Tall and lean, Chad Sweitzer had a contagious smile on his face as he begins to talk about his new role as principle of Kennedy High School.

“I want to bring back good culture, good athletes and a strong student curriculum,” Sweitzer said. “I am going to focus on meeting graduation requirements.”

Sweitzer was the principal at Sutter Middle School for three years. Prior to that he was assistant principal at Kennedy from 2004 through 2006. He has come full circle and said he is happy to be back.

Linda Okada, office manager at Sutter Middle School, said he will be sorely missed.

“Chad is unique in his administrative style in that he brings the no-nonsense demeanor of authority, the compassion and guidance of a counselor and the common sense of an educator whose experience is such that nothing surprises him anymore,” Okada said.

Sweitzer said he enjoys working with the students, getting involved in activities such as sports and rallies.

“I see Kennedy being very competitive this year in sports,” Sweitzer said. “We are back to the old metro system and great rivalries.”

Sweitzer grew up in Greenhaven, off Riethmuth Way. He attended Caroline Wenzel Elementary School and Sam Brannan Middle School. He graduated from Kennedy in 1990. Sweitzer lives in Elk Grove with his wife of 13 years, and two children, ages 10 and 6 years old.

Sweitzer remembers his physical education teachers and coaches mentoring him as a young student and from an early age he wanted to work in the field of education.

Sweitzer’s career began as a counselor at Luther Burbank High School. He said when the position opened up at Kennedy; he thought this was his chance to be back home.

“I want a personal connection with the students,” Sweitzer said. “I want students to be able to remember me as someone they can trust and have fun with. I enjoy being silly and goofy.”

Sweitzer said as part of the focus for graduation requirements, he believes early intervention articulation works to help students from dropping out of high school. He said when eighth graders visit high school and become familiar with the layout, the students and teachers, it is no longer a scary place and the transition is easier.

Sweitzer said the school has lost a tremendous amount of money due to budget cuts and will be looking to parents to help with school supplies and needed items like tissues.

Kennedy has a staff of 85 people and five school counselors. Sweitzer wants the staff to feel like a family. He said the teachers at Kennedy love to work with the students.

Kennedy has a program called ASSETS, which stands for After-School Safety and Enrichment for Teens and serves up to 250 students. Sweitzer said it is a great program that provides a study hall and tutoring, a safe place for teens to hang out after school.

“I want a school where students know that people care about them and there are high expectations of the students,” Sweitzer said.

Big, round chairs that invite one to sit down and stay awhile are just one of the great features of this new library, where everything is state-of-the-art. So much so, that the library is nominated for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver accreditation.

About 500 people showed up to attend the grand opening celebration that took place Saturday, Aug. 28.

Robbie Waters, Sacramento City Councilmember for District 7, who spent many years helping to plan the library, thanked all who participated in donating their time and money to the construction and furnishing of this 15,387 square foot library.

Mayor Kevin Johnson said it is an impressive building.

“It feels like a Borders in the middle of the Greenhaven-Pocket area,” Johnson said. “It has a big meeting room, public computers, it is kid-friendly and energy efficient. A real tribute to Robbie Waters.”

Many Sacramento City Council members attended the event, along with State Senate President Pro Tem Daryl Steinberg and Nathan Dietrich, district director for Congresswoman Doris Matsui.

Waters said the $15 million cost to build the library came from the City of Sacramento Community Reinvestment Capital Improvement Project Funds, Freeport Regional Water Authority Mitigation Funds, and City of Sacramento Council District 7 Discretionary funds.

Enhancement funds came from Roger and Carolyn Fong in memory of their daughter, Michele Fong Beam, First Five of California and Friends of the Pocket-Greenhaven Library.

“This is a happy day for Sacramento,” Steinberg said. “This is an opportunity to be thankful. For a down economy, three new libraries opened this year. Three things make a library important: It is a place for people of all walks of life to gather, it provides access and exposure to institutions of education and it creates lifelong learners.”

“I love this library,” said Ian Briggs, an eleven-year-old, who attends Matsumoto Elementary School and was busy using one of the new kids’ computers.

Friends of the Library member Kathy Donovan said the new facility is a beautiful, fantastic place for the community.

“It is within walking distance for many people,” Donovan said. “Another convenience is the Friends bookstore to the left at the entrance of the library that sells used books between 50 cents and a dollar and is open during library hours.”

Yvonne Correa, who also said she is very excited that she can walk to the library in eight minutes, is looking forward to bringing her grandchildren here.

“I appreciate the large print books,” Correa said. “Your eyes don’t work as well as you get older.”

Many people who attended the opening celebration walked to the library from their homes, bringing kids and babies in strollers. There is a large bike rack for cyclists.

It didn’t take but a few minutes, once inside the library, for people, old and young alike to start using the new facilities. Most of the computers in the adult section and the kids section were in use. A woman with book in hand sat in a comfy chair, reading in the well-lit room, undisturbed by the large crowds drifting through.

The special features of the library include:

Radio Frequency Identification, a time-saving device where embedded chips in the books and other materials allow the borrower to check out a stack of books all at once, without having to scan each item individually.

A 72-seat community room for meetings and events. It has a built-in projector, sound system and a drop-down viewing screen.

Forty Internet-access computers, a Kid’s Place where parents and caregivers are able to share stories, a Ready to Read Center that offers computers with early-learning software for children, ages eight years and younger and a Teen Room, with comfortable reading chairs, and computer stations.

Lots of smiling faces could be seen checking out the new library. As they perused the isles, there was a lot of “oohing” and “ahhing” over the many custom features available.

The Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library is located at 7335 Gloria Drive in Sacramento. Library hours are: 12 noon–8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 1 p.m.–5 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday, Closed Sunday and Monday. Learn more by calling (916) 264-2700 or visit www.saclibrary.org.

Instead of going to the movies like most 12 year olds, Isabella Powers is walking the red carpet and meeting the stars featured in some of this summer’s hottest movies.

 

 

The Sacramento resident has been busy this summer. Not only is she hosting Isabella’s Animal Show on Access Sacramento and a contributing reporter to Kids Corp, a community cable show, she’s also reviewing kids movies with host Mark Allen on Mark at the Movies.

Hollywood reporter

But the fun does not stop there. The St. Francis Elementary School student is also hobnobbing with celebrities like George Lopez and Owen Wilson. She met up with the duo at the San Diego movie premiere of Marmaduke back in May. 

“I was in a room with both of them and I think they were a little surprised at first to see a young kid come in,” said Isabella. “But I broke the ice by mixing it up a bit from what other reporters were doing. I asked questions that kids my age would want to talk about. They had a kick with it and they ended up using my interview

on Access Hollywood as well.”

Next, Isabella plans to

 interview Selena Gomez who stars in the kids’ movie, Ramona and Beezus, based on the children’s novel by Beverly Cleary.

“I really like Selena Gomez, all my friends watch her and the book is something we’ve all read,” Isabella added.

Preparation for an interviewHer preparation for interviews starts a few days in advance and is often a “team” effort – with herself, her parents and her friend Mark Allen – to come up with the right questions.

“She is fearless,” said proud father, Patrick Powers. “Since she was two, she has been in commercials, casted in a movie, she just goes for it.”

Isabella credits her father for her “go for it” attitude. For the past 35 years, Patrick Powers has worked with many people in the hospitality industry through his public relations firm.

Learning the basics

“She has seen me in action at work and knows how to talk to people,” he said. “Her daycare has been real life. Two years ago, Isabella came to me and said she wanted to have her own TV show, so we took classes at Access Sacramento and learned how to write a script, use a video camera, and edit.”

The difficulties of developing “the story” came with some challenges. Editing was a learning experience for Powers. After learning a few simple steps and buying the right type of editing programs, both Powers were on tap to assemble hours of footage into a coherent story.

“We had this mold to create anything we wanted,” Powers said.

Premiere Night in Sacramento

All this experience has become useful for Isabella’s next upcoming project, “King Me.” The 15 minute-length film is about an eleven year old girl who has an obsession with the game of checkers. Isabella stars herself in the documentary, challenging everyone from her dance teacher and banker to Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. 

“Mayor Johnson was great. I was interested in telling a story about [then] mayoral candidate Kevin Johnson,” said Isabella, who scripted the movie when she was only nine. “After he became Mayor, I reminded him of his promise to play checkers with me, and he did.”

The mini-documentary, which took a month to shoot, but hours to edit, will premiere at the Guild Theatre on Oct. 1.

“The Mayor will be there, along with my friends and family. It will be great, my own mini-premiere,” said Isabella. “I wanted to make a film that could be compelling to other kids and let them know that anything is possible if they try.”

Life lessons

“I am learning how to show business works, how video and editing works,” Isabella said. “I am also learning to accept the word, ‘No.’ Just because someone may turn me down, I know I will have many more opportunities.”

Despite all this young star has accomplished, Isabella has no aspirations to pursue a media career when she grows up (not yet at least). Her dream job is to become a cardiologist.

“I know she’s been having fun doing all this, and as a parent, this has been a great bonding experience,” said Powers. “As parents, we have to let our kids find their own niche and support them any way we can.”

 

In preparation for the back to school season, Rose Kwett, RN, joined representatives of the Sacramento Board of Supervisors and California School Nurses Organization to declare “Voices of Meningitis Week” in Sacramento County to help raise awareness of the dangers of meningococcal disease and the importance of vaccination. 

Meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial infection that can cause meningitis and take the life of a child in just a single day. School nurses nationwide are urging parents to help protect their children against meningococcal meningitis by getting them vaccinated.

Kwett joined Voices of Meningitis, a national educational campaign of the National Association of School Nurses, in an effort to help raise awareness of this devastating disease in Sacramento County.

“I lost my daughter MaryJo to meningococcal disease just before her 16th birthday,” she said. “I believe MaryJo would still be here today if she had been vaccinated against this disease.”

At the age of 15, MaryJo was a vibrant and intelligent girl who celebrated life and was off to a seemingly bright future; then catastrophe struck. One morning, MaryJo began to feel sick – complaining of a sore throat and feeling weak. Later that afternoon, MaryJo developed a blotchy, purplish rash, a tell-tale sign of meningococcal disease, and was rushed to the hospital. Despite best efforts to save her, MaryJo died within 13 hours of her first symptoms.

“This disease is so scary because early symptoms are similar to those of common viral illnesses. I’m a registered nurse and I still was unable to tell that something was terribly wrong with my daughter until it was too late,” Kwett said. “I know firsthand how quickly meningitis can take a life. Other parents need to know that meningitis can happen to anyone at anytime.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends vaccination for preteens and teens 11 through 18 years of age and college freshmen living in dormitories. Vaccination has been available for years and is a safe and effective way to help protect against meningococcal disease.

Since MaryJo’s death, Kwett has made it her mission to raise awareness of meningitis. She conducts presentations at schools in northern California through her work with Meningitis Awareness Key to Prevention and Voices of Meningitis.

Visit www.VoicesOfMeningitis.org to learn more and to hear from other families who have been affected by this disease.

On the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 10, he addressed the workers at Cook Realty. Johnson told the realtors to have faith that the uptick in the housing market is coming. But in order to get that much needed improvement in the local economy, Johnson sees a number of things lacking in Sacramento’s current state.

“I want to create a strong downtown core,” he said. “I look down J, K and L streets and it’s embarrassing.”

The area leaves a lot to be desired both aesthetically and economically, according to Johnson. He said that in order to improve the downtown area, Sacramento needs to be able to lure big business. He proposed that the way to draw more people to Sacramento is to improve local schools.

Johnson spoke glowingly of the improvements in his childhood neighborhood of Oak Park, using it as an example of an area that has improved its school system. At the Rotary Club meeting on Thursday, he said that this November’s school board elections can play a vital role in changing the school situation.

“If we can get the right people (on the school board), we can change everything,” he said.

According to Johnson, Sacramento will never shed its “cow town” label until these things are fixed. He wants Sacramento to become a “destination city” rather than just the halfway point between San Francisco and Lake Tahoe.

“Other major cities are 5-10 years ahead of us right now,” he said. “Sure, we have a good quality of life and there are a lot of trees and all that, but we are capable of so much more.”

He pointed to Downtown Plaza being “40 percent vacant” and that there are holes in the ground with nothing going on around them downtown. He believes strongly that a new arena/events complex can and will bring people to the capital city.

ARCO Arena has fallen into disrepair and simply does not have the power to draw big musical acts to Sacramento, according to Johnson. He stated that being the capital of one of the most powerful economies in the world and having the oldest arena in the NBA does not speak well of the city. But he knows that simply building an arena for the sake of building an arena is not the way to go about it.

“If you’re going to do it, do it right,” Johnson said at the meetings.

He doesn’t want the complex to simply be better than ARCO Arena. He wants it to be state of the art.

“We can do big, we can do bold,” he said. “It’s hard to get people to see that.”

The newest plan in place would have the California State Fair move from its home at Cal Expo out to the current ARCO Arena lot in Natomas; Cal Expo would then be sold and developed over several years and the new arena would sit in the railyard land downtown.

The arena, which Johnson is confident can be had in the next three years, would play a vital role in strengthening the downtown area that he calls embarrassing as it stands now.

Putting the arena on city-owned land at the railyard would cut a substantial amount of cost from a land acquisition aspect, and Johnson assured everyone in attendance that the arena will be built with the taxpayers in mind.

Much of both events was spent answering questions from the audience. The “strong mayor” question was raised at each event, which Johnson was more than happy to explain to everyone. He said that the current system of government in Sacramento does not allow the mayor to have any authority. He even referred to himself as a figurehead at one point and as a “glorified councilmember” at another.

His main concern is that there is no accountability in the way the city is run now. He said that there is no one to blame for the state of the downtown area because everyone just blames each other without any real accountability.

There are a lot of things wrong with Sacramento as it stands now, but Johnson remains confident that a turnaround is indeed possible. Whether or not Sacramento ever becomes the tourist attraction that San Francisco and Lake Tahoe are, Johnson stands firm in his assertion that we can get much better as a city.

benn@valcomnews.com

Theater-goers can laugh at the humor behind the habit, spend an evening with the comically eccentric Sycamore family, or keep time to a variety of dance styles as Sacramento State presents its fall Theatre and Dance season.

Faculty works will be included with student choregraphy in Dance House, by Lorelei Bayne, Lisa Ross and Randee Paufve. Performances are Sept. 29 – Oct. 3 in Solano Hall 1010.

More dance continues with Sacramento/Black Art of Dance, directed by Linda Goodrich, S/BAD’s founder and chair of the Theatre and Dance Department. S/BAD celebrates the music of African culture, showcasing diverse dance forms from West Africa, Cuba and Brazil as well as lyrical modern jazz and hip hop. Performances run Oct. 14-24 in Solano Hall 1010.

When the order’s cook accidentally poisons 52 of her colleagues, the Little Sisters of Hoboken stage a fundraiser variety show to pay for the funerals in Nunsense, the internationally acclaimed musical-comedy written by Dan Goggin. Professor Ed Brazo directs the Sacramento State production Oct. 21-24 and 28-31 in the University Theatre. The first weekend will feature the orginal Nunsense. The second week will be performances of Nunsense Ah Men, with male actors portraying the characters.

The Sycamore family may seem a bit odd – father Paul makes fireworks in the basement, mother Penelope writes terrible plays and daughter Alice is in love with Tony Kirby, who comes from a very proper family – but they know You Can’t Take it With You. The George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart play won a 1937 Pulitzer Prize and has been adapted for stage, movies and television. Professor Michelle Felten directs the Nov. 12-21 performances in the Playwrights’ Theatre.

The season concludes with Dance Sites 2010. Paufve directs this concert of pieces designed by faculty and guest choreographers that explores the dance spectrum from tap to jazz to contemporary dance theatre. This year’s concert will include a seminal work from the 1960s by dance luminary Anna Halprin, restaged by Lisa R. Pettigrew. There will also be a new work by Bay Area choreographer Flipe Barrueto. Performances are Dec. 1-5 on the University Theatre stage.

Tickets range from $5 to $12 for dance concerts and plays, and $10 to $15 for musicals. Tickets are available at the University Ticket Office, (916) 278-4323 or www.tickets.com.

For more information, visit www.csus.edu/dram.

The American River Natural History Association is off and running in its “Perils of Pauline” rescue mission with the beloved Effie Yeaw Nature Center.

Last spring, the financially struggling Sacramento County Board of Supervisors served notice that it was cutting off funding of the Effie Yeaw Nature Center, located at 2850 San Lorenzo Way in Carmichael. It appeared that the 34-year-old nature center might shut down, but Sacramento County officials invited four local non-profit organizations, including ARNHA, to submit proposals to take it over. With just three weeks notice, only ARNHA, submitted a bid, and the county accepted it.

Now comes the hard part. From a volunteer-driven support group, ARNHA has transformed itself into a full-fledged business operation, responsible for meeting a payroll, buying insurance and overseeing popular nature programs for young and old.

The ARNHA Board of Directors elected an advisory committee headed by past president Greg Voelm to oversee the nature center on behalf of the board. Others on the committee are past presidents Carol Doersch, Noah Baygell, and Lou Heinrich, along with Betsy Weiland, Liz Williamson, and David Wade. The board also elected longtime EYNC Director Marilee Flannery as executive director. At its peak in 2008, the Effie Yeaw Nature Center staff consisted of five full-time and 20 part-time employees. It has just 10 part-time employees under the new management.

Normally ARNHA gave between $40,000 and $70,000 to Sacramento County to assist in operating the Effie Yeaw Nature Center. But now, ARNHA is budgeting $307,000 for EYNC in 2010-11.

“ARNHA must now find enough funding from our friends to support this marvelous resource,” said ARNHA President Larry Washington. “We will be soliciting grants from major corporations, but our major donors are the individuals, some who have been there for us over the past 30 years and others who are new friends.”

Meanwhile, Effie Yeaw Nature Center programs and other activities are moving ahead, but at a reduced pace. The center is closed to the public Mondays (except Monday holidays) and Tuesdays, but open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Because almost no one visits the Effie Yeaw Nature Center on days with extreme heat or extreme cold, or during high wind gusts, it will close those days, allowing staff to work on fundraising and other projects. Please call (916) 489-4918 to confirm that the center is open before you visit.

And numerous cultural, educational and life science and social science programs for teachers and their students will be available for the 2010-11 school year. Please check www.sacnaturecenter.net for details.

These and other programs can only be offered with greatly increased volunteer help. Volunteer Coordinator Jamie Washington is actively recruiting animal care assistants, docents, habitat restoration and landscape assistants, clerical and computer assistants, special event assistants, and trail walkers. “Trail walkers” is a new category for who volunteer can answer questions and generally act as EYNC hosts in the 77-acre nature preserve. Join the volunteers and become a crucial part of the Nature Center. For more information, please email Jamie Washington at jamiew@sacnaturecenter.net.

So now, mark your calendar for the evening of Friday, September 10. That’s the date of a “Grand Opening” celebration of ARNHA’s transformation and the Effie Yeaw Nature Center’s new era. Further details will be published here soon.

Peter Hayes is an associate ARNHA board member. This story originally appeared on the official American River Natural History Association Web site, www.arnha.org.

The annual Fourth of July Spirit of the Pocket Parade, the largest parade event in the Pocket-Greenhaven area, is preparing for another magnificent patriotic celebration and is looking to the community for volunteers and floats. The parade, which is being held on July 3 this year, is a popular community-produced visual spectacle.

“We are looking for people to step forward with floats,” said Linda Pohl, parade committee chair. “Our main thing is to make this great visual presentation, so we would like a lot of floats.”

Held Saturday, July 3, the parade begins promptly at 10 a.m. at the former site of Lisbon Elementary School, 7775 S. Land Park Dr., and travels down Windbridge, ending at Garcia Bend Park.

Volunteers are needed to support the efforts (and the fun) of the 16th annual Fourth of July Spirit of the Pocket Parade. To volunteer in positions ranging from pre-parade phone calls, blocking streets (while sitting in a comfortable chair), parade marshals and helping with the after-parade activities at Garcia Bend, e-mail linda@valcomnews.com.

For more information on volunteering at the parade, contact Pohl at The Pocket News at 429- 9901 or e-mail linda@valcomnews.com.

Parade float entry forms can be picked up at The Pocket News office, 2709 Riverside Blvd., and Pocket Custom Framing, 7485 Rush River Dr., suite 715. Forms can also be downloaded online at www.valcomnews.com. Completed entries can be dropped off at these locations or emailed to linda@valcomnews.com. All pre-registered parade entrants will be part of the parade judging. Entries will be judged against others in their group type.

Preparations are already underway to make the parade bigger and better than ever before.

“We have the Friends of the Library doing something great – they seem to do a great float every year,” said Pohl. “In addition to booths after the parade, we will have a carnival put on by the Friends of the Library and the School of Engineering and it will have games and activities and there will also be a demonstration by the Sacramento Police K-9 Unit.”

A special addition to the event is Sacramento Police K-9 officer Bandit and his handler Officer Gary Dahl as grand marshals of the parade. Bandit was wounded in March during the apprehension of a suspect; he has since fully recovered and is back on duty. TV personalities Nick Toma, from Channel 31, and Angel Cardenas, from Channel 10, will serve as parade MCs, announcing the floats and the parade participants as they pass.

 

Garcia Bend Boat Ramp closed

Due to the path of the parade, the boat ramp at Garcia Bend Park in the Pocket area will close from 10 p.m. Friday, July 2, until 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 3 for Independence Day festivities.

 

Parade entry forms

Fourth of July Spirit of the Pocket Parade float entry forms can be downloaded bly clicking here. Download a parade waiver form here.

The Sacramento County Department of Transportation is starting a tree transplanting project on Fair Oaks Boulevard between Watt Avenue and Sam Ramon Way/Wilhaggin Drive. The tree transplanting effort is part of the Fair Oaks Boulevard Safety Improvement Project, which was approved by the Board of Supervisors at their May 18 meeting.

Tree transplanting work will begin on Friday, May 21, and must be completed in anticipation of installation of steel backed guardrails. This work will require intermittent closures of one travel lane on Fair Oaks Boulevard. It is anticipated that traffic delays will be kept to a minimum with project work occurring during non-commute hours. The tree transplanting effort will take approximately one week to complete.

Eleven trees will be transplanted as part of project work. Transplanted trees will be approximately 20-feet tall with diameters of 4 to 6-inches in order to provide large size trees for immediate effect in this tree lined corridor, and to allow for clearance of vehicles. In addition six trees need to be removed because they are in conflict with the traffic safety zone for new guardrail installation. The eleven transplanted trees will be strategically located to help offset loss of removed trees.

SACDOT is moving forward with a project to enhance safety on Fair Oaks Boulevard. A Phase 1 project will install steel-backed timber guard rails at various locations along the center median between Watt Avenue and San Ramon Way/Wilhaggin Drive. Project benefits include:

- Enhanced safety for Fair Oaks Boulevard motorists.

- Reduced incidents of run-off-the-road collisions.

- Replacement of aging, diseased and damaged trees.

- It is anticipated that guard rail installation work will start in mid-July and be completed by September 2010. Phase 1 project construction costs are $489,980 and will be covered by Measure A Sales Tax funds.

A proposed Phase 2 project will install steel-backed timber guardrails at locations along the center median between San Ramon Way/Wilhaggin Drive and Eastern Avenue. SACDOT is actively seeking Federal stimulus grant funding (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) for a Phase 2 project for Fair Oaks Boulevard – from San Ramon Way/Wilhaggin Drive to Eastern Avenue. If grant application efforts are successful, design and environmental work will begin as soon as possible after funding approval is received.

As high school seniors finish their last few months of the school year before graduation, a million different ideas are running through their heads: Will they live on campus at their destined college or continue to live at home? Should they choose a job after college that relates to their major? Are they going to visit their high school after they’re already established in college? It can be hard to say goodbye to the everyday life high schoolers are used to, but some are ready to move on in a new direction and gain independence in perhaps a different city or state and part from their parents in a new chapter of their lives.

 

After applying to five colleges in California, Sarah Jacobson, who is currently a senior at El Camino High School, was accepted to San Francisco State and San Jose State and (at the time of this writing) is waiting to hear back from UC Davis. If she is admitted to UC Davis, she will most likely attend there but for now, she is set on going to San Francisco State, which is her second choice after UC Davis.

 

“I’m mostly looking forward to getting away from my parents and being on my own,” Jacobson commented. “My main goals are just mostly getting through college and being very involved in school and being interactive.”

 

Unlike many freshmen in their first year of college who do not know what major they want, Jacobson already knows she is going to be majoring in biology with a minor in physiology since she plans to become a doctor.

 

“I will miss most of my friends and my teachers, too, but I’m glad to be starting a new chapter in my life,” Jacobson said.

 

Even though she plans on living in San Francisco or Davis and wants to leave Sacramento, she said she would visit El Camino High often to visit teachers such as Senora Bates, her Spanish teacher for three years. Her advice for high school sophomores and juniors is “do not procrastinate when it comes to filling out the college applications and (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, called FASFA).”

 

Another senior at El Camino, Alexandra Wright, is soon awaiting her acceptance letters. Wright is (as of this writing) waiting to hear back from Harvey Mudd College located in Claremont, Calif. and Reed College in Portland Ore., which are her top choices out of the ten she applied for. She wants to major in engineering since she is currently enrolled in AP Statistics and AP physics at El Camino, along with many other rigorous Advanced Placement classes.

 

Wright believes El Camino has prepared her well for college but is wondering what it will be like to part with her twin sister, Sofi Wright, who she has gone to school with her entire life. They have AP physics and AP stats together in the same period right now and have shared other classes in the past. Sofi is considering different colleges than the ones Alex is reviewing, but Alex says they are still “very happy for each other” and wish each other success in wherever they decide to pursue their education.

 

The second semester of high school for a senior can be described as a true transition in someone’s life and is one of the biggest decision-making times. Some develop “senioritis,” the act of becoming lazy when it comes to completing assignments towards the end of the year just because they already are accepted to the college they want; others become even more involved in leaving a positive impression with good grades. Jacobson and Wright did not fall under “senioritis” and are therefore eagerly expecting their last few acceptance letters as April ends.