Everybody Has Secrets, Geraldine Ramirez

Victoria has her Secrets (excuse the pun Victoria Secrets) so do we. Students at LPS -- College Park have a lot of secrets, as do all people. This came to life for the students who attended the play, “Secrets,” on December 1st, 2008 on the Castlemont campus.

The play was about how teenagers have a lot of secrets that affect their lives. Eddy was playing a roll of a teenage boy who was going out with a lot of girls. Also, he was having a lot of sex with girls without protection, this caused Eddy to become HIV positive.

Juana Reyes, grade nine, said, “I’m going to check myself!” This is something everybody in the world has to do because this it's their life. HIV is something that every teenager must watch out for if he or she is sexual active.

Teen should not feel embarrassed for having HIV. This disease will not make you weak it’s going to make you stronger and love life more.

One of my family members has HIV and I’m very proud of him because he doesn’t give up on life. He tries and tries to be better each day and I thank God for letting him live.

Teens don’t feel bad, if you know you have HIV tell someone because we only have one life and think about the people that love you. Secrets are only yours and you have to realize that your life is more important than everything else. Your happiness and health should not be your private secret.

Go to high school in a computer, Geraldine Ramirez

Leadership Public Schools -- College Park offers its students a lot of different programs, but there's a new one this year that deserves our attention.

Imagine working at your own pace on a computer and earning your high school credits. Cyber High is a new online program that is helping students in LPS. It is an online program, which helps students make up classes that they didn’t take and also helps the students improve their grades.

As you can image there seating in this online classroom is unlimited. As many students that need to make these class credits up can and ensure they graduate from College Park.

Mr. Coco is one of the many caring teachers here at College Park. He is also the instructor for Cyber High and leads the program for our school. “I think this program is great because it’s giving a lot of students the chance to graduate and become someone in life. Also, this is a opportunity students should take, because this is a ONE chance only!!”says Mr. Coco.

This program is going to help students graduate and catch up quickly and easily with missed credits. Students who are struggling to catch up and graduate on time have this unique opportunity.

If you have any questions please contact Mr. Coco at room 108 More House.

Eyes wide shut, Geraldine Ramirez

“You come to school for learning not for flirting," says 9th grader Mabel Tafolla. This is a wake-up call girls -- a metaphorically wake-up call.

Mornings suck, especially Mondays. We wake up with drool on the pillow, stinky, and breath that would ignite if a spark crossed its path. Students take along time getting ready to go to school. Girls take the longest to get ready because they want to look nice for a guy or all guys so they can pick and choose one. Their beauty has a big price and that is, arriving late and call home or detention. This is how important school is for students, especially girls.

When I arrive late I feel shy, but my blushing face gives me away. No one wants to be late, but we count on our friends to sign us in on the late list so we won't get into trouble. Smart huh?

No, wake-up LPS students!

These students want to be slick and protect themselves, but they’re not -- they're actually hurting themselves.

Wake-up!

All students should start waking up and learn to be more responsibly. Use an alarm clock. Get up on time. Gargle some Listerine and brush your teeth. Kill that bad breath. Shower your stink off. Choose your clothing the previous night and lay it out. Get dressed and Wake-Up!

Girls Wake-up!

Arriving late to school is not worth a boy. Nastiness and intelligence don’t go together. Boys may come and go until you find the right one, but education is here to stay. You are here to stay. There's nothing wrong with looking good and being smart and there is no need to sacrifice one for the other. Be responsible and wake-up, because you can and need to be both.

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.