Quote of the Week: “Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
Coordinator’s Message: In honor of National Bullying Prevention Month, a repeat of last week’s post. Last year, the horrifying story of Rebecca Sedwick was big in the news. Rebecca was a 12-year old girl from Florida that committed suicide after being bullied by two (and perhaps more) of her classmates online. I was deeply saddened by the tragic news, but the part of the story that turned my stomach was when the bullies posted on their Facebook pages, “Yes I [know] I bullied REBECCA and she killed herself but IDGAF.” My sadness quickly turned to anger, bordering on rage when I imagined Olivia or Joshua or my students being tormented by bullies. But angry at whom? The 12 and 14-year old bullies of Rebecca, after all they did it; their parents, after all they raised them; the school, didn’t they know what was happening; Rebecca’s parents, didn’t they know what was happening; the media for sensationalizing violence and insensitivity; society for encouraging competition among women (the bullying began over a boy they both liked); or myself for not doing more to educate students about the responsibility that comes with the privilege to use social media? There is a lot of blame to go around. But what can we do?
1) Educate ourselves.
Cyber bullying can take many forms:
- Sending mean messages or threats to a person’s email account or cell phone
- Spreading rumors online or through texts
- Posting hurtful or threatening messages on social networking sites or web pages
- Stealing a person’s account information to break into their account and send damaging messages
- Pretending to be someone else online to hurt another person
- Taking unflattering pictures of a person and spreading them through cell phones or the Internet
- Circulating sexually suggestive pictures or messages about a person
2) Know the victims.
Here are some statistics:
- Over half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online, and about the same number have engaged in cyber bullying.
- More than 1 in 3 young people have experienced cyber threats online.
- Over 25 percent of adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the Internet.
- Well over half of young people do not tell their parents when cyber bullying occurs.
- In a 2005 survey about gay bullying statistics, teens reported that the number two reason they are bullied is because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender expression. The number one reason reported was because of appearance.
- 9 out of 10 LGBT teens have reported being bullied at school within the past year because of their sexual orientation, and they 30 percent more likely to attempt suicide.
3) Be forewarned.
Aside from the fact that ridiculing and threatening others is just plain wrong, what you post in social media outlets is NOT private, it lives forever in cyberspace, and can follow you until the end of your days! Colleges, universities, and employers can find you via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to see what kind of person you really are (which is a contradiction in terms, I know). You will change and grow and mature, but you will be reminded daily and often of the mistakes you published for the world, or just for your 1000 “friends” to see.
4) Know where to turn.
- If you are the victim of bullying, please don’t wait to get help. Talk to an adult immediately. Don’t be discouraged from seeking help thinking that things will just get worse if you “snitch.” BULLIES NEED TO BE CONFRONTED, and with the support of adults and immediate intervention, the behavior will stop!
- If you know someone who is being bullied, don’t be a bystander. You may not feel comfortable speaking up at the moment, but there is still plenty that you can do, namely, get help from an adult.
- If you are a bully or participating in bully behaviors, usually these behaviors come out of a need that is not being met, and we can help you too. But please know that we have a zero-indifference, zero-tolerance policy for any behaviors that make students feel unsafe, and there will be consequences, so come to me or any one of the CORE teachers before it’s too late.
Core is a learning community, and as members of that community, we have a responsibility to look out for one another. PERIOD. Here are two resources for more information: https://cyberbullying.us/ and https://www.stopbullying.gov/
Lunch Applications: Please do your part and complete a 2014-2015 Meal Application. Even if you don’t think you will qualify or don’t want to receive tickets, you still must complete an application. We suggest completing it online, if you haven’t already. Click HERE for instructions.
Early Dismissal Tuesday: The next Early Dismissal Tuesday is this Tuesday, October 28th at 1:34 p.m. Please plan accordingly.
Cleveland Drama Program Presents: Come out and support your fellow Cavaliers on November 7, 8, 13, and 14 for a production of The Laramie Project, a powerful drama about the real-life murder of Matthew Shepard. Shows begin at 7:00 pm and the cost is $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for students.
Cash for College Convention: On November 5-6, 2014, the Cash for College Convention will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center from 8:30-1:00 pm. There will be useful workshops about FAFSA, scholarships, writing the personal statement, etc. There is also a Family Night at November 6th from 5:30-9:00. For more information. go to https://www.lacashforcollege.org/convention/convention.html.
Scholarship Opportunity for ALL Students: The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program is the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. Any young person who is in grades 5-12 as of November 4, is a legal resident of any U.S. state or Washington, D.C., has engaged in a volunteer activity that occurred at least partly during the 12 months prior to the date of application, and submits a completed online application by November 5 is eligible. The application must describe an individual’s community service activity or an individual’s significant leadership in a group activity that has taken place during the previous year. Students chosen as Local Honorees receive a Certificate of Achievement from their schools or organizations. Those who qualify (50 hours of service for age 14 and younger, 100 hours for those older) also receive the President’s Volunteer Service Award.State Honorees receive an award of $1,000, an engraved silver medallion, and an all-expense-paid trip with a parent or guardian to Washington, D.C., for national recognition events. National Honorees receive an additional award of $5,000, an engraved gold medallion, a crystal trophy for their schools or organizations, and a $5,000 grant from The Prudential Foundation for a non-profit, charitable organization of their choice. Go to https://spirit.prudential.com/view/page/soc/301 for more information. Deadline to apply is November 4, 2014!
Free Speech Contest: High school juniors and seniors are eligible to participate in FIRE’s annual essay contest. To enter. students must submit an essay between 800-1000 on a prompt. Prizes range from $10,000 to $500. The deadline to submit your essay is January 1, 2015. Go to https://www.thefire.org/student-network/essay-contest/ for more information.
The Princeton Prize: Princeton University is sponsoring an annual awards program for high school students—the Princeton Prize in Race Relations.If you are a high school student involved in an activity that is helping to improve race relations in your school or community, we want to hear from you. Applications postmarked by January 31, 2015, will be eligible for prizes—including cash awards up to $1,000 for particularly noteworthy work. Go to https://www.princeton.edu/pprize/ for more information.
An Exciting Opportunity from MIT: The first of its kind on a national scale, INSPIRE, a new national research competition in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, organized by MIT students exclusively for high school students enables students to showcase and present original research in one of thirteen fields, ranging from anthropology to music, economics, and philosophy. Expert judges will award prizes for the most outstanding work in each category. You are invited to participate by submitting entries and competing for awards. The final round of the competition will be held at MIT’s campus in Cambridge, MA from April 7-9, 2015. You can find information regarding deadlines, eligibility criteria, and the application itself on their website getinspired.mit.edu. The first deadline, for abstract submission, is on January 7, 2015.
Having Trouble in Your Classes?: You are not alone; there is tutoring available! The Boys and Girls Club of the West Valley is offering free tutoring Monday-Thursday in our school library from 3:00-5:00 pm. They also offer college admissions workshops. One of the tutors is a CORE alumnus. Come to the Magnet Office to pick up the registration paperwork.
Online Tutoring Available: Revolution Prep is offering a GPA Protection tutoring program for students. For $99.00 a month, you are entitled to UNLIMITED, 30-minute, online tutoring sessions in 22 different subjects. Go to www.revolutionprep.com for more info.
COREdinators: We are gearing up for our Fall event. Come and see what we have in store. Join COREdinators Fridays at lunch in E10!
Caught Having Spirit: Every Friday show your school spirit by wearing your Core or Cleveland gear. If I or a member of the COREdinators sees you, you could be entered to win great monthly prizes. September winners were announced this past Friday and each student won a $10.00 iTunes gift cards.
Magnet Parents Association: The next MPA meeting of the year will be Wednesday, November 19th at 7:00 p.m. in E10. Please encourage your parents to stay “in the loop” and attend this very important meeting. Ms. Duong and Ms. Howe will be our guest speaker for the evening. All parents welcome!
Forgot Your Corebaby Email Password?: You can retrieve it, but it will cost you a dollar. Go to Mr. Saavedra in E7 for information, but don’t go empty handed.
Clean Up After Yourselves: Please do your part to keep your learning environment and other areas on campus clean. Pick up your trash, recycle where possible, and remind your friends to do the same! I do not want see your trash left on the floors for someone else to clean up. Thank you!
Cavalier News: Have you seen Cleveland’s new website? Go to www.clevelandhs.org to check it and get important schoolwide info!
Corebaby Email: Be sure to check your Corebaby email address EVERYDAY for important updates! If you use another email address as your primary email address, you can forward your Corebaby emails to that address so that you don’t miss anything!
Got Suggestions???: As we continue planning for the 2014-2015 school year, we want to hear from you! What suggestions do have for improving the program? Click HERE to add your suggestion to the list.
(Coordinator’s Corner last updated October 26, 2014 @ 5:00 p.m. by Ms. Macon)