| Amazing
Kids! of the Month
Amazing Kids!
is proud to highlight the Amazing Kids! of
the Month!
Each month,
we showcase kids who are accomplishing amazing things.
We hope that by telling their special stories, we will inspire other kids
to accomplish their own amazing achievements.
Amazing
Kids! of the Month for December, 1998:
Amazing Journalists,
Artists, Photographers, Poets, Writers, Musicians, and Multimedia Artists
from the Illuminations Club,
El Segundo
High School, El Segundo, California
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An excerpt from
Illuminations
98, a CD-Zine
by high school students at El
Segundo High School:
Artwork by the talented student
artist, Anne Marie Green
This month we highlight the
amazing
work of Illuminations, a journalism club,
and the amazing
talent found at El Segundo High School, El Segundo, California.
Introducing
Some Amazing Journalists and Talented Students from El Segundo High School...
For the final month of 1998, Amazing
Kids! is pleased to highlight the work of a wonderfully talented group
of students from El
Segundo High School, part of the El
Segundo School District in
El Segundo, California. (El
Segundo is a friendly city, situated close to the Los Angeles International
Airport and the Pacific Ocean.)
As you browse through the following
pages, you'll see inspiring samples taken from the
Illuminations
'98 CD-Zine, an award-winning publication which features art, music,
photography, short stories, poetry and video work by students at El Segundo
High.
Under the direction of Mr.
Gen, an English and Journalism teacher at El Segundo High, students
from the Illuminations
Club have produced the CD-zine* for the
past two years (this school year marks their third year). This group of
amazing teens are currently working on their latest CD-zine, which will
be finished in May, 1999. A real team effort, club members work for
one hour a week at lunch throughout the school year to create the CD.
It is a result of much hard work of devoted journalism students, and some
very talented students from El Segundo High!
It's not surprising to know that all
their hard work has paid off. These up-and-coming young journalists
have consistently won first place awards for journalism excellence
in national competitions! They have been recognized by the Columbia School
of Journalism, known for being one of the top journalism schools in the
nation. For several consecutive years, they have won first place
honors by the National Scholastic Press Association and the American Press
Association.
This past spring (1998), the students
were recognized at the National Journalism Convention in Seattle, Washington.
The people who attended were mostly adult professional journalists.
But that didn't phase Illuminations Club president Casey Brazeal.
Casey, a senior at El Segundo High, is responsible for coordinating the
production of the CD-zine. Casey gave a presentation to the entire
group of journalists, demonstrating the 1997 Illuminations CD-Zine!
Talk about amazing! (not to mention, brave!)
 Check
Out the Amazing Talent at El Segundo High:
Read
about Casey Brazeal, the Amazing Illuminations President
Read
about Mr. Gen, the Amazing Teacher Behind Illuminations
Illuminations
CD-Zine Credits
A
special message for teens
(A CD-zine is similar to a magazine,
but is published in a compact disk or "CD" format)
Help Support
the Illuminations Club
After seeing the amazing creative
work on Illuminations '98, you might want to have your very own
copy! The club is selling them for $8 each. Proceeds
go to helping support the Illuminations Club activities.
For more information, please call
Mr. Gen, the director of the club, at El Segundo High School at:
(310) 615-2662, or email him at: randjgen@telis.org.
Or write to Mr. Gen at the following
address:
El Segundo High School
640 Main Street
El Segundo, California 90245
The students thank you for your
support!
Introducing
Mr. Gen: Amazing Teacher!
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Mr. Gen is one of those amazingly
dedicated
teachers, who really gives 200% effort in his teaching. Mr. Gen is
the teacher who started the Illuminations Club. He has led the club
to receive its many awards which recognize the outstanding journalism work
of its student members.
Who is Mr. Gen, and what are his thoughts
on teaching and technology in the classroom? Below Mr. Gen tells
us in his own words.
..............................................................................................
A Word About
Teaching from Mr. Gen:
I’ve been teaching at El Segundo High
School for the past eight years. Before high school, I taught at the university
level. Presently I teach 9th grade English, Journalism and the Academic
Decathlon team. Once a week during lunch, the Illuminations Club meets
in my room to work on the multi-media CD-ROM magazine. The CD is a product
produced by students, designed by students, and sponsored by students.
The members of the club receive no academic credit – they do it for the
sake of learning and the joy of producing something, which the community
can enjoy. Illuminations is an opportunity for students to showcase their
work and interests. I believe that my job as an educator is to provide
students with opportunities. Most students make the best of the opportunities
presented to them provided if they capture the vision of what can be.
I am presently pursuing a doctorate
in Educational Technology at Pepperdine University. It is a very exciting
program. I look forward to planning and implementing the curriculum and
technology needed in the classroom of the 21st century. I believe that
technology is a tool that will empower students from every background,
and it is the responsibility of society to place these tools into the hands
of each student.
El Segundo High School's homepage:
http://www.elsegundousd.com/ESHS/home.htm
Mr. Gen's Personal homepage:
http://hale.pepperdine.edu/~rmgen/cadre4
A
Special Message from Amazing Kids! for all you teens:
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YOU CAN BE AN AMAZING
TEEN TOO!
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It's no secret...every person has
the potential to be amazing in their own way. Sometimes we just need
a little help in finding out what our special talents are!
If you are doing some amazing things
too, we want to hear about it! Send us your stories about your amazing
accomplishments, so we can tell the world just how amazing you are!
We are always looking for new stories. And don't be shy! We'd
love to hear from you!
Here's an idea you might want to
try:
WHY NOT HELP
OTHERS SEE THEIR OWN POTENTIAL?
If you know someone who needs a little
encouragement, why not tell them what you think is special about them?
Maybe you can be the one to help them uncover their own special
talents!
Amazing Kids! is looking for teens
like you to be Amazing Teen Volunteers
and Ambassadors. If you'd like to join Amazing Kids! in helping
to spread the word, please email us at: info@amazing-kids.org.
HELP
US SPREAD THE WORD:
It's
cool to be an Amazing Kid!
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Calling All Amazing
Kids! We Need Your Help!
If you are, or know any kids who are,
doing amazing things, we
want to hear about it!
Send us your stories, so we might
be able to feature you too someday! Please be patient, and
we will do our best to tell your story some day -- hopefully soon!
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Back
to the Amazing Kids! of the Month Index
For more information
about Amazing Kids!, please
contact Alyse Rome, Executive Director, at: info@amazing-kids.org.
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