Locke Saints Marching Band Blog

Locke High School: Promises to Keep

2008-11-22T06:15:00.001-08:00

Not that long ago Locke High School in Watts wasn't much of a school. It had become a drop-out factory, but it wasn't supposed to be that way. Locke was supposed to be a place marching forward from the upheaval of the 60s.

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Teach For America gives no easy lessons

2008-08-04T23:16:00.001-07:00

In 2005, journalist Donna Foote visited a friend's classroom at Locke High School in Los Angeles and was shocked to discover ninth-graders "sounding out words like C-A-T. They couldn't read."

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Book examines four new teachers' experience at Locke

2008-08-03T16:33:00.001-07:00

The author observed the troubled campus and the Teach For America participants for a year. She says the most important ingredient of success is high-quality teachers.

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Watts' Locke High School is getting whipped into shape

2008-07-23T20:40:00.001-07:00

Control, discipline and high expectations emerge

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LAPD won't ask about immigration status

2008-06-26T18:12:00.001-07:00

LOS ANGELES - A California judge blocked a lawsuit that sought to enlist Los Angeles police officers in weeding out illegal immigrants...>

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A Locke High graduate's triumph of the will in Los Angeles -

2008-06-23T10:29:00.001-07:00

The student at a troubled campus resisted peer pressure to slack off and became valedictorian.

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Rewriting the Locke High School story

2008-06-04T13:09:00.001-07:00

Violence plagues the South L.A. campus, but the real travesty is that poor kids are denied a quality education.

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Former Locke High principal sues over job

2008-06-03T14:53:00.001-07:00

A former Locke High School principal has filed a lawsuit accusing the Los Angeles Unified School District of illegally firing him after he threw his support behind a plan to turn over the troubled campus to a charter school operator.

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Ex-Locke High principal accuses L.A. district of illegally f

2008-06-03T08:26:00.001-07:00

Frank Wells' lawsuit says he lost his job because of comments he made supporting the transfer of the troubled campus to a charter school operator.

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'Neglect' cited as part of problem at Locke High

2008-05-25T15:06:00.001-07:00

Turmoil as the campus awaits its transition to charter school status may have contributed to a riot this month. A district official concedes that inattention from L.A. Unified has made the interim mor

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'Neglect' cited as part of problem at Locke High

2008-05-23T14:09:00.001-07:00

Turmoil has increased as the campus awaits its transition to charter school status. A district official concedes that inattention from LAUSD has made the interim more difficult.

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Locke High sends a message: No more disturbances

2008-05-15T17:14:00.001-07:00

Police patrol the halls and specialists counsel students on the first school day following Friday's campus melee.

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I hope "The Brawl" doesn't become an annual event. . .

2008-05-09T20:06:00.000-07:00

These racially and gang related brawls seem to be becoming more common place at schools like Locke, Jordan, Gompers and Washington Prep. Let's not make this an annual event - OK?

Students need to be worried about going to the prom, getting homework done on-time, having fun with friends, sucking up to the yearbook committee so you can get a featured picture in the year book, etc. - not beating each other up. This type of thing didn't happen when I was growing up; however, I do remember something similar happened back in the late 1970s at Van Nuys high school, but that's about it.

Let's be honest here - Has beating the crape out of each other raised your SAT scores to a level where you are competitive with students from El Camino and Granda Hills? Has beating the crape out of each other drastically lowered your pathetic drop out rate? Has beating the crape out of each other made your community a more desiarable place to live - raised property values, cased business to move in? NO NO NO

Just focus on the things that are important. . . getting your homework done on-time, what you're going to wear to the prom, having fun with your friends and yes, looking forward to college.

Peace,

Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

An old post. . .

2008-05-03T09:18:00.000-07:00

The definition of insanity. . .

Someone once described insanity as doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. While I don't think there are any insane marching bands, band directors, or band members, I have noticed an interesting trend. Most bands keep putting on the same basic show every year and the student body keeps complaining - "Why can't you be like the bands in the movie Drum Line?!?!?!?" I know how it feels, I went through the same thing. Back in the fall of 1981, my band, Canoga Park, had a home game vs. Locke. Through the entire Locke halftime show, all of the Canoga Students were on their feet cheering and giving standing ovations. When we entered the field, our own students laughed at us; and for two weeks I was constantly being asked, "Why can't you guys be like Locke?" All I could say was, "We're working on it. . ." You have to look at it this way, not addressing legitimate concerns and complaints from the student body is unfair, arrogant, and short-sited. People pay money on Friday nights to enjoy the high school football experience which includes the halftime show. The fans are paying their hard-earned money for the experience and you should deliver what they want.

'nuf said. . .

Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

Site up and running again. . .

2008-05-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

If you want to be a contributor to the Locke Saints Marching Band and Drill Team/Alumni website, or this blog, please contact Sean Martin at: sean@twinimaging.com

Sean

So what's going on with the band?

2008-01-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

Haven't heard anything about the band lately. No news is good news right - well, maybe.

Band website has been moved

2007-04-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

The band website www.lockesaints.com has been removed. Locke Senior High has its own official website so there is no need to keep two websites. It just spreads content out over two different domains.

You can visit Locke's official website at: http://www.lockehs.org/

Peace,

Sean
sean@twinimaging.com

What if the NBA had quotas?

2006-12-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting article by Larry Elder: http://www.larryelder.com/

Mr. Elder is an attourney and radio show host on 790 AM.

Sean
___________________________________________________

What if the NBA had quotas?

Imagine the following press release:
In a closed-door meeting, the owners voted to limit the number of black players in order to increase attendance from non-black customers. The NBA now consists of over 80 percent black players, which creates a non-diverse and less enlightening experience for the predominately non-black fan. Thus, in order to continue basketball's popularity, the NBA determines player diversity a necessity to maintain the game's prosperity.
– NBA commissioner David Stern

Before you could say "Michael Richards," in swoop the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, as well as the other usual suspect "black leaders." Marching, screaming, stomping and howling will precede enough lawsuits to keep the entire American and National Bar Associations fully employed for the next decade.
Yet, when it comes to colleges and universities admitting Asian-American students, this is, in effect, exactly what is happening. Because of the superior performance of Asian students on high school grades and pre-college aptitude tests, many colleges and universities, through unannounced policies, place these "minority students" at the back of the line.

California, in 1996, outlawed race-based preferences. After this new law, the percentage of Asian students enrolled at the elite, competitive campus of UC Berkeley increased from 34.6 percent to 42 percent by fall 2006. Similarly, the state of Washington outlawed preferences in 1998, and Asian enrollment at the University of Washington increased from 22.1 percent to 25.4 percent by 2004. Michigan recently passed laws outlawing the use of race in government hiring, contracting and admission into public colleges and universities. Expect an increase in the Asian student body at the University of Michigan.

Question: Why do Asian students and their parents put up with it?
Jian Li does not intend to. Li, a permanent U.S. resident, immigrated to America from China at the age of 4. He graduated at the top 1 percent of his high school class. On his SATs, he received a perfect 2400, and totaled 2390 (10 points less than perfection) on his SAT II subject tests in math and science. Yet Li received rejections from Princeton, Harvard, Stanford, the University of Pennsylvania and MIT. Li is not alone. Attorney Don Joe from Asian-American Politics, an enrollment-tracking Internet site, says he receives complaints "from Asian-American parents about how their children have excellent grades and scores but are being rejected by the most selective colleges. It appears to be an open secret."

Li filed a complaint with the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, with the matter currently under review. On his college applications, Li left blank his country of origin and his race, although he did put down his citizenship and listed Chinese as his first language spoken and the language spoken at home. Inquires about his race, said Li, "[S]eemed very irrelevant to me, if not offensive."

Why did he sue? Li said he wants to "send a message to the admissions committee to be more cognizant of possible bias, and that the way they're conducting admissions is not equitable."
A study of the University of Michigan's 2005 applicants by the Center for Equal Opportunity documented the hit that white and Asian students take because of race-based preferences. In an apparent desire to increase the number of blacks and Hispanics, the school admitted Asian applicants with a median SAT score of 1400 (out of a possible 1600 for the test in use at that time). This made the Asian median 50 points higher than the median for admitted white students, 140 points higher than Hispanics, and 240 points higher than blacks. Of Asian students with 1240 on the SAT and a high school GPA of 3.2 in 2005, only 10 percent got into Michigan. But 14 percent of whites with those stats were admitted, as were 88 percent of Hispanics and 92 percent of blacks.

What's more, the "boost" given to Hispanic and Latino students by racial preferences often backfires. Peter Kirsanow, a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and a black attorney, said, "Would college administrators continue to mouth platitudes about affirmative action if their students knew that preferential admissions cause black law students to flunk out at two-and-a-half times the rate of whites? Or that black law students are six times less likely to pass the bar? Or that half of black law students never become lawyers?"
What took Asians so long to figure this out and file more lawsuits?

Perhaps Asians remain unaware of the damage these policies do to their own admission possibilities. Perhaps they consider themselves a discriminated minority, and thus support programs to "offset" the negative effects of their perceived opposition. Or perhaps they feel that despite the negative effect of race-based preferences on their own possibilities of admission, they feel sympathetic toward to the "need" to "help" blacks and Hispanics. Who knows?
In any case, 17-year-old freshman Jian Li now attends Yale. Not a bad foundation for a future. Just ask Yale law school grad and former President Bill Clinton, who, by the way, supports race-based preferences.

Conversations I overheard in high school. . .

2006-10-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

Recently, I was reminded of a few conversion I overheard while I was in high school. I though I would share one of them today. I'll share the rest later.

What I remember about this particular conversation was that it was so "out of left field" and annoying that it has stuck in my memory all these years. Here is the setting; it's 11th grade and I'm sitting in class (can't remember which one) next to two girls who are having a conversation about the others boy friend. The conversation goes something like this. . . Girl 1, "How are things going with Johnny (can't remember the names)?" Girl 2, "Great!", "Tomorrow is our 3 week anniversary!" Girl 1, "Wow, that's awesome!", "So what are you guys going to do to celebrate?" Girl 2, "I'm not sure yet, but we'll do something." The whole conversation made me want to throw up and I felt sorry for the boy friend. I dated girls in high school but I never went steady. I'm glad I didn't; I couldn't put up with that junk.

I'll share a few conversations later.

Peace,

Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

"Lost" - Season Opener - The "others" are a bunch of freaks. . .

2006-10-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

So what does "Lost" have to do with Locke and marching bands in general? Nothing really, but I think Henery Gale/Ben looks like a band geek so there could be some connection there.

Anyway, here is a great Lost blog:

http://www.filmfodder.com/tv/lost/

The blogs author does a great job of deconstructing each episode (story deconstruction? Yep - you should have learned about that in your english lit. class).

Peace,

Sean
sean@twinimaging.com

So High School Sucked. . .

2006-09-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting article by Tegan C. of Woodbridge, VA. You can link to the article at (or just read the text below): http://teenink.com/Past/2004/June/17887.html

Enjoy,

Sean
sean@twinimaging.com

So High School Sucked ... by Tegan C., Woodbridge, VA

This isn't for the Britneys and the Justins, the Beyonces and the Jay-Zs, the J. Los and the Enriques of Garfield. It isn't for those who have spent the past four years on top of the world, caught up in school spirit and partying every weekend. It's not for the jocks, the cheerleaders, the "playas," the preps, the groupies - you know, the popular kids. It's for the Janeane Garofalos and the Ben Stillers, the Wanda Sykeses and the Chris Rocks, the America Ferreras and the Horatio Sanzes. This is for the kids who sit by themselves at lunch, who don't have anyone to say hi to in the hall, the nerds, the geeks, the dorks, the "I'll-do-my-own-thing" kids. It's for everybody who spent the past four years surviving under the mantra "high school sucks."

Well, guess what? High school is supposed to suck. Whoever said these are the best years of our lives was seriously delusional, or at least didn't live past the age of 20. How can being lost and confused, searching for who you are and what you stand for, and feeling completely and utterly alone be the best? Sure, you can have some pretty good times along the way, but how will they compare to other milestones, like your wedding, your first child, or that big promotion?

So you didn't make the team, didn't get that role, didn't date that incredibly hot kid in your fourth period class. So you failed a few tests, got fired from your job, and got stuck babysitting the night of that major party. It sucked when it happened, but that's okay. As an incredible teacher of mine said, "Suck is the first part of success. It's a journey."

And it is a journey. You decide the final destination, and have to focus on and hit the checkpoints along the way. Graduation is one those checkpoints. You should be proud of yourself for making it this far. Too many people give up and drop out, turn to drugs or even kill themselves. They stop looking for help, and don't focus on what may be the most important fact: There is life after high school. That know-ledge has pushed me forward many times.

You can't succeed without sucking first. Even if you have a natural inclination for something, it doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. Success can be measured in money, material things, friends, whatever. But what about personal growth? Within a year, you may grow from being unable to introduce yourself to a small group to being the center of attention. You could learn to sit and wait patiently, rather than bounce in your seat. Maybe you'll master time management, or the art of small talk. Anything is possible.

Everywhere doors are opening for you simply because you fought teen-age hell and won. You are graduating. Whether you made it with the help of teachers, family, therapists, friends or you just got yourself through, you made it. Society views you as an adult. You get to make your own choices now. As you make those choices, some doors will close. But remember, as one door closes, another opens.

The Hotdog Test - 2006. . .

2006-09-05T09:44:00.000-07:00

Lets see if we remember from last year what the Hot Dog Test is. . .Don't remember? I'll explain again.

The Hot Dog Test is simply this; if most of the fans stay to watch your band during the half time show, you pass the test. If the most of the fans leave to get a hot dog (food, drink, bathroom) during the half time show, you failed the test.

How is your band doing with the Hot Dog Test?

Peace,

Sean
sean@twinimaging.com

It's me in 10th grade. . .

2006-09-04T01:43:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of me in 10th grade at the 1981 Band and Drill Team Championships held at the LA Sports Arena. This was posted on the Canoga Band site.

I'm the trombone player on the far right.

Peace,
Sean
sean@twinimaging.com

Solid advice to pass your English class. . .

2006-08-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

Just remember this - If the subject comes before the predicate, use "I" instead of "ME"; if the subject comes after the predicate, use "ME" instead of "I". It's that easy. Remember that rule and you'll get a least a "C" in your English class - guaranteed !

Sorry, but there is no simple rule or "magic bullet" which will help you to pass your classes other than old fashioned work. You're in high school now so if you want to do well, it's 3 hours of home work a night! If you're in the band, practice at least 30 minutes each night. Don't forget to read for a half hour.

Enjoy your last week off because in 7 days you'll be getting back to work.

Peace,
Sean, sean@twinimaging.com

Our list of famous French rock bands. . .

2006-08-07T08:18:00.000-07:00

1) Stinky Toys

Peace, sean@twinimaging.com