Photo courtesy of JacksActionShots.com

With high hopes, the TJ baseball team took the field on Saturday, March 19, but sadly lost to a strong competitor, the Cherry Creek Bruins.

The Spartans started the game out with Senior Kyle Freeland on the mound, who pitched a solid game only walking two, and giving up three earned runs. But Freeland’s pitching was not enough to stop the Bruins. “We had a lot of mistakes; we didn’t play our game and you can’t do that against Creek or else you’re in for a rude awakening,” said Senior Austin Hearne. Freeland exited in the 5^th inning, giving way to Freshman Reliever Samuel Reed, who finished off the game.

The Spartans struggled defensively, committing four errors, and could only muster six hits offensively. The game ended at the bottom of the fifth inning, with the final score of 13-3.

The Spartans hope to rebound against the South Gargoyles this Tuesday, March 22, at the Spartan field at 4 p.m.

Help your money tree grow during the holidays. Artwork by Mia Nogueira

As millions of Americans get ready for the jolliest time of the year – the holiday season – by indulging in their expenses, it is important to be informed on every way to get the best deals, especially during this economic recession. Teenagers are the most targeted shoppers in marketing, therefore here are ten easy and savvy tips on how to save your money and still find every item on your wish list!

1.    Make a Plan: After all those hard hours on the job earning money, you do not want to spend more than you should. We teenagers spend some of our precious free time at some horrible job just to make $7.25 an hour-before taxes-and we still pay for our own gas! Unfair. But what is fair is knowing what you want to buy, where, and for how much. Make a plan of everything you want to buy and the locations; this way you won’t get sidetracked and show up late for the deal you want. Plan out every person you’re buying a present for and include a couple of alternative gifts in case your plan fails. Go as far as visiting the store the day before Black Friday, or other shopping holidays, locating your item and mapping out your trip. This way you’ll be the quickest one to the item once the doors open.

2.    Look Everywhere: Sometimes when you think Best Buy had the best deal for an iPod Car Hookup, CarToys had a better one, and you’d never know. Many businesses don’t have enough space on newspaper advertising pages to announce their sales, so they go unknown. Look online for any deals, sign up on email offers, and clip all those coupons that come in the mail. They can save you some valuable time and money.

3.    Make a Need & Wish List: Yeah, that Blackberry does look fun to play with but do you really need it? The key to saving money is deciding what is needed and what is wanted. Make a “Need List” of all items you truly need, such as a new iPod (because you filled your 8GB up). Then revise this list and make a separate “Wish List” of all items you wish you could have, such as that Blackberry. If you have money left over, invest in your “Wish” list, but beware of impulsive shopping.

4.    Learn to Compare Prices: Saving money is not only for adults; the earlier kids learn to save, the better off they will be in life. Have the patience to compare the prices of at least three stores. The more you research your item, the better deal you’ll find.  You can even try PriceGrabber.com, a website that finds great deals in a quick minute.

5.    Read the Sunday Newspaper: In case you didn’t know, the Sunday Newspaper is chockfull of awesome discounts and coupons. Take some time to sort all those pages and read each ad carefully. Sometimes they like to sneak in a discounted price where you ought not look!

6.    Shop Early: Holiday shopping is not a hare and tortoise kind of deal; it’s a first come first serve. Shop as early as you can! Some stores have time frames for which deals they will be selling, and if you show up late you can say goodbye to Madden 11. By shopping early you can also avoid the mob of moms that hover over all the good presents a week before the holidays.

7.    Get Online:  Did you ever notice on the bottom left corner of the Apple Store website, there are some incredible deals on iPods and computers? I bet you didn’t! Buy refurbished items-good as new items that have been returned and fixed-and save about $50. The internet can do wonders; it can especially save you money. Many stores even offer Online Black Friday deals that can start on Thanksgiving Day. But if you still can’t find the price you’re looking for, do not get discouraged!   Craigslist.com, ebay.com, and other sales websites are guaranteed to have the item that you’re looking for, sometimes at a much cheaper price.

8.    Throw a Fit: As a retail store associate myself, I don’t recommend making a scene at a store, but if you have the proof, and act respectfully, then go right ahead. Many stores have a lowest price guarantee and they usually aren’t right. Be prepared to prove it. Find the ads with lower prices and have them in hand to show that you can get the same thing somewhere else cheaper and hopefully the store will give you a discount. Just know most stores only honor the guarantees to online items.

9.    Don’t Fall Into Peer Pressure: “No, sorry we don’t have that size any longer but we have this shirt here that looks exactly like the one you want and its only $20 more.” Lots of store associates are prepared to lay that line down in hopes that you agree to buy the much more expensive item. Learn to say, “No, thank you,” and walk away. Don’t fall into the pressure of buying items just because you don’t want to make the clerk angry. I have this problem myself but I have come to realize the clerks will not remember one person in their day that said “No,” to their face. It’s their job to reel you in as much as possible to buy that extra shirt, as it is your job to save your money.

10.    Trust the Future: Don’t worry, that amazing blouse in the front of the store will soon make its way to the clearance rack in the back, and not getting the blouse in time for the holidays won’t kill anyone. Remember that Black Friday is not the only shopping holiday in the near future; there will be sales on the days before and after Christmas.

Take these simple tips TJ and hopefully your pockets won’t weight too less by the time you’re done shopping. Happy Holidays!

Artwork by Mia Nogueira

The TJ Special Education Department will be joining forces once again with the Epilepsy Foundation and JROTC to promote awareness for the disorder through their Epilepsy Awareness Month campaign.

Special Education Para-Professional Sean Currey is organizing various events to promote epilepsy awareness. Currey, who has lived with epilepsy himself for 20 years, feels passionately about educating others about the disorder and wants to do so with the TJ Community and dispel certain myths about epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain, resulting in different sorts of temporary seizures. According to studies, epilepsy affects more than 2 million Americans, and about 150,000 new cases are discovered each year. “Epilepsy is a disorder, not a disease, but anyone can get it. It can be a traumatizing head injury, a tumor, or even an infection, like meningitis, that causes the disorder to evolve,” said Currey. Surprisingly, about 70 percent of all cases diagnosed have no known cause. “I’ve lived with epilepsy for 20 years, and I still don’t know what caused it,” said Currey.

Epilepsy is a widely misunderstood disorder. “Most people think of those convulsive, shocking seizures when they think of epilepsy, but there’s many kinds of seizures,” said Currey. Seizures may include muscle spasms, mental confusion, a loss of consciousness and uncontrolled or aimless body movements. Generalized seizures include “grand-mal” seizures, losing consciousness, the stiffening of the body and the jerking of limbs, are the results of a discharge of neurons throughout the brain. Partial seizures can be uncontrolled body movements, confusion, or the loss of awareness, and are caused by a discharge of neurons in just one part of the brain. One in ten adults will have a seizure sometime during their life.

During the month of November, JROTC and the Special Education Department will be organizing and hosting different events promoting Epilepsy Awareness Month. “The Unified Sports class will be making posters to put around the hallways. We will be having ‘Purple Day’ again, since purple is the official color of epilepsy. We’re having a speaker from the Epilepsy Foundation. We will be handing out brochures and bracelets,” said Currey. Purple Day will be held on November 22, the same day as the speaker from the Epilepsy Foundation speaker, Marcee Peterson, will come visit TJ.

One special activity that the department is most enthusiastic about is the clothing drive for the Epilepsy Foundation. People with severe cases of epilepsy are often found helpless with financial problems due to the high cost of epilepsy treatments. “When you have several seizures during a day, it’s hard to maintain a normal job, and with the cost of treatment, people who have severe cases of epilepsy have a hard time coming up with money for clothes,” said Currey. Medications for epilepsy alone can cost as much as, if not more, as $1000 a month, and treatments, such as regular EEG and MRI tests, cost about the same. Many people living with epilepsy are not insurable due to the cost of treatments. “Clothing drives help in a simple way that it alleviates that extra cost for those families,” said Currey.  The clothing drive sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation will begin soon and the official start date will be announced on the Spartan Edition. In the meantime, anyone can drop off their donations to any of the Special Education rooms.

Through the Epilepsy Awareness campaign, the Special Education Department also wants to inform students about how to react when someone is having a seizure. According to Currey, there are enough students who suffer from epilepsy and seizure disorders at TJ where information on the disorder will be beneficiary to the student body. Some key things to remember are: stay calm, don’t hold the person down to try to stop his or her movements, put something flat and soft under the head, and gently turn the person onto his or her side. Do not try to force the mouth open, because a person having a seizure cannot swallow his or her tongue; efforts to hold the tongue down can injure the teeth or jaw. Remember to stay with the person until the seizure ends, and be as friendly and reassuring as possible once the person comes to consciousness. For more information on epilepsy, visit the Epilepsy Foundation Website.

Artwork by Mia Nogueira

Thomas Jefferson High School’s Photography Teacher Jeff Coleman is taking traditional photography to the next level. “We wanted a way to showcase the student’s work in a different way than the display cases in the hallways,” he said. “An online gallery is functional and practical; anyone can access it at any time of the day,” said Coleman.

The gallery can be accessed through the homepage of the TJ Journal or by going to: http://www.photogallery.tjjournal.com/. The Online Gallery is a blog-based site where the best photographs are posted weekly.

Coleman also started an online magazine called Studio 107 showcasing specific projects that his Photo Two class completed. The online magazine debuted in April of 2010, with its first feature being the Photo Two class magazine project. “Each student was assigned to make a magazine spread. They needed a topic and pictures, and it all needed to look seamless. The best spreads were featured on the magazine,” said Coleman.

In the future, Coleman hopes to showcase most of his student’s projects online so parents are able to access their work. “I’m very content with how the online gallery is going, and I am excited for next year’s,” said Coleman.

Anyone can access these sites by clicking the following links:

http://www.photogallery.tjjournal.com/

http://www.studio107.tjjournal.com/

Photo by Mia Nogueira

Mitch Mankoff is kind of a big deal.

He’s a Taurus, and it is said that a Tauruses make excellent directors and have good business intuition.  Mitch has a GPA of 4.7, and is ranked fourth in his class. He’s a baseball and basketball player, a member of the National Honor Society and a captain of his baseball team.  “What do Barak Obama and Mitch Mankoff have in common?” asked recent TJ Alumni Scott Bruskin, “They are both presidents of something pretty important, and that’s pretty cool.” To top his list off, Mitch is now the new president of TJ’s very own DECA club.

Mitch Mankoff was born into a family full of businessmen. “My dad, uncle and grandfather own their own insurance company called Manor Insurance Agency,” he said. Both of his older brothers, TJ Alumni Michael and Matthew Mankoff, were members of the DECA club and now are in college studying business. “Michael was the Vice President and Matthew was a Chapter Representative, so neither of them were President,” said Mitch. “My brothers really got me interested in DECA. I saw how much fun they had so it made me want to be a part of the club too,” he said.

As the only junior representative in DECA’s officer team, it seemed obvious that Mankoff would be appointed as president. But Mankoff was not appointed because he was a returning officer, he was appointed on the basis of GPA, desire, and his constituency with the entire chapter. Then the DECA chapter voted and he was appointed to the position. “It’s a huge honor, I was the only returning officer so it was a little expected but it does feel good to know that everyone in DECA thinks I’m qualified to lead the chapter,” he said. “I hope that next year we can get the school more involved with our activities. I hope to lead well, and make it the best chapter yet,” he said.

One of Mankoff’s DECA advisors, Danny Showers, is thrilled to have Mitch as the new leader of the club. “I’m looking for Mitch to produce the ‘trifecta,’ for the DECA organization,” he said. “That means he needs to have a good, solid leadership, new creative opportunities in management for the members in the chapter, and he needs to provide a clear guide path for the officer team to be effective in their jobs,” said Showers.

Last year’s DECA president, TJ Alumni Tommy Moehlman is equally excited to have Mitch lead the DECA organization. “Mitch is really smart. He is well organized and I know he will do well,” said Moehlman. “Be flexible; make sure you communicate with each officer individually so your always on the same page,” Tommy advised Mitch. “I’m deffinitily going to miss talking to the officers after the meetings, and planning the meetings, so I hope Mitch takes advantage of that time,” he said.

In the future, Mitch hopes to attend the University of Colorado in Boulder and major in business. “In ten years I see myself in a mansion with a nice car, being a major business executive and making ‘bank’,” he said.

Joe Spartan lookin' fly with his freshly cleaned car. Artwork by Mia Nogueira.

Dirt, mud, and grime are no match for the Class of 2011, who will be hosting a carwash this weekend here at TJ on Saturday, May 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and there will be a $5 charge per car.

Since the next Prom is coming up in just under one year, fundraising is critical at this time. “We had a lot of suggestions for fun fundraisers, and the carwash definitely sounded like a great idea,” said Class of 2011 sponsor, Teacher Amber Wilson, who hopes to make the customers happy by serving hot dogs, hamburgers and sodas while their cars are being scrubbed clean.

Teacher Jon Poole is also a Class of 2011 sponsor, and seems to be extremely excited about the carwash. “I really am excited about this fundraiser. I love to wash cars; it happens to be a hobby of mine. I hope to see clean cars, good fundraising and most importantly fun, because there’s no FUNdraising without the fun,” said Poole. “Oh and donations are welcome. (You should bold that),” he said.

Don’t forget Spartans: TJ Carwash this Saturday in the TJ parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and it only costs $5 dollars!

Spartan Jordan Hall poses with Denver Bronco André Davis for a billboard promo. Photo courtesy of Special Olympics.

The ball was served, and the return was an ace. Not even a national tennis competition was a too big of a match for TJ Junior, Jordan Hall, who traveled to Hilton Head, South Carolina for the Special Olympic Games this year.

“I’ve been playing sports with Special Olympics since I was eight years old. Basketball was the first sport I played and my favorite sport. It keeps me energized, and I like the adrenaline,” said Hall. “I play four sports a year with Special Olympics and Denver Parks and Recreation: Basketball, Tennis, Track and Bowling,” he said.

Jordan suffers from PDD NOS, a disorder that qualifies him to be a Special Olympic Athlete. PDD NOS, also know as an atypical autism, conflicts with Jordan’s ability to comprehend and respond to others’ emotions. “Jordan’s a true inspiration to us all. He never lets anyone get to him, and only does what makes him happy,” said proud mom, Charlotte Hall. “He’s a great young man; he’s motivated, and he never gives us any problems,” she said.

Living with PDD OS doesn’t discourage Jordan from taking part in different activities.  Along with participating in Special Olympic sports, Jordan also devotes personal time to his community. “Jordan volunteers with the Youth Fellowship at his church. He also volunteers with Denver Parks and Recreation, and once a month he cleans an elderly person’s yard,” said Charlotte. Jordan even enjoys picking up litter at parks, such as plastics and papers that are thrown on the ground. On top of all the volunteering, Jordan also helps pack boxes, which include personal needs like food and water, to be sent to Haiti. “I think we all need to help the people of Haiti who were affected by the earthquake,” said Jordan.

Jordan’s hard work with the community and his devotion to Special Olympics earned him a spot on the Special Olympics Billboards posted across Denver (pictured above), which featured local Special Olympic athletes posing with several Broncos players. “We were looking for local athletes that played different sports with the Special Olympic program. Jordan and his brother, Julian Hall’s, names were the first to be brought up. Jordan and Julian are well thought of in the organization and it was a unanimous decision by our staff,” said Kathy Muffenbier, Director of Marketing and Communications of Special Olympics Denver. “It was a huge honor for them. There are about 10,000 athletes with Special Olympics in Colorado, and for them to represent the program was very special,” she said.

Special it was, since Jordan was thrilled to be a part of the campaign. “It was really fun. I liked seeing the billboards all over the city, and I liked that the billboards had different ethnicites,” said Jordan. “I also really enjoyed meeting the Broncos players; they were really nice to all of the athletes.”

Aside from athletics, Jordan enjoys coming to class at TJ. “My favorite teachers are Ms. Loretta Gonzalez and Mrs. Kimberly Holtman. They are always very nice to me,” said Jordan.

“Jordan is a very friendly student. He works hard and he loves to socialize with his friends,” said Gonzalez, Special Education teacher.

“Jordan is a sweetheart, he’s very kind-hearted, and he always stays positive. It was a pleasure having him as a student,” said teacher Kim Holtman.

Friendships are one of Jordan’s favorite aspects about going to school at TJ. “My closest friends would have to be my cousins,” said Jordan. “They are family so they are nice to me all the time,” he said. Jordan is also fond of surfing the web during his free time. “I watch TV and get on the computer on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It’s fun! I like Facebook, because I can talk to my friends on the chat,” said Jordan.

In the future, Jordan aspires to become a ghost tourist guide, like the ones seen in the Travel Channel show, Ghost Adventures. “If I could say something to everyone I would say, ‘Hi I’m Jordan Hall. I’m a two-time bronze medalist in South Carolina Special Olympic Competition, and I just want to get to know you better,’” said Jordan.

TJ's two Daniels Fund Scholarship recipients Paige Wilson and Andrew Craig pose with Bronco Daniel Graham and Foundation President, Linda Childears. Photo by Mia Nogueira

On April 14, 2010, Seniors Paige Wilson and Andrew Craig were granted with the Daniel’s Fund Scholarship by TJ Alumni and Denver Bronco Daniel Graham, which provides them with a full ride scholarship to the school of their choice with an intention to complete a bachelor’s degree.

Linda Childears, President of the Daniel’s Fund, attended the award ceremony held in the Future Center at TJ in room 114. “I’m very excited and proud of Paige and Andrew. About two thousand students were nominated for the scholarship, and the filtering process is very rigorous. These two students are truly outstanding,” she said.

The Daniels Fund Scholarship winners are chosen on basis of character, leadership, academics, and the probability that the selected student will contribute to their community. CTE Resource Specialist Danny Showers was one of two teachers to nominate Paige Wilson for the scholarship. “When Paige came to me asking me to recommended her for the scholarship, I couldn’t say no. I know her capabilities better than any teacher at this school, and I know that she qualifies for all of the required traits,” said Showers. “The reference process is very long. I was in the middle of a flight when I decided to fill the survey, and it was so extensive that I decided to spend the night at an airport so I could finish filling it out for Paige,” he continued.  Wilson was also nominated by TJ Counselor, Dawn Catalano.

Paige Wilson appreciated the dedication shown by Showers. “I am so excited and happy about this scholarship. All my worries about college have been washed away,” she said. “I found out about the scholarship in early November, from a family friend. I asked Counselor Tabitha Rocha for help and right away she began the application process. I’m so thankful for all the help I received from the teachers at TJ,” she said.

Craig is equally thrilled to be a recipient of the award. “I am so excited, and I truly can’t wait to see the impact that Andrew will make on society. I am so proud of him,” said Ryan Ross, Executive Director of Educational Opportunity Center. Ross recommended Andrew Craig to the Daniel’s Fund Scholarship, and decided to take a full workday to compete his application. “It took us a full work day to complete the survey. I prepared for about three or four hours, so that I could include everything about Andrew that I possibly could,” he said.

Andrew Craig is headed to Yale University to study Theatrical Arts, and Paige Wilson will attend the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs for a year, then will attend the University of Texas to double major in Physical Therapy and Business.  You can read more about Andrew here.

“These kids seem great, and I’m very excited for them to not have to worry about finances while they further their education. They need to always keep school first; it’s too easy to get distracted in college, but I know that they will be motivated and will stay focused,” said Daniel Graham. “Education is the most important resource we will ever be exposed to. It’s important to further educate ourselves, and we will be expecting great things from Andrew and Paige,” he said.

Artwork by Rebecca Holt

2010 is a big year for the Drama department, since they have upgraded their ticket sales to be accessed through the Internet.

“Accessibility is key,” said English Teacher and Drama Club Sponsor Michael Palmieri. “I posted Rent posters all over town, and I want the people who saw them to be able to purchase their tickets somewhere where they wouldn’t have to travel a far distance, so the Internet is perfect,” he said.

Perfect it is, since accessibility, early sales and bigger audiences are the main goals for the new online box office. “It will be easier for anyone to come to our events if the tickets are available online. I hope that people will feel pressured to buy them since the event could be sold out,” he said. “If attendees buy their tickets earlier, it benefits the Drama department; we get early profits. Also, I think that it will widen our audience count, because it will be so easy to buy the tickets,” he added.

There are two ways to purchase the event tickets: at the school or online. At school, students can get their tickets from the Box Office, or Mr. Palmieri himself. Online, theater goers can visit www.tjjournal.com, and click on the large “Rent” link, which will redirect them to the purchasing website. Prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students (with a valid student ID).

When ordering tickets, it is important to remember that NO CHILDREN UNDER 13 WILL BE ADMITTED, so Palmieri urges families not to purchase tickets for the young ones.

When the tickets are purchased, an 8×11  print-out of the receipt, with the amount of tickets purchased, will be provided. “Keep that receipt! If you lose the receipt, you lose your tickets,” said Palmieri. Trained ushers will be at the front of the auditorium ready to take the online print-outs, and purchased tickets before the event begins.

Rent will be performing on March 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th at 7:00 p.m. at the Harry Shanker Auditorium at Thomas Jefferson High School. Tickets for all four nights are available for purchase through the link posted in the TJ Journal Homepage.

“It was time that we moved into the electronic age.  The Computer Magnet has done it, so it makes a lot of sense that our fantastic Drama Department moves forward as well,” said Palmieri.

Artwork by Mia Nogueira

Dixie Darling, in collaboration with Liz Buffington, Waunetta Vann and Metro State College student teachers, have created a class during excel time in hopes of helping students achieve better scores on the CSAPs this Spring.

“Building confidence is our main goal,” said Buffington. “We want the students to be comfortable with their skills so that when the test comes they won’t underestimate themselves. ”Buffington, specializing in math tutoring, expects all freshmen and sophomores to take advantage of the opportunity. “We make this class fun; there are games and prizes. We understand that the CSAPs are not everyone’s favorite test to take, but we try to motivate the students to do better,” said Buffington.

Darling, specializing in Literature, expects students to take the test seriously. “My goal is to help these students pass the CSAPs and move up to the next level,” she commented. “The students that move up a level will receive $10; hopefully the money will be motivating for them to do better.” Darling works with students on their reading and writing skills to help them strengthen their language abilities. “Confidence is key; if the students are confident in their skills there is nothing they can’t do,” she commented.

“Any freshmen and sophomores are welcome to come,” said Buffington. The classes began in January and will continue to be offered through until the end of February. For students who need mathematics support, visit room 108 (Tutoring Center) and speak with Ms. Buffington. For students who need literature support, visit room three and speak with Ms. Darling.

“We believe in all students, and we want them to know that this class is not as boring as they think; we have snacks everyday and fun games.  I hope they encourage their friends to come,” said Vann.