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/

Artwork by Mia Nogueira

TJ is always looking for new ideas to help out the school and the community, and the freshman AVID class came up with a new community service project for the end of the school year called “Hope Tote.”

A tote is a small toiletry item such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, razors, lotion, or any other toiletry item that would be helpful to someone in need. All toiletry items that the freshman AVID class collected were donated to the Denver Rescue Mission.

Mark Mallaney, the freshman AVID and Spanish teacher, had his AVID class get into groups and come up with a community service project and present it to the whole class. After all the presentations the class took a vote on which project to do, and Mallaney tallied up the votes, and the class chose Effie Andrianakos and Marissa Olan’s project “Hope Tote.”  Then the class was all set to advertise the project. “Me and Marissa wanted to do a project for the homeless and then we found this project on the Internet,” said Andrianakos.

From there, the project was afloat.  “All I did was count out the votes and send out one e-mail, the rest of the class did everything else,” said Mallaney. “They made the posters and hung them up, and they announced it on the announcements.”

The AVID class made their rounds and collected all totes during 6th period on May 14th. “Our class goal was to collect ten items, but all together we collected 78,” said Mallaney. “So I’m really proud of the class with all the effort they put into this project. I think the class was really proud of themselves too, of all the hard work they put into it.” The class collected enough totes to fill enough bags with each toiletry item collected.

“I was really proud of the class because we got a full basket full of totes and none of the class was really expecting to collect that much,” said Andrianakos.

Many classes helped support the AVID class and brought in a bunch of different totes. The fine arts department, the Computer Magnet and the whole AVID team contributed the most to the project. “The nurse, Betty Richmeier, and the social worker, Samanda Davis were a big help to the project as well,” said Mallaney.

“My hope for this project was to get the students to be involved early with helping the community and to hope they got a positive feeling with helping out their community,” said Mallaney. The AVID class was very happy with the outcome that their project brought to the community and is glad that TJ also helped “Spartan Up”.

Daniel Graham converses with a few of the many students present at the event. Photo by Anna Becker

On April 28, 2010 TJ held an asthma awareness event hosted by the Daniel Graham Foundation. Families from multiple middle and elementary schools in Denver filled the Spartan lunchroom. Toddlers, kids, and parents were all present for the event. Daniel Graham started out by sharing shocking news. “The number one cause for kids staying home from school is asthma,” he said. There was a collective gasp paired with startled looks. Graham replaced the silence when asking for a show of hands of those who have asthma, and more than half of the audience members raised their hands, with the majority being young children.

Graham graduated from TJ in 1997 and is now the Tight End for the Denver Broncos. He started the Daniel Graham Foundation three years ago as a vehicle to spread asthma awareness to create a better understanding for the chronic inflammatory disease. “I want to help the kids have a better understanding of what asthma is, and to help them find a way to prevent asthma attacks,” said Graham, who discovered his asthma problem while playing sports after entering high school. “I just hope these kids know that you can play sports even if they have asthma,” said Graham.
The foundation has been touring DPS for two years now. “It’s amazing to see how many people have asthma and don’t even know anything about it,” said Graham, who struggled to learn about asthma on his own when he was younger. One way the foundation is able to help spread awareness is by sending those who are affected by asthma to Boulder for a football camp. At the camp the kids are surrounded by those with whom they can relate. The camp allows the kids to develop a comfort level with asthma and familiarize themselves with their symptoms. “You have to figure out what sets off your asthma; what triggers it,” said Graham.

Joining the urge to spread awareness is Dr. Stanley J. Szefler, who has been a partner with the foundation in offering his medical advice and knowledge of asthma. Szefler is in pediatrics and specializes in allergy immunology. “Our goal is to increase awareness and help children get control of their symptoms. It is important to limit the impact that asthma has on their lives,” said Szefler, who also battled asthma as a child. It is Szefler’s own experiences that motivate him to help children with asthma. “I was told that in order to cure my asthma, I had to stop running track when I was in high school. It was very shocking to me; I had to give up many of my passions because of it,” said Szefler.

Staff members from the National Jewish Medical and Research Center also accompany the foundation on their trips around DPS. The members use models of the lung to help present a visual for what is causing an asthma attack. They also have inhalers and inhaler chambers to show how to properly use an inhaler. As the event came to an end there was a Jeopardy game that allowed the kids to share what they had learned and to win prizes, such as a signed football by Graham, who ended the triumphant night by saying, “I hope you never let asthma stop you from doing what you want to do.”

For more information on asthma and the Daniel Graham Foundation, go to http://danielgrahamfoundation.org/.

TJ's first Avid class set for graduation. Artwork by Anna Becker

On Senior Awards night, in front of proud parents and seniors alike, TJ Math Teacher Aimee Witulski stood at the podium to announce her selection for outstanding senior from her AVID class. Before her speech began, she proudly announced that this was the first AVID class graduating from Thomas Jefferson High School, and she was answered back by elated applause.

The thirteen seniors in Witulski’s AVID class worked extremely hard this year, visiting college campuses, writing and re-writing college essays, and worked on college applications and scholarships, all united in one goal: a brighter future. Along with college preparation, the students studied hard for AP (Advanced Placement) exams as well as everyday class studies.

For students within this AVID class, all of the feedback they have given and the words they have said have all been nothing but positive praise for the program. According to 2010 graduate Demetrius Allen, it will help him throughout his future. “Being in AVID for four years has improved my time management skills and organization as a student,” he said. Allen has not just been a part of this TJ history making AVID class, but he also has received Witulski’s Outstanding Senior Award. “Winning the Outstanding Senior was the highlight of my year. I never could have done it without the guidance of Ms. Witulski.”

As for all of the other seniors within this class, they are all very excited to be a part of this changing moment at TJ. Other seniors who have taken part in this class for four years include: Lemlem Ahmed, Andrew Brown, Jennifer Brown, Shanae Brown, Michael Craig, Conner Kleberger, Tino Lamorie, Lisa Lerner, Keirra Levier, Ashanee Moore, Shane Oliver, and Anthony Sanchez-Guevara. “I am surprised at how much they have grown,” said Witulski. “They were willing to take on many challenges and really supported each other.” Like a proud parent, Witulski beamed when she announced that all of her seniors had applied to four-year schools and were going to continue their educations into college. “They managed to not cave in to senioritis,” Witulski said jokingly.

Witulski said she will always treasure her students and is looking forward to seeing them walk across the stage on graduation day. “It’s our first graduating AVID class and they have initiated some great traditions,” said Witulski, who fondly remembers the many celebrations, pool parties, games of kick ball, and group movies that they have all shared.

Photo by Mia Nogueira

At the beginning of the second semester, Thomas Jefferson’s Special Education Department began brainstorming ideas on what to do for their semester Unified Legacy project. “The kids decided to do a mural that would be put up on TJ’s walls permanently,” said MI-S Program Director Mollie Pitrone.

On Wednesday, May 5th, the mural was put up on the wall in the special education hallway on the garden level. “The painting had ‘We Are Unified’ painted in big letters right in the middle, then had all the kids’ hand prints surrounding it and the year they graduated,” said Pitrone. “We left space so that hand prints can be added in the future so the legacy continues.”

The painting idea was conceived and planned at the beginning of the semester. “We came in contact with a lot of major companies, and many of them were generous enough to donate most of the materials we used in the mural,” said Pitrone. “Structural DPS Department donated the wooden planks we used as our canvas. Benjamin Moore and Ace Hardware donated the paint we used.”

This is Pitrone’s second year teaching at TJ in the Special Education program. “I wanted to put this together last year, but it didn’t get organized in time,” said Pitrone. “It went really well this year. We got every single student in the Special Ed program to participate.”

The Unified Sports Student Assistants also benefited from the overall experience. “It’s great to know that I’ll be a part of TJ for years to come,” said Senior Colette Hernandez.

Pitrone and the rest of the Special Education Department have high hopes that their project will have a strong affect on TJ. “Hopefully what we’ve done will inspire other departments to add to the overall culture of TJ,” said Pitrone.

The mural can be seen right outside of rooms 12 and 13 in the garden level of TJ.

Photo courtesy Matt Nicolo.

At Thomas Jefferson, a big attraction to the school is the DECA marketing program that has been a tradition at TJ for forty-one years. With the end of the year comes the annual DECA breakfast, a very professional and classy occasion in which the outgoing officers say farewell, and the new incoming officers are given a big welcome.

On April 13, this annual event was held at the Mount Vernon Country Club located in Golden on Lookout Mountain. With more than seventy-five students in attendance, it promises next year’s DECA program to be just as great as every other year, if not better, as every student was in fine form. DECA sponsor Matt Nicolo always believes the breakfast to be a giant success, as well as a huge weight off his shoulders. “Throughout the year, everyone is stressed out about the state conferences and competitions, and after the breakfast it seems to be that last bridge that needs to be crossed before making our way to the end of the year. The breakfast is a time to take recognition of our current officers, why they have the role in DECA that they do, and to celebrate their accomplishments throughout the year, as well as looking at the incoming officers and showing them what they’re getting into next year.”

This year’s event began with students and parents taking their seats in the festive dining room with Easter eggs filled with goodies on their tables, and then being served breakfast consisting of the classic breakfast cuisine and lots of fresh fruit, and as soon as everyone was finished feasting, Nicolo took the stand with Danny Showers to help accompany this year’s president, Tommy Moehlman, in commemorating the year.

In the front of the dining room sat the current DECA officers including Moehlman, Alex Clark (Vice President), Paige Milstein (Secretary), Paige Wilson (Treasurer), Alex Gustafson (Publicity Representative), Rhea Boyd (Publicity Representative), Colette Hernandez (Chapter Representative), Tino Lamorie (Chapter Representative), Jamee Veasley (School Store Reprenentative), and Mitch Mankoff (Travel Coordinater), many of whom are known throughout TJ as some of the best students in their classes.

There was a special guest in the house that morning as well, as Khalid Al-Shami, a student at Overland High School who is also the Vice President of District 13, was attending the breakfast and was given the honor of speaking to TJ and showing his gratitude towards them. He expressed throughout his speech that he finds TJ to be an amazing representative of what DECA is all about, and that Spartans show the true meaning of a well-run and well-established chapter.

A very entertaining portion of the morning was all thanks to Boyd and Lamorie, as they spent nearly twelve hours putting together the end of the year video, featuring current DECA members sharing some of their thoughts on the year. “We wanted the video to be an overview of the accomplishments of the year and also show the individual efforts that each DECA member puts into the chapter,” Boyd said.

To conclude this year’s breakfast, Moehlman was given the chance to put everyone’s anticipation to rest as he announced who was elected as officers for next year’s DECA chapter. The President will be is Mitch Mankoff, Vice President will be Dylan Jennings, and other officers are Daniela Cardona (Secretary), Hayden Johnson (Treasurer), Sarah Southard (Publicity Director), Robert McMacken (Chapter Representative), April Regas (School Store Representative), John Jones (Plans and Programs), and Christine Vlier (Travel Coordinator).  Moehlman was also able to share his words of wisdom with next year’s officers and president, saying that the best way to run a chapter is with four things: “Patience, because everyone has their own ways, and in order to get through you must be patient. Trust; you must trust your fellow students that they will get everything done well. Being open-minded; you have to stay open to opportunities and other ways of doing things, as it will not always be your way. And always, always keep a smile.” And with that, Moehlman hit the gavel one more time, and the breakfast came to an end, leaving the future of DECA in the hands of next years club officers.

Artwork by Mia Nogueira

As the year comes to the end teachers and administrators start thinking about the new freshman class that will be entering TJ in August. To make students as comfortable as possible when entering a new school, TJ holds a Freshman Academy for the upcoming ninth graders. “Freshman Academy is for new ninth graders to get acquainted with their school, teachers, and peers,” said JoAnne Moreno, one of TJ’s administrators.

Freshman Academy is offered during the summer here at TJ, on July 26th through the 30th in the morning from 8:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. “This course is optional, but students will receive 2.5 elective credits,” said Moreno. Students can register between now and the first day of the program. Applications should be provided at all middles schools or Moreno can fax them to parents.

During the week of July 26th students will be taking four classes: Math, Literature, Success Highway, and Intro to High School. Success Highway is a class where students learn to be successful and make a transition in high school life and work. Intro to High School is where students learn how to use Infinite Campus and about their graduate requirements and how to understand a transcript.

Many TJ teachers, including: Erin Thompson, Tim Owens, Kirk Hammond, Liz Buffington, Vanessa Wagner, Mollie Pitrone, and Matt Laurita, will be at the school helping out or teaching some of the classes.

“Thompson will be teaching Intro to High School because she is the counselor at TJ,” said Moreno. Wagner is teaching math, Hammond will be teaching Lit, Pitrone is doing Success Highways, Owens is teaching half math and Success Highways, and Buffington is doing half Lit and Intro to High School.

“I’m going to be helping out as the secretary and I get the chance to meet the students, take attendance and of course recruit wrestlers!” said Laurita.

Though Freshman Academy is not mandatory it will be good a opportunity for upcoming freshmen to take this chance and get a head start for their first year of high school. If anyone has any questions please contact JoAnne Moreno at: 720-423-7149 or email her at: JoAnne_Moreno@dpsk12.org.

Photo courtesy of Danny Showers

On Friday April 30th 2010, Interact Club was recognized with the Ron Prascher Interact award for the best student-run rotary club in the Interact District (5450) division because of their outstanding contributions to TJ and the community.

The Ron Prascher award was presented to them by the annual Rotary District Conference recognizing them as the top club among more than 77 rotary clubs in the Midwest area.

TJ Interact is part of the Denver Technical Center branch of the Interact organization, a world-wide organization.  “We beat clubs in Cherry Creek, Evergreen and Colorado Springs; something I was very proud of,” said Daniel Showers, the club advisor.

Since their foundation in 1998, Interact has been contributing to the local, national and international community, always willing to help those who are in need. The main projects that the club is recognized for have been at an international level, assisting victims of natural disasters. “Being part of these projects has helped me change the lives of many. Interact makes me feel confident about helping and making me feel outgoing,” said Thomas Currington, the Vice-President of Interact and the winner of the Rotary Merit Scholarship, which he plans to use to attend the University of Northern Colorado next year.

The Shelterbox project was one of Interact’s most successful, collecting nearly 1700 boxes of food, clothing and medicine, all benefiting the people in Haiti and others in third world countries. The contributions the students made where able to benefit the lives of many of those affected by the earthquakes in Haiti. “The students have worked on a lot of projects. Interact does community projects at many levels, going beyond the requirements that were needed,” said Showers. Every year the students have to work on at least two projects that will develop their leadership skills, teamwork and help them have a grasp of current events happening in their communities and the world in general.

With Daniela Cardona as the Interact Club President and Thomas Currington as the Vice President, the students who are part of this club have two good leaders helping the community. There are 27 active members of the club and, thanks to their hard efforts and motivation, they are now being recognized as the top in their area.

On top of the recognition from the Rotary district, the students in the club are already receiving district scholarships and plaque citations. “These things state that we are the best of the best,” said Showers, who was also recognized because of the great work he has done with the students.

During the presentation of awards, Showers was named the Rotarian of the Year because of his tireless commitment to his students and community. Showers has spent many years mentoring and guiding students to reach their goals. “I was very surprised, emotional and very proud. It was such a big honor,” he said.

“This year has been great. By being part of all of this we are finally setting the name of TJ to be recognized,” said Currington. By following the motto of the club, “Service Above Self”, these students are demonstrating their dedication to their school and activities.

For the first time in TJ history, the Interact Club was honored because of its great contributions to the school and its international projects.  The Ron Prascher award is the beginning to many future recognitions for TJ. Students are changing their own lives and, on the way, changing those of people around them.

Artwork by Rebecca Holt

Change has flooded the halls of TJ since the Challenge Day program was invited to Thomas Jefferson in late January of this year. Now striving to keep the spirit of Challenge Day alive, TJ’s Social Worker, Samanda Davis, started a club called Be the Change. “We have only had a few meetings, and we try to have meetings once every other week on Thursdays,” said Davis.

For each meeting thus far the club has had a turnout of about eighteen students. “We welcome all students and any faculty, but we encourage mostly students to come check it out,” said Davis.

During these meetings the students think of ideas for the school to keep the enthusiasm, invoked by Challenge Day, going. They decided to put shoe boxes in every room, so if kids need someone to talk to or need help they can put a note in the box. Also the “I love you” sign can be spotted on the doors of classrooms to maintain the presence of Challenge Day. “The kids who have attended the meetings come in enthusiastic and want to keep it going,” said Davis. “They are doing a really good job coming up with ideas to use throughout the school.”

On March 12, the committee encouraged students to sit with someone at lunch with whom they wouldn’t normally wouldn’t sit. The committee passed out cookies to the kids whom they noticed sitting with someone different.

To bring Challenge Day to TJ next year, Davis is trying to raise at least four thousand dollars. For Davis to meet her goal she is running a few fundraisers. The committee is selling Elitches tickets to help raise money. “We are selling tickets for $19.99, and five dollars of the money made from each ticket goes to Challenge Day,” said Davis. The Special Education Department is also having a pizzeria during lunch for all the staff.

“We signed up for grants and we hope that will help raise a little money for us,” said Davis. “We are also asking sophomore and junior parents to help fundraise or donate.”

“Since Challenge Day I have a lot more students come talk to me or email me,” said Davis. Teachers have also made comments to Davis, saying they have seen students throughout the school “being the change.” TJ has embraced a communal language since Challenge Day, and students are using phrases from the event such as: “be the change,” which was the quote of the day during Challenge Day. “Lower your water level” was another phrase, as the goal for the leaders of Challenge Day was for everyone to step out of their comfort zones and open up. “Filling up your balloon” was also a common phrase used, which was described as kids who have a lot going on in their lives at home or school tend to keep it all to themselves or hold it in their “balloon” and eventually they leak their “balloon” on other people.

Davis has already planned for the Challenge Day program to be on October 13th and 14th next year for the class of 2012. “We don’t have anything planned during the summer, we are just going to take a break for a little bit,” said Davis. The club will be setting up a booth during the freshman barbecue in August to give parents and new students information and to get them excited for their turn to participate in Challenge Day.

While the club doesn’t know when the next meeting will be, Davis will be sending out invitations soon for the date of the next meeting.

Those involved say that Challenge Day seems to have made a difference throughout the entire school. Davis believes that Be the Change meetings are a great idea to keep the experience of Challenge Day alive within everyone and encourage staff and students to keep “being the change.”

Artwork by Rebecca Holt

For the first time ever at TJ The Student Board of Education and the Core Team are proudly sponsoring the first annual school spirit competition, “Adopt a Hallway.” Students and faculty from all sports, clubs and departments get the chance to decorate a portion of a hallway anyway they please. All clubs, sports and departments were given their hallway assignments on Tuesday May 4th and they have until May 13th to make their “adopted” hallway display about their sport or club for the judging that will be held on the 14th.

Jen Segal, who is a Vista Volunteer from office of Intentional School Cultural, came up with the beautification competition and put the whole thing together. “She deserves all the credit for the new school spirit competition; she put in a lot of hard work to make this happen,” said Nick Dawkins, an administrative intern who also helped put the Adopt a Hallway competition together.

At the beginning of the school year The Student Board of Education started an action research problem about the concerns at TJ. After collecting the data, the Student Board found that the beauty of TJ is a key factor in culture and mood of the school. As the school year comes to an end, TJ is going to make sure next year when students start school again that they enter an environment with welcoming posters, decorated walls, visuals, and much more.

Decorating supplies became available in the copy room on the second floor on May 4th, but materials are first come first serve. “There are all kinds of supplies in the copy room. There is tape, markers, letters, stencils, and much more,” said Dawkins. “There things in there that make you feel good to be anyone who is creative.” The group decorating their assigned hall can provide any other materials that are needed.

The requirements the displays must have are: the club/activity name, pictures that can be drawings, photos, paintings or web printouts. They must have a description of what the club, sport, or department has accomplished.

All sports and clubs must include the listing of the students in the group and when and where they meet. Sports must also mention what month they have their tryouts each year.

Groups can also use large posters, banners, and 3-D accessories. Judges are encouraging organizations to utilize all wall space and to get creative! They can only use the space in the boundaries of the blue duct tape on the designated areas of the walls.

Judges will be scoring each group by how they display their name, the pictures and visuals they use, the description about their sport or club, their creativity, and the effort they put into decorating their assigned hallway. The scoring is a total of ten points, so each category is worth two points.

TJ has asked alumni, parents, and the Board of Education to come in and help with the judging. On the judging day the winning hallway will receive a gift card, press release, and photo on the DPS site.