A Moment of Silence  

by The Staff of VOXSTA

 

No matter who you are or which side of town you live on, this was a hard weekend for Cleveland. There was a quadruple homicide on the East Side Friday night and on Saturday a 12-year-old boy was killed on the West Side by a police officer. We don't know the whole story on any of these situations, but we do know that three of the dead from this weekend's gun violence were students in CMSD. Their lives mattered, and we just wanted to honor them today with a moment of silence before we pick up the pieces and figure out how to keep these kinds of things from ever happening again in our city. Peace be with you all today.

 

 

COOL STUFF HAPPENING IN OUR WORLD...AND BEYOND

A NEWS REFLECTION

BY LJ GILLESPIE

& DEVONTE OWENS

 

Being high-schoolers, it's easy to overlook some of the fascinations surrounding our everyday lives. We get so wrapped up in our music, video games, sports and who likes who that we forget to see a big picture. This past week, some pretty big stuff has transpired, from power-shifting elections to wars breaking out in distant lands. And yet, there's still reason for hope and wonderment, for yesterday humans figured out how to land for the first time on a comet, Comet 64P. We wonder how many kids walking these halls with us today are aware that we did this amazing thing, and it makes us wonder how we can get our peers interested in looking at the "big picture" all around them. It helps us when we know more about our world--it makes us feel connected to something larger and gives us a broader perspective to see beyond our tiny realities. So do yourself a favor, check out the following link to the CometP story..or, better yet, do your own research. Think beyond yourself today....and believe beyond the possible. 

 

  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/11/12/earthlings-we-landed-on-a-comet.html



EDITORIAL:  Keep "5 of 8" in Ohio!!!!

Why on earth would the State Board of Education want to do anything that might lead to the elimination of fun and creativity in our schools?

by the VOXSTA STAFF

On Tuesday, Novemeber 11, the State Board held a hearing and preliminary vote
 on changes to the "5 of 8" rule, which mandates that elementary schools in Ohio offer at least 5 of 8 categories of non-core academic classses/services to students including gym, art, music, school counselors, nurses and librarians. Because students and stakeholders across Ohio have been trying to raise awareness on social media, many people came to testify in Columbus on Tuesday. When they got there, they were told the time for public comment had been moved. This prompted outrage among many in attendance and four members of the board walked out in protest. The full school board is scheduled to vote in December and we need to keep up the pressure against these assaults agaisnt great public education in Ohio!


TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD, TWEET #KEEP5OF8 and be sure to add a message about why it's important to keep the arts and other non-core academic classes in our schools!

The Results are in......ISSUE 4 PASSES!!!!

by the VOXSTA News Dept.

 

 

SuccessTech junior AJ Knox thanks the voters of Cleveland for stepping up to pass Issue 4 yesterday.

 

Yesterday, the people of Cleveland voted overwhelmingly to renew the bond issue that funds the buliding and maintenance of Cleveland's schools. 63% of voters cast their ballots in support of Issue 4. VOXSTA Editor Jeffery Tomaro interprets the results this way: "It means the voters in our city care about the youth and our community as a whole." VOXSTA Staffer Dezzin Gunn added, "We appreciate the voters who recognized the importance of rebuilding our schools so that no kid has to go to a dilapidated building. When the voters invest in us, they're inversting in the future of Cleveland because we are the future." Recognizing that Issue 4 was not the only important education initiative in yesterday's election, VOXSTA Editor-in-Chief Devonte Owens reminds us, "Issue 6 [the Tri-C levy] also passing gives us hope that more underprivileged youth in Cleveland will have opportunities for higher education. This is great news for our city." Finally, VOXSTA Artist Diamond Hamler wants to personally thank her parents for, "always voting when schools are on the ballot!"

 

Editor's Note: The staff of VOXSTA wishes to thank everyone who came out yesterday to ensure Cleveland has the resources to provide great public education for all our students.