As a senior last year at Daniel Murphy Catholic High School, Sean Flowers joined with a group of classmates to document their school’s last days as an active campus.
They had hoped that the video they produced might spur the Los Angeles Archdiocese to save the 55-year-old school, which had been battered by declining enrollments and financial strains, but it closed at the end of the school year.
But the student project, "We Are Noble Men," is bearing some fruit: Earlier this month, it won first place in its category at the 2008 Oxnard Youth Digital Film Festival.
The award, said Flowers, is a bittersweet recognition of a beloved campus that produced alumni such as L.A. City Councilman and former Police Chief Bernard C. Parks and television newscaster Patrick Healy. And it is a testament to students’ enduring loyalty.
"I was very surprised that we won," said Flowers, 19, now a student at Santa Monica College. "It’s a recognition of all of our efforts to show what Daniel Murphy was. And the video will probably keep Daniel Murphy alive a long time because of how powerful it is."
Kitty Merrill, a television production specialist at Oxnard College and this year’s film festival director, said she was impressed with the sense of determination and fervor displayed in the Daniel Murphy project.
"I loved the combination of the heart in it and the diversity of voices they captured," Merrill said. "One of the things I hope for youth to get out of participating in this festival is that they find things that they care about passionately, and that is the thing that I got from the Daniel Murphy students."
The project’s team included about 20 students in teacher Luella Wagner’s television production class who interviewed classmates, alumni and some of the Dominican fathers who first ran the school. The father of one of the students, film and television director Chuck Vinson, helped in editing the video.
Wagner had been at the school only a year when it closed. "I’ll always treasure that year at Daniel Murphy," said Wagner, who now teaches religion at Alemany High School. "This video makes it more than a memory."
Flowers is studying psychology and film in college, but the film festival win is pushing him to flex his more creative muscles.
"That boosted my courage, like ‘All right, I did help to make that film, and it has won an award,’ so yes, I’m really happy how it turned out."
-- Carla Rivera
The Animo Pat Brown Charter High School opened new facilities in South Los Angeles on Wednesday.
 At the opening, at left, are, left to right, California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, Steve Barr, founder and chief executive of Green Dot schools; Kathleen Brown, a former state treasurer and daughter of Pat Brown; and Marco Petruzzi, president of Green Dot.
“My father believed that education is the key to improving ourselves and the world around us,” said Brown, whose father, Pat Brown, was a California governor. “I commend Animo Pat Brown and Green Dot Public Schools for their outstanding efforts at providing a sound education to the children they serve.”
Animo Pat Brown Charter High School is located at 8255 Beach St. Two other schools, Animo Justice and Animo Ralph Bunche Charter High Schools, share a facility at 1655 E. 27th St. The three schools were opened in 2006.
“I am so proud of the success of our students,” Barr said in a statement. “Even in two short years, these students have challenged themselves, gone above and beyond expectations, and are breaking the legacy of failure and are preparing to go on to college. This is the vision set out by the late great Pat Brown, and Green Dot is proud to honor his legacy by naming one of our schools after him.”
Both campuses are designed to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, Green Dot said. Features include the reuse of a former garment manufacturing building, use of recycled building materials and water-efficient landscaping and bathroom fixtures.
Green Dot has founded 18 schools across the highest-need areas of Los Angeles since 2000.
-- Mary MacVean
Photo credit: Green Dot
Mary Najera's son was "failing horribly" at his Los Angeles junior high school. The principal told her he had to move on "regardless of whether he was prepared to compete" in high school, she said.
"I was a desperate mom," Najera said today at a news conference discussing a new report on parental involvement in high schools.
According to the report, parents of students in low-performing high schools say their schools don’t give them what they need to be more effective in helping their children succeed.
Najera's family found a solution in a Green Dot charter high school, where her son thrived and is now a college student. Najera credits, in part, parental involvement.
The report -- called “One Dream, Two Realities: Perspectives of Parents on America’s High Schools” -- "disproves the prevailing myth that low-income parents are not interested in their children’s academic success," said John Bridgeland, president and CEO of Civic Enterprises and co-author of the report.
"The opposite is true. Parents, especially those with students trapped in low-income or low-performing schools, desperately want to be involved and want their students to succeed,” Bridgeland said in a statement.
"Many are seething with frustration," he said today in a news conference.
According to the survey:
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Forty-seven percent of parents with students in low-performing schools said that their schools were doing a good job in encouraging parents to be involved, compared with 85% of parents with students in high-performing schools.
- Twenty-five percent of parents with students in low-performing schools say that their school informed them about academic and disciplinary problems, compared with 53% of parents with students in high-performing schools.
- Less than 20% of parents with students in low-performing schools said schools do a very good job preparing their students across four categories: preparation for college; helping students develop confidence, maturity, and personal skills; developing a special talent; and preparing them for a good job. Half of parents with students in high-performing schools said this.
Each year, more than 1 million students fail to graduate from high school on time. Research shows that when parents are involved, students perform better and are less likely to drop out.
"The good news is that schools do not have to convince parents" that their involvement is needed, Bridgeland said this morning.
The report is a follow-up to the 2006 report, “The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts” -- which noted lack of parental involvement as one of the key reasons dropouts gave for leaving school.
“Unfortunately, parents of students trapped in low-performing schools -- those who need the most support -- are the ones that are least likely to be engaged by their children’s schools," said Geoff Garin, president of Peter D. Hart Research Associates, which conducted both surveys. “But we know there is a clear pathway to help improve student achievement in these low-performing schools, and that is through schools and parents working together to create opportunities where parents can play an active role in their children’s academic success.”
Among the changes parents said they want: daily communication, being integrated into academic assignments, homework hotlines, one person at school to be the contact, notification about progress and attendance.
Read more Parents of high school students frustrated »
A campaign to try to improve teen driving habits has been launched. "Mindless Driving. Keep It Out Of Cars" includes information for teenagers and parents.
Car accidents are the main cause of teenage fatalities, according to Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. According to the most recent institute tally, more than 5,000 teenagers died in car-related accidents in 2006.
“Mindless Driving. Keep It out of Cars" is a meaningful way that our organization can help tackle an important community issue head-on,” said Susan Scarola, president of DCH Auto Group, a group of dealerships in the New York Tri-State area and in Southern California, which is sponsoring the campaign with the organization Students Against Destructive Decisions, formerly Students Against Drunk Driving.
-- Mary MacVean
Rachael Warecki, an English teacher at Locke Launch to College Academy 1, writes:
“How hard can it be to write about yourself?”
Two months ago, that was my justification for organizing my first 10th-grade unit around autobiographies. Looking back, the comment seems flippant and naive and optimistic, a remark made by someone who’s always had a knack for writing. At that point, I hadn’t started teaching at Locke, so I hadn’t counted on how difficult the mere act of writing would be for many of my students.
The reality is that, at age 15, some of my students didn’t know how to string together a complete sentence. Bit by bit, we worked through the basic elements of a solid essay: how to construct an introduction, create three strong body paragraphs, and end with a vivid conclusion. I created a rubric so that my students would know what I expected. And although the sometimes-excruciating writing process has been heartbreaking to watch, the results have been uplifting. I’ve given no grade lower than a B, and most of my students have gotten As.
I think the following essay shows most clearly what Locke students are capable of, as well as what they’ve experienced (The student gave me permission to use her name.): “Have you ever known anyone that had a very hard life, but they don’t understand why? If not, you have now. My life hasn’t exactly been a piece of cake. Nevertheless, what’s made me who I am are as follows: my name, my family, and my friendships.
“My name is unique, but unwanted. It screams out ‘ghetto.’ Disappointment takes over me when someone introduces themselves and their name is extraordinary and I reply ‘Tonisha.’ It’s dull and begs for help with each letter. I am a very unique, independent, and joyous person, so my name needs to be the same. I was named after my dad. His name was Anthony, but he converted it into a girl version and now there’s me, Tonisha. I would absolutely change my name if I had the chance, but I would never go out of my way to change it. I’ll just make good of what I have, and that’s Tonisha!
“Family is a hot topic because my family has no heart. It hasn’t always been this way. I remember when I was little all my family cared. Holidays were the best. We were always together and we cared for anyone who needed help. I guess it isn’t that way anymore. I need help and my backstabbing family all betrayed me. My mom and I went from homeless to shelters and family seemed not to care as long as all their needs were met. This tore my mom apart and took her to her breaking point. Now I’m all alone in a foster home and where’s family? Good question!
“The true definition of friendship is caring, being honest, staying true, companionship, and loyalty. I guess there’s only a few people in this world who take this into account. I’ve found a few loyal friends in my fifteen years on earth, but then there have been disappointing friendships. For example, some of my friends respect me as I do them, are here for me through all my hard times, and give me a shoulder when it’s needed. On the other hand, I’ve been in heartbreaking, back-stabbing overall ridiculously disappointing friendships, so now I don’t look for friends, I let friends find me. This is not that state of mind that I want, but I’m just rolling with the punches.
“In conclusion, the things that make me up may be different than the things that make you up. But life is a battlefield and friends, family, and even your name should make you, never break you. Just as I do, stay strong, be focused, and you will win the fight. Take this from a living, walking, and breathing example.”
The folks over at Teacher Magazine have come up with a list (registration required) of the all-time Top 10 movies about teachers:
1. "Mr. Holland's Opus" (1995)
2. "Stand and Deliver" (1988)
3. "October Sky" (1999)
4. "Dangerous Minds" (1995)
5. "Freedom Writers" (2007)
6. "Chalk" (2006)
7. "To Sir With Love" (1967)
8. "Dead Poet's Society" (1989)
9. "Remember the Titans" (2000)
10. "Teachers" (1984)
You can read descriptions of them all, join in a discussion and see a list of also-rans at the magazine's site. Among the runners-up: "The Empire Strikes Back." Huh? It's because of Yoda -- that's Mr. Yoda to you. Teacher he was, but English taught he not.
-- Mitchell Landsberg
The L.A. Public Library is anticipating that the economy will increase the demand for its free college prep classes. So it is expanding its Student Smart program.
Students from Hollenbeck, Markham, Stevenson and Gompers middle schools are going to the Central Library downtown today for a seminar to launch the third year of Student Smart. The schools are part of L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's partnership schools program.
“We have received more calls this year from parents about Student Smart than past years, and they say they want to take advantage of this program because they cannot afford to pay for similar programs during these hard economic times,” said Georgette Todd, director of the library’s Young Adult Services. “We have expanded the number of workshops and seminars because of the demand.”
The free program allows students to attend PSAT and SAT seminars and take SAT practice tests, a package that can cost several hundred dollars. The program also reviews techniques to improve test scores and study habits. This year, the program will offer 133 Student Smart programs –- 56 seminars and 77 SAT practice tests –- a more than 46% increase over last year.
More than 10,000 students have taken advantage of the program, offered at the main library and at branch libraries. The program is made possible through donations. Students who wish to take part are encouraged to sign up in advance.
-- Mary MacVean
A Cal Arts program that sends students into a Newhall high school to help young people write about their lives is being honored by Los Angeles County.
"The young writers we work with at William S. Hart High School are courageous, insightful and poetic," said Glenna Avila, director of the Community Arts Partnership program. "They wrote with heartfelt sincerity about their vivid memories, painful losses, the joys of family and friendship, and their bright dreams and hopes for the future."
The LA. County Commission on Human Relations has selected the Community Arts Partnership to receive the John Anson Ford Human Relations Awards for the 5th Supervisory District, citing the writing program and other work with underserved L.A. County youth.
The Hart High School writing project is called "Food for Thought," and brought graduate students into English learner classes. "CAP has helped to build cultural understanding between students of diverse backgrounds, increased language arts competency and assisted in desegregating a campus that had experienced racialized rioting targeting Latino students only two years ago," the commission said.
Their book, “Food for Thought” was published earlier this year.
Read about the other honorees. The commission’s awards luncheon takes place Oct. 23.
-- Mary MacVean
Phoebe Smolin, a student at Hamilton High School, writes:
The evolution of the hall pass has been an innovative one; over the years, I’ve had to carry clipboards, toilet seats, stethoscopes, chairs, broken desk parts, paintbrushes, steering wheels, stuffed animals, paper, and water bottles just to get from class to the bathroom.
The hall pass phenomenon reached an odd level today at Hamilton High School: Along with carrying a clipboard, students must wear a bright yellow vest with a room number written on it to prove that they have been given permission to leave the classroom.
(Student Camila Lacques sports Hamilton's new hall pass.)
At the beginning of the day, this rule was seen as something of a cruel joke, and many students carried the vest. As the day progressed, I heard from my peers that people were being harshly yelled at for not properly wearing the vest. By sixth period, my school looked like a walking box of highlighters.
The rule was created so students would have no way of forging a hall pass. Although the reason is valid, the rule remains one of the most hilarious ones I've seen and it only makes me wonder: What's next for the hall pass? Clown shoes?
Photo by Phoebe Smolin
Vistamar School, a private co-ed high school, will host a college admissions fair for high school juniors and seniors of African American, Latino, Asian or Native American heritage. The event, to be held on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m., is free and open to the public.
On hand will be recruiters and alumni from several colleges, including USC, Northwestern University, Boston University, Colorado University, University of Oregon, University of Washington, University of Arizona, Pitzer College, Smith College, Lewis and Clark College, Beloit College, Santa Clara University, Arizona State University, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, and historically black institutions such as Spelman College.
Panels will address such topics as financial aid, mastering the multicultural college experience, and comparing mainstream and historically black colleges.
Vistamar, located at 737 Hawaii St., El Segundo, is accessible by bus and Green Line. Parking is free. For more information, please contact Vistamar at (310) 643-7377 or by e-mail.
-- Carla Rivera
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Jimmy Biblarz
Lance Chapman
Sophy Cohen
Antero Garcia
Nick Giulioni
Steven Hicks
Anum Khan
Lauren McCabe
Tim Schlosser
Erin Shachory
Phoebe Smolin