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By Leonard H.
Imagine buying a brand new, $28,000 dollar car, paying $400 dollars monthly, taking it to work, only to find at the end of the day a $1,000 bill to repair a scratch on it. On September 16, 1998, a teacher noticed his car had been scratched on one of the sides. Since that incident, five more vehicles have been damaged. There are some teachers who have very expensive cars. Now, with the recent acts of vehicle vandalism, teachers can't go to work without thinking they might see a big scratch on their car at the end of the day. The majority of the cars that have been vandalized have been parked within the vicinity of the bungalows. Usually, these acts of vandalism happen as students head to nutrition.
Among the five cars that were vandalized was a Ford Explorer and another sport utility vehicle. Despite the fact that five cars were affected, the district insurance agency only issues a $500 dollar liability per car. So far, the only teacher that has filed a claims report, Mr. Casas, noted, "To repair one single scratch on it, it would cost about $800 to about $1,000 dollars because auto mechanics would have to do so much to repair a deep scratch in a brand new paint" said Mr. Casas. Mr. Casas bought a new, shiny, $28,000 dollar Ford Explorer. However, he feels that his car isn't safe.
The school police have vowed to keep a watchful eye on the cars parked in the bungalow area, but have yet to arrest any vandals. To add insult to injury, it's quite possible that the teachers who were affected will experience an increase in their auto insurance rates.
By Hugo G.
Leonard H.
We've all heard the wild stories of cafeteria food. The story of finding a roach in a burrito, using horse meat for hamburger patties, and stories of the cafeteria serving leftovers for a week. These stories may or may not be true but have you ever thought about the safety in the school cafeteria? There's been lots of incidents recently of wide-spread salmonella poisoning through tainted food. On September 2, 1998, a cafeteria worker noticed during a routine inspection of the kitchen area, a dead mouse on a glue trap. The cafeteria worker went to his boss and reported it to the cafeteria manager, Ms. Williams. Williams then took down a report of what kind of pest was found and where and called the LAUSD's division of pest-control. Usually, pest-control would go to the site and fumigate it in three or four weeks. On October 16, 1998, the LAUSD's division of pest-control fumigated Jefferson's cafeteria with two chemicals, Orothene and Kicker.
Orothene and Kicker are two highly toxic chemicals and thus, the cafeteria is usually fumigated on a Friday after all the workers left. Bill Hicks, part of LAUSD's pest-management, explained that these chemicals are "used [to control] roaches, ants, and mice. However, that's not the only use for it." Hicks went on to explain that the chemical can be used to control other common pests. Hicks warned against jumping to conclusions, "simply because the cafeteria was fumigated, doesn't indicate that there necessarily is a problem, it's just a precautionary measure."
The chemicals were sprayed mainly in the corners of the kitchen and on the walls. However, Ms. Williams explained, " it is never sprayed on the refrigerators." The chemical is also not sprayed on any surfaces that may come in contact with food. The cafeteria is routinely fumigated every two to three months, regardless of whether a pest problem is apparent. In order to find out whether there is a surge in pests, cafeteria workers must inspect daily, the corners of the kitchen and several glue traps that are strategically placed to catch rodents. If they see or find a rodent in a glue trap they are required to report it immediately.
Homecoming `98
By Hugo G.
The Radisson Hotel hosted Thomas Jefferson High School's Homecoming on November 13, 1998. The dance started officially at 7:00 PM; however, most of the guests began to arrive at around eight, the homecoming court announced at ten. The homecoming king and queen candidates eagerly listened as the winners names were read. Dontay M. was crowned Homecoming King and Julie V. was announced as the Homecoming Queen.
In the eleventh grade homecoming court, Rosa V. won for princess and Ernesto G. was elected prince by default. For tenth grade court, Zulema C. was given the sash for princess. Ninth grade princess honors went to Darneisia J..
The court was not yet complete though, without announcing Mr. and Ms. Demo. The two students who collected the most pennies would win the title of Mr. or Ms. Demo. Jesse C. won as Mr. Demo by default and Lupe G. was bestowed the title of Ms. Demo. Between the two candidates, a total of $500 dollars were raised, $250 of which dollars went to provide relief for victims of Hurricane Mitch, the other half went into the Student Body Fund.
At the dance, most of the young ladies and gentlemen "dressed to impress." For the gentlemen, the fashion trend was basic: a pair of black or gray khakis, a cut-off sweater vest, a long-sleeved shirt, topped off with a tie. Many of the ladies in general wore long black dresses or black skirts. The dance floor filled up quickly and so did the tables. There was a serious shortage of chairs for late-coming guests and, "let's-take-turns-at-sitting" was the common game played when guests weren't dancing. The acoustics were good and with so many people in attendance and given the relative small size of the banquet hall, the evening was pleasant and intimate. House or Techno music, was played during the first hour and a half, Banda music was played after. Shortly after Banda music came Rap and R&B. The dance floor quickly filled up again. Surprisingly, The Cure, the Ramones, B-52's, and other "KROQ" music was played. There was also some Rock en Espanol thrown in the mix.
No Paddling makes for tougher Discipline
Ever been sent down to the Dean's Office because you argued with your teacher and it wasn't your fault? You're not alone, the most common reason teachers send their students to the Dean's Office is for not following classroom rules. Sometimes students are sent to the Dean's Office because they are disturbing the class, refuse to change seats when the teacher asks them to, and for disobeying the teacher's instruction. If one has ever stepped foot into the Dean's Office, it's apparent that there is a backlog of students. As a result of this, there are efforts under way to change the system in which the school disciplines its students.
There are those certain days when everything seems to be going wrong for a student and the last thing an irritable student wants is a teacher scolding them. This, on occasion, may result in an argument with a teacher. When a student argues with a teacher, no matter who started the argument, or how ridiculous the substance of the argument might have been, a student has no right to argue with a teacher. Teachers are here to teach students, not for arguing. So what is a student supposed to do if they feel the argument was unfair or that it was just a big misunderstanding? If a student is sent to the Dean's Office because of an argument, the student has an opportunity to present his/her point of view to the Dean. The disciplinarian will listen to the student recount the event and will try to see it from both a teacher and student perspective.
When a student is sent for the first time to the deans and he/she commited a minor offense, the Dean's Office staff will talk to the student and tell him/her not to do it again. A minor and major offense is determined by whether the offense threatened the security of another person. The consequence of a major offense is automatic suspension for a minimum of one school day. However, there are those few students who never learn their lesson, no matter ho much detention is given to them or how many times they are suspended, they just keep on causing trouble. These types of students most often present a problem in the classroom. Usually, the staff in the Dean's office will try to work with the "problematic" student, and if no solution works, then the student is transfered to another school.
Thomas Jefferson H.S.