Students at the Etobicoke School of the Arts had a special guest at their anti-bullying assembly last week.
Lady Gaga sent the Toronto school a specially recorded video message.
The student council president, Jacques St. Pierre, is a huge fan of Lady Gaga. He had sent emails to several celebrities, asking them to help launch the school’s anti-bullying campaign.
He was thrilled when Lady Gaga read his email and responded. St. Pierre was the only student at the school who knew about the video until the assembly.
In her message to the kids, the flambouyant singer said, “Hello Jacques St. Pierre, this is Lady Gaga — and hello to ESA and Toronto!”
She talked briefly about Jamey Rodemeyer, a teen in Buffalo, N.Y. who took his own life recently after being bullied online for more than a year by kids who taunted him because he was gay. Gaga told the students she was proud of them for being such strong advocates for the LGBT community. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender.
“There should be more little monsters like you,” she said. “Monster” is the pet name for Lady Gaga’s fans.
She ended her video message by saying, “love each other and treat each other with kindness, because we’re all we’ve got.”
And then she blew them a kiss.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Jonathan Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
Bullying is a very important topic in schools. For that reason, many schools have campaigns to stop bullying and to provide students with strategies to overcome bullying. How do you stop bullying? What strategies do you use to make your life bully-free?
Reading Prompt: Extending Understanding
Do you know of any other celebrities who have causes that are important to them? Research your favourite celebrities and find out about the initiatives they support.
Primary
Extend understanding of texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge and experience, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them (OME, Reading: 1.6).
Junior
Extend understanding of texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own
knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world
around them (OME, Reading: 1.6).
Intermediate
Extend understanding of texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and
insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them (OME, Reading: 1.6).
Grammar Feature: Word Choice
When describing parts of their stories, young writers, often use the same words over and over again. For example, words like good, bad, awesome, nice, and cool are frequently overused. The problem is, when a reader reads a text like this, it often makes interesting stories uninteresting. Today’s article avoids this problem by using different words to show excitement and enthusiasm.
“He was thrilled when Lady Gaga read his email and responded.”
“In her message to the kids, the flambouyant singer said, “Hello Jacques St. Pierre, this is Lady Gaga — and hello to ESA and Toronto!” “
Change the descriptive words in the sentences below to avoid overuse.
1. Marcel has a cool hockey stick.
2. Gwen and Norma have a good friendship.
3. Claudio said, “Turn it up! The song on the radio is awesome!“
4. Ms. Stoppel has a bad cold.
