ÿþ<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><!-- InstanceBegin template="/Templates/OBSTemplateOrangeNAVBLANK.dwt" codeOutsideHTMLIsLocked="false" --> <head> <!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="doctitle" --> <title>Ryan's Essay - Operation Breaking Stereotype</title> <!-- InstanceEndEditable --> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="obsdefault.css" type="text/css" /> <script language="JavaScript"> <!-- function MM_findObj(n, d) { //v4.01 var p,i,x; if(!d) d=document; if((p=n.indexOf("?"))>0&&parent.frames.length) { d=parent.frames[n.substring(p+1)].document; n=n.substring(0,p);} if(!(x=d[n])&&d.all) x=d.all[n]; for (i=0;!x&&i<d.forms.length;i++) x=d.forms[i][n]; for(i=0;!x&&d.layers&&i<d.layers.length;i++) x=MM_findObj(n,d.layers[i].document); if(!x && d.getElementById) x=d.getElementById(n); return x; } function MM_preloadImages() { //v3.0 var d=document; if(d.images){ if(!d.MM_p) d.MM_p=new Array(); var i,j=d.MM_p.length,a=MM_preloadImages.arguments; for(i=0; i<a.length; i++) if (a[i].indexOf("#")!=0){ d.MM_p[j]=new Image; d.MM_p[j++].src=a[i];}} } function mmLoadMenus() { if (window.mm_menu_0206175356_0) return; window.mm_menu_0206175356_0 = new Menu("root",142,24," Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif",14,"#000000","#FF9900","#ffffff","#ffffff","left","middle",5,0,8000,-5,7,true,true,true,5,true,false); mm_menu_0206175356_0.addMenuItem("about&nbsp;us","location='../about.html'"); mm_menu_0206175356_0.addMenuItem("press","location='../press.html'"); mm_menu_0206175356_0.addMenuItem("board&nbsp;of&nbsp;directors","location='../board.html'"); mm_menu_0206175356_0.addMenuItem("founders","location='../founders.html'"); mm_menu_0206175356_0.hideOnMouseOut=true; mm_menu_0206175356_0.bgColor='#cccccc'; mm_menu_0206175356_0.menuBorder=1; mm_menu_0206175356_0.menuLiteBgColor='#FFFFFF'; mm_menu_0206175356_0.menuBorderBgColor='#0033FF'; window.mm_menu_0206211527_1 = new Menu("root",212,21," Times New Roman, Times, serif",11,"#343434","#d97410","#ffffff","#ffffff","left","middle",5,0,8000,-5,7,true,true,true,5,true,false); mm_menu_0206211527_1.addMenuItem("Essays","location='http://www.operationbreakingstereotypes.org/essays.html'"); mm_menu_0206211527_1.addMenuItem("Reflections","location='http://www.operationbreakingstereotypes.org/reflections.html'"); mm_menu_0206211527_1.hideOnMouseOut=true; mm_menu_0206211527_1.menuBorder=1; mm_menu_0206211527_1.menuLiteBgColor='#ffffff'; mm_menu_0206211527_1.menuBorderBgColor='#999999'; mm_menu_0206211527_1.bgColor='#cccccc'; window.mm_menu_0206211809_2 = new Menu("root",180,24," Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif",14,"#000000","#FF9900","#FFFFFF","#ffffff","left","middle",5,0,8000,-5,7,true,true,true,5,false,false); mm_menu_0206211809_2.addMenuItem("exchange&nbsp;process","location='../exchange.html'"); mm_menu_0206211809_2.addMenuItem("activities","location='../activities.html'"); mm_menu_0206211809_2.addMenuItem("participating&nbsp;schools","location='../schools.html'"); mm_menu_0206211809_2.addMenuItem("frequently&nbsp;asked&nbsp;questions","location='../faq.html'"); mm_menu_0206211809_2.hideOnMouseOut=true; mm_menu_0206211809_2.bgColor='#cccccc'; mm_menu_0206211809_2.menuBorder=1; mm_menu_0206211809_2.menuLiteBgColor='#ffffff'; mm_menu_0206211809_2.menuBorderBgColor='#0033FF'; window.mm_menu_0206212043_3 = new Menu("root",95,24," Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif",14,"#000000","#FF9900","#ffffff","#ffffff","left","middle",5,0,8000,-5,7,true,true,true,5,true,false); mm_menu_0206212043_3.addMenuItem("contact&nbsp;us","location='../contact.html'"); mm_menu_0206212043_3.addMenuItem("support&nbsp;us","location='../support.html'"); mm_menu_0206212043_3.hideOnMouseOut=true; mm_menu_0206212043_3.bgColor='#cccccc'; mm_menu_0206212043_3.menuBorder=1; mm_menu_0206212043_3.menuLiteBgColor='#ffffff'; mm_menu_0206212043_3.menuBorderBgColor='#0033FF'; window.mm_menu_0206190046_1 = new Menu("root",170,24," Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif",14,"#000000","#FF9900","#ffffff","#ffffff","left","middle",5,0,8000,-5,7,true,true,true,5,false,false); mm_menu_0206190046_1.addMenuItem("obs story","location='../stories.html'"); mm_menu_0206190046_1.addMenuItem("student essays","location='../essays.html'"); mm_menu_0206190046_1.addMenuItem("reflections","location='../reflections.html'"); mm_menu_0206190046_1.hideOnMouseOut=true; mm_menu_0206190046_1.bgColor='#cccccc'; mm_menu_0206190046_1.menuBorder=1; mm_menu_0206190046_1.menuLiteBgColor='#ffffff'; mm_menu_0206190046_1.menuBorderBgColor='#0033FF'; window.mm_menu_0206212150_4 = new Menu("root",140,21," Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif",11,"#343434","#d97410","#ffffff","#ffffff","left","middle",5,0,8000,-5,7,true,true,true,5,false,false); mm_menu_0206212150_4.hideOnMouseOut=true; mm_menu_0206212150_4.menuBorder=1; mm_menu_0206212150_4.menuLiteBgColor='#ffffff'; mm_menu_0206212150_4.menuBorderBgColor='#999999'; mm_menu_0206212150_4.bgColor='#cccccc'; mm_menu_0206212150_4.writeMenus(); } // mmLoadMenus() //--> </script> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/JavaScript"> <!-- function open_window(url,w,h) { var status_string = "resizable=yes,location=no,status=no,toolbar=no,scrollbars=yes,left=10,top=10,width="+w+",height="+h; open(url, "_blank", status_string); } function open_new_window(url,w,h) { open_window(url,w,h); } function MM_swapImgRestore() { //v3.0 var i,x,a=document.MM_sr; for(i=0;a&&i<a.length&&(x=a[i])&&x.oSrc;i++) x.src=x.oSrc; } function MM_swapImage() { //v3.0 var i,j=0,x,a=MM_swapImage.arguments; document.MM_sr=new Array; for(i=0;i<(a.length-2);i+=3) if ((x=MM_findObj(a[i]))!=null){document.MM_sr[j++]=x; if(!x.oSrc) x.oSrc=x.src; x.src=a[i+2];} } //--> </script> <script src="mmMenu.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script language="JavaScript" src="mm_menu.js"></script> </head> <body topmargin="0" leftmargin="0" onLoad="MM_preloadImages('images/home.png','images/homeover.png','images/stories.png','images/storiesover.png','images/aboutUs.png','images/aboutusover.png','images/exchangeover.png','images/contactover.png')"> <script language="JavaScript1.2">mmLoadMenus();</script> <div id="pagetopblank"> <div id="pagetitleblank"><!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="pagetitle" --><!-- InstanceEndEditable --></div> <div id="minilogoblank"><img src="images/OBSminiBanner.png" alt="Operation Breaking Stereotypes" width="827" height="63" /></div> <div style="position:absolute; left: 1px; top: 69px; width: 833px;"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5"> <tr> <td> <a href="about.html"></a><a href="about.html" onmouseout="MM_swapImgRestore();MM_startTimeout();" onmouseover="MM_swapImage('aboutusrollover1','','images/aboutusover.png',1);MM_showMenu(window.mm_menu_0206175356_0,0,29,null,'aboutusrollover1')"><img src="images/aboutUs.png" alt="About Us" name="aboutusrollover1" width="94" height="29" border="0" id="aboutusrollover1" /></a></td> <td><a href="obsstory.html" onmouseover="MM_swapImage('storiesover1','','images/storiesover.png',1);MM_showMenu(window.mm_menu_0206190046_1,0,29,null,'storiesover1')" onmouseout="MM_swapImgRestore();MM_startTimeout();"><img src="images/stories.png" alt="stories" name="storiesover1" width="80" height="29" border="0" /></a></td> <td><a href="exchange.html" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('exchangeover1','','images/exchangeover.png',1);MM_showMenu(window.mm_menu_0206211809_2,0,29,null,'exchangeover1')" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore();MM_startTimeout();"><img src="images/exchangeprocess.png" alt="exchange process" name="exchangeover1" width="172" height="29" border="0" /></a></td> <td><a href="contact.html" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore();MM_startTimeout();" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('contactover1','','images/contactover.png','btn_help','','images/contactover.png',1);MM_showMenu(window.mm_menu_0206212043_3,0,29,null,'contactover1')"><img src="images/contact.png" alt="contact us" name="contactover1" width="112" height="29" border="0" /></a></td> <td><a href="index.html" onMouseOver="MM_swapImage('homeover1','','images/homeover.png',1)" onMouseOut="MM_swapImgRestore()"><img src="images/homeBlue.png" alt="home" name="homeover1" width="84" height="29" border="0" /></a></td> </tr> </table> <img src="images/spacer.png" alt="spacer" width="835" align="bottom" /></div></div> <div id="mainblank"> <div id="contentblank"> <!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="ContentArea" --> <h1>Ryan's Essay</h1> <p>I didn t grow up in Maine; I actually grew up in Rockford, Illinois about 90 miles away from Chicago. My dad left my mom before I was born and I have had very little contact with him throughout the course of my life. My mother is a nurse and works a lot to support my family, which consists of my mother, my younger brother and me. When I was younger I spent a lot of time at my grandparents house living there for quite a few years while my mother took care of cardiac patients at a nursing home. My grandfather Bill has been the primary male figure in my life. My brother is 11 years old, and he and I are pretty close. I started school off at a private school in Rockford named Spectrum school. I continued going to school there until my mother decided to move us because the tuition was getting too high and the public school system in my area was horrible. My grandparents had moved to Maine a few years earlier because my grandfather was offered a better job. So one summer I went out to Maine thinking I would be spending the summer here and low and behold come time for school to start my mom told me we were moving. My private school was very different from public school and life in Maine is so much different from in Illinois. The activities I do in my spare time are soccer, hockey, track, theater, and music. I m in my school s symphonic band, which includes pep band, jazz band, jazz combos, and also a funk band outside of school that a few friends and I started. I perform in most of the school theater productions and teach theater and music at s summer arts camp on the island called SFOA (Summer Festival of the Arts). I m also involved with a few groups at school like SADD (students against destructive decisions), Peer mediation, and debate club.</p> <p>I was really excited when I heard about OBS. It sounded like it would be fun and a great experience. The chance to put out a message and show people that hate and stereotypes are still a very big part of our culture today means a lot. Most people think that since the civil rights movement hate isn t that big of a deal anymore, well it is. Most people just glance over it or don t even notice it because it has become a part of our everyday lives. The opportunity to have a role in bringing to light this issue is a great honor. I am excited to be able to view life through another set of eyes. I m originally from the city but still have been sheltered somewhat because of my living in Maine. I really am just a kid that likes to hang out with my friends on the weekends and screw around. I run around all summer in my free time just hanging out and being a kid, I like to be around family and friends and just have a good time in whatever way possible, but I also would love to make a difference in the world. My mom does that every day. She brings life to the world, and sometimes sees it leave. I ve always wanted to. It may not be a huge step in changing things but it s a start and that s all that matters. I want to inform people about the things that happen and go without notice. Our society has come to accept hate in a way. We have just become so used to it that we don t think about it twice. I ll admit that I have been guilty of it sometimes. That needs to change; hate between people needs to be kept to a minimum. I don t think we will ever be able to rid the world of it completely but if we try hard enough we can inform people and help stop it.</p> <p>Information is the greatest weapon and we need to give people the information so they can know that hate is still around and that they can help eliminate it. I have been discriminated against because of my race; I am Hispanic and I have epilepsy. For both of these things I have been made fun of at one point or another and I have had to do my best not to act out violently about it, but I kept my composure and dealt with it and I am glad I acted that way using violence would only make me as low as them.</p> <!-- InstanceEndEditable --> </div> <div class="bottomnavblank" id="bottomnav"><img src="images/spacer.png" alt="spacer" width="835" /> <p style="margin-top:0px" align="center"> <a href="index.html">home</a> &#149; <a href="contact.html">contact us</a> &#149; <a href="about.html">about us </a> &#149; <a href="obsstory.html">stories</a> &#149; <a href="exchange.html">exchange process </a> &#149; <a href="schools.html">participating schools </a> &#149; <a href="faq.html">faq</a> &#149; <a href="support.html">support us</a></p> &copy;2010 Operation Breaking Stereotypes &#149; <a href="mailto:webmaster@operationbreakingstereotypes.org">email webmaster</a> </div> </div> </body> <!-- InstanceEnd --></html>