TRAILBLAZER NEWS
Paper Trail Central Collegiate Academy High School News
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Principal’s Issue
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180 Program
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Holiday Cele- 2 brations Nelson Mandela
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ACT/MME Test Tips
3
Birthdays
4
Blazer Flavor 4
“Home of the Trailblazers”
Principal’s Corner Written by: Marquita Dawson
I took the opportunity to sit down with Principal McGhee to learn about what is currently taking place behind the desk of this man who goes above and beyond to meet the needs of the students here at Central Colle‐ giate Academy. Sitting alongside Mr. McGhee, he shared with me the importance of a principal’s leadership qualities because these qualities directly impact school success, staff effective‐ ness, and overall student achievement. Currently, Mr. McGhee is focusing on preparing students for the ACT (American College Test) with the official test beginning on March 4, 2014. He believes in each and every one of his students and his goal for each student is to increase their current score to the best of their ability.
According to Mr. McGhee, the ACT test is one of the most important, if not the most important, test that a student will take during their edu‐ cational years. How important is it? A student can have their entire college tuition paid based solely on their ACT score. He realizes just how wonderful an opportunity that is that he has teamed up with Kap‐ lan and their tutors to come and work with the 11th graders on core subjects such as English, math and science. Can you imagine having to pay for a private tutor to help you with preparing for the ACT? This is exactly what CCA is offering its 11th grade students. Mr. McGhee has assembled a group of teachers to prepare our students for the ACT in March: Ms. Jackson, Ms. Nicholson, and Ms. Loper to name just a few.
Students are also in test prepara‐ tion mode for the performance series test. This test scores stu‐ dents based on their academic ability in core subjects. Students are then placed in the appropriate classes . Students are expected to move at least one decile (level) each time they take the test. CCA also has extended day for students to make up classes, op‐ portunities for students to take online college courses, and upcom‐ ing live simulcast classes for social studies, web design, and possibly math. Thank you Mr. McGhee for all you do for your students!
CCA Partner Program: 180 Program Written by: Daryl Ivory Central Collegiate Academy partners with several different types of communitywide programs that offer a variety of services to our students; one of which is the 180 Program. The 180
Program is one of the best partner programs to be in if a student is trying to change his/her ways for the better. I asked several students who are currently in or have been involved in the 180 Program about it and all of the responses about the program were very positive.
positive productive life. The 180 Program is run by Mr. Raphael Johnson and it is an all year program. It usually has about 20 or more students per hour. For more information on the 180 Program, please see Mr. Johnson.
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How do you celebrate the holidays? Written by: Marvin Bowden, Matthew Lee, Deshonn Davis For many of us, the month of December is set aside to string Christmas lights, put up a Christmas tree, make Christ‐ mas cookies, and celebrate our Christian beliefs. However, there are numerous other types of celebrations that should also be recognized during this festive time of year but we will focus on three: Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Christmas is an annual celebration and recog‐ nition of the birth of Jesus Christ and a very popular holiday. It is celebrated on December 25th by millions of people around the world. It is a feast central to the Christian ritual year. Christmas is a civil holiday in many of the world's nations. It is celebrated by an increasing number of non‐Christians and is an essential part of the Christmas and holiday season. Although Christmas is recog‐ nized as celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, for many, it is also a time for Santa Claus, Christmas presents and par‐ ties, family get‐togethers, and food, food, and more food!
wearing kaftans by women. It is traditional to include chil‐ dren in Kwanzaa ceremonies and to give respect and grati‐ tude to ancestors. One thing that all of these celebratory traditions have in common is that it’s not all about what you receive. The tradition is to connect with family, celebrate a very spiri‐ tual ritual and to have a feast with your family to celebrate Kwanzaa is a week‐long cele‐ the memory of a tradition bration that honors African passed down from generation heritage in African‐American to generation. culture, and is observed from December 26th until January Different ethnic cultures do it 1st, rounding off in a feast and in many different ways, but it gift giving. is clear that all of these holi‐ days are commemorated. Kwanzaa Whether you’re commemorat‐ was cre‐ ing the birth of Jesus, remem‐ ated by bering the rededication of the Maulana holy temple in Jerusalem, or Karenga, just commemorating your chairman African heritage traditions, and pro‐ each of these celebrations fessor of Black Studies at Cali‐ holds meaning, warmth, and fornia State University Long significance. So, however you Beach. It was created due to celebrate this time of year, do the race riots that took place it with love, compassion, and throughout Los Angeles in the respect in your heart for the late 1960s. Karenga’s goal was differences that make each of to find a way to bring African us truly unique and special. Americans together as a com‐ munity. Families celebrating Kwanzaa decorate their households with objects of art, colorful African cloth such as kente and Hanukkah is also known as the festival of lights and Feast of Dedication. It is a Jewish holiday that lasts a total of eight days, com‐ memorating (remembering) the Rededication of the sec‐ ond Holy Temple in Jerusalem. This holy temple is recognized by the Jewish people as very sacred and holy place.
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Remembering Nelson Mandela Written By: Nyla Wyche
Nelson Man‐ dela was the first African American President of South Africa. He was born on July 18, 1918 in Mvezo, South Africa and departed this life on December 5, 2013 in Houghton Estate, South Africa. Nelson attended school as a child and completed his Bachelor of Arts Degree at the University of South Africa in 1943. Nelson Mandela helped bring an end to apartheid.
Apartheid is a form of racial segre‐ gation against non‐whites. He has been a global advocate for human rights his entire life. A member of the African National Congress Party beginning in the 1940s, he was a leader of both peaceful protests and armed resistance against the white minority’s oppressive regime in a racially divided South Africa. His actions landed him in prison for nearly three decades and made him the face of the antiapartheid move‐ ment both within his country and internationally.
Released in 1990, he participated n the eradication of apartheid and in 1944, became the first black president of South Africa, forming a multiethnic government to oversee the country’s transition. After retiring from politics in 1999, he remained a devoted champion for peace and social justice in his own nation and around the world until his death in 2013 at the age of 95. We thank you, Mr. Mandela for the sacrifices that you made to bring peace and harmony to all people.
Let’s Get Ready! ACT/MME Test Tips! Written by: Charvae Jackson and Nya Allen
Are you nervous about taking the ACT test? Preparing for the ACT/ MME test is very im‐ portant and easy. Here are some tips to help you prepare for The ACT or MME test. These tips will help you get a high score on the ACT test.
You must study and strategize for the ACT. Learn everything you need to know about every section of the ACT such as questions that
are in every section and how much time you are given to an‐ swer those questions.
You should take advantage of the many websites who have ACT practice tests. Take the practice test a of couple times to get used to what the real test will be like. Make sure you are well‐rested and energized before you take the ACT. If you are not well‐rested, it results in you being very careless.
Make sure you relax and stay focused; don’t let the big test freak you out. Make sure you eat before you take the test. Eat very light, just enough to give you a boost of energy and to keep you awake. Don’t be afraid of failure or a low score because you can take it as many as times as you want until you achieve the score you desire. It has been said that to best prepare yourself for the ACT and get a successful score is to focus on your strongest subject and study that the most but still study other core subjects as well.
Partner Program: Next Level Studios Next Level Studios is one of Central Colle‐ giate Academy’s wonderful partners. They have been partners with CCA for three years. Next Level Studios allows students to express their talents through music, film, and even radio. Next Level Studios was founded by the man we all know as, “Scout.”
Scout said, “I love working with the kids at Cen‐ tral; that’s why I decided to bring my services to the school”. Next Level Studios provides a variety of activities for the students at CCA and they can be found in Central’s purple hallway. There is a recording studio that allows the stu‐ dents to record music for school events and even for their own entertainment.
short movies, interviews, and even music videos. This year, Next Level Studios added a radio sta‐ tion that allows students to keep their fellow classmates updated on school sports, events, and much more. All Next Level students love working with Scout and his team and believe that Next Level Studios should be available at all schools throughout the Metro area. Thanks Scout for providing an ex‐ ceptional program that we are lucky to have here at CCA!
December and January Birthdays Happy Birthday to these CCA Students! Courtney Cowan Kristeon Fox TreVion Hill Ashanlique Napier Taveon White
Dewayne Dickerson Brenda Harvey Jaleen Johnson Curtis Smith Kalyn Wilkins
Zachary AuCoin
Deon’ta Bell
Dontez Bell
Tamara Cook
Micah Jones
Veronica Ogletree
Stavano Sanderfield
Jasmine Threat
Aqueelah Willis
Jamelia Young
Demario Mcmurray De’ja Pinkett
Christoper Murphy Trevon Young
Tamara Canada
Kiana Gibson
Drevon Jones Keron Dorris Dominique Ford Darryl Ivory
Dajuan Cullors Ernest Echols Da’Zhana Harrell
Happy Super Sweet 16 Birthday To: Carolyn Alexander
Derrick Beckley
Kavale Dorr
Adon Gates
Shawnteqa Harvey
Likasha Jones
Fred Lewis
Unique Mccoy
Zaneisha McCurdy
Burt Pickett
Blazer Flavor Written by: Janelle Lattin
Women’s Fashions In the winter time girls usually like to do some layering. Layering includes a camisole tank top , a short sleeve or long sleeve shirt. Also, layering with a nice sweatshirt, cardigan, or hooded sweater will do fine as well. For accessories ,add a hat and scarf and/or headband. With bottoms, you can wear just about any color you choose however, I wouldn’t consider pink, yellow, or green because those are more of spring and summer col‐ ors so watch out for that. The Boots! With your outfit almost complete, the ending and finale part is the boots. Ugg boots and riding boots are very trendy this season. You should consider either; each boot will go great with your outfit.
Men’s Fashions Men’s fashion for the tops is simple; a nice shirt and a long thermal or button down. With layering comes a nice sweater or vest. For the bottoms, try dark colored jeans or slacks of any color such as brown, blue, black, or grey. For the boots, either brown or black leather will look the best. This season, wheat Timberland and Nike boots are the trend. The outerwear can be a pea coat, vest or hooded sweat shirt.