Natural and Sustainable Gifts

1. Lichen and Rock Ornaments-

Buy empty/DIY glass ornaments at Hobby Lobby, fill with your choice of the natural world.

2. Holiday Wreaths with stick frame and holiday decor from the neighborhood.

How to Make a Eucalyptus Holiday Wreath by Elizabeth Beeler and

----->http://www.myhomeideas.com

c'est magnifique.

How many ways can you say Merry Christmas???

Marlo: A Very Merry Christmas! Week 64 Christopher Browne A list from the Huffington Post,

Merry Christmas in German:
Frohe Weihnachten

Merry Christmas in French:
Joyeux Noël

Merry Christmas in Italian:
Buon Natale

Merry Christmas in Portuguese:
Feliz Natal

and many, many more...

Additionally, how many December celebrations are there around the world?

At this time of year, six kivas from the Zuni Tribe will be dancing and giving a house they have built to six families from their tribe. This is the time called Shalak'o. Much as Santa Clause visits us, the Shalak'o visits the house which the men in the village have been building year round. On the first day, the Shalak'os descend together on the village by walking from the top of DY down. The Shalak'os will dance for a week straight, race each other, and do giveaways at the Plaza. I have had the honor of experiencing two. It is definitely something I will do again as well as recommend.

It's easy to get wrapped up (hopefully not in wrapping) but in many obligations, what we want and giving as many people as possible the perfect gift. Overall, I think it's important to realize this is a universal time, to sacrifice and to give others what we can, whether it's time, a handmade gift, a card, confessions of love, treating yourself to something special or everything on their list. Give what you can and be thankful for what you do receive.

So without further ado, many miracles to you this holiday season and Happy, Happy Shalak'o, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Winter Solstice!!!

2 videos, 1 picture, and thank you to lulu lemon!!!

Parker and the orginal downward facing dog

Surprise bonus with a great class at Yoga Circle, lulu lemon made a guest appearance and gave out new yoga mats to all participants.

***** Five stars from me and here's a link to where to get them, thickness a plus, and double-sided textures which allow you choice depending on what type of yoga you are doing,

http://shop.lululemon.com/products/clothes-accessories/women-yoga-mats-and-props/The-Mat-32428?cc=9815&skuId=3430422&icid=hp;middleband;discovermat;110811

Also create a profile on Australia-based my green profile's website.

http://www.mygreenprofile.com

Here is a recent video of their's...great message!

Rejuvenating exercises from the Tibetan monks...

"Keep calm and carry on."

From Africa to Birmingham... Happy holidays to all!!!

Janine, Tombizanele, and Ziyanda

South Africa, 2004

Add to the One Campaign's 2015 quilt and fight AIDS worldwide,

------->http://www.2015quilt.com/p/28727

Test your hunger IQ at the following link as well and feed ONE student a warm meal,

-------> http://gifts.wfp.org/quiz

Also begin playing Food Force, the first Humanitarian Video Game,

-------> http://www.wfp.org/how-to-help/individuals/food-force

Thank you also to my book club for a great discussion of the Poisonwood Bible...

Questions and Quotes for discussion:

1. Which daughter to you most identify with and why?

2. How do you find your heart again?

3. What themes of redemption are in the book?

"To live is to be marked, she said without speaking."

"The power is in the balance: we are injuries, as much as we are our successes."

"You get to find your own way to dig out a heart and shake it off and hold it up to the light again."

Other topics, a Mighty Heart movie, http://www.amyjomartin.com,

Ted Talk: Annie Murphy Paul, "What we learn before we're born"

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Twilight, Hunger Games, and Saved by the Bell.

Food: Hummus and Cucumber dip, Cous Cous, Zoe's Potato Salad and JVUF Field Greens, with Lime Sacred Cornmeal cookies for something sweet.

Allison, Tanya, Meaghan, and Emily

Tortica De Morón

New favorite cookie from Cuba, or cookie from the city of Morón:

Recipe here ----->http://globalcookies.blogspot.com/2007/10/cuba-torticas-de-morn.html

Another good question, is there really a cookie for every country?

I will find out, first stop the Jewish Food Festival, TODAY!

Found: Black and White Cookies and Corned Beef

Vulcan Run yesterday, mad props for the NYC Marathon runners today, bummer for Bama... what else is there to do but festival?

---->http://blog.al.com/bob-carlton/2011/11/birminghams_levite_jewish_comm.html

and

----> http://mossrockfestival.com

"It seems to me, we can either pay the farmers or we can pay a hospital!" -Birke Baehr

My latest 3 CSA recipe attempts, not too difficult or too shabby ;)

(Yeilding Lake) Bok Choy on Steroids,

----->http://www.mariquita.com/recipes/bok%20choy.html

(JVUF) Kale Chips,

----->http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/baked-kale-chips/detail.aspx

and 1 week away till (JVUF) Muscadine Wine... Yikes!

----->http://southernfood.about.com/od/beveragesanddrin/r/bl80919f.htm

Check this kid out Birke on Ted.com, amazing!!!

Girl Effect Blogging Campaign

Girl Effect is an organization with a real situation, girls!

I was first introduced to the Girl Effect through a group in Birmingham called Girlspring. Being a teacher who works with our youth, many of these issues effect my students and so are very important to me. However, they are also issues that I am sure pretty much every woman has dealt with by nature of being female. They are also not issues owned only by women.

Check out the video and join the movement today, http://www.girleffect.org/video

A simple message with a world-changing effect!!!

"Know Your Worth"

For NANOWRIMO participants this year, these ideas might get you going...

Nora Coon: Preparing for NaNoWriMo, Part One: If you've read Chris Baty's No Plot? No Problem! (the guide to NaNoWriMo, written by the creator of said event), you probably remember his ...

Max's Deli at the Colonnade

Here is another case of how HB56 is causing detrimental effects which are actually intended by lawmakers. Instead of ranting, I thought today's meal description would be one about eating at Max's.

I ate at Max's during a lunch break from the Samuel II: English Second Language conference at Rocky Ridge Elementary School last year. With Tarrant teachers, Mr. Bobba, Mr. Luster and Ms. Johnson we discussed many strategies for teaching English Learners through the SIOPS or sheltered instruction method.

I remember being impressed with the atmosphere of the restaurant immediately, the quality of service and the unique tastes that are unlike what many restaurants offer in Birmingham. I also remember a shared plate of pickled appetizers from green tomatoes to peppers which made for an immediately interesting conversation amongst four hungry, over-worked, but positive educators. I ordered the largest, most beautifully carved turkey sandwich I have ever eaten with plenty to carry on the tradition of making a plate for the next meal.

Naturally, I was shocked when I heard the troubles that HB56 is causing with the staff at Max's as well as for business. Especially as a result of comments made that defend legal immigrants, it's just not right.

So, I urge all readers and lovers of quality sandwiches, and more importantly, ethnic and cultural diversity, show your support for Max's Delicatessen! It's the right thing to do, and as Dr. King might have reminded us, "The time is always right to do what is right."

Read their story on the website

------>http://maxsdelionline.com/our_story.html

as well as their recent media coverage

-------->http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/20/alabama-immigration-law-deli-owner_n_1022535.html

---------> http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2011/10/maxs_deli_owner_talks_about_ba.html

Today is the National Day on Writing... take time in your classrooms and/or offices to WRITE!!!

Barry Marks will be at Word Up this year, (April 1, 2012) and is a poet native to Alabama. Writing and poetry is everywhere, what it takes is the courage to put yourself out there.

Get ready for NANOWRIMO next month too, all of November, 30 days of novel writing!!!

National Day on Writing --------->http://www.ncte.org/dayonwriting

Adult NANOWRIMO------------->http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Young Writer's Program--------->http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/

Check out these ALL STARS (Ms. Sanders' Class at Tarrant)!!!

-------->http://whywewrite.posterous.com/

Kentuck and EcoFest

Cypress at Allen Acres

A few more meals I wished I took pictures of: Ecofest Committee Dinner and Kentuck Festival. Somehow the above picture says it all.

Kentuck is held in Tuscaloosa every year and showcases one of the largest groups of Alabama artists. This year I went with my sister, her husband, their two sons and daughter. What an incredible amount of art we have right here in Alabama!

Montgomery's Booker T. Washington Magnet School had an incredible photography exhibit of student's work. Another vendor I loved http://www.madebyonegirl.com, Lisa Norris makes all kinds of creations from stationary and fabrics which are transformed to framed pieces of art, notebooks, journals, and love notes. Topped off with indicatively festival food, my sister and her family shared with me a smoked drumstick, kebabs, fried crawfish, catfish, chips, doughnuts and an apple while listening to the ballads of Kate Campbell. A fine day in Alabama with the latest advice from my nephews, "Eat a doughnut."

Thank you to everyone who contributed as well as attended EcoFest this year. It was quite a success for the 13th annual event with a variety of guests, art, and food which made the night perfect. This week the committee had a wrap-up meeting with dinner at Roald's catered by Whole Foods. Big plans for the coming year, perhaps the 2nd Annual Watercress Darter Festival this Spring...

Join the Freshwater Land Trust this weekend at Turkey Creek for the Darter Dash! 5k and Fun Run :)

"There's no such thing as excess eating, only inadequate activity." ~Dorothy V. Harris

Ten Ways to Make your Home Sustainable

Description of images:

1. Keep hope for the flowers, and respect all languages.

2. Take time to create something beautiful.

3. Use your resources.

4. Compost.

5. Hand wash what you can and let it dry.

6. Recycled bathroom tissue from Publix's Greenwise brand.

7. Wash clothes on cold.

8. Avoid paper towels, use re-usable napkins if possible, french press your coffee.

9. Be on time and with respect of innovation.

10. Unplug your charger, when needed.

Time flies :) A celebration ten years in the making...

In a three day hiatus from the poetry project, please excuse the three posted today in an attempt for time spent celebrating the marriage of Anne Trabue Watson to Austin Nelson.

Other news, another fabulous meal this time with entire family to celebrate my uncle, grandmother and my namesake and mom's birthday: Hampton's sushi-wrapped salmon with quinoa salad and eggplant, Caroline's Carrot Cake, Etc. and GH Mixed field green salad.

A recent NY Times magazine of note and conversation, "Why Does It Matter that Families Eat Together?"

-----> http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/10/02/magazine/02-families.html#1

These are the reasons why!

Two Recent Meals with Impact

Hatton Smith, Joslyn Smith and Richard Yeilding at Rotary's
25 year celebration of the Harbert Center in Birmingham

Dad, Mom and Dr. Ruth Hill Yeilding at
Gian Marco's Wine

      
     First, Rotary's celebration of the 25th year anniversary of the Harbert Center.  Quite the crowd from Birmingham's business and education leaders came together to enjoy the center, company, and food with great performances from UAB's symphony and Marching Band.  The original architect was there, who along with others dared to dream big dreams for Birmingham by creating this center.  Through the efforts of Rotaract members $705,000 was







raised for updates to the building, continuing this spirit of dreaming big for Birmingham.
     And second, dinner and wine tasting at the new back house to Gian Marco's which has been turned into a wine cellar.  In a cabin-like atmosphere, customers can enjoy fine wine and traditional Italian while sitting on the porch around a wine barrel turned table top surrounded by a garden.
      Typical of any night at Gian Marcos, Giani engages all his customers with conversation, suggestions of numerous daily specials, and the latest news of ideas percolating this think-tank of culinary arts.  Also it never fails, indicative of the welcoming atmosphere of the restaurant, that you will make a few more friends from one meal by sitting closely with an amalgam of people from Birmingham tucked away in a hidden slice of paradise where risk-takers prosper and every meal is a celebration.

"Make a Plate"

          So far, today, I have put up two more poems, one I wrote for my parent's anniversary and another I put together from notes in Zuni as well as my own experiences with love as my religion as well as in constant pursuit of it.  I also thought I would write more stories of meals I have shared with family and friends.

         One from this summer comes to mind with another poet, Brittany O and family, The Othole's.

            Here is a 2:00 pm meal after graduation with proud parents and artists, Leander and Lisa.  On my return visit, I made famous "Bama" Stew which in Birmingham would be called Santa Fe Chili.  We also had pancakes, eggs, fry bread, coffee and Zuni salt all in moderation.  More exciting news, let's welcome to the world, Kylen Iyah Othole, born yesterday September 20, 2011 as I was thinking about writing this story!

            

            Another tradition that I learned from the Zuni's, after eating, they always tell guests to, "Make a plate" to take with you as you leave.  What I think this means is that cooking is an event to be shared and also to provide plenty for family.  Regardless of whether we're amateurs or not the people and company are what make slow food.  From this experience, I remembered not only to make a plate, but don't let anyone steal your soul (or let you turn into a stella :)  Thank you Othole's, from a guest who believes that you are the angels.

"When entertaining strangers you entertain angels unaware."

           

      

30 Days of Slow Food and Poetry, Day 6

     Tonight after my Language Acquisition class at UAB, I had an important dinner date with one of my heroes, my dad, at Bottega Cafe.  Although they did not have my favorite beer, Magic Hat, they did have a delicious red pepper appetizer stuffed with goat cheese and sprinkled with capers and golden raisins.  For me, this was topped off with a just right, Mireille Guiliano-inspired glass of Prosecco.  I had trout with butter bean cous cous and my dad had chicken scallopine.  Pardis and the crew treated us to chocolate cake with pepper meringue icing.  


     As many times as I think Birmingham has gotten the best of me, I realize that nothing beats the restaurants here or the company of family.  It must be true to it's name, Bottega, the studio of a master artist, in which lesser artists, apprentices, or students learn by participating in the work where I will forever be the learner of my heroes and restaurant family.  Elah'kwa :)

"Don't ever give up: church, work, exercise." Love, Dad

  

No Recipe for this, freezing funnnnnn!

$5 Challenge+30 days of poetry+protesting in the streets of Birmingham= ???

So far, my pledge to Slow Food USA's $5 challenge has included:  putting some poetry out there, a potential protest of football which becomes a little easier when Auburn is losing, but also even better when BC was beating Duke, less meat, more creative projects,  $5 off at Hobby Lobby for paintbrushes, three meals at Chick-fila for $5 before walking for midwives, sharing a Restoration Academy turkey sandwich with my newlywed brother, sister-in-law and friend, another equation for pure poetry!  It's true, "the joy you give to others is the joy that comes back to you!" especially when there's no judgment involved :)

This weekend I started painting the last of four sails with my nephew.  All four sails are for the Watercress darter fish, found only in Jefferson County.  The idea being this:   the 4 sails represent the 4 locations of this particular darter and potential garden art for Powderly, Pinson, Bessemer, and Roebuck Springs.  My class at Tarrant painted one for Pinson, I painted one for Bessemer, Roebuck Springs is hanging at Brad Morton's Studio, and one more to go before October 6th!

Additionally, it must now become a well-known fact that s'mores and ghost in the graveyard cure all heartache.  

There is something about the way the ingredients in S'mores combine to give everyone back their happy childhood:  Graham crackers, slightly burned marshmallows to taste, plus just a tad of melted chocolate, and voila, sticky hands and we're hunting for frogs again.  Ofcourse, you can always take the chocolate out as Alecia did, but be careful what you wish for as well as what you put out there because it all comes back to you.  While sharing my 1,000th S'more, I told my nephew about when my siblings and I would play Ghost in the Graveyard.  With explicit instructions about how to play, Ghost in the Graveyard began with turning out all lights, Alecia and myself counting the 1 o'clock to 12 o'clock, countdown. Midnight! and we opened the door to find James standing in the middle of the hall. Let's also note that to this Ghosts in the Graveyard, we added Vampires, Witches, and everything else scary including Smart Women and Mean Teachers.  We conquered it all.

Quote of the weekend after his first ski behind the boat:  "That was freezing funnnnn!"  

~ from the Book of James 

                              Sunday meal:  Spaghetti Squash, Sweet Potatoes and JVUF basil
                        Just another thing my mother taught me when she helped me fill in the sun...

"Everyone who can stand, stand now. If you can help others, do so." ~Welles Crowther

My red bandana:  community, gardens, and writing.  I support community gardens, am part of Catalyst's CGC Birmingham, and am anxiously anticipating DISCO's EatDrinkReadWrite Festival starting this week; however, I have something to confess I do not have the greenest of thumbs!  Well, at least not at my own tree-lined shady slice of heaven I call home on Oglesby.  But, they say take it in small steps, so an update to my esperanza para las circle of pansies on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, we have banana peppers at Jardin de GH.  Great on pizza, and best when grown in a bird bath.  Banana with pepper, perhaps my new approach to life, peace with a kick and in gratitude to the charming gardeners in my life.

Here comes a great time...

Dart to Brad... Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Join the Youth Board of the Southern Environmental Center next Thursday for happy hour with us serving as guest bartenders!  Get a sneak peak of the latest going on in Brad Morton's studio, while supporting the SEC.  Additionally, your participation in this event gets you half off for EcoFest, October 6th at the Harbert Center.  A win, win!  

Thank you to the SEC Board for planning a great EcoFest for this year and SEC's director, Roald Hazelhoff as well as dwindling but ever-powerful, fellow youth board members, Catie Yeilding and Phil Amthor.

(PS, to students, this is an 18 or older event!  You can support the cause by advocating for the environment at your school or asking your teacher for a field trip to the Southern Environmental Center)

"Empowering Teachers, Enriching Students."

Yesterday, I presented to the RMWP Leadership team a dream that many of my fellows and I discussed during our month as fellows in RMWP: 1-1 mentors for students in writing.  Being someone that benefitted both personally and professionally from RMWP, I was thrilled with the opportunity to dream.  What we came up with is a center at UAB for students from K-12 to come after school for tutoring, SAT/ACT prep, and enrichment which would be taught by fellows of the project.  Following models of Dave Eggers and Chip Brantley, we hope to bring to UAB a center for students and teachers to develop and share a love of writing.


     "Empowering teachers, enriching students."  This is the theme of a dream that RMWP’s leadership team discussed yesterday.  We will bring fellows and students to UAB's campus to apply RMWP concepts to a select group of K-12 students from all of metropolitan Birmingham.  Taught by fellows who are also teachers, students will get tutoring, writing support, and SAT/ACT prep in all content areas with writing as focus.  Simply put, teachers who teach writing must write themselves, and writing must be taught in all content areas.  It is a process and art which we want to include the youth on.  Please join us!  More info to come...


Thank you Dr. Perry, Bruce McComiskey and all the many dreamers involved in the project.  

UAB's RMWP Learning and Enrichment Center

          title="Wordle: RMWP Center">

An Immigrant in Us All: Repeal HB56

For the first two weeks of the school year, I am getting the opportunity to get some immediate training in ESL certification. It is a great way to learn and explore another layer of the process that educators face today. With Alabama's upcoming law HB56 going into effect for the next school year, it is an interesting place to be.

With many laws being formed across the nation which target this population for unnecessary investigation and persecution, I am thrilled with the opportunity to work with students from all over the world and have been amazed at what they can tackle at an early age. These types of conversations add volumes to the classroom environment. While these students are not technically the "aliens" that the law attempts to limit, these are the students that it hurts the most. I do not understand why we would ever think these students are anything less than an incredible asset to any environment. It is unfortunate that law makers are attacking a principle which first made our nation great, an immigrant nation conceived in the hope that we can all work to make our dreams come true.

A short list of what this law would look like...
- government workers are required to report violations of the act
- no limits or restrictions to the act
- no "aliens" are eligible for post-secondary education, nor are they eligible for scholarships, grants, or financial aid
- suspension of business contracts for businesses that hire immigrants
- transportation of immigrants is a criminal offense
- every public school must determine whether or not the student is legal and compile data including birth certificates, immigration documents, education in an ESL program, participation in free/reduced price lunch, and a budget of the financial cost for these students

The conversation should be less about how to react to illegal immigrants, and more about how to make our immigration process more effective. It should also be more about how to provide an equal opportunity to give back to a country in which they, and we should also, believe is the best nation in the world with the best opportunities imaginable.

Zuni Graduation

Zuni 2011 - Online Slideshow Maker

For the last weekend of March, I travelled back to Zuni, New Mexico to see one of the first classes I taught in 8th grade graduate from High School. It was unbelievable to return and witness each student's growth and success. Every student from the class had some sort of achievement as well as a definite path chosen in life. I am so proud of each one of them and look forward to even greater things. Thank you so much for inviting and including me in the celebration!

Last Days at Tarrant

Tarrant - Online Slideshow Maker

Thank you to all the students at Tarrant Middle High School for being part of my class for the past two years. On the last days of school, a few of you drew a picture of a path with many directions pictured in the slide show and entitled, "The Road to Dreams." Please enjoy this slideshow and thank you for all your work this year. Life truly does take us on some twists, turns, ups and downs, but what separates as Shelby would say, the heroes from the chumps, is how we handle the circumstances. I will keep this idea with me in my search for the next path, and hope you will all keep in touch and continue striving for your dreams!

Much love,
Ms. Yeilding

Spoken Word

Here is a great example of spoken word performed by Daniel Beatty.



Read the poem below, and identify at least one line with which you identify.
"Knock Knock"
Daniel Beatty

As a boy, I shared a game with my father—
Played it every morning till I was three.
He would knock knock on my door,
And I’d pretend to be asleep till he got right next to the bed.
Then I would get up and jump into his arms.
“Good morning, Papa.”
And my Papa, he would tell me that he loved me.
We shared a game,
Knock knock,
Until that day when the knock never came,
And my Mama takes me on a ride past cornfields
on this never-ending highway
Till we reach a place of high rusty gates.
A confused little boy,
I enter the building carried in my Mama’s arms.
Knock knock.
We reach a room of windows and brown faces.
Behind one of the windows sits my father.
I jump out of my Mama’s arms and run joyously towards my Papa’s,
Only to be confronted by this window.
I knock knock trying to break through the glass,
Trying to get to my father.
I knock knock as my Mama pulls me away
Before my Papa even says a word.
And for years, he has never said a word.
And so, 25 years later, I write these words
For the little boy in me who still awaits his Papa’s knock.
“Papa, come home, ‘cause I miss you.
I miss you waking me up in the morning and telling me you love me.
Papa, come home, ‘cause there’s things I don’t know,
And I thought maybe you could teach me
How to shave,
How to dribble a ball,
How to talk to a lady,
How to walk like a man.
Papa, come home, ‘cause I decided awhile back
I want to be just like you, but I’m forgetting who you are.”
And 25 years later, a little boy cries.
And so I write these words and try to heal
And try to father myself.
And I dream up a father
Who says the words my father did not.
“Dear son, I’m sorry I never came home.
For ever lesson I failed to teach, hear these words:
‘Shave in one direction with strong deliberate strokes
To avoid irritation.
Dribble the page with the brilliance of your ballpoint pen.
Walk like a God, and your Goddess will come to you.
No longer will I be there to knock on your door,
So you must learn to knock for yourself.
Knock knock down doors of racism and poverty that I could not.
Knock knock on doors of opportunity
For the lost brilliance of the black men who crowd these cells.
Knock knock with diligence for the sake of your children.
Knock knock for me.
For as long as you are free,
These prison gates cannot contain my spirit.
The best of me still lives in you.
Knock knock with the knowledge that you are my son,
But you are not my choices.”
Yes, we are our fathers’ sons and daughters,
But we are not their choices.
For despite their absences,
We are still here,
Still alive,
Still breathing,
With the power to change this world
One little boy and girl at a time.
Knock knock,
Who’s there?
We are.

Writer's Notebook Webquest

Our last 9 weeks project will be a portfolio of your writing, above is a sample of our first two "WNB" entries, the collage and heart map.

Below is a guide for this project in the form of a webquest, highlight and paste into your browser.
http://www.zunal.com/webquest.php?w=93892

"Let us tell these truths together."~Penny Kittle

Watercress Darter Festival

In honor of the watercress darter, a fish that is unique to our city, several folks from the Southern Environmental Center, Fresh Water Land Trust, and Ruffner Mountain got together at Railroad Park for the first annual Watercress Darter Festival. Kite-making kits were for sale as well as painting of sails for the four places that this fish was found, Pinson, Roebuck Springs, Powderly, and Bessemer. Birmingham City School children's art work was displayed, while many kids and kids at heart (Ms. Leslie Anderson, Ms. Beth Sanders and company) decorated and flew kites for a fine Sunday afternoon in downtown Birmingham. Sans Pointe dance troupe added to the festivities by dancing throughout the park, while Bob Marston kicked us off with some fresh, acoustic tunes. It was a great time for all, and one to hopefully become an annual event. Thank you to SEC's director, Roald Hazelhoff, and our up and running Junior Board: Michael Duffy, Phil Amthor, Catie Yeilding, Christina Schutt, and myself for being the coolest youth board in town.

Tarrant students read information about the fish, collaborated in Ms. Love's art class to submit a painted kite to sell at the park, and designed one of the sails that is hanging in the picture with the James Audobon quote, "A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children." Thank you all for your participation and happy, safe spring break!

Look forward to upcoming Earth Day activities, Real Life Poets and UAB's Youth Poetry Slam from 4-6, April 22nd.

Happiness Project/ Rules of Life

What would my ten rules of life be? In the frame of Leo Tolstoy, here goes,

1. Be who you are.
2. Love deeply and genuinely.
3. Stay positive.
4. Don't stress, nothing will ever be exactly like you expect it to be.
5. Work hard, and don't make excuses for yourself.
6. Sleep (although sometimes I think it's overrated).
7. See the good in people, and teach them to do the same for themselves.
8. Exercise in a method that you enjoy.
9. Never stop learning in all areas of life.
10. Fight the good fight, find people who are doing likewise, and don't ever give up.

Favorites from Leo Tolstoy:
Be good, but try to let no one know it (EJ)

Change nothing in your style of living even if you become ten times richer (Rodarrius)

What are your 10 rules?

And, check this sight out, 6 word memoirs on just about everything, first one HAPPINESS!

http://www.smithmag.net/happiness/story.php?did=183939

This is why I spit... LIVING POETRY!!!

Check out the Real Life Poets and founders, JP, Obeah, and Quick.

For several weeks they have been working with our students to help us form the VIP's or Very Infinite Possibilities. Through our participation in the Birmingham Public Libraries, "I Slam Therefore I Am" workshops, you would not believe the growth in confidence, maturity and audacity of many of the students. Thank you to Ms. Sanders who had this vision and also got me hooked on watching Brave New Voices. I now see coming into fruition what a few students and I only had a glimpse of in starting the Entertainment Explosion at Whatley, which is an outlet for change and empowerment by giving audience to the words of the youth.

As often as possible, students have been meeting Friday mornings, monthly workshops and in third Saturday open mics at the Coffee Shop in Bessemer.

Look forward to our school competition in February along with "Word Up" in April!!!

Check out other programs at, http://reallifepoets.org and also follow our blog, THS poems!

"A Toast for Change" pictures that speak 50,000 and more

I toast the students for making the decision to come to school,
I toast the parents who brought them into the world,
I toast the faculty who dedicate their life's work to work worth doing,
I toast invisible or visible victories,
And my students and I make a toast for change in the new year!