Last week, Bishop O’Bryne High school had the opportunity to be apart of the We Create Change tour, (Check out the video above) hosted by the notably young amazing changemaker Hannah Alper, the motivational speaker Spencer West, and the Canadian music band, Neverest. I was aware that there was going to be some kind of We Day event at my school, but little did I know that things were about to get hectic very quickly.
What started out as an ordinary school day took a turn with the principal announcing that Hedley was down at the office! Skeptism and confusion quickly turned into excitement when Jacob Hoggard, the lead singer of Hedley came on and announced they would be taking over the school. This was in the morning around the beginning of second period, and, needless to say, fans of the band along with some curious students all came rushing to the office. The result looked like this:
And off Jacob’s instagram account, where he and his band members were in the office, the outside looked something like this:
I’d like to say that I was one of those students crowding around the office, but I headed to class instead (education is important, guys!) since I knew they were going to be at the event in the afternoon. Thanks to all the fundraising campaigns our school had done over the year, such as the We are Love and We are Silent, we had earned a spot on the Change Tour, and with all the extra effort we did, got a special visit from Hedley and MTV. It was quite awesome to say the least, and definitely a highlight to the school year. After the suprise announcement and once the crowds died down, the guys from Hedley wandered around the school and dropped by some classes – none of mine, sadly.
The really amazing part came at the end of the day, when the We Create Change Tour show started. Hannah Alper, the first speaker of the afternoon, told us a little bit about herself and how she got started creating change. I was amazed at how she was only 11, as she spoke much like an adult, but that made her speech all the more inspiring. Seeing a young girl like her actively doing what she can, turning her words into actions, really does make me feel like we create change, even if it’s only bit by bit.
Right after, we got treated to a musical interlude by Neverest with their new single, Starlight, where we got to sing along. It was great being able to clap and sing along, and you could really feel the spirit of the school.
Then, we got to see Spencer West, the very man who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro using his hands and wheelchair. He told us a little bit about his early life, and how he overcame living without his legs. He showed us the importance of education for kids in Africa, and encouraged us to continue helping out in the initiative to build schools, brick by brick. He really showed us the great things of efforts were going towards, and definitely gave me a new view on just what our fundraising was doing.
And last but not least, we ended off with Hedley, a great finale that got everyone smiling, singing, and jumping around in general with their hit Anything.
This day is one that I’m sure I won’t ever forget. It was so inspirational seeing all the great things we were doing, and what others are doing as well. Learning about just where our efforts were going, as well as learning about others and all the amazing things they do to contribute was just so awesome. Backed by the two coolest Canadian bands just made it all the more memorable. I even got to take a picture with Neverest! 🙂 
I’m glad to be a part of this school. Go Bobcat Nation!
For more information about the tour go to:
http://www.freethechildren.com/2014/06/hedley-change-tour-take-bishop-obyrne/