Volume IV Issue I March The GRIT

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1 The GRIT John Muir Charter School Pomona CCC In this Issue: The CCC Community Pomona s New CAB My Hometown Survival Tips for the C s & JMCS The C s of Change Encouragement Helps GRIT Staff John Berge; Advisor James Allen; Editor Cynthia Borunda; Editor Devin Freeman; Contributor Jessica Walker; Contributor Commentary/Features What is the CCC Community? The California Conservation Corps community is a program where young individuals reside and work. The program started back in 1976, and it s more efficient and stronger than ever! The C s are famously known for their motto, Hard work, low pay, miserable conditions, and more!. This program is designed to help young individuals succeed in life by making their way up the ladder to lead themselves to a better future. For example, they offer free schooling through John Muir Charter School for those who haven t got their High School Diploma, as well as the California Conservation Corps scholarship and the AmeriCorps scholarship. They also give a lot of training, sometimes even certifications, such as, CPR or First-Aid training, and HAZWOPER certification, etc. All of the experience you can gain out of the California Conservation Corps could open up a lot of opportunities in many different fields of work. The fields of work range from getting into the landscaping field, hazmat field, paramedics field, and even the firefighters field. The C s work for various agencies, including state, federal, city, counties, school districts, nonprofit, organizations, and even private industries all over California. The C s also respond to emergencies and natural disasters and could be called out at any time of need, which they are trained to be prepared for. The California Conservation Corps work consists of conserving, rehabilitating, and modifying the areas of current projects, and future projects. For every project there is typically a sponsor that will discuss with the crew and the C1 (Supervisor) about the work he or she wants done. Of course the C1 and the sponsor will be supervising the crew to make sure they re safe and getting the work done properly and on-time. Although, the CCC community isn t just about individuals looking for an opportunity to make their future better and gaining experience, it s about making friends and enjoying your time as well as being a hard worker in the community. Everyone here encourages and motivates each other to push themselves to the test to see what they re really made of, that s what the CCC community is really all about. From C1 s to Corps Members and to Special Staff, everyone looks out for each other as if they were family, which makes our community as strong as it is. Everyone here takes pride in our community and what we do, as a matter of fact, every project we finish is another accomplishment in life so we always look forward to the next project. The California Conservation Corps is more than a program, it could last you a lifetime as a career if it s where your hearts at. That s the out-take on the CCC community, if you re a young individual that s interested, I suggest you join and take advantage of the program and don t let it take advantage of you. That s the key to making a better future for yourself and people around you in the CCC community.

2 Pomona s CAB Board! The California Conservation Corps Pomona Satellite Center just elected a CAB Board! Our President (Catherine Naf) and our Sustainability coordinator (Jayce Covert) spoke with all the crews yesterday at roll call to get an opinion on their new idea. Their idea is to start a recycling competition between crews, and whichever crew wins would be rewarded with better PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). They also made a really good suggestion at roll call for anyone in search of a job to visit the Job Board on for jobs that are work related to the C s, and it s more convenient since it s work everyone in the C s has experience in. I have spoken with Apolonia Coronado, the Vice President to the CAB Board of our center, and she said that their main goal is to imagine ways to make our center more efficient and bring it to life. Our President also mentioned that she wants to keep our center as green as possible and make the center healthy and enjoyable for everyone. Everyone in our center is already happy with the environment and the ideas that our CAB Board brain-stormed. I m confident that we ll see results soon and our center will build to become even greater than it is to be a better place for current or future employees. They just mentioned yesterday at roll call ( ) that we are designing a flag that represents our Center in Pomona. Everyone that s in our Center is supposed to help design this flag. The due date is March 19, I m going to think of some ideas to help our Center meet the dead-line on this project we have going. I hope everyone realizes how fun of an experience this can be and join in on it. If we all put our minds together, nothing can stop us! Not to mention our CAB Board talked to David Muraki, the CCC Director. Muraki, the C s Director, gave our CAB Board some insight on how to create and have a decent and stable CAB Board. Everyone thinks our CAB Board has got off to a good start and hoping to see more of it. CAB Board-Pomona CCC My Hometown My hometown was and always will be West Covina. I moved there right when I turned five years old. I lived in West Covina longer than any other place I have called home. I miss living there so much that I m going to move back there the first chance I get. I hated to have to move away from my home as a kid because I lost all of my friends. Of course, in life, a lot of the unexpected happens in a short period of time. I still remember packing everything up to load into the moving truck as if it was yesterday. Moving was the beginning of a rough road for me. As I grew older it seems the memories I have of my home never fade away, this makes me more desperate to be back over there with my old friend. My dream and personal goal is to get a nice house in my hometown and live there for the rest of my life. I love to travel and such, but no place can compare to my hometown! Everyone misses being a kid, but what I think they miss the most is their hometown as a kid, where they ran around and played and made friends that you keep in touch with as you age. I m confident that someone will read this and feel the same way about their hometown, maybe even have the same ideas. It s cool when you can relate something personal that means a lot to you with another individual. David Muraki; Director, CCC 2

3 Survival tips for the C s and JMCS By: Cynthia Borunda Is it tough to keep a job? If you can survive through a year in the California Conservation Corps, then I doubt so! Surviving in the C s is a lot harder than any eyes perceive it to be, but you can survive by following these simple tips. Time Management Good Attendance Always have your PPE Challenge and push yourself Be alert at all times on the work-site Look out for fellow Crew Members Stay hydrated at all times Follow Safety tips (CCC Tips) Should it be hard to stay in school? No, it shouldn t be. School may be the foundation of your future. Most jobs won t even think about hiring you if you don t at least have your High School Diploma. This alone should motivate and encourage you to go to school, so you can make a better future for yourself. Pay Attention In-Class Be on time to class Good Attendance Finish assignments on-time Self Motivation Be mature In-Class Follow the Teacher s instructions at all times (JMCS Tips) Try to bring your own supplies and don t steal school property 3

4 How the CCC Changed Me A Commentary By: Devin Freeman In life as you grow you begin to think about what your future holds for you. You may ask yourself the question; Where will I be in 10 years?, or similar questions. A young man named Devin Freeman faced these questions in a tough situation. Recently turning 18 he should have had plenty of plans for life at least he thought so, but his main question was where should he start off. Devin felt as if he was in the middle of a maze trying to find his way out, but instead of being surrounded by walls, he was in the center of negativity. Going down the wrong path placing him further away from any dreams he may have had. School was going bad, family falling apart leaving him feeling isolated. However, Devin was different from most, always cheerful like he knew God had something planned for him, nothing could keep him down. So he started job searching at numerous places and just as he thought God did have plans for him, the California Conservation Corps (CCC) invited him in for an interview. A few months later, they called Devin to present him with his start date. Devin took this as a blessing; it meant the world to him and his family that were no longer taking care of him. His mother told him for the first time that he is becoming a man but from the look of his actions, he honestly didn t agree until he became a Corps Member. Devin has been in the CCC and John Muir Charter School (JMCS) for 5 months now. He no longer misses class or lags on completing school assignments, he walks in class day to day and sits down and begins work, with no complaints. He paid all the tickets he had long waited to pay off. Now he s on his way to getting his license, and soon his first car. Life for a young man like Devin can be tough, for example the levels of maturity, responsibility, and dedication but for Devin, all it took is some time in the CCC. Devin Freeman feels for possibly the first time in life he can live life responsibly, that his dreams are being fulfilled. I, Devin Freeman appreciate the opportunity given to me by the California Conservation Corps. Devin Freeman 4

5 A Bit of Encouragement Goes a Long Way By: Jessica Walker My eighth grade Science Teacher, Mrs. Hyatt was one of the greatest, most remarkable Teachers I ve ever had. She always took the time out to get to know all of her students on an individual basis. One of the most memorable characteristics of Mrs. Hyatt was that she almost never got upset or raised her voice, no matter what the situation was. Her favorite thing to say was, This is your Education, not mine. I already have one. This basically meant, she s not going to waste her time and breath yelling at anyone. It s your choice whether you finish this class or not, is another thing she always said. Jessica Walker Science had always been one of my worst subjects in School until I entered Mrs. Hyatt s class. She made third period something for me to look forward to everyday. Before becoming her student, I would always try to find ways to get out of class. Mrs. Hyatt always told me, Jessica, I see something in you. I know you can do well, you just have to see it in yourself. That really stuck in my head for a long time. You see, other Teachers I ve had, either put me down or told me I was going to be one of those kids that they were going to have to see next year because I was a failure. I entered Mrs. Hyatt s class with the mindset that I was being forced to learn something that I didn t care about. Because of my negative mentality, I started off that year badly. Mrs. Hyatt told me once I change my mindset and found out the real reason for me having to take Science class, that I d be on a better start towards completing her class with a better grade. So instead of forcing Science on me, she made me realize that everything I did has a little Science in it. Whether is was playing basketball, or riding a bike, or even flying a kite. After I realized this, Science became one of my favorite classes. I started to look at everything with a different perspective. I kind of drove myself crazy trying to figure out how Science applied to everything I did. This helped me a lot because I could finally get it out of my head that, Science is relevant to my everyday life, and there was actually a reason why we had to learn it. I really admire Mrs. Hyatt for that. Most of the other Teachers I ve had just gave me some work and said, Do it, or, you need to retake History, because I get paid to teach it, and you come to School to learn it. Which is obvious, but most Teachers never told us the real reasons we needed to take the class. Mrs. Hyatt probably doesn t know this, but those few words made a difference in my life. As I ve gotten older, I ve realized that you may not know it but the little things you do or say to a person can make a big difference in their lives. 5