Crespi Carmelite Highs School celebrated human rights day by observing a moment of reflection and prayer. The reflection began after daily announcements. Each class watched a short a video depicting the global issues of human trafficking. After the video, teachers shared the following statistics with the students. The victims of human trafficking in the United States are young children, teenagers, men and women. Approximately 800,000 to 900,000 victims annually are trafficked across international borders worldwide, and between 14,500 and 17,500 of those victims are trafficked into the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of State. Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor. After the statics were read, the whole school joined together to pray for all the victims of human trafficking.
Click link to watch video:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1126291/global_issues_human_trafficking/
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Crespi Football Coach Pursues Other Opportunities
On Thursday, December 10, 2009, Jeremiah Ross resigned as head coach of the football program to pursue other opportunities. Crespi Carmelite High School thanks Coach Ross for his contributions to the Crespi Carmelite Community. The school administration wishes him the best in all his future endeavors. For further information, please contact Mr. Robert Kodama at (818) 654-1310 or rkodama@crespi.org.
High School Taiko Drummer Gains an Advantage for College Admission
Crespi Senior Ryan Ojeil is an ideal candidate for many top colleges and universities. He has an impressive academic profile filled with good grades in A.P and honors classes as well as a good score on the SAT. He competes on the Crespi Track and Field team as a triple jumper and is a member of the Mountain Man Club. This past summer, he worked on a documentary about poverty filmed in Nairobi, Kenya. This well-rounded resume is a good foundation for college applications. But it is Ojeil’s talent as a taiko drummer that may give his academic profile a distinct advantage. Recently, Stanford asked him to submit an arts supplement in addition to his application. Ryan submitted a video of his performances and believes the strength of taiko at Stanford could help him earn an acceptance there. “Crespi is the only high school in the nation to offer taiko as a real class. It is a great advantage to be passionate about my art and also have it help me get in to a good university.”
While Crespi is the pioneering high school for taiko in the US, many prominent UC and CSU schools have been teaching taiko for several years. Estimates show, there are close to a thousand taiko ensembles in the US, most of which are based in California. Stanford is his primary choice. If he is not accepted there, Ryan has also applied to Amherst, Boston College, Claremont-McKenna, Loyola Marymount, Notre Dame, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and USC, most of which have prominent taiko ensembles in place.
Ryan is one of many students benefitting from the school’s fine arts program. The addition of the Fine Arts Building in the summer of 2008 made a home for taiko. Ojeil took full advantage of the programs offered in the new building as he enrolled in the class as a junior to fulfill his arts requirements. He thought the class would be “a fun alternative.” Now he says, “It is not just an elective someone could take for fun, but is it really educational.” The notoriety Ryan has received has been remarkable as he has only been in the program for two years. Taiko is an art form which incorporates mental focus, breathing exercises, fitness, mediation, and yoga. Ryan claims those lessons have helped him, “deal with stress or anxiety.”
While Crespi is the pioneering high school for taiko in the US, many prominent UC and CSU schools have been teaching taiko for several years. Estimates show, there are close to a thousand taiko ensembles in the US, most of which are based in California. Stanford is his primary choice. If he is not accepted there, Ryan has also applied to Amherst, Boston College, Claremont-McKenna, Loyola Marymount, Notre Dame, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and USC, most of which have prominent taiko ensembles in place.
Ryan is one of many students benefitting from the school’s fine arts program. The addition of the Fine Arts Building in the summer of 2008 made a home for taiko. Ojeil took full advantage of the programs offered in the new building as he enrolled in the class as a junior to fulfill his arts requirements. He thought the class would be “a fun alternative.” Now he says, “It is not just an elective someone could take for fun, but is it really educational.” The notoriety Ryan has received has been remarkable as he has only been in the program for two years. Taiko is an art form which incorporates mental focus, breathing exercises, fitness, mediation, and yoga. Ryan claims those lessons have helped him, “deal with stress or anxiety.”
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Mike Mitchell commits to the University of Nevada
Encino Crespi senior offensive and defensive lineman, Mike Mitchell, has committed to play football at the University of Nevada. Mitchell was a first team all Serra League selection and he was recently recogniztion by the coaching staff as an MVP of the offensive line. He shared the honors with teammate Ben Loth.
Unique Service Project Helps Teens Understand Poverty in America
One of the most disturbing problems in a wealthy country like the United States is the number of citizens who live in poverty. According to the Census Bureau, 35 million people live below the poverty line including 12.9 million children. With unemployment continuing to rise in California and predictions of slow economic growth expected over the next few years, the youth of today must worry about the long term effects of this current economic transition. As they prepare to become our leaders of tomorrow, the issue of poverty in the United States will be a part of their future. To gain true knowledge about homelessness in America, the young men of Crespi Carmelite High School are participating in a unique service project that requires them to walk in the shoes of the homeless.
On Saturday, November 14, 2009, 14 juniors from Crespi Carmelite High participated in a service program called “Cardboard Tent City”, which was created by Campus Minister, Chris Knabenshue. The program was designed to help teenagers understand the realities of poverty. They stood in solidarity with the poor for one day and night. To truly live like the homeless, each student spends a night in a cardboard box. The rules were simple, get a box, wear two layers of clothes and bring some newspapers for a pillow. No modern conveniences allowed.
Their day began with a visit to Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. Their first stop was the Catholic Worker Soup Kitchen where the students ate lunch with the homeless. Following lunch, the students learned more about the Catholic Worker Program. But they still had more to do before leaving. Partnering with The Green Bag Program, students came prepared for Skid Row with two care packages of food and clothing for the homeless. The Green Bag Program provided two more bags to each student. Crespi junior, Chris Loman said, “The experience was real. The hands-on approach was really effective. But we would need a truckload of more than a thousand bags to help everyone there.”
After distributing the Green Bags, the group returned to the Crespi campus to view a film by the San Damiano Foundation called, A Distressing Disguise. The documentary discussed the harsh realities of survival at Skid Row and the difficulty of surviving a night there. Upon the film’s conclusion, the students began the final stage of their journey. Each one curled up inside a cardboard box for the night in the student parking lot.
The following morning, Father Paul Henson, O. Carm., Principal, ended the “Cardboard Tent City” experience by celebrating a Mass of thanksgiving. Loman said, “It was cold and I could not sleep”, even though he wore two layers of clothes. Chris felt his experience was extremely rewarding because, “It was a life changing event. Cardboard Tent City set life in place for me and widened my vision of the world.” Crespi Carmelite High School has scheduled two more “Cardboard Tent City” events in 2010.
On Saturday, November 14, 2009, 14 juniors from Crespi Carmelite High participated in a service program called “Cardboard Tent City”, which was created by Campus Minister, Chris Knabenshue. The program was designed to help teenagers understand the realities of poverty. They stood in solidarity with the poor for one day and night. To truly live like the homeless, each student spends a night in a cardboard box. The rules were simple, get a box, wear two layers of clothes and bring some newspapers for a pillow. No modern conveniences allowed.
Their day began with a visit to Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. Their first stop was the Catholic Worker Soup Kitchen where the students ate lunch with the homeless. Following lunch, the students learned more about the Catholic Worker Program. But they still had more to do before leaving. Partnering with The Green Bag Program, students came prepared for Skid Row with two care packages of food and clothing for the homeless. The Green Bag Program provided two more bags to each student. Crespi junior, Chris Loman said, “The experience was real. The hands-on approach was really effective. But we would need a truckload of more than a thousand bags to help everyone there.”
After distributing the Green Bags, the group returned to the Crespi campus to view a film by the San Damiano Foundation called, A Distressing Disguise. The documentary discussed the harsh realities of survival at Skid Row and the difficulty of surviving a night there. Upon the film’s conclusion, the students began the final stage of their journey. Each one curled up inside a cardboard box for the night in the student parking lot.
The following morning, Father Paul Henson, O. Carm., Principal, ended the “Cardboard Tent City” experience by celebrating a Mass of thanksgiving. Loman said, “It was cold and I could not sleep”, even though he wore two layers of clothes. Chris felt his experience was extremely rewarding because, “It was a life changing event. Cardboard Tent City set life in place for me and widened my vision of the world.” Crespi Carmelite High School has scheduled two more “Cardboard Tent City” events in 2010.
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