Friday Motivation by The VOXSTA Staff

Here we are again, from the staff to you, motivation to get you through your weekend!

 

"Don't forget to smile after that frown." --Jaquain Williams

 

"To thine own self be true." (Shakespeare). Keep your head up. --Kareem Rahman

 

For those who are having a rough time, remember John Wooden said, "Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work." --Diamond Hamler

 

H.A.T.E.R.S. = Having Anger Toward Everyone Reaching Success. Dont be one!!!!  --Dee Starling

 

"To be human is to be cursed to sit on the Throne of Want." Think about it....  --Devonte Owens

 

Whenever you feel down, tell yourself you're awesome.  --John Tomaro

Poetic Justice: Two Poems about Cultural Identity

African American      by Dee Starling

Black, Misjudged.

Being judged by the actions of other African Americans,

Automaticaly cause suspicion.

Overlooked for the talents and skills we have.

Don't care about "our" life story.

Brown skin gives them the fear of harm.

"Uneducated" show the scores.

"Crimanals" show the actions.

But overlooked for the talents and skills we have.

Being misjudged.

African American.

A culture I cannot abandon.

My cultural identity.
 

White Boy from Cleveland    by David Vance

 

Being a white boy from Cleveland

my culture is a bit twisted.

Growing up in the ghetto, my mind has shifted.

To live out here you have to be tough, so you

know weights have been lifted.

But I'm still a white boy and love my

Mac and Cheese. Don't forget my second

love, skateboarding. Having a white family,

being "white," then "me," that's

something crazy to see.



 

STA in the Community: Blood Drive

On Tuesday, September 23, SuccessTech Academy collected blood for the Red Cross. Many staff and students came to a makeshift clinic in the 5th floor gym to do their part. Senior Nada Richardson says she was "forced" to do the blood drive by our school's Student Government President Tailor Sloan, but added with a smile that she would have done it anyway. Nada said, "[Donating blood] didnt make me feel any different except when I was done my arm started feeling weak." At press time, Nada's arm was back to full strength and she reports being happy about helping out. Senior Nodja Crumedy said she participated on the administrative side of the blood drive, signing people in and handing out drinks and snacks, because "it helps people." She also gave blood herself, and says she looks forward to doing it again.                                                       

Story reported by Mckayla Edmonds, VOXSTA News Editor

   STA BLOOD DRIVE, September 23, 2014

Friday Reflection

Death. Destruction. Chaos. Hunger. It seems to be all around us in the world. This week in Scotland, the people had a chance to break away from the UK but chose to stay. In Iraq and Syria, there's violence and bloodshed and it looks like America might be going back to war. With all this stuff going on, sometimes it feels like there's no hope.....

.....and yet, we still try. We still strive to survive. We still dream about a world where peace reigns over war. But it's up to US--those of us who will inherit the world next--to make that dream a reality.
As you go into your weekend, look at your thoughts, your words, your actions, and ask yourself: "WHAT AM I PUTTING OUT INTO THE WORLD? AM I MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE? AM I CREATING THE WORLD I DREAM ABOUT?

And if you can't answer yes to that last question, maybe the world you're looking for needs to start with YOU.

PEACE OUT FROM THE STAFF OF VOXSTA

SuccessTech Exceeds PI Goal!!!

As further proof that students and staff at SuccessTech Academy are continuing to set high standards for excellence, we are excited to announce that our school's 2013-14 Performance Index (that's just fancy language for how well we're doing), went up by

6.8 POINTS!!!!

Our goal for the year was 5 points, and exceeding it last year makes us want to push harder for this year. This shows us that achievement is possible when we all work hard together toward a common goal and believe in ourselves. We're showing people every day that we are brilliant scholars here at STA!!!

Staff Bio: Dezzin Gunn

Hi, I'm Dezzin Gunn and I'm 18 years old. My likes are reading, my friends, and Ms C. (She didn't make me say that.) My dislikes are bullies, ignorance, and hatred. My dream for the future is to live a happy life. Also, I may be a vampire...not confirming anything. I am on the Art & Graphics Team at VOXSTA.

SuccessTech Remembers 9/11

Yesterday, Ms. C's World History students went to the Great Lakes Science Center to see the flags representing the 3,000 who died on 9/11. We each carried a paper with the name, story and picture of one of the victims. Some of us actually found the flag for the person we carried. It was sad and upsetting to see those flags because they represented people who died, but we also learned we have to stay strong for them and keep trying to make the world a better place.--by Chivon Gant and Jenny Henry

We as the staff of VOXSTA want to remember the fallen of 9/11, but instead of just feeling sadness, we want to bring a message of hope:

--Today I will live life to the fullest for those who can't.--Diamond Hamler

--Never forget and honor those who have fallen for our country and those who continue to serve.--Devonte Owens

--Today I will be the voice of the ones who fell for us and use that voice to bring everyone together.--Jenny Henry

--Today I won't forget the sacrifice those people made and I will honor it by not taking my freedoms for granted.--Kareem Rahman

--Today we will respect each other more to make our school a more peaceful place.--Khalil Williams, James Chisolm, and Jeffrey Jackson

--Today I will keep a smile on my face because I'm alive and I'm grateful for that.--Chivon Gant

--Today I will keep my Uncle Jason Preston who died in Afghanistan in my heart and honor his memory by gathering with my family and keeping his presence in our hearts.--Dee Starling

--Today I will sacrifice my time and energy to make our community better and safer.--Jaquain Williams

--Today I will ignite the flame to create a new light in memory of those who sought the light and passed through. Thank you to all who have put their light on the line for our darkness.--LJ Gillespie

My Personal Experience With Bullying

Advisor's Note: As we recognize National Suicide Prevention Week, a SuccessTech student wanted to share a personal story of courage, strength, and hope to shed light on some of the reasons teenagers consider hurting themselves and how they can make things better --Ms. C

Growing up I’ve always been a tomboy. I never really dressed up like a girl. I never was into girl things. So I was often called “gay.” I was called “dyke” and anything and everything related to being, acting, or looking gay, or not like my gender. There was a time things got unbearable and violent but I told an adult. I told them what those kids were doing to me, but at a certain point there are things that you handle and some things you can’t. When things starts to get out of control, an adult will try to resolve the problem as best as they can. #TBH, you’ll probably find out that the bully is having a bad time their self.

Statistics tell us that:

• LGBT youth are 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts
• 75% of LGBT youth report verbal attacks and 1 in 7 report being physically attacked based on their sexual orientation

FOR INFO ABOUT HOW TO TAKE A STAND, VISIT:

WWW.THEBULLYPROJECT.COM 

STA in the Community: PB&J Drive

Here at SuccessTech Academy we strive to help those in need. For example, we had a “dress down” day where we got to come out of dress code, but there had to be donations made. The choice of donation lay between two dollars to the Senior Class Fund, or a jar of peanut butter or jelly. This peanut butter and jelly drive was to get food to donate to a local food bank. Many people deal with hunger, and we wanted to help out the best we could. We tried our best and really collaborated as a whole to make this drive happen the way it did. We’re very happy with the outcome. --by Jeffery Tomaro

 

STA scholar Kevin King shows off the PB&J we collected!

Staff Bio: Jenny Henry

My name is Jenrion Henry. I am a sophomore at STA and on the Photography Team at VOXSTA. I love to eat and have fun. I’m 5’4” and love the color purple. I’m also a beautiful and intelligent person. I also love Ms. C’s history class more than any other class because she is such a great teacher. She made me say that.

Staff Bio: Chivon Gant

My name is Chivon Gant and I’m in the 10^th grade at SuccessTech Academy. I am with the news writing group at VOXSTA. Whenever I’m bored I like to play basketball with my little cousin. I want to bring a sense of humor to our blog by looking at the world in a different way, sometimes seeing the silliness instead of just the seriousness.

Staff Bio: Jeffery Tomaro

My name is Jeffery Alexander Tomaro. I'm 18 years old and a proud student of SuccessTech Academy. I strive to prove the statistics about Cleveland students wrong. That's actually why my number one career choice would have to be an attorney. I am very charismatic and I know I'm going to beat the odds. I work behind the scenes at VOXSTA on the Web Design team and also do some occasional news writing.

Staff Bio: Jeffrey Jackson

Hi, I'm Jeffrey Jackson and I'm 17 years old. I'm a junior at SuccessTech and I'm on the Art & Graphics Team at VOXSTA. I like to read and explore the outdoors. My dream one day is to become an astronomer and discover a new galaxy. Until then, I'm happy to be at STA until I get to college.

Staff Bio: Dee Starling

My name is Dee Starling and I’m intelligent, funny, athletic, hard-working and creative. I like to play sports and chill with my crew. My most favorite thing to do is be by myself and listen to Migos and think things over. I honestly think I’m the most loyal and realest person ever. My biggest dream is to find out where I belong in this world and to become a lawyer. I write news and opinion for VOXSTA.

Staff Bio: McKayla Edmonds

My name is McKayla Edmonds. I am a sophomore at STA. I am very athletic and fun and I love to laugh. I like to sing and dance. I am a very beautiful and brilliant young lady. My favorite color is pink , I am a good friend and I am on the news writing team at VOXSTA.

Staff Bio: John Tomaro

My name is John Tomaro. I’m on the Creative Writing/Poetry team at VOXSTA. I'm inherently lazy and play way too many video games. I’m also learning the acoustic guitar. I’m a junior at SuccessTech and I’m excited to be part of this blog.