12 Compelling Reasons to Read More Books
1. You will optimize your brain power.
This shouldn’t come as a shock, but studies suggest reading makes you smart. Unlike watching television, which requires no thought process, reading is an active learning experience that will keep your mind sharp (even in old age).
Don’t be a stranger. There are so many reasons to come to your school library. Having a chance to hang out with Buck is just one of them.
From the World Health Organization:
World Health Day is celebrated on 7 April every year to mark the anniversary of the founding of WHO in 1948. Each year a theme is selected that highlights a priority area of public health. The Day provides an opportunity for individuals in every community to get involved in activities that can lead to better health. The topic for 2014 is vector-borne diseases.
Mosquitoes, flies, ticks and bugs may be a threat to your health – and that of your family – at home and when travelling. This is the message of this year’s World Health Day, on 7 April. This short video highlights simple measures we can take to protect ourselves.
From the United Nations:
Due to its vast reach and unparalleled popularity, sport is ideally positioned to contribute towards the United Nations’ objectives for development and peace. To raise awareness of this potential, 6 April was declared as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (IDSDP) by the UN General Assembly.
In the words of the Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, Mr. Wilfried Lemke, sport “has the capacity to empower individuals and bring one’s moral values to the forefront” and “can play a strategic role in transferring life skills and communicating useful and encouraging messages on important issues, thus driving social change.”
Who is John Buchan?
In a move that surprised many, the Surrey School Board this morning passed a motion which will close all the school libraries in Surrey. The district was under pressure from the Ministry of Education and the provincial government to make this move.
The school library at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary will be replaced by a Laboratory for the Testing of Hazardous Materials and Bio-Waste. Other schools will have their libraries replaced with different government and private facilities, such as a Motor Vehicles Branch at North Surrey, a Sewage Treatment Plant at Elgin Park and a Minimum Security Jail at Semiahmoo.
Said a provincial government spokesperson, “We had to. You got to find room for so much important government stuff. And, like, you know, nobody reads anymore, so whatevs.”
Many students and parents have reacted with shock and anger. Efforts are being made to mount a campaign to fight this outrageous move. Please be sure to phone or email the Surrey School Board and the superintendent’s Office of School District 36, your local MLA, the Minister of Education and the Premier to express your dismay and disagreement with this ridiculous decision.
I read Feed over the break. It was a quick and easy read, but I am still digesting it. It is a thought-provoking and profound novel, written for Young Adults but definitely worth a read by “Old Adults” too. How much does our constant stated of “connectedness” really help us? How much does it hurt us? Read Feed, by M.T. Anderson, and you will want to think about those questions.
How was your Spring Break? Go anywhere? Do anything special? Most importantly, did you read any good books? Let us know! Share in the comments below.
St. Patrick’s Day is coming up next week.
As it often happens, this year we will be out on March Break when the 17th comes around. But you don’t have to wait until then to celebrate St. Paddy!! Come down to the school library to check out our display of books related to St. Patrick, Ireland, the Celts and all things Irish.
Cead Mile Failte!
The second day of the LTSS Poetry Slam! featured a dozen senior students. An even larger crowd than the previous day came to check out the proceedings. The audience was treated to many outstanding performances. Thanks to all our poets who shared, and to all the students who came out to watch and listen.
March 8 is International Women’s Day. Women continue to struggle for equality in Canada and around the world. In Canada over the past century we have made significant progress towards improving the status of women, particularly in terms of the law and government. However, Canadian women still struggle for equality of pay and opportunity. Canadian women still face discrimination and sexism. Worse, Canadian women are still subject to high levels of violence– worse still, violence carried out by men they know and perhaps even love.
Around the world, the situation is even worse. In many societies women face worse levels of sexism and violence, often with no protection of any sort from the law. In fact, in some places the government endorses, or even carries out the oppression of women.
This is unacceptable. International Women’s Day is not just for women. It is for all of us. Together, men and women must continue to fight for human rights to be guaranteed to all people.
For more on International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day 2014: The shocking statistics that show why it is still so important
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 