ACE Spectrum
ACE Spectrum
Ace Spectrum is about you — the ACE Learning Centers.
It’s a quick sharing of ideas, inspiration, opinions and best practices among our continuing education organizations.
Please join the conversation.
We have Winners. The Winning Poems from Alpha Public Schools Have Arrived
By Riley, ACE Poetry Contest Mascot, helped by Martha who is a little slow with Google Docs, but got there. She doesn’t get out much.
Arf. Riley here. We have winning poets.
Arf, arf, arf, arf. I gave an extra arf because the winning ACE Poetry Contest poems from Alpha Public Schools are really good. There were lots of contests based on school grades and interests, so this will take several blogs.
Today’s blog is Alpha Cornerstone Academy’s Second Grade contests. There were two contests so six poems. Guess what Bodie, Oakland International High School Cat Mascot? Two poems are about cats. Can you believe it. Cats inspire lots of poetry, as we know.
Arf. Let’s get at it. Here are the winning poems from the Second Grade contest poets at Alpha Cornerstone Academy. Congratulations everyone.
Contest #1 – Second Grade
First Place: Yaretzi Hernandez
ABC’s of Color
All colors are beautiful
Because they are all magical
Colors are really pretty
Does not mean some are ugly
Every color is pretty in their own special ways
For every color has a game that it plays
Green plays the game that makes our air today
Hey, be grateful for the colors you see in this way
In march the color you think about is green
Jump if you promise not to be mean
Keep yourself thinking about all the colors
Let yourself think about all the summers
Maybe you like this poem maybe not
Now if you want to stop then stop
Orange is a pretty color don’t you think
Purple is a pretty color almost close to pink
Queen is a pretty person with jewels and rings.
Red is a color with anger and sings.
So did you like this.
Tell me who who do you miss.
Umbrellas save us from the rain.
Very wet like a wet train.
Wet body’s not really fun.
X-rays can show you your skeleton.
You may be lucky not to get wet.
Zzz dream of your colors and give your friends a pet.
Second Place: Aleia Woodring
Hungry Cat
Once I saw a pink cat.
She was resting on her won mat.
She wanted some food to eat.
So she started to bite her feet.
But could not reach it because she was fat.
Third Place: Citlalli Hernandez
This Cat
There was a cute cat
Its name was Nat
It liked to play
It played all day
It always wore a pink hat.
Contest #2 – Second Grade
First Place: Jacqueline Nguyen
Staying Safe
Avoid touching outside things,
Be safe on whatever you use,
Call for help whenever you need it,
Don’t avoid having courage,
Exercise your body to stay healthy,
Falling in courage is great,
Going to your safest spot,
Hurry home when you need to,
I believe in you!
Just believe in yourself,
Keep yourself safe and healthy,
Look around when crossing anything,
Make sure to wash your hands,
Never talk to strangers,
Open your heart to family and friends,
Play around your home,
Quick to be home from school,
Run for help when you see danger,
Safety is our number one priority,
Think about safety before anything else,
Useful maps can keep you from getting lost,
Vaccination keeps you from getting sick,
Wash your hands before eating,
X-mas should have you hangout with your family and close friends only,
Zip your jacket when it’s cold!
Second Place: Ayden Martinez
I Rode my Bike to the Park
I go to a nearby park
While i ride my bike
And as i pass by the dogs bark
It’s truly what i don’t like
Scared but i don’t fall off
Third Place: Truc Nguyen
School
L is for learn.
E is for equation.
A is for alphabetical.
R is for read
N is for notice
Great poems all you poets. Stay tuned for more winning poems this week and onward.
Poetry for Mom – Wherever She is – on Mother’s Day
By Riley, ACE Poetry Contest Mascot, helped by Martha who kept banging away at the keyboard. Arf. Patience Martha
Riley here. Celebrating!
Being a dog, I don’t really know where my mother is. She was obviously great because I’m handsome, smart, usually follow directions and my owner, John and his family, love me. I’ve been hanging with them for 15 years now and they think I’m pretty special.
So, my mom must have been great. Thanks Mom.
Many moms are great, but we need to tell them that, so humans created Mother’s Days throughout the world. This Sunday, May 9, is the US Mother’s Day. I suspect many of the students at Alpha Public Schools, Oakland International High School and San Francisco International High School will be hugging their moms this weekend and giving them treats. Treats for Moms are like flowers or candy or taking her out to lunch or dinner.
Perhaps a better treat is just telling your mom that you love and appreciate her. There’s no better way to do that than with a poem. There are lots of them out there, but I like this one because we don’t always give enough credit to moms for their constant work of making good persons out of their kids.
My Mother Kept a Garden
Author Unknown
My Mother kept a garden,
a garden of the heart,
She planted all the good things
that gave my life it’s start.
She turned me to the sunshine
and encouraged me to dream,
Fostering and nurturing
the seeds of self-esteem…
And when the winds and rain came,
she protected me enough-
But not too much because she knew
I’d need to stand up strong and tough.
Her constant good example
always taught me right from wrong-
Markers for my pathway
that will last a lifetime long.
I am my Mother’s garden.
I am her legacy-
And I hope today she feels the love
reflected back from me.
Happy Mother’s Day everyone. Winning poets are due to be shared next week, so be patient. Mom would be.
Radio Journalists’ Responsibility is to Bring Listeners into the Room and the KALW Audio Academy Delivers
By Ben Trefny, News Director, KALW and Annelise Finney, KALW Audio Academy Fellow ‘21
This week’s blog post is dedicated to work from Audio Academy Fellow Annelise Finney.
Over the past few weeks, her training has brought her back to making quick turnaround news spots, largely around emergency services and the justice system. Here are a few examples:
Sonoma County Starts New Programs To Prepare For Fire Season
Oakland Is Seeking New Applicants For The Police Commission
Then last week, she made this one about the release of an Alameda Police Department bodycam video of the officer-involved death of Mario Gonzalez:
Alameda Police Release Body Camera Video Of Mario Gonzalez’s Death
That story deeply affected me, and I decided it would be valuable for our audience to provide an analysis of that tragedy. With Annelise’s help, I conducted this Q and A with Hana Baba:
Breaking Down The Police Video Of Mario Gonzalez’ Death
Having the opportunity to inform the public about critical issues is one of the privileges and duties of being a journalist. It’s something that Annelise recognizes, and she’s tapping into her background as a criminal defense investigator to provide depth and nuance to her stories.
Here’s a feature she made late last month:
How Remote Court Has Led To A Rise In Population At One County Jail
And here are Annelise’s thoughts about her work with KALW’s news department in the Audio Academy:
Annelise Finney, Audio Academy ’21
While I was reporting a story about the rising number of people held at Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County, I spent some time petitioning the Alameda Court to allow me to record their arraignment proceedings. Arraignments happen nearly every day in a criminal court system and are the place where people who were arrested over the past 48 hours have the charges against them presented to a judge. They meet their defense attorney and are given the opportunity to state whether they are guilty or not guilty and request bail. It’s the first stop for anyone about to enter the criminal justice system. Arraignments are open to the public, but typically the audience isn’t allowed to record what’s going on. Members of the media can request special permission to record and the judge presiding over the courtroom has full discretion to allow or deny the request. I made my first request and received a one-line response” “The media request you have submitted has been denied.” I reworded my request and applied to a different courtroom. Again, my request was denied. I asked for the justification for the denial and was given none.
There are many reasons a judge might deny a recording request — it’s not in the best interest of people accused of crimes to have their names and the charges against them broadcast across the county — but it did make me wonder what “public proceedings” really means. Is it truly public if you have to be present at the moment something happens to see it? Or is that only “public” for people with the privilege of free time to attend? During the pandemic, journalists and regular people have had more access to government meetings than ever before. Where going to a school board meeting used to mean traveling to the meeting location to sit or stand, if the room was crowded, for hours until your item was called, now we can tune in online from the comfort of our homes, while making dinner dressed in our pajamas. But even then, not everyone can make it. The reason journalists ask to record these meetings is because we know that hearing our elected officials statements ourselves rather than a talking head paraphrasing them later on, is more compelling. Bearing personal witness in this way activates involvement. This is why Darnella Frazier’s video recording of George Floyd’s murder sparked a rebellion. For a year now, more people have had more accessible ways to see for themselves how the sausage of our democracy is made. But without accessible recordings, it’s not enough.
The Audio Academy has taught me that, among other things, it’s the radio journalists’ responsibility to bring listeners into the room, metaphorical or literal, where decisions are made. We pull back the curtain on why people make the decisions they do, and why our world is the way it is. And by unveiling the cogs in the machines we illuminate possible paths to change. This is why I applied for permission to record arraignments and why, when I was denied, I applied again. Most governmental proceedings should be public and when they are public, they should be allowed to be recorded and broadcast. Without that permission, the promise of transparency provided by “public” meetings becomes hollow.