Week 1: HOPE, BUILD, BELIEVE, AND ACHIEVE!

As we kick off our Creative Writing Program for the 2009-2010 school year, we acknowledge and discuss this years theme for Cabrini Connections; "Hope, Build, Believe, and Achieve!" We wrote down each word and talked about what the word means to us, how we incorporate that word into our mission at Cabrini and in life, and words that relate to these ideas.

HOPE: Kyana and Jocelyn define hope as another way of wishing or really wanting something to materialize. Charles Hill says, "The word Hope, in my opinion, would mean to be given hope, as in having someone or something to believe in and to give you inspiration to accomplish something." He also says, "The only thing I really hope for in my life is true happiness, especially in a world filled with so much corruption and sorrow." Well done Charles! Kyana hopes for a bright future and Jocelyn hopes she passes the Constitution Test. (We'll help you out with that Jocelyn.)

Words that remind us of Hope were: Faith, Believe, Wish, and Inspiration.

BUILD: The collective opinion on how we define the word Build was to provide a foundation for growth, work hard throughout the years to build friendships, relationships, and to go through obstacles until you achieve your layers of goals. Jocelyn wants to build positive strong friendships, Kyana Kiche wants to build toward becoming a successful Veterinarian, and Charles wants to build a world in peace, without the need for crime, violence and corruption.

Words that remind us of Build were: Structure, Create, Grow, and Foundation.

BELIEVE: We agreed that to Believe is to hold a personal opinion and to stand behind it as factual and representative of what, to us, is true. Charles took a deeper insight with, "To believe is to have a certain mindset, knowing exactly what it is that you stand for and what your opinion on life is." I couldn't agree more Charles! A common denominator of beliefs among this group was, hands down, the power and importance of education.

Words that remind us of Believe were: Faith, Confidence, and Trust.

ACHIEVE: Charles believes that, "To achieve means to get past an obstacle or goal, reaching the destination of accomplishment and satisfaction." Agreed. Jocelyn Jones says, "To achieve something is to complete a project that you have started with satisfaction." Agreed. Kyana simply and accurately states that, "To achieve means to complete a mission." Agreed! To highlight just a few of the many goals these bright young students would like to achieve; Completing High School and furthering their educations, to become productive and successful citizens, and to make the world a better place with their abilities.

Words that remind us of Achieve were: Complete, Finish, Succeed, and Execute.

Next week we will take the theme a step further, but for now, what an excellent kick off to 2009 and we hope to see you all next week!