The Lemon and Character Writing Exercise; What a Scent and Taste Can Bring to Young Writers or Observation of Characters They See; Here are Two San Pedro High School Pieces From Students Doing This Mind-Bending Tool That Opens Thought Waves to O000h, So Many Possibilities….

Try This Yourself and With Your Kids at Home;

Dear Readers: I always like to give kids weird exercises to stretch their brains and make them think outside the box – or even somewhere out there – in the universe. These two girls rose to the occasion with this fun exercise and it brought out their genuine writing abilities.

The lemon exercise was first. The writers tasted and smelled lemon and were asked to write whatever came to mind. The second exercise was to write about a character spotted at a local coffee house. I included samples of each exercise. Diana

The Lemon Exercise:

Bio: My name is Kelsi Johnson, 17. I grew up in San Pedro and plan to be an editor at a magazine while working on publishing short stories. I like things from hundreds of years ago. Here is Kelsi’s story:

Lemons make me think of those men on the sides of the road who sell fruit to people. The sun is hot and they just stand there for hours, staring down corporate America driving by in their cars, off to pull a Madoff and buy three houses and a boat, while this man has to stand there and barely get by on selling fruit. I wonder what he thinks about us, if he's secretly filled with rage and would do anything to get into our positions. I would like to talk to the man, selling fruit. But I'm scared. I know that it's true- I don't even know how he feels. Maybe he loves selling produce. Maybe everyone should live his life for a day, stand in the hot Rialto sun and stare down corporate America. Sweat bullets and fill yourself with rage. This man, barely getting by, is probably 100 times happier than any of us. He knows, he sees, he understands. And he forgives.

The Character Exercise:

Bio: My full name is Lauren Myles Akiyama Watson. I'm a 17 year old self-taught artist. I was born in Tokyo, Japan, and spent a greater portion of my life living in Los Angeles, California. The environment is ideal for creative inspiration but the public schools are ghastly.  In my spare time, I hunt for odd musical instruments (and spend even less time playing them), eat with hysterical vigor, and write stories while firmly denying that they're autobiographical. Despite my terrible work ethic and severe insouciance, I like to imagine that one day I'll attend RISD (Rhode Island School of Design).

Here is Lauren’s short piece:

“Mustang didn't know that his left pocket was unturned, nor that he needed a 

pedicure. He was a conventional man's man, counting his receipts and checking

his blood pressure - oh wait, that’s an I-pod.

He scratched his hairy arms and snuffed out of his fluffy, fifty year-old

nostrils and wondered why Starbucks was such a popular place for pansy writing

clubs and sewing circles. The girls sitting adjacent to his table were clucking

about poems and giggling themselves senseless and - suddenly CRYING! Roy didn't

understand women too well. They were a strange luxury; organisms with one happy and a million mad..

He rubbed his neck in dismay and stared off at a distant wall, shook his head to

the music, basked in what little sun was magnified through the window. There was a silent symphony in whatever fragments that light bent through, and Roy liked to imagine he was piece of sun.

He carefully placed the receipts in order of date. On top of that, his wallet

that belonged to his father. On top of that, he placed his tiny account book that he loved for it's scent of old library books. Around all this, he tied a stout rubber

band. He crushed a leftover receipt between his thumb and forefinger until it

was gritty and thin near the middle. The sun dragged itself over the hill and

Roy sighed to shoo away the blubbering young woman’s gurgled sobs.

Computer Doc Bob Hutchins Can Fix Almost Any Computer or Make Your Internet Child Friendly; He Entered Our Lives When Troubles Began Appearing on Our PC;

We’ve Used His Expertise Ever Since to Fix Our Techi Difficulties

Dear Readers:

There aren’t too many Dr. Bobs who will come to your home, work on your computer, clean it up and take care of the madness that technology inflicts on the rest of us who are still so primitive we have yet to master calculators.

I have asked Dr. Bob, who carries a little black bag everywhere he goes, to share an occasional column with my readers to see if he can keep us from getting into the thick of a computer soup mess by using some diligent daily rules.

Also, he can fix glitches from the smallest to the largest – and those that are too huge, he will take the computer home to work on. He charges $55 an hour and tries to contain the expenses for his customers, which makes him worth every penny. Diana

Here are “three little tips” from Dr. Bob to keep your computer from turning into a mess:

· --Turn your computer off every night because it’s wasteful. Then you are rebooting it every day, which can clear up potential problems and give it a fresh start.

· --If your computer is stuck or frozen – or even refusing to boot or shut down – unplug the power connector for roughly one minute, then plug it in again. This typically helps to keep it from remaining locked up.

· --If you have a Broadband connection through a cable or DSL modem and you have a router, you may lose internet connectivity because the two devices have lost synchronization. The way to fix this is as follows: Shut down the computer, disconnect the power from the modem and router, wait about 20 seconds, then re-connect the power plug to the modem first.

Wait until all the lights stop flashing and go solid. Then plug the router in. Last, turn the computer back on. If you do it in this sequence, they will work properly together again.

To reach Dr. Bob, call310-547-0663 or email him at: Robert.hutchins@cox.net

The Los Angeles Mayor’s Endorsement of Allowing Charter Schools and Non-Profits to Take Over New Schools Frightens Me;

It’s Something We Should All Be Asking Questions About Carefully

Dear Readers: I wrote this story and it was posted on City Watch last week. Soon after, I received a phone call from David Kooper, chief of staff for Los Angeles School Board Richard Vladovic, asking for another story to clarify why his boss supports this resolution. I agreed since that was not included in the story.

But to put it all in perspective for you, here’s the original piece. In the next couple of days, I will post the second story. Here’s to our kids coming out on the top – which is where they belong. Diana

By Diana L. Chapman

My toes are curling and my head is spinning with the mayor of Los Angeles’ recent endorsement to pretty much sell off our new schools and let non-profits, charters or teacher partnerships run them – rather than Los Angeles Unified School District.

In a long editorial endorsement in the Los Angeles Times this week, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wrote that the district board should support LAUSD Board member Yolie Flores Aguilar’s motion to let others compete to take over all new schools do so on Aug. 25.

This forces the district to compete to operate its own spanking new campuses.

This definitely depicts an educational revolution – but the question is: Will it be a good one and when will we have gone too far? Revolution can be good – but it can be deadly when you keep picking off pieces from the vine in a haphazard way.

Remember the French revolution?

This seems just another move to cover up what the true revolt should be – a breakup of the entire district.

I can’t somehow help but feel this motion gives the store away. The so-called revolt is already well under way within the district, with 154 charters currently operating city schools (which still use public funding and are not private campuses although sometimes they act as thought they are private).

Each of these schools have their own philosophy, do not have to follow district guidelines and have far less regulations to face then our district’ campuses that have a duty to help all children , no matter what their issues, developmentally mentally disabled or otherwise. For instance, if a child is expelled from a charter, the public school still has to take that student in.

Or if any charter can show it doesn’t have the resources to aid special education students, or students with other issues, it can turn those students away. That scares me.

What this motion does is open the doors to have the district compete against other organizations to run each of its new schools scheduled to open 2010. This really diverts us from the reality of what really needs to happen: a break up of the district.

What I’d rather be looking at – which is a much greater form of liberation and protects all children at a much greater level -- is to carve up the district into smaller regions and give each region more autonomy, a decentralization so to speak.

Now, that’s a true revolution and one I trust will ensure a public education for all.

In his endorsement, the mayor makes me worry even more – because I don’t believe an ounce that he cares for our kids like he claims. What he does care for is his political future. In his life, that has always come first it seems.

Despite his excuse that he’s not running for governor because he didn’t want to leave Los Angeles bleeding leaves me with much doubt. I believe it really stems more from the polls that reflected few of us really want him to become governor.

Had he been so interested in our children, he would have perhaps started with his own, not taking his family through a brutal saga of his romantic affairs – which had to hurt his own kids – and led to divorce. Had he been so interested in our children, he might of looked seriously at a model brought to his office that used after school programs as a carrot to keep students interested at middle school and off the streets – and out of gangs.

Had he been so interested in our children, than he would understand that the charter plan would not necessarily provide or protect what he states: that “every child in Los Angeles ought to have access to high-quality public school in his or her neighborhood,” and parents more access to schools than the public schools.

My son’s charter, which I took him out of, acted like parents were vampires and they had their crosses out. They wanted parents – yes – to raise money, but didn’t really know how to deal with them after that. They didn’t want parents in the hallways, they stated in their school information.

That’s an instant red flag for me at any school. Why don’t you want parents?

In my son’s public schools in Los Angeles, I was able to volunteer and be on his campuses in a variety of capacities. Parents – as we all know even though we deny it– need to return and help at schools, whether we like it or not. There are just too many great issues at hand across the board.

My son has received an excellent education from LAUSD, even at one of the middle school’s most residents feared. Yes, he was in the gifted program, but since all the schools are moving toward small campuses within each large, public school, the district will be able to provide more mini-schools than ever.

I am all for breaking up the district and maybe having a lot less administration downtown, but a board with a heartbeat that can help each region and make sure all students – rich, poor, disabled or otherwise – get an education.

Breaking up the district, however, probably scares Los Angeles city officials, including our mayor.

Because isn’t it exactly what the city of Los Angeles needs to do? It’s become too large, too authoritative and cumbersome to truly care for its residents simplest needs.

If we break up the district, then the true revolution will begin and it might not just stop at the door step of city’s schools….

It might happen to the city. And maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Saying Her Leadership Style Evolves Around the Kids, the New Principal of San Pedro High School Spends Her First Day Meeting Students, Learning Names and Opening Her First Piece of Mail- a Post From Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn Expressing Council Support;

In a Short Stop-over at the Local School, Jeanette Stevens Will Bid Adieu to Her Former Staff and Students at John Leicthy Middle School Next Week and Will Return To Stay at San Pedro in Mid-August;

Her Main Goals Includes Helping Students Define Their Skills, Their Identities and – Their Futures – and Yes, They Should be Taught How to Stand Up For Their Rights at the Correct Time and Place

By Diana L. Chapman

Coming from creating a progressive and entirely new middle school campus in downtown Los Angeles – a school she and her team built from the ground up, Jeanette Stevens stopped on her first short day at San Pedro High School, greeting summer school students and shaking hands with a handful of staff.


The spunky, 41-year-old San Pedro resident – having already read the school’s dismal accreditation report – reassured the community that “we are going to be O.K.” and that she will work closely with lead teachers to improve academics, channel students interest at the school and make sure they leave prepared for their futures.

“We are going to make it work and it’s an exciting time to do that,” Stevens explained, whose father and grandmother both attended San Pedro High. “I’ve read the accreditation reports and the test scores, but I know there are good, dedicated people here. Our students will walk out of here in four years with the tools that they need and we will be well prepared to make that happen.


“We are going to work on building a team and our goal will be focused on our students.” With a team effort, Stevens -- who appears to have a refreshing approach when it comes to education and who has headed two of Los Angeles inner-city middle schools – tried out new tactics and reform to get both students and parents involved with their campus, which was divided into four small learning communities.

Students were considered like family and embraced into the culture, so they felt comfortable in a mass of 3,000 students.

During a two hour interview, Stevens talked incessantly about students and their needs and is the third principal courageous enough to take up the reigns of San Pedro High in less than three years.

Hard economic times for the district and the worst year in her profession was last year, Stevens said, when 75 percent of her Leichty teaching staff faced dismissal due to budget cuts. Students, angered by the potential loss of their teaches, were allowed to protest in a variety of ways from tying pink ribbons to the school fences and “chalk-talk” where students were allowed to write their feelings on the campus grounds, she said. Teachers were also encouraged to hold classroom discussions.


However, when a band of students stood up during their eighth grade graduation ceremony in June and turned their back on the guest speaker – an interruption of LAUSD School Board President Monica Garcia – Stevens said the moment was “confusing” and brought Garcia’s speech to an abrupt halt.


At first, Stevens explained, she and Garcia both thought a student was sick or that some other emergency had happened. After the event, the students who were part of the protest, were asked to explain their actions before receiving their certificates in the following days. Some agreed to write apologies to Garcia, she said.

The students were angry with Garcia for voting for the cuts. However, Garcia was a “friend” of the school’s and was responsible for bringing many gifts to the campus, such as Astroturf for campus’ year round soccer club, Stevens said.


“When it’s your turn to shine,” Stevens said about the event, “turn the light on. It was really unexpected. It was a time to celebrate and the kids missed their chance to shine. If they weren’t happy and they told me, I could have gotten a different guest speaker.


“I felt really bad that the students felt that way and that somewhere along the line, we hadn’t done our job.”


Despite the controversy, Linda Del Cueto who heads the region in which San Pedro High resides, hand-picked Stevens for the job. She was impressed with Steven’s progressive ideas and sharp abilities to roll out successful collaborations repeatedly.


For the past several years, San Pedro High has had difficulties keeping its leadership in tact, suffered from extensive overcrowding issues and a received a poor accreditation report that some educators consider similar to getting a D grade.


Steven’s extensive math background, her ability to start a new school from the ground up and lead another inner-city middle school, Del Cueto said, made her a prime target for the job.
She was also encouraged that Stevens lived in San Pedro and understood many of the issues the community and the high school face, including an annex campus being built at Fort MacArthur’s Upper Reservation at Angel’s Gate.


It was an unusual move to reassign a principal from another district region, but Del Cueto believed the campus needed someone more invested in the community and was pleased that Stevens two young girls attended Park Western Avenue Elementary School.


“Superintendent Ramon Cortines agreed with me she’d be a perfect fit for San Pedro High,” Del Cueto explained. “I knew of her work at two schools and some of her experiences you couldn’t find anywhere. She’s a true collaborator. She brings out the best in people and she motivates.”
Stevens replaces Bob DiPietro, who retired after two years due to family issues, but not before admitting that he was frustrated with the campus entrenchment making it difficult to make changes.


However, Stevens goal to clean up San Pedro High, she said, are personal as well professional as she wants both her daughters, Teel, a 6-year-old first grader, and Taylor, 8, a third grader, to attend the high school.


The new principal said her philosophy circles around her students, their needs and what they desire to be provided for their futures, including college.

As the leader of a brand new middle school, in the Pico Rivera District, where poverty was often a way of life, her team, two-thirds full of brand new teachers, believed their job was to help students find their identity and a place where they fit into the large campus of 3,000 students.


To do so, they broke the school into four mini-campuses and named all of them after sharks. Students kept the same teams of teachers to work with through 6th and 7th grade children to help them form bonds with the school’s adults. By 8th grade, they added new teachers to give the students an idea of the workings of high school, she said.


The students responded favorably to their houses – nicknamed Silver Tip, Mako, Spear Tooth and Blue, and helped pull together the identity of each house – which was more culturally driven then academic so the students could fit into the structure of such a large middle school. Each campus, Stevens said, was expected to operate “like a family.”


Also a big proponent of having an extremely active after school program, Stevens ran assorted clubs from a year round soccer club to photography at Leichty to keep kids at school and in safe environment .


About 250 students attended after school and the program was growing.


Stevens attended Mary Star High School and moved to San Pedro when she married about 20 years ago. She began her career as a math teacher at Gomper’s Middle School in 1990 and continued up the ladder, first as an assistant principal, before landing the principal role at Berendo Middle School.


She was then sought after to start the brand new school, Leichty, and she brought along six of her teachers who were interested in making big reforms and starting from scratch. Asked if it wouldn’t be hard to work with entrenched teachers – since most of her teachers at Leichty were new instructors – Stevens said her experiences at Berendo gave her ample opportunity to understand how LAUSD and public schools operate.

Now on her eighth year as a top school administrator, Stevens was Berendo's principal for five years and assistant principal for three.


At Leichty, her teaching team was able to work up a vision – which included making the students understand they are part of a family – and the new teachers that came aboard knew the school was based on “what the kids need.”


“I’ve definitely have experience in terms of leading and I feel I’m connected to the (San Pedro) community,” Stevens explained, as teachers rapped on the main office door eager to meet her. “We need our parents to come back and support us. And we have to acknowledge that there’s growth here. Teachers come here and work hard daily.


“ It’s time we’ve shined."