Alyssa Jones, Historian Commissioner 2019-2020
Initial Letter
Currently I am very excited for the year ahead. Core camp truly gave our team valuable time to bond and connect with one another, and also allowed us to begin brainstorming activities for the rest of the school year. Being the historian commissioner, I am also excited for attending as many leadership events as I can so I am able to capture every moment. This year, I hope as an ASB team we out on the best events we can with good time management. Effective time management, especially for homecoming will be essential to producing great events here at Ripon High, and I believe we can make each event better than the last. I am also excited to be part of the amazing events the Ripon High leadership team helps put on, some of which being various fundraisers and dances that make our school the best it can be. I am very hopeful that we can do great things because of the events we have already been successful in putting on such as the Spirit Rally we helped decorate, and the first day of school where we passed out cookies to the student body. I believe with strong teamwork and the core values we learned at core camp, our leadership team will be able to function and be the best it can be in the time we have.
Quotes
1. "You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise." - Maya Angelou
This quote has been my mantra since sophomore year after a series of circumstances gave me the option of either falling apart or persevere and see the fruits of my labor. This quote, especially told from the powerful perspective of Maya Angelou, empowers me to work as hard as I can until my job is finished. I have this quote on the walls of my room, wallpaper of my laptop, and constantly make a note of writing it down whenever life throws me an obstacle I believe I can't overcome.
2. "Diversity is Unity"
This very quote is the soul principle I live my life on, and the main driving factor that pushes me toward multicultural organizations and efforts. Growing up in an environment where I was never represented on screen nor surrounded by people of my race, I found it hard to find myself and who I was meant to be because I thought I had to fit a certain stereotype based on my race. Later, I found many TV shows, movies, and other media that began to show people like me on screen defy stereotypes that I had grown so accustomed to which later made me realize I can be a catalyst of change for people like me. This quote shows that though our world may be segregated in race, thoughts, political views, etc. we still can find unity and power in all our differences and ultimately work together to build a better tomorrow.
3. "If your dream only includes you, it is too small" - Ava DuVernay
Especially as I look to the future as a senior in high school, this quote keeps me grounded by reminding me to help the world around me. As I continue to world on fundraisers with the Multicultural Club and other clubs on campus, I remember this quote and push myself to make a fundraiser that will have the most impact for the most people. Often times when I begin to envision who I aspire to be, I become occupied with my personal medical career goals and narrow my mindset to how I must get there by myself, and this was heavily the case when I first heard this quote. After opening my mind to the world around me, I began to think of not only what I can do for myself, but how I have the power and privilege to help those less fortunate around me.
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise." - Maya Angelou
This quote has been my mantra since sophomore year after a series of circumstances gave me the option of either falling apart or persevere and see the fruits of my labor. This quote, especially told from the powerful perspective of Maya Angelou, empowers me to work as hard as I can until my job is finished. I have this quote on the walls of my room, wallpaper of my laptop, and constantly make a note of writing it down whenever life throws me an obstacle I believe I can't overcome.
2. "Diversity is Unity"
This very quote is the soul principle I live my life on, and the main driving factor that pushes me toward multicultural organizations and efforts. Growing up in an environment where I was never represented on screen nor surrounded by people of my race, I found it hard to find myself and who I was meant to be because I thought I had to fit a certain stereotype based on my race. Later, I found many TV shows, movies, and other media that began to show people like me on screen defy stereotypes that I had grown so accustomed to which later made me realize I can be a catalyst of change for people like me. This quote shows that though our world may be segregated in race, thoughts, political views, etc. we still can find unity and power in all our differences and ultimately work together to build a better tomorrow.
3. "If your dream only includes you, it is too small" - Ava DuVernay
Especially as I look to the future as a senior in high school, this quote keeps me grounded by reminding me to help the world around me. As I continue to world on fundraisers with the Multicultural Club and other clubs on campus, I remember this quote and push myself to make a fundraiser that will have the most impact for the most people. Often times when I begin to envision who I aspire to be, I become occupied with my personal medical career goals and narrow my mindset to how I must get there by myself, and this was heavily the case when I first heard this quote. After opening my mind to the world around me, I began to think of not only what I can do for myself, but how I have the power and privilege to help those less fortunate around me.
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This year, I found the quote, "It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform.". This describes my leadership journey this year because I found myself using leadership class in particular to step out of my comfort zone and become the person who I wanted to be at the beginning of the year. By dressing out for leadership events, going to more sports games, and being more active in rallies, I found myself having so much more fun than I had the years prior. It was stepping out of my small, work hard study hard mindset which truly gave me the amazing senior year experience that I fought so hard to attain. This quote is important to me because it reminds me that no matter how easy things may seem to be, going above and beyond what you may have originally thought possible will ultimately help you achieve your own goals and become the best version of yourself you can be. Simple statements like these ultimately can make the biggest impact for the future because they help us visualize a future to which we can work hard to achieve.
Goals
Short Term Goals:
One short term goal I have is to organize the Dia De Los Muertos luncheon for the Multicultural Club. This is important for me because last year I did not highlight the contributions of the Hispanic community in the best possible way which ultimately led to less representation from our club. This event will not only help shed light on the cultural appropriation surrounding the Hispanic community on Halloween, but will also serve as a fun event for the multicultural club.
My second short term goal is to organize the Heart and Stroke Walk event for Scrubs Club. This is important to me because I want to give back to my community in a way that can create the most impact. The San Joaquin Heart and Stroke Walk is an event that helps thousands of people in the San Joaquin Area get better medical care for themselves and the less fortunate. By organizing a volunteer group to help with the event, we would be able to create more help and help touch the lives of thousands of people in need.
Long Term Goals:
My first long term goal for the year is to express more gratitude. After our first gratitude event (something I was at first uncomfortable about completing), I felt such profound happiness that I began to do more acts of kindness to those around me. Over the course of this year, I would like to be more vulnerable to express my gratitude for those in my life and let them know how much I appreciate what they did in my life.
My second long term goal for the year is to not procrastinate. Last year, I learned great organizational and time management skills the first semester that I eventually abandoned my second semester. This year, I would like to become that organized to ensure I do not feel rushed when doing certain activities and also get a full 8 hours of sleep. This is also important for not only high school, but college that I will be attending next fall.
Leadership Goals:
One goal I have for leadership this year is to participate in more events. Last year, I refused to go to many events due to my high level of academics that I was currently enrolled in. This year, I want to be able to experience high school in its entirety during my last year here, and hopefully become completely immersed in the high school culture that I missed out on for so many years.
Another goal I have for leadership this year is to finish assignments a day in advance. This makes sure my assignments are not rushed and are completed to the best of my ability. By completing assignments a day in advance, I would be able to put more thought and effort into them which would allow me to truly reflect on all work done for class.
Page 5: Goals
Short term goals:
My first short term goal was to organize the Dia de Los Muertos Event for the multicultural club. I was able to achieve this goal with the help of my club and was able to successfully hold our lunch activity in collaboration with the Estudiantes Unidos club on campus. We had games, music, a photo booth and a lot of fun with this event.
My other short term goal of getting volunteers for the San Joaquin Heart and Stroke walk was not met this year with scrubs club. After writing this, I found that we had missed the deadline to show up for these events and had to cancel these plans for Scrubs Club since they were no longer possible.
Long Term goals:
My first long term goal was to express grater gratitude in my life. After completing the gratitude project and several other gratitude themed things, I found myself expressing greater gratitude for my friends, family, teachers and others close to me in my life. I have began to implement little pieces of gratitude into my life and show greater appreciation for all that they do for me.
My second long term goal was to not procrastinate. On the one hand, I did stop procrastinating with the activities I coordinate and find that I do things much earlier than necessary and make a precise schedule on how to achieve these goals. On the other hand, I did find myself procrastinating more on the schoolwork aspect of things because I did not do all of the assignments ahead of time like I imagined.
Leadership Goals:
I did meet my first leadership goal because I attended many events like Homecoming, Football games, rallies, dance, etc. that I had never attended last year during Junior Year. I found that I had a much better time being myself and created many new friends in the process.
I did meet the goal of finishing assignments in advance several times throughout the year, but not in the consistent way in which I wanted to when writing this goal. Next year, this will be a definite necessity in college.
My first short term goal was to organize the Dia de Los Muertos Event for the multicultural club. I was able to achieve this goal with the help of my club and was able to successfully hold our lunch activity in collaboration with the Estudiantes Unidos club on campus. We had games, music, a photo booth and a lot of fun with this event.
My other short term goal of getting volunteers for the San Joaquin Heart and Stroke walk was not met this year with scrubs club. After writing this, I found that we had missed the deadline to show up for these events and had to cancel these plans for Scrubs Club since they were no longer possible.
Long Term goals:
My first long term goal was to express grater gratitude in my life. After completing the gratitude project and several other gratitude themed things, I found myself expressing greater gratitude for my friends, family, teachers and others close to me in my life. I have began to implement little pieces of gratitude into my life and show greater appreciation for all that they do for me.
My second long term goal was to not procrastinate. On the one hand, I did stop procrastinating with the activities I coordinate and find that I do things much earlier than necessary and make a precise schedule on how to achieve these goals. On the other hand, I did find myself procrastinating more on the schoolwork aspect of things because I did not do all of the assignments ahead of time like I imagined.
Leadership Goals:
I did meet my first leadership goal because I attended many events like Homecoming, Football games, rallies, dance, etc. that I had never attended last year during Junior Year. I found that I had a much better time being myself and created many new friends in the process.
I did meet the goal of finishing assignments in advance several times throughout the year, but not in the consistent way in which I wanted to when writing this goal. Next year, this will be a definite necessity in college.
People Magazine:
America's first black, female president has begun her second trailblazing term as the leader of the United States. Before she begins this remarkable term, she has decided to sit down with People Magazine to tell us her trials and tribulations of her journey. In the interview, she dictates the uncertainty of her childhood. She was born and raised in the Bay Area, and in it attended 7 different schools before moving to the agrarian Central Valley. She describes how, “the culture shock of the area was unlike anything I had experienced before. I was completely use to the fast paced Silicon Valley and the Central Valley was anything but.” When she graduated from Ripon high she moved on to school at the University of California at Berkeley, and went on to get her Doctorates Degree at Howard University, as a way to give back to her African American Community by attending a Historically Black University. During undergrad, she became class president of Berkeley’s Student Government. She says, “this first leadership experience during my undergraduate paved the way for my newfound political spirit.” She then went on to intern at a political campaign and later worked her way up to become a campaign manager of this political campaign. After she ran her first successful campaign, she went on to taking her first congressional seat for the state of California and later became state senator. After all this, she finally beat adversity and became the first black female president of the United States of America.
Page 8: My Dad
My dad has greatly shaped who I am as a person today because he has always been there to foster my personal growth in random things like drawing and business, and supports me in all my challenges. Even as a child, whenever I made lego houses or baked cookies for a bake sale, I always ran to my dad for positive feedback, especially in the arts. I remember growing up and learning how to draw cartoon characters from my dad long before youtube could teach kids how, and his patience through my struggles ultimately taught me how to draw and to have patience through any obstacles I may have.
As I grew older, my dad pushed to help me become the empowered young woman I am today. When I became old enough to understand, he instilled in me the idea that I can do anything regardless of my race or sex, and that bigotry and hatred was not something I should ever allow to limit myself in the world. We would stay up until 2:00 AM on somedays discussing what it means to be an activist, and how I can make a change even in the small town I live in. He also helped support me when I feel at my worst, like when I don't think I will get into my college of choice. For example, I just brought up the topic of getting to tour my dream school in Los Angeles, and he just jumped on board completely and decided to take off work so he could help me during this stressful time. My dad has been my rock for as long as I know, and shaped me into the strong person I am today. |
Page 9: Spirit Animals
My spirit animal is the Barbary Lion. Known to be one of the strongest animals on earth and the toughest animal in their ecosystem, this king of the jungle represents my inner strength and perseverance through the obstacles I encounter and overcome everyday. I have asked many people who know me what kind of animal they see me as. Some said Koala, others said Chihuahua because I am always talking and am very hyper, but it was not until I asked my little sister this question when I found the response which had resonated the most with me. When asked, she paused and took her time to come up with what I believed was going to be an elaborate response, but finally she responded by saying I was a lion. When asked why, she said it was because I was strong and loud and was never afraid to make the tough decisions and remain true to myself.
After claiming this animal as my own, I did some personal research and came to find the Barbary Lion from Africa was the strongest lion in the world, and was feared by civilizations. This was exactly how I wanted to see myself, not as a deranged blood thirsty animal but as a feared but respected leader. The lion symbolizes for me the courage to take a stand and become an activist for those around me who are too afraid to speak out for themselves. A lion is known for its heart of gold, something I seek to have in all my endeavors and strive to one day acquire for myself. As the king of the jungle, the lion is the animal everyone turns to for leadership in the jungle for guidance and wisdom, which is how I hope to be seen by other people one day. Like Mufasa, I hope to one day to have both the heart and the strength of a Barbary Lion. |
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When I moved to the central valley during my sophomore year, I faced racism and prejudice from my peers and teachers at Central Catholic. I mostly brushed these efforts off, until a boy in dance class told me, “You niggers are going to ruin the school.”. I found myself beginning to hate my afro-centric features (my darker skin and curly hair) for the first time in my life. I also began to feel very self conscious of how I looked and talked in comparison to my other peers and grew very saddened because I deemed myself as lesser than others in my class. It wasn't until I went to a medicine camp at UC Berkeley when I began to become confident in myself and my abilities. It was here when I saw the all black staff and doctors helping us with the camp that I realized the beauty in my complexion, and began to be motivated to love myself and my culture. When I came to Ripon High, this motive was imperative to starting the Multicultural Club which helped me become more confident. This song embraces just that. Brown Skin Girl talks about how brown girls may be shamed for their skin, but regardless of what the world says they are beautiful and stronger than they know. Whenever I feel down or saddened by what the day brought, I turn to this song as a sense of comfort and provide confidence for the days ahead.
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One of my favorite leadership memories was during core camp when we were first getting to know each during the small group sessions, more particularly the play during the last day. This play was so fun because Niki created an amazing script and outline for the play and we all put our energy into making it the best that it could be. I also liked it because of the positive message it sent to all those around us. Our fun obstacles the main characters faced showed everyone in the audience how leadership is truly a quest and that nothing is ever going to be perfect, yet you keep pushing to conquer your obstacles.
Another one of my favorite memories in leadership was homecoming set up for the front of the school. Although we had to get there very early to help, I soon found it was so fun to get to work on decorating the front of the school with only seniors. This really gave me the opportunity to get to know my fellow senior class members and allowed us to bond with each other on a different level. I also liked how everything we worked for during that short hour looked so good when all the other students arrived on campus. We received many compliments that day on how good our work was and it was great to see so many people grateful for the work we have done.
I also loved the time when we were all doing the tri tip fundraisers. Each one of us worked so perfectly in our designated roles that we were able to get more tri tip assembled and passed out in less time than I had thought we would. Our diligent work effort allowed us to also appreciate each others work effort as well because the more other people worked around us, the more we all wanted to work. I also liked the team bonding we had after when all the tri tip was mostly sold and we all sat around the table and just told stories about our lives.
Another one of my favorite memories in leadership was homecoming set up for the front of the school. Although we had to get there very early to help, I soon found it was so fun to get to work on decorating the front of the school with only seniors. This really gave me the opportunity to get to know my fellow senior class members and allowed us to bond with each other on a different level. I also liked how everything we worked for during that short hour looked so good when all the other students arrived on campus. We received many compliments that day on how good our work was and it was great to see so many people grateful for the work we have done.
I also loved the time when we were all doing the tri tip fundraisers. Each one of us worked so perfectly in our designated roles that we were able to get more tri tip assembled and passed out in less time than I had thought we would. Our diligent work effort allowed us to also appreciate each others work effort as well because the more other people worked around us, the more we all wanted to work. I also liked the team bonding we had after when all the tri tip was mostly sold and we all sat around the table and just told stories about our lives.
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I think one of the greatest things about this program are the dedicated, hardworking, and kind people who make the program the powerhouse it is. Two of these people who go above and beyond their job descriptions are the two technology commissioners. While they do not get as much recognition as say a President or an ASB member, the amount of work they do behind the scenes is tremendous. For example, when we watch the end of the year video, we may see simply a 5 minute video and move on with our day. However, these commissioners really go the extra distance every year to make a video showcasing all of the abundant talents at Ripon High School. I have seen this many times, one of which being the girls wrestling match. Elias got up very early in the morning and drove all the way out to Modesto to watch these varsity girls wrestle their way to the top. While some people may have stayed a mere 15 minutes to get some clips of the wrestlers, he stayed for over an hour to ensure the end of the year video turns out to be the best it can be. This hard work and dedication can also be shown through Darius who seems to constantly be helping out where he is needed. For example, I was in class one day and overheard Emma ask Darius if he could make a video for coin wars. Although Darius is in several AP classes and has very limited time, he set aside his personal commitments and decided to help Emma with her project. He has also done this for people’s personal campaigns completely separate to the program. This can be seen when he selflessly decided to help Niki Nguyen with her ASB president campaign video. Without any hesitation, he was quick to jump on board with the filming process for the video and helped make Niki’s last campaign the best it could be.
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When I am not doing schoolwork, I love to take my friends on photo shoots and take pictures of them to help boost their self confidence. I first got my camera my junior year, I was most excited to take portrait photography for my friends and watched several hours worth of youtube videos to best train myself. Once I had adequately prepared myself, I called my friend for his first photo shoot. I knew he was very self conscious about his image and wanted this photoshoot to be special for him, so I took head shots for him and edited them the best I could. When I showed him the end product, he was so shocked to see that was him and thanked me profusely for making him feel so confident in his own skin. This then became a weekly project my friends and I did. Every Friday, we would go out to a new location and take pictures that I would later edit and share with my friends.
This hobby later became a job toward the end of junior year, when many of my senior friends turned to me for their portraits. I once even took pictures for my friend who came from Richmond to see me and have me take her senior portraits. After I took her pictures for over 3 hours, I was paid $50 to take and edit her pictures. This continued for a few more people and over time I had raised over $200 to help buy new camera equipment. This hobby also manifested into the leadership role as historian at RHS. |
Dear Mom and Dad,
Thank you so much for all of the endless opportunities you have given me over the years. You have worked tirelessly with no thank you to help give me the best education money could buy since before I could even talk, and only now can I truly appreciate the extensive work you have invested in both me and Alana’s education. I also want to thank you for being my biggest supporter over the years, and lifting me up even when I thought I could not go any further. You knew I would get into the college of my choice for many years now, and even when I said it was impossible, you refused to accept my fate and continued pushing me until it finally happened. You have also given me my drive for social justice and passion for doing things, both of which I consider essential to my personality and vital to my drive for life. The gifts you have bestowed upon me in my life have pushed me to do more than I ever believed I could. Whether it be starting a neighborhood wide food drive, or simply running for an election I think is impossible for me to win, you never let me quit and with your help I have become the woman I always wanted to be.
Thank you so much for all your help,
Alyssa Jones
Thank you so much for all of the endless opportunities you have given me over the years. You have worked tirelessly with no thank you to help give me the best education money could buy since before I could even talk, and only now can I truly appreciate the extensive work you have invested in both me and Alana’s education. I also want to thank you for being my biggest supporter over the years, and lifting me up even when I thought I could not go any further. You knew I would get into the college of my choice for many years now, and even when I said it was impossible, you refused to accept my fate and continued pushing me until it finally happened. You have also given me my drive for social justice and passion for doing things, both of which I consider essential to my personality and vital to my drive for life. The gifts you have bestowed upon me in my life have pushed me to do more than I ever believed I could. Whether it be starting a neighborhood wide food drive, or simply running for an election I think is impossible for me to win, you never let me quit and with your help I have become the woman I always wanted to be.
Thank you so much for all your help,
Alyssa Jones
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Dear future historian,
Congratulations on being selected to join the Ripon High Leadership team! As someone who has been a member of a half a dozen other leadership programs, I recognize this program as the strongest one I have had the luck of being a part of. Your job as historian is an important one, even though you may not be planning widespread events like your peers. You are entrusted with maintaining the memories of all of leadership long after everyone in the program is gone.
Some advice I would definitely give you is to take pictures from the start. If you do not have a camera handy with you, make sure you get the camera from Morty before core camp or whatever ends up being the first events leadership is a part of. This includes the smaller events like club rush, back to school dance, Halloween dance, and tri tip (especially the dances because I had the most trouble finding pictures for those). I would also suggest designating someone to be the stand-in historian for various events that you do not think you will be attending, again just to ensure the pictures are obtained. I also would suggest starting on the scrapbook as soon as Morty gives you the login that way you can lay out all of the pages and help you understand all of the events that you need to have pictures for. This will also save you a ton of time down the road, especially during the second semester when you will have your meetings with everyone to work on their scrapbook pages.
As far as everyone's personal scrapbook pages go, I found this year that if you give everyone the opportunity to work on it at home, they are able to get more of the scrapbook done due to the fact that they have as much time as they want. The pages generally come out cleaner and contain more embellishments to make them look better. This also saves you the time of having to meet in the library every day for two months, and if they have any further questions then they can meet with you in lunch to tackle specific problems and clean up the page. I would also remind them about what exactly the guidelines are for every page, as they will be graded on what they put on their page.
Historian is one of the most fun jobs on the leadership team so go out of your way to attend all the events and have some fun on the job. Congratulations again, and welcome to Leadership!
Sincerely, Alyssa Jones
Congratulations on being selected to join the Ripon High Leadership team! As someone who has been a member of a half a dozen other leadership programs, I recognize this program as the strongest one I have had the luck of being a part of. Your job as historian is an important one, even though you may not be planning widespread events like your peers. You are entrusted with maintaining the memories of all of leadership long after everyone in the program is gone.
Some advice I would definitely give you is to take pictures from the start. If you do not have a camera handy with you, make sure you get the camera from Morty before core camp or whatever ends up being the first events leadership is a part of. This includes the smaller events like club rush, back to school dance, Halloween dance, and tri tip (especially the dances because I had the most trouble finding pictures for those). I would also suggest designating someone to be the stand-in historian for various events that you do not think you will be attending, again just to ensure the pictures are obtained. I also would suggest starting on the scrapbook as soon as Morty gives you the login that way you can lay out all of the pages and help you understand all of the events that you need to have pictures for. This will also save you a ton of time down the road, especially during the second semester when you will have your meetings with everyone to work on their scrapbook pages.
As far as everyone's personal scrapbook pages go, I found this year that if you give everyone the opportunity to work on it at home, they are able to get more of the scrapbook done due to the fact that they have as much time as they want. The pages generally come out cleaner and contain more embellishments to make them look better. This also saves you the time of having to meet in the library every day for two months, and if they have any further questions then they can meet with you in lunch to tackle specific problems and clean up the page. I would also remind them about what exactly the guidelines are for every page, as they will be graded on what they put on their page.
Historian is one of the most fun jobs on the leadership team so go out of your way to attend all the events and have some fun on the job. Congratulations again, and welcome to Leadership!
Sincerely, Alyssa Jones
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-DO: Get camera from morty from the very beginning
-DO: Take pictures whenever leadership is gathered/ are working on something (even the small events)
-DO: Start the scrapbook in September
-DO: Step out of your comfort zone
-DO: Walk out onto the field to take pictures during powderpuff / coronation
-DO: Finish all the homework a day prior at least
-DO: Dress spirited during homecoming/ other spirit weeks
-DO: Take pictures of all of the dances
-DO: Get to know and be friends with fellow leadership kids
-DO: Seize every opportunity to connect and network with others
-DON’T: Be lazy and say you will find pictures later
-DON’T: Forget to take pictures at ANY leadership event
-DON’T: Make two scrapbooks accidentally (it can be very confusing to find and make pages)
-DON’T: Wait till the last minute to start the scrapbook
-DON’T: Procrastinate/ skip out on scrapbook days for people
-DON’T: Stop dressing up for spirit days
-DON’T: Stay in your comfort zone
-DON’T: Sit with the same people everyday
-DON’T: Be rude to other people/ treat everyone around you with respect
-DON’T: Miss your opportunities (leadership can open doors for you and connect you with influential people in the community)
-DO: Take pictures whenever leadership is gathered/ are working on something (even the small events)
-DO: Start the scrapbook in September
-DO: Step out of your comfort zone
-DO: Walk out onto the field to take pictures during powderpuff / coronation
-DO: Finish all the homework a day prior at least
-DO: Dress spirited during homecoming/ other spirit weeks
-DO: Take pictures of all of the dances
-DO: Get to know and be friends with fellow leadership kids
-DO: Seize every opportunity to connect and network with others
-DON’T: Be lazy and say you will find pictures later
-DON’T: Forget to take pictures at ANY leadership event
-DON’T: Make two scrapbooks accidentally (it can be very confusing to find and make pages)
-DON’T: Wait till the last minute to start the scrapbook
-DON’T: Procrastinate/ skip out on scrapbook days for people
-DON’T: Stop dressing up for spirit days
-DON’T: Stay in your comfort zone
-DON’T: Sit with the same people everyday
-DON’T: Be rude to other people/ treat everyone around you with respect
-DON’T: Miss your opportunities (leadership can open doors for you and connect you with influential people in the community)
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-Shutterfly:
website: www.shutterfly.com
Phone number: (650) 610-5200
Email: [email protected]
-Ochoa:
Phone number: (209)-596-6389
Email: [email protected]
-Ramirez:
Email: [email protected]
website: www.shutterfly.com
Phone number: (650) 610-5200
Email: [email protected]
-Ochoa:
Phone number: (209)-596-6389
Email: [email protected]
-Ramirez:
Email: [email protected]
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This year we have learned many leadership skills to help us on our way to becoming a leader. One of the main skills I have learned is to be more responsible and prove I am a reliable member of the team. This class always has various due dates and other deadlines we must meet so our events go on as planned. This responsibility of always knowing your part must be done when it is meant to be is important to ensuring the success of an entire event or project we are all working on. Responsibility, on my behalf, mainly came from the scrapbook which I was meant to finish and direct until April 3rd, the project deadline. Since I met this deadline, I was able to make sure Morty can order and receive the scrapbook on time. Another thing I have learned about leadership this year is the importance of listening and being a collaborative person. While being responsible is an important aspect of leadership, being able to work with larger groups of people in a collaborative way allows for all people’s ideas to be expressed, especially when some members of the team may be more soft spoken. Being able to hear everyone’s ideas and understand what needs to get done and present all these ideas to the table in a cohesive manner gives an event the ability to appeal to a larger number of people at once.
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This year I have truly began to become the leader I always seeked to be. I started the year very unsure of the leadership program mainly because everyone already seemed to have their cliques. At core camp, I remember feeling very out of place and almost awkward as I tried to navigate who I was going to invent myself to being this year. I began to distance myself from my peers because I felt there was no one who I was going to want to bond with. Over time in the program however, I came to realize everyone in the program was very nice and began to work with them on several projects. This collaborative environment was key to me becoming a leader because I typically only rely on myself to complete projects I work on. This year however taught me that by including others to work out my problems with, I can begin to create more events that are bigger than only I can do alone. This was the exact reason I was able to complete events like the Dia de los muertos event in november and the food drive for the salvation army in the winter. One main challenge which I overcame this year was stepping out of my comfort zone and dressing up for spirit weeks/ attending various events I would typically not go to. For example, this year I found myself going to my first Halloween football game, night rallies, and homecoming. These events all made me very excited for my senior year and by forcing myself to venture outside my comfort zone, I became able to just grow as a person and relax a bit so I can just enjoy my final high school moments. One thing I would change for the future class would be to implement an event that only the commissioners run. Though we aren’t class officers, I feel some of the key parts of bonding in leadership is running events together and alot of the commissioners do not get that opportunity to work in a team like environment. This could help everyone get on the same page as far as collaboration and leadership go and will ultimately help bring our community together as one.
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Ambitious
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Many people attribute being a robust, strong headed personality who stops at nothing to achieve their goals. While this may be true in some senses, the ideal leader must have the ability to listen to those around them and have the ambition and passion behind them to execute their plans.
One of the main responsibilities of being a great leader is ensuring all voices are heard in some way or another and are not blocked out just because of your own personal biases. For example, if you are trying to execute a school dance, the ideal leader would write down everyone’s ideas and facilitate the conversation in a positive way. This would be contrasted with a poor leader who would simply say their idea and not allow anyone to challenge their idea. This is especially important to have in a leader because when everyone’s ideas are heard, you can create an event that will help the entire group become more excited for the end result and help them work even harder to see the event succeed.
Another important aspect in the ideal leader is to have ambition and passion for their projects. In order for an event to turn out phenomenal, the leader putting on the event must be passionate about the concepts being put forward. Instead of simply completing a project, a passionate leader goes above and beyond what is asked or expected of them to create an event that everyone is excited to be a part of. This extra ambition is what forces them to stay up until four AM working on a project or take time out of their schedule to sit in meetings to ensure the event is ran as planned.
Students in this program should be expected to always go the extra mile in everything they do. Whether they are planning a large scale rally or simply doing their journals every week, they should fulfill these tasks with as much tenacity and fervor than they would normally. This is acceptable behavior. When planning events, they should be expected to listen to the wills of their coworkers and ensure that they are listening to all people and creating an event in a cohesive way.
Some unacceptable behavior would be to give up on projects halfway through or to simply not complete tasks because they don’t feel like it. Being a dictator on a group project would also be unacceptable behavior becuase it does not give everyone the opportunity to have their voices heard.
One of the main responsibilities of being a great leader is ensuring all voices are heard in some way or another and are not blocked out just because of your own personal biases. For example, if you are trying to execute a school dance, the ideal leader would write down everyone’s ideas and facilitate the conversation in a positive way. This would be contrasted with a poor leader who would simply say their idea and not allow anyone to challenge their idea. This is especially important to have in a leader because when everyone’s ideas are heard, you can create an event that will help the entire group become more excited for the end result and help them work even harder to see the event succeed.
Another important aspect in the ideal leader is to have ambition and passion for their projects. In order for an event to turn out phenomenal, the leader putting on the event must be passionate about the concepts being put forward. Instead of simply completing a project, a passionate leader goes above and beyond what is asked or expected of them to create an event that everyone is excited to be a part of. This extra ambition is what forces them to stay up until four AM working on a project or take time out of their schedule to sit in meetings to ensure the event is ran as planned.
Students in this program should be expected to always go the extra mile in everything they do. Whether they are planning a large scale rally or simply doing their journals every week, they should fulfill these tasks with as much tenacity and fervor than they would normally. This is acceptable behavior. When planning events, they should be expected to listen to the wills of their coworkers and ensure that they are listening to all people and creating an event in a cohesive way.
Some unacceptable behavior would be to give up on projects halfway through or to simply not complete tasks because they don’t feel like it. Being a dictator on a group project would also be unacceptable behavior becuase it does not give everyone the opportunity to have their voices heard.