Do students realize how important the SAT Test Scores are? Do they take advantage of the resources and lessons they have at Leadership Public Schools-San Jose? I want to share an experience that was a reality check for me. They use to always tell me: “study for your SAT tests” and “they aren’t like your usual tests. They are more challenging because they don’t test you on your knowledge, but on how well you do under a limit of time and pressure or stress. They will try to trick you; you will have to pay close attention to details. A competitive score is when in each section you score at least higher than 50% of last year’s group of college-bound seniors.”

I can’t say that I didn’t care about my SAT scores because I did. I just didn’t believe how competitive students were outside of the East Side San Jose. Over the summer I took a Beginners Drawing Art Class at Evergreen Community College, there I met Isha whose parents came from India. I got to know Isha well enough to know that she was wealthy and intelligent. Well one day during our break we began to talk about SAT tests, college application, as well as personal statements, but because our break was so short we didn’t have enough time to really get into details about each other’s individual work and goals. It was a coincidence the next day I discovered her current plans and goal.

The next day I saw her studying flash cards, curious to know what she was studying for on her summer vacation. When I asked her what exactly what she studying for, she told me that they were vocabulary words that she had to study for the SAT. She explained how she was taking a SAT Prep class. Recalling how Ms. Barron had mentioned to her Advisory Class that there were students who would pay a few thousand dollars for a Prep SAT class, I asked her how much was she paying for her class, and surprisingly enough she answered, “$2,000!” My mouth dropped, I couldn’t believe it. In my head I was just thinking I could never afford to pay for that class. Although later on Mr. Devon explained it was actually pretty cheap for a prep-SAT class.

I was honestly surprised after she had received a score of a little over seventeen hundred out of twenty four hundred which was a pretty decent score she was paying so much money to aim for a higher score. I wasn’t expecting her to take a class to aim for a twenty hundred.

I took it as a reality check. I realized how important it is to prepare for the SAT tests. SAT tests are very important because college admission look at your SAT tests. You should try and balance your SAT scores with your grades/ GPA. How do you balance them out? Ask your Advisor, they should have the equation used for it. You are required to take the SAT reasoning and subject tests if you want to apply to a UC or private college; however it is not required for a CSU. You need to prepare yourself for competition because out there (in the real world) you aren’t competing against students from San Jose, but the whole nation.

I also wanted to remind students that Mr. Devin is providing you with a short twenty minute FREE Prep SAT session Thursday after school. Make an effort to attend and study! It will be worth it in the long run, I promise!

Girls for a change is a non- profit organization to help thousands of girls to help and lead a social change. On October 30th, they put together an event, the Summit, to kick off the year of Girls for a Change. Every other Friday, two volunteers from Girls for a Change will come to LPS and let us choose our projects of what we really care about. It could be about gangs, gay rights, the community, etc.

More than 1,500 girls and 500 women attended the Girls for a Change Summit. Fifty-five of the girls were LPS students. It was an inspiring event with role models, painters, and workshops. The most inspiring part was when all the girls were together, like the opening ceremony, lunch, and the closing ceremony.

During the opening ceremony, the first speaker was Maggie Quigley. She is an actor who starred in Mission Impossible 3 and was in Rush Hour 2. She has around the world to help kids and support animal rights

The second speaker was Jessica Mendoza, who is an Olympic softball gold medalist. She talked about her love of sports and how she still managed to get a degree at Stanford and succeeded at the Olympic Games. She said that getting a degree at Stanford was her greatest achievement. Her motto: Live it. Dream it. Love it.

The third speaker was Carissa Phelps, who was the keynote speaker. She shared about her past and how hard it was. She was abandoned as child, with no where to go she turn to prostitution at the age of twelve. She turned her life around when a juvenile hall counselor reached out to her. He inspired her to believe that she could reach her full potential. She finished high school, went to community college, transferred to CSU Fresno, and then graduated from UCLA with a degree in law and an MBA. Now she spreads awareness about homeless teens and works with the Los Angeles Dodger’s Dream Foundation to inspire mentors for at-risk youth in the greater LA area.

Our last speaker and performer at the opening ceremony was David Garibaldi. He is a painter that inspires young people through his presentation called Rhythm and Hue. At the Summit, he painted the musician Pink while listening to her song, “Stupid Girl”. He finished the painting before the song ended. He also painted Alicia Keys while playing her song, “No One”. He uses the energy of the music and audience and transfers it to his paintings.

After the opening ceremony, we went to our workshops. Each and every girl was assigned a different workshop. The categories were BEING INNER BEAUTY WISE, GET YOUR GROOVE ON, YOU GO GIRL, ART IN ACTION, EQUAL PEOPLE, CONNECTING CULTURES, and ADULT WORKSHOPS. Each category had numerous workshops that were related to the category. For example, EQUAL PEOPLE had workshops like Let’s Talk About It: LGBT Experiences, Confidence, Motivation and Assertiveness, Creating Great Dating Relationships, The Power of Lyrics in Hip Hop and Stray Bullets: Preventing Gang Violence.

After our first workshop, we went to lunch, and talked to friends. After we ate, we went to our next two workshops.

When we finished our last workshop, we went back together in the same room and had the closing ceremony. The first performer was a soul, blues and gospel singer named Sista Monica Parker. She sang “Beautiful” beautifully. Sista Monica Parker worked hard in her life to get where she is right now, one of the most sought after soul performers in world.

The second performer was Sisterz of the Underground (SOTU). They are a group of women that uses Hip-Hop as a tool for education and social change. They help women respect and express themselves through Hip-Hop.

All of these performers and educators are helping to make a change in how women see themselves. Their main message: Change something in your world, be a social agent for change.

If you think you are or can be a social agent for change, check out www.girlsforachange.org.

For centuries now, there has been an increasing rate of gangs. In our community and school, a good percentage of the underage students are in some way affiliated with gangs. We are realizing that the ones who are in gangs are usually the ones who don’t meet the standards that are needed to be met in school.

We also realize that there are people giving off bad vibes and wearing the “colors” and sending out the wrong signals. Our first interviewee said, “I didn’t even graduate high school. I was too worried about fighting and trying to be cool that I never did work.” Another former gang member said, “At first, I did have a problem with school and then I just dropped out and got a job with my uncle.”

Gang violence is also a big issue in this community. According to the U.S. Department of Juvenile Justice, 100% of cities with a population of or greater then 250,000 people reported gang activity in 2001. San Jose, being the third largest city in California, has a population of approximately 929,936 people. In a 2002 survey by The National Youth Gang Center they found that there were 21,500 gangs and 731,000 gang members in 2,300 U.S. cities.

Most people sometimes wonder what the purpose is in being in a gang. “I feel like I have a second family when I’m in a gang. I know they will always have my back,” said our interviewee. Are they scared? Do they care that they are in danger? Anonymous stated, “I’m sometimes scared, it just depends.” If their scared then why don’t they quit? “It’s not that easy to quit because if you do you can get jumped.”

For some gang members, it is easy for them to open up about the issue, for others they just want to shut down. “My family doesn’t know I am in a gang, if they did I would get kicked out,” said anonymous.

We truly hope that anybody who is in a gang or is thinking about being in a gang thinks twice before doing so. We also hope that you know the consequences of being in a gang or being around a gang.

Works Cited Page

1. According to the U.S. Department of Juvenile Justice (2001) “100% of cities with a population of or greater than 25,000 people reported gang activity in 2001.” Arlene Egley, Jr.

2. According to the National Youth Gang Center’s survey (2002) “21,500 gangs and 731,000 gang members in 2,300 U.S. cities.” Gang Research.net

3. According to Wikipedia.org “San Jose is the third largest California city……San Jose has a population of 929,936 people.”

The title phrase requires little explanation: when someone has your back, they’re willing to help or protect you in any way that they can. It’s a sign of friendship when you’re willing to support somebody else in their time of need. It shows compassion, loyalty, trustworthiness, and respect. After hanging out at LPS as long as I have, I’ve heard this phrase on countless occasions. We must have an amazing school to have so many loyal and trustworthy friends.

Here’s a secret though, just between you and me: many of your ‘friends’ are LYING to you.

That’s right. I just called your friends a bunch of liars. In fact, a lot of them are pretty selfish. They’re only hanging out with you because you’re fun to be around, at least once in a while. When that fun goes away, so do they. If push came to shove and you got into a fight, they’ll stand on the sidelines and film it on their cell phone. They’re all talk and no action – a bunch of ‘fair-weather friends’.

You see, we find out who our true friends in life are during the times when we are challenged. These friends will stand by your side on the days when you are angry or sad and help you sort through the drama in your life. They’re even willing to face it with you. The truest friends are the ones who catch you when you’re doing something wrong before you run into problems. They’ll tell you the things that you don’t want to hear because it’s exactly what you need to hear.

I have three friends like that in my life.

I met the first when I was nine years old. He kicked my butt daily for five years, to the point where I wouldn’t be able to move the next day. When I was fourteen, he handed me my first black belt. I went on to work for his martial arts school and became his most trusted advisor. Eventually we became business partners and although we disagreed often, we always made the right choices together, and it led us both to success.

I met the second during my martial arts training. He was the one kid in my class who could always best me in anything: sports, video games, school…all of the above, plus some. We’ve had a friendly competition going on for years and we’ve reached a mutual understanding: I find something new for us to try, he beats me at it. I was proud to be the best man at his wedding last year, even though he was the true ‘best man’ in the room.

I met the third shortly before my freshman year of high school. She is immensely talented, brilliant, strong, and kind-hearted. There are few people in the world who have her level of skill and determination, and even fewer who lead lives which inspire me to become a better man. I’ve loved her since the day we met seventeen years ago, and I look forward to sharing the rest of my life with her.

My life is blessed because I have these friends to share it with. We’ve seen each other throughout many changes in our lives and I’ve watched them step up to overcome the kinds of challenges that would make most people give up or lower their standards. I take no credit for any of their success. I’m just proud that we’re still together.

These are people who ‘have my back’. They bring out the best in me on my worst days, and we don’t have to see each other every day to know that if we ever needed each other, for anything, we’re there in a heartbeat. They don’t get upset with me if I don’t send them a text message while I’m in class, or distract me from my day’s work in order to keep themselves entertained.

Maybe your friends are as good as mine. In fact, I hope they are. Everyone needs them.

You see, you’re here at a school which can help you to find success and achieve your dreams. Each day, you are surrounded by talented teachers who are among the best in the industry, not just because they’re smart, but because they also have the capacity to be a true friend for you – if you let them. We’re not afraid to tell you when you’re out of line. We’re willing to reach out our hands to help you, even if you’ve slapped it away. Most importantly, we’re going to kick your butts academically for a full four years because someday, we’d like to hand you a diploma and wish you success in college.

Now ask yourself: are your friends helping you get there, or are they holding you down? Are they encouraging you to succeed, or are they silently celebrating your failures? Will they be the friends who help you stay focused in class, or are they the ones who text you because they need someone else to be distracted with? Does your boyfriend or girlfriend really care about your best interests, or is their idea of a relationship limited to kisses in the quad? Is your best friend truly the ‘best’ friend?

What kind of friend are you? What kind of friend would you like to be?

I’m the kind who has your back. Walk with me and I will never let you fall.

Mr.G is a part-time Jedi master who occasionally masquerades as an English teacher.

Many people celebrate thanksgiving, but there are a few that don’t really know the history behind it and why it’s a holiday in the United States. Nowadays families celebrate this event with a Thanksgiving dinner including turkey stuffed, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, corn, turnips, yams and pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November, as a symbol of giving thanks to the end of the harvest season. In 1620, the Pilgrims crossed over to the United States in a sailing boat called Mayflower. Approximately 102 people sailed through severe weather conditions for two months causing the death of 46 of them. Because of the awful storms they had to face, they were kept in the butch of the ship; for relief they would sing songs. Finally on December 11, 1620 they arrived at Plymouth Rock. In 1621 they met Squanto, a Native American, along with kindly Native Americans assisted the Pilgrims in helping them learn how to grow goods such as corn, beans and pumpkins. In the summer of 1621, due to the deficiency of goods, Pilgrims joined together to pray to God so that harvest for the next season would improve. By a miracle that same day, at night it rained and the goods survived.

The First Thanksgiving Feast was a shared dinner of 90 people; it happened right after their first harvest celebrating and honoring God for all the support. The party lasted three days. Two more feasts happened after that one, but it wasn’t until October of 1777 when all the 13 colonies celebrated Thanksgiving. After having many feasts President Lincoln announced Thanksgiving to be a holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November of every year. Some fruits and vegetables are symbolic to the Thanksgiving dinner.

Pumpkins, turkeys, corns, cranberries, cornucopias and beans are the vegetables and fruit that are a customary to have for dinner on Thanksgiving. It is a tradition to have Pumpkin Pie as a dessert. And, of course, what’s Thanksgiving without a turkey? The name of Turkey comes from the sound it makes whenever it’s scared, “Turk, turk.” Turkey was part of the meal for the first celebration, since then people have incorporated it in their meals. Corn is also a symbol for Thanksgiving; it’s one of America’s contemporary agricultural products. Cranberries are used to make a sauce poured on the turkey. We see cornucopias everywhere when Thanksgiving holiday is right around the corner. A cornucopia is a horn shaped container filed with grapes, pears, corn, apples, and grains. Beans are also a unique symbol because it has been said that Native Americans taught Pilgrims to grow beans nearby cornstalks, so that beans would use them as their rod. All of these were some of the goods that Pilgrims use to harvest, so they mean a lot when it’s Thanksgiving Day.

It’s a day of giving Thanks for all the negative and positive things that have happened to you. It’s important to give thanks to the appalling things that have happened over the course of the year, because those are the things that make you grow as an individual. It’s also important to give thanks to all the good things that make us smile, laugh, and have a great time.

This year, 2007, Thanksgiving will be on November 22nd.

FYI: A lot of sales are going on the next day, on Friday (they’re one of the really big ones).

This information was retrieved from http://www.thanksgiving-day.org/origin-thanksgiving-day.html, on 11/06/2007.

A number of disastrous fires started on October 20. They were surprisingly started by a 12 year old boy, who was playing with matches and caught his home along with others on fire. It has caused 500,000 acres of land worth of damage worth, and more than 1,500 homes were ruined.
The wildfires burned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S. – Mexico Border. The fire has gone on to kill twelve people and injure hundreds. In addition millions of people have had to flee out of their homes. There was an estimate of two billion dollars worth of property damage. Humans weren’t the only ones affected; wildlife have been severely injured, many native plants were destroyed, and watersheds were harmed by ashes.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has recently stated that he wants to encourage tourism in Southern California because, “We have the best weather, the best scenery and the best tourist destinations right here in California.”(english.people.com.cn) This wildfire will go down in history as one of the biggest tragic incidents to have occurred in California.

In the year 2012 it’s said to be the “end of age” by Mayan Beliefs. The Mayan’s said that everything won’t come to a complete end, but it will be like a change from one World Age to another. Their belief has drawn many people deeply into the topic not only because it might be the “end of age,” but because it affects us all and could relate to other prophecies such as the coming of Jesus Christ. The good part about this prophecy could be that it might actually happen. And if it does happen, the new age that is begun can go to be better or worse than the current age that we’re in. It all depends on us and what we do to or for each other. Why do people believe in this though? Should everyone be getting ready, or should we continue our lives like nothing is going to happen?

Why do people believe in it?

Why do people believe in 2012 as the Mayan “end of age”, just as the coming of Jesus Christ is thought of as the end of this age? Some people believe in this because the Mayan’s main calendar has been the most accurate on the planet. It has never erred in predictions such as what year their civilization would be overrun by foreigners coming from over the seas, and when the world wars would happen. Their calendar may be the most accurate, but others believe in 2012 because the Mayans was and is the most advanced in the time related science knowledge.

The Mayans clearly say that 2012 will be the “end of age” meaning a new world called the “Golden Age” would start, and the old would end. So why do we think this relates to the coming of Jesus Christ? Yes, there are a lot of people eager for the second coming, and some people think the Mayan calendar points to when Jesus Christ will come back. Why would the Mayans predict when Jesus comes back when they don’t believe in Jesus? The Mayans believed in other Gods such as Chac the god of rain and thunder and Kukulcan the winged god also known as the feather serpent. Interestingly the ancient Hebrew language has a word for the shining one called “Nachash” translated to English as serpent. The Mayans were around over 5,000 years ago and so was the word Nachash; a 5,000 year old Hebrew word. Could this be a coincidence?

According to astrologers, the Earth and our solar system will pass through the dark rift in the center of the Milky Way. Some think that excessive amounts of radiation will reach the earth and make epoch changes. This position is seen when the December solstice sun (December 21) has converged with the exact center line of the Milky Way (the galactic equator). This also occurs in the year 2012. Some call it the “Holy Cross” of the equinox axis and the Milky Way. This cross was also recognized by the Maya and was called the “Crossroads or the Sacred Tree”. Even the bible has its sacred trees if you look in Genesis. There is a tree a life and a tree of knowledge of good and evil.

What’s good about it?

Well, the good part of the “end of age” is that it will start a new age perhaps better than it is now. If this age ends, then another age will be given to us. If we are to experience an end of age, perhaps it would begin a time of goodness and peace. Unlike doomsayers that always say an end of age is cataclysmic (destruction). Another good thing about it is that if the second coming of Jesus Christ is going to be sometime in the year 2012 then it proves everyone who predicted it right.

How does it relate to us?

The question really is how does this not relate to us? This easily relates to us because it will affect everyone in the world. If the “end of age” is to come, everyone would be affected in some sort of way either by life changing, peace instead of war, less hatred, and plenty of other things. Also if Jesus Christ DOES come back, then it will affect everything!

Although if nothing happens then believers will most likely concoct another story to explain 2012. For example: they may claim that the new age has arrived without any cataclysmic changes on the Earth, which brings about a new level of human development. Such claims have been made before, and perhaps plenty more are to come.

So overall the Mayans predict that 2012 will be the end of this current time, and the beginning of a new age called the “Golden Age”. The Mayans were very precise, accurate, and even never erred, so either we should be prepared for the new age, or hope that this will be the first error of their prophecy. Even though there is a lot of evidence that something remarkable is going to happen in 2012, it still might be another mistake like Y2K. Until then, we will just have to wait for 2012 and see what happens.

Pictures and Reference from

1st Picture – http://webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-mayan.html

2nd & 3rd Picture – http://www.crystalinks.com/mayangods.html

4th Picture – http://alignment2012.com/whatisGA.htm

5th Picture – http://p.vtourist.com/2460889-Travel_Picture-World_Peace_we_can_do_it.jpg

6th Picture – http://www.mormonwiki.com/Jesus_Christ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_aquarius

http://www.angelfire.com/nv/TheOliveBranch/append19.html

In an effort to counter misconduct, we have decided to list school expulsions alongside their reasons. While school expulsions are down from last year, we hope this will assist more students make more well-informed decisions to behave in a college preparatory school. For legal reasons we can not list the student’s names but we provided the grade and education code which was violated.

1) and 2) A 10th grader and an 11th grader both expelled for the same incident. Fight in the parking lot. Ed. Code 48900(a)(2)

3) 9th grade. Started as a fight in a classroom and turned into much worse. Ed Code 48900(a)(1)

4) 11th grade. Possession of a dangerous object. Ed Code 48900(b)

And one expulsion is pending for possession of a dangerous object. Ed Code 48900(b)

The patriots had better be prepared to spend the rest of the season under the lights. NBC grabbed the game against Buffalo on November 18. The game against the Steelers was moved from a day game to a night game at 4:15 p.m. More changes are probably being made in the networks so that the patriots play all night games for the rest of the regular season.

New England’s pursuit of a perfect season will attract more viewers. The biggest game in there schedule may be the Steelers game in Foxborough, Mass. , because the Steelers might be the only ones who can stop the patriots winning streak. The Patriots remaining opponents, include three AFC east teams who have a 5-20 record when you combine there records. They have a .421 winning percentage. The Pittsburgh, Steelers might be the only team Patriots coach Bill Belichick has to worry about.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has the ability to escape defenders and make plays down field. He has been tested on the road. The hard hitting Steelers defense can blitz Brady. To beat the Patriots you must be able to score and the Steelers are averaging 27.8 points per game. Patriots only have one 1p.m. start for the rest of the season and then all primetime from there.

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/
football/bob_blo g/tombrady.jpgits