U-City Students Show Well At Science Fair!!

22 March 2011 by Jag Times Staff Writer

University City should be very proud of Patience Carter, Charles Showell and Zerek Williams who par-ticipated in the 32nd annual George Washington Carver Science Fair which took place on Temple University‟s Main Campus on Wednesday March 8th. These students, who spent months working diligently on their experi-ments, stood at their poster exhibits for many hours explaining the work they did and answering questions by a great number of judges. The competition from students representing over 100 public and private schools was fierce but UC managed to walk away with three awards. Charles Showell won honorable mention in the High School Earth Science category for the work he did on the differences in the growth of crystals on various rock surfaces. He received an addi-tional award and telescope from the School District of Philadelphia for the combination of math and science work he did in a science fair pro-ject. Zerek Williams won honorable mention for his work that involved the activity patterns of ants.
Patience Carter‟s project involved the effects of caffeine on Planaria (a type of worm). The category she was entered in was one of the most competitive in the fair. Each of these students has expressed interest in competing in next year‟s fair. In addition to the experience these students have gained from carrying out a rigorously conducted experiment and attending the fair, they also are now highly eligible for several science related and paid internships with Penn University this summer. Also attending the fair were teachers Ms. Buali, Ms. Sible, Mr. Brown, and Mr. Siegel who assisted with judging. These teachers as well as others at UC are already talking to our contacts at the University of Pennsylvania about next year‟s event in which we hope to have many more UC partici-pants. There is also talk of a sci-ence fair of our own for next year. So stay tuned.....

Urban Nutrition Initiative: Helping UCPA Students and Neighbors to Eat Healthy!

21 March 11 by Abul Jubaid (STEM)

Urban Nutrition Initiative or UNI. This is a program that teaches students about how to raise and prepare food while earning money. UNI helps students to learn how to grow food and also how to cook and can food so that it has the greatest nutritional value. UNI operates throughout the area but they have a very spe-cial project close to home for UC students: behind our building is a UNI ¼ acre garden maintained by us!
UNI has two kinds of activity for students. One of them helps students learn how to grow food in the garden. Students will soon prepare the garden for spring planting and are responsible for growing a variety of seasonal vegetables. In addition, students learn how to operate a business when they bring the produce they raise to the Clark Park Farmers‟ Market each Saturday. Proceeds from these sales go to pay students for their time.
Working in UNI gives students a chance to meet with lots of students from U PENN and as well as students from West Philadel-phia High school and Sayre High school. This is a program that „s just getting underway! They will start in April 2011 for this spring. If any you are interested in working on this project talk to our Student Success Center.

Intellectual Thought Of The Month:

21 March 2011 by Pat Downie (Main Office)

On Describing the intricacies of radio signals, Albert Einstein was quoted as saying “Wire Telegraph is a kind of very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles (Fig. 1) Do you understand this? And Radio (fig.2) operates exactly the same way; send signals here , and receive them there. The only difference is there is NO CAT!

U-City Staff working hard even as the sunlight of Spring begins to flood into our building!!

GIRLS SOFTBALL

12 March 2011 by Jag Staff Writer

Interview with Briana Gordon, this season‟s Catcher and Center Fielder:

Ms. Gordon is excited about the first game of the season today against Ben Franklin High School. She is happy that Ms. Rebecca Moore is the coach and she is seeing the team “work to-gether and have fun!” Some of the other starters on the team include Fatima Jewett at Pitcher, and Tiffany Lee at Second Base. They have been practicing every day and even on Sat-urdays to get ready for this season, and are going to have a real challenge in some of the teams on the schedule. “West and Dobbins are a couple of the schools that will be hard to beat, but we will be working as a team and communicating our best to be victori-ous” said Briana. She also men-tioned that it is hard to avoid the dis-tractions of Springtime, cell phones, friends, and school issues. Good Luck Today and for the rest of the season!!

GIRLS SOCCER

U-City Lady Jaguar Soccer Update:

25 March 2011 by Jag Times Staff

The University City Girls Soccer team has been practicing hard everyday in preparation for their first game at University City HS against Martin
Luther King HS on Tuesday, March 29th. This is the first time in many years that University City has had a girl's soccer team and they are looking to have a very successful season. The girls team has been working with the University of Pennsylvania's Women's Varsity team every week to develop their skills and learn about what it means to be a college athlete. As many as seven U-Penn players have come out to support the team!!
They have also been working with the urban nutrition initiative alongside U-Penn to work on sports nutrition with the girls. They receive a weekly lesson and healthy snacks each week to de-velop their nutrition knowledge as they develop their soccer skills. Please come out to the field on Tuesday, March 29th to support the team in their first home game.

"ESOL - MAKING A DIFFERENCE"

03 March 2011 by Manoara “Bobbie” Begum and Jannatul Ferdous (STEM)

ESOL - English Speakers of Other Lan-guages is a program at UC that helps new Americans learn how to communicate in America. Many ESOL students speak more than one language but one of them just isn‟t English!
A big part of ESOL is learning how to under-stand and properly use American expressions. For example, a recent assignment asked ESOL students to learn persuasive tech-niques. This is particularly challenging be-cause the terms don‟t really describe the ac-tivity but have come to mean or represent that activity.
For example, what does it mean to get people on a bandwagon? Well, as a persuasive tech-nique it means to make people think that “everyone‟s doing it.” Sometimes facing terms like that leave an English Language Learner wondering just where the band or the wagon is! Practicing in ESOL with the help of Ms. DaSilva, students have the opportunity to learn the nuance of these terms and be-come better English speakers.

Mr. David Tuck - A Story Of Survival

Holocaust Survivor and World War II Soldiers Tell The
Real Story Of Survival and Liberation To U-City Students

18 March 2011 by Jag Times Staff Writer
Perspective can be the most important part of listening with empathy. Students in our Arts & Humanities Academy got a first-hand account from a survivor of the Holocaust in Germany during World War II. Mr. David Tuck told how he was awakened to German voices on the radio as a 12-year-old. He was sent with his family to the Lodz Ghetto for a brief time before being sent to Posen, a labor camp where he worked as a mechanic and survived on meager rations of bread, coffee, and a watery soup. He was a worker who tried not to call attention to himself as others were beaten, brutal-ized and killed. He related his story of being transferred to the infamous Death Camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau and how he was forced to remove valuables from corpses and grave-sites. He also worked in a cannon factory. He subsisted on very little food and when the camp was closed he was shipped to Mauthausen to work on German aircraft parts. During the transfer he was able to survive by scooping snow from outside the train “cattle car” with a piece of his torn shirt. It was here that he described a time when he had scrounged some bread and it was hidden in a drawer. When the guards discovered it, he thought they would execute him. It was one of the scari-est events of his imprisonment. He was witness to many deaths due to violence, disease, mal-nourishment, or abuse. When he was finally liberated he weighed only 78 pounds. His story, and the stories of the American soldiers from Fogelson-Young Post No. 697 Jewish War Veterans who joined Mr. Tuck during yesterday’s presentation were a haunting re-minder of the events of the Second World War. Our students were awestruck at the presentation and descriptions of the pictures and accounts from the concentration camps that were shown during the event. One of the most poignant statements made by CDR Jerry Goldstein (Post 697 Former Com-mander) was that our student’s generation will be the “last generation to have access to first-person accounts of the trag-edy of the Second World War”. With the recent death of America’s last surviving soldier from WWI, we should be re-minded that the “Greatest Generation” is slowly following them into the history books. Our students should be encour-aged to seek out information on WWII from the victims and soldiers who were there NOW while they are still alive. Mr. Tuck remarked that the reason he is alive today is because his “will to live was greater than the pain he endured then.” He begged them to stay in school and do their best in life. Hope-fully our students will see his perspective and appreciate their lives a little more. Many thanks to Mr. Tuck for his story!

U-City Music Program Takes Center Stage For MLK Day!!

03 March 2011 by Jag Times Staff

On March 3rd, University City High School Promise Academy presented a con-cert program that featured music, poetry, and dance performances celebrating the history and heritage of African-Americans. The program featured performances by the Chorale, the Instrumental ensemble, the Drum Line, and poets from our talented student body. The choir performed several patriotic and spiritual selections including, "The Star-Spangled Banner", "Lift Every Voice", "Amazing Grace", "Precious Lord", and "Respect", which featured a vocal solo by 11th grader, Kevin Anderson.
The instrumentalists performed along with the choir on “The Star-Spangled Ban-ner” and “Respect”. Presenting their efforts were Jeffrey Daniels, and Kenneth Owens, alto saxophone, Janice Petty, flute, Jerrelle McCullough, baritone horn, and Matthew Gilliam, trumpet.
The poetry club was represented by Mek-kah Granger, 9th grade, who read "I Have a Dream" by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and "Girl" by Langston Hughes. Sayonne Ward, 12th grade, read the lyrics to the song "Ain't Misbehavin'" by "Fats" Waller. Tempest Tobie, 11th grade, read the lyrics to the song "I Shot the Sheriff" by the immortal Bob Marley.
University City High School Promise Academy students know that hard work pays off and they should feel proud of their accomplishments. Great job Jaguars!

U-City Students Run Philly Style!

12 March 2011 by Jag Staff Writer

This past Saturday, three students from University City made the trek to Girl’s High. For What? The Students Run Philly Style kick-off of course! Kenny Owens and Mauricia Massey are two of Univer-sity City’s runners, while Phil Moore runs with his community. At the kick-off students participated in team-building exercises, a brief run, and of course – SNACKS!
If you haven’t heard, Students Run is one of the best programs in the city. It helps students gain a better sense of self and appreciation of the sport of running. Through the pro-gram you can also get... FREE SNEAKERS!
We are always looking for new runners! Please see Miss Sweinhart in NGA Room 208 for details!

Uni Goes Green!!

10 March 2011 by T. Freeman (NGA) Title by L. McNear (NGA)

The 9th grade academy, along with Peer Group Connections (PGC), are fixing up the greenhouse on the third floor of Uni-versity City Promise Academy. Just a month ago the greenhouse was in sham-bles. There was glass and dirt on the floor, dead plants and broken win-dows. But in just a few weeks, the dirt, dust, and debris has been swept up; the broken glass has been removed; and we planted new seeds to replace the dead and decaying plants. In the coming months, every Saturday, the ninth grad-ers will be working to plant fruit and vegetables that will ultimately be do-nated to gardens around the city. This project will not only benefit the students of University City Promise Academy, but it also provide fresh and healthy food options for the people of Philadel-phia and work to promote the benefits of proper nutrition in the city. If you would like to join in this most important cause, please contact a member of PGC today!

$70-Billion Dollars in Financial Aid For Students!!

70-Billion Dollars in Financial Aid For
College-Bound Students!!

Dr. Stephen Jones Speaks To U-City Students!
05 March 11 by Christine Stone (A&H)

On Saturday, March 5th our school hosted a guest speaker from Villanova University. Dr. Stephen Jones talked about engineering, making new inventions, and the process it takes to make and market new inventions. Also, Dr. Jones was promoting education. He wanted to let us know that there are over 70-Billion-Dollars available in scholarship money every year from several sources. One of these sources in local universities them-selves.
Dr. Jones is a graduate of University City High School’s Class of 1977. He went on to earn two Masters Degrees and a PhD. In his current po-sition he oversees the instruction and curriculum program at Villanova and he is the Dean of the En-gineering Department.
The students were engaged, during his presentation, in a Business Creation Exercise. They worked together to come up with a product or ser-vice. They also made a list of ten things that were new inventions in their lifetimes. Some of the stu-dents even came up with their own ideas and inven-tions. Despite the chatter of some students, others came up with brilliant ideas and terrific questions. For example, Taalibah Chamblis came up with the idea of a touch screen table that would be compati-ble with a laptop. In conclusion, engineering and inventions are important in today’s society because everyone depends on them!!

Sports Update for March 4th, 2011

UCity Students Move On To Eastern Pennsylvania Bowling Championship!!
Randall Moody and Na-thaniel Coston will be competing today against the best bowlers in Eastern Pa. Wish them the best of luck when you see them!!

Other Updates

Spring Sports Are Upon Us!!
(Student Quotes)
“Volleyball will be our strongest sport this spring. Since last year was our first year as a team, we will practice harder and finish better this year!!” -P. Grantham (STEM)

“Softball is the best because I am on the team.”
- F. Jewett (STEM)

“Our Track & Field Team will dominate the 4x400, 4x800, and most sprints from 100-800 meters!!” - R. Moody (STEM)

Cheerleaders Before the PSSA PREP RALLY!!

Photo retouched using "www.befunky.com"

PSA Alumni Speak To Our Students:

03 March 2011 by Jag Times Staff
Last week representatives and alumni from Penn State came to room 120 to talk about their arts and architecture programs with UCHS students. Stu-dents learned about various majors in art, portfolio preparation, academic requirements and campus life at state college.

Chinese 360 Connection!!

02 March 2011 by Jag Times Staff
Ten Lucky NGA Students, and other Selected Students from our Mandarin Language classes will be learning LIVE (Video Conferenc-ing) with a teacher from Beijing. They will also be learning at the same time as students from other schools throughout Philadelphia!!

VIOLENCE IS DISTRACTING!!

Violence is distracting students from getting their education!!
03 March 2011 by D.Weadon (NGA)
The NGA students say they are tired of the fights they see. An NGA student says “that fighting over something dumb is never the right option to be successful.” What can we do to stop this vio-lence?
In a recent report on school vio-lence, “Widening the Circle of Our Concern: Public Perceptions of the School District of Philadel-phia's Response to Intergroup Conflicts," says that “many Dis-trict students acted as Agents of Change in reducing violence.” We need your help!! How can you and I be agents of change? We are asking you to tell us how your making a change!! Send your stories of how you are mak-ing a difference here and we will print them!! Thank You!!

PSSA "PREP" RALLY: Teach Me How To Dougie!!

02 March 11 by Jag Times Staff
WOW, what a performance!! Teachers, Students, everyone doing the ‘Dougie’ to get motivated to do their best on the PSSA Tests that will be administered to our Junior Class next week!! Mr. Young ‘broke it down’ and got the loudest reac-tion from the students attending yester-day’s ‘Prep Rally’, but other honorable mentions included Ms. Delong, Ms. Mor-ris, Ms. Dixon, and Ms. Evans!! This reporter would have to award the overall trophy to the student team, but fun was had by all!! Our juniors have been learn-ing about how a good breakfast, remain-ing calm, and memorizing test-taking strategies will go a long way to getting successful scores on the PSSA Tests. Our administrators, teachers, staff,
students, and everyone else in the Uni-versity City Promise Academy Family wish them the best of luck next week!!

Student Success Center...Helping Us Get A Great Start!!

03 March 2011 by J. Kimp (STEM)
The SSC is a great place to find out about internships. Internships can help you get experience in your field, and supply experience that can help you when you apply to colleges or when you look for a job. There were 40 slots that have closed since early January, but summer openings are rolling in."Law firms, health centers and even engineer-ing firms are just a few places available” said Ms. Morgan. She also told me that there are 56 open slots for Juniors and over 70 for Seniors that are open to stu-dents who are in are city. For more in-formation, guys and gals, go see Ms. Berry and Ms Morgan down in the SSC and get ready to work hard while you get that money and experience!!

Grand Trip To See Grand Hank!!

03 March 2011 by K. Jones, D. Jeffries, S. Bonner, & R. Clark (Rm 21)
Students from University City Promise Academy went to see the Grand Hank Science Show on Saturday, February 26. Students and teachers went by school bus from West Philadelphia to Mt. Airy. It took a long time to get there, because the bus driver was lost.
The Grand Hank studio was one large room. In the front of the room was a stage. Grand Hank and the DJ were on the stage. We liked the music that the DJ played. We had to say, “DJ, HIT THAT BEAT! for him to play rap music.
Grand Hank taught us that roaches run when they hear your footsteps, not because of light. He lit a stick and put it in a bottle to show implosion. Grand Hank had a girl put her hand in a bowl of white liquid. When she took her hand out he wiped her hand on paper. The paper had her handprint with blood on it. Grand hank taught us about African American scientists and inventors. He told us about the light bulb, computers, and the traffic light.
Grand Hank told us that he and his wife graduated from Uni-versity City High School. He worked as a scientist. He invented the liquid to take your blood. Now he is a rich man.