Biographies of Students

Christina Marie Arsenault, 17

My name is Christina Marie Arsenault I’m seventeen years old, I was born on July 20th, 1987. I live in Porters Lake Nova Scotia; I graduated from Eastern Shore District High this year, and will be attending Mount Allison University next year. Outside of school my main interest is sports, Hockey in particular.

I’ve lived in this small community my entire life, and although I absolutely love it, the opportunity to visit another part of the world, and to experience a different way of life was one I knew I couldn’t pass up. I was excited to take part in something that was focused on such a positive influential purpose. We were not going in hopes to win something or just for a fun vacation, the mission was to go to Serbia to spread a message there and when we got home, to gain education and shatter ignorance. It was something that I had yet to be a part of and something that really intrigued me.

With the entire trip originating from film and video class, a class that I absolutely adored, the chance to document such an experience and to be able to share it with others was exhilarating. I was so excited to experiment with the cameras and to have our footage pieced together to make a final documentary.

Although I had no idea what the trip to Serbia would entail, I knew, and hoped that it would be an experience that would have a huge impact on my life, and would change my life, and perspectives-for the better. It was all of this that made me want, and need to go to Serbia.

Bradley Baker, 17
Birthday - January 2nd, 1988.

I am 17 years old and am a student at Eastern Shore District High. I live in Mosquodobit Harbour, that’s a little town about 45 minutes outside of Halifax. When I think about it, there is nowhere that I think I'd rather grow up. I am the type of person who loves to have fun, there is nothing better then a good joke every now and then to make things better. Although, I am someone with a vast sense of humor, I as well know when to be serious.

When I first heard about this trip, I knew it was something very serious but as well something I could have a lot of fun with so I became interested right away. I have always loved helping people, and I thought that going on this trip, I would be able to help someone. The trip has in many ways changed me, but as well it has really showed me that it is important to be yourself. I think that’s a little bit about myself, so there I am, Brad Baker.

Jessica Bates, 17
Birthday - February 15, 1988

I decided I wanted to go on this trip because I knew it was a once in a life time opportunity to see and experience a country that I knew very little about. I wanted to learn more about its history and the culture of those who live there and experience it first hand. I wanted to hear their thoughts on peace and war and how the war had effected and still affects them.

Alexander "Zander" Brosky 18

Ever since I was little I've been a curious person, wondering about the world around me. When I first heard of this trip I knew this was one of those once in a lifetime opportunities, the kind you seize with both hands. This trip would give me a chance to learn about another part of the world and a different culture, something I'm always anxious to do. The lead up to the trip was a lot of work, mostly fundraising, in the end the all the hours we put in were worth it and then some. This trip gave me many new friends both at home and abroad, it also gave me a dumptruckload of wonderful memories."

Chelsea Brown, 16

My name is Chelsea Brown. I’m 16 going on 17 in August. I live in Head Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia. I’m going in to what I hope will be my last year of high school at Eastern Shore District High School. I went on the Serbia trip to change any stereotypes that I may have had about the country after watching the film Teaching Peace in a time of war. I not only learned that it was a beautiful place but it was filled with beautiful, loving people. And I wouldn't think twice about going back! :)

Sarah Dubé
December 13th, 1987
Saint Patrick's High School, Halifax

Sarah Dubé has always had a keen interest in academics, enjoying life to the fullest and seizing life’s opportunities. Born an only child in December, a dreary but festive month, Sarah has always been creative keeping herself occupied and happy. When Sarah was five and enrolled in French Immersion at École Burton Ettinger Elementary School, she was delighted at the occasion to socialize in another language. With such a new and scary experience in those early years, not fully understanding what was happening, she and her classmates quickly learned to rely on each other whilst still retaining some autonomy.
Having had a passport all her life, Sarah is no stranger to travel. Having been to the United States many times to visit her family, visiting much of Canada, spending time in France, Ireland and most recently Serbia; Sarah is known to be quite the traveller.

Sarah’s interest in travelling to Serbia arose from a screening of the film: Teaching Peace in a Time of War, directed by Teresa MacInnes. Feeling drawn to its message, promoting peace and tolerance with today’s youth, there was no question Sarah wanted to get involved.

Over the course of her life so far, Sarah has had an array of significant experiences. Her latest experience to Serbia however has been, without a doubt, beyond compare. To say that Sarah’s life has been changed forever because of the Students for Teaching Peace is simply not expressive enough. Quoted saying: “My experiences throughout this journey are indescribable, not only the journey in Serbia proper but, the journey as a whole.” Sarah has yet to fully digest everything that has happened. Since her return home, Sarah has been unable to chronicle her adventures, quite a statement for such a sentimental youth. She finds herself struggling to find the words strong enough to describe such a monumental, draining, fulfilling, energizing, wonderful, experience.

Since being a member of the Students for Teaching Peace, Sarah has never felt so fulfilled. Arising with purpose every morning is a priceless gift. The friendships she has made because of this opportunity are ironclad and will be life-long. Having been a Beatles fan all of her life, Sarah feels that the song Blackbird, by Lennon/McCartney, describes her transformation with the most accuracy: “Take these broken wings and learn to fly. All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise.”

David George Heatley, 18 years old
Birthday - August 29, 1986

I originally wanted to go on the Serbia trip, just to be exposed to a new challenge. It's not something that is well heard of these days; taking a class trip overseas, especially an area that has come to have an aura of extremity about it like Serbia. The months of fundraising and committing most of your free time to something that you truly care about, was a refreshing change of
pace. I first developed an interest in the trip when I realized what a wonderful endeavor it could be. I've been trying for the past while in my life to improve the world around me, in the ways that I see are helpful to everyone, maybe not directly but influentially as well. When I saw this opportunity to actually commit myself to a cause that was attainable, and would produce
positive affects in one of the places that needs it the most. There was no hesitation; to have the opportunity to affect people in such a positive manner was an opportunity I could not pass up.

I live in Head of Jeddore, Nova Scotia, Canada. I've grown up here for most of my life, and have learned to love every bit of it. Living in a rural area is something that you do have to live in to comprehend and appreciate. To be able to step back and actually see the community brewing, and understanding how (not so much) the politics work, but how the community works together to benefit everyone (especially the youth) is an amazing feeling.

The trip to Serbia, I would have to say has to probably one of the greatest accomplishments I can say I've done in my life thus far. I feel like I'm giving myself too much credit by claiming it as a personal accomplishment, as there are more people in the group whom I'm sure did much more work than I. (Our teacher Mrs.Bayer-Smith, Kent Nason, Teresa MacInnes, Hetty Van Gurp just to name a few).

There was an amazing feeling that I have discussed many times with some of the students on the trip. It's that everyday we were there, we'd get up in the morning completely mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted, yet we would still have so much energy. For the first time in many of our lives we woke up each day with a sense of 'What we are doing is benefiting everyone around us, we ARE making change each minute of this day'. We had a sense of purpose; it gave us our drive to keep going. I think aside from the serene feeling of happiness of being there, the sadness of leaving, the satisfaction of the things we had done, it's the feeling of purpose; that whimsical 'I AM important' feeling we got each morning that I'll miss the most.

The Serbia trip was a once in a lifetime unforgettable trip. It is odd how it is those things in life that we cherish the most. Yet when I try to think back, and remember what happened, it's impossible. We were living in the moment every second of everyday. We did not have time to review at the end of each day and think of how memorable things were. Looking back, the trip just seems like a euphoric dream, something that we had done that was so spectacular, so incredible, to try remembering and becoming nostalgic about it is impossible. The trip was the best thing I've ever decided to do, if anyone else ever gets the
opportunity to do something of this magnitude, never hesitate. There are some opportunities in life that cannot be passed up. This was definitely one of them.

Abilee Kellett, 15

I first got into the Serbia Peace Trip through Caitlin Reid, Teresa's niece. My family has always travelled around and lived in different countries including the USA and New Zealand, so when I heard about this opportunity to travel to yet another distant place, I didn't hesitate for a moment. I had no idea what to expect from Serbia, because before I knew about the trip, I had never even heard of it; let alone heard about the wars.

The main thing I learned through this experience is that all over the world, everybody is the same. Of course there are different languages and cultures but people's good will and kind nature always show up stronger. There will always be assumptions and false stories about different places and people but this trip showed me that to gain a non-bias opinion about something you have to either experience it or witness it first hand.

Rachelle Lambert, 19
Birthday – September 9, 1985

I live in a rural area called Ship Harbour, a very quite place, which sometimes feels confining. I have a lot of hobbies such as doing silly things like making balloon animals and juggling. I also love to play guitar a lot. I didn’t always live in Ship Harbour. I lived in a lot of different homes but was adopted by my aunt and uncle who I now call mom and dad and I have some wonderful family.

The reason I wanted to go on this trip initially was because I thought it would be a lot more to do with filmmaking. I soon realized it was going to be a lot more than that. And my interest was greatly sparked and soon I could not help but be interested in all this teaching peace stuff ?!

Christine Marie Lancaster, 17
Birthday - September 10, 1987

I am pretty much just your average rural schoolgirl. I grew up on the Eastern Shore, and haven't lived anywhere else. I hadn't seen much but the view from my bedroom window. I've always been involved with our school division of youth against racism and discrimination, as well as the gay straight alliance. When I heard about some trip to Serbia I saw it as the chance of a lifetime. When I saw Teaching Peace in a Time of wWar, and realized why we were going, it made the trip the chance of a lifetime that I couldn't pass up. I've never known what life is like other outside our "perfect society" except what I see on TV. Like many other teenagers my age, what was going on in the rest of the world never hit me for what it really was. I went to Serbia to get rid of at least some of the ignorance I hold about what the world really is. I wanted the chance to learn, and the chance to teach. I feel the trip was everything I was expecting, everything I wanted, and more. I learned more than I ever would have thought possible, and have grown more than I knew. This trip has meant the world to me and I feel so lucky I was given the chance to go, and now the chance to share my experiences with anyone who will listen. I couldn't say thank you enough.

Emma Leslie, 18

My name is Emma Leslie, I'm 18 years old and I just graduated from St. Pat's High School. When I first learned about the trip, I was extremely interested in learning first hand about a new culture, especially because Serbia was a place that I knew very little about. Next we watched 'Teaching Peace in a Time of War' after school, and it really helped me understand what ideas we could promote in Serbia, and why we would be able to do so.

The fundraising and planning was time-consuming in an already busy year, but I was quite positive it would all be worth it. Having gone and returned from the trip, that statement holds absolutely true. It was a time I will never forget, and also a time of growing and learning. (About video cameras, a different culture, others, myself and a whole lot more.)

Everyone who put time and efforts into this trip played a role in getting us there, and giving us the experience we were fortunate enough to have. Whether they were from this continent or another, it is all appreciated more than words can say. Thanks!

Erin Maher, 17

My name is Erin Maher. I'm 17 years old and I just graduated from high school. The reason that I wanted to go on this trip was to experience a new culture. This opportunity never comes up regularly so I thought I better grab it while the offer was still good. I got to meet so many new friends and I learned so much about their culture, this trip had such an impact on my life. If I got the chance I would go back in a second. I don't regret a second of it.

Katy (with a y) McDougall, 18
Birthday February 17,

Katy with a y, 18, was born on a snowy February 17 because her grandmother was going to Portugal on the 21, and those were the available appointments for a c-section. This makes her a dreamy, independent and intelligent Aquarius, but she doesn't believe in that sort of thing and however strikes it up a very nice coincidence. For Katy, The Students for Teaching Peace initiative began as the opportunity to experience another culture and became something much more. She enjoys reading, writing, adventuring and ten-pin bowling.

Brea Lynn McLellan, 17
Birthdate: April 27th, 1988

Why I wanted to go on this trip: As someone who’s never left Canada, and who’s always wanted to travel, I thought this would be an incredible journey for me and others. It was not just the travel, but the goal set we had set that inspired me to do what it took to go; to help bring and teach peace, in some form, to the schools of Serbia. I knew this would be a great experience for my photography and my great love for travel and I wanted to experience a culture that’s so different from our own.

Brief info: I love photography. I live for concerts/shows/gigs and spending time with friends. My taste in music is so incredibly vast I could never describe it, though; I was raised on Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. I tend to read 5 to 7 books at a time (I finish them eventually I swear!) and have a passion for mythology, art (watercolor), ancient history, politics and Russian literature/history. I lived in military housing until I was seven and then I moved to The Shore (Eastern Shore; Jeddore to be more specific), where I grew up, and am proud to say that I am and always will be; a Shore Kid.

I have one written post-Serbia journal entry that I only have on a broken computer with no Internet and no working printer. I will try and get a floppy disk and if not Katy also has a hardcopy. I wrote it specifically to share, as it was something that happened to me in Serbia that I didn’t talk about.

I uploaded some photos to a photo bucket account, the ones that are framed are of smaller size. There are two pages and they are all in B&W *except one* (hope that’s not a problem) I have more that aren’t uploaded but the ones that are can be found at this URL: http://photobucket.com/albums/b376/brealynnphotography/ the password is 'asdfghjkl'

Thanks ?

Jackie Merritt, 17

Hello, my name is Jackie Merritt. I attend Eastern Shore District High School. I am 17 years old and I went to Serbia when I was in Grade 11. Some of my interests include riding horses, hanging out with friends and looking into a future career in medicine. I got involved with this amazing trip through a friend of mine who was taking the Film and Video class at my school. It became of interest to me because they were working on promoting peace around the world in different countries. During my time in Serbia I
was able to meet new people and see a different culture although there were many differences it was nice to see similarities as well. I feel our goal of promoting peace was accomplished but there is always work to be done. I hope to stay involved in the peace process my whole life.

Brent Randall, 17
November 2, 1987

I wanted to go on the trip because I love to travel and it's been my goal to see as much of the world as possible in my lifetime. I knew that it was an opportunity that I would never have again, so I jumped at the chance.

I currently live in East Chezzetcook, having just graduated from Eastern Shore District High in June. I will be attending Dalhousie University this coming school year, enrolling in the Arts program. After completion I hope to move into law school and one day become a lawyer.

My hobbies include hockey, computers, music, movies, and traveling. One day I hope to have been on every continent of the world at least once.

Kelly-Lynn Russell, 18
Birthdate: Nov 14/86

Why I wanted to go: How could I not? It was the amazing experience of a lifetime that I couldn’t let get away from me. I am passionate about teaching, and Peace education in particular. To have the chance to discover a new place, with different perspectives is incredible.

About Me: I live in a very small community an hour outside of Halifax. We have no bus system, or traffic, so things are pretty limited and calm. I enjoy school very much, so much that I am attending Mount Saint Vincent University this September, to begin my Bachelor of Arts with a Major of History. From there, I will pursue a career in the Education field.

Elise Sinclair, 18
Halifax

When I first heard about this trip, I had no idea what to expect,