Segregation: A thing of the past?

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Daniel Wilson

Note: This is an unedited analysis of a Sacramento Bee article that was posted as a project for an introduction to newswriting and reporting class at Sac City College in 2011. It does not represent my current work as a journalist.  

20081125_charter_school2_33On the front page of The Sacramento Bee on Feb. 17 a story by Melody Gutierrez speaks of something long thought abolished: Segregation. Five new publicly funded charter schools will open in Calif. over the next five years. Separating African-American, Latino and Hmong children from their fellow students would allow educators to focus on the specific needs of these groups who, on average have lower test scores and higher dropout rates than whites and some other Asian groups.

The act of segregating students at these charter schools is legal as long as the school is open to all races and ethnicities. A professor at UCLA, Gary Orfield opposes these types of schools because he says, “To isolate these kids from other races isn’t preparing them for the future.” Orfield also told The Bee that he’d like to see more desegregating of schools in neighborhoods as opposed to further adding to the problem.

Margaret Fortune, the person responsible for getting the five charter schools approved by the Sacramento County Board of Education doesn’t believe it is a form of segregation because she says parents can choose whether to send their children to these types of schools. Fortune describes the charters as being similar to specialized academic programs, like technology and health services and says it’s about preparing low-achieving students for their college careers.

Though the lower scores and the higher drop out rates of these students corroborates in many research and study reports, is it justification enough to deny certain groups the diversity and cultural awareness that racially mixed schools offer? If children don’t learn about and accept the cultures, values, morals and beliefs of other ethnicities, the nation will never truly be free from racial tension. There are better ways of providing extra help to under-performing students than to throw them into a school away from their peers. It seems the educational ship is sinking and what we really should focus on is reforming and improving the system instead of just trying to plug its holes.

Posted in Journalism 300: Newswriting & Reporting (Sac State) | Leave a comment

‘Ease on Down the Road:’ A review of CSUS’s “The Wiz”

Posted on April 24, 2010 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published April 24, 2010

Note: This review was written as a class assignment for an introduction to newswriting and reporting class and published on Sacramento Press. It was not edited.

Sac StateFrom April 8 through April 24, California State University, Sacramento’s Department of Theater and Dance presented William F. Brown’s “The Wiz” for the entire Sacramento community to enjoy.

The play was directed by Melinda Wilson Ramey and choreographed by Linda S. Goodrich and featured the original songs by Charlie Smalls. “The Wiz” is of course the 1978 movie rendition of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and Sac State’s students pulled off the show in a very impressive way.

Perhaps the best part of the show was Timothy Stewart’s portrayal of “The Wiz” himself which was full of comedy and slapstick and really got the audience involved. As he wore the oversize head in the awesome costume and used the fake hands to point in which direction he wanted his chair moved, he eventually got frustrated and stood up to just move around on his own–a moment that got a huge laugh from the audience. Stewart also joked with Dorothy about why she world ever want to leave Emerald City to go back to Sacramento.

Then there was the beautiful rendition of “To Be Able To Feel” performed by Ryan Thomas Blanning, who played the Tin man. And Ashli Fisher, who did an amazing job playing Dorothy belted out a beautiful version of “Be A Lion.”

The Lion and Scarecrow played by Sean Patrick Nill and Michael Blair Smith respectively were also great roles. Their comedic relief was a very popular aspect of the show. The rest of the cast did a tremendous job as well and overall the play was very well-done.

The play also featured several guest appearances from all over the Sacramento community. The Mayor of West Sacramento, Christopher Cabaldon, Good Day Sacramento reporter, Courtney Dempsey and Alexander Gonzalez, president of Sac State were among the list of 12 special guest stars who each played the role of an Emerald City citizen.

As with any performance though, it was not without its flaws. The audio wasn’t the greatest and it was hard to hear the lyrics of songs at times. Some of the quickly-spoken lines in the play were missed as well because of poor delivery. Sac State’s theater is quite small and it felt cramped sitting in the seats for about two and a half hours with only a short fifteen minute intermission. Urias Davis’s portrayal of Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West was comedic and fun but a bit over the top. There also tended to be a little too much going on up on the stage at times.

Overall the play was wonderful though and the crowd involvement as the actors and actresses ran up and down the aisles made the audience feel as if they were a part of the story. This play was definitely worth the money and the hard work, effort, and level of dedication that went into this production were obvious.

“This production of the Wiz is several years in the making,” director, Ramey says in the program for the play. “Thank you for easing on down the road with us to Oz!”

And it was several years well spent as this was a wonderful presentation of “The Wiz.” If you ever have the chance to see a college production of the play in the future, do not hesitate to do so because it truly is a fun experience.

Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Sacramento Press | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

River City gets a face-lift

Posted on September 24, 2003 by Daniel Wilson

Modernization finally complete, plus summer changes

Originally published by The River City Review inside the West Sacramento News-Ledger on Sept. 24, 2003

At the end of last year students left an unfinished school. River City went through many physical and academic changes over the summer, including the addition of a new schedule and the completion of modernization.

According to Mr. Geivett, three trees were torn out because the roots were too big and were sticking out of the ground, which caused a safety hazard. Three new trees were added to the campus in their place and several bushes were added as well. The plan for the newly planted trees is to have raised planter boxes surrounding them.

Many walkways were repaved all over the school and the iron fence surrounding the school was completed. The painting of the school was completed as well as the bus/fire lanes and rooms 1, 2, and 3 being repainted.

Not all changes were physical however; academic changes were also made. All students are now required to pass Algebra 1 and all freshmen are now required to take geography.

Freshman Richard Bayabos said, “I think that geography is easy, not really hard at all. I enjoy it a lot.”

A new bell schedule is in place this year, with school now starting at 8:00 a.m. Sixth period now ends at 2:18 p.m. and 7th period now ends at 3:15 p.m. Mr. Geivett decided to change the schedule with the support of the district office because last year buses ended up getting to R.C. late after 6th and 7th periods because the driver had to pick up Golden State students. Passing periods were extended one minute.

“There were too many students wandering the halls. It was just too crowded,” Geivett said.

Students also started school earlier this year on August 13, but will be getting the two weeks of summer vacation that were lost, back during the year. Thanksgiving break has been extended to a full week this year, and winter break will now be three weeks long. Another week has also been added to spring break, extending it to two weeks. With first semester now ending the week before winter break, the second semester will begin the day students return from break.

The change was made because, “with the old schedule students forgot most of the information taught over the long vacations,” said Geivett.

The new look of the school and the new academic changes will take some time to get used to. “I really think it helped to improve the campus’ appearance and in the long run will improve the academic performance of the students,” said Ms. Woods, R.C.’s Health and Driver’s Education teacher.

This story shared a byline with co-news editor Matt Richardson

Editor’s Note: The Review is a high school publication at River City High School in West Sacramento, Calif., for which Daniel Wilson wrote and edited between 2000-2004. The stories published in this category appear in their original form with the only corrections being removal of hyphens for line breaks and the fixing of typos.

Posted in News, River City Review | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A.J. Academy adds two legal classes

Posted on September 25, 2002 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by The River City Review inside the News-Ledger of West Sacramento on Sept. 25, 2002.

The Administration of Justice/Pre-Law Academy (A.J. Academy) went through some changes over the summer. Previously the Academy included physical education, English, and history classes. The administration has now eliminated this part of the program. This year Mr. O’Connor will teach a criminal law class during the first semester and a civil law class during the second semester. It is too late for the criminal law class but if you are going to need an elective second semester, the civil law class will be available.

Mr. Fonbuena’s A.J. class has also been changed to allow both juniors and seniors this year. Students can earn up to six units through Sacramento City College concurrently with River City credits. Mr. Pina explained that the A.J. Academy needs a larger enrollment as well as community/industry sponsorship similar to Intel’s sponsorship of the Engineering Academy in order to expand the program to learning activities such as field trips. Approximately 40 students were enrolled last year.

Mr. O’Connor and Mr. Pina will also be using this year to plan a new program for the A.J. Academy, which should be available during the 2003-04 school year. It will include an Emergency Services Program, which may include Emergency Medical Technician and Fire Control Technician information.

Editor’s Note: The Review is a high school publication at River City High School in West Sacramento, Calif., for which Daniel Wilson wrote and edited between 2000-2004. The stories published in this category appear in their original form with the only corrections being removal of hyphens for line breaks and the fixing of typos.

Posted in News, River City Review | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Biology and Physiology classes to begin dissections

Posted on February 13, 2002 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by The River City Review inside the West Sacramento News-Ledger on Feb. 13, 2002

Let the dissections begin! Also, let the nasty smells begin. River City High School’s science department will start dissections in February. The biology classes will dissect two vertebrates, a fish and a frog. They will also dissect some invertebrates such as the earthworm, the grasshopper, and the crayfish.

Mr. Medina’s physiology class will dissect a fetal pig, a sheep’s heart, and a sheep’s eyeball. They will compare these specimens with the human anatomy.

Editor’s Note: The Review is a high school publication at River City High School in West Sacramento, Calif., for which Daniel Wilson wrote and edited between 2000-2004. The stories published in this category appear in their original form with the only corrections being removal of hyphens for line breaks and the fixing of typos.

Posted in News, River City Review | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two-story building completed

Posted on February 13, 2002 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by The River City Review inside the West Sacramento News-Ledger on Feb. 13, 2002

Do you remember back in October when The Review reported that the new two-story building would be finished sometime in December? Well, obviously it was not. The new date target was January 24, at least for the interior of the classrooms. On Tuesday January 29, the building was opened for partial use.

The construction crew has opted to use a power generator for electricity in the classrooms of the new building due to the fact that PG&E will be unable to hook up the electricity for awhile. They hope to have PG&E come out to hook up the power by the second week of February. This generator will not have enough power to run the elevator, just the lights and the heating and air. There isn’t even enough power to generate computer usage.

Assignments to the new buildings are only temporary, and another room shift is scheduled in the spring.

Editor’s Note: The Review is a high school publication at River City High School in West Sacramento, Calif., for which Daniel Wilson wrote and edited between 2000-2004. The stories published in this category appear in their original form with the only corrections being removal of hyphens for line breaks and the fixing of typos.

Posted in News, River City Review | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christmas memory a hard subject

Posted on December 5, 2001 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by The River City Review inside the West Sacramento News-Ledger in 2001. Publication date estimated as the actual date is unknown.

My fondest Christmas memory is a hard subject because every year I have been at a different location or with a different person. My parents were divorced when I was about five and I have had Christmas at different places each year.

Last year my mom was forced to work on Christmas day and my sister and I had to stay with the presents taunting us as they lay under the Christmas tree. When she and my dad (he had picked her up from work) finally got there, we got to open our presents and I got one of the coolest presents ever an AIWA CD Player. I’d wanted a portable CD player since I was eight, which was when I started collecting CDs. I was so excited that I listened to it for about five days straight. I had to stop eventually though, because the batteries died and I had to replace them. That may not be my fondest memory but it was definitely something I will remember for a while.

Although I got a very cool present last year, I am looking forward to my present for this year. I have been pretty much begging my mom and dad to get me a Sony Playstation 2 because I want to get the newest WWF game, “Smackdown! Just Bring It.”

Editor’s Note: The Review is a high school publication at River City High School in West Sacramento, Calif., for which Daniel Wilson wrote and edited between 2000-2004. The stories published in this category appear in their original form with the only corrections being removal of hyphens for line breaks and the fixing of typos.

Posted in Opinion, River City Review | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

RC Open House competes with Kings

Posted on May 30, 2001 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by The River City Review inside the West Sacramento News-Ledger on May 30, 2001.

In spite of competing with the Sacramento Kings-LA Lakers playoff game, about 250 people came to River City’s open house, on Wednesday, May 2.

Unfortunately, many didn’t know about it considering it was postponed from the previous Wednesday. In addition, it was during the SAT 9 testing and people were probably too tired to come.

Ms. Doiron stated, “The people that came gave us positive responses and were pleased with it.”

Editor’s Note: The Review is a high school publication at River City High School in West Sacramento, Calif., for which Daniel Wilson wrote and edited between 2000-2004. The stories published in this category appear in their original form with the only corrections being removal of hyphens for line breaks and the fixing of typos.

Posted in News, River City Review | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Science classes begin dissections

Posted on May 2, 2001 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by The River City Review inside the West Sacramento News-Ledger on May 2, 2001.

If you have been walking down the River City halls and have smelled some strange scents, then you are not alone. Everyone else has smelled these disgusting odors, too. The biology and physiology classes have started dissecting again, now that they’ve finished with the plant kingdom. Students will now study invertebrates (animals with no backbone) such as crayfish, grasshoppers and the earthworm.

Also, they will study the vertebrate species (animals with backbones) such as perch, and the grass frog.

“…even though the smell of dissections will eventually fade, the appreciation students have for biology will not.”
~Mr. Logan

The physiology classes have already dissected sheep brains and the eyeballs of sheep and cows. The highlight of this course is the dissection of the fetal pig.

The students will be studying the striking resemblance to the human anatomy. The science department notes that dissections are the most memorable experience in high school for most students. So if you smell some nasty stuff coming out of one of the science rooms, you had better stay clear or you may not like what you smell. Mr. Logan commented, “The hope of the science teachers is that even though the smell of dissections will eventually fade, the appreciation students have for biology will not.”

Editor’s Note: The Review is a high school publication at River City High School in West Sacramento, Calif., for which Daniel Wilson wrote and edited between 2000-2004. The stories published in this category appear in their original form with the only corrections being removal of hyphens for line breaks and the fixing of typos.

Posted in News, River City Review | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Biology classes to dissect frogs; physiology class to virtually dissect fetal pigs

Posted on February 28, 2001 by Daniel Wilson

Originally published by The River City Review inside the West Sacramento News-Ledger on Feb. 28, 2001

Ever wonder what the insides of an animal look like? Well, by the end of the second semester, you may find out.

The science department will soon order specimens for dissecting. Biology classes will be doing earthworms, grasshoppers, crayfish, frogs, and perch.

Some biology classes, however, will be cutting the heads off living flatworms to try to make them grow two heads. Physiology will be dissecting fetal pigs and sheep’s eyeballs. They were originally planning on a pig’s brain as well, but there was not enough money to order them.

Mr. Medina’s physiology class will also be doing the fetal pigs and sheep’s eyeballs virtually on the computer.

Students have varying thoughts about dissecting specimens.

Josh Zonneveld commented, “I don’t care, although it would be kind of nasty to see the intestines and stuff like that and it stinks.”

Ramon Gutierrez said “it’s cruelty to animals.”

Editor’s Note: The Review is a high school publication at River City High School in West Sacramento, Calif., for which Daniel Wilson wrote and edited between 2000-2004. The stories published in this category appear in their original form with the only corrections being removal of hyphens for line breaks and the fixing of typos.

Posted in News, River City Review | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment