Welcome, Charis.
This is your coach — a calm corner of the internet that knows what Ernest Manning actually looks for, what your report card actually says, and what only you can build. No comparing. No shortcuts. Just the work, well sequenced.
Where you actually are
Finishing Grade 10. Year average tracking around 82–83% — above EMHS's 80% Valedictorian floor. Real strengths in ELA, PE, Culinary, and Biology 20 (a Grade 11 course you're already taking). Two flags worth watching: Science 10 (76 final) and Math 10C (77, still in progress).
Open the Tracker to see all of it. Your real numbers are loaded.
This stage's focus
Two big rocks for the next 8 weeks: (1) push Math 10C up before June and protect your year average; (2) use the Grade 11 Planner to lock in next year's course load — the choice you make this month shapes the next two years.
Your snapshot
A note from your dad's research
The Valedictorian role at EMHS is not won in the speech-off. It is won across hundreds of small Tuesdays. Your average is already above the floor — the work now is to hold the floor through Grade 11, build a public-speaking habit, and pick one or two real community pillars. The speech-off in February 2028 will be a natural next rep, not a one-time performance.
Your sibling did this their way — Model UN, journalism, the whole intense route. You don't have to do it that way. Your combination — athlete, polyglot-in-training, working chef, exemplary collaborator (your ELA teacher's actual word) — is structurally a more memorable speech-off candidate than another straight-academic story would be. Different is the strategy.
How to use this tool
- Start with Who I Am — I've already pre-filled what I know. Edit it. Add what's missing. The whole tool listens to this.
- Read each of the Seven Tracks once. You don't have to act on every checklist item this week. Just see the map.
- Set up the AI Coach (About → API key) and have your first conversation. It knows your report card, your strengths, and the EMHS criteria.
- Visit the Grade 11 Planner this month. Course selection happens in May/June. We can think through it together.
- Journal Sunday nights. Five minutes. The Grade 12 valedictory speech is hiding in those entries.
Who I Am
Before tactics, identity. The Valedictorian who wins the speech-off is the one who knows exactly which version of herself she is putting on the stage. Edit anything below — this is your living self-portrait.
The basics
My sports
List every sport you play, even casually. Note any leadership role, level, or season. Athletic involvement counts as extra-curricular activity in the EMHS rubric, and your time-management muscles are one of your edges.
My languages
EMHS offers French, Mandarin, and Spanish, plus an International Certificate. List each language honestly. Krashen's research is clear: the most replicated finding in language learning is that big volumes of comprehensible input (books, TV, podcasts you can almost understand) beat flashcards.
My culinary work
Your teachers used the word exemplary about your kitchen professionalism. That's not a casual elective for you — it's a real practice. Capture what you're doing.
My other passions
Things you light up about that aren't sports, languages, or cooking — music, faith, a cause, a craft. Five entries is plenty.
My values
Pick three. Not aspirational — actual. (Examples: faith, loyalty, curiosity, courage, kindness, excellence, justice, family, joy, service.) The speech-off panel can tell within 60 seconds whether your values are real or borrowed.
My quietly-held ambition
Academics — Protect the floor, raise the ceiling
EMHS requires an 80% average each year. That's the floor — drop below in any year and the application is automatically ineligible. The ceiling is what separates competitive candidates: AP and 30-level acceleration (you're already doing this with Biology 20), and the math/science/English sequence that keeps every university door open.
⚠ The honest read of Grade 10
Your S1 average is 82.75% (Math 15 83, PE 88, Science 10 76, Social 10-1 84). With Bio 20 (87), ELA 10-1 (83), and Math 10C (77 in progress) tracking similarly, you're sitting at roughly 82–83% for Grade 10 — above the 80% floor.
Two real flags:
- Science 10 finalised at 76%. Locked in. The lesson is not panic — it's strategy. Your Bio 20 mark (87%) shows you can do science when you build the conceptual model. The pattern in the teacher comments is: chemistry/physics application is where you slip, biological systems is where you fly. Pick Bio 30 over Chem 30 if you have to choose.
- Math 10C currently at 77%. Still in progress. Mr. Hwang's report literally writes the recovery: "I strongly recommend attending tutorials" on polynomial multiplication. Take that recommendation. Email him this week. This is the highest-leverage thing you can do before June.
The Grade 11 ceiling — what acceleration looks like
You are already accelerating. Biology 20 in Grade 10 is uncommon and signals you have an academic gear most peers don't. The Grade 11 question is not "should I take harder things?" — it's "which harder things, and at what intensity?" That's what the Grade 11 Planner is for.
The Grade 12 finish
The non-negotiables (research-backed)
- Sleep 8+ hours. Student-athlete studies: athletes sleeping 8+ hours hold GPAs ~0.4 higher than peers sleeping less than 7.
- Predictable beats heroic. A fixed 90-minute homework window five evenings a week outperforms three-hour panic sessions.
- Track marks the day they come in — don't wait for report cards. The Tracker is built for this.
- Use the resources page. Curated, free, and matched to your actual courses → Academic Resources.
Speaking & Writing
Read this paragraph twice. EMHS does not choose its Valedictorian on transcript alone. It runs a speech-off between final candidates in February of Grade 12. The student who is the better speaker on that day wins. A 95% candidate with no speaking history can lose to an 82% candidate who has been quietly practising for two years. This is the track with the highest leverage.
My recommendation for you specifically
Your sister thrived on the high-intensity stack: Model UN + Journalism. Both work — for someone whose temperament fits a debate-style, deadline-driven environment.
For you, I'd propose a different stack, just as strong, better matched to your strengths:
- Toastmasters Gavel Club / Youth Leadership Program as the foundation. Why this is unusually good for you: it's a low-pressure, mixed-age environment with a structured curriculum (Pathways). You progress at your pace. No "winners." You learn to speak across age groups — a rare distinguisher at 17. Three years of "I've been a Toastmaster since I was 15" is exactly the kind of unusual story a speech-off panel notices.
- EMHS Speech Club alongside. Gentlest internal venue, hometurf, free. Builds your reputation inside the school for Grade 12.
- Then in Grade 11, if you're enjoying it: add Model UN at low intensity (one conference, not five). Skip if it's stressing you. Add a Journalism elective if your schedule allows.
Why this beats copying your sister's path: it gives you reps in a calmer setting, leaves more room for sport, and your eventual Valedictorian narrative is the more original one.
The reps principle
Toastmasters research on youth speakers shows the largest gains come from repeated, low-stakes reps — not from a single course or trophy. The goal across the next 24 months: one speaking rep every two weeks → ~50 reps before the speech-off.
A "rep" is any time you speak prepared words in front of more than two people who aren't your family. It counts whether you win, lose, or fumble.
All your speaking habitats — pick at least one this term
Toastmasters Recommended
Find a Calgary club · Many meet evenings + accept Gavel Club / youth members at 15+. Youth Leadership Program is an 8-week intensive offered by area clubs.
EMHS Speech Club
Free, in-school, built for exactly this. Sign up at the start of next term.
EMHS Debate Club
Builds rebuttal and composure under pressure. Pairs well with Toastmasters.
Model UN (EMHSMUN)
Strong program. Higher intensity — try it in Grade 11 if Toastmasters feels comfortable.
Drama / Improv Team
Builds presence and voice. The improv reps make impromptu speaking feel easy.
Spoken Word / Open Mics
Calgary has a real scene (Calgary Slam, Inglewood). Try a multilingual piece — uncommon and memorable.
Cooking demos
Your culinary strength → speaking practice. Offer to demo at a school event, family gathering, or community kitchen.
Sport captaincy
Team huddles, post-game speeches, captain meetings. Already speaking — just needs framing.
The 50-rep plan
Anatomy of a winning valedictory speech
From the EMHS rubric ("represent the entire student body and community") and from analysis of strong valedictorian speeches:
- Open with a hook — often self-deprecating humour. Earns the room's attention in the first 30 seconds.
- Acknowledge — parents, teachers, support staff, classmates. Brief but specific. Generic thank-yous read as filler.
- Reflect — a shared journey, not your private résumé. Use "we," not "I." Quote moments your classmates lived too.
- Land the message — one big idea, two minutes long. Weak valedictory speeches carry 3 ideas. Strong ones carry 1.
- Inspire — connect the past three years to the years ahead. Send your class somewhere; don't summarise where you've been.
- Length: 5–10 minutes. Practiced aloud at least 12 times.
Citizenship — Two pillars, two years
EMHS explicitly weights "excellence in citizenship and community involvement." This is where two candidates with identical transcripts separate. The principle: depth beats breadth. Two real commitments held for two years each outperform six short dabbles.
The two-pillar rule
- One in-school role — a club executive, team captain, peer tutor, student ambassador, yearbook editor. Held for two years where possible.
- One out-of-school commitment — a Calgary nonprofit, a faith community role, coaching younger athletes, a community language school, a tutoring partnership. Held for two years where possible.
When the speech-off committee reads your involvement narrative, two pillars described in detail beat ten pillars listed in bullet points.
Ideas in your specific zone
For the athlete in you
- Coach a younger team in your sport (Mini-U, community league).
- Volunteer at meets / tournaments as an official's assistant.
- Lead pre-season conditioning for new teammates.
For the linguist in you
- Tutor newcomer students at EMHS in English (newcomer/ESL families value this enormously).
- Volunteer at a heritage language school on weekends.
- Read aloud / translate at a senior centre or community event.
For the cook in you
- Volunteer with Calgary Food Bank / Inn from the Cold meal prep.
- Teach a free monthly cooking session at your faith community for newcomer youth.
- Volunteer at Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids / community kitchens.
In school
- EMHS Speech / Debate / Model UN executive.
- Yearbook Club.
- Peer tutoring through Student Services.
- International Community Club at EMHS — fits your languages perfectly.
- Student Council / leadership.
Document everything
Students who write down their service hours, dates, and reflections in real time produce dramatically stronger application narratives than those reconstructing from memory 24 months later. Use the Tracker — log a row after each commitment.
Athletics — Asset, not tax
Most students see sport as a competitor to academic performance. The research disagrees. Teen athletes show lower depression, higher self-esteem, and (when sleep is protected) higher GPAs. Your PE 10 grade (88%) and mastery-level teacher comments confirm you operate at a high level here. Let's make sport work for the rubric, not against it.
What sport actually gives the Valedictorian path
- Extra-curricular credit — EMHS counts athletic involvement directly toward the citizenship requirement.
- Time-management reps — practice/competition schedules force the planning muscle that protects your GPA.
- A captaincy track — leadership in a public, watched-by-the-school setting. Worth more than three club memberships.
- Public-speaking habitat — team huddles, post-game speeches, captain meetings. Speaking practice you didn't sign up for.
- Resilience reps — losing a game and showing up to the next practice is grit training.
- A speech-bank — your sport will give you the best stories you tell.
The sleep rule (non-negotiable)
Athletes who sleep 8+ hours per night hold GPAs about 0.4 points higher than peers sleeping less than 7. The path collapses without sleep.
Becoming the captain
You don't need to be the team's best player to become its captain. Coaches pick captains on three things: showing up (attendance, punctuality), lifting others (encouraging teammates publicly, especially after mistakes), and composure (steady under pressure). Practice those, regardless of your stats.
Languages — Your distinguishing signal
Most Valedictorian candidates differentiate on academics or athletics. A candidate who is genuinely working toward fluency in a second or third language is rare — and provides a speech-off panel with an unforgettable narrative thread. EMHS offers French, Mandarin, and Spanish, plus an International Certificate.
Krashen's input principle
Stephen Krashen's research on comprehensible input is the most replicated finding in language acquisition: the largest gains come from large volumes of input you can almost understand, not from flashcards or grammar drills. Translation: time spent watching, reading, and listening in the target language beats time spent memorising lists, hour for hour.
The daily input habit (30 min)
The weekly output habit
The pathway
Grade 11 (Sept 2026)
- Enrol in the 20-level course for your primary language at EMHS.
- Build the daily 30-min input habit. Keep a log in the Tracker.
Grade 12
- Aim for the 30-level course + International Certificate criteria.
- Add public moments: a community language school, a competition, an exchange.
The speech itself
- One line in the target language in your valedictory speech. Memorable, distinctive — and authentic only if you've put in the years.
Curated learning resources for each language are on the Academic Resources page.
Culinary — A real practice, not an elective
Your teachers used the word exemplary about you in the kitchen — specifically about handling hazardous materials, professionalism, punctuality, and "striving for excellence." That's not light praise. The Valedictorian narrative panels remember is the one that includes an unexpected mastery domain. Cooking is yours.
How culinary serves the Valedictorian path
- Distinctiveness — almost no Valedictorian candidate has a serious kitchen practice. It makes you memorable.
- Speaking material — cooking gives you stories with sensory texture. Speeches that mention food are remembered.
- Citizenship outlet — food connects directly to community service (food bank, newcomer dinners, community kitchens).
- CTS credits — every culinary OB you complete is an EMHS high-school credit toward graduation.
- Cross-cultural bridge — cooking is where your languages, faith, and family heritage can meet visibly.
The culinary path — one option, one decision per year
Grade 11
- Continue with at least one CTS Foods or Culinary Arts course.
- Start a recipe development practice: one new dish per month, photographed and journaled.
- Begin researching SAIT / NAIT culinary summer programs or short courses.
Grade 12
- Pursue an off-campus Work Experience or Registered Apprenticeship (RAP) opportunity in a Calgary kitchen.
- Consider competing in a Skills Canada Alberta event (EMHS supports this).
- If valedictorian: open or close the speech with a food metaphor only you could earn.
Build the culinary portfolio
Character & Grit — The track no one teaches
Angela Duckworth's longitudinal research shows grit predicts graduation outcomes independently of IQ. Carol Dweck's growth-mindset work shows the two are mutually reinforcing in adolescence. How you talk to yourself when something is hard matters as much as how smart you are.
The fixed → growth language shift
| Fixed (avoid) | Growth (practice) |
|---|---|
| "I'm just not a math person." | "I haven't built the math reps yet." |
| "I failed the speech." | "That was rep one of fifty." |
| "She's smarter than me." | "She's been at it longer than me." |
| "I can't write." | "I am writing badly today. Tomorrow's draft will be less bad." |
| "I got 76 in Science. I'm bad at science." | "I got 87 in Bio 20. I'm strong on systems; I need more reps on chemistry mechanics." |
The burnout watch
The single biggest threat to a Valedictorian path is not academic — it is burnout in Grade 11, when course load, sports, and citizenship roles collide. Use the weekly journal to catch this before it crashes the project.
The family contract
You told your dad you feel pressure to repeat your sibling's path. Have one explicit conversation, write down what each of you agreed to, and revisit it once a year. Template:
Academic Resources
Every resource below is free and matched to your actual courses. Pick one or two per subject — don't try to use all of them. The teacher comments in your report card pinpointed exactly where you need help; the resources here are the playbook.
📐 For Math (Math 10C now, Math 20-1/20-2 next year)
Your Math 10C report said "I strongly recommend attending tutorials" on polynomial multiplication. These resources cover exactly that.
Khan Academy — Algebra 1 & 2
Free, world-class. Search "polynomial multiplication" specifically. Do the 5-question practice sets — that's the format Mr. Hwang's tests will follow.
LearnAlberta.ca
Official Alberta Education resources. The Math 10C, Math 20-1, and Math 20-2 modules align directly with your provincial curriculum.
The Organic Chemistry Tutor (YouTube) & Math Tutor DVD
For when a textbook explanation isn't landing. Search the exact concept — "factoring trinomials," "linear systems substitution."
IXL Math (Grade 10/11)
Free up to 10 problems per day. Adaptive difficulty. Use this for spaced practice between Khan videos.
🧬 For Biology / Chemistry (Bio 20 now, Bio 30 + Chem 20 next)
Your Bio 20 mark (87%) shows you fly on biological systems. Your Science 10 comments showed chemistry/physics application is where you slip. The resources below address both.
Amoeba Sisters (YouTube)
Short, friendly, visual. Perfect for Bio 20 and Bio 30 topics. Highly recommended by Canadian biology teachers.
Khan Academy — Chemistry & Crash Course Chemistry
Crash Course gives you the conceptual story; Khan gives you the practice. Use both.
Bozeman Science
Paul Andersen's videos are gold-standard for high school biology and chemistry. Especially good for Bio 30 diploma prep.
📖 For English Language Arts (ELA 20-1 next year)
Your ELA 10-1 teacher called your peer-collaboration "exemplary" and your writing "proficient." Growth area: identifying recurring themes / symbols across texts.
LitCharts
Free literature guides that explicitly map themes and symbols for every text studied at the high-school level. Use for the texts EMHS assigns; do not read in place of the actual book.
Purdue OWL
The gold standard for essay structure, MLA / APA citation, grammar. Especially useful for Grade 12 diploma writing.
Crash Course Literature (YouTube)
15-minute episodes on canonical texts (Gatsby, Hamlet, Frankenstein, Romeo & Juliet, Beloved). Watch after reading.
Grammarly (free tier)
Install the browser extension. Catches errors and patterns before your teacher does. Good for emails to teachers too (see People Skills).
🌍 For Social Studies (Social 20-1 next year)
Crash Course World History
John Green. Perfect grounding for Social 20-1's globalization curriculum. Watch in order.
CBC Calgary + Front Burner podcast
15-min daily news podcast — listen on the way to school. Builds the example bank for Social essays.
TED-Ed
5-minute animated lessons. Search Social 20 topics: nationalism, globalization, ideology.
🗣 For Languages
TV5Monde + InnerFrench (YouTube)
TV5Monde Apprendre is free comprehensible-input video. InnerFrench is the best B1/B2 podcast in French.
Mandarin Corner + Slow Chinese
Slow-paced, subtitled real-life Mandarin. Better than textbook audio for input.
News in Slow Spanish + Dreaming Spanish
Both built on Krashen's comprehensible-input research. Dreaming Spanish in particular is gold.
⏱ Study skills (cross-cutting)
Forest app · Pomodoro Timer
Forest gamifies focus blocks — plant a tree, it grows while you study, dies if you touch your phone. Cheesy. Effective.
Cornell Note-Taking System
Free template. Used by top students worldwide. Two-column format that forces you to summarise as you go.
The Learning Scientists
Six evidence-based strategies: retrieval practice, spaced practice, elaboration, interleaving, concrete examples, dual coding. The whole science of learning in posters and 5-min podcasts.
People Skills — with teachers, with peers, with you
Two-thirds of who decides whether you become Valedictorian — your teachers and your peers — are people you see every week for the next two years. The relationships you build now are the references, recommendations, and panel votes you'll need later. Skill, not luck.
The one thing to know about teachers
Your Math 10C teacher wrote, in your actual report, "I strongly recommend attending tutorials." That's not a routine sentence — it's an invitation. Teachers who write that have already decided they want to help you. Take it. Email this week.
Multiply this across your 7+ courses next year. Teachers who feel seen by you become advocates. Teachers who feel invisible to you become neutral scorers.
With teachers — the four habits
1. The 80→90 conversation (once per term, per teacher)
In week 3 of every term, book a 10-minute meeting with each major-subject teacher. Ask one question: "What would I need to do, specifically, to move from where I am now to an A in your class?"
Why this works: it shows ambition, signals coachability, and gives the teacher a chance to invest. They remember students who ask.
2. Show up early to one class per week
Pick the class. Arrive five minutes before the bell. Make small talk with the teacher. That's it. Across three years, those 5-minute conversations build something a transcript cannot.
3. The thank-you note ritual
At the end of every semester, write one handwritten note to one teacher who taught you something that mattered. Two paragraphs. Specific. Hand-delivered. That note is in their drawer for years. You will need a reference letter in Grade 12 — these notes are deposits in advance.
4. Email like an adult
Your email tone is part of your reputation. The pattern that works:
| Don't | Do |
|---|---|
| "hey ms f when is the essay due" | "Good morning Ms. Falkenberg, I want to confirm the due date for the symbolism essay — is it Friday May 22? Thank you, Charis." |
| "i dont get question 3" | "Hi Mr. Hwang, I'm working through the practice set and I'm stuck on question 3 of the polynomial-multiplication section — would it be okay if I came by your tutorial on Thursday to ask about it? Thanks, Charis." |
Greeting, full name, specific question, time-bounded ask, sign-off. Every time.
With peers — the four moves
1. Name memorisation in week 1
Every September, take the first two weeks to learn every name in every class. Use a sticky note in your binder for each class. Greet people by name in the hallway. Sounds small. It is decisive.
2. Listen twice as much as you talk
The Dale Carnegie principle ("become genuinely interested in other people") still holds — and the speech-off panel can tell within seconds whether a candidate represents a class she actually knows, or one she stands above. Quote your classmates in your speeches and in casual conversation.
3. Compliment specifically, not generically
"Good job" lands flat. "I loved how you handled that question in Social — you reframed it instead of fighting it" lands hard. Specificity is the difference between flattery and witness.
4. Stand up for someone publicly once a week
When someone gets ragged on — quiet kids especially — say the thing on their behalf. Out loud. In front of others. The class will remember this when the speech-off ballot comes around.
With yourself — three quiet practices
- The Sunday reset. Five minutes. Use the Journal. Catch yourself before the week catches you.
- The "what do I owe an apology for" weekly check. If something — usually small — needs a repair, do it within 48 hours. Small repairs prevent big rifts.
- The grace cycle. When you mess up, repair fast and small. Don't grovel; don't avoid. A specific apology + a specific change is the strongest move in your toolkit.
Portfolio — the receipts of who you became
A portfolio is not a résumé. It is a small archive of things you actually made. By Grade 12, this is what you'll draw on for the Valedictorian application, university essays, scholarship submissions, and the speech itself.
Ten artifacts to build over the next 22 months
- Speech archive — every speech you give, recorded (phone is fine). Goal: 30+ by Grade 12. Source material for the valedictory speech.
- Culinary portfolio — photo + 50-word reflection for each session. Could become a small private blog. Already exemplary; document it.
- Language journal — short monthly entries in your target language. By Grade 12: 24 entries showing visible growth.
- Service stories — one written story per commitment (not just a log). Stories beat tallies on the application.
- Written-work portfolio — your best ELA essays, op-eds, journalism pieces. PDF compilation in Grade 12.
- Athletic captain's playbook — pre-game speeches you've given, team rituals you created, what you said in hard moments.
- Passion project — ONE thing you chose yourself and built for 12+ months. The valedictory speech almost always references this.
- Photo / video documentary — one cause or community you cared about, captured visually.
- Recipe development — original recipes you've created, properly written and tested. By Grade 12: 12+.
- A blog or newsletter — even private, written consistently. Becomes the prose engine for your speech.
Log a portfolio piece
My portfolio
No pieces yet. Add your first one above.
Grade 11 Course Planner
Course selection for Grade 11 happens this month. The choice you make in May/June shapes the academic rigour signal you send EMHS, the science doors you keep open, and your sustainable workload. This page gives you the framework. Talk it through with your parents and your EMHS counsellor, not just this tool.
What we know about you (from your Grade 10 marks)
- You're already accelerating — Biology 20 in Grade 10 (87%) is uncommon. Biology 30 in Grade 11 is the natural sequence.
- You're strong on biological systems (87% Bio 20) and weaker on chemistry application (76% Science 10). This is meaningful for choosing Chem 20 vs not.
- You're solid but not dominant in math (Math 10C 77% in progress). Math 20-1 vs Math 20-2 is the most consequential single decision on this page.
- You have real culinary commitment — Kitchen Orientation 90%, Vegetables & Fruits 87%, multi-level Culinary praised as exemplary. The CTS pathway is open to you.
- You have excellent attendance (1.34% absence). Workload sustainability is partly about whether you keep that — which means saying no to the wrong course.
The Grade 11 chassis — what every student takes
| Required area | Options | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| English | ELA 20-1 (academic) or 20-2 (applied) | Take 20-1 — you got 83% in 10-1 and your teacher called you exemplary at collaboration. Don't downstream. |
| Math | Math 20-1, 20-2, or 20-3 | The single most important call. See below. |
| Social Studies | Social 20-1 or 20-2 | Take 20-1. You earned 84% in 10-1; staying in the academic stream keeps every university option open. |
| Science | Science 20 / Bio 20 / Chem 20 / Physics 20 | You've done Bio 20 → take Bio 30. The Chem 20 question is the second decision below. |
| PE | PE 20 / Sports Performance | Optional, but you got 88% in PE 10. Strong fit. |
The two decisions only you can make
Decision 1 — Math 20-1 vs Math 20-2
Math 20-1 is the academic stream that leads to Math 30-1 → Calculus → STEM university programs (engineering, sciences, business at competitive schools). Math 20-2 is still university-eligible (arts, humanities, education, nursing, some sciences) and is significantly more sustainable.
Pick Math 20-1 if…
- You see yourself doing a science, engineering, business, or computer-related degree.
- You're willing to commit to weekly tutorials for the first 6 weeks.
- You're aiming for the most competitive university programs.
⚠ Honest signal: your Math 10C is at 77%. 20-1 is doable but you'll need to lift in Grade 11.
Pick Math 20-2 if…
- Your university trajectory is humanities, social sciences, education, nursing, culinary management, or arts.
- You want to free up cognitive load for languages, culinary, sport, and citizenship pillars.
- You'd rather hold an 85+ in 20-2 than a 75 in 20-1.
A high mark in 20-2 reads better to most universities than a struggling mark in 20-1.
Decision 2 — Add Chem 20, or skip?
If you take Bio 30 + Chem 20 in Grade 11, you'll do Chem 30 in Grade 12 and have a full science profile (good for many programs). Skipping Chem 20 frees you to take a language at 20-level or a CTS culinary course at greater depth.
Take Chem 20 if…
- Your university aim involves life sciences, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, food science, nutrition.
- You're willing to invest extra time on chemistry application — your Science 10 comments said this is your growth edge.
Skip Chem 20 if…
- You want depth in languages + culinary, not breadth in sciences.
- Bio 30 is enough science for the universities you're considering.
- Sustainability matters more than maxing the science profile.
Two proposed plans
Plan A — "Aim Higher"
Maximises university-program options. Heavier; needs strong support and ruthless time management.
- ELA 20-1
- Math 20-1
- Social 20-1
- Biology 30
- Chemistry 20
- French 20 (or Mandarin/Spanish 20)
- CTS Culinary continuation
- PE 20 / Sports Performance
Risk: 8 courses + speaking habitat + citizenship = high. Need to defend sleep and one rest practice per week or it cracks.
Plan B — "Sustainable Excellence" Recommended starting point
Holds high marks across fewer courses. Leaves more room for the speaking habitat, languages, culinary, and athletics — the differentiation tracks.
- ELA 20-1
- Math 20-2 (or 20-1 if you commit to weekly tutorials)
- Social 20-1
- Biology 30
- French 20 (or Mandarin/Spanish 20)
- CTS Culinary continuation
- PE 20
Why I'd start here: protects the 80% floor, leaves cognitive room for the speech and citizenship pillars, doesn't close any meaningful university door, and your differentiation comes from depth in languages/culinary/sport — not breadth in sciences.
Your next moves
HOSA Canada — Your Healthcare Path
You\'ve told your dad you want to join HOSA. Smart choice. HOSA Canada is the country\'s largest health-science student organisation — and it sits at the intersection of nearly every strength your report card flagged: biology, ELA collaboration, PE mastery, culinary professionalism, your developing public-speaking habit. This page is your strategic playbook.
What HOSA is, in one paragraph
HOSA Canada — Future Health Professionals — is a non-political, student-led organisation that runs Canada\'s largest health-science competition for secondary and post-secondary students. Members compete in 30+ events across Health Science, Teamwork, Health Professions, Emergency Preparedness, and Leadership categories. There are two annual conferences (the Fall Leadership Conference and the Spring Leadership Conference), plus the International Leadership Conference in the United States in June. It\'s a $150/year membership through your school chapter. hosacanada.org
Recommended events — based on YOUR profile
These are matched to what your Grade 10 report card showed. Tackle two events your first year (one individual, one team), three in your second year (after you have a feel for the format).
⭐ Top match — Sports Medicine (Health Professions)
Why this fits you: your PE 10 mark was 88% with \"mastery-level\" teacher comments on lifelong physical activity. Sports Medicine combines your athletic strength with health-science knowledge — anatomy, injury assessment, taping/wrapping, return-to-play decisions. You already think like an athlete; you\'ll think like an athletic trainer easily. Individual event. Event guidelines (PDF)
⭐ Strong match — Biomedical Debate (Teamwork)
Why this fits you: your ELA 10-1 teacher called your peer collaboration \"exemplary\". Biomedical Debate is a 3–4 person team event where you research the pros and cons of a current biomedical ethics issue (e.g., gene editing, vaccine mandates) and debate it in front of judges. Combines research + public speaking + teamwork. Event guidelines (PDF)
⭐ Strong match — Researched Persuasive Speaking (Leadership)
Why this fits you: you\'re already building a speaking practice through the Speech Studio in this app. RPS is a solo event where you write and deliver a persuasive speech on a health-related issue. This is your "speech-off training ground" — every RPS rep doubles as preparation for the Valedictorian speech-off in 2028. Event guidelines (PDF)
Match — Nutrition (Health Science)
Why this fits you: your Culinary teachers called your professionalism \"exemplary". Nutrition is an individual test event covering nutrition science, food groups, dietary guidelines. Your culinary practice gives you the practical foundation; the test gives you the formal vocabulary. Great cross-application of skills. Event guidelines (PDF)
Match — Mental Health Promotion (Emergency Preparedness)
Why this fits you: a family of faith often has natural empathy and the language to speak about mental wellness. This event is a team-based service event where you build a campaign or program addressing mental health in your community. Lines up beautifully with the citizenship track in this app. Event guidelines (PDF)
Solid foundation — Medical Terminology (Health Science)
Why consider this: it\'s the gateway event for any health career path. A solo test event you can prepare for with apps and flashcards. Builds the vocabulary every future health professional needs. Lower stakes than the bigger events; great for your first conference. Event guidelines (PDF)
How to actually join
Step 1 — Find out if EMHS has a chapter. Ask your science teacher or guidance counsellor: "Does EMHS have an active HOSA Canada chapter?" If yes, get the teacher-advisor\'s name and the membership process. If no, you have two options:
- Join as an independent member — register directly through HOSA Canada\'s student registration. You\'d compete individually rather than under a school banner.
- Start a chapter at EMHS — bold move. You\'d need a teacher-advisor (a biology or health-sciences teacher is the natural fit) and a small founding team. HOSA Canada has a "Starting a Chapter" page that walks through it.
Step 2 — Register. The 2025-2026 fee was $150/student. Covers conferences (FLC + SLC), workshops, study materials. Student registration page
Step 3 — Choose your event(s) early. Each event has guidelines, sample tests, and rubrics. Read them well before competition season starts in winter.
Your timeline — 24 months to graduation
Grade 11 — Year of exploration
- September: Sign up. Identify chapter advisor. Pick 2 events — one individual (Medical Terminology or RPS), one team (Biomedical Debate).
- October–November: Fall Leadership Conference (FLC). Attend even if you\'re not competing. Watch the formats. Meet older members.
- Winter: Study + prep your events. Use the official guidelines + past papers.
- March–April: Spring Leadership Conference (SLC) in Toronto. Compete in your two events. Goal: experience the format, not necessarily win.
- Summer: Reflect on what you loved, what you didn\'t. Decide which 3 events to target in Grade 12. Apply for a chapter officer position.
Grade 12 — Year of impact
- September: Take a chapter officer role (Vice-President or President if possible). Now you\'re leading, not just participating.
- Fall: Sports Medicine + RPS + one stretch event (Mental Health Promotion?).
- March–April: SLC 2028. Target top-three placement in at least one event.
- If you place top-three at SLC: qualify for the International Leadership Conference in the US (typically Dallas / Houston / Orlando), June 2028. The Valedictorian speech-off is February 2028 — you\'d be coming off a peak speaking season.
How HOSA strengthens your Valedictorian application
Read this carefully — HOSA participation isn\'t just an extracurricular. It directly serves the EMHS Valedictorian application narrative:
- Citizenship credit. A chapter officer role is exactly the kind of in-school leadership the rubric weights heavily.
- Speech-off preparation. Researched Persuasive Speaking gives you literal speech reps in front of judges. By February 2028 you\'ll have given a dozen public-facing speeches in HOSA alone.
- Differentiation. Most Valedictorian candidates have generic extracurriculars. A 24-month HOSA arc with a chapter officer role and conference placements is rare and memorable.
- University application leverage. If you\'re considering health sciences, medicine, nursing, biomedical engineering, or public health, HOSA is one of the highest-signal high-school extracurriculars Canadian universities recognise.
- Cross-application. Your Biology 20 grade (87%), your culinary practice, your athletics — all of them become HOSA assets, not separate stories. The narrative thread is "she\'s building toward a healthcare-aligned future."
Beyond the trophies — what you\'ll actually get
- A peer group with shared ambition. HOSA members tend to be high-achieving teens who care about service. Your closest school friendships may form here.
- Workshops with practising health professionals. Suturing, reading X-rays, taking vitals, panels with medical students.
- Scholarships. The Keva Garg Memorial Scholarship and others are HOSA-specific.
- A clearer sense of whether health is for you. Some HOSA members discover they love this and pursue medicine; others discover they don\'t want to be doctors but want to be researchers, or public-health workers, or teachers. Either answer is valuable in Grade 11–12.
A note from your dad
Charis — this is exactly the kind of arc I hoped you\'d find on your own. HOSA combines almost everything you\'re already strong at — biology, ELA collaboration, athletics, culinary professionalism — into one organised pathway with conferences, awards, and a leadership ladder. Even if you decide in Year 2 that healthcare isn\'t your direction, the skills you\'ll build — researching a topic, debating it under pressure, leading a chapter, networking with adults — are universal.
One thing: don\'t join HOSA only for the application. Join it because the work is interesting. The application benefit follows naturally from genuine engagement, not from box-ticking. Trust me on this.
Ask the AI Coach
The Coach knows about your HOSA interest now. Try one of these prompts:
Sources
All information on this page is drawn from:
Your AI Coach
A private space to talk through anything — a speech draft, a hard week, a course-choice question, a community service idea, a concept you can't crack. Your coach knows your profile, the work you've logged, and the season you're in.
Speech Studio
A small room with three tools: a timer, a prompt bank, and a drafting space. Use the timer for impromptu reps (1 to 3 minutes). Use the prompt bank when you don't know what to say. Use the drafting space when you have a real speech to write.
Toastmasters-style timer with traffic lights
Set your target length. Green for the first slice, yellow when you should be wrapping up, red when you're at the limit. Standard Toastmasters signaling.
Filler-word coach
Click Start, then deliver your speech aloud. The app listens (via your mic), transcribes silently, and counts your filler words in real time. Best on Chrome. Stop when done — see your count, your words-per-minute, and your filler rate.
Live transcript
A healthy filler rate for a polished speaker is under 2%. Charis at Grade 10 is probably 5–8% — totally normal. Watch it drop across her 50 reps to graduation.
Impromptu prompts
Click for a new prompt. Set the timer for 60 seconds. Speak — don't read.
Draft a real speech
Saved drafts
No drafts saved yet.
Journal
A weekly reflection. Five minutes. Three small questions. This is how the burnout watch works — and where your Grade 12 valedictory speech comes from.
This week's reflection
Past entries
No entries yet.
Tracker
Your real Grade 10 marks are pre-loaded. Update them after every report card. Log every service session within 24 hours of doing it — memory fades.
Course grades
Track the average for each EMHS course. Yearly average must stay 80%+ for Valedictorian eligibility.
Service / leadership hours
Each row is one session. Log within 24 hours.
Milestones
The roadmap — check each off when it happens.
Today's Word
A verse, a declaration, and a quote — refreshed each day. Anchor your morning here, or come back any time you need to remember who you are and Whose you are.
My declaration for today
Read it aloud, twice. It's a confession of who you are in Christ — not a request, but a remembering.
A word from the world
A small ritual
- Morning — open this page. Read the verse aloud. Speak the declaration over yourself.
- Midday — when stress climbs, return here for ninety seconds. Read the verse again. Breathe.
- Evening — note in your Journal one moment today when the verse landed.
From Dad
A note from your dad, rotating each day. Read it slow. Read it twice. He means every word — and on the days he can't sit next to you and say it himself, it sits here, waiting.
Today's verse + today's note
The verse rotates separately. Sometimes they line up powerfully; sometimes the connection is quieter. Both are speaking the same thing in different voices.
A practice for the family
- Open this page each morning together for a week. Read the note aloud — Dad's voice, even when Dad isn't in the room (one day, literally — see Settings).
- If the note lands hard one day, screenshot it and save it.
- Once a month, your dad will add new notes here. Tell him when a note hit home — that helps him write the next one.
Bible & My Verses
A small Bible reader and your personal saved-verse collection. Search any passage, open it in BibleGateway, or save verses from elsewhere in the app to your own collection here.
Read any passage
Type a reference like John 3:16, Romans 8, or Psalm 139:14. Choose a translation. Open in BibleGateway in a new tab.
Quick links — books of the Bible
Tap any book to jump straight to chapter 1 in your chosen translation.
My saved verses
Verses you\'ve saved from anywhere in the app (the ⭐ button on Today\'s Word and the Promises page). Tap any one to re-open in BibleGateway for full context.
Add a verse manually
Promises
Verses curated by the moment you're in. Bookmark the ones that land — read them aloud when the moment returns. Translation shown: ESV (English Standard Version). Tell me if you'd prefer NIV, KJV, NLT, or a Yoruba version and I'll swap.
For confidence — when fear shows up before a test or a speech
- "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." — Philippians 4:13
- "Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." — Joshua 1:9
- "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." — 2 Timothy 1:7
- "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" — Psalm 27:1
- "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" — Hebrews 13:6
For identity — when you're tempted to compare or shrink
- "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." — Ephesians 2:10
- "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." — 2 Corinthians 5:17
- "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." — 1 Peter 2:9
- "I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." — Psalm 139:14
- "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." — 1 John 3:1
For hope — when the future feels uncertain
- "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." — Jeremiah 29:11
- "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." — Romans 8:28
- "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." — Lamentations 3:22–23
- "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." — Romans 15:13
For peace — when anxiety presses in
- "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." — John 14:27
- "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 4:6–7
- "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." — Isaiah 26:3
- "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." — Matthew 11:28
For wisdom — when a hard choice is in front of you
- "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him." — James 1:5
- "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." — Proverbs 3:5–6
- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." — Proverbs 1:7
For strength — when you're running on empty
- "But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." — Isaiah 40:31
- "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." — Psalm 73:26
- "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might." — Ephesians 6:10
For favor — when you need a door opened
- "For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield." — Psalm 5:12
- "And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man." — Luke 2:52
- "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly." — Psalm 84:11
For God's unfailing love — always
- "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." — Romans 8:38–39
- "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." — Zephaniah 3:17
- "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you." — Jeremiah 31:3
Declarations
Speak these aloud — preferably standing, before the mirror. These aren't wishes; they are remembrances. Each one is rooted in Scripture, claiming what is already true of you in Christ.
Today's declarations
Tick the ones you've spoken aloud today. The list refreshes when you mark all of them.
A practice
Pick one declaration in the morning. Speak it aloud three times. Carry it with you through the day. When something contradicts it — a hard grade, a hard comment, a hard hour — say it out loud again. This is how the renewing of the mind happens (Romans 12:2).
All declarations in this app
Read through the full set occasionally. Add your own at the bottom — declarations that come from your own time in the Word.
My own declarations
Prayer & Meditation
Short prayers for specific moments, and a guided meditation timer for sitting with Scripture. Use these before tests, before speeches, after hard days, or any time you need to come home.
Prayer prompts
These aren't a script — they're a starting line. Pray them in your own words and then say what's actually on your heart.
Scripture meditation timer
Pick a verse (or click "Random verse" to get one). Set a duration. Click Start. Read the verse aloud. Then sit in silence with it — let the Spirit speak through it. A soft chime ends the session.
After the chime, write in your Journal what you noticed.
The Lord's Prayer (as you'd pray it)
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
Matthew 6:9–13
Quiet Tools
When the day pulls hard. Three small practices to find your footing again — none of them require believing anything beyond "I need a minute." Most of them combine well with prayer.
Breathing
Slow, deliberate breathing brings the parasympathetic nervous system online — the same system that calms you after a fright. Two protocols below; pick one.
Pair this with Psalm 46:10 — "Be still, and know that I am God." Inhale on "Be still." Exhale on "and know that I am God."
Focus timer (Pomodoro)
25 minutes of focused work, 5-minute break, repeat. The technique most well-researched for sustaining cognitive effort. Use during homework or test prep.
Ready to focus
Stress reset (3 minutes)
A combined breathing + scripture session for when you're spiraling and need to come back. Click start; the app will lead you.
Account
Signed in
You're signed in to Hesed.love. Your coach runs on our covenant-aware proxy at api.hesed.love — your sign-in (a 30-day JWT in this browser) authenticates each request. No Anthropic key to manage; we handle that.
Signed in as your account.
Voice library
Save more than one cloned voice (e.g. the Instant Voice Clone plus a future Professional Voice Clone). The active voice is what every 🔊 button uses.
Add a voice
Parent mode
When on, the From Dad page reveals a panel for adding and editing the daily father's notes. Charis can see this toggle exists, so feel free to leave it off most of the time and flip it on when you're sitting down to write a few notes.
Voice input
You'll see a small 🎤 button next to the AI Coach input, in the Journal, and on the Speech Studio draft. Click it and start talking — your words appear as text. Click it again to stop. (Voice is handled by the browser itself, runs locally, costs nothing.)
First time you use it, macOS asks for microphone permission for your browser or the Charis Coach app. Allow it. If it ever stops working, check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.
Take the tour again
If you ever want a refresher on how the app is laid out, you can replay the 60-second tour.
Annual review
Every September, this tool will gently nudge you to update your stage, refresh your profile, refresh your tracker, and update your goals. The tool is meant to grow with you across all three years.
Backup & restore
Your data lives in this browser only. If you clear browser data or switch devices, you lose it. Download a JSON backup whenever you want a safety copy, and restore it later (on this or another device).
Coach usage this month
No Coach calls yet this month.
Parent Mode PIN
Parent Mode is protected by a 4-digit PIN — set the first time you turn it on. The PIN is stored as a SHA-256 hash; the plain digits never live in this browser.
Privacy & data handling
One-page plain-English explanation of where your data lives and what touches the network.
Reset
Everything you write in this tool is stored in this browser only. If you want a fresh start, you can wipe it.
The why behind Hesed.love
Hesed (KHEH-sed, /ˈχɛsɛd/) is the Hebrew word for covenant love — the love that doesn't quit. Hesed.love is the coach we built so a family's covenant could go with them into the small Tuesdays — every track, every season, year after year.
The Coach is anchored in Lamentations 3:22-23 — "The hesed of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
From our home to yours, with hesed. — Ayodeji & Olawumi Samuels
Built with hesed · Hesed.love
Privacy & data handling
Where your data lives
Everything you write in Hesed.love — your profile, journal entries, declarations, chat with the Coach — is stored in this browser's localStorage on this device. Nothing is uploaded to a database we control. Use Account → Backup & restore to download a JSON copy you can keep safe.
Your sign-in (a 30-day JWT) is the only thing tied to your account on our server, plus the metadata required to bill: timestamps, hashed user IDs, model names, token counts.
Who sees your conversations
Nobody at Hesed.love does — by architecture. When you chat, your browser sends the message to api.hesed.love/coach with your sign-in token. Our proxy forwards the message to Anthropic and pipes the response straight back to you. The only thing logged is metadata: a timestamp, a hashed user ID, the model name, and the token count. Never the message body, never the response body.
The proxy source will be published at github.com/hesed-love/hesed-api after Phase 1, so you can verify the claim yourself.
We never see your chat, your journal, your child's name, or anything else inside the app.
How to delete everything
Two ways:
- Inside the app: Account → Reset → "Wipe all my data". This clears the localStorage entry for Hesed.love and signs you out.
- From the browser: In your browser's site settings, choose "Clear site data" or "Cookies and storage" for this site. This removes everything, including any cached files.
If you cancel your subscription from Manage plan, you keep access through the end of the period you've paid for. Your account is paused for 90 days, then permanently deleted unless you re-subscribe.
In short
- Your data stays in your browser. We don't see it.
- Your Coach calls go through our proxy, which logs only metadata — never the message body.
- You can export a JSON backup any time, and you can wipe everything any time.