The process as follows: the students place their plastic bottles into the first trash can, shake their tray and excess food into the next trash can, place their tray on the stack and then the custodians collect them and melt them into cubes to be sent off and recycled. The “Shake and Stack” program will help the environment by taking up less space in landfills and making the lunch trays into something new.

“It is an excellent opportunity to begin teaching the value and importance of recycling to students of all ages within the district,” manger of custodial services Jerry Nash said.

Aside from being eco-friendly, this program will benefit the district by saving thousands of dollars, that will go back into the district’s operations infrastructure.

“There are financial benefits to having less refuse hauled,” Nash said.

“AVID gives students a support system to guide them through the process of being successful in high school and to prepare them for college with the skills to help them be successful,” Ms.Roberts said.

College tutors come to Ms.Roberts’ class two days a week to help students with any trouble they have in their classes.

“The tutorials we do help me answer questions I need help on,” freshman Kevin Maddox said.

To stay in AVID students must be in at least one AP class and maintain passing grades. AVID students must keep their planner and binder organized for binder checks on Fridays. Students must also complete two hours of homework a night and are expected to bring tutorial question to class to get help from other students.

“[AVID] keeps my binder and backpack organized and helps me answer questions,” Maddox said.

Maddox joined AVID to learn more skills that would help prepare for college and enjoy the class with his friends.

“We have ‘Fun Fridays’ sometimes, we sometimes do activities to help get to know each other,” Maddox said. “I like telling about myself.”

In eighth grade senior Jessica Jacquez chose to take the class because her favorite teacher also taught AVID. According to Jacquez, AVID has become more complex over the years, she enjoys the class and feels that her classmates have become like a family.

“It’s fun,” Jacquez said. “We’re very comfortable with each other.”

Jacquez’s AVID teacher, Ivonne Want, checks on her students’ grades, emails their teachers and keeps the students on track.

“If I fail something, I just let it slide, but she gets onto me,” Jacquez said. “She motivates me.”

Jacquez has been in AVID for five years and feels the program and teachers have helped her prepare for college where she hopes to go into Political Science or Pre-Law or Pre-Med.

“If it wasn’t for AVID I probably wouldn’t be accepted to any colleges,” Jacquez said, “Mrs.Want couldn’t be better for our class. She’s like a second mother,” Jacquez said.

“It’s an investment not only for the students,” Assistant Principal Mrs. Murphree said, “but for the teachers as well.”

The Professional Development Center, which takes up about 24,000 square feet, will be used throughout the city and district for banquets and teacher training. The lecture halls can be used for gatherings of no more than 500 for meetings an so on. Lastly, the entire auditorium, about 132,000 square feet, can seat about 5,500 with an additional 500 seats on stage and will be used for large events, like graduation.

“Opening this new facility will alleviate the use of our labs which will make it more available to our teachers and students,” Mrs. Pinkerton said. “I think it’s going to be great to not have to tell the teacher’s ‘no’,”

The building was paid for out of savings from the construction of Lake Ridge High School and previous bond programs. [See this link for more funding details.] At this point, the main auditorium is 75 percent done and the learning area is 60-65 percent finished. The building will be at substantial completion on May 7, meaning furniture will be able to be moved in and get ready for opening.

“The board believes this building will have a positive impact for the district,” Director of Communications and Media Ritchie Escovedo said. “There’s a variety of needs, and this facility will meet those needs for the district.”

Wikipedia- Major online free-to-use encyclopedia
Reddit- User submitted social news site
Boing Boing- Group blog
Mozilla- Creators of the web browser Firefox
Imgur- Image sharing site

Members of online communities such as Blogspot and WordPress may choose to black their personal blogs by going here. Blogs that are blacked out will display only this message:

This site has been blocked in protest of the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) two bills which will allow the government to censor the internet. Find out more at americancensorship.org or the video below. This website will return at 8pm.

Following an announcement by President Obama on Jan. 16th, SOPA has been shelved indefinitely, but internet users still consider PIPA a threat to their personal liberties.

UPDATE: As of Jan. 20, both SOPA and PIPA have been dropped, following a massive wave of protest from internet users.

Here are some interesting facts about Martin Luther King.

• Birth name: Michael Luther King Jr
• His father was also named Michael Luther King, but changed his first name to Martin when he became a ministerThe younger Michael changed his name to Martin as well, initially against his father’s wishes
• Was a Trekkie (a fan of the original “Star Trek” (1966) TV series)
• Is portrayed by LeVar Burton (an actor from Star Trek The Next Generation) in Ali (2001)
• Encouraged Nichelle Nichols to remain on the original “Star Trek” (1966) series (according to William Shatner’s “Star Trek Memories”)
• Is the only U.S. citizen to have a national holiday dedicated to him
• January 20, 1986 was the third Monday in January, and consequently, the third Monday in January is an official holiday in the U.S. honoring Dr. King. To date, all 50 states observe the King holiday
• Won Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1964
• Was stabbed in 1958
• Graduated from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, PA, with a B.D. in 1951.
• Became pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1960
• Earned Ph.D. in systematic theology in 1955
• Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year” (1963)
• Subject of the U2 song “Pride (In the Name of Love)” from their 1984 album “The Unforgettable Fire”.
• He stated that he would not live to be 40. He died aged 39
• Among his personal, non-violent reform heroes was Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)
• During the funeral, his casket was pulled by a mule-driven cart down Atlanta’s main street
• Was a vegetarian
• He could shoot a basketball accurately with both hands
• He went to college when he was only 15 years old

Take an online quiz to see how well you know Martin Luther King.

See King’s famous “I have a Dream” speech [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Every 15 Minutes is a program designed to teach students the dangers of drinking and driving. The program receives help from multiple organizations including the Mansfield Police and Fire Departments, Mansfield Independent School District, Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission, Methodist Mansfield Hospital, Blessing Funeral Home and Careflite. The event features a mock crash scene, retreat and an assembly attended by all juniors and seniors.

“Every year there are different things that impact the participants,” campus event coordinator Stephanie Shackelford said. “You never know what will affect somebody or how it will hit them.”

The crash scene will only be available to a maximum of 35 seniors from each school. These students are selected randomly and will also attend the overnight retreat.

“I’m sad we can’t allow all the students to see the crash scene,” Mrs. Shackelford said. “but better some see it than get rid of it all together.”

In previous years, Every 15 Minutes was held the week before prom, to reinforce to students the dangers of drinking and driving before and after prom. This year, the committee has decided to hold the event the weekend before Spring Break with hopes for students to understand the dangers of drinking and driving all the time, rather than concentrating on prom.

“Having the event right before prom directed the focus heavily on not drinking and driving before or after prom,” Mrs. Shackelford said. “We hope that moving the date makes the message more universal.”

Overall, 100 students participate as part of the “Living Dead.” The students’ parents write an obituary as if the student were actually dead. Every 15 minutes, a grim reaper, counselor and police officer will pull one student from each class and read their obituary aloud for all the class to hear. The students return to class with their face painted white and a Living Dead t-shirt on, not to speak or communicate with students or teachers for the remainder of the school day in order to give the effect of sudden loss to those around them.

“Most kids know you aren’t supposed to drink and drive,” Mrs. Shackelford said. “A lot of students don’t realize in a drunk driving accident, it’s not only the drinker who gets injured.”

“Words cannot express how proud I am of staff members. I was so excited when Mr. Mallett called to tell me that I accidentally hung up on him,” Arena Editor-In-Chief, Bethanne Glover said. “Their dedication and passion to the journalism program was finally recognized, and this award would not have been possible without each and everyone of them.”

The 2012 yearbook sales end Jan. 9, and Mr. Mallett is apprehensive about the sales this year.

“I know our students love the yearbook, but I’m hoping parents and students have just put off buying the book until later,” Mr. Mallett said. “I’m also worried that the economy may financially hurt families.”

Glover and Mr. Mallett see a huge value in the yearbook. Glover predicts even better things with the 2012 yearbook and hopes to win another Crown award and a Pacemaker Award from the National Scholastic Press Association.

“There is literally nothing you will have 10, 20, 30 years from now from high school except for your high school yearbook,” he said. “You can’t really put a price tag on memories.”

[view map here]

A committee of parents and members of the community worked with demographer to draw up a proposal for new high school attendance zones.

“I love it here, I didn’t want to leave because of journalism and theater,” Middleton said. “I’m comfortable, and I like it.”

Freshmen and sophomores in the newly chaged area must attend Lake Ridge. Next year’s juniors and seniors, and their siblings who attend the same high school in the new Lake Ridge attendance zone, have the option of staying at their current school until they graduate after submitting an application located on the district’s web page.

“I was totally against it,” Middleton said. “It really stinks because not only did I get comfortable here, I don’t want to leave.”

Middleton is now upset because she has friends who live close to her and are still affected by the zone. Middleton, her parents and other Legacy students and parents who were upset about the change attended two public hearings held by the district.

According to the parents living west of 287, with the original options, the biggest issue is the distance between their house and Lake Ridge. The Lake Ridge zone stretched from south of Broad Street to Joe Pool Lake. After hearing concern about the distance between Lake Ridge and the zones farthest barrier, County Road 526, the Zone Review Committee decided to send a survey to the residents. This survey was the deciding factor on if those students would be attend Lake Ridge or continue at Legacy.

Because moving the least amount of kids the least amount of times seems to be most efficient, that small portion of students formerly zoned for Legacy is necessary to avoid an entire population shift.

“We are planning for the future,” Superintendent Dr. Morrison said. “Legacy’s area is growing as well as all of the other areas; Somebody has got to move.”

The Lake Ridge High School Attendance Zone process began on Nov. 10, 2011. The committee decides border lines by facilities, future growth, transportation and the fewest possible number of transfers.

“People fall in love with the school they go to, so the kids that get zoned for Lake Ridge will get used to the idea of moving and like it,” Dr. Morrison said.

There will also be open enrollment for Lake Ridge. Any incoming high school student may transfer to Lake Ridge. Applications for the Lake Ridge Option are due in the Director of Campus Support office by Jan. 23, 2012. (Principal David Wright will be taking over the Director of Campus Support position in February 2012.) The District will not provide transportation for students using the Lake Ridge Option.

“Change is difficult and I appreciate that,” Dr. Morrison said. “I appreciate when parents express concern about things like this.”

[read the behind the scene blog from the writer here]

Lake Ridge will open at a 4A level and all sports will have varsity team. Timberview, MHS and Summit are projected to be be 5A and Legacy 4A.

“You may be disappointed,” Dr. Morrison said. “However at the first football game when the Eagles run out on the field at their first win, there will be pride in that school.”

Middleton’s parents and others completed the survey and the School Board and the Zone Review Committee took their problem in to consideration. The new zone that has been approved puts Middleton, and other families who live in the County Road 526 and 525 area, in Legacy’s zone.

“Literally no more than two weeks after being at Legacy made me just love it here I feel safe,” Middleton said. “I feel like everyone gets along for the most part, I feel very accepted and I really like it.”