$550 (Plus Change..)

An earthquake devastated the country of Haiti, as of January 12th at approximately 4:53 P.M. 10 miles from the country’s capital, Port-au-Prince, this quake has left this third-world country in shambles. While various other countries are attempting to pick the pieces of this geographic “Humpty Dumpty,” still many other organizations and programs are trying their best to aid Haiti.

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, the island nation of Haiti was struck with a 7.0 earthquake that has left hundreds of thousands of people homeless sick, injured, orphaned, or dead. Vanguard School decided to help.

On February 26^th Vanguard School held a 3-on-3 double elimination charity basketball tournament to raise money for Haitians in need of medical attention due to the devastation. All funds went to Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors to aid people whose survival is threatened by natural disasters.

"Not to repeat myself with you, but I really like the program Doctors without Borders. Even though it's not directly helping Haiti, these doctors know what they're doing." Natalie DeMeo said.

In an effort to combine fun and fellowship, our students participated in all-day basketball games, earning credit in service learning, P.E.  and quite a sweat.

"Oh man. Nobody's talking about steps to prevent this in the future. What can we do to prevent an earthquake from destroying yet another country?" Joe Impastato said. Maybe Pasta watched 2012 one too many times.

With only a ten dollar donation, our students were able to participate in the event that not only raised money but raised awareness.

Each team consisted of three players and was be co-ed (staff is encouraged to participate). The first team to score 11 points wins – but everyone wins when donating to a good cause!

Story by Kevin Bazarek

photo copied from USA Today

Zombie Awareness Day

Though the world is “obviously” scheduled for the imminent 2012 threat, you might not live that long.
Apparently, the fear of invading zombies is at an all time high ; it’s only a matter of time before this fantasy becomes a reality.

Therefore, a group of students banded together for the cause of Zombie Awareness ; original, though not-taken-so-seriously.

“Have you seen Dawn of the Dead? How about 28 Days Later? Tell me that zombies wouldn’t be scary if they were real,” Daisy Rodriguez said.

Feeling strongly on the topic, this group of students came up with the idea of “Zombie Awareness Day”. It’s this Thursday, and includes a movie, face painting, and zombie-tag. Why, though? What is the purpose of all of this?

The purpose is to get people to take zombies a little bit more serious. For most people, this cause sounds like a joke.

Understandable ; we’ve only seen zombies in movies. According to Ms. Felfle, “This cause is incredibly creative, and seems like something Vanguard would stand for.”

“To stop the infestation, be prepared.” – RJ Chambers

Story by Kevin Bazarek

Chip and Zanya pay a visit

Kloie Fetter and Val Carley are dedicated to saving Shiba-Inus this tour. As a part of their project, they brought in two rescued Shiba-Inus, Chip and Zanya, that have been a part of the Fetter family for years.

"I want to save dogs but I also wanted people to know what a special breed Shibas are," said Kloie.

"I liked the presentation because we actually got to see and play with the dogs," said Bitavia Cleveland.

State Senator will visit tomorrow

State Senator Dan Kotowski will speak to Vanguard School on Wednesday, January 20 at noon in the Forest View Education Theater.
The Senator will discuss the importance of service to the community and the need for students to work toward issues they care about.

Currently, each Vanguard student is working toward issues that are important to them. Some of the issues they are working on include immigration reform, human trafficking, animal rights, homelessness, poverty, bullying, unemployment, and zombie invasion awareness.

“I’m really excited to see a state official dedicate his time to high school students,” said Technology Assistant Elizabeth Meister.

“Anyone whose last name ends in “ski” is a good guy in my book,” said Integrated Studies teacher Bob Koralik.

“I can’t wait to meet him. It’ll be a fun day,” said Junior Zane Johnson.

Story by Kevin Bazarek

Artists to embark on new project

After a brief visit with a local artist/muralist on Tuesday, seven Vanguard students are preparing to embark on a large mural project.

While on a field trip to the Museum of Mexican American Art in Pilsen, Vanguard artists got the opportunity to visit the home studio of artist Hector Duarte. Duarte also took students on a tour throughout the Pilsen neighborhood to examine a few of the murals he has crafted over the years. Duarte inspired several of our students to create a mural of their own.

Vanguard students plan to work on the mural for the duration of this school year. The mural will be 200 by 10 feet. It will be on the back of the Forest View Educational Center. Visitors to the FVEC football field will enjoy the mural once it is completed.

Duarte’s murals and other works have been featured in neighborhoods and galleries throughout the United States and Mexico.

“Duarte is truly a magical man that embraces all things real. His works are life-changing reminders of the gifts our society has to offer as well as the ills that need to change,” said Vanguard Integrated Studies Teacher Natalie DeMeo.

“I thought Duarte’s work was inspiring. I wish everyone could see it. If every community made more murals, the world would definitely be a better looking place,” said student Zane Johnson.

In addition to their own mural, Vanguard artists will contribute to a mural Duarte is working on in Michoacan, Mexico. Students will paint butterflies on interface using acrylics. These butterflies will eventually be worked into the mural. Artists from all over the United States and Mexico are contributing to Duarte’s mural.

Story by Kevin Bazarek

No More Holidays.

In about an hour, it is officially January 4th ; in other words, the very Monday in which our vacation ends. At a home school, this normally spells emotional-doom.

Good thing we have Vanguard!

Think about what you have to look forward to ; student ID's, the brand new "Starfish" mini-tour, plus the many staff/student friendly faces that are all anxious for school.

Not to fear, your possible despair over "I CAN'T STAY UP ALL NIGHT ANYMORE!" is shared by most everyone. My advice : just be ready for another half-year of the Vanguard-craziness.


Written by Kevin Bazarek, Reporter