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(12/16/15 2:30pm)
East English Village junior creates program to help others dealing with loss of loved one
By Love Jones
Voice of the Ville
DeAngelo Hughes, a junior at East English Village Preparatory Academy, lost his mother at the age of 13.
As a means of coping with her death and helping other students dealing with similar losses, he created an afterschool program called “Detroit Flutter.”
“Detroit Flutter is for grief and suicide prevention and to create a space to help children through the process of losing a loved one,” Hughes said.
Hughes created the afterschool program after participating in The Future Project at East English Village Preparatory Academy last year. The Future Project is a New York-based program hosted in many schools throughout the country to provide students with support to discover their potential and build the skills they need to change their lives and the world.
After participating in the project and creating Detroit Flutter, Hughes was invited to New York in November to be spotlighted for Ted Talks, a live network talk show. Hughes had the opportunity to meet the CEO and co-founder of the Future Project, Andrew Mangino, who had also lost his mother.
Hughes believes his program will be a great impact on teens, helping them through their grieving process. Teens mostly feel comfortable with other teens or peers, and he believes his program will have monumental impact because of the peer support.
Detroit Flutter is in negotiations to be a featured program in many Detroit city schools.
Hughes can be contacted via email at Detroit.flutter@gmail.com for additional information regarding the program.
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Irma Jaramillo and Cynthia Gutierre
The Western Express
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Kelly Palacios and Liliana Hernandez
The Western Express
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Makayla Rand, Bianca Carr and Kayla McCoy
RHS Stentor
Renaissance High School has been exemplary these past weeks, providing food for those less fortunate and even helping out an educator in need.
“I feel like it’s great idea,” said junior and participant Raina Allen. “Not only is it a nice gesture, but it’s also a way for us to feel good about ourselves since we are donating food to those in need.”
In effort to provide a less fortunate family with a good meal for the holiday, Renaissance students and staff pitched in by hosting a can drive to fill over 50 baskets with Thanksgiving dinner. Also, students assisted Hartford Memorial Baptist Church and West Minster memorial church in passing out over 50 turkeys to the community, in spite of the sudden snowstorm that hit early in the morning.
“I think community service is really good for the school. The community supports us, so why not give back to them,” said junior Alex Jones.
In addition to feeding the needy, Renaissance students turned their attention to anatomy teacher Kerry Williams when it was learned her sister suffered from melanoma. Seniors Diamond Kindred and Jayla Latimer lead the senior class into collecting donations to create sympathy baskets for Williams and her sister, filled with comforting items such as blankets, candles, fuzzy socks, lotions, body wash and a handmade card.
“I can just understand what it feels like to be with someone your entire life and one day not know whether or not you can see them again,” said senior Diamond Kindred. “I know it’s difficult for her and she’s so amazing. I just wanted her to know that she’s not alone and we are with her and her sister as well.”
Normally teachers are the ones to lend a helping hand, but at RHS students do their best to also give back.
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Christopher Turner
Bulldog News
At Loyola High School the staff strives to make the young boys who come into Loyola develop into men. When students leave Loyola, the hope is that they represent the five traits of a Grad at Grad: Loving, Open to Growth, Religious, Intellectually Competent and Committed to Doing Justice.
One young man who already represents some of those traits outside of Loyola High School is sophomore Elijah Stringer. Stringer is a gymnastics coach for his former training center Skills Ville.
Before he became an assistant coach he did gymnastics there for four years. Now, after putting forth so much hard work he was allowed to be a coach. Stringer coaches kids ranging from 2 years old through 17 years old.
For the past two years Stringer has gone to the center every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. He apparently loves being a coach and wishes to stay there for an even longer period of time.
“I coach because I love helping others whenever I can,” Stringer said.
This is just one way that Stringer shows his Grad at Grad. His move from gymnast to coach shows he is Open to Growth. His desire to help others shows that he is loving.
In Stringer’s words, “I like to focus my talents on helping others instead of focusing solely on myself.”
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Ricardo Murry
Bulldog News
The seniors of Loyola high school serve their school and community while they are still in the classroom. Some of the seniors at Loyola have a service learning class where they learn by doing service. The seniors in the class are doing service projects for the school and community. The students currently have ongoing service projects: blankets for people with cancer, toys for kids at
Children’s Hospital, and a wall of ceramic tiles that commemorate fallen soldiers.
The seniors have made 12 blankets for people with cancer so far. Some people have requested blankets with certain colors and patterns. Other blankets are randomly made using all kinds of colors and patterns.
The toys for kids at Children’s Hospital involves an in school toy drive for toys that will be donated to Children’s Hospital so that the kids will have something to play with while they are at the doctor’s or in the hospital.
The final project involves the tiles that commemorate fallen soldiers. Loyola High School has dedicated a wall on the third floor of the school where the tiles are mounted. Anyone who knows someone who has died serving our country is welcome to come and decorate a tile, write the fallen soldier’s name on the tile, and then put it on the wall. The wall of tiles will continue to grow over the years as people add more names of our fallen soldiers.
The senior service learning class is only in its third month. The seniors hope that they will be able to find many more projects that will serve the community and the school.
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Taylor Gribble
RHS Stentor
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Labria Weaver
Voice of the Ville
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Carrimia Owens
Crusaders’ Chronicle
Among the several types of crimes that occur in the city of Detroit, human trafficking is a silent epidemic.
Human trafficking is more than an abduction off the street. It’s a thought-out process to lure innocent young teens into a corrupt and dark lifestyle of sex and drugs. The victims can be held in captivity for years and scattered among different locations so they won’t be found.
“People wouldn’t suspect that women are the perpetrators in these sex crimes and that young males are also in human trafficking,” said Michele Bail, an investigator in Sex Crimes, a unit of the Detroit Police Department.
Human trafficking goes unnoticed every day by citizens. You could live next door to a male or female that’s being trafficked. This sex crime is prevalent in the city and suburbs with adult males who target troubled, misguided, and young females and males that have run away from home. Social media also plays a big role in helping these men find these teens.
“Someone can befriend you on Facebook and you think you are talking to a 15- or 14-year-old boy or girl, but in actuality it’s a perpetrator,” said Marvin Jones, Commanding Officer of Sex Crimes.
Backpage.com is a website used to display the young women involved in human trafficking. On this website, men identify a place they want to meet these women. Time, date, and a place are set and the females are sent to that location to fulfill the paid obligation.
“Human trafficking is more advanced than prostitution,” Jones said. “Prostitution is the woman or man being pimped out and with human trafficking they can be sold to various people throughout their involvement in it.”
The victims are brainwashed to believe that they are in a safe and protected environment and that they can trust their abductors. Many victims are reluctant to testify against their abductors because they have come to trust and depend on this one person, and they feel obligated to stay loyal to them. The job of the officers at Sex Crimes is to free the mind of these young men and women, establish trust, and get them to testify against the perpetrator. Once the victim is the age of 17, they cannot be forced to testify.
“Adults and children should know that human trafficking is a dangerous and scary lifestyle and social media is connected to this crime,” said Jones. “Everyone needs to be aware and protect themselves and loved ones.”
For help or more information, contact the Detroit Police Department’s Sex Crimes Unit at (313) 596-1950.
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Tarious Porter
The Communicator
In 2013, Detroit was declared the most miserable city in America by Forbes. In the past few years urban gardening and farming has grown in popularity as a new way to remove blight in Detroit’s most economically devastated neighborhoods.
Community revitalization isn’t the only benefit from urban agricultural. Many residents have taken up gardening as a means to have easier accessibility to produce and due to all the large quantities of unused land there are ample amounts of space to use.
Experts contend urban agriculture provides benefits to cities like Detroit where out migration and business disinvestment has created massive land abandonment and social problems.
“Urban gardening as a neighborhood redevelopment strategy has a powerful transformative effect on the urban landscape,” said Dr. Theodore Pride, a sociologist at the University of Michigan-Flint who researches urban agriculture in Detroit. “By converting vacant land into community assets and promoting resident cooperation, urban agriculture can transform declining and blighted neighborhoods into vibrant and desirable destinations.”
Many companies, activists, and community groups have successfully used urban agriculture to improve some of Detroit’s most destitute neighborhoods. The Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, Neighbors Building Brightmoor, and Hantz Farms have all contributed to Detroit’s “green” makeover.
Residents are also seeing the importance of urban gardening.
“It’s great inner-city kids and adults have, access to fresh fruits and veggies,” said Margaret Wallace, a metro Detroit local.
Along with the high rates of poverty and the limited food choices Detroit has been labeled a food desert. That’s why Detroit has and will continue to benefit from farming in the city.
Urban gardening is working to empower Detroit residents and beautify abandoned spaces scattered throughout the city. As more citizens join and support the urban agriculture cause, the city’s reputation will drastically change. One day we might be Forbes’ No. 1 city to live in.
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
Dannisha Russell
Voice of the Ville
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
DIA middle school students find their way
By Kenndall Wallace
Pink Lady Press
Middle school can be both an exciting and stressful time, especially for new students. There are a lot of good and bad things about it, such as getting lost and being nervous, but at the same time being excited and looking forward to the next day. So I wanted to investigate what DIA’s own middle schooler’s think about being “The New Kid.”
There are some people who like being new.
“It’s kinda cool,” says middle schooler Autumn Brodis. “I like the fact that you get to start over in a new school.”
And that’s true. When you go to a new school, it’s like a new fresh page, where you can start over and do many new things.
“I really like being able to meet new people,” said seventh-grader Adrian McKay.
But other students aren’t so excited about being the newbie.
“It’s actually kind of overwhelming,” said seventh grader Jada Holloway.
It’s true that it can be overwhelming, with crowded hallways and a lot of new things.
“I don’t really know where a lot of stuff is, and it gets confusing,” said Shakelah Beauford.
And it can get confusing, with different rooms and structures. It can take new students weeks to figure out the different classrooms.
Being the newbie to some people may not be good at all, but to others it could be the best thing they’ve ever experienced. So my question to you is: What do you think?
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Jimmie Chappell
Bulldog News
The Loyola Bulldogs won two of the three scrimmages they played on Nov 29 at HYPE Athletics. The scrimmages were the first competitions that this year’s team had.
This season, the Bulldogs varsity basketball team will be led by sophomore point-guard Pierre Mitchell and senior guard Dequan Powell. Other members of the starting team include senior Ernest Adams, sophomore forward Keith Johnson and junior center Jaylen Hill. Senior forward Romari Ennis came in off the bench and to contribute to the win.
Although the bulldogs are coming off a tough season, they are determined to win it all this year.
Sophomore forward Keith Johnson said, “I will be looking to put my team and also myself on the map.”
On Dec. 3, the Bulldogs, led by head coach John Buscemi, played highly ranked East English Village. Both teams played without a key player, Pierre Mitchell from Detroit Loyola and Kamari Newman from East English Village.
Ernest Adams, Romari Ennis, and Dequan Powell all pulled together in the final seconds to line Keith Johnson up for a buzzer beater in the last two seconds of the game.
Still, it was a team effort. All of the Loyola Bulldogs starting five ended with double digit points.
“This season should be fun and full of excitement,” Johnson said. “You wouldn’t want to miss a single game.”
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Alexis Alcantar and Matthew Diaz
The Western Express
Hidden under a stack of tests and papers that need grading, sits Tara Baker, multitasking. Even during her prep. hour, this English teacher moves from task to task, preparing for her students. The walls of her class are covered with literary resources and students’ work. Also, her grading policy is in plain sight for all to see.
Baker’s students at Western International High School call her a “super teacher.”
She brings a unique style of teaching into her classroom. She is energetic, knowledgeable of the material and incorporates an element of fun to keep students interested. Baker dedicates her time to get to know the students individually. Her ability to connect with students provides them motivation to succeed.
“(Baker) is like a mother to me at this point,” said Estevan Torres, a senior in Baker’s Advanced Placement English class. “She truly cares about her students’ education and breaks down every lesson so everyone understands.”
Baker said she has high expectations for her students, wanting them to become lovers of literature, critical thinkers and always be able to use proper punctuation and grammar.
“I want students to read deeply and widely to become connected to something they want to do and believe in,” Baker said.
Apart from her devotion to the classroom, Baker, a 16-year English teacher at Western International, serves as the Western International National Honor Society adviser.
Baker said she received her calling as a teacher as a result of not being pushed to her fullest potential in junior high. After graduating from Ferndale High School, she attended Western Michigan University and later earned a master’s degree from Wayne State University.
She came to Western International as a student teacher before becoming a tenured teacher.
As far as future plans, she wants to continue to improve as an educator.
“Even after 16 years, I still see so much about what I do in the classroom that could be improved. From planning, organization and management, there is so much I could perfect. It keeps me energized and drives me to do better,” she said.
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Shailee Gray and Tatiana Alvarez
The Western Express
A popular service-learning organization is seeking more volunteers at Western International High School in Detroit.
The nonprofit BuildOn, which works to improve literacy and reduce poverty, only gets 25 volunteer students per week from the high school, compared to 50 from Cass Technical High School. Other schools participating in the program include Detroit Renaissance, Osborn, University Prep Academy and Oak Park.
The program at Western has offered volunteers to several local nonprofits, including DelRay Senior Center, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit, Kiwanis International, Gleaners Community Food Bank and more.
Destiny Foreman, a Western International student and BuildOn volunteer, said the program is a great way to get the school-required service hours while helping the local community.
“BuildOn teaches us how to give without receiving,” Foreman said.
Kira Molina, another Western International student and BuildOn volunteer, said “I come to BuildOn to make friends and escape my life while adding more color to the community.”
The BuildOn program at Western International meets Monday through Thursday and on Saturday in room 3001 at the school.
For more information, go to www.buildon.org.
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Jarnard Smith
Eye of the Hurricane
Christmas break begins Friday and students will be expected to return to school on Jan. 4.
“This is my favorite holiday,” senior Corey Wells said. “I don’t really receive gifts like I used to. I give presents out now, because some people suffer everyday and it’s sad that a person could feel distressed during this time of the year.”
“I usually go out of town during the Christmas Break because there is nothing really to do here in Detroit, but this year I want to do something here in Detroit.” junior Carlos Walker said.
There are some things to do in Detroit during break. Students can visit Campus Martius and go ice skating.
Another event is Wild Lights at the Detroit Zoo, which runs from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays through Sundays in December. It costs $11 at the door or $9 in advance. Wild Lights includes 5 million LED lights on trees, animal art and buildings and more than 100 animal sculptures, according to the zoo’s website.
“The Zoo Lights is a must for me and my girlfriend,” said Douglass senior James Smith. “I hear everyone talking about the lights, so I want to check it out for myself.”
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
[media-credit name="Crusaders' Chronicle" align="alignnone" width="717"][/media-credit]
By Autisha Baldwin, Destini Clark and Diamond Bowers-Curtis
Crusaders’ Chronicle
The Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School alumni found their way back together this football season, feeding the team prior to games during a remarkable undefeated season. Team Physician and Class of ’96 alumni Cecil Forbes reached out to King Alumni via Facebook – and the alumni responded.
Class of ’95 alum Santika Baker said: “The classes of ’88, ’90 and ’95 have been providing the football team with their high-protein, pregame meals. I played girls’ basketball at King and I remember how special it was when alumni supported us. I look forward to mentoring or tutoring female athletes at King.”
DPS English Instructor Erika Jones also graduated from King in 1995. She taught at King for five years before teaching at Cass Tech.
“I called an alumni meeting with the King newspaper staff so the students can publicize some of the wonderful things the KC alumni are doing,” she said. “Assistant Principal Fitz is very supportive. The Class of ’90 had been meeting bi-weekly to build an alumni association. This was a chance to bring us all together and hear from students what is really needed to keep KC at the top.”
Throughout the years, there have been many Crusaders to enter and graduate from King. Alumni from the classes of ’86, ’87, ’90, ’95, ’01 and ’06 met at the school in November to discuss ideas that would help the school and its students financially, academically, athletically and in preparation for life following graduation.
“I’ve been coaching swim here on and off for the last 10 to15 years. My father, Coach James, sent dozens of Crusaders to college through sports and academics” while teaching here for decades, said alum Antoine James. “I started rallying my classmates together because I have seen some things that were taking place in the school that not only I can help but that I knew our strong alumni can help with, also.”
Their main focus is to make every student feel like a Crusader regardless of the academic program they are in. Since the November meeting, former alumni have decided to organize a mentoring workshop for college planning and life after high school. Monica Jones, and mentor and founder of The Winning Futures (www.winningfutures.org), intends to sponsor a workshop on college planning and preparation for the current seniors. Aside from this, they plan to mentor students by encouraging them to do well, because academics come first.
Since the meeting, alumni Ayana Rhodes and 11th grade student ambassadors have begun tutoring Monday through Thursday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the King Center under the guidance of Shedrick Ward, director of academic engagement.
Said Rhodes: “Alumni are willing to work to do whatever it takes to improve King. We take pride in our volunteer work.”
“It’s not all about sports. We want to do it all,” said Jones. “We want to offer tutoring and mentoring.” She said the alumni unified around “football this season because this is a historical thing.”
Said alum Anayah Rose: “Unless we come together and unify, nothing will ever get done.”
To achieve success, they want students, parents, teachers, administrators and coaches to participate.
“If you talk to 10 families and you get five of them to see your vision, then you’ve been successful,” said Rose.
All former graduates are welcome to be a part of the activities offered here at King.
“A valuable lesson I learned from King was unity and respect, because when I was here we all came together – always,” said alum Naila Payne.
“King is family,” said Foster. “Other schools have alumni and they give, but we’re all connected and love each other and physically visit the school.”
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Elijah Stringer
Bulldog News
Loyola High School is a place where the mission is to mold boys into men who will be successful in the world they live in today.
One of the goals at Loyola, as with most schools, is to teach students to be intellectually competent. One way they are doing this is through the Loyola High School Math League. The Math League is a club created by math teacher Jamel Hence.
Hence describes the Math League as, “a team of students that compete against each other by doing math problems at varying skill levels.”
Any student interested in the program is accepted regardless of grade or skill level, because Hence wanted to create a program that showcases the students who show an interest in math.
“I felt that this would be a positive way to change Loyola’s label as the ‘football school,” he said.
So far the club has been very successful and the students are showing excellent progress in their ability to critically think to solve problems by using different ways of thinking.”
There are also scholarship opportunities that will become available throughout the duration of the program.
Students in the program seem excited and want to share how they feel about being in the Loyola Math League.
Sophomore Brandon Zuniga, one of the first students to join the Math League said: “I joined the math league to help keep my math skills sharp. He [Hence] has taught me many new ways to solve problems by looking for the possible answers to the problem before actually attempting the problem. I am very glad that I joined the math league because, I felt that it would be a very positive experience and I was correct and glad I did not let this opportunity pass by.”
“I joined the math league because I thought that it would help me not to struggle when working on future topics in my own math class,” Sophomore Cameron Benford said. “I enjoy learning new things by playing math games and fun activities that can not always be practiced in the traditional math environment.
“This has been very successful as it has taught me new properties and ways to solve equations. It has also taught me how to study correctly in math topics for tests and quizzes.”
When Math League students were asked as a group how the math league was, their response was: “There is never a dull moment in the Math League.”
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
Western librarian promotes passion for traveling
By Adrian Alaniz and Esmeralda Espitia
The Western Express
From his mid-20s William Bowles, the librarian at Western International High School, spends days away from school traveling to exotic locales, such as Egypt, Switzerland, South America, Central America, Turkey, Nigeria and Japan.
Bowles is a generous and thoughtful guy who everyone should get the chance to know. Aside from everything he has done to help students with their learning skills, Bowles has an amazing passion for traveling and uses those experiences of traveling and learning about many diverse cultures to teach the students at Western International.
Most recently, Bowles traveled to the Southern U.S. to learn about segregation and slavery during the Civil War. On his two-week trip to Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina, he had an impactful experience about the human suffering that resulted from slavery.
“Traveling is one of the best learning experiences one can have,” Bowles said. Aside from his passion for traveling, Bowles loves reading and helping students with their writing and learning skills. He also inspires students to travel.
“If I can, so can you,” said Bowles. There are many ways to travel, such as reading a book that lead you into whole different dimension, Bowles said.
For the past 30 years, Bowles has been exploring and traveling the world and experiencing new cultures country to country. Even at his young middle-age, he still enjoys and continues to explore the many amazing places in this world.
One of Bowles’ most memorable trips was to Nigeria, where he lived for a year in a city called Ile-ife. He studied the Yoruba civilization and was welcomed into the Nigerians’ lives and they freely shared their ways of life. This created in him a deep sense of gratitude for family and friends. He later returned back from his trip to Western, where he then taught students about African life that he learned in Nigeria and his life while on his trip.
Before becoming a librarian, Bowles was a French and English teacher. He would always pass by the second floor’s hallway and see a beautiful library at Western and it motivated him to be a librarian. He applied for the position to be a librarian and he qualified.
He also sponsors the Literary and Art magazine at Western where students can submit writing or art work. Bowles also submits stories of Western students’ achievements to El Central, a newspaper in Southwest Detroit.
(12/16/15 2:30pm)
By Corey Wells
Eye of the Hurricane
Detroiters know that when it snows, you have to drive slow. At least, most Detroiters know.
A crash late on Sunday, Oct. 12 in a construction zone on Interstate-94 in Detroit left two people dead and one in critical condition. Michigan State Police said Detroit resident Marvin Harris was driving east in a closed construction lane at West Grand Boulevard when he hit two construction workers and a parked construction vehicle.
There is still a lot of construction going on in the city, which means drivers need to be extra cautious, especially in winter. Woodward Avenue, the heart of the city, has been under construction since July 2014 when construction of the M-1 RAIL line began. The mission of M-1 RAIL is to create a catalyst for investment, economic development and urban renewal that positively impacts the entire region. It is anticipated to be completed in late 2016.
Also, I-94 in the city has also been lined with orange cones and closed lanes, slowing the morning commute for hours.
With snow coming the workers will be slowing, but that won’t open up lanes to vehicle traffic, and it won’t make driving safer.
This is the time for us to very cautious because it seems like every year the weather in Detroit seems to get worse by the minute and with the construction going on they can be many problems with black ice, blizzards, and just fanatic driving by people in the city already.
