Headlines
12th Annual Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam
Lack of a Spring Break
Cotillion #328
CASL conference
Milpitas High School
Birthdays galore
Happy New Year (the return of baseball & softball)
One of the best things I could have done this entire year was to attend the 12th Annual Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam. I've always attended a variety of events around the city, especially open mics in small restaurants or bars. However, there is nothing quite like an Opera House filled with 3,000 people who paid for tickets to see teenagers express themselves. The poets ranged from a 14 year old with roots in the Killing Fields of Camodia to two different women who brought the land of Palestine come alive. The nearly three hour show empowered me and everyone else in attendance.
The show began with two excellent poets serving as the emcees for the night--Chinaka Hodge and George Watsky (both former slam champions). You should really click on their names and see their youtube performances from HBO's Def Poetry Jam. They even ended the evening with an awesome political group poem. Two of the five judges also were on Def Poetry--Beth Lisick and Mush, who happened to lead a youth speaks workshop in my class about three years ago. Yet, I love how the emcees always reminded the audience how stupid it is to rate poetry with numbers. But it had to happen, because the top 6 poets of the 18 who performed would represent the Bay Area at the National Poetry Slam competition in Washington D.C. this summer. Here is a youtube performance from last year's slam with one of the poets who made the final 5 this year--Simone Crew. The most important thing to happen at least for me is that about a dozen El Camino students were able to attend the slam. And the power of the word is continuing at our school now that we have a residency program led by Prentice Powell, who leads workshops after school every Tuesday until the end of the year.
Lack of a Spring Break
Spring Break started off strong with dinner with some friends at Les Amis (check out that entry) and the poetry slam. Yet, the next 4 days, Monday thru Thursday, involved narrowing down 70 applicants for leadership class. We interviewed 50 prospective students. I always find this difficult because I have students who want to serve their school, but I need to tell 20 of them, you have potential (and they all do) but unfortunately the panel found someone we think will fill the position/commission better than you. I have students take 3 different personality tests, hence the reason one of my entries was my personality profile. The students need to compete in a group activity in which they work with other applicants, some of whom are their direct competition for the class, to create an activity to improve the school's ability to reach out to our "invisible students."
This year had to be one of the most difficult years to narrow the class down. I know it would be unrealistic to have a class of 70 students, so just two days ago, the panel notified those who were selected and not selected. I feel it was very important that we did one on one exit interviews to let each individual know why s/he was not selected, because they still have a lot to offer the school and unfortunately it won't be through leadership for the next school year.
As always, I looked over my 30 new commissioners and felt a twinge of nervousness. For the next year, these students will partly dictate my life and will be responsible for bearing the torch of school spirit. I don't know many of them yet and have only ten students returning from this year's class. I suppose this is what many college coaches feel when their student athletes graduate or jump to the professional leagues. I must admit though, their is an exciting new energy that surrounds them. We'll see...
COTILLION #328
I was able to sneak in a cotillion on March 28 between interviewing and another conference. I feel like I've been to over a hundred of these, but I doubt that. This one though was very moving with many students I knew attending as well as parents. The parents and one of the 18 Candles presenters even mentioned me in their acknowledgments and poem, respectively. Times like these always remind me how thankful I am for my career and the effect it has on so many lives.
CASL CONFERENCE
So I ended spring break by attending a 3-day conference with four students. I took one girl from each grade level to the California Association of Student Leaders annual conference in San Jose. After the first day of workshops, one of the most humoring comments one of the students made was that the workshop didn't provide any new ideas, for all the information and suggestions given were all things we did already. The three days allowed my students to view El Camino in a new light... a light in which they see EC is an excellent school that has much to offer. Thankfully, Saturday and Sunday had more to offer my students in terms of ideas. A particularly nice moment was when my ASB Vice President crossed the stage to accept our school's Outstanding Activity Program Award for 2008. By bringing the plaque back to our school, it helps reminds the leadership class and other students and faculty members that our school is experiencing a wonderful year.
One of the particularly odd moments of the conference was that the whole delegation were given 2 hours and dinner at Great America. I haven't been there in years. I felt so out of place there as I recalled the opening of such events as The Demon, Grizzly, and Top Gun. Now, the park feels a little underwhelming. Maybe because it was cold. The nostalgia, though, filled me for an hour as I repeated the feeling of riding some of these things for the first time. Then, I just wanted a funnel cake, because a good funnel cake makes all thing right in the world for that moment in time.
Another particularly welcome part of the conference was getting to see many of the advisors from around the state whom I just saw at the CADA conference a month prior. I always love sharing ideas with other schools and picking their brains for new things. This year's most exciting idea--I found out a school is having their Senior Ball at AT&T Park. You know, I gotta try and make that happen. Our friends of the year also happened to attend the conference.
MILPITAS HIGH SCHOOL
So at the conference, I had to opportunity to spend some time sharing ideas with Ms. Lee once again. We discussed what her students thought about watching our Lip Sync Rally two weeks prior. But the best part of it all, because the conference ended early on Monday, Ms. Lee invited my girls and I the opportunity to visit her school and leadership class. Luckily, our school tends to have other schools visit us, for we are often mentioned as one of those schools you should check out (at least that's what some of the speakers or other teachers from around the state say... and how we ended up with a school from Washington state visit us two/three years ago, who also attended a Giants game with our leadership class... some of those students still keep in touch with some of our alumni through myspace). However, we were able to visit Milpitas.
Their campus has 3,000 students with several building encircling a central courtyard. I love their classrooms. Although they appear smaller at first, most of the rooms possess a feature I want desperately. The whiteboards at the front of the rooms all slide so you can keep info on one board and begin writing on another if students are still copying down info without me having to erase it yet. Then, the whiteboards also slide because behind them is storage space covered by those boards. Additionally, the boards are surrounded by cabinets and shelving that completely fill that one wall. I would love all that room to organize and store all the leadership items. Then I entered their leadership room and they have a complete storage room in the back with shelves holding what looks like every rally item they would need for a couple of years. They must have three times the storage space. However, I do have to admit that I at least have a full classroom for my class; they have to share their space with the student store. The next biggest jaw dropping feature of this school was the cardio room filled with 40 elliptical machines and exercise bikes. I need to figure out how to get one of those rooms. P.E. would love it.
Thanks to Ms. Lee, her leadership students and the Milpitas staff for allowing us to visit and even observe some of the classes that were going on at the time.
BIRTHDAYS GALORE
April Fool's Day honored the amazing Jan Arney who left 138 to enjoy life as a grandmother in Sacramento. Also, former AV, now my softball captain celebrated his 21st.
Four co-workers also had a birthday this past week and they are all people who help me a lot to do what I do at school. I appreciate you all so much. I'm still trying to figure out how to make one of them stop their plans from leaving our EC family, but I just don't have enough incentive for them.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
and I don't know what this portends for us this year.... but I love this time of year sportswise... the Warriors are fighting for a playoff spot, the Sharks are the 2 seed in the west, the Stanford women's basketball team will be playing for the NCAA championship Tuesday night, and in a few short hours... opening day for the Giants at the ballpark. I so agree with Cincinnati. That town gets it right, by declaring opening day a town holiday and all schools close down for the event. Well, it's a holiday for me, especially since I didn't get one during spring break. One day off in trade for giving up 6 days. Not quite the fair trade, but at least I have some priorities that aren't work-related in my life.
BETTER THAN DRUMLINE #6
anyone else notice that my brother is now posting his own film clips at his blog site, Lanciness.
here's my newest entry... I just felt the need for another scene set in a school... enjoy
this battle of quotes from Finding Forrester... sorta sums up my entry of school, leadership, and spoken word to express yourself
1 comment:
Over a long period, metal shelving offers a number of benefits over commercial shelving made from other materials. These shelves bought a very good attraction to the kitchen and looks pretty good...even it becomes as a room divider also...
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