Desert oasis, Pablo Galindo

You call this a snack bar? Photographer: Caleb Lottie-Hill.

Really, it comes downs to quarters, dimes, and nickels . . . pocket change could save the world or at least the lunch program at College Park or take it up a notch . . . an oasis in a desert filled without skanky food . . . a snack bar.

Snack bars have proved successful at other schools. Think about it -- no more tardy students in the morning, because they don't have to rush to the store to buy some chips for their lunches. They could buy the food they want here on campus . . . at the College Park oasis of a snack bar. Variety is key, when it comes to the taste buds of 325 students. A snack bar would meet that need.

Currently, students at College Park are starving of thirst for non-skanky food and soon may die. We need to give them an oasis -- a snack bar.

Cartoon #1, Selso Perez-Mares

On behalf of our mascot, here at Leadership Public Schools -- College Park, please click the picture to enlarge the comic strip below to learn about our knight's first and last experience with the food served here on campus.

Who put $100 in the trash today?, Geraldine Ramirez

Money is just being thrown away. College Park feeds us, but we're not eating. Our lunches overflow the trash cans in our hallways and restrooms every day. There is enough food being thrown away to feed a small country.

If I were Principal Gordon the mathematical equation I would have nightmares about is: lunch = money. And I would picture those trash cans overflowing with crisp ones, fives, tens, and twenty dollar bills. Imagine all that cash being picked up by Oakland's Waste Management and taken to the dump.

Those lunches, oops I mean money, could be used for more important things, such as books, computers, or school supplies -- things we students really need to succeed academically. Principal Gordon is not to blame, we the students are.

If the students don’t take care of our school who will? Instead of throwing our money, oops I mean lunches, away maybe the student-body should have communicated with Principal Gordon that we do not like the lunches and would like to create an alternative with him and avoid wasting money, but we didn't. We sent the school's cash to the Oakland dump.

Principal Gordon responded by forming a Food Committee to resolve this issue of waste. It sickens me to think that College Park students would so easily fill up the Oakland dump with crisp cash and then have the audacity to complain about being a poor school and having a lack of supplies and resources on this campus.

For more on this topic, please read the article on our school newspaper website.

Fresh Meat, Geraldine Ramirez

I work hard every day just to be a considered a piece of meat. Little by little, I have begun to like Leadership Public Schools -- College Park. My days in this school have been hard, because all of the faces are new and worse yet I am new -- I am fresh meat..

I miss my middle school, everything I needed they gave me and I was at the top of the food chain, not fresh meat. Now I have to work harder and go above and beyond the call of excellent in order to get the things I want and need for my education..

Every day I remember my mom’s words, “this is a way for you to practice fighting for what you want and defending yourself in this world for when I am gone.”

For all the fresh meat, aka freshmen, out there never give up, always fight for what you want and most importantly keep your head high. Do this so we could stay FRESH for ever. This year it’s going to be hard for many of you, because you are giving up without a fight -- the fight to better your future. I call all freshman to fight with me for a better education and equal treatment at school. We may be fresh meat, but at least we learn and socialize with integrity and honor, because the light is so bright at the end of the tunnel -- even if we're in the refrigerator.

Pick-pocket football, Josue Alvarado

Flag football poster. Photographer: Curtis Stephney.

Those that have skills will pickpocket you and you won't even realize it. You will be flag-less. The referee will announce the next play.

Two or three teams of six players have signed up to play flag football at Leadership Public Schools -- College Park. Although, more grace is required in pickpocket football, I prefer tackle. Many students feel that this lunch time intramural will be a great outlet for the students.

Students are anxious to master the art pickpocket football, but the league is short by two to three teams. I encourage you to talk with your friends and put a team together and try to pickpocket me -- trust me you got no skills!

I choose fresh air, Jasmine Eubanks

As a freshman student, that has been going to this school for seven weeks, I find Leadership Public Schools -- College Park to be somewhat boring; specifically due to mandatory on-campus lunch each day, which feels monotonous with regards to scenery and experience.

Off-campus lunches would be a breath of fresh air -- a time to recharge and to refocus. It will give some students time to clear their heads. It would also be a good idea, because people could go buy their own lunches and choose what they want. Students benefit from choices -- all human beings do! I also believe students would be more likely to eat a healthy amount if they could choose their food -- then they would have the much needed energy to do well in their afternoon academics. All to often, students don't eat their lunches and then crash in their afternoon classes.

Trust the students more, give us freedom of choice. We will make the right choice and our grades will reflect it. I know you keep us on campus for our own safety and I am both thankful and appreciative that you care so much about us, but we just want the opportunity to prove to you that we are trustworthy.

Please give us a chance for a breath of fresh air -- an off-campus lunch -- and I bet our grades will be better for it.

The Good, Bad, and Ugly, Josue Alvarado

Journalism class is brand new at Leadership Public Schools -- College Park. In journalism class there are two different kinds of the staff: Blog staff and the News Reporter staff. I am a blogger. On this blog you will read the opinions of our staff, but in the newspaper you will read facts about Leadership Public School.

This class represents the Good, Bad, and Ugly. Some students say it's bad or ugly. I have seen the good times as well. Times are good when Mr. Sutton guides the class and the students learn through hands-on experience. Mr. Sutton believes this is "our" blog and "our" newspaper, and he lets us run the show. But there are times when it is boring and we have to learn about facts as they relate to journalism -- the bad, the ugly.

Overall, I like the class because, we mostly write about things that we think are interesting and what the school would want to hear. Many students' opinions about this class is that it’s good, because we give information to the school and it helps us learn how to research more.

The bottom line is it's all three -- it's good, bad, and ugly, but mostly good.

Breaking down boundaries in Family Meeting, Geraldine Ramirez

Leadership Public Schools -- College Park hosts "family meetings" every Friday. The entire school attends. It is awesome. In these meetings a lot of different races come together and we discuss the successes of the week and what we need to do to improve our school. Most importantly, we celebrate each other and give "shout outs" for individual hard work -- i.e. students of the week. In family meeting, it doesn’t matter if you are darker or lighter, what matters is that you want to be part of our school community. This is how we show each other that we love each other and we want all students to be a part of this school family. One Love!

The Great Debate, Jasmine Eubanks

Boom! Boom! Boom! My heart was pounding like a cannon. We, the bloggers, fired point after point at them and won the argument leaving them dumb-founded. We proved that censorship should not be allowed and that the First Amendment should be upheld.

The battle was tough, filled with yelling and screaming and people popping up from their seats like pop-corn. Their voices shivered as they stated their arguments, which were delivered within three minutes. The Bloggers were against the Reporters. Everyone was nervous -- thinking that they were not prepared enough, but to their surprise they were. The students were anxious, some had note cards while some had all the information in their heads.

Everyone listened to the opposing team’s points. We all disagreed passionately and the debate went wild and crazy. Each student shot their ideas at one another, while staying focused and on point.
In the end, the Bloggers won with 75 points to the 68 points the Newspaper Staff earned. Even though we didn’t have our ammo written on paper, we were able to quickly fire our points off the cuff at one another, because we disagreed so strongly!