The EagleVOLUME 1 ISSUE 3

CESAR CHAVEZ PREP PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL

F e b r u a r y 2 1 , 2 0 1 4

Page 5 Basketball team season wrap up

Page 7 Best and Worst Movies of 2013

Page 2 Are college visits a waste of time?

February 22nd: Spring Training resumes

March: DC Scores Spring Season Begins

March 13th: End of 3rd quarter

March 17th: Beginning of 4th quarter

March 26th: College Tour #3

April 1st-4th: DC-CAS

April 11th: Spring Fling

April 12th-19th Spring Break!

In This Issue

Upcoming EventsWe the People is a con-

gressional simulation with the purpose of showcasing student knowledge about political events. On January 9, 2014, Chavez students competed for the chance to go the District-wide competition on February 19. Very few Americans know about the laws that protect citi-zens, so the mission of We the People is to build civic literacy. The Center for Civic Education organizes the competition. Every summer, each partici-pating teacher stays near the ‘’James Madison House’’ near Montpelier, Virginia. They study how to teach students about the Constitution.

For the competition, judges give each team a score, and the winning team goes to the city competition at Georgetown Law Center on February 19, 2014. Each team had a specific unit they had to work on, and had to write an essay on it. One unit about citizenship and voting

Glenda LopezStaff Writer

rights taught students that the 14th Amendment gives people protection and requires all peo-ple to be treated equally by the law. In December, teams created an opening statement, which was really hard because they had to include a lot of details. Loudness and confidence were necessary for team members to be successful.

The lessons students learned about the government were mixed. Michael Valesquez, who is in the eighth grade, said that “The most important thing that I learned about the government and our constitu-tion is about the amendments that helped people vote and be a citizen. I think that this is important because everyone should have a say on who should be elected...But in general I believe all the amendments are important because it makes the government and our country almost perfect.”

However, Valerie Hernandez eighth grade disagreed: “The most important thing I learned about our government is that

our government is breaking the rules too not just the people. The government is doing a bad job with everything.”

When We the People day came up on January 19, 2014, I was comfortable and was sure about what I was going to do. However, I was concerned that during the time when my team and I had to study or research that we did not work enough. In the competition, we talked about how people had the right to vote and how if someone is not a citizen, they can still vote no matter what. The judges asked questions about whether we would let a criminal vote, and it was hard to think about the pros and cons. I liked hearing about the other units, and the judges’ feedback was very posi-tive. After the competition was over, teams went to the awards ceremony in the gym. I was happy and surprised because my group won both the unit and class awards. When we were preparing for the District com-petition, I was really nervous. Last year Chavez Prep won third

place. The city competition was

Wednesday, February 19th, at Georgetown Law Center. Four students, Lisbeth Jimenez, Gerson Rodrigez, Micheal Velasquez, and Ariana Simmons won Unit Five won the medals for “Best Unit”. Members of this unit had to answer questions on how the Constitution protects basic rights.

Although Prep did not place in the city competition, Capri McKnight said, “We don’t need medals to prove how good we are. We already know.” The coach, Eighth grade US History teacher January Morrison, said “Our students performed very well. They had to answer tough questions and I was very proud to mentor this year’s team.”

No matter what the out-come, students are more aware of their rights from participat-ing. “The most important thing that I learned is that everyone has rights and that they need to know that they have them,” said eighth grader Flor Hernandez.

We the People: Chavez Students Put Constitution into Action

Photo by Juliet Mohnkern

WE T HE PEOPLE - C havez team shows off their knowledge about the Constitution at the city-wide competition.

OPINIONS PA G E 2 N o v e m b e r 8 , 2 0 1 3

Stephanie BuenoStaff Writer

Chavez Students Waste College Visit Opportunities

Teachers’ Words of Wisdom

It is the next step after high school and the hardest four years of your life. College takes a lot to get in -- there are essays, interviews, applications, SATs and much more. The graduation rate for the District of Columbia is 58%, one of the lowest in the nation. In order to go to college you have to pass high school. Students have to work extra hard to get into the top colleges in the nation.

College tours can be a step to guide students in choosing what college they would like to go to. However, sometimes these tours are a waste of time and many Chavez students do not take them seriously. Chavez lets the students go because the school thinks that students are planning for college, but in reality they are just taking it as another field trip. When students do not pay attention, in the future when they want to apply, they would not know what colleges to apply to. Also, when people do not pay atten-tion over a period of time, it will

eventually add up and they will not know what to do after high school.

College tours for Chavez Prep students are very early and students do not actually pay attention to the campus around them. On most college tours, students just play around and do not focus on the reality of how lucky they are to even get to go to a college campus.

Students should take the

college tours seriously. If they do not they probably do not deserve to get college tours. Of course they can have fun but students should think about their future and what they will do to get in college. It is not bad to think about college at an early age but they have to really have to focus on the colleges. Even for students who may not want to go to college, it is good to have an option to see what colleges

are really like. College tours help the students realize what they want in a college and what col-lege is like. If students wish to go to college, they must do well in the classroom. They should focus on class and do the work necessary in order to eventually have the opportunity to go to college. A teacher’s job is to help us and not to torture us. They aim to get us to college because they want the best for us.

Tours can be very helpful to

people like eighth grader Omari Wilson, who said that “Students were very curious about the Rotunda at the UVA campus. It was like a walking brochure.” Tours can have many attractions that are very interesting since you learn their history and learn many other things. In order for the tours to help, students should pay attention and actu-ally use these college tours as a resource.

Photos by Shayna Swangin

RE ADY FOR COLLEGE? - Students on a college tour at the University of Virg inia.

Drew Anderson, 8th grade Science

Eagle reporters Shayna Swangin and Capri McKnight asked teachers what advice they wish to give to stu-dents. These are some of the things they said:

Cecilia Blute, 8th grade EL A

“Keep going in education. It could lead to great things.”

“Know the impor-tance of school and why you should stay in school.”

“It’s really impor-tant to know your strengths and weaknesses so you can succeed.”

“Establish relationships with teachers in order to build support and also so they can help you with letters of rec-ommendation in the future.”

“Conf lict resolutions and how to be more so-cially intelligent.”

Luz Rivera, 7th grade academic supportMs.C hapman, 8th grade teacher

C laudia Andrade, 8th grade EL A

Compiled by Shayna Swangin and Capri McKnight

PA G E 3 M a r c h 2 4 , 2 0 1 1 OPINIONSN o v e m b e r 8 , 2 0 1 3

Candygrams just started as an idea to help raise money for the ninth grade. Candy grams were about having fun and being able to write notes to people with candy for Valentine’s Day. Ninth graders made almost $300 and will use the money for fun things like field trips dances and fun activities just for ninth grade. Students had a lot of fun because they found out that there is a lot of love in our school and we got to do something that was fun and could benefit all of the ninth grade.

Video Games Only OK in Moderation

Theft Steals Students’ Security and Trust

Feature: 9th Grade Sells Candygrams

I personally think that video games are not bad for you, unless playing them gets out of hand. In other words, parents and adults should not nag youth to stop playing video games be-cause they are just for entertain-ment.

However, video games could be bad for players in a way. I per-sonally do not play that many video games because I know how much to play before they become harmful. I am not going to play 24/7 because I have a life.Video games can be bad, if it comes to a point where you are addicted and glued to the screen. Playing for a couple hours is normal and there is nothing wrong with it. Just do not let it get in the way of family, school, best friends, or even the person you are dating.

To be fair, I have to explain

Have you ever had some-thing stolen from you? Did you like the fact that somebody took your personal things without your permission? If so, why do you think that they would take it? What do you think the motive is? We honestly think it is because the thief wants what they cannot have, and so they have taken your posses-sions from you. Another reason why some people would steal is because they think it is fun or because they think they have some power over you.

This is destructive to the victim because it could scar them, meaning they may not be

the opposite perspective. Many adults and health specialists say that video games are bad for you and can mess with your think-ing of the world. For example, today’s popular games such as Call Of Duty:Ghost and GTAV are all violent in their own spe-cial ways. They can teach you so many wrong things and you do not even notice it. For example, people who decide to randomly rob or run over someone may not think it is wrong because these activities reward players with points or even cash in the game world.

I still think that video games are not harmful at all unless you let gaming get out of hand.There is no problem with wanting to have fun. Video games are not going to kill you, but it is important to recognize that playing them too much can be harmful to you and your life.

able to forget the time they were victims of theft. People are go-ing to be afraid to come out the house or even go to school. This is why Chavez students should not steal and if you see someone stealing, say something.

Last year I, Shayna, had my phone stolen from me. I cried and was very frustrated and of course I told my mom. My mom was calm about the whole situation and she turned off the service so the thief would not be able to use the phone. The same day my phone got stolen I told a counselor, who told the principal, and the next day my phone was returned. Regardless of whether my phone was stolen and never returned or stolen and returned the next day, it is still not right to steal. Thieves would

not want anyone to steal from them, so they should think twice before they steal.

At Chavez Prep we feel items get stolen often. And as a well-known charter school, steal-ing is not something we want to be known for. Stealing does not help our campus community and it does not bring good repre-sentation to what we are here for. Our school is based on good things, good ideas, and good people. Cesar Chavez would be proud to see our school. So the next time you feel like stealing or taking something that does not belong to you, think about what a leader would say. Think about how you could make that person feel or how you would affect the community.

By Jayla AloyoStaff Writer

By Shayna Swangin and Capri McKnightStaff Writers

Photos by Emily SwainBlurb by Vianey Ramos

PA G E 4 M a r c h 2 4 , 2 0 1 1

12

4

FEATURES F e b r u a r y 2 1 , 2 0 1 4

Enjoy Pete's

"Eat Smart and Save Program”

Monday- Friday,

3PM to 5PM

For Students, Faculty, and Family of

all DC K-12 schools

By Giovanni Harris

Teacher of the Month: Mr. Marsden

Chavez has an after-school discipline program called deten-tion. A scholar can get detention for many reasons. First, they can get detention if a scholar disobeys a rule like not wearing full uniform. They can also get detention for disrespecting a teacher for any reason. Lastly, they can get detention if a scholar gets sent to the support center.

Students can also receive extra detention time if they skip detention and are not excused. On Friday, students get extra detention time if they skip detention the other days of the week too many times. Detention on Friday can go on until six o’clock. Detention takes place in the eighth grade classroom How-ard. There are two main teach-ers who run detention, Rashad Mack and Aileen Mercado. They

also are in charge of the support center.

Each day, about 40 kids are assigned detention. Out of those 40 kids only about 30, or 75%, actually show up. Mr. Mack said that he sends a daily report to the teachers showing who has detention and if they skipped it or not and which grade level has the most students who skipped. The seventh grade is the grade that has the most students given detention, but this may be partly because it is the largest grade at Chavez.

Mr. Mack said that deten-tion was already a rule before he came. He thought that it works sometimes but also that a lot of the same kids come back. When asked why the same kids return to detention regularly, Mr. Mack said it was because a lot of kids come late but also sometimes kids just keep doing the same things over and over again to get detention.

Gabriella BarnesStaff Writer

What types of strategies do you use to teach students?

What makes a good teacher?

What hobbies do you enjoy outside of school?

How’s your jumpshot?

What Spongebob character do you relate the most to?

When you were little, what was your favorite cereal to eat while watching cartoons?

I smile a lot? Is that a strat-egy? I also use words. I find that using words helps.

Not to get all mushy or any-thing but a good teacher

shows that they care a lot about their students. I try to do this as often as I can. There are also days when I’m a grumpy, horrible, short-tempered, dragon-faced cur-mudgeon. Sorry about that.

I’m a movie geek. I try to watch at least two movies a

week. I also love to travel. Perhaps that’s not a surprise given that I’m a geography teacher. I also knit hats and scarfs. You know, for the colder months.

Ugh, rusty. No, rusty would imply that it was at one time

polished. My jumpshot is terrible.

What’s a SpongeBob? I’ll go with Ferb.

My parents didn’t allow sug-ary cereal in the house. There-

fore: Crispix. Actually quite a pleas-ant cereal.

Q

Q

Q

Q

Q

Q

A

A

A

A

A

A

Photo by January Morrison

Detention isCommon Occurrence at Chavez

PA G E 5 M a r c h 2 4 , 2 0 1 1 SPORTSF e b r u a r y 2 1 , 2 0 1 4

Basketball Teams Experience Mixed Season

This season for Chavez Basketball has not been a strong one because the performance level and wins are not adding up right now. The girls are 2-7 right now after getting two solid victories in home games. There are strong contributions being made by each player on the girls team. They are exhibit-ing a strong sense of team play and consistency as well. On the other hand, the boys team are not having a good season right now , after losing all five of their games by a big margin. In addition, they face the threat of having to forfeit the remainder of the season due to their failure to meet academic requirements.

Anton Lassiter is having a pretty strong season, with strong numbers of 42 points so far this season and 4.5 assists per game and at least 2.5 steals per game. He is one of the few bright spots of the team. The girls’ top scorer is seventh grad-er Emely Nunez, who has scored 16 times in the nine games that have been played so far this

season. Myisha Trice, the girls basketball coach, said “The girls team had the first program win in Chavez Prep history on Janu-ary 13th with a 22-18 win over Basis:DC, which was also the first win in the new gym.” The games won in the new gym have shown that the gym was a good addition for school sports teams, since it is giving a new level of confidence to the players.

Unfortunately, the boys season may be coming to an early close due to subpar aca-demic performance. Academic struggles have been a constant problem for boys this season, which has led to an unfortunate downfall. After an encourag-ing start to the season, several games were forfeited because of academic performance. For ath-letes, grades have to be a major focus aside from the sport itself. Basketball coach Rich Renzi said “We want our athletes to be scholars at Chavez Prep, and role models for the school”.

Today is the last game for the girls who have a record of 4-7 and are hoping to get one more win to make it a successful first season with the new head coach Trice at the helm. They

By Joacquin GonzalezStaff Writer

look to capitalize on this season to get to the playoffs next sea-son.

Note: At the time this article was written on February 19, the results of the last game were unknown.

Join usTuesday

March 4, 2014 from 5-7pm for our

fundraiser at

the º

Just head to our reserved section

at the Coupe from and 10% of our

proceeds will go to The Eagle!!!

Coupe!

Photo by Chinyere McClean

HUDDLE UP - T he g irls basketball team getting pumped up during a game.

Photo by Chinyere McClean

HUDDLE UP - T he g irls basketball team getting pumped up during a game.

PA G E 6 M a r c h 2 4 , 2 0 1 1SPORTS

Chavez Prep has a cheerleading team with seven girls who were organized to encourage the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams to perform better. The cheerleaders, who practice twice a week and cheer at the basketball games, perform cheers such as “Red Hot” and try to hype up Chavez Prep sports fans.

Chavez Prep got involved in wrestling after the Beat the Streets program came to Chavez and talked to students about wrestling. The Beat the Streets program is basically a program that tries to involve kids in wrestling so they do not do drugs and get into trouble in the streets. Chavez Prep is one of two schools in the Beat the Streets program in DC. Wres-tling is actually fun because it pushes you physically and mentally. Also the coaches make team members work hard and al-ways to try their best in practice. Cheerleading

at ChavezBy Danyelle DuckettStaff Writer

By Elvin Bonilla Staff Writer

F e b r u a r y 2 1 , 2 0 1 4

+GROWNUPS

2

Join us for weekend brunch on our sunny

patio this Spring, pets and families welcome

Join us in Columbia Heights

So far we have competed against Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland on January 25. We were not looking that good because we were not using the moves that the coaches taught us, but the nine students who competed still won a total of seven med-als. Our coaches, Coach Jordan Lipp and Coach Jake Scott, from the DC Beat the Streets pro-gram, and Coach Bob McCarty from Chavez Prep, are all very strict and fun. They motivate team members to go to practice everyday and try their hardest in every practice so they are well prepared for facing other schools. Both boys and girls practice together.

Photo by Chinyere McClean

SPRE ADING T HE HYPE - C heerleaders motivate basketball players at a game.

Photos by Trina Tran and Keidy Granados

WRESTLING TO WIN - T he wrestling team competes at Walt W hitman High School in Januar y.

Wrestling Program Motivates Students

PA G E 7 M a r c h 2 4 , 2 0 1 1 ARTS

“After Earth” was a movie about a boy and his dad who crash land on a planet where all life has evolved to kill humans. Because of this, they are in danger of dying. Sadly an alien egg that contained a deadly alien predator survived the crash so they have another threat to worry about. This movie sucks because Jaden Smith cannot seem to act around his dad. This movie bored me to sleep, which made it even worse.

“Movie 43” was a bunch of inappropriate skits that were just so bad the story made no sense whatsoever. I would nominate it for the Golden Raspberry for the worst picture.

This is what happens when a movie tries to be entertaining but not funny. The directors tried way too hard.

“Grown Ups 2” was the only movie remember that I thought was cool. It had humor, was family friendly, and was a good story that made viewers laugh and cry. In this movie, Adam Sandler and his close friends played a bunch of weird families. Each family had their own unique back story. They live in a small town and have kids. It is just wonderful. Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and David Spade co-star.

By Daniela Romualdo CastroStaff Writer

F e b r u a r y 2 1 , 2 0 1 4

WORST MOVIESBEST MOVIES+ -

AFTER EARTH

MOVIE 43

GROWNUPS2

Best and Worst Movies of 2013

by Omari Wilson

The movie “Frozen” is not just about a little snowman named Olaf, but more about the lesson Disney is trying to show. Since the first princess movie Disney made, the company has been criticized because the prin-cess always end up getting mar-ried to the first man they meet. The movies teach girls that they need a man's love. Not in this case, though. “Frozen” has shown girls that they don't need a mans love to save their lives. The movie shows different types of love, such as the love between friends, family or partners.

In the movie “ Frozen " the characters are Anna, Elsa, Krist-off, and Olaf. There is no story without a villain, and “Frozen”’s are Hans and the Duke of Weselton. Anna is the older sister of Elsa, who has a special power that allows her to turn things into snow or ice. After an accident that almost costs Elsa

her life, Anna is forced to not in-teract with anyone or anything. After a dramatic accident that takes Anna’s and Elsa’s parents’ life, Elsa is left lonely. Years pass and Elsa becomes lonelier. Soon the sisters open their castle doors to crown Anna as the new queen. Elsa later meets Hans, who pretends to be someone he is not. After Anna gets crowned, she is no longer in control of her power and ends up freezing the town. Now Elsa’s job is to find Anna and convinced her to stop winter. You will have to see the movie to find out what happens in the end.

“Frozen” is one of my favorite Disney movies. I think “Frozen” is one of those mov-ies that can not be compared to anything. “Frozen” teaches girls that they do not always need a man to save their lives. This movie also teaches people that they should be cautious when meeting people because people may appear to be something that they are not.

“Frozen” is Great New Direction for

Disney

She calls family and tells them she loves them.

Took a trip to New York City with his fiance to see a broadway show and gave a card to his family.

A card and chocolates for family.

She gives her family a card and goes out to dinner with her husband. She gives her friends a phone call or bakes them cookies.

She gives her mom flowers and she gives her husband a present and takes him to dinner.

Ms.Tran

Mr. Roach

Mr.Langen

Ms.Duran

How Do Chavez Teachers Celebrate

Valentine’s DayMs.Tomlinson

PA G E 8 M a r c h 2 4 , 2 0 1 1

Staff WritersJayla Ayolo

Gabriella BarnesJoacquin GonzalezStephanie BuenoShayna SwanginCapri McKnight

Jasmiahya YoungKeidy Granados

Ashley GarciaOmari Wilson

Staff PhotographersJorge VenturaAstrid Batres

Delia CasarrubiasAdrian CasarrubiasChinyere McLean

Gabby BarnesJenny Paniagua

Maria De La RosaKelly Leak

ContributersGlenda Lopez

Danyelle DuckettDaniela Romualdo

Jocelyn AlverezElvin Morillo

Designer-In-TrainingChinyere McLean

Staff AdvisorJanuary Morrison

Paper Project DirectorClaire Parker

Paper Project MentorsAnnie RosenthalSarah Torresen

Maria Brescia-WeilerMia StrazzellaEmma Keyes

Special Thanks To:Cathy Healy

RostamBrian Eberwein

Bob McCarty

The Eagle

F e b r u a r y 2 1 , 2 0 1 4

Thank you to I-Earn for your generous donation of Photoshop software to our staff, and to DoSomething.org for your grant to buy a camera. The photography in this newspaper would not be possible without your help!

Chavez Snapshots

This paper was published with the generous assistance of The Student Voice Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising literacy rates in high-need schools through journalism study. We really appreciate SVP’s support -- this paper would not be possible without you.