WE Day inspires students once again

By Tim Kalinowski on November 3, 2017.

tkalinowski@medicinehatnews @MHNTimKal

More than 100 Medicine Hat area students made the trip to Calgary Wednesday for a day of excitement and inspiration at the annual WE Day event. Vincent Massey Grade 6 students Kolby Ellerman, Zaynna Willoughby and Sara Feko all went up for the day.

“It was a really fun experience,” said Ellerman. “It made me want to try to create something, like some sort of program that can help families and people in need.”

Ellerman said he enjoyed the talk given by Alexandre Trudeau the best, but for Willoughby the standout was double amputee Spencer West.

“I thought Spencer West was very inspiring because he lost his legs at a very young age, but he still explores and does what he dreamed of,” she said. “Like, he climbed up a mountain using just his hands, and he still walks around on his hands and gets around like anybody else. He taught me never give up on what you believe in, because anything is possible.”

Feko said WE Day also made her want to do more to help out people in need in her school.

“It was awesome,” stated Feko. “It was really fun and I definitely want to go again.”

Monsignor McCoy Grade 12 student Lea McNulty also found the day an awesome experience. She and 15 of her classmates went up to Calgary on Wednesday. She particularly found speaker Bailey Dunbar compelling. Dunbar started an awareness campaign about teen depression and suicide after her identical twin Morgan committed suicide in 2014.

“We Day motivated me to action locally and globally,” said McNulty. “It was exciting to see all the people there and hear all the stories we heard about what people have done in their schools.”

McCoy teacher Natasha Taylor went with her students. She was confident anyone who went out to the event would have come home inspired.

“What is gives to the students, teachers, and really anyone who is there, there is a sense of we can be the people who can make the change in the world,” she said. “There was tons of enthusiasm, it was kind of contagious, and you couldn’t help but be excited and motivated.”

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