Vegetarian stall in the Canteen

Dear Sodexo, 

I am here to present an idea to you about having a vegetarian stall in our school canteen. Although most people in this school are non-vegetarians, I feel that vegetarian food is very beneficial for your health and is good for the environment too, Sodexo should recognise this. Sodexo should have a vegetarian stall in the canteen, while keeping the other non-vegetarian stalls too. This way both non-vegetarians and vegetarians can be happy. A few reasons that I think this are - Vegetarian food is good for your health and it is good for the environment.

One reason I think that Sodexo should consider having a vegetarian stall in the canteen, is because vegetarian food is good for your health. Heart disease claims the life of nearly one out of every three Americans. Adopting a vegetarian diet is a powerful way to prevent heart disease. In fact, a recent British study found that switching to a vegetarian diet may cut your chances of developing heart disease by 32%! Animal foods tend to be high in cholesterol and saturated fat, major contributors to artery-clogging plaque. You may argue that vegetarian food may not provide you with all the essential nutrients your body needs. However, it is very easy to have a well-balanced diet with vegetarian foods, since these foods provide plenty of protein. Careful combining of foods is not necessary. Any normal variety of plant foods provides more than enough protein for the body’s needs. Although there is somewhat less protein in a vegetarian diet than a meat-eater’s diet, this is actually an advantage. Excess protein has been linked to kidney stones, osteoporosis, and possibly heart disease and some cancers. A diet focused on beans, whole grains, and vegetables contains adequate amounts of protein without the “overdose” most meat-eaters get. Calcium is easy to find in a vegetarian diet. Many dark green leafy vegetables and beans are loaded with calcium, and some orange juices, non-dairy milks, and cereals are calcium-fortified. Iron is plentiful in whole grains, beans, and fruits. Remember, that health is wealth.

One reason I think that Sodexo should consider having a vegetarian stall in the canteen is because vegetarian food is good for the environment. By having a vegetarian stall in the canteen we can reduce the impact of climate change, rainforest destruction and pollution, while saving water and other precious resources. In fact, raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all of the cars, planes, and other forms of transportation combined. There has never been a better time to go green by eating green. To produce one pound of animal protein vs. one pound of soy protein, it takes about 12 times as much land, 13 times as much fossil fuel, and 15 times as much water. Raising animals for food (including land used for grazing and growing feed crops) now uses a staggering 30% of the Earth’s land mass. Imagine what we could use all that land for. According to research if you had to pay for all the damage the meat had done the environment to get to you so that you would be able to buy, it would add a massive $240. Staff reporter Justin Caba quotes that - “A recent study published in the Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition has found that people who adopt a vegetarian diet save an average of $750 each year on groceries compared to people who eat meat.” - Caba, 2015. This is saying that vegetarian food can be very cost effective. According to scientific research Animal Agriculture is the one of the three biggest reason for global warming. It is responsible for about 20% of global warming being a greater reason of global warming than deforestation. It has grow to so much of a problem that scientists are so concerned by the effects of rising meat consumption that Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and possibly the world's leading authority on global warming, made a plea last year for people to have at least one meat-free day a week.(Finn, 2009). To feed the animal we have to grow thrice as much plants for them than we had to if we all didn’t eat meat at all. And this is not the only reason how it’s contributing to global warming. All the effort to get so much food to the animals emits huge amount of greenhouse gases. Adds poisonous chemicals into our soil, air, and water. And also erodes billions of tons of topsoil each year.

What I’m saying that our school should have a separate vegetarian stall in the canteen. There are also many students and teachers who are vegetarian. Recently we had posted a poll that went out to the whole Grade 7. The question was - Do you support the idea of having a separate vegetarian stall in the canteen (as part of Sodexo)? Out of the 111 people that responded, 81% supported the idea. That’s 91 out of 111 people. So why not take the healthier side, and include a vegetarian stall in our canteen.

The Destructive Power Of Peer Pressure

Have you ever been pressured by your parents with any school work, I have. My parents are always on to me, have you done your homework Faizana?, have you read?, have you done this?, have you done that? I know the feeling, it’s not to good, especially when you get a bad grade. Many kids from the age of 8-13 are actually being pressured from their parents or peers to get the best of grades the school has to offer. Kids are studying way beyond their limit, not having a social life, not being able to do things that most majority of kids are doing. At that age they are proving or pleasing to parents that they are capable of accomplishing something when their parents should know that they are capable of doing that. Yes, we all should encourage kids to do the best they can but that doesn’t mean they should put success upon everything else.

One reason I think that parents put too much pressure on kids is that many parents put pressure on their children to earn perfect grades, no matter the cost. Guidance couns telors say that this is one of the kid’s biggest issues, they get a lot of stress to please their parents or peers. Parents can be very eager and forceful for their kids to success in life, but they also need a social life. I think that for this issue, a way to solve it is for the parents to listen in on what is going on in their kid’s life and understand where they are coming from, not just accusing them. Kids have a lot of stress already from school or from friends, one of the biggest issues of stress are from social media. At many schools, such as UWCSEA parents can track their child's grades and tests, they can also track personal emails, and homework assignments. When the parents find that the grades are out, it is quite obvious that the kid will get a slight under confident feeling, that their parents might get angry at them. Of course, they would be worried, especially if it is coming near to the end of the year. Parents always are wondering how their kids are doing in school, that is normal, every parent should think that, though it can make the child agitated at times as they keep on getting reminded “studying comes first before anything else”. By rising the pressure, as they grow older, they will always want their parents to be happy or teachers, but it’s not like that, kids should please themselves, they should be happy, if they tried their hardest, that should be enough. It doesn’t need to show in the grades. "Rejection can be heart-breaking and devastating. Especially for high-achieving students who spent countless hours studying and preparing for assignments, exams and projects," said Anxiety.org.

Another reason for pressure is stress and anxiety. Kids get anxiety, they get worried. This can lead to depression, anger and frustration. So stress can affect anyone who feels overwhelmed — even kids. In preschoolers, separation from parents can cause anxiety. As kids get older, academic and social pressures (especially from trying to fit in) create stress said "Childhood Stress." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. As it says, “as kids grow older, academic and social pressures create stress”, it means that, if any kid has any stress from school, their peers or family should notice this action and should help the kids otherwise what if the kid might hurt himself/herself, in some cases that might happen.

Girls and boys also adults, have this kind of pressure from work, family, friends or even social media. Parents should be aware of this, everyone should be aware and should help, everyone should be careful if it happens to their friends or it happens to yourself. If you are in this position get someone to talk to, they can help you.



Bibliography:

https://www.anxiety.org

http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/stress.html

Intramural Sports

Can you imagine quitting something you have such love and passion for? You may be thinking this is a crazy question and the obvious answer would be no, but that isn't the case for everyone.
While all schools want high performing athletic teams, school’s should understand that not everyone can make the team and when they don't make it all they feel is sad, disheartened, embarrassed, dejected and eventually could lose complete interest in the sport. I propose to you a solution that would make all coaches, students and parents appeared, Intramural sports. Intramural sports are great as they give students who don't make the team a chance to be able to play regularly, teaches them resilience and perseverance to not give up the sport. Playing intramural sports isn't just for fun, it allows you to reap rewards for your health, social life, and even academic pursuits.

The most crucial reason why we should have Intramural sports at our school is for students to maintain good health. Staying mentally and physically fit can be a hard thing to do especially when you are not part of a sports team. For example, the United States is struggling with a widespread obesity problem, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, more than one-third of adult Americans are obese hence, physical activity couldn't be more important for the nation's health. Intramural programs provide a great alternative for those who don't have the time or abilities to compete in competitive school sports teams.
Additionally, Intramural sports at school offer you a variety of sports to choose from and will provide at least three or more training sessions per week which will help you to stay fit. Competitive sports, on the other hand, can be more rigorous in nature resulting in overworking your body and causing potential injuries to the body. Coupled with the fact that intramural sports are a team activity, your commitment to the sport and team will ensure that you turn up for practice. Many people also feel more motivated to exercise when they're playing in an organized program rather than following a personal fitness regimen.
Word Health Organisation (WHO) states that children ages five to seventeen should accumulate at least sixty minutes of moderate intensity physical activity daily, being part of an intramural sports team will ensure children get their necessary recommended work out.

Another imperative reason why intramural sports are beneficial is that it helps individuals develop leadership and team building skills in addition to creating new friendships and building bonds. Intramural sports encourage you to get to know your teammates, set aside individual differences and work together as a team. My sister plays basketball, before joining basketball she thought it would be a way to make new friends. After the first day of training she came back home complaining that all they do is train and do constant drills, “there’s barely any new time to get to know people, the only time I get to talk to people are during break times which only last a minute or two, our conversation is interrupted by the coach telling us to get back to training” she says. These are the kinds of people I believe Intramural sports are suited for. Abe Drabkin, the Director of Marketing for the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), points out that some researchers say organizational activity prompts the release of the hormone oxytocin, which helps team-bonding.
Furthermore, some may argue that involvement in team sports helps students build character, allowing them to develop a sense of self-control and boost their self-esteem. But others believe that when students play the sport with the sole intention of winning, it could provoke aggression and violence. 

Following that argument, intramural sports might be preferable to the more competitive sports.

In addition to keeping good health, Intramural sports are good for those who are not able to withstand the pressure and stress caused by competitive sports.
Drabkin also states that intramural sports help students maintain health and wellness while managing stress. A survey of more than 400 moms with children in organized youth sports done by The Observer says that culture of competitive sports not only puts unhealthy pressure on children but creates significant stress for parents too. Another survey was commissioned by i9 Sports, a nationwide youth sports league franchise, clearly shows that we need to change the youth sports format and add an element of fun to put less pressure on children and their families. This is significant because it strengthens my argument on why we should introduce Intramural sports at school.
Equally important, being actively involved in physical sport and exercise could help students reduce stress whilst keeping kids physically fit and mentally charged, which then helps students excel academically too. Some research has proven that physically active children do better in reading and math.

In essence, we should introduce Intramural sports at our school as it provides all the elements to mold a successful student. Although it could add extra costs to the school and finding an area to play could be hard but Intramural sports as compared to competitive sports is necessary as it encourages students to stay fit and healthy in a fun way, without causing undue stress. It helps to build new friendships, boost self-esteem and improves your collaborative skills.

Women's Strive for Education

At UWC, students are highly encouraged to participate in service. I chose to participate in a service called Daraja which is a service that stands up for girls’ rights to education. Daraja Academy is a school built just for girls in Kenya and the girls there are able to receive education in a safe environment. After participating in the service and fighting for the cause, I became keen to keep helping women in need of education and I felt the cause was a severe one that should be resolved.

One might argue that women do not need education and should be in charge of housework leave the jobs which require strength or thinking to men but, others might say that women and men are equal and should have the same rights. This paper will argue that women and men should be treated equally and women should not be deprived of the right to receive education, nor should their treatments be differentiated to men because no one should be underprivileged based on their gender or status.

First of all, I think that education is one of the most critical areas of empowerment for women. It is also known as one of the clearest examples of the discrimination that women suffer. Women receiving education should not be seen as an opulence as it was established as a basic human right. According to UNICEF, among the children who do not go to school, there are twice as many girls as boys. This states that girls have a lower chance of receiving an education than boys. Also, if a family can only afford enough money to provide education for one member of the family, it will more likely be the boy in the family who receives education. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women recently established a basic human right that girls should be allowed to receive a basic education and it should not be a luxury for them. This means that women should have the right to receive a basic education to help them live their life successfully and they should not be deprived of the right to learn. Recently, UN Women offered classes to women who were not able to receive an education in north-eastern Afghanistan. A girl called Beheshta, age 20, who was receiving education from this program stated, “educating women and girls and women’s empowerment in our community is my dream,” (Beheshta, 2013). This shows that people of Afghanistan still decipher women receiving education as a luxury. I believe this mindset is very wrong and women having an opportunity to receive a basic education should be accustomed.

Secondly, no one should be underprivileged based on their gender or status and without these judgements, the world can become a more improved and fair community. According to UN WOMEN, if women receive an education, it will be advantageous for both the woman herself, and the improvement of the world to make it a safer place. For example, there will be an increasing literacy rate which can help improve conditions in developing regions and there will be a reduced chance of human trafficking. Also, children of educated mothers are twice as likely to survive and poverty will be reduced. Yet, according to Brookings Article, it states that there are many barriers stopping women from receiving a proper education which should be resolved. Some of these include, high costs, inflexible timetables, lack of numerous schools in different areas, lack of preparation in their early years, irrelevant curricula, regular closures of schools, lack of space and a limited capacity, and lack of proper materials. This means that in order for women around the world to receive an education everyone should contribute in helping women go to school, even if it is only a small contribution. To help, many people can donate or provide service for women to overcome these many barriers and for them to continue leading their educational lives.

Also, many women from various parts of the world are not able to read or write and that leads to women being classified lowly and not being able to be located to a job. Also, in most countries, male are classified more superior than female which, shows a lack of respect towards women. According to UN Women, only 12% of the people in Afghanistan are literate. This is a very small amount and it shows the lack of education that they have. According to a Brookings article, it states that “lack of fairness and justice persist in the education systems of developing countries, including judgements based on gender,” (Strand, 2015). It also states that, Afghanistan has the highest level of gender disparity in education in the world, largely due to cultural barriers such as early marriage or lack of female teachers. This shows how large the amount of discrimination is between men and women in developing countries. I understand that different countries or religions have different traditions about how the women should stay at home and do housework while the men receive education and work to earn money. But I strongly believe this is a wrong way of thinking because women or men, we are all the same species, humans, and we should all have the same rights as, we are classified as equal. Although the discrimination of women has decreased in many modern countries, many can still observe a slight preference that people have towards men. From my own experience, I can sense a difference between people’s mindset towards men and women. For example, if a boy gave orders to the people in a group and took control, the people would classify him as a boy with strong leadership skills. On the other hand, if a girl did the same thing, people would habitually classify her as bossy.

In conclusion, there are different perspectives that we can look at this issue but, the point I would like to get across is that discrimination between women and men is a serious issue that should definitely be fixed. Even though the inequality between men and women have ceased slightly in modern countries, I believe that developing countries are still experiencing this issue and people should take caution of this.


Bibliography

"Girls' Education: A Lifeline to Development." Girls' Education: A Lifeline to Development. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

"Right to Education Still Not a Reality for Many Women and Girls." Right to Education Still Not a Reality for Many Women and Girls. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.


"Expanding and Improving the Quality of Girls' Education in Afghanistan." The Brookings Institution. N.p., 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

Technology Balance for Kids

Only a few years ago, children were playing outside all day, playing sports, building forts and riding bikes. Children use to create their own form of play, that didn’t require costly equipment or adult supervision. Today, children are spending an increasing amount of their time using technology, sometimes without realizing the effects. While some argue that technology can greatly benefit to a child’s learning and education, others argue that overuse of electronic media can cause an unbalance in a child’s daily life, and can be harmful to those who don’t have access to digital devices and the internet.

It is hotly contested whether children should be encouraged to use technology, as it can expose them to inappropriate and harmful content. However, technology can be a great benefit to a child’s life, as new technology “opens up new worlds to them” says Nancy Jennings in her article called ‘Children and Computer Technology’. (Jennings, 2013) This is important to notice, as children who are using technology have a wider range of resources for school projects and research, as well as new platforms that are exposing them to new learning methods and education systems. Technology can also encourage children to capture, create and share memories, increase instant communication and enhance learning abilities. According to an article ‘10 Benefits of Exposing Young Children to Modern Technology’, (DigiParenthood, 2013) “Technology presents opportunities to present different activities children may eventually engage in.” An example that they mentioned was children get the idea of what sports such as gymnastics look like, or even race car driving. All in all, this suggests that technology can also lead and engage children to their biggest interests and passions for their future. Relating to sports, I personally find that technology can really spread the news about sports competitions such as swim meets, soccer tournaments, marathons etc. I also know useful apps for both swimming and gymnastics created for parents, coaches and athletes to get access to updated scores, times and points for competitions all around the world. Overall, technology can have great benefits to a child’s but also a parent's daily life.

A reason technology can be harmful to children is that they can lead to an unbalance in their daily life, sleep and screen time. Some parents take an active role in their kid’s lives and set limits on technology. According to an article titled ‘Balancing Screen Time’, poor sleeping patterns are related to the overuse of electronic media, and concluded that technology “raise a public health concern regarding lifestyle and functioning in young individuals”. (Ikeepsafeorg, 2016) This means that children who are using electronic devices regularly may not be balancing their important tasks with their screen time. I personally find that I feel more enriched and satisfied when I get enough sleep, while still accomplishing other important tasks.  An article on Huffington Post titled ‘The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child’ stated that “The truth is, no matter how engaging and educational certain technologies may be, if a child is sitting in front of a screen they are generally not being physically active or learning social skills.” (Cris, 2013) This brings up my point of technology balance, as many children are spending time on screens rather than balancing their daily lives with being physically active and learning new social skills. This also shows that being engaged in sports and other hands on activities can teach more skills to children than when they are sitting on their laptop. However, some argue that children should be independently choosing the appropriate platforms to be learning and entertaining themselves for their own benefits, rather than their parents. From personal experience, this can be very difficult because you can become very attached to what you are doing on the screen, and it can become a habit. With parent supervision, children will know the restrictions better, and it is more likely that they will listen to them. In an article named ‘The Truth About Kids and Tech’ by Heather Jones, it refers to Common Sense Media saying that “tweens from 8 to 12 years of age spend an average of four-and-a-half hours each day watching TV or using a digital device. (Jones, 2015) For teens 13 to 18, the average is six-and-a-half hours.” This is showing that as kids are becoming older, they are spending more time on digital devices. Making sure that you are not spending too much time on digital devices is important, therefore making parent supervision necessary.

Another reason technology can be harmful to a child is that most digital devices are expensive. Children who are living in lower income and lower educational household families are less likely to have access to the internet. Others may feel that this can benefit to the children, as they are not exposed to harmful content and are not distracted by what is on their screens nevertheless, I contend that children who can’t afford digital devices may feel left behind. I think this because these children won’t have access to the internet for homework, school projects and for their own entertainment. A recently published article by Terrance F. Ross stated that “Currently, 99 percent of America's K-12 public schools and libraries are somehow connected to the web.” (Ross, 2015) This is relevant as the small number of children or schools that don’t have access to the internet are not using the same resources as the majority of other children, which may be making them feel like they are not part of this new technology world. In the same article, they also mention that “In today's schools, having a dial-up connection is far from sufficient when measuring adaptation to modern times.” The part that seems relevant is the mention of modern times. As society will eventually grow, technology will grow with it, and it is therefore important to know and possibly have access to the internet and other digital devices.

As technology will grow and surround us, it is important to know the benefits but also the negatives of electronic devices. Technology can improve and build upon our education systems, giving access to more tools and resources than ever before. However,  it is clear that overuse of electronic devices can have serious negative effects. In order to prevent these effects, parents need to make sure their children are improving their self control and limiting their use of technology in their daily lives, and also making sure they get enough exercise and sleep.  

Resources:

Ross, Terrance F. "When Students Can't Go Online." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 13 Mar. 2015. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.

"10 Benefits of Exposing Young Children to Modern Technology." DigiParenthood. N.p., 23 Aug. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.

Cohen, Katherine. "Kids Spend Too Much Time with Technology." Newsworks.org. N.p., 16 June 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.

"Balancing Screen Time." Ikeepsafeorg RSS. N.p., 26 Feb. 2016. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

Jones, Heather, and Belinda Luscombe. "News." The Truth About Kids and Tech. N.p., 4 Nov. 2015. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.

Rowan, Cris. "The Impact of Technology on the Developing Child." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 May 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.

Wartella, Ellen, and Nancy Jennings. "Children and Computer Technology - The Future of Children -." Princeton University. Trustees of Princeton University © 2014, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 12 Mar. 2016.

Enforce A No-Cut Policy

Some schools believe that cutting students from a sports team, helps them learn life lessons, when they don’t know it can actually be a bad decision. Cutting kids from a team can leave emotional scars, and believe it or not the ones with the least self-esteem and knowledge of the sport are the ones who would benefit most from continued participation in a sport. There should be a no-cut policy in our school so that each and every child receives equal amount of participation in a sport.

A crucial reason why we should have a no-cut policy is because some think that cutting kids from a sports team teaches them a life lesson. In the “real world” we do have our successes and failures, but they are still kids, all they want is to play a sport. Why do you talk so much about a close middle school community when you are encouraging kids not to participate. The less skilled ones, would take more interest in a sport because they can learn new skills, in contrast with the more skilled, more confident students who would take this opportunity to impress others, and take it for granted rather then seeing it as a chance to learn and grow as an athlete and a student. A situation where this occurs in our very own school, UWCSEA East. In our school, this season was basketball season, and being the popular sport that it is, of course many kids signed up. Unfortunately, not all could make it. Sixty girls and sixty boys signed up, there were three teams each, for boys and girls, A, B and C team. Each team could only allow 12 kids, meaning that in all 120 people that signed up, 72 kids made it and 48 young middle school kids got cut.

Forty-eight kids got cut. Since they have six whole teams, which I’m guessing is meant so that many kids could participate, they still had to cut kids. What about those kids who worked so hard and are are so passionate about the sport. Many will be saying, you did good, try next year, but say if this year was their next year and they didn’t get it, how would you feel if that was you? Out of all the kids that got cut, many of them were talented athletes, which didn’t get their chance to show the coaches what they can bring to a team. In a cruel irony, the children who are cut, as the least skilled and the ones with the least self-confidence, are the children who would benefit most from continued participation in a sport where they can learn such skills as a good work ethic and working cooperatively with a group towards a common goal. Why do we have to cut when we have enough facilities and coaches. We have a huge field and four big sports halls, these only cover a few sports, but still, is there a specific need to cut kids?

In addition, having cuts can leave emotional scars on those who simply get cut. The ones who were so excited to play, only to find out that they can’t. You mentally feel like you aren’t good enough and you never will be. This can definitely decrease one's self-esteem. “On the first day, we were told there would be cuts. After the tryouts, I was selected for the junior varsity team. My friend, Hillary, who was a talented athlete, was not so lucky. Suffering from heat exhaustion, she performed poorly. On the second day of the three-day tryout she got sick to her stomach. I remember going with her to the locker room. She was hurt, humiliated and embarrassed by the tryout process. Sadly, Hillary didn't come back for third day of tryouts and was cut, forever out of the loop, never to return to a team to try out again.” Said Brooke De Lench. Coaches think that in two to three days they can see one’s full abilities. This is completely wrong. Not everyone can play their best all the time. To crack under pressure is normal, we all do it but coaches don’t understand that, they believe that we have to play our best every second of the day. Leaving the tryouts, knowing that you could have done better, is disappointing and that thought keeps ringing in your head, reminding you that you didn’t play your best. Then finding out that you have been cut, breaks you down, and some don’t even continue to practice that sport leisurely because the fun of playing it has vanished and they give up, never to tryout again.

On the other hand, cutting kids from a team can make them work harder to earn their place on the team. It allows them to learn the skill of resilience and teach them how to cope with failure. From the research that I have done, I have found out that around 65% which is more then half of the students in my class believe that a no-cut policy isn’t needed. These kids are the more sportier ones and haven’t dealt with failure. Although, the ones who did agree to enforcing a no-cut policy have experienced what it’s like to be cut from a team. They are the ones who have worked harder then many others to achieve their goal.

It’s true, not all bad things come out of having cuts, but there are many good things that come out of having a no-cut policy. Selection for teams or representative roles would be based on demonstrated ability. Not-cutting would ensure that the lesser skilled would have equal access to learning opportunities. I’m suggesting that if we introduce this idea into our sports program, we can prevent emotional scars, loss of self-confidence and most importantly ensure that every single child gets equal participation in a sport of their choice.


Bibliography:

"Why a No-Cut Policy for Middle School Teams Is a Good Idea." Why a No-Cut Policy for Middle School Teams Is a Good Idea. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.

"Fighting For Change in a Local Soccer Club: A Letter to the Club's President About the Effect of Cutting." Fighting For Change in a Local Soccer Club: A Letter to the Club's President About the Effect of Cutting. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

"Reasons For and Against Implementing a No-cut Policy in a Public School Co-Curricular Program." Reasons For and Against Implementing a No-cut Policy in a Public School Co-Curricular Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

"Why a No-Cut Policy for Middle School Teams Is a Good Idea." Why a No-Cut Policy for Middle School Teams Is a Good Idea. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

UWC Basketball

I take the position that UWCSEA should pay equal amount of attention to all sports. If swimming get to train for a whole year, basketball should get to as well. Some will say that this can’t happen because basketball only works to go for a season, just like the NBA. But, I say that we could train for the whole year. This way kids get to play their sport for a long time, we would create a more “gelled” and better team, and could become better players as individuals as well.

Firstly, if we play basketball for a whole year, it will create a more bonded and gelled team, naturally. The players in the team will be more experienced, and trained well. An important example of this is from my own personal experience, I can tell you that playing a match right after having met my teammates is quite difficult. We don’t even know each other's strengths or weaknesses well enough yet and, forget that, we don’t know each other well enough yet. In addition to this, an article called “Basketball Health Benefits” by Better Health Channel says that one of the advantages of basketball is that “it helps you to make new friends and see them regularly teach you about being a good team player”.

This makes me think that, with going into matches and only have 1 season a year with your team, you can’t become as close to them and see them develop. It is not possible to see them teach you over a long period of time, . Thinking about swimmers or gymnasts, they have made such close bonds with each other because they get to train almost everyday, for the whole year. Having bonds with your teammates means you feel more comfortable around them and as the evidence says, you can see them regularly teach you about being a good team player. With basketball only coming for a season a year with training twice a week, the bonds and how well a team can potentially work together, can’t happen.

Secondly, basketball is majorly beneficial to one’s health in many different ways. It not only develops the team and how good you are at the sport, but it also develops your individual fitness and health, in ways that other sports could not.

An important example of is an article that says, “Basketball promotes cardiovascular fitness. It involves intense running and jumping, which gives the heart and lungs a through workout. It also tones your muscles with the running, jumping, dribbling and shooting.” Even though basketball might not be a sport that “builds muscle” it does tone your muscles and trains your cardiovascular fitness, which is helpful in many different situations.

Also I quote that, “A typical basketball game simultaneously develops speed, hand-eye coordination and cardiovascular endurance in a way that sports such as baseball & softball might not. Moving quickly back and forth across the court develops lower - body fitness, while shooting, defending and passing develops upper body fitness. (Stan Mack, June 24 2015.)

Basketball not only makes you better at the sport, but it improves your physical being and health by a lot as well. As the evidence says, “in a way that sports such as baseball and softball might not.” This shows that basketball does have its own unique benefits that other sports might not be capable of. The amount this sport can improve all different areas of our physical fitness, imagine letting us get to play it for a whole year. 

Last but not least, UWC young athletes would get to play the sport of their choice for the whole year. Swimmers or gymnasts who get to do the sport that they love for a whole academic year, and train about 5-6 times a week. Why shouldn’t we? I understand that it could be difficult for our school to supply us with basketball courts and basketballs for the whole year. People argue that the gymnastics gym is set and fixed, and so is the swimming pool. But, the question I ask is why does our school pay so much attention to gymnastics and swimming? How come they have fixed courts or venues for those 2 sports?

Something our school could do is perhaps take us to outdoor courts and organise something to give us as young basketball players, an opportunity to play basketball for longer than one season.

Something that is significant to notice is that when you go to our UWC school shop, swimming jumpers are available to everyone, even people who don’t do swimming. This is only for swimming, not any other. This proves that our school pays so much attention to swimming, much more than it does to any other sports. 

All this adds up to suggest that our school needs to pay more of an equal attention to all sports in our school, instead of just swimming and gymnastics. For us as basketball players we should get the opportunity to train just as much as swimming and gymnastics, because it is not like those sports are any more “special.” Basketball has multiple benefits to individuals, for example cardiovascular fitness, it creates bonds within a team and it gives us an opportunity to train just as much as other sports.

Bibliography

Better Health. N.p., n.d. Web. <https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/basketball-health-benefits>.

"Importance of Playing Basketball." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 24 June 2015. Web. 15 Mar. 2016. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/464674-importance-of-playing-basketball/>.

"Top 10 Health Benefits of Basketball." Health Fitness Revolution. N.p., 08 Apr. 2015. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. <http://www.healthfitnessrevolution.com/top-10-health-benefits-basketball/>.