Claremont McKenna College, in California, acknowledged this week that for six years, an admissions officer had fudged its SAT scores, used in the U.S. News and World Report college rankings. The reporting of falsely inflated scores is believed to have raised the college’s rankings. Do rankings matter to you? Why do they play such a large role in admissions? When you think about prospective schools, how much do you care about their rankings?

The mixed feelings in the academic world were summed up in a report last year by the National Association for College Admission Counseling: Most college admissions officers and high school counselors have a low opinion of the U.S. News rankings, yet they use the published material, whether to gather information about other schools or to market their own.

Students: Tell us how you feel about college rankings. Are they a significant factor when you are considering a college? Would a high average SAT score, for instance, deter you from applying to a college? Do you think numerical data matter more than other factors like a school’s overall reputation? Why are rankings so powerful? Should the system be changed?

Happy Friday!

• President George W. Bush was once a cheerleader!
• The inventor of the Waffle Iron did not like waffles.
• There's a Hello Kitty-themed hospital in Taiwan.
• Take your height and divide by eight. That's how tall your head is!

Enjoy!

 April 20th, 2012...Everyday is a Holiday!

• Cuckoo Day
• Look Alike Day
   
• Make A Quilt Day
   
• Holocaust Remembrance Day
   
• National Pineapples Upside Down Cake Day
   
• Volunteer Recognition Day

Traits of a True Leader.....

What defines a true leader? Can leadership skills be learned? Well, given below are a few traits that all leaders have, which can be defined as leadership skills. We will touch on a few today and I will add more during the week......

1. Leaders are Emotionally Mature
School, Workplaces, and other areas in life, can often be fraught with stressful situations. Facing tough situations is an inevitable factor of life. Usually, most people react to a tough situation either by displaying frustration or by bursting out in anger or an emotional flare-up. However, leaders always display emotional maturity in every kind of situation they face. They have the skill of holding in their feelings of anger and frustration, and instead displaying calmness and emotional maturity.

2. Leaders Display Assertiveness
Leaders are characterized by their firmness and strength of purpose. They know what they want and need, and go about achieving it assertively. They are never daunted by the challenges that they have to overcome on the path to achieving their goals. They have an unwavering attitude towards the obstacles that come their way. A leader has the skill to demand and get the cooperation of his/her team assertively in order to achieve the goals set.

Never give an order that can't be obeyed."

— General Douglas MacArthur

What lies in our power to do, lies in our power not to do- Aristotle

Hi Cultural Studies students, I wanted to welcome you back from your spring break. You know spring time is the season of new beginnings. This is why during spring you have flowers blooming and other elements coming to life. People are planning for weddings, proms and graduations.

It is also the time for new ideas and goals and you should be thinking now about your next task you need to complete. Spring forward into action to close out your school year on a positive note. For you seniors this means that you want to finish up strong and graduate on time. Your life is just beginning that's why we refer to graduation as "commencement" because it means the beginning. High school may be just about over, but the rest of your life is just beginning. I encourage you to make the best of it because this is no dress rehearsal and there are no second chances. Be encouraged and stay focus because spring is also the time when students can lose focus due to "senioritis." You know you are senior and you just don't feel like doing that last assignment or reading that last chapter. You need to finish up strong!!

SCHOLARS, be ready to discuss chapter 9 on Wendsday April 18th..

Study Guide for Advocacy Types and Definitions: Source used is A New Weave of Power, People and Politics by eds. Lisa VeneKlasen and Valerie Miller etal.<o:p></o:p>

Spring 2012: Cultural Studies: Dr. Glasper<o:p></o:p>

1)      Public Interest Advocacy- this is typically the large scale campaign style advocacy often involving professional lobbyists, media experts, pollsters, and fundraisers. These actors mobilize resources and influence in pursuit of policy reforms on social and political issues with the goal of serving the broad public interest.<o:p></o:p>

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2)      Policy Advocacy-This type focuses on the policy agenda and a specific policy goal. These advocates usually assume that policy change will produce real change on the ground.<o:p></o:p>

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3)      Social Justice Advocacy- A number of organizations worldwide describe their advocacy this way that involves political and policy influence around issues that directly affect people’s lives, especially the lives of the poor and marginalized. These organized actions seek to highlight critical issues that have been ignored and submerged, to influence public attitudes and to enact and implement laws and public policies so that visions of what should be in a just, decent society become a reality.  They stress the need to embrace power relations and people’s participation.<o:p></o:p>

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4)      People-centered Advocacy-These strategies aim to empower poor people to advocate for their rights and interests themselves. This approach challenges the notion that policy is the terrain of experts. People-centered advocacy supports and enables people to better negotiate on their own behalf, for basic needs and basic rights.<o:p></o:p>

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5)      Participatory Advocacy-Participatory advocacy extends the boundaries of public decision-making by engaging civil society groups in policy debates. It is founded on the belief that democratic governance is the task of citizens as well as governments. This type of advocacy aims to expand public space and citizenship.<o:p></o:p>

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6)      Feminist Advocacy-Feminist advocacy refers to strategies, skills, and tools used to influence decisionmaking processes in the public and social arenas in order to eliminate inequalities between women and men. It often challenges other forms of oppression and exclusion. Feminist advocacy seeks to achieve respect for diversity and difference, and to contribute to cultural, social and political change for women’s full and active citizenship.<o:p></o:p>

Hey PDA students, faculty and staff, I just wanted to wish you a safe and enjoyable spring break. Do something fun, but safe, relax and reflect and then let's return back to be productive as we close out the school year.

Dr. Glasper

Students will be required to provide the name of their attending high school during registration.  Once SAT registration opens for the 2012-13 school year, registrations submitted without attending high school will not be processed.

Students will be required to submit a current, recognizable photo during registration that will be included on a new photo admission ticket.   Students registering online will be required to upload a digital photo.
Students registering by mail will be required to enclose a photo with the paper registration form.

Students who want to take the SAT at a different test center than the one designated during registration will be required to request such a change prior to test day. Test center changes will no longer be permitted on test day.  
Students who want to change the type of test they intend to take (i.e., SAT rather than SAT Subject Tests or vice versa) must do so in advance. Test-type changes will no longer be permitted on test day.
 

For more information go to collegeboard.org

Long a symbol of new-found freedom and a quintessential rite of passage, many teens dream of obtaining their drivers’ license as soon as they are eligible. Does that describe you? Do you have–or want–your license? Do your friends? If you live in a big city or other place where few people have cars, are there other independence-related rites of passage that compare to getting one’s driver’s license? Has their relevance changed over time?

Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  The mind must believe it can do something before it is capable of actually doing it.

The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful.  Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones.  Regardless of how a situation seems, focus on the next positive step forward
 

Today in News History: March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt outside the Washington Hilton Hotel.

Which colleges do high school students dream of attending? Last year, it was Stanford University, but they've been knocked out of the top slot by Harvard, according to a new survey.

The Princeton Review asked college applicants where they would go to school if money and acceptance were not factors. They've released the results in their 2012 College Hopes and Worries survey.

In addition to applicants' top picks for college, the survey found 86 percent of respondents say financial aid will be "very" necessary and 75 percent reporting the state of the economy has affected their college choices.

            Top 5

1. Harvard College
2. Stanford University
3. Columbia University
4. New York University
5. Princeton University

44th First Lady Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama is the wife of U.S. president Barack Obama.  She is the first African American first lady.  She studied sociology and African American studies at Princeton University (B.A., 1985) in New Jersey before attending Harvard Law School (J.D., 1988). Michelle Obama is a lawyer and a former Chicago city administrator and community outreach worker. Reared in a blue-collar home on Chicago's South Side, she was an associate at a law firm when she met Obama; he was a summer intern and she was assigned to advise him. She has worked in the offices of Chicago's mayor and its planning commission, headed a career-training program for young adults and directed community affairs for the University of Chicago and its medical center. She caught the eye of a national audience at her husband's side after he delivered a high-profile speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 and then was elected that year to the U.S. Senate. In 2007 she scaled back her own professional work to attend to family and campaign obligations during Obama's run for president. She took her turn as a speaker on the opening night of the 2008 Democratic convention, and her husband was elected president on 4 November 2008. She became First Lady with his inauguration on 20 January 2009.

As first lady, Michelle is involved in various causes, notably supporting military families and ending childhood obesity. Let’s Move! will give parents the support they need, provide healthier food in schools, help our kids to be more physically active, and make healthy, affordable food available in every part of our country.

In 2011, Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden together launched Joining Forces, a nationwide initiative that mobilizes all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they have earned, and to raise awareness of  military families' unique needs as pertains to employment, education and wellness.

As First Lady, Mrs. Obama looks forward to continuing her work on the issues close to her heart — supporting military families, helping working women balance career and family, encouraging national service, promoting the arts and arts education, and fostering healthy eating and healthy living for children and families across the country.

Michelle and Barack Obama have two daughters: Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10. Like their mother, the girls were born on the South Side of Chicago

Watch your thoughts they become your words
Watch your words they become your actions
Watch your actions they become your habits
Watch your habits they become your character
Watch your character it becomes your destiny

Philippians 4:8  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

A belief is not merely an idea the mind possesses. It is an idea that possesses the mind- Robert Oxten Bolton

Stuidents! Remember that the final news quiz for the marking period will be given on Friday March 30,2012

FOR ALL THE STUDENTS THAT WERE IN MY CLASSROOM MONDAY MARCH 26 PLEASE CHECK ALL OF YOUR ITEMS TO ENSURE THAT YOU DID NOT PICK UP MY FLASHDRIVE. IF SO, PLEASE RETURN IT IMMEDIATLY. THANK YOU.

 When you imagine college, what are you most excited about?
 

1. Pursuing a career interest
2. Living on my own
3. Campus social life
4. Playing sports
5. Learning new things
    

Take Our Poll

Are skinny jeans to blame for failing grades?

One school district seems to think so.

The Meriden School Board of Education in Connecticut is weighing a proposal to ban jeans and leggings that they say are too form fitting and distracting to other students, WFSB-TV reports.

The school district already has a dress code that requires students not wear anything that would distract other students from learning.

But under the new rules, skirts, shorts, pants and dresses should not be “form fitting” which means that “undergarments and private body areas must not be evident or visible through clothing,” the TV station said.

Do you think skinny jeans should be banned?
 

1. No, as long as it's not incredibly revealing.
2. Yes, kids don't need to wear form fitting clothing.
3. I'm not sure.

"Do Not..."

Do not... undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Do not... set your goals by what other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.

Do not... take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life,
for without them, life is meaningless.

Do not... let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past
nor for the future.
By living your life one day at a time,
you live all the days of your life.

Do not... give up when you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Do not... be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances
that we learn how to be brave.

Do not... shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find.
The quickest way to receive love is to give love;
The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly.

Do not... dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope;
To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Do not... run through life so fast that you forget not only
where you have been, but also where you are going.

What Is Your Reaction to the Trayvon Martin Case?
 

The fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, 17, in Florida has spurred a national response that is taking numerous forms, including rallies in multiple cities and active discussion on social media. What do you know about the case? What is your personal response? What questions and issues does it raise for you?

Students: I want to know what are your feelings and thoughts about the Trayvon Martin case. Are you following the story and its fallout? Are you talking about it at school, at home or on Facebook or other social media? What questions do you have about the story? What are the main issues it raises for you — about race, justice, the law and law enforcement, gun violence and more?

Some comments..........

It is not the role of the police to determine if Zimmerman was justified to kill Trayvon Martin. That is up to the courts. NOT arresting Zimmerman in the wake of Martin’s death is the travesty. Consider these facts:

1. Zimmerman was not a cop.
2. Zimmerman disobeyed the police in following Martin.
3. Zimmerman’s pursuit of Martin is what led to the confrontation, which led to Zimmerman killing Martin.

It is incredible for anyone to believe that Martin – who has no police record – after he was clearly concerned about Zimmerman following him (per his phone conversation with his girlfriend), turned around and started following Zimmerman!
— Samir
 

It is shocking that a minor can be killed in America and no trial held to determine the guilt of the killer. Surely it is not the role of the police to decide someone’s innocence in a killing, that is what the courts are for. For the police to act as the judge seems to be overstepping their purpose.
A chiid is killed, a trial should be held to determine the facts and establish whether it was murder.
— Aaron

Limiting thoughts limit your life..."

"What you think upon grows"
Phillippians 4:8

It is very important to pay attention to our thoughts. So many authors have mentioned over and over that if we want to change our lives, we must change our thoughts first; if you want things to go right in your life, you have to start changing all those negative thoughts for positive ones. Thoughts are real things, and one cannot have one kind of mind and another kind of life. You have to stop believing that you cannot do something, that you will never understand math (or other subjects), that you will never have a good job, that you will always be broke, that people are out there to get you, that everyone around you is nasty, etc. You have to start believing that you can accomplish many things and that the people around you will be understanding and willing to help you. You can graduate from High School, you can find the right career for you, you can get a great job, you can have good friends, etc. If you don't change your negative thoughts you will only hurt yourself! You have the power to control your mind - you can certainly control your thoughts. You are responsible for your own thoughts! Put positive thoughts in there and let go of defeating and negative ones, that can ruin your life. Remember, life experiences mirror our beliefs.

"Every thought is a seed. Plant good seeds in your mind ..."

Hey PDA students, faculty and administration. I just wanted to encourage you to use social media in general and social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter for more than just socializing. We have another tragic story with the unfortunate killing of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. Everyone should know something about this case by now although it took almost a month to gain traction. It now has the attention of the nation.

We should all take a vested interest in this case because Trayvon could have been your brother, son, nephew or friend. I have two sons, so this hit me hard like any parent. We should be up in arms about this and we should Facebook, text, email and make sure that we stay up on this case. Also, we should also be equally up in arms when we have "black on black homicides." We cannot afford to be immune with black on black crime. Let's use our technology and education to mobilize and keep people informed about these issues. 

Scholars . . . Final Exam for the 3rd Quarter in Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, PreCalculus and Calculus will be on March 26, 2012 .

Final Exam for Keyboarding, Computer Application, Computer Science and Accounting will be on March 27, 2012....

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work learning from failure.”

These motivational exam quotes are organized into these 6 attributes of success:

1. Diligence
2. Persistence
3. Taking the Initiative
4. Learning from Failure
5. Facing Challenges
6. Living A Fruitful Life

After Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 video went viral, logging more than 70 million views in one week — some experts criticized the campaign, calling it dishonest and even dangerous. Others have suggested that campaigns like these give young people a false sense of accomplishment and discourage real engagement in social issues. What do you think? Have you watched “Kony 2012″? Do you feel like awareness campaigns like this stimulate or stunt real activism among young people? 

"The race does not always go to the swift, but to the ones who keep running."

"Hello fellow teachers," a student said to a few colleagues and me as we walked down the hall. "Since when are you a teacher?" one of my colleagues replied.

I was surprised by this response, and thought of Paulo Freire's belief that all of us are both students and teachers. I also thought of my students, who taught me more about how to--and how not to--treat them and teach them than I learned from education courses, in-service training, or supervisors' feedback.

I learned from students who told me I needed to talk less and listen more.

I learned from students who struggled with basic arithmetic but could solve logic puzzles faster than I could.

I learned from students who told me--and then showed me--they were better off in heterogeneous groups than homogeneous ones.

I learned from students who solved problems using different methods than the ones I used.

I learned from students who rejected my "you can do it too" speeches, and reminded me that I was there to teach them, not preach to them.

I learned from students who asked, "Why do we have to show our work if we can solve problems in our heads?"

I learned from students who told me my class was boring and why it was boring.

I learned from students who "needed" to go to the bathroom whenever they became confused in class.

I learned from students who disproved widely held stereotypes of low-income urban youth.

I could go on and on because I learned from all of my students (one of many benefits of my student feedback system). And if I hadn't learned as much as I did from them, they wouldn't have learned as much as they did from me.

March 16 is … Everything You Do Is Right Day