Decisions can determine destiny. One critical decision regarding education is currently facing the Sacramento City school board. Recently a few groups have thrown around arguments favoring that Sacramento Charter High School and West Campus swap or even co-locate campuses. There are multiple areas in these proposals that are not in the best interests of both high schools. My name is Jessica Brewer and I am a senior at Sac High. Last night, I had a chance to attend the parent meeting at West Campus. It could not be clearer that neither Sac High nor West Campus students have a desire to move or co-locate. So why are the adults, who all claim that they want what is “best for students”, pushi

There's a special way to honor veterans and Japanese American citizens who missed graduating from their home town high school due to wartime circumstances. Through its Operation Recognition program, the Sacramento County Board of Education will provide high school diplomas to qualifying veterans (proof of honorable discharge required) who left high school to serve in World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam War. Also eligible for belated diplomas are those Japanese American citizens who were forced to leave their local high school due to incarceration in a WW II relocation center. Diplomas are awarded even if the honoree earned a G.E.D. or went on to college without having received h

As the sunlight crept through the thick leaves of Curtis Park Saturday morning, the sight of youth volunteers cleaning up dried leaves welcomed joggers and dog-walkers on the park. Twelve youth volunteers cleaned up Curtis Park from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. as part of the youth programs provided by the La Familia Counseling Family Resource Center and Hmong Women's Heritage Association. Staffers of the two associations supervised the youth volunteers. "It has given us the motivation to come together and focus to work with youths at risk that are living in the same communities," La Familia youth specialist Vidal Gonzalez said about the two groups collaborating. "Why don't we go ahead have acti

Is your kid being hit on by her teacher? Would you know if she was? Would she tell you?* The first inappropriate attention I can remember receiving from teachers was in seventh grade. Comments about classmates’ breasts; rides home from school; calls on my private phone. Shoulder massages. By high school I had a more complete understanding of how flirtation could work to my advantage. Hall passes, excuses from class, little bits of padding here and there, as long as I could remain in classes with certain malleable male instructors. Occasionally I hit a bump, the odd required class, but it wasn’t as though I couldn’t pass; I was bright and capable, just attention starved and increasin

Students and advisers from five Sacramento area high schools joined in a virtual rally Wednesday – with kids from Los Angeles, Fresno and Oakland schools – as part of the National Week of Action to raise awareness about the overuse of extreme school discipline. The rally connected more than 100 students, parents and community activists via live video feed to discuss recent trends in suspensions, expulsions and other harsh punishments in California schools. According to data from the California Department of Education, there were 235,033 students enrolled in public schools in Sacramento county in the 2010-11 school year. There were 47,678 suspensions and expulsions issued that same year

Ah, September! It used to be met with great anticipation. The Labor Day weekend marked the end of a long, hot summer, meant to be exciting, but quickly grown dull. September meant buying new clothes, reuniting with old friends, and stories to dish. It can again. Along with Back to School Night and Homecoming, September is also High School Reunion time for more than a few classes. When I told people I was going to attend my 20th high school reunion (Foothill High, Class of ’82, FYI) the most common response was “Why?!” The number of exclamation points attached varied from person to person, some using cartoonish elongation of the syllable and hand gestures to punctuate their disgust and d

Second Saturday at Old City Gallery On May 14, student artists from Natomas Charter Performing and Fine Arts Academy will host a Second Saturday showing of their artwork at the Old City Gallery located at 2512 Franklin Boulevard. Admission is free. All painting and drawing students will display at least two pieces they have created during this school year, showcasing everything from paintings that reflect the aesthetics of the Impressionists and Cubists to traditional Chinese brush paintings. "This is a fantastic opportunity for our students' art to be seen in the larger Sacramento arts community!" said Carrie Markel, an artist and teacher at the school. "I hope our community comes out i

Roseville, CA – The Robert C. Cooley Middle School will be ground zero for one of the largest youth education forums in Northern California. Close to 1,000 elementary, middle and high school students will converge on the Cesar E. Chavez Youth Leadership Conference and Education Fair on Saturday, March 19, 2011 in Roseville, CA. For over a decade, this event has provided guidance to youth seeking to pursue higher education and grant information. This unique educational forum allows 6th to 12 grade students and their parents an opportunity to learn how to pursue secondary educational and grant opportunities. College recruiters will be available to answer student questions. There will also b

“Tony Silva rides the bus to see the punk rock bands    He rides out from BFN and no one understands   He doesn’t have a car and he’s not old enough to drive    But seeing punk rock concerts is what keeps Tony alive.” --“Tony Silva Rides the Bus”, by The Secretions   Despite a bad economy and multiple venue closures this year, punk rock is alive and well among the under-18 crowd. “There will be times when things get closed down, and it’ll affect the scene negatively, but in the long run, there’s a resilience in Sacramento,” said Craig Usher, who has been going to punk shows since his freshman year of high school. Usher, now 42 with children, runs a Facebook page cataloguing shows. He sa

In March, 2009, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger launched California Green Corps, in order to place at-risk young adults aged 16-24 into jobs in California’s emerging green economy. The Center for Land-Based Learning is one of the three youth service providers in the greater Sacramento region, serving a total of 130 youth. CLBL is serving 25 of those 130 youth, aged 16-19 years old, for summer work experience in sustainable agriculture, natural resource conservation, and habitat restoration. The Center for Land-Based Learning is well known for their two model high school programs, the FARMS Leadership and SLEWS Programs, that reach out to inner-city students and introduce them to a new worl

Photo courtesy of Julie Mietus When Cristo Rey High School opened its doors four years ago, it embarked on a unique program – and with a unique request to the community. Cristo Rey recruited students of limited financial means who had a goal of attending college. Beyond that goal, the students agreed to embrace an innovative work-study program that would help pay for private Catholic high school education that would have been difficult, if not impossible, for their families to afford. Among the key ingredients, of course, were the organizations that would partner with Cristo Rey and put the school’s students to work as part of the work-study program. On June 2, 53 of the school’s first

With family and friends in attendance, 40 aspiring high school filmmakers debuted their documentary shorts at the second annual Documentary Foundation Film Festival Sunday. The Sacramento student filmmakers covered a multitude of issues including racism in high school, legalization of marijuana, pink-slipped teachers and prisoner work programs in Folsom Prison. The program is taught by Sacramento native documentary filmmakers Keith Ochwat and Christopher Rufo and sponsored by KVIE. The duo created the Documentary Foundation student program as a means to inspire future generations of documentary filmmakers. "There are so many issues that affect peoples' lives," Ochwat said. He spoke of th

Above: Brent Pottenger with former Sacramento Kings player, Tyus Edney (and his son) "You have to have a backup plan," shared one student-athlete this past weekend at GPACompton. Game Plan Academy (GPA) opened camp this past Saturday in Compton, California (Los Angeles). Over the past few months, my brother, Kai Pottenger, and I have worked collaboratively with the Compton Unified School District, Revolution Test Prep, and the University of Southern California to create a small pilot program for male and female basketball players at Dominguez, Centennial, and Compton high schools. The goal of GPA is to provide students (for free) with personalized and professional academic and athletic

 Sunday marked the third and final day of competition for this year's state academic decathlon. The "Super Quiz" was held at the Memorial Auditorium on J Street. Sixty-two teams from school districts all over California competed for the honor of state champion, as well as a spot in the National Academic Decathlon held in Omaha, Nebraska next month. California remains a powerhouse in the national competition, winning seven of the last nine events, and Sacramento in particular, between rivals Bella Vista High School and Folsom High School winning the majority of events for the last 20 years at the state level. Teams of nine, composed of three groups of three students, each with A , B and

Fashion shows in Sacramento have typically barred teens since the majority of the shows are held inside night clubs.  But with prom season just around the corner, one local retailer has decided change things up a bit and give teens something to shout about with her own fashion show tailord for teens and their parents.  The event, titled, "A Tale of an Edgy Cinderella," and will feature top designers, some of whom have shown at red carpet events in Hollywood. Immediately following the show, guests are invited to the “After Party” located at Tres Chic Boutique on the corner of 23rd and J Street. The evening will continue with fine pastries, coffee, champagne and non-alcoholic beverages. Sp

One of the best kept secrets of the South Sacramento area is a small, private school tucked away in the Lanai Shopping Center on Freeport Boulevard, neighboring the Sacramento Executive Airport, where it has existed in rented space for 21 years. Over the years, most of the shopping center tenants have moved away. Meanwhile, countless hours of parent, teacher and student work have gone into transforming a run-down property into a school with colorful classrooms and playgrounds. It has an understated entrance, but Camellia Waldorf School is an oasis for children. The kindergarten yard is home to Mr. Mountain, a big pile of dirt, and Ms. Sandy, a big pile of sand. There are climbing struct

Sacramento Country Day School soon could become the only high school in the grid. School officials are close to signing a lease for the Newton Booth School, 2600 V St., according to Stephen Repsher, Country Day headmaster. It also would mark the first time since 1976 that the Newton Booth School is being used as a school. Since closing because of earthquake concerns, it has been home to a medical insurance group and an environmental consulting group. "It could be in the next few weeks," Repsher said. "However, we still have to go to the city's planning commission and raise $1.7 million. We've moved a long way forward, but we're probably coming up in the next two to three weeks on some so

It’s your first day as a teacher. You walk into a noisy class of sophomores. Everything has been leading up to this moment. You finished a bachelor’s degree, went on to take courses for your teacher certification and completed 16 weeks as a non-paid student intern. You ask the students to stand up for a little warm-up exercise and a student named “Butch” in the front row tells you to “suck it.” During the first week, you see students slouched in their seats, not bringing materials to class, tapping fingers on the desk, swearing at one another and directing their anger and frustrations toward you – the person who wants to help them. There were times during student teaching when a good sto

Thanks. Thank you. We are thankful. Thanks to Coach John Fleming at Hiram Johnson High School for making his classrooms and fields available these past eight Sundays for Game Plan Academy (GPA).  Please VOTE for Hiram Johnson High School (by clicking here) in Kellogg's 'Plant a Seed' program to "Help Rebuild America's Playing Fields." Here is a message from John Fleming, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Hiram Johnson High School, about this wonderful competition: "Hiram Johnson has nominated our football field for a make-over by Kelloggs. Out of 3,400 nominations, we were selected as a semi-finalist. 30 of the 100 semi-finalists will receive a $15,000 upgrade to the facil

Cameras flashing, limos, tuxedos and dresses: Thursday night at the Crest Theater, a film premier event will roll out the red carpet for a selection of bright young screenwriters, directors and actors. But there will be no Hollywood A-listers -- in fact, you won't even pay to get into this event showcasing the brightest young filmmakers from Sacramento-area high schools and middle schools. Sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Cooperation (CMC) and Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center (SCCSC), the premier will display three different types of films: youth voice stories and intergenerational stories that are both several minutes long, and 30-second anti-tobacco public service a