A WORD FROM J. GOMEZZZZZZ

                                                                                    Well what can I say alot has happened over the past 3 months. One very important event that happened in my life was that I got married!   What, What….LOL!!!   Yup, Yup I’m married and so far its been pretty exciting. We went on our Honeymoon and we had a blast in Cancun.  It was really amazing. But I’m not going to talk about me or my relationship, just a couple of hours ago I was at a Teen summit and wow let me tell you it was great.   There were many different speakers and they all touched on different topics ranging from Teen Dating violence to underage drinking and my favorite STD’s!!! JK!!!!   Honestly though my favorite speaker was a mother who was a volunteer for M.A.D.D ( Mothers Against Drunk Driving.) Her name was Joan Brewer and she dropped it like its hot.   She started by showing a video from 1999…( Yeah I know 1999…. OLD) but what that video showed was the most shocking thing I’ve ever seen, Yeah we all know its not good to drink and drive, but many of us know people who still do this and we can prevent our friends or family members from getting behing the wheel and causing a horrific accident that can lead to them being dead or even behind bars. As the 1999 video started playing it showed a beautiful young lady from Venezuela who came to the states to learn english.   It also showed a 20 year old football player who didn’t know each other but because the 20 year boy was drinking and none of his buddies took his keys away his life would be changed forever.   It was a late night and the Boy was driving and he crossed the center divider on the freeway colliding  with the young ladies car who had 2 other passengers in her car.  2 passengers died and she had 3rd degree burns allover her body and loss her nose, fingers, ears and was basically deformed.  I was shocked to see this women it was crazy. But Joan continue telling the story of her son who died too from driving under the influence at the age of 22.  You could really feel her sorrow as she spoke about the death of her child and it was by far one of the most impactful personal stories I’ve ever heard.  At first I didn’t know how to react, but I guess what I’m trying to say to you is if you know of anyone who drinks and drive take their keys away or drive them home.   You can save a life by doing something that small. All in all a split second can change your life so Don’t drink and Drive!!!

Peace,

Jimmy Gomez                                                               

THINK ABOUT IT!

High School is filled with different stresses. From homework to school dances, many things pop throughout the school year. But one thing that is not mentioned enough when it comes to high school is cliques.   I am sure you know them: the cheerleaders, the jocks, the nerds, the band kids, the drama kids etc… Students make assumptions of other people based on these cliques.  However, most of these assumptions are wrong. The fact is that almost all of  high school students are going through the exact same thing.   Most high school students have the same fears and drama. But very few students leave their comfort zone and share their experiences with one another.    As a result, high school students interact with their small group of friends and never really talk about what is on their minds. 

     I usually don’t pay attention to MTV ever since they stopped playing music videos, but recently they have been coming up with some good programs. (Minus the Jersey Shore, I am tired of Snooki and the Situation.) Shows about teen issues like “Teen Mom” and “The Buried Life” have become popular on MTV over the years. The newest program to hit the airways is “If You Really Knew Me”.  This show takes place in various high schools around the country to try to break down the social cliques.   First, the high schoolers participating in Challenge Day play group activity games designed to have everyone interact with each other.   After, the counselors break up the students into small groups and are invited to share problems in their lives that nobody knows about them. It is a powerful group session that allows students to see each other for who they really are instead of whatever clique they are apart of.  The most interesting aspect of this show is the line of equity.   Questions are asked by the counselors and students walk across the line if the question relates to their life. One example question is if students were raised by a single parent they should cross the line.   Students are able to see and relate to each other forming bonds they never would have in the past.

　High school students need to realize that they have more in common to eachother than they think. Every student has problems that they need to work out. But more importantly, students need to understand that they are not only one dealing with the problem. High school students need to get to know someone rather than labeling people based on their social group. Breaking down the clique barriers will lead to a more harmonious school.

Ruben Dominguez

PTW Los Angeles