The Copas Family

Caitlin Atkinson

 

With a five year old son, Kieran waiting patiently at home, my parents, Stephen and Linda Atkinson rushed to Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga, Ontario where I was born on the 27th of February, 1998, two weeks before schedule. I lived with my parents and my older brother, Kieran in Meadowvale, on the outskirts of Mississauga. At the young age of six months old, I moved houses for the very first time. The house we moved to, 6 Metcalf Crescent in Tottenham, was where I lived for the next nine years of my childhood. 

Instead of going back to work at Ready Bake, my mom quit her job to stay home and take care of me. I spent the first few years of my life following my mom to Tottenham Public School where she would deliver hot lunches on Wednesdays. This is where I would later go to school from kindergarten to grade three. 

 

In the summer of 2006, I visited the Maritimes with my family. We visited Cape Breton, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island. My parents loved the little island the minute we set foot on the rich red soil and so, a year later in June of 2007, we made the jump from Toronto's city life to PEI's rural life.

Growing up, night after night I could hear the sound of the world around me being in a constant state of unrest. I'll admit, I actually had a hard time getting used to the complete and utter quiet that accompanied living in this little village. 

 

Once moving to Morell, I entered grade four at Morell Consolidated School. And from there I moved on to high school at Morell Regional where I'm now attending grade eleven. Last June, my parents put our house up for sale and after a year of waiting, it has finally sold. With only a year left of high school, we thought it best if we moved to a house that was close enough that I could still go to Morell Regional.

 

Now I spend my days, or shall I say nights seeing as I'm more of a night owl, using music, writing, and movies as a get away. I love to learn whether I'm in school or out, and for me I find my ways to do that by watching movies and reading books. 

 

I'm in love with cities I've never been to and people I've never met. I love experiencing different cultures. I dream of travelling the world some day. There are so many things that I can only dream of doing. I'd like to go rockclimbing, be on the radio, and meet someone famous on the street. I want to go on a hot air balloon ride, witness a lunar eclipse, and visit the place where the stars line up with the boardwalk in Ireland. Most of all, I want to inspire someone with my art and leave my mark on the world. 

To do that, I want to write books and make music. I've always had a passion for writing. From a young age, I would sit down and write until all of my emotion was on paper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a year or so of getting the hang of things in Morell, my brother and I began to take piano lessons. I would stay an hour or two after school to learn from my music teacher, Ms. Dahn. This is where my love for making music truly began.

I spent four years taking piano lessons with Ms. Dahn and in that time I took part in two music festivals where I won first place for both. 

I never wanted it to end, but eventually it did. My teacher wanted to go back to school which meant no more piano lessons. I decided that rather than switch to a teacher that couldn't possibly be as amazing as my first, I let piano go.

I didn't let that be the end of my music playing. When grade seven came around, I decided to take band where I learned how to play the flute. Year after year, I stuck with it even though I was the only one in the flute section. 

I've had the pleasure of being a student to three great music teachers, starting with Ms. Dahn, then learning in a band directed by Mr. Duncan, and now until I graduate high school, I study under Morell Regional's band teacher, Mrs. McLean.

 

 

After so many years of being away from city life, I started to miss it. With a little bit of convincing, my mom booked a roundtrip flight for me to visit my godmother, Margaret in Toronto. I spent the week of Thanksgiving living in Margaret's little three room apartment on Islington Avenue. I dragged her along to the Royal Ontario Museum, a few shopping malls, and at the end of the week as a farewell to Ontario, we visited the McMichael Collection in Schomburg.

This was my first moment of true freedom. After flying to Toronto without an accompanying adult, it was kind of empowering to walk through Toronto Pearson International without having to cling to someone else's side.

The best part of the whole trip was getting to take photos of all of the beauty around me. There's something about architecture that puts me in awe, and that's all I was in the time that I spent walking down the streets of Old Toronto. I was in complete awe.

 

 

I've always been an avid reader. At the age of six, I was so immersed in reading that I would stay awake until the early hours of two or three just to finish the next few chapters of the Magic Treehouse book I was obsessed with at the time.

Since then, my obsession has evolved to lengthier books. One thing that I've never thought possible is to restrict myself to reading only one genre. I will read any type of book I can possibly get my hands on.

Last November, I picked up a book called Four Past Midnight by Stephen King. Although I only read the first story in the compiliation, this is where my fascination for King's books began. A few months later, with a suggestion from my writing teacher, I began to read On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King. 

I hope you believe me when I say that reading that book changed my life. Writing is my way of telling the world what I have experienced and that book has taught me not only the ins and outs of being a great writer but also to be confident with what I do. 

 

"You can, you should, and if you're brave enough, you will." -Stephen King