Table of Contents 1. Editor’s Words 2. Successful Youngsters 3. Book Sharing by Teachers 4. Book Sharing by Library Prefects 5. Introduction of Library Prefects 6. Editorial Board
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Editor’s words
by Erin Chan 4B
Remember Malala from our S1 reader? She is the girl who stood up to the Taliban for girls’ right for education. She was also the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the age of 17. To us, she is one of the biggest inspirations in the world, and by far the most successful youngster in our generation. We hope we have jogged your memory by now. Because, lo and behold, in this issue, we are going to introduce more successful youngsters! From famous figure skaters to renowned child actors, we will take you into the magical world of flourishing adolescents. Who knows, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two from their stories, and write your own triumphant tale as well.
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Successful Youngsters Name: Mike Wimmer Occupation: Founder of Next Era Innovations and Reflex Social Nationality: American Achievements & milestones: - Being a Mensa (a high-IQ society) member - Getting his high school diploma and associate’s degree at 12 years old - Graduating from the Carolina University at 14 years old - Working for the United States Special Operations Command(USSOCOM) since the age of 10 Like many other college graduates, Mike Wimmer got dressed in a cap and gown, confidently walked across a stage and received a diploma. Unlike those other graduates, Wimmer is only 14 years old. Right, I didn’t type his age wrong, Mike was merely 14 years old when he graduated from university. What sets him apart from his peers is not just his age, but his remarkable journey and unswerving determination to succeed. Despite all his accomplishments, his journey to success wasn’t all smooth sailing. However, what makes him truly stellar is his ability to face obstacles head-on. Whenever he is in a plight, he doesn’t just shy away – instead, he grits his teeth and tackles the problem with a learn-from-mistakes mindset. Through trial and error, he modifies and refines his work until he resolves any glitches or setbacks. Apart from sorting things out by himself, Mike remains humble and seeks assistance from his colleagues even with his super brain. It is his perseverance and humility that prompted him to become such a successful youngster!
A far cry from all our assumptions, this exceptional prodigy doesn’t bone up all day. Like any typical teenager, he engages in car racing and simulation games with friends, plays basketball and builds Legos. While some might view these leisures as distractions to work, but Mike sees it differently, saying his hobbies are more helpful to his productivity than anything else. It is true that engaging in creative activities can help us recover from our workload and perform at a higher level. Mike’s extraordinary journey serves as a testament to the power of determination, trial and error, as well as humbleness. His accomplishments at such a young age are unequivocally a source of inspiration for all individuals, reminding us that nothing can limit our potential. As you navigate your own path to success, try to draw inspiration from the story of Mike Wimmer, or, Mike Winner!
Name: Alexandra Trusova Occupation: Figure skater Nicknames: The girl who defies gravity, The Russian Rocket Nationality: Russian Achievements & milestones: - First woman to land a quad lutz , quad flip and quad toe loop jumps - First woman to land a quad combination - First woman to land 2 quads jumps in an international competition - First and ONLY woman to land 5 quads jumps in the world championship as well as the Olympics - Winner of countless of medals from both Junior and Senior Sections of world championships and Grand Prix - 2022 Beijing Olympic silver medalist Embarking on her journey of figure skating in 2008 at the age of four, Trusova has overcome multifarious obstacles during her year-after-year training before debuting internationally in August 2017 at the Junior Grand Prix, receiving her first champion in international competitions. For the years to go, she showcased her phenomenal talents and reaped nearly every possible laurels of the tournaments. Trusova is accredited for her exceptional and unrealistic techniques in quads jumping, sublimely blending the grace of a dancers’ movements with the power and stamina of a runner. The revolutions she has spun in the air is incontestably revolutionary and have awed many around the globe every time she executes a jump. As for her aspiration, what fuels Trusova on this strenuous road and motivates her to keep up the tenacity is that she hopes to prove that women can achieve as much as men. For generations, women have been told they do not have enough strength to compete with men in figure skating, no woman has successfully landed a quad as men do before.
Trusova always wants to prove them wrong and eradicate people’s stereotypes against women as gentle and weak creatures. She endured harsh training for years and was ultimately able to land the quads women deemed not able to attain – not only one quad but five! This makes her one of the three people in history who ever landed five quads in a single programme, and the sole woman in the three. Another reason she is that well-respected in the community is that, notwithstanding the innumerable injuries she has suffered from throughout her career, frivolous to severe, never has the notion of succumbing and giving up her career once budded in her mind. When facing her strong, younger and more importantly-less injured teammates, she is never once daunted. Instead, she continues to strive for the best in drilling her skills. Ultimately, she establishes one after one milestones for the Women Figure Skating spectrum. To acknowledge her laudable qualities, stellar achievements, and contribution to the advancement of the Women’s figure skating spectrum, a biography of her teenage career was published in March 2021 – Alexandra Trusova. The Girl Who Defies Gravity: And Changes the World of Woman's Figure Skating.
(Her biography)
(Her renowned ‘cantilever’ : see how effortless she made it look!)
Name: Mikaila Ulmer Occupation: Entrepreneur Nationality: American Brand name: Me & the Bees Products: Honey flavoured lemonade Net worth of her company: USD 11 million (around HKD 86 million) The origin of Mikaila’s dream can be traced back to her unpleasant encounters with two belligerent bees when she was four. Getting stung by bees consecutively in less than a week, she became scared of bees. Nevertheless, after doing some research about them, Mikaila was mesmerised by their contribution to the ecosystem. Around that same time, her family encouraged her to make a product for a couple of children's business competitions – the Acton Children’s Business Fair and Austin Lemonade Day. Coincidentally, her Great Granny Helen sent her family a 1940s cookbook, which included her special recipe for flaxseed lemonade. An idea of helping honeybees using her Great Granny’s recipe popped up. Mikaila gave her granny’s beloved lemonade a new twist by adding honey from bees, instead of only sugar. That’s how “Be Sweet Lemonade” was born. (the name was later on revised due to a copyright issue) After ten years in business and an appearance on the television show “Shark Tank,” Mikaila’s company becomes a national brand. Today, the award-winning, ready-to-drink “Me & the Bees Lemonades” in five refreshing flavours is buzzing off the shelves across the USA. It is also available in a growing number of restaurants, food trailers and natural food delivery companies. Not only is Mikaila clever, but she is also kind-hearted and aware of conservational affairs. Her company donates a percentage of the profits to local and international organisations fighting hard to save the honeybees. That is why she touts: “Buy a Bottle…Save a Bee”. Additionally, when not travelling for speaking events to share her stories of being a social entrepreneur, leading workshops on how to save the bees, or participating in social entrepreneurship panels, you can find Mikaila coming up with ideas to help the Healthy Hive Foundation, a nonprofit
organisation to further help the mission of saving the pollinators. She is a resourceful youngster, indeed. Mikaila is a versatile teenager with multiple identities Other than being a successful social entrepreneur, student, bee ambassador, she is also an author. At the age of 15, her first book – Bee Fearless, Dream Like a Kid was published. The book mentioned her adventures in being a social entrepreneur and heading up a purpose-based brand aimed at offering premium, all-natural lemonades in a way that helps save the bees. On top of that, she shares her personal journey and special brand of mindful entrepreneurship and offers helpful tips and guidance for young readers interested in pursuing their own ventures, instilling in them the bee-lief that they can “bee fearless” and achieve their dreams too. Here’s Mikaila’s words, “I don’t think that there’s a limit or any particular guidelines on who can become an entrepreneur and who can start a company. There’s, like, a certain race or gender or age that you need to be if you want to make it big, or be successful, or grow your company. But me and so many other kid entrepreneurs and Black-owned businesses are proving that’s not the case.” Mikaila shared her perspective and mentality of being a black-female entrepreneur. Albeit in the US her identity is slightly stigmatised, she irrefutably worked hard enough to prove everyone who once disapproved of her wrong. She encourages whoever has a dream to pursue it and enlightens them not to be limited nor dissuaded by anyone or anything.
(Mikaila’s self-composed book: Bee fearless, Dream Like A Kid)
Name: Tom Felton Occupation: Actor Nationality: British Achievements/Milestones: -
Won the Best Villain award in MTV Movie Award twice consecutively in 2009 and 2010 Won the Choice Movie Villain award in Teen Choice Award in 2010 Nominated for Best Performance in a Feature Film: Supporting Young Actor in Young Artist Award in 2001 Nominated for Best Actor in the National Film Awards UK in 2015
If you have watched the famous Harry Potter movie series before, I’m sure you’ll have fond memories of a blond baddie in the franchise – Draco Malfoy. But do you know that the actor who played the role of the infamous blond in the movies, Tom Felton, had struggled with substance abuse and alcohol? He is still one of the most successful youngsters of his generation, earning fame and wealth from the massively lucrative movie franchise. His acting career started with his unflattering participation in the after-school Drama Club, with roles such as Tree Number 1. He wanted to quit but was convinced to stay by the lady who ran the club. Later on, he started attending auditions and dipped his feet in the waters of the acting world. One of his bad audition experiences was when he had to pretend to be an Italian kid crying “mamamia” while eating a bowl of pasta. He thought his younger self must have looked as daft as a doorknob. Do you know that young Felton lied when he was asked if he had read the Harry Potter books while auditioning for a role in the franchise? Or, do you know that he originally auditioned for the roles of Ronald Weasley and Harry Potter before landing the role of Draco Malfoy? Fascinating, really.
Many years later, Tom Felton published a memoir detailing his life behind the glitz and glamor of starring in a billion-dollar franchise. Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard is a heartfelt piece that genuinely inspired many and will continue to do so as time passes. The last few chapters of the book detailed Tom’s experience as he wrestled with alcoholism in a misguided attempt to adjust with the massive shift that the end of the Harry Potter movie franchise had caused. He wrote that he was forced into a rehabilitation centre, though he later planned an “accidental escape”, thinking that rehab wasn’t meant for him. However, as he desperately tried to reach a bar, while soaking wet from the merciless rain, he received three acts of kindness that completely changed his view of life. One such act was when he received twenty bucks from an old man at a gas station. Even though he offered to pay the man back at a later date, the man refused, saying that although he didn’t have a lot of money – he was a rich man because he had the love of his family. Tom still reflects on these words to this day. After that “escape”, he came to the epiphany that he needed to take action to pull his life out of the gutter, once and for all. He wrote of his journey to sobriety with vivid details and gut-wrenching monologues of his deteriorating mental health. At the end of his challenging journey, he finally learned that the most important things in life are family, friendships, and love, and certainly not at the bottom of a bottle of liquor. He wholeheartedly hopes that by sharing his experience, he would encourage others to seek help when they need it and discover what truly matters in life. His book Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard is available in our Wheelers Eplatform now. Please take a moment to read about his life!
Book sharing by Ms Paula Ho Book : “What If ?” Author : Randall Munroe
Book sharing by Ms Tracy Mak Book : 《蛤蟆先生去看心理師》 Author : Robert de Board
Ms Cara Cheng (Principal) Ms Kenny Chan Ms Tracy Mak Ms Paula Ho