News From Room 123

Staff and students, parents and teachers of ACCE.

My experiences at ACCE have been very sentimental to me. If I can think back to all the things we as a school have been through, I would have a memoir full of memories worth reading. When we look back at all of this: the 22 fires set at Banks High School, the fights, the uniform protest, and the friends we lost over the years like Chris Jenkins and Torre Jackson— We can say we were there. We were the first to see it happen. We made it from the basement to the top.

 When I first came to this school I was lost, shy and secluded. And I wasn’t able to work up to my ability in math until Ms. Jones and Mr. Hamilton helped me reach my potential. 10 years ago I didn’t have all this, my education was rough. I’ve been assaulted by teachers when I was 6 and 10 years old. I’ve been intimidated and jumped by my peers in elementary, and I had one teacher who threatened to fail me and hold me back in the 7^th grade.

 Growing up in special education has taught me that our schools are still not integrated the way they should be. Over the years I’ve been discriminated against because I was from special ed. I was excluded from the academic league, the “regular ed” kids called me retarded, but when a test came up in American history or music class all the kids would try and sit by me. My intellect has made me the person I am today because I read and I try to figure out the world around me which some students have failed to do. I know through my high school years some of you have looked at me as a militant political fanatic, but that was not who I was. I was just a student who was socially conscience about the world because it is rarely taught in our classrooms.

Now, as we graduate and go to college we must prepare for the children of the next generation, it is also important for us as minorities to get an education so that when we have a family we can provide them with a wealth trend that can be passed down from generation to generation, so that our kids can have a chance to go to Harvard, Yale, NYU, or Duke university. 

 If you look at it, it’s not about us anymore, the world owes us nothing, and our parents did the best they could to provide us with the best education possible. As Mr. Corbin might say, “we have to play the cards we’ve been dealt.” We can’t complain anymore, no one is going to tell you to do this or that. It is up to you. You owe something to yourself.

 I’m glad I’m getting my diploma, and going to Morgan State because I want to be a positive Black Man that my future children can look up to, so that when they look back they can say I built all this for them so that our family can be prosperous.

 I believe Mr. Corbin, Mr. Martin, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Jones, Mr. Westley, Mr. Winslow, Mr. Dolly and Mr. Maher were people that I looked up to over the years because they have inspired me to become a better person intellectually. And I have impressed them with the amount of knowledge I have.

 One thing I’ll miss is the friends I’ve made at ACCE and even though I didn’t speak as much through the years I’ll will miss you dearly and I will always remember your faces so that when reunion time comes around I can say “hey you remember me, I was the quiet kid that use to break dance back in high school” and you’re going to say “Oh my god, it is you?!” Who knows what’s going to happen in the future.

Antonio 

“When it fall apart and your feeling lost all your hope is gone don’t forget to hold on.”

 
Good morning parents, teachers, guests and of course the class of “08” It is very hard to try and sum up four year of my high school experience into this speech. There have been many wonderful and horrible times but I have gotten through them. I knew high school was going to be…lets say dangerous because of my weight and I had very low self esteem. But I have friends that helped me through it looking back those remarks just made me stronger now I can only laugh when I hear a person make a rude remark because I know they are trying to pump themselves up to bring me down.

 
From the first fight with Samuel L. Banks high school we boned together as a family and that’s how it has been for the past four years. We have been a victim to struggle and failure but a warrior to dreams and courage. These are the things that have shaped you and I know it has shaped me into the well educated yet free spirit young women I am today.  From the teacher who gave me a new way of learning math to the English teachers that have opened my eyes to a new world and made me realize that I am a smart talented child and not passive.

 
There is not much more I can say without making me cry. I know that the bonds we’ve made with teachers and our friends will last for a lifetime. I know it will for me I never knew I could make friends from the “popular group” in just one year from my Degrassi buddy to girls that I can talk to about anything. So to my ACCE family I leave you with this: Carpe Diem. 

CB 

        Dreams are no longer deferred, hope is here. Incomplete goals and dreams have become reality. This is the day I’ve been waiting for, as of now my future is insight.

             Yes, I forgive you Baltimore City for the crummy system you gave us which you call “schools”. Thanks to your expectations I’ve beat the system. Today I stand before you, a young African American female which proves to you that I’m not a drop out. Thank you ACCE for building my thirst for knowledge. Now like a leach stuck to the flesh, I’m like a newborn stuck to the ignorance of the world.

             High school is over but the memories we have will last forever. What was four years past in what seemed to be a nanosecond, no longer than a blink of an eye. Yesterday it seemed like we all were freshman and now we’re all seniors. We’ve lost friends to death, teachers due to health issues, and more friends due to their inability to think for themselves and running the streets. The constant fights with the upper classmen at Banks, the small fires set day to day, our small riot about wear the uniform. Yes we have been through a lot.

             Throughout these last four years we have grown. We started out at the building on Northern Parkway, and we had a small group of teachers and a great deal of students. But that’s were we evolved. Our roots, Mr. Maher, Ms.Borges, Mr. Shish, Ms.Jones, Ms.Dickenson, Mr.Campell, Ms.Banks, Officer Potter, Hall Monitor Terry. And the list goes on and on. Our lost branches, Kevin, Oshawn, Daryl, Marcus, Blair, Eugina, and Glen, once again that list is on going.

                       In the past four years we have lost major parts of our life and new sections were developed. The beginning of 11^th grade we moved to a new building in a racist community which didn’t work out well. We also lost our former principal along with staff members. At that same time we gained new students and staff. Without them a lot of things that we have wouldn’t be possible. Ms.Zarht, Mr.Jones, Ms.Minor, and a few other new staff members have changed our lives.

             All in all with the new changes we have done great. ACCE wasn’t all it was hyped up to be but coming here for everyone has changed them in some way for the better. Not many City kids can say they had all their teachers making sure they did the FASA, and applied to more than one college. The teachers here have devoted so much of their time and effort in us because they know we can do what ever we set our minds to. For every teacher o student we lost we gained another great person. Even though we been through hell and high waters ACCE has taught me to always question everything and not to every accept anything.

            Once more thank you ACCE for accepting me for who I am and helping me shape my life for the better. Yet again thank you Baltimore City, because without you building trifling buildings and giving us no source of income none of my accomplishments would be possible.

‘shawn 

AYYYY!!!!

For four years we have been screwed over with lies and broken treaties…….. I mean . . .

promises (I glance at my family and Mr. Jones and chuckle) . Yet through the fires and flame we carry on. The teachers and students are what made this worth it. My friends, my classes they were like a tribe, complete with the village idiot and all. The unforgettable moments that I wouldn’t trade for the world. This school has ill prepared any of us. I always wondered why inner city schools were poorly run by the government. I know why now—because the government wants the poor to stay ignorant, because it is easier to govern and bamboozle those who are less educated.

JHU—If I knew how I’d curse you because you did nothing for us (spit on the ground) . Thanks (sarcastically). Anyway my friends and the teachers are what made this school a school worth while. I’m happy I could be apart of this clan Though I never agreed on the emblem of an Eagle.

My friends, my tribe, will be broken after this graduation  like every tribe in America (chuckle). We will try to make this Nation even greater. The future is quickly becoming the present where we will rule the world and make it better. I love this Nation only because if I didn’t I could not make it better. We all need to make it better. Next time we speak I hope I will be well on my way to revolution and I hope all of you try to to start a Renaissance as well. Goodbye. I will miss all of you that I cared for. My Final AYYyyy!!! ( I snap and shoot the guns)

Today’s scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality.
Nikola Tesla

A conference is a gathering of important people who singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done.

He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.
Chinese Proverb

aaron 

     What a honor it is that we are gathered here today to embark and celebrate the hardship and endurance that it took for us to get to where we are today the class of 2008. No I can’t say that it was an easy road, for it came with its bumps and detours. However, with every unexpected turn, gave us the opportunity to gather strength from not only ourselves but from others that we did not we possessed.

When we first came into ACCE we were a family divided because we had to take a step back and realize that this was a new environment in which we were encountering. For some it was not as challenging but for a person like me it was scary. I did not know how much I needed to grow as a person until I attended ACCE and surrounded myself with 150 different personality. Now some people may ponder and say 150 isn’t a lot but when you are in a basement of another High School with a hall way that goes in a complete circle, on one floor, believe me it can become an issue. But it was an issue that we quickly ironed out when we came to the harsh reality that it was nothing we could do about it.

But as badly as the situation was that we were brought into instead of it making us bitter towards one another, it surprisingly made us closer as a whole and as a school. Instead of us facing a problem alone we faced them as a group and by far we did a pretty good job, I believe Samuel L. Banks can vouch for us. Although we were a small school we were definitely a strong school and SLOWLY but surely we are making our school name known. Not many schools can say that they have faced the transitions and obstacles that we have endured. From students at other schools trying to kick us out, from our school building getting shut down, us losing teachers and a principle that we began with, to us moving from our confront zone into a community that discriminated against us because our school consisting of mainly black students. But we never gave up, we may have lost a few during our journey but we have gotten to the finish line, many doubted us and placed there bets on us not making it.

BUT WE ARE THE PROOF. WE ARE WHAT STARTED,WHAT BUILD, AND WHAT MOLD THE ACADEMY FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER EXPLORATION INTO WHAT IT IS TODAY. AND EVERYONE THAT IS ATTENDING THIS TESTIMONIAL AND HISTORY MAKING CEREMONY ARE WITNESSES OF US SUCCEEDING THE CLASS OF 2008!

Latoya Brown

As a member of the graduating class of 2008, I would like to say, it has been a long ride. Over the last four years, I have experienced more than the average high school student in order to know what makes a school, but now I will tell you what I have made of myself, or what I shall make of myself.

Today, I stand in front of you as you may see as a success, but is that what I see myself as? Success is the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted. According to this definition, I am not a success.

As I look back at all my dreams, I wonder, “How did I get here?” I’ve had dreams of being famous, becoming a mother, having a great career, being someone others can look up to, and, most of all, being able to overcome struggles. Dreams are an aspiration or something that is longed for, but when life gets in the way, your dreams can easily become deferred, and, yes, life has interfered with my dreams too many times.

That’s why I’ve learned not to always depend on my dreams because they never turn out the way they we plan. So, when my dreams aren’t turning out the way I planned, there’s this feeling that what is wanted can be had or that certain events will turn out for the best. This feeling is called Hope. When my grades began to slip and I began to give up on my dreams, Hope was there to help me up. When everyone was too busy making decisions for me, Hope was there to help me speak up. When things weren’t going my way and when it felt like things couldn’t get any worse, Hope allowed me to think that things will get better. Hope has helped me to grow up. Hope has made me a woman.

Girls may have dreams, but women make decisions. A woman is more than just a human being, or the opposite of a male. She can never be defined by her curves. A woman is determined by her mind, her intuition, her ability to stay strong, handle situations and react under pressure. Fortunately, I know this because I had the privilege of growing up with a woman in my life. Thanks to my mother and all the other women in my life, I’m able to stand here today and realize how I’ve grown form a little girl into a woman.

Even though most of my dreams never came true, I’m still happy because my reality is so much better. I may not have the spotlight on me at all times, but I am proud to stand here and say I am a High School graduate, a member in the National Society for High School Scholars (NSHSS), I’ve been accepted into three different colleges, I’ve written a novel and an autobiography, and Honor Roll is nothing new for me. I know you’re probably thinking that I’m successful, but I still don’t agree because I never planned this. I never even dreamed of this. If you have a dream or a plan and if you follow through with it, then consider yourself a success, but one thing that I’ve learned is that your dreams don’t always come true and if your reality is worth much more than your dreams, then success is behind you. So, yes, I am much more than a success.

In life, we all have this dream. It is a dream of opportunity, equality and freedom. This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is called the American Dream. It is a belief that lets all citizens and residents reach their goals in life through hard work. It is also the chance at education and career opportunities and a chance at a better life.

Have I worked hard to get where I am? Yes. Did I take advantage of my education? Yes. If everything was handed to me, would I be living better? No.

You see, I’m glad my dreams didn’t come true. I’m glad that I’ve experienced some of the lowest points in my life. I’m glad because each time something went wrong, I worked twice as hard to get something even better.

In conclusion, I hope that I have helped you to understand that I am not a success because I’m at an even better point in my life- the first steps in the American Dream.

 J.J. 

Farewell Seniors—My Family:

We have finally made it everyone!

Good morning everyone friends, family, and ACCE’s first class of seniors! I am so excited to be here today with my ACCE family we have made it through the fires on Friday 9th grade year, to the changing of teachers, principles, and even buildings but through it all we have held in there and now are here to celebrate us moving to the next step.

“High School is over” is what we read when we came to school the first day of our senior year and towards the end Mr. Corbin changed it to “High School is REALLY over,” and today we see the reality of that statement. I will miss everyone even those who I haven’t really had a close relationship with, but we are just at the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.

The time has come for us to all get out of our cocoons and fly away to where our hearts desire. I hope that everyone finds happiness, success, and have all their dreams come true. ACCE has failed us in some ways, but without ACCE we wouldn’t be the family we are today.

These past four years have been quite an experience for me that I will always keep with me. I regret not having all the students that we started with, but I am so glad that we are still here and several of us are going to college! We didn’t receive the best education while we were here, yet many of us worked hard to get into these colleges with the help of several teachers and administrators who I also would like to thank.

I still remember everyone coming to school during orientation dressed in the black and white “dress code” being welcomed by Mr. Shishmanian, who was always excited sometimes just because it was Monday. When we were about to leave for Christmas break in ninth grade he walked around our half of a circle building ringing a bell in a Santa Claus suit wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. We were the first class there and because of that they were always trying something new including the merit/ demerit system leaving people serving a lot of detention. In tenth grade year we had another class of kids come in so we received the other half of the circle to our floor, but we still were sharing a building. This was the year we had the protest against our uniforms across the street from the school. Eleventh grade we got our own basketball teams, another building, a new principal and an extension to our dress code, khaki pants. Then there was twelfth grade year when we realized that this would be the last year together after continuously being reminded by Mr. Corbin. We have been preparing for this day as little caterpillars during orientation and now we are here prepared to fly away.

S.T.

Note: The struggle to begin the transition from a Baltimore City public high school to post-secondary options has been all consuming for the students of room 123. Here in the month of May it will all come to an end. Graduation is May 31. Now we will be back to blogging: between now and then we students will post our final thoughts, our valedictory addresses, our hopes . . .

You can’t afford to live for others because you don’t know if you’ll ever have time to live for yourself.

This is a rule that I live by and have lived by for the last seven years of my years. It took me a while to gain this concept of life sometimes I wonder how different my childhood would have been had I known then what I know now. A very close friend of mine taught me this very valuable lesson. His name was Leslie Abby.

It was June 21st a very hot day. The type of day when the sun is sitting on your shoulder and people take to hopping opposed to walking for the fear of the sidewalk burning through the soles of your shoes. A horrible day the kind of day you swear to forget tomorrow. Oddly it became a day that 7 years later I can’t forget. I still remember the look on Leslie’s face when he was dared to jump off the high dive at the city pool. It was a look of courage and complete confidence. To your average ten year old the high dive was a forbidden place, we would joke that it had to be like walking the plank although none of us would dare try it. Me and Jasmine, Leslie’s younger sister watched from the bottom as he climbed step by step to the top. Jasmine screamed for him to come down but Leslie was already in the air. He had already become a fourth grade hero.

Me and Jasmine ran down to the other side the side where we see heads bob up out of the water after a victorious dive. We waited and waited but we never saw Leslie come up. We went to the lifegaurd to tell him that we couldn’t find Leslie. The break bell roared as everybody cleared the pool. Minutes later, but what seemed like hours I heard the sirens.

Everybody was allowed to leave the pool, except Jasmine and I. The police asked us questions, “when was the last time we saw Leslie”, “when did we tell the lifeguard.” My mother came and on the way home she told me that Leslie had gone to heaven. I was very intelligent for a ten year old and I knew this meant he was dead. I didn’t know what to say or do so I decided to go sit outside on my front steps and wait until his family pulled up. I had hopes that maybe they could tell me that what my mother said was all a misunderstanding. By the time my bed time came around they had still not come home.

I was familiar with death however I wasn’t familiar with someone so young dying. At this precious stage of my life I gained the understanding that time is something very delicate and you can never get it back. His family never came back they moved back to their home state to have the farewell ceremony and I never was really able to say goodbye to my good friend. I did realize though that I learned something valuable from that situation and it was up to me to apply it to my everyday life. I decided to use that as one of the experiences to mold my life and live as though I have a very short amount of time to do the things I love the most.

Leslie may have been ten when he died but he was able to jump off the high dive that even now to day is something I have only dreamed of doing and if I know Leslie I am sure he loved every part of it. Throughout my life I have been frowned upon for doing some of the things that I love to do. Where I come from reading is not a hobby that many young children have but it is something I hold dear to me. Dancing is not important but it is something that I cherish. In school doing your homework the same night you get it is not the cool thing to do however I know that it is right and that tomorrow I might not be here to do it. I count my blessings every single day and I make all decisions based on my conscience. I understand that you can not say you will do something tomorrow that was meant to be done today.

That is one of the reasons why I have been successful throughout my life in all that I do and I know that I will be successful in all the things I choose to do throughout the rest of my life. I don’t want to die today or tomorrow feeling as though I didn’t give life my all. I realize that college is the next step in my life and I know that if I am blessed with the oppurtunity to attend I will give it my all as I do everything else in life.

Note: Room 123 had a visit from Leon Copeland, an soldier just returned from Iraq. Spc. Copeland grew up in Baltimore, attended Lake Clifton High School and graduated from Forest Park High school. 

Dear Leon Copeland

Although I am only a high school senior, I still am affected by the war that is going on in Iraq. I do know and understand that you and thousands of other soldiers are in Iraq fighting for our country, but I really don’t have a clear understanding of what the war is for or about. Personally I do support you, and the other soldiers like you, but I can’t support the actual war.

I was always taught that you support what you know, understand, and believe. I feel like I can’t support the war because I neither know what it is for, understand why we are at war, nor believe in something I don’t understand. I have been put under the impression that there could be multiple reasons why this country is at war with Iraq. These reasons include oil, September 11^th attacks or, establishing a democracy in Iraq. Though we are at war I do know that it is not retaliation for the September 11^th attacks because the war didn’t start until two and a half years after the attacks. Though I may not understand the purpose of the war I do know how it affects Americans. I also know that the war affects and determine how the soldiers will live the rest of their lives. They could live life the same way they did before they went to war, but they are still stuck with their personal images of war.

I feel that as a soldier you are one of the bravest that our country has to offer. I do support the soldiers, but I feel that the war is bringing us down as a country. I thank you for serving and I thank you for not thinking like me. Because I disagree with the war I wouldn’t be able to fight as a soldier, but it’s people like you that fight despite their personal beliefs. Again thank you.

Sincerely a supportive citizen

Atia Hawkins