A newsletter for LEEP students and Alumni January 2008
Respect Taking risks Active participation
Happy New Year to you all!!
A few quotes to start the ball rolling with a theme that should not be too hard to figure out.
“The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire not things we fear.” 
Brian Tracy. And, “Our thoughts create our reality -- where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go.” 
Peter McWilliams. Did you guess the theme? That’s right focus, focus, focus! In this new year let’s all focus not just on staying on the high road, but using that road to improve our situations. Putting pencil to paper is a good method as explained above, although these days I think computer keyboards and cellphone texting work equally well. The point is to take the time to focus your thoughts on what you need to do to succeed. Want a place to focus your thoughts? Try our facebook site ( look for “LEEP at Lakeside”) or the myspace site (myspace.com/leep1965). Hope to see you there.
Freshmen
“Musical Instruments” LEEP ‘07
OK folks break time has come and gone. I hope the time off was good to you. Now it’s time to hunker down, and get back to work. Don’t forget to stay on the “High Road” in all things you do. It is easy to forget the work you did in the summer as the year progresses, but I urge you not to forget. I urge you to look back at the challenges you overcame in the summer and apply them to some obstacle in your path today. The sooner you deal with the problems facing you the faster you can realize the dreams you aspire to. It was good to see so many of you come out to Matt Talbot’s and help out with the Thanksgiving Dinner. To those of you that braved the rain I salute you! Your tenacity and spirit of giving is amazing! If you still have paperwork that you have not returned to me, you need to get that in so you can get your credit. I’m sorry the gift wrapping event didn’t happen. There was a serious misunderstanding that caused the whole thing to fold. It happens. In a few weeks, however, you should be getting a letter regarding our next gathering. We are going roller skating! Imagine TJ on skates! So get ready to lace them up! Till then make sure you are getting the work done, and laying down a good foundation for yourself in your drive to get into college. You are going to college aren’t you?
Sophomore “Cheeses”
LEEP ‘06
Hey Cheeses. So I hope you had a good winter break and are settling in for the next wave of school. Like the freshman instruments you guys came out in force to the Matt Talbot event. I can’t tell you how good it is to reconnect with you all during these events, and see the great strides you are making towards your future. Our last gathering will be in March so look for the letters to arrive in February some time. In the meantime if you are looking to practice taking the SAT again there is another possibility coming up really soon. The test date is March 1st, with registration dates, January 29th (on time) and February 7th (late w/ a fee applied). Right about now you should start looking up colleges of interest on the web, and seeing what sort of academic and extra-curricular things they want out of their student body. You can use this information to shape your next two years of school. You can also look around your community for ways to meet extra curricular needs. TJ and I will be looking forward to seeing you all in March.
Junior
“Bathroom Products” LEEP ‘05
The advice for the sophomores goes for you as well, but with ten times the emphasis. By now you should have a list of schools that you want to apply to, and I can’t stress to you how serious it is for you to be researching them right now. Make use of the internet and really look at the campuses of your choice to see what kind of students they are looking for, what sort of classs they offer, the admissions criteria, etc. All of this information should be put into use in schedule your upcoming classes, and participating in community service. At this point you should also be making a list of potential career pathways. Begin to use this list while researching your colleges to see if your goals match what schools have to offer, and when college representatives come to your school go talk to them. This may sound funny, but make sure you have a social security number, and another thing you might consider doing is scoping out possible work for the summer. Showing responsibility through work is a good indicator on college applications. And don’t forget the LEEP college tour is coming up. It looks like we will be heading to Whitman, Central, WAZU, and Eastern, so you can get an idea of the differences in universities. Make sure you keep an eye out for the upcoming letter with the details.
Senior
“Construction Machines” LEEP ‘04
Wooo. You are almost there. Hold on just a bit and don’t let the senioritis get the better of you. Schools you have applied to are still watching you, and some require midyear grade reports. By now you have hopefully submitted all application materials to the schools of your choice. Hopefully you have either taken advantage of TJ’s free college counseling nights, or gone to your school counselor (or parents, or somebody!!!) and made sure that all your applications were in order and complete. Don’t be afraid to call the schools up and make sure that they received everything. Letters of acceptance should begin rolling in around March or April. Our fingers are crossed!!!! Now you should begin filing for financial aid. Fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can for early consideration. You can find it at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. As always with things of this nature the sooner you get it in the better.
School Year Calendar
Here is a look at the remaining dates and times. Look for your letters to confirm all activities and details.
Sat Feb 9, LEEP ’07, Roller Skating
Sat March 15, All LEEPers, Community Service – House makeover.
Sat March 22, All LEEP Parents Temp Check, KE Auditorium
Mon-Fri March 31 – April 3, LEEP ’05, College Visit Tour. (Central, Eastern, Washington State, Whitman??)
College Corner
This whole shoutout has been about college so I don’t really think I need to put more info about applications or financial aid or the likes in this little corner. What I would like to put here though is a plea for you all to do everything in your power to obtain entrance into a college or university. Most of you during the summer expressed interest in going to college and I hope you have not given up on that dream. It IS possible, and LEEP can help you, but only if you take advantage of the possibilities. There is more than enough evidence proving the benefits of college (including financial – you want money right?). don’t let apathy or the lure of the low road pull you away from your potential. Finally, for the ladies, Microsoft has a camp for any you interested in technology called Digigirls Hightech Camp. Applications are due May 5th. Go to https://www.microsoft.com/about/diversity/programs/camps.mspx for more information. Good Luck!!!
SHOUTOUTS TO:
Nobody is telling me of their accomplishments so I offer what I have seen. I want to give a big ole shoutout to T’Keyah Bennet and Michael DeArmas for adjusting and excelling in their new environment. Not an easy task at all!! I also want to give a big shoutout to Frankie Cochran and Mia Montagna for their amazing work at this year’s POCC. I was very impressed. The rest of you let me know what YOU are doing. Email me at: jabali.stewart@lakesideschool.org
JS out.