The Elephant and The Blind Men (Old Buddhist Allegory)
Once an elephant came to a small town. People had read about and heard of elephants, but no one in the town had ever seen one. Thus, a huge crowd gathered around the elephant, and it was an occasion for great fun--especially for the children. Five blind men also lived in that town, and consequently, also heard about the elephant. They had never seen an elephant before and were eager to learn more. But, alas! They did not have eyes to see!
Then, someone suggested that they could go and feel the elephant with their hands. They could then get an idea of what an elephant looked like. The five blind men went to the center of the town where all the people made room for them to touch the elephant.
Later on, they sat down and began to discuss their experiences. One blind man, who had touched the trunk of the elephant, said that the elephant must be like a thick tree branch. Another who touched the tail said the elephant probably looked like a snake or rope. The third man, who touched the leg, said the shape of the elephant must be like a pillar. The fourth man, who touched the ear, said that the elephant must be like a huge fan; while the fifth, who touched the side, said it must be like a wall.
They sat for hours and argued; each one certain his view was correct. Obviously, they were all correct from their own point of view, but no one was quite willing to listen to the others. Finally, they decided to go to the wise man of the village and ask him to settle their argument. The wise man said, “Each one of you is correct; and each one of you is incorrect. Each of you touched only a part of the elephant’s body. Thus you only have a partial view of the animal. If you put your partial views together, only then will you truly know what it means to see an elephant.”
The Elephant Award!
...for thorough and varied research on the I-search essay assignment
Erika Wold for her paper on Cursive Handwriting
Marissa Miller for her paper on Fibromyalgia
Lexi VanBlair for her paper on Therapy Dogs in Schools
Kennedy Keil for her paper on Theatre
Jadyn Meiers for her paper on Surgical Physician's Assistants
Jasmin Husidic for his paper on Motorcycles
Braden DeLong for his paper on The Madden Curse
Taylor Lujan for his paper on The Sport of Bull Riding
Honorable Mention: Jill Sanders
Madie Steele for her paper on Elementary Education
Kendyl Sorge for her paper on Student Athletes
Jordan Evans for his paper "What is Love?"
Jenna Smith for her paper on Bipolar Disorder
Paden Moore for his paper "Wrestling and the Olympics"
Cole Calonkey, Jackson Ingle, Alan Malone, Sam Meyne, Griffin Miller, Erin Pins, Meredith Wallerich
Marshall Egerton for his paper "Percussion of India"
Hannah Brummel for her paper "What do I want to be when I grow up?"
Austin Wille for his paper "Fighting in Hockey"
Alex Torres, Ally Eppens
Emily Sherwood for her paper on Insomnia
Selma Durdzic for her paper on Feminism
Olivia Terronez for her paper on Autism
Jacob Nelson, Juliana Herran, Jake Dawiec, Riley VanWey