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Showing posts from June, 2010

Leaving Finland

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Lake Jyvasjarvi I have never lived anywhere for 5 months other than Jyvaskyla, Finland. As my Fulbright journey concludes, there is so much to still digest. It will take months, if not years, to truly assimilate all the learning. Before I left Southern California, I wrote about the what I would miss the most from home and what I  looked forward to experiencing in Finland. It is safe to say I met my goals. Top 7 Goals 1. Discussing Education Helsinki Workshop Through professional development programs, Fulbright Finland connected teachers with scholars and researchers, for the purpose of putting inquisitive minds together. The Making Democracies Resilient to Modern Threats seminar provided participants with fascinating research and presentations. 2. Nordic Model Bus station in Espoo What does an efficient and earnest country look like?  It looks like Finland. Yes, people pay higher taxes, but get so much in return. I for one appreciated the well-maintained ro

Career Day!!

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Many thanks to all the professionals who volunteered their time to share their career paths with the students of LA Academy.   Below are some pics of the event that took place yesterday, June 16, 2010: The Principal, Maria A. Borges, with students and presenter LAPD officer chats with students at nutrition NBA Referee Violet Palmer motivates students to aim for the top Cynthia Flores from Univision encourages shy girls to speak up Jim Cloonan, Marine researcher makes his presentation in scuba gear This event was well-received by students who learned about a wide variety of careers throughout the day.  Over 50 presenters were eager to talk to students and share information about each of their careers.  Poignantly, one student asked why no teachers came to present at the Career Day.  He reprimanded the organizers for not including teachers.  Touche. * * *

Neighborhood Explosion Rocks the Academy

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It's been a busy month at the Academy and we have not been able to post as frequently as in the past.  But for those of you who work in South Central, Friday was a day to remember. Friday morning around 11:00 am, a massive explosion rocked the neighborhood.  The explosion was so powerful it shook all the buildings on campus.  It turns out the explosion came from a titanium fire at a recycling plant less than a block away from our school. The plumes of fire and black smoke immediately rose over the back of our school building, but thanks to the staff's professionalism, all students were safely secured in their classrooms within 30 seconds of the explosion. The school immediately implemented the Shelter-In-Place policy and all support staff checked the campus for any stray student, parent, guest, etc.  The lock down lasted 4.5 hours. For a time, we were told we may have to evacuate to a neighboring middle school because of the air hazard potential.  That order was cance