The Worthington ALC Insider
Volume 1, Issue 6 December 19, 2003
Senior Volunteers help out at ALC By Joyce Ebbers, Senior Volunteer I became interested in the Foster Grandparent program through an ad in the Worthington Daily Globe. I started as a volunteer in the ALC program at Prairie Lakes five years ago. Over the years I have worked with many students of different nationalities. I have a son-in-law from Puerto Rico who did not speak English when I met him so, I knew some of the problems immigrants encounter. He learned English while learning the carpentry trade from a caring teacher at Jackson Vocational School, as well as speaking it with us. Traveling in different countries also made me aware of the problems of immigrants who do not speak English. Learning the money system of another country is very important. Learning another language is challenging and difficult. I have tried learning Spanish and still can speak very little. It is not only hard to learn another language, but one must also learn to think in another language. Our words have so many meanings. Take for instance the word change – it may mean to change your clothes or it may mean the coins you get back from a dollar. Another example – park – park the car, or play in the park.	Volunteer Joyce Ebbers with students Ajulo Othow and Bekelu Hwase Beside the opportunity to help students, I am able to learn many new things from the capable teachers at the school. Subjects such as Earth Science, Algebra, Humanities, and Social Studies are much more interesting now than when I was in school. The students are friendly, hard working and eager to learn. When I come into the classroom, students get a chair for me so I can sit by them and help them. The students appreciate my help and I look forward to my days at the ALC. I have known Mrs. Ebbers since 2001. She brings warmth and compassion to help students learn English. We have diverse students and they all need individual attention. It would be very difficult for me to help every student learn English without someone like her. ---Sarah Bannister, ALC English teacher

ALC Insider December 19, 2003 Page 2

Illustration by Jon Sieff School “Lockdown” By Zara Nasers On Thursday November 20, the ALC practiced an emergency “lockdown” situation. The lockdown took place after lunch. The purpose of the lockdown was to let students know what to do in the event of a dangerous situation, such as an armed intruder. On October 31 Murray County Central (MCC) High School had a real “lockdown,” because the school was informed that two individuals who were not students threatened one of their students. During the school day of October 31, all the doors at MCC High School were locked, except for the main door. The principal moved to what they call a mini office by the main door so he could observe who was entering. The high school students couldn’t go outside for lunch and the younger kids couldn’t go out to play for recess. Worthington ALC students now know what to expect, and what is expected of them, if they face a similar threat.

War and Peace in Sudan By Chol Opiew The Sudanese civil war started when the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) took up arms to fight for self-determination in the southern part of the country in 1983. The Sudanese government and the SPLA began peace talks last July in Kenya, to end the longest civil war on the continent. The talks were held under the authority of the Inter-Government Authority on Development (IGAD), representing seven countries in East Africa. Sudanese government and SPLA rebels hope to reach a final agreement before December 19, 2003 to end the 20-year civil war. The Sudanese government and the southern-based SPLA have been negotiating for two years in Kenya. Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman Taha and Mr. John Garang, leader of the SPLA, were offering some finals proposals. President George W. Bush has invited Sudan’s President Omar Ali-Beshir to sign a final peace agreement with the country’s Southern rebels in Washington.

ALC Insider December 19, 2003 Page 3

Wintertime safe-driving tips By Troy Lang When driving on ice or snow, remember these tips: · Bridges and overpasses freeze first. Slow down and avoid sudden changes in speed or direction, before getting to the bridge. · Keep windows clear of snow and ice. · Keep both hands on the wheel and be sure not to lose control. · Keep your speed steady and slow. In deeper snow, it's often necessary to use the car's momentum to keep moving. · Use brakes cautiously. Abrupt braking can cause brake lock-up, which causes you to lose steering control. Anti-lock brakes are designed to overcome a loss of steering control. To make anti-lock brakes work correctly, you should apply a constant, slow pressure to the pedal. During an emergency stop, push the brake pedal all the way to the floor, even in wet or icy conditions. If you get stuck in snow, straighten the wheels and accelerate slowly. Avoid spinning the tires. Stay to the right of the roadway. Turn on your headlights -- day or night -- to low beam. If you can't see the road's edge, pull off on the right -- well out of the traffic lane -- and turn on the emergency flashers

Is Minnesota Forestry Due for a Change? By Jason Paplow Timber harvest and other forest management activities on state forests and wildlife management areas are expected to be certified by independent auditors by December 2005. Under the direction of DNR Commissioner, the Division of Forestry is moving ahead with plans to have the state’s commercial forest lands dually certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. With this certification, they hope people will trust that they are doing good forestry management. Major consumers of forest products say they will purchase raw materials only from certified dealers. They hope the DNR will become certified for easier purchasing. The DNR hopes to get money to become certified from private foundations. The projected cost will be around $120,000 to $150,000.

ALC Insider December 19, 2003 page 4

v We’re both good friends v We both started at the ALC last year v We both have black hair v One of us has a relative that attends school here v One of us is taller then the other v One of us is Hispanic v One of us is older then the other E-mail your answers to ray.lowry@isd518.net. The first correct answer wins a lump of coal. Congratulations to Tammy Jimenez for guessing the identity of Liz Deleon, the ALC Mystery Person from issue #4. Illustration by Manuel Garcia

Got cell-phone? By Sirjio BlueArm A young 19 year-old woman was sitting at a stoplight about to call a friend on her cell-phone when the light changed. As she drove off, she was forced over the curve by another car. The driver of the second vehicle, 77 year-old David W. Knight, was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment on September 25^th. Knight state that he was “prejudiced against people who talk on cell phones while driving.” He admitted to swerving his car sharply to the right, forcing the other car off the road. No court date has been set at this time. One wonders about all those teachers who get so upset over student cell phone use. Could they, along with Mr. Knight, be experiencing “cell-phone rage”?

The Insider December 19, 2003 Page 5

The capture of Saddam By Crystal Melendez Saturday, December 13^th, was a truly momentous night for U.S. goals in Iraq, because, in case you have been living underneath a rock, the "butcher of Baghdad" Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. troops.      However, the capture is not as astonishing as the living conditions that Saddam had maintained since going into hiding.  The tyranical dictator, the radical military figure, the madman murderer who had managed to strike fear in the hearts of countless Iraqi people during his twenty-year reign, was reduced to living in a sand hole - one with no toilet, snacks and food laying on the floor in scatterbrained fashion, and one small cot.  The man who possessed countless mansions throughout his country while his people starved in slum conditions was now a sickly man paranoid for his life.      More importantly, this victory is a testament to the will and abilities of the U.S. military.  This is definitely no small feat - finding a man in any random location in a country covered with sand is definitely a mammoth undertaking.  Through great skill, search techniques and interrogation, the tyrant was captured.

This is also, whatever political ideology you may follow, a testament to the will and fortitude of President Bush.  For the better part of a year, he has been constantly under fire from people claiming the war is unnecessary, that there are no weapons of mass destruction, and that Saddam's capture was impossible.  The way I see it: one down, two to go.      More than anything, however, the capture of Saddam is a credit to the American people.  For while some foreign nations thought we would act in a most profane manner by calling for Saddam's immediate lynching (or some equivalent), we have responded in a most dignified manner - not by calling for a humiliating trial in America, but supporting the ideal that Saddam should be tried in his home country by the very people that he tortured for the better part of two decades.

The Insider December 19, 2003 Page 6
EDITORIAL Criticism of ALC is misplaced Certain people within this community are quick to criticize the ALC. In their view, the existence of the ALC is a stain upon District #518 – a school that needs to get its act together. These folks see the ALC only as a problem. If one looks at the big picture, however, it becomes clear that the ALC is actually part of a solution for bigger problems within District 518. Worthington High School had 172 kids walk across the stage and receive diplomas on graduation night of 2003. Seventeen students did not walk across that stage. Two died tragically in a car accident, and another two transferred to the ALC. That means that thirteen students fell by the wayside. Discounting the deaths and transfers, Worthington High School’s graduation rate was a very respectable 93% (172 graduates out of a pool of 185).	However, forty of the students who received their diplomas on graduation night did so after having completed make-up classes at the ALC – either during night school or summer school – sometime during their tenure as Worthington H.S. students. They would not have walked across that stage had the ALC not been here to assist them. If we deduct those forty students from the total, the graduation rate for District 518 would have only been 71% (132 out of 185). Worthington High School would be on the State of Minnesota’s list of under-performing schools if the School Board had not created the ALC program 13 years ago. The ALC is not a problem for the District. It helps help a large percentage of ISD #518 students graduate from high school, and is therefore a solution, or at very least a part of a solution, to a wider problem.
Christmas Word Search By Tiffney Larson Word Bank CHRISTMAS -- BOWS SLED -- PRESENTS GREEN-- MERRY EGGNOG -- TREE GIFT -- PAPER COOKIES – RED ANGEL -- STOCKING ELF -- SNOW

Click here to read back issues of The Insider