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Torrance 9.20.12

Page 2 September 20 , 2012 TORRANCE TRIBUNE A Student’s Perspective Community Briefs Why Must Differences Separate People? Volunteers needed to teach Free Prostate cancer english, reading skills lecture By Glen Abalayan, was a rarity for a student to be from another Volunteers needed to teach English as a “Prostate Disease: Demystifying PSA and Torrance High School Student country. But a countless number of group Second Language to non-English speakers and Prostate Cancer.” That’s the title of a lecture My current alma mater, Torrance High projects and recesses have taught me that reading skills to slow-readers. No previous by urologist Timothy Lesser, M.D., on staff at School, boasts a quality that most public biological and innate differences of people experience is necessary. Training will be Providence Little Company of Mary Medical schools possess--the aspect of cultural diversity do not change the way one views another. provided. The South Bay Literacy Council Center. There’s so much in the news recently in every classroom. Inside each room is a Perhaps to truly view how humanity should is a non-profit organization dedicated to about the treatment of prostate cancer. Dr. Lesser fair mix of students with different ethnicities, react to individual differences is through what my teaching adults to speak, read, and write will explain the Prostate-Specific Antigen test, religions, sexual orientations and political English teacher, Mr. Bostwick, says: Tthrough English effectively in order to better function diagnosis and treatment options and answer views than their neighbors. In fact, something a child’s eyes.” In his brief but effective talk in today’s complex society. Please attend an questions from the audience. The event will which the heads of such institutions should about differences last year, he made the clever informational meeting at Katy Geissert Civic take place at Manhattan Beach Marriott, located be proud of is how seamlessly classes are point of showing how a child does not care Library, 3301 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, on at 1400 Parkview Ave. in Manhattan Beach. run in such a dynamic student body. what color or ethnicity another child is, as long Thursday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Call 310-373-7003 For more information, interested persons may This reality was once the dream of many as the other child can be the child’s playmate. for information. contact 1-888-432-5464. • Asian, African and Latino students who lived But yet some individuals insist that their way during rise of the civil rights movements. is right and are disgruntled once they encounter During that period, tolerating a neighbor’s someone who has different views. So naïve West High from front page beliefs was considered as a willful act of in their nature are these individuals that they defiance against the social norm and would would even resort to physical and emotional Fling’ in the spring time and it has been really close because of the consistency of even entice violent behavior onto the supporter. harm to prove that their way is right and the ongoing at the school for at least 30 years teachers, directors of programs and the kids Toleration and acceptance used to directly others are wrong. In school, these individuals and we are recreating that for alumni to and their parents graduating from the same translate to being shunned by one’s peers. In the would be considered as bullies, or jerks in the come back to it. Another thing we are doing high school.” gradual transformation into a more accepting workplace. This behavior is similar to how in student government and student activities West High prides itself in the consistency community, the celebration of diversity in young children would fight over someone who is putting the archives together and putting of their programs and personnel which classrooms has gone a long way from a time “would not play with them.” Some individuals together a school history for each decade include only three directors in the history when “white” students wouldn’t be socially have even sent innocent souls into wars for to be displayed in the archives.” of the band, three directors for the drill allowed to converse with “colored men.” their ignorance in accepting diversity. Organizing the event has been a two- team that has been around since 1964 Today, the act of coexisting with each other Why must people continue to put their year-long effort that has included students, and a choir that has only relied on two is gradually becoming a more common practice. differences in front of the common good? alumni, retired faculty and the West High directors over a span of 48 years. It seems that every new generation of students What makes individuals’ dissimilar views so 50th Anniversary Planning Committee. “It has been very interesting to see the graduating from high school possesses an important that they cause people to start disputes Saturday’s events will wrap up with the number of people that have come out and equal, if not greater, respect of the differences and nations to go to war? These questions can 50th Golden Anniversary Banquet at 5:30 have demonstrated how much the school that characterize every individual. As the past only be answered once the problems correlating p.m. followed by the Decades of Warriors has meant to them over the years,” Eagan, generations mature, coexisting with different to these questions are solved. For the thousands Celebration Party at 6:30 p.m. who taught and coached at West before peers is now becoming more common in of years that humanity has dwelled upon this “It is pretty exciting--that is why I have working himself up to Assistant Principal workplaces, where each worker is exposed to earth, it is quite disheartening for people to been putting in a lot of time and effort in and eventually Principal, said. “We have an even more diverse environment. Perhaps remain primitive in their ways of dealing with gathering the stuff that we are going to be seen alumni as far back as 30 years ago humans have learned to not fight over petty those with opposing views. People need to displaying and all the memorabilia,” Eriksen that are getting very involved with the differences once they are placed in a situation set their minds into more important matters said. “We have drill team costumes from planning of the event as well as retired that relies heavily on working together. than naively criticizing another’s different almost every decade--things that the school faculty who were here to mentor me when I have come to a similar realization when beliefs and views. has had in storage. I have been digging I started. Seeing them return after being I was placed into my first class in the United Maybe the answer to this problem to this out and digging hard, pulling it out so that gone for more than a decade has helped States. As an immigrant from the Philippines, persistent problem is simple and perhaps other people can see it and go through the make this a special weekend and series it was surprising to encounter such a diverse my English teacher was right. Perhaps history of the school.” of events.” group of individuals inside one classroom. humans should begin viewing the differences The celebration not only commemorates Eriksen herself is a West High graduate, as When I was at school in my homeland, between people in all its humanity “through a milestone number, but it also allows are her four siblings. Three of her siblings everyone came from the same area and it a child’s eyes.” Torrance residents to reconnect and celebrate also had their kids attend West High, so as a community. Many of the teachers and for her the celebration definitely has a “True teachers are those who use themselves as bridges faculty at West High are from Torrance and very personal meaning. “There are still the general South Bay area. There are also some details that need to be taken care of over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their many current and retired staff and faculty that might come down to the last minute,” crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create their own.” that attended West High, giving the event Eriksen said. “Some people are still mailing a very personal touch. letters and jackets. We really are trying to ~ Nikos Kazantzakis “In addition, we have some staff that has display the history of the school and the cost been working here for many, many years. of that is that it is very time-consuming. We keep people around for a long time,” Once that is set up, we will definitely be Eriksen said. “There are several West High ready for the festivities.” families, including my own, whose entire Egan added, “In a lot of ways I feel as State of is very interesting when you look at the been Principal for six years, so I feel that Iif I have grown up here because I was astudent-teacher here about 16 years ago andI taught for a number of years. I have nowfamilies attended West and then many oftheir kids also go to West. A lot of familieshave married other West High families. It Cha-Ching. to celebrate the 50th birthday. It does feel event all the way around.” •know the school well and I feel that it hasbeen part of my life. It is definitely a bigevent for me personally. It is a meaningfulfamilies and look at the names. 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Torrance 9.20.12
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