December 2007 Edition                                                                      Home of the Cougars

December 19	- Holiday Concert 7PM
December 20	- Band Holiday Tour
December 21	- Half Day Winter Break
January 2	- School Resumes
January 21	- No School Martin Luther King Day
January 25	- Half Day Teacher Professional Development
January 26	- SAT
January 30	- Half Day Parent Teacher Conferences 12:30-3:30 PM
January 31	- Parent Teacher Conferences 4:30 - 7 PM

After School Program Schedule

Young Scholar Shines for the Summer
by Nadeira Young

     This summer I knew I had to do something different.  I had been working at my school since 8^th grade and for a change I wanted to do something that would benefit me educationally and socially.  When I found out I was accepted to the Young Scholars Program at the University of Maryland College Park I was overwhelmed with excitement and fear.  I believed that after I participated in this program I would come back so much smarter, meet lots of new people and know what it is really like to be a college student.  With that excitement, though, came lots of fears.  I knew no one who would also be going.  There were questions going through my head such as “What if I don’t like it?” or “What if they don’t like me?”  My biggest fear was failing the class.

          The first day of class was like being at the top of a roller coaster when it’s about to drop:  you know what it looks like, but you have no idea how it feels.  I knew what a creative writing class was but I had no clue about this one.  We talked a lot about the books that we read on our own and in our schools.  Some titles people mentioned were Lolita, The Bluest Eye, and Hop Scotch.  I had never heard of these books or many more that were mentioned.  I felt so out of the loop.  I wanted to know these authors and read their books.  I thought since I had never learned about them that I was going to fail the class; that there was no way I could survive this class if I didn’t know the literature they were talking about.  I soon came to realize that I was not alone.

          Some of the other students did not recognize some of the books I had mentioned.  I finally realized that we all came here to learn something new and to expand our horizons.  Everyone walked into that class the first day with their own educational backgrounds expecting to learn something more.  No one came in knowing everything, but we would all leave knowing something new from our classmates.

          As time went on, I became more and more comfortable with my class.  There were 19 students in my class and only one of my classmates had a similar inner city background as mine.  Many of the students came from a suburban middle class background, but everyone was friendly and open to new things.  We all were there to improve on our writing.  Throughout the three weeks we learned so much about each other and realized how much we had in common besides of course our love for writing.  Being in that class made me realize that I had a lot more to learn and a lot more I wanted to know.

          From the first day of my class to the last day, I wrote down all the books, authors, and poets I did not know about.  I keep the list with me as a reminder of the different opinions and views that exist outside of my current environment.  Since returning, I have bought two books from the list to read during my spare time.  I will continue to add to my list as long as I hear of new books and I know my love literature will keep growing.

The Freshman Class Gets an Outdoor Experience
by Jiovanni McGinley, 9^th grade

 From testing water to crossing streams to creating art out of the bare essentials, Camp Roosevelt was a place of exploration and excitement when the ninth grade gathered there for their first field trip of 2007.  The immersion trip challenged the kids to enter an outdoor classroom where they worked on team-building exercises in all of their core classes.

Held on October 1^st, the cool autumn day was perfect for the numerous activities the kids would undertake during the day. Their favorite by far seemed to be Mr. Morrison’s art class. Mr. Morrison, a second year art teacher at CACHS, helped students create masks out of items they found in the woods.

“We had a blast!” said freshman Vernon Hairston.  “At first we weren’t sure how the sticks we had to collect would create a mask. It was like making something out of nothing.”

Team work was also a necessity of the trip, especially in Mr. Nigro’s Ancient Egyptian Decoder Hunt.

“We had to work together in teams to seek out clues” said Angelo Torres.

According to members of the freshman class, the trip not only promoted unity amongst friends but it also gave students a chance to form new relationships with other members of the class of 2011.

The ninth grade will return to Elmer, NJ this summer for an overnight “immersion trip” in July. Sophomore Christian Rios talked to ninth graders about his experiences saying it was more difficult and more fun than he expected.

Camden Academy Gets a Touch of Latin Culture
 by Lilliana Vazquez, 11^th grade

        Hispanic Heritage month is a very important month that celebrates all those who are   Hispanic. It gives the Hispanic community a chance to go back to their roots. The celebration takes place annually from September 15^th to October 15^th. Students from Camden Academy Charter High School had a small assembly entitled A Touch of Latin Culture.

On October 5^th, the students really put their best efforts forward as they took the stage in the Promise Academy Center to display their talents in choreography, performing dances such as salsa and meringue. Mr. Cotto, one of the performance directors, did not want to leave any Spanish countries out of the mix so the students gave tribute to each country by parading around the PAC with a flag from a particular country.

The finale of the assembly is what really caught the audiences’ attention. George Dennis and Barbara Capaldi from Atrium Dance Studio appeared to perform for the CACHS crowd. They performed four dances in all, including the Cha-Cha, Salsa, Meringue, and the Bachata. The room really heated up when students were asked to participate in several mini lessons, in which Mr. Dennis and Ms. Capaldi taught those involved to perform a number of Latin dances. The PAC that afternoon was electric with dancing, singing, and teaching sparking a touch of Latin culture for all involved.

Student Spotlight: Donovan T. Smalls
by Jose Torres, 9^th grade

 Sophomore Donovan Smalls has something to tell his younger peers:  “Keep striving for your dreams and be yourself.”

Donovan has been working hard this year to make a dream of his a reality. Over the summer, Donovan wrote an original play entitled Gossip: The Rumor is Out. The play is based on real life experiences that Donovan had in his freshman year at Camden Academy. Inspired by Ms. Ash’s DASH plays, Donovan has begun working with a group of students and teachers after school to develop his play and to incorporate their ideas into his work.

“This isn’t about just what I want. It’s about all of us sharing and making this happen together,” he states.

When asked how things are going so far this year he says it is “kind of stressful but I’m trying to make it through the year. I really want to focus on getting this play done and studying hard.”

Donovan says his dream is to major in theater at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and to ultimately become an actor. He remarks that his main influences have been “family, friends, and teachers.”

Gossip: The Rumor is Out will be playing this December in the Promise Academy Center.

Parent Spotlight: Donean King
by Labrea King, 10^th grade

A face well-known at CACHS is Ms. Donean King. She is the proud parent of tenth grade student Labrea King and former student Louis King. Ms. King became a big part of school in her daughter’s ninth grade year.  She is known for constantly making herself available to transport kids back and forth to a poetry event or class trip and her consistent presence at school functions.Ms. King looks forward to her daughter’s high school career at CACHS.

“Camden Academy is one of the best high schools available in the Camden area,” said Ms. King, reasoning her choice in sending her children to Camden Academy.

Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Marcus Major
by Amanda Velasquez, 11^th grade

 Department head, teacher, author.  Marcus Major wears a lot of hats on and off the CACHS campus. Major is in his third year of teaching at Camden Academy and has been writing books since 1999. The author of Got to Be Real has written five novels and has a sixth one waiting to come out.

“The teachers and people around me inspire me to write,” Major says.

He enjoys writing about real situations that happen in everyday life. He confesses that “the humorous things the students do and say give me a lot of ideas.” Although mainly a writer for an older crowd, Mr. Major says that he has future plans to write books for teenagers.

Major enjoys being at Camden Academy “because of the small population and the mission of the school.” He feels that in such a small population he has the opportunity to affect each student.

This year Mr. Major was asked to move up from the tenth grade to the eleventh grade to be with his students again.

“They are a great group of students. I know their strengths and weaknesses,” he said excitedly, explaining his enthusiasm in moving up with his students.

Along with literature, Major has also signed on this year to lend his hand at helping young writers learn the ropes of his craft as a mentor in Ms. Ash’s DASH program, an after school program that helps teens deal with the struggles of everyday urban life through writing and the performing arts.

 The Camden Lady Cougars promises they are on the ball this year.  The CACHS Junior Varsity team took home the win against visiting Rancocas Valley in early September. It seems this year the ladies have started off with a blast.

The team agrees “This is our year!”

Freshman Cougar, Amarillis Burgos, agrees and credits Mr. Grochal’s commitment to the team as part of the reason why they have become increasingly better.

 “Mr. G. always has positive feedback. No matter what happened in the last game, the next practice is a chance to learn from our experiences,” she said.

This year the team is lead by seniors Amadley Cruz, Tyefah Byers-Smith, and Shaterri Alston who is “looking for the best” in herself this year.

“Last year I feel I did well, but this season I have come to the decision that I am going to make the best of my senior year.”

            As for the rest of the team, freshman Annaya Caceres says “everyone is willing to go and do what we need to do. We’ve all agreed that we want to be number one.”

Schedule