Thousands of high school students across America unite in prayer

By
Monica Pop
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During these hard times for the humanity, with the ongoing pandemic which claimed many lives and left millions to struggle make ends meet as businesses close down, as well as with the most recent killings of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, it seems that we all need to get closer to God through prayer.

Thousands of students from schools nationwide and beyond gathered together before the morning classes on Wednesday to pray in unison for the annual “See You at the Pole” event which first took place 21 years ago.

This year’s theme was: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. – James 4:10.

Many of the students spoke of the reasons why they joined the event. Freshman Faith Eilertson from Croatan High School in North Carolina said: “There is just so much going on in our country and in our leaders. It’s so important that we pray for our country. The leaders need wisdom because they are facing so many situations.”

Another student, freshman Brody Weihrauch, spoke of the importance of the prayer. “We need to gather around and pray because this country has done so much for us. I’m praying for the students and the country. I’m praying for our military because of Afghanistan,” he said.

Other schools whose students joined the prayer are Shelby Valley High School in Pikeville, Kentucky, and Tyler Legacy High school in Tyler, Texas, among the many.

Students attending these schools, including Collier Fuller, a sophomore, told WYMT-TV: “It makes me feel like I have a connection to everybody in this room, or everybody in the circle while I’m praying.”

Freshman Lillian spoke to KLTV-TV and explained that it helps him and the rest of his classmates to put God into their hearts and the school system.

Student-athletes at Copperas Cove High School in Copperas Cove, Texas, were given a break from football practice so that they could be part of the annual event which brings everyone closer to one another.

“It makes me feel a lot closer to them, to be honest,” football player Aleczander Patterson said as reported by Killeen Daily Herald. “I know a lot of them probably have struggles in their life that probably they need to ask God for … it just means a lot to see them open up like that and show who they are.”

Another football player at the school, Caleb Newberry, added that “See You at the Pole” is an opportunity to spread God’s word and the message of Christ.

This truly is a nice way of uniting the students in their faith and spreading a message of love.

Teacher writes “absolutely pathetic” and “sad” on the math test of a 7-year-old

By
Monica Pop
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Teachers are not always given the amount of praise they deserve for everything they do for the children. Being one is a privilege, although not everyone who is involved in the educational processes is able to inspire little minds to achieve the best of their abilities.

Kamdyn Piland is a 7-year-old boy who was sort of shamed by his teacher for not performing well on the math test.

Namely, she has written on his paper that “he answered 13 in 3 minutes” which she found “sad” and “absolutely pathetic.” Yes, these words are exactly what she put down on Kamdyn’s paper along with a sad face.

Fox56

When his father Chris saw the test, he was outraged. He couldn’t possibly understand how those words would encourage his son to be better the next time. Reading that his work was described as pathetic only affected the boy’s self-confidence in a negative way. When Chris confronted the teacher in question, all she had to say was, “I’m sorry you feel this way.”

As neither the teacher nor the school believed injustice towards Kamdyn had been done, Chris took to Facebook to share his son’s test, writing, “My son Kamdyn’s teacher has been so rude to him and myself all year he comes home with this and I am beyond frustrated that someone would write this on a child’s work such great motivation.”

Speaking to Fox56 News, sweet Kamdyn said, “She made me really sad and upset. I was really mad. And (it was) really mean to do.”

People were shocked to see how the teacher discouraged Kamdyn so they started a petition asking for her to be fired from the job. It has been signed by over 20,000 people. Others, however, say that although they don’t approve of what she did, losing her job over the test comment was a bit much.

Since the incident took place, Chris decided to take Kamdyn out of her class and didn’t know how and if the school had done something regarding the issue.

“Maybe it’ll be taken seriously now and it’ll keep it from happening to other teachers and other students,” Chris Fox56 News.

We are convinced that with the right amount of support and encouragement by Kamdyn’s new teacher, he will thrive and will get better and better with each passing day.

What are your thoughts on this story? How would you react if your kid’s teacher did something like this? Tell us in the comment section below.

Jelani Day’s body is identified weeks after the grad student went missing

By
Monica Pop
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The body found in the Illinois River on September 5 has been identified as Jelani Day, the 25-year-old Illinois State University graduate student who went missing on August 24.

The cause of death and the circumstances surrounding Day’s disappearance remain unclear and are regarded by the Bloomington Police as “suspicious.”

After his disappearance, Day’s car and his belongings were found in a wooded area near where the body was discovered, miles from where he was reported to be last seen. Surveillance footage showed him entering a store called Beyond/Hello in Bloomington wearing a blue Detroit Lions hat, a black t-shirt, white shorts, and black shoes. He went missing shortly after. After his family failed to get in touch with him, they filed a missing person report and were desperately asking from the police to find him.

Day’s mother, Carmen Bolden Day, called for authorities to show the same urgency and attention in locating her son as they had shown for 22-year-old Gabby Petito, the white woman who went missing and was later found dead.

“What I want them to do, is to realize that Jelani is everybody, so he could be your brother, he could be your cousin, he could be your nephew, he could be a grandson. And you want somebody to look for him or somebody to find him, and that’s all I want. I want my son,” Carmen’s plea read. “It was just proven with the Gabby Petito case. She was missing, the FBI got involved, she was found within 3-4 days. Can I have the same help is all I’m asking,” the desperate mother said, as reported by ABC 7 Chicago.

After the body was found, it took a few weeks for the coroner to confirm it was Day’s. His relatives had previously submitted DNA samples to aid the search but were praying to God it wasn’t Day. Unfortunately, their worst fears came true.

Following the tragic discovery, the family said in a statement: “Our hearts are broken. We ask that you continue to pray for our family during what will be very hard days ahead. Throughout these 30 days, our very first concern was finding Jelani, and now we need to find out #WhatHappenedToJelaniDay. At this moment there are more questions than answers surrounding Jelani’s disappearance and death, and that is where we will focus our energy. As of this moment, we do not know what happened to Jelani and we will not stop until we do.”

Rest in peace, Jelani Day.

Donald Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, could be leaving politics to focus more on her family

By
Monica Pop
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Ivanka Trump is probably one of the most beautiful women we know. It looks like she inherited her father’s sense for business and her mother’s beauty.

When Donald Trump and Ivana Trump divorced, Ivanka was just 10 years old. Although her parents were extremely popular, with Donald running multi-billion dollar companies and businesses and Ivana being a very well known model, Ivanka recalls she had a confusing and somewhat uneasy childhood. While her friends were having fun in New York City, she was attending a boarding school. As a result, she turned to modeling because she saw it as a way of experiencing freedom.

Today, Ivanka is a successful businesswoman. She’s married to Jared Kushner with whom she has three children.

Instagram/IvankaTrump

Ivanka has spent most of her life under the spotlight. During her father’s presidency, she worked as his advisor and was by his side every step of the way. Now that Donald is no longer a president, she can focus on her family and her business.

She graduated summa cum laude in 2004 with a degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania, according to IMDb, and worked as Executive Vice President of Development & Acquisitions at the Trump Organization.

Earlier this year, Aixos reported that Ivanka was going to be an “informal adviser” for a new nonprofit group, dedicated to “perpetuating former President Trump’s populist policies.”

Shutterstock/ mark reinstein

However, after the Trumps left Washington, Ivanka disappeared from the public eye. She hasn’t given any interviews or attended any events.

As reported by Page Six, she and Jared bought a $30 million worth piece of land from singer Julio Iglesias on the island of Indian Creek Village in Florida. Because of the number of celebrities who found their peace there after “running away” from New York, it is also known as the “Billionaire Bunker.”

“The Kushners have been looking to purchase property in Florida for quite some time, and will also maintain their home in New York,” a source told Page Six.

Shutterstock/ Al Teich

While waiting for their dream house to be built, Ivanka and her family spend their days in a leased luxury condo near the island, in the beach town of Surfside, Miami Beach.

According to a family friend, since moving to their Miami condo, Ivanka and Jared visit Donald at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, “less and less frequently.”

“They weren’t around for the usual spring and summer events at Mar-a-Lago,” the friend told CNN.

Shutterstock/Madhuram Paliwal

It looks like both she and Jared are hoping for a simpler life. The source also added that Ivanka is “having to walk a fine line between embracing her father and distancing herself from his election lies,” a friend of the family revealed.

Rumors were she was thinking of challenging senior Senator Marco Rubio for the Florida seat, but Ivanka said she wasn’t planning on doing so, calling Rubio “a good personal friend.”

“I know he will continue to drive meaningful progress on issues we both care deeply about,” she told CBS.

Shutterstock/Ovidiu Hrubaru

Ivanka’s net worth is estimated to be $300 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth.

Gold medalist Simone Biles gives testimony in Larry Nassar abuse case while fighting back her tears

By
Monica Pop
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Prominent Olympic gymnasts McKayla Maroney, Simone Biles, Maggie Nichols, and Aly Raisman were among the athletes who took a stand at court against the FBI agents who mishandled the case of abuse against USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.

In 2018, 58-year-old Nassar was sentenced between 40 and 175 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual misconduct with children under the age of 16.

During the time he was holding the position of a doctor for the country’s gymnastic team, he was said to have sexually assaulted hundreds of young girls.

The first person who came forward about what was going on behind closed doors within the team was retired gymnast McKayla Maroney, a seven time gold Olympic medalist. She accused the FBI agents whom she spoke to about the abuse for responding with “silence.” She also added that they “disregarded” her trauma when interviewing her over her experiences with Nassar.

“They chose to fabricate, to lie about what I said and protect a serial child molester,” she told the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, claiming the agents didn’t document her report until 17 months later.

“What is the point of reporting abuse if our own FBI agents are going to take it upon themselves to bury that report in a drawer?” she said.

Some of the gymnasts who testified said they complained about Nassar in the 90s, but nothing was done against him until 2015.

Simone Biles’ testimony was very emotional. She said she was glad that Nassar was behind bars, but added that those who protected him for so long deserve to be prosecuted as well.

“I do not want another young gymnast, Olympic athlete or any individual to experience the horror that I and hundreds of others have endured before, during and continuing to this day in the wake of the Larry Nassar abuse,” Biles said. “To be clear I blame Larry Nasser, and I also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse.”

With tears in her eyes, she asked those present at the hearing: “How much is a little girl worth?”

“I sit before you today to raise my voice so that no little girl must endure what I, the athletes at this table, and the countless others who needlessly suffered under Nassar’s guise of medical treatment which we continue to endure today. Nassar is where he belongs but those who enabled him need to be held accountable.”

“If you allow a predator to harm children, the consequences will be swift and severe, enough is enough” she added.

Report by the Department of Justice Inspector General published in July stated there were missteps, delays and cover-ups by FBI agents in the process of handling the allegations.

“I’m deeply and profoundly sorry to each and every one of you,” FBI Director Christopher Wray, who took the job in 2017, said in his opening statement.

“I’m sorry for what you and your families have been through. I’m sorry so many people let you down over and over again. And I’m especially sorry there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015 and failed, and that is inexcusable. It never should have happened, and we’re doing everything in our power to make sure it never happens again.”

Scared young women gathered the courage to speak out of the injustice and the abuse they suffered, and those who were supposed to protect them decided to “turn a blind eye.” We hope everyone who tried to cover any evidence up will get the punishment they deserve.

Boy who inherited rare skin condition from his mom lands modeling contract

By
Monica Pop
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Samuel Silva from Bahia, Brazil, is just seven years old and he’s already made a name for himself as one of the best child models. Ever since he was noticed by a modeling agency, he appeared on a number of prominent fashion shows throughout the world, including Toronto Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week and London Kids Fashion Week, as well as many fashion publications.

So what makes this young boy so special? Well, Samuel was born with a condition known as Piebaldism characterized by the absence of cells called melanocytes in certain areas of the skin and hair, which leads to patches of skin and hair to be lighter than normal.

Samuel isn’t the only one in the family born with the condition. His mother, grandmother, and some of his uncles and cousins also have it. It is believed that it affects one in 20,000 people.

Source: Instagram/ shamuelmodel

When his parents realized that his mother passed the condition down to Samuel, they first tried to hide it by keeping his hair extremely short. It was like that because they didn’t want people to stare, but since his mom accepted her looks, she felt that she should also give her confidence regarding dealing with it to her son.

Once Samuel’s Afro hair grew longer, they set up an Instagram account where they posted photos of him. Soon after, it gathered around 30,000 followers, as well as the attention of a modeling agency which offered him a contract back in 2019.

Ever since, he has become very famous.“Nivianei [Samuel’s mother] knew she was different and embraced it with open arms. She wore short skirts and tops whenever she wanted, and always stood her ground against anyone who dared to bully her,” Samuel’s uncle Julio Sanchez-Velo as per the Daily Mail.

“She gained everyone’s respect in the community and would then only receive stares and comments when she left her neighborhood.”

Source: Instagram/ shamuelmodel

Julio also added that the family was never properly diagnosed because doctors believed it wasn’t necessary since everyone was healthy. They simply refer to their white patches as birthmarks.

Because his family taught him to love himself, Samuel describes his markings as “beautiful stains.” He’s not only handsome, but also very confident.

Source: Instagram/ shamuelmodel

“He really loves modeling. He is very artistic and loves to walk on the runway and pose for photographs. He really thrives and you can see it in his face,” uncle Julio told Daily Mail.

“He loves being the center of attention and traveling. He comes from a poor community in Brazil where there are not many opportunities to see the world.

“He has become the face of acceptance and inclusion in the children’s fashion industry, and we hope that other kids who feel different about themselves will see how well Samuel is doing and feel good about their own differences.

“Being different is not something we should hide – we have to embrace it, just like Samuel.”

Source: Instagram/ shamuelmodel

We totally agree with Julio. Differences are what make this world more beautiful.

Students make blankets out of plastic bags for the homeless

By
Monica Pop
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Saving the environment and helping the homeless stay warm during the coldest of days are two awesome causes, and Shelby Tellema, a senior at the Lakewood High School in Colorado, is fighting for both by doing something she loves and which makes her happy.

After watching a news report about a group of women creating blankets out of used plastic bags, she decided to try and make one herself. She found it enjoyable and was satisfied with the final result, especially because she knew she was helping with the plastic that could otherwise end on the streets, and at the same time, she could offer the blankets to the homeless people in need.

Source: YouTube/JPS-TV: Jeffco Public Schools – Colorado

After sharing her brilliant idea with students from her school, many decided to join her in creating the comfortable and handmade blankets. They even got in touch with an organization which makes sure those durable blankets end up in the right hands.

Source: YouTube/JPS-TV: Jeffco Public Schools – Colorado

Speaking of her creations, Shelby explained that more than 100 billion plastic bags are used every year, and while certain percentage gets recycled, a lot of plastic ends up in the oceans, endangering the water life.

“You take recycled plastic grocery bags or just any plastic bags and you cut them into strips, and you tie those strips together and that makes this thing called plarn, plastic bag yarn,” she said of the process of creation.

Source: YouTube/JPS-TV: Jeffco Public Schools – Colorado

Shelby and her friends have their hands full, but they love what they are doing because they know they are making a change.

For more on the story go to the video below.

Woman checks shelter adoption site and finds her dog who ran away some two years ago

By
Monica Pop
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Dogs are family, and once we welcome them in, there is no letting go.

A woman named Aisha Nieves, from Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, had a pitbull-rottweiler mix named Kovu whom she loved unconditionally. One day, however, after a car struck into her house, Kovu got scared and ran away. Aisha noticed her dog was missing when she went home and he wasn’t there to greet her as he always did.

Needless to say, she was looking for him everywhere, but sadly, Kovu was nowhere to be seen.

Some weeks later, Aisha learned that her fur baby was found by the Lehigh County Humane Society. Unfortunately, since they had no idea who the dog belonged to, they put him up for adoption and one family took him in.

Aisha was heartbroken. She couldn’t stop thinking about Kovu, but it looked like there was nothing she could do to take him back.

Earlier this year, some two years after Kovu ran away, Aisha was scrolling the Humane Society’s adoption page when she stumbled upon a familiar face.

A dog that resembled Kovu caught her attention. Along with the photo, the name Ash was listed, but she knew it was Kovu. The only question was how did the poor animal end up at a shelter again. Aisha called the organization and she was told that the family which adopted Kovu surrendered him in because they were facing eviction and couldn’t take care of him any longer.

Of course, Aisha immediately visited the shelter but she was feeling nervous because she didn’t know if Kovu would remember her or not. Speaking to WFMZ, she said: “I was sweating. My hands started shaking. I was scared he wouldn’t remember me because it had been so long. I sat there, waiting for them to bring him out.”

The moment the two reunited was definitely one of the most heartwarming we have ever witnessed.

“He was screaming, trying to get away from the guy holding him and run to me,” Aisha said. “Then, he just jumped on me and we started kissing and hugging.”

“I told him, ‘Yeah, buddy, you’re going home. I’m so sorry this happened. Never again am I losing you.’”

Kovu is now home and he’s happier than ever.

Below is the video of the reunion. Make sure you grab some tissues before watching it.

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