Scenario #1: Samantha is a player on the girls’ basketball team at School X. She complains to the principal that she is not being treated fairly because the coach is not playing her as often as she would like in games. The principal tells the coach to kick Samantha off the team. Do you think Samantha is right or wrong to complain? Do you think it is right or wrong for the coach (and the principal) to remove Samantha from the team because of her complaints?

Standardized tests, like the SAT, the ACT or other national, international or state exams that measure all students at a certain educational level, are increasingly being used to judge how countries, states, schools and even individual teachers are doing. What standardized tests have you taken in your school career? How have your teachers prepared you for them? How well do you do on those kinds of tests in general? How well do you think the ones you have taken have measured your intelligence and abilities? Why? 

Today's spotlight in Women's History.......Barbara Jordan

If the society today allows wrongs to go unchallenged, the impression is created that those wrongs have the approval of the majority.

Barbara Jordan, born and raised in a Houston, Texas, ghetto, became active in politics working for John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign in 1960. She served in the Texas House of Representatives and in the Texas Senate. Barbara Jordan was the first black woman to be elected to the Texas Senate. She served as a U.S. Congresswoman from 1972-1978.

In 1976 Barbara Jordan became the first African American to give a keynote address to the Democratic National Convention. After retiring from Congress, she taught at the University of Texas at Austin. The passenger terminal at Austin's international airport is named in honor of Barbara Jordan.

Women by the Numbers

From the U.S. Census Bureau

29.6%

Percent of women 25 and older who had obtained a bachelor's degree or more as of 2010.

11.3 million

Number of college students in fall 2010 who were women.

157.0 million

The number of females in the United States according to the 2010 Census. The number of males was 151.8 million.

At 85 and older, there were more than twice as many women as men.

1.2 trillion

Revenue for women-owned businesses in 2007.

7.8 million

The number of women-owned businesses in 2007

Can kindness become cool?

Do you think it’s possible to foster kindness and love in the place of cynicism and cruelty among young people? What might work to help change the way students treat one another socially, online and in school?

High School vs. College: The Learning Environment

Get used to saying "Professor" or "Dr." Your teachers are no longer Mr. or Ms. Brown, but Professor or Dr. Brown, and guess what? You are expected to have an opinion! You are no longer a passive learner who just sits and listens to a teacher, occasionally writes a paper, and takes a test in which you are expected to simply reiterate what you have learned or been told by the teacher. You will not be provided with notes; rather, you are expected to figure out on your own what's important. (Professors are available during their office hours for help if what's important is ever unclear.) In college your professors are expecting you to voice your thoughts, and disagreeing with the professor's opinion is considered an interesting debate, not deviant behavior. Class participation and providing your own perspective and analysis are key to success in the college learning environment.

Avoid Senioritis and the Senior Slump

There's a common misconception that once you've made it to your senior year -- and especially once you've been accepted by colleges -- that senior grades don't matter. But colleges do request and review senior grades, especially from the first half of the school year. Be forewarned, though, that if you let your grades slip anytime during the year, colleges have the right to ask you to document and explain why your current grades have dropped below previous years.

Continue to take pride in your grades and continue to attempt your best. Some studies report that high school seniors who lost interest in high school because of a “senior slump” also had problems in college because they had lost interest and devalued the importance of education. And you don't ever want to face the worst-case scenario: not graduating high school because you are short one credit because you failed some elective course.

Is open-mindedness really a virtue if truly destructive ideas are spreading in society?

                                                       2012 National Women’s History Month Theme:
                                                       Women’s Education – Women’s Empowerment

Women’s History Can Be Fun

Learning about women who have triumphed against negative forces, who have had an effect on many people in their lifetime and after can be inspirational.

March has been celebrated as Women’s History Month in the United States since 1987, when Congress expanded the celebration of Women’s History Week, which dates back to 1978, in the school district of Sonoma, California. In 1981 Senator Orin Hatch (R-Utah) and Representative Barbara Mikulski (D-Maryland)
co-sponsored the first Joint Congressional Resolution proclaiming Women’s
History Month. This encouraged several states to develop and distribute curriculum materials in their public schools, which expanded the teaching of history to include the role of the countless women in the formation and progress of America. Before the 1970’s, women’s history was rarely the subject of serious study. The first International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 8, 1911.

The 2012 National Women’s History Month theme is “Women’s Education – Women’s Empowerment. The equal opportunity to learn owes much to Title IX of the Education Codes of the Higher Education Act Amendments, legislation passed in1972. The first college in America to admit women was Oberlin College in Ohio.

And this is your moment in History..........Enjoy

Scholarship Information for African Americans

Black students may be missing out on scholarships because they are not aware that the scholarships are available. We at Princeton Day Academy want to do our part in making as much information available about as many scholarships as possible. Therefore, we are beginning to compile scholarship information for our scholars and families This is a work in progress that will be updated on an on-going basis. The goal is for this information to get better and better with time.

Remember, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste," and we do not want a single available mind-building scholarship dollar to go unclaimed.

•2011 - 2012 Scholarship Resource Guide courtesy of U. S. Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, (CA-34)
•http://www.littleafrica.com/resources/scholarships.htm
•Blackexcel.org - Scholarship Gateway (Includes the list: "200 Free Scholarships For Minorities")
•http://www.blackstudentfund.org/
•http://www.finaid.org/
•http://www.college-scholarships.com/
•http://www.colorq.org/Articles/article.aspx?d=2003&x=scholarships
•http://www.federalstudentaid.ed.gov
•http://www.studentaid.ed.gov
•NursingHomeAbuse.net Scholarship
 

Black History Quiz

1. The first Black woman elected to congress was:

1. Patricia Harris
2. Barbara Jordan
3. Shirley Chisholm
4. Sadie Alexander

2. Legislation to restrict the movement and freedom of freedmen was enacted in 1865 in Mississippi and was known as:

1. Black Rules
2. Negro Restrictions
3. Black Papers
4. Black Codes

3. The first Black-owned television station in the US began broadcasting in 1975 and was located in:

1. Los Angeles
2. Cincinnati
3. New York
4. Detroit

Is it reasonable to have a sense of delusional confidence in your abilities, or would you rather build confidence by performing well in the past? If you choose the latter, doesn’t that mean that a single bad performance can shatter your confidence in yourself

Blacks in South America

When Vasco Nunez de Balboa, a Spanish explorer, landed in South America in 1513 he found a small community of Black people already living in America. This fact brings convincing indication that it was Africans that discovered America and not Columbus as it has been said. Archeological excavations have also brought up evidence of this fact. They discovered pre-Columbian pottery with African facial appearance. They believe that it must have been West-Africans who sailed into the Atlantic Ocean and were brought to South America by strong streams. Christopher Columbus was informed about this practice when he stopped in The Cape Verde Islands. Columbus was looking for a shorter way to get to the Indies when islanders informed him about Africans setting off on small ships into the ocean going west. He attained confirmation of this scheme when he arrived in the Caribbean islands and found dark people who were already trading with the Indians. Columbus was told that the natives had already traded gold with black men coming from the ocean. He later on wrote in his observations that these Black men must have come from West Africa.

She founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935:

a) Mary McLeod Bethune
b) Sara Washington
c) C. Delores Tucker
d) Hazel W. Johnson

How Much Information Is ‘Too Much Information’?

How much information about casual acquaintances is “too much information”? How much personal information do you put out on social media platforms like Twitter or Facebook? Do you often “stalk” others there to find out about them, even if (or maybe especially because) they’re people who are no longer in your life? Are there people you have blocked on Facebook so that you don’t have to read about them? Why?

News coverage and social media have been aflutter lately with references to the Knicks’ Jeremy Lin. Among the many reasons for the “Linsanity” phenomenon are his prowess on the basketball court, his personal story, his ethnic background and his faith. Who in the news has gotten your attention recently and is a role model for you?

Fun and Unusual New College Classes

Classes with roots in popular culture are popping up on college campuses everywhere. If you’ve yet to select your classes for next semester or have found a few empty blocks in your schedule, consider enrolling in one of these fun, weird and surprisingly informative courses. (Bonus: They could help you earn an equally unusual scholarship!)

• South Park and Contemporary Issues: This course at McDaniel College mixes sociology and philosophy while exploring the controversial contemporary social issues featured on the long-running Comedy Central cartoon. The official course description states, “Ultimately, students will gain…new knowledge of the benefits of applying an interdisciplinary approach to contemporary social issues.” No Kennys will be harmed but bring your own Cheesy Poofs.

• Music, Video Games, and the Nature of Human Cognition: This NYU psychology class already has a waiting list and there’s a good reason for it: Professor Gary Marcus believes video games – specifically “Guitar Hero” – can be used to enhance human cognition. Some parents are upset that this is the type of class their tuition is going toward but Marcus stresses that delving into this understudied area will yield positive results. Rock on, Professor!

Questions that make you say hmmmmmmm........

If you try to fail, and then succeed, which have you done?

                                              Focusing on the Positive

You and I have the option of looking at the things that happen in our life as positive or negative. It is all in our perspective. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort to find the positive in a situation. However, if you look at it in the right perspective and carefully break it down; you will be able to find something positive. Sometimes we have to learn some painful lessons from things we do, decisions we make, mistakes we make or what we think is random things happening to us. When we start to blame everything bad that happens on everyone else or even on ourselves; we will not find the positive that can come from the life lesson. It takes a high level of maturity to find the good when it looks like everything going on is bad. It takes a focused and destiny minded person to find the positive lessons that come our way. If you desire a positive, peaceful, happy, growing, learning, positive, restful, insightful, and destiny filled life; then you have to have the right perspective on life. A person of destiny has to have the right perspective on life or they will never be able to live their destiny. Take a step back and look at things from the positive perspective!

• Black History Month began as "Negro History Week," which was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

• 1964, After 10 days of debate and voting on 125 amendments, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by a vote of 290-130. The bill prohibited any state or local government or public facility from denying access to anyone because of race or ethnic origin. It further gave the U.S. Attorney General the power to bring school desegregation law suits.

 "How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because some day in life you will have been all these." 

George Washington Carver
1864 - 1943

"Focus on your potential instead of your limitations."
 

"You must remain focused on your journey to greatness".

Learning how to focus and get something done is about more than just good grades — it's the foundation for success in life. Mastering the skills of getting organized, staying focused, and seeing work through to the end will help in just about everything you do.

What Story Does Your Personal Data Tell?

Facebook has swelled to an estimated 845 million users, who typically share everything from their last name to their favorite movies — even phone numbers and e-mails. What users may not realize is that advertisers then use this information to customize what ads appear on a user’s page. What sort of impression do you think advertisers and companies might have of you, based on how you use Facebook and search engines like Google?
 

Research has shown that keeping a diary helps soothe teenage angst. Now, researchers are saying that keeping a blog is even better therapy for the overwhelmed teenager. What do you do when you’re stressed out? Do you keep a blog? If so, does blogging seem to improve your mood or help you relax? If not, why not?

Should the Dropout Age Be Raised?

.
In his State of the Union Address President Obama called for every state to raise the dropout age to 18, the first time that Washington has gotten directly involved in an issue that has traditionally been decided by individual states. Do you think more states should require students to stay in school until they turn eighteen? Why or why not?

"Courage — not complacency — is our need today. Leadership not salesmanship". — John F. Kennedy

                                                            "LEADERSHIP IS INFLUENCE"!

Traits are distinguishing qualities or characteristics of a person, while character is the sum total of these traits. There are hundreds of personality traits, far too many to be discussed. Instead, we have focused on a few that are crucial for a leader. The more of these you display as a leader, the more your followers will believe and trust in you.

• Honest — Display sincerity, integrity, and candor in all your actions. Deceptive behavior will not inspire trust.
• Empathy-Creating a legitimate rapport with you those you lead makes it less likely that personal issues and resentment can creep in and derail the group. When your team knows that you are empathetic to their concerns, they will be more likely to work with you and share in your vision, rather than foster negative feelings.
• Consistency-Being a consistent leader will gain you respect and credibility, which is essential to getting buy-in from the group. By setting an example of fairness and credibility, the team will want to act the same way

Tomorrow we will explore the following leadership traits......

• Competent
• Forward-looking

Where there is no vision, the people perish.
~Proverbs 29:18

So you've been studying hard for the past few months building up to your SAT test tomorrow. You've done enough SAT practice papers to last you a lifetime, and now that the last night before your freedom is here, you are at a loss to what you should do to complete your preparation. Some of your friends may decide to pull an all-nighter while others might decide to just sleep on it. Which is the better way? Well, read on for the 4 tips you can carry out to complete your SAT preparation:

Be prepared

We don't mean cramming in another last minute practice test. What we mean is you should prepare all the things you need the next morning. Set aside your wallet, mobile phone and keys on the table or near your backpack. Lay your clothes out on the dresser too so you will not waste time choosing an outfit to wear the next day. Remember to set a couple of alarms, perhaps one alarm on your clock and another on your mobile phone, to ensure that you will not oversleep. Make sure you know how to get to the test venue. If you are hitching a ride, please be sure the person is reliable enough not to show up late. Consider giving him or her a call as reminder before you go to sleep.

2) Pack your backpack

These are some of the essentials you will require for your SAT test:

* Your Admission Ticket

* At least two No. 2 pencils and an eraser

* Acceptable photo identification

* An acceptable calculator (check the College Board website for the list of acceptable calculators)

* A watch (without setting any alarm)

* A snack and bottled water

* Extra batteries (for your calculator)

3) Relax and take it easy

If you've done all that you can to prepare yourself for the test, take it easy. This is not only because you deserve it; you just really need to relax and take it easy. Being anxious and frantically revising the night before isn't going to help you. Consider some light reading or watch a film. Even if you aren't fully prepared for your SAT tomorrow, being nervous will not do you any good. Calm down and try to have some light revisions just to freshen your memory for tomorrow.

4) Have a good night sleep

The most important thing you should do before a test is getting a good night sleep, regardless of how prepared you are. Get at least eight hours worth of sleep so that you will feel fully rested and ready to tackle the paper the next day. Getting enough sleep will also help to ensure that you will not oversleep and miss the test.

Of course, don't assume that these steps will guarantee you success for your SAT test. Keep in mind that these tips will only help you put on the best performance possible for the test. Only intensive studying and sufficient practice will lead you to achieving great SAT results.

Some sit and pontificate about whether leaders are made or born. The true leader ignores such arguments and instead concentrates on developing the leadership qualities necessary for success.There are leadership traits or leadership qualities that people look for in a leader and we will disucss some of those traist within the next couple of weeks. Exhibiting these traits will inspire confidence in your leadership. It is important to exhibit, model and display these traits. Simply possessing each trait is not enough; you have to display it in a way that people notice. People want to see that you actively demonstrate these leadership qualities and will not just assume that you have them. Let's begin.......

Leadership Traits:

•Empathy: Creating a legitimate rapport with you those you lead makes it less likely that personal issues and resentment can creep in and derail the group. When your team knows that you are empathetic to their concerns, they will be more likely to work with you and share in your vision, rather than foster negative feelings.

•Consistency: Being a consistent leader will gain you respect and credibility, which is essential to getting buy-in from the group. By setting an example of fairness and credibility, the team will want to act the same way.

                        Quote of the day "A Leader is a dealer of hope"

Welcome back! As we enter into the month of December I would like to focus on "leadership".

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Abraham Lincoln

What is the definition of leadership?

The definition of leadership is influence, Plan and simple!   This is the definition that John Maxwell gives. He also states that everything rises and falls on leadership. So, if these statements are true, then the job of a leader is to get things done through influencing others. And that influence begins with one – one person adding value. One person casting vision. One person making a lasting difference. And that one becomes many.

But it doesn’t happen overnight. I believe leadership is a process. Growth is essential. After all, people are our most valuable asset. And you have the power to impact those lives. To motivate and, to transform those around you!

Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.

John Maxwell

Find the Right Fit!

Find out what kind of school is the best match for you and your career goals.

•What's the right match? The kind of college you choose to attend should reflect your goals and your personality. Whether you choose a public, private, community, technical, trade or even online college, make sure it's the best match for you.

•Big or small? Do you want to attend a big university with more choices of studies and social activities, but also larger lecture classes? Or would you like fewer choices but more personal attention and a better chance to stand out? You decide.

•Home or away? Attending a local college versus boarding out of state - what's better? It depends. For some, residence hall life is an important part of the college experience, but commuting from home is less expensive.

•Which major works? Figuring out what you like doing most, plus what you're best at, can point to the careers you should consider - and what majors will help you reach your career goal.

•Why extras matter. Getting into extracurricular activities outside of class - band, science club, the school newspaper, drama or even volunteering - helps you discover what your real interests are and where you're heading.