bagacki

Sponsor: Tompkins Hardware

PANDEMIC! What does the word pandemic mean to a 17 year old girl living in Canada? Let alone in an isolated region called the Rainy River District where you already don’t have the same opportunities and access to simple things like someone to talk to. The wait list is a mile long for a professionals help and you don’t always want to talk to your parents when you’ve been cooped up with them for a year and a half! My mom gave me a book about a girl living through the plague in the 18th century. It does not matter what year you live in the human mind can only handle so much. I’m just a teenage girl trying to navigate dating, working, and school all during a pandemic. And then, more questions of life come to the surface. Was I not good enough for that boy? Why wasn’t I? Will I ever be able to dive deep into the deep end again and LOVE? And money… it does not grow on trees or so I’ve been told. I work two jobs to pay for university, but will I be jeopardizing my grades? Will I get into that university that will guarantee me an internship, that will land me a career in the field of psychology? My mom always says “It takes a village to raise a child”, and now that I’m maturing and too quickly having to become an adult I understand. My parents taught me to never be ashamed what I’m feeling, just to embrace it. It’s all about learning how to work through all that weight. Any person shouldn’t have to feel like they are drowning under the pressure that their village puts on their shoulders, they should never feel like it’s theirs to bare alone. Never be afraid to get your name on that waiting list. You can learn where to go get help when you’re feeling overwhelmed. It’s normal to feel. We are human after all! P.S. I hope I can come back to help those that are on that waiting list.

What’s In a Name? ​

By Makinnley McCormick

Sponser: KB Ranch

There are a lot of things I am passionate about, including horseback riding, spending time with family and…my name. How to spell it, how to say and how it is pronounced. My name has been spelled and said in many different ways. When younger, I thought that there was only one way to spell my name. As I became older I learned there are multiple ways to spell it. However, none of them are quite how I spell MY name. In Ojibwe class, I had the opportunity to learn that a person’s name is more than just a name. It is not something that is assigned but it is something given to us. Our parents spend lots of time making lists, looking up their meanings and debating what name would be the best. In some cultures, there are ceremonies to provide or gift a name. Names connect us to our family, culture and community. More recently, my correct name has more meaning to me than it has in the past. I feel it is important to recognize other’s names and to understand the correct pronunciation of a name. I will learn how to correctly say the names of people I meet and understand the names’ meaning. I will also work to make others with unique names feel comfortable and be proud of who they are. I understand that names have value and importance. I feel passionate about how a name can connect us to the past and present. So what’s in a name? A lot more than people think. The next time I hear a unique name I will be sure to ask if I don’t understand and I will not be offended if I am corrected. I feel they are as important as the person they represent.

What is Art to you?

By Georgia Romyn

Sponsor: Emo Feeds

Art can be many things. Art can tell someone’s story or someone’s beliefs, art can show different kinds of emotions and experiences. Art is a way that an artist can showcase their personality. What art is to me… It is how I show my own personality and interests, it lets me be creative and express my emotions and feelings. The art I enjoy the most is drawing and painting.  I find when I’m drawing or painting it lets me express my personality the best and gives me the escape and break that sometimes I need when I’m feeling frustrated. I first started drawing roses and landscapes and then I started drawing faces, the eyes are my favourite because of all the different shapes, angles, lines and shading that comes with drawing them. Last spring, during the Covid-19 pandemic, art filled up my time as the days could be very long. I would find rocks at my grandparent’s place and paint pictures on them. My Grandma found my painted rocks and put them in her flowerbeds and it always puts a smile on her face when she waters her flowers and that makes me happy. This summer I got my own set of oil paints, canvases and a paint stand so I can paint when I have some down time. In high school this fall, I am looking forward to taking art class where I can learn and improve on my skills. 

Covid-19 and how it affected my grade ⅞ years

By Aynsley Teeple

Sponsor: Tompkins Outdoors

When I was little, I remember looking forward and was so excited for my last years of being a Sturgeon! Never once did I imagine I would end my elementary years in a global pandemic! When I first got told we were moving to online learning in Grade 7, I didn’t know what to expect. I think we all thought we were going to be back in school within a week or two. It ended up being six months until I entered the Sturgeon Creek doors again. Only to find out I had to do more online learning after Christmas; it was totally devastating. My hope for this year was to finish grade 8 in-person and be able to say my goodbyes to the staff and my fellow students. Back to reality, we ended up having our April break and didn’t go back to school for the remainder of the school year. Not to mention, graduation was very different compared to other years. The staff tried their best to make it great, but it was still not what I dreamt. We were only allowed 15 minutes and only two people were able to attend. I was only able to say goodbye to my classmates when leaving a Google Meet. If Covid hadn’t occurred, I could have enjoyed sports tournaments, school events, and in-person learning, with friends. Despite basically two years of switching from in person to online learning, I do consider my final years in elementary school a success, because I was fortunate enough to win awards and be voted Valedictorian! Hopefully, we can go back to in person learning so I can get the full highschool experience!