To Clean or Not To Clean

By Taylor Mansfield (12/1/11)
With used juice boxes and leftover snacks scattered around the school, Cooperative Arts has turned into an educational dumpster. Or at least, that’s what it seems like. For as long as I’ve been a student here, I've seen garbage in the hallways and classrooms around the building. Despite cleaning efforts by janitors, the problem still persists. When students come to school every day, they expect it to be clean. It is important to keep the school a safe and enjoyable place to spend 7 hours a day. The problems with garbage start with the students. How hard is it to throw away a piece of trash?
     The issue affects all students from all different grades. "I think that the janitors need to keep up on their job and the students need to have their space clean. If you wouldn't want your home this way, don't have your school this way,” says Samantha Ortiz, current Junior at Co-op. 
     Next time you’re wandering in the hallway, have a look around. Take the time to thoroughly investigate any pieces of garbage and you'll see what I'm talking about. Perhaps with a little effort, this problem will decrease in months to come. Trash cans will possibly become relevant again. A clean school is definitely a happier school.

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Cop Myth Busting

By Theresa Bell

Fourteen-year-old Hispanic boy walking armed with a gun.
Police officer gets paged.
Police arrive on the scene.
“Drop the gun,” they say.
They realize the Hispanic boy does not know English.
The boy begins to draw his gun, so do the police.
Police are five seconds away from shooting the boy, then realize that he is putting the gun on the ground.  
Joe Avery of the New Haven Police Department was the police officer in the above conflict.

“As a police officer my job is dangerous,” he said during a recent interview. His job is to protect the community and keep the citizens of New Haven safe. His main job is to clear the streets of gangs and prevent crime rates from increasing.

Officer Avery risks his life every day. He could be shot or injured. One time, Officer Avery jeopardized his life “running into a burning building and saving several lives.”

He said, “I jeopardize my life every day because everywhere there is a conflict.”

Another conflict officer Avery took part in was a violent riot in the Hill section of New Haven. Many police were called through a “signal 4,” because as soon as the police arrived on the scene, the people begin to fight the police.”

The riot turned into the people versus the police. When asked about his view of people’s perceptions of police officers, Avery replied, “The perception isn’t always what it is true; people need to work with the police.”

Many people tend to hate police officers for various reasons. But when you look at the bigger picture, the police are the people who are trying to prevent you from getting that fine or 7 years in prison for killing an innocent person.

They went to school and learned how to save lives. But instead of receiving respect, they get young teens screaming and fighting back. Officer Avery says he only wants to “help people to maintain and control the communities.” Teens often have no idea what is involved in police work.

Avery entered the job of a police officer after being a Corrections Officer because he thought that “becoming a police officer was more useful and he could help people”. What do police officers feel, knowing they are going to be saving people for the rest of their life?

Avery says he “didn’t feel confident; it felt like he was entering a new world. So he hoped for no calls [the first] night.”

Now, as he walks the streets and greets young children, he sometimes gets negative responses from adults, like “don’t talk to him” because he is a police officer.

When Officer Avery arrives at a situation, he is there to help, not to get rude attitudes from people who caused the situation.

Avery went to Saint Joseph college and majored in Religion. He had no clue he was going to enjoy being a Police Officer for 20 years.

Avery says “I’m a good man and a dad to four kids. They barely get into trouble because they grew up with higher standards. [I wanted them] to be a role model for others.”

Pele may think that because Avery is a police officer, his kids grew up in a stricter environment, but they didn’t.

“They just have to be proper. Yes, they make mistakes but it is taken care of the right way.”

When asked if he’s ever abused his powers in his 20 years on the force, Avery replies “I never abused my powers; those who do abuse their powers are not police officers and should be stripped of their badge and gun.”

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The Evolution of "Swagger"

By Cantrell Cheeks & Toni McKnight

What exactly does swagger mean to you? Many think that swagger is the way you act, walk, and talk. But did you know that there is such a thing called a swagger stick? It’s is a short metal-tipped cane carried especially by officers in the armed forces.

The definition of swagger in Webster’s Dictionary is, "To walk or to strut with a defiant or insolent air." Another definition from dictionary.com is, "Ostentatious display of arrogance and conceit." That definition basically means that you are cocky. But you don't necessarily have to be cocky to have swagger. Urbandictionary.com defines swag as your appearance, style, or the way you present yourself.       

Now that you know more about swagger, do you think you have it? Do you know anybody with swagger? 

Abortion and Its Aftermath

By Kiara Nieves

Almost half of all American women have unplanned pregnancies. Lisa Jacobs was just one of them. Not only did she find herself in this difficult situation, but she realized that she had a decision to make.

“When I was 20 years old, I found out I was four weeks pregnant. I was shocked and surprised.” says Jacobs, now 34 years old. 

At that time in her life, Jacobs was more focused on the way she would look pregnant and how her life would be ruined than on raising a child. She started dwelling on the decision whether or not to have an abortion. “It was all about ME ME ME and how I felt,” she says.

Even though Jacobs was thinking about having an abortion—she had always been against it. “I was against abortion all my life, but even more against it now. I never thought I would ever have an abortion,” she says.

So how did she come to the conclusion to have an abortion?

“I had a cousin who pressured me into it and said that I was making a ‘responsible’ decision. She even tried to act like it was a loving decision. This is what drove me to make the decision, but I was never firm [about it].” Jacobs’s decision to have an abortion, like many women’s today, was solely based on the influence of others. It’s not easy when you live in a society where other people try to persuade you into doing what they believe is right or taking the easy choice.

The father of the baby was against Jacobs having the abortion. “[He] wanted me to have the baby and he asked me to marry him,” she said. At the time, he was 28 and according to Jacobs, “he was in a much better position to become a parent. There were times when he would lay his head on my stomach and talk to the baby as he cried. One time as he did this he said, ‘I'm fighting for your life, I'm trying my best to save you.’” 

The days and weeks passed and Jacobs still found herself torn between keeping the baby or not. Soon, she was 5 weeks along.

“I had an ultrasound and saw my child's heart beating.” She says. “I was touched by it, but at the same time I was frightened by the reminder that the whole situation was really real.”

Jacobs was young, barely out of her teen years and when people are that young, they often look for support and for some guidance outside of themselves. And even though they know that abortion is not the right decision—at least not for them—they do it anyway because that’s the only guidance they get.

When asked how she felt when the decision was final and she was only days away from the abortion, Jacobs said, “Honestly, even until the last minutes of the abortion, I was not firm in the decision.”

Then came the date; January 16, 1996.

For everyone else, this was a regular day. But for Lisa Jacobs, it became the day that scarred her for life. “Soon I was led into a pre-surgery room and was asked to remove my clothing and put on a gown.” She says, remembering the events of that day. “As the nurses wheeled me down the hall towards the surgery room, I remember thinking, My baby's heart is beating at this very moment and in a few minutes it will stop. Part of me wanted to jump up onto my feet and scream, stating that I wasn't going to let them kill my child.”

“As I looked around the room, I noticed a table with many unfamiliar items on it, but one thing I did recognize was a long coiled see-through tube, which I knew my child would be sucked through. I panicked as I said, ‘I don't want to see anything. Put me out.’”

After those words, on that rainy day, Jacobs made a decision that she would never be able to take back.

She went through with the abortion.

After the procedure was done, Jacobs found herself in the recovery room. “My first feeling was a sense of relief, but then a feeling of darkness replaced it when I was hit by the reality that my child was gone forever,” she says.

After the abortion, Jacobs became depressed. “So depressed that I was on anti-depressants and wished so badly that I could go back in time and not have had the abortion. I was not happy with myself,” she states.

Soon after, Jacobs thought about getting pregnant and having another baby—a common thought that occurs to women who have had abortions.

 “I […] had wanted a baby very soon after the abortion,” she states, “but I knew it wouldn't be the same baby, and I didn't want to have another baby without accomplishing some things like schooling. I didn't want the abortion decision to have been in vain...I wanted to get some things accomplished before getting pregnant again.”

  Now thirty-four, Lisa Jacobs lives in California. Although initially shaken by the abortion, she and her partner are still together. Her decision is still with her and every day she has to deal with it.

“My child wasn't given the chance. The only proof I have is the ultrasound picture and the memory of being pregnant, rather than [the child’s] existence here on this earth. I still have the maternity clothes and every time I see them, sadness fills me because I never needed to wear them. All I can do is pray that I'll meet my child one day in heaven,” she says.

 “Overall, I would beg and plead with others not to take an unborn life,” says Jacobs. “When you have an abortion, you trash that valuable life and speak for that life without giving him/her a chance. It’s such an injustice.”

If you are someone considering abortion, or have more questions for Lisa Jacobs, you can contact her at: [email protected]. Also, you can find her full story at http://abortiontv.com/Words/LettersFromThose.htm.

 

Senioritis

By Derick Pagan

“Derick”, says Ms. Englart as the class discusses their progress on writing their feature article.
I look up and reply, “Bwwhat?”

My eyes drop as I look at her as if she’s crazy, almost as if looking through her.

 “Where are you in writing your feature article?” Ms. Englart pesters. “Miss, I don’t even know what you’re talking about…” I say as I shift my direction from the teacher to whatever is in front of me.

I make no progress that day. This is the routine day in and day out, not because I’m a bad student, but because seriously…there’s a month left of school. I’m already graduating and going to college, I feel I’ve learned all I need to and all future work would be trivial at best. As stated on collegeboard.com, “When senior year rolls around, some students just want to get through college applications and relax before they head off to the college of their choice…A condition generally referred to as senioritis.”

Senioritis: a lack of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades. Like Ms. Englart and I, many seniors and teachers are plagued by this oh-so-real disorder. With summer heat, prom, and graduation approaching I feel unmotivated at a level previously unbeknownst to me, a feeling shared by just about every senior I know.

This condition affects seniors from the highest achieving, to the average and struggling alike. Out of 50 polled seniors, 93% openly admitted to having ignored direction, sleeping in, and even skipping class altogether. When asked how she felt about her work in the last few months of school, fellow senior and valedictorian Symphony Spell said, “I don’t know what point there is in attempting to educate in 30 days. What can they really teach us that is going to be of any significance in our lives?” Spell went on to say that she “just wants school to be over already. These last few weeks are taking forever.”

English teacher Shannon Ortiz was asked her view of senioritis. She agreed that “good kids who have worked hard for four years do not need to be stressed out with unnecessary work that is not going to benefit them as they approach the end of their high school careers.” This statement would come as much needed relief for many frustrated seniors who are hassled by teachers they dislike to complete work for the sake of just doing work. I know from experience the aggravation associated with an annoying teacher who wants you to do work you deem useless and unproductive. It seems as the school year approaches it’s end the days get longer and time passes slower. Each day the symptoms of senioritis worsen.

Eventually It’ll get to the point where a student is left sitting in front of a half empty computer screen, facing a feature article due last week, a month and a half in the making. As he sits down staring at the screen he’ll come to a crossroads; either finish the assignment which he could have easily finished weeks ago or take out his phone and text. I chose to finally finish it. Would I have not done the assignment altogether if given the opportunity and a free pass? Yes. But when it comes down to it Grades>Senioritis. Well, that’s my opinion.

Seniors who like me feel there is no point in moving forward with schoolwork in the final weeks of school would be foolish to simply stop doing work. Work, or rather the absence of it, is still going to count against you. Whether it makes a difference to your future or not, I don’t think anyone wants to fail the fourth marking period.

College board gives tips and strategies for seniors looking to avoid senioritis here: www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/the-application/8626.html. Educate yourself, and don’t to stop doing work simply because it’s a few degrees hotter outside. Because whether you have senioritis, junioritis, freshmanitis or anything in between, at the end of the day it’s just laziness. I know.  

 

 

City Wide Science Fair Award 

 By Emily Messinger

 Ms. Daniels was proud of Coop’s participation in the City Wide Science Fair.

"Overall,” she said. “Students that worked on science projects have demonstrated great inquiry skills and did wonderful jobs.  I am very pleased with student performance and participation at the city wide science fair. Students successfully defended their projects and used their critical thinking skills to develop their knowledge of the scientific method. I anticipate more student involvement in the upcoming school year." 

 Honorable Mention: 

Cinthia Perez (Individual Physical) 
Shelby Simmons (Individual Physical) 
Annie Sigg (Individual Physical) 
Montel Gray (indivdual Biological) 
Emily Messinger (Individual Biological) 

 3rd place:

Elias Heckman Heath in Individual Biological 
 
 2nd Place:

Winy Coronado in Individual Biological 

 Special Awards: 

Emily Messinger and Ms. Daniels- Most Innovative Projects related to Water or Environmental Science 

Coop- Women's Seamen's Friend Society Special Award for School Activity in Fresh and/or Salt Water Ecology 

 

A Day in the Life of a DCF Social Worker

By Chris Davis 

The 16-year-veteran DCF social worker (he can’t reveal his name due to confidentiality agreements) puts on a proud smile, saying “I don’t do it for the money; I do it for the love of kids.” 

DCF, the Department of Children and Families, a child welfare organization in Connecticut, has been misunderstood since its beginning. From stories of DCF Workers molesting children to DCF employees stealing from the organization, there are hundreds of Google pages filled with scandalous stories that misrepresent the DCF Organization.

 But is this really all DCF has to offer, disturbing stories? What about the praise that they deserve, for their work helping kids get away from harmful environments and get placed into safe homes?

When asked why this occurs, the worker says “DCF is a private organization, we aren’t supposed to let out any information. So the public doesn’t get to witness the good of the organization because they aren’t able to access all the information. When they do get information, it’s the bad info and they blow it out of proportion.”  

This makes sense. The media find frustration with DCF workers because they are not allowed to talk to them, so when the media gets the chance to get revenge, they do it. 

The worker states “I am a parent to my clients, I am responsible for every aspect of their lives.” He uses the word parent. DCF workers often take children in emotionally as their own and treat them better than their own parents can at the time.

“I have to spend time away from my family. At least 500 hours a year, I take time and spend it with my clients (children). If the parents don’t ever get their situation together, I have to stay involved with the kids until they turn 23. DCF puts them through college and even still works with their families so they can get their children back.” 

As the DCF worker talks, it’s hard to understand how he does so much to help kids and families, yet the media still bashes him. The media makes DCF look so horrible, as if all it does is take advantage of poor, troubled families and children, when their real purpose is to re-unite the family in a way where the kids are protected and the families are stable. 

When a child is taken, so is government money and government help. “I really don’t want to take welfare away from a struggling family, but I also don’t want to see bruises on a kid and them being mistreated,” the DCF worker states.

DCF workers usually only last about 5 years “the average burn out rate for a DCF social worker is 4 to 5 years and usually the older you come in the shorter you last. Older rookies last up to 2 to 3 years,” The vet states. “The amount of stress you deal with is immense, most people break down and cry on the job, cry in the office, they can’t take the stress and pressure to deal with seeing year old babies with black eyes.” 

Besides the job, DCF workers have to deal with criticism from the media and the fact that most people barely understand their job. “Most people think all we do is take kids from their families, but that is about only 20% of our job, a very small percentage.” 

The amount of stress DCF workers deals with is amazing. The job takes a toll on the workers.

 “In the beginning, you feel bad but as time goes on, it’s a part of the job, meaning eventually you lose your emotions regarding taking kids,” says the worker. “I almost never cry, it makes me immune to crying. So it made me bring that attitude home. Now, even when my kids cry it doesn’t affect me, I’ve even seen some of my clients (kids) go to jail and the only thing I say to them is, you know you messed up.” 

DCF, an organization that is misunderstood. DCF workers deal with a lot of pressure and still continue to help kids and keep a positive attitude toward the world. 

“We are exposed to a world of abuse, neglect and harm that the whole world is hidden from. No TV actors or movie scripts, its real life and we deal with it,” says the worker.

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Intellectualism. Try it.

By Emilio Bonilla 

This marking period the sophomore creative writing class studied Intellectualism by looking at intellectual lyrics. After we read them we were challenged to write our own lyrics. What is Intellectualism, you ask? One definition from dictionary.com is, ‘’Intellectualism is excessive emphasis on abstract or intellectual matters, esp. with a lack of proper consideration for emotions.’’

The criteria we used to identify intellectual lyrics in class were lyrics that displayed the following characteristics: insightful, deep, trying to show a moral, thinking more than feeling, have combination of seeing what everyone sees, but also seeing it differently, big picture, see connections in ways others may not, contain abstract thinking (the “why” of things) and were profound.

How can you tell when lyrics are not intellectual? “You’re a Jerk” by New Boyz, or “In the Club” by 50 Cent, and “Crank That” by Soulja Boy are not intellectual, because they are more fun and less thought-provoking.

Now you’re probably wondering what songs are intellectual? A few songs that our class picked were “Beautiful” by Eminem, “90210” by Wale, and “What’s Going On” by John Mayer. We each had to play a song for the class then explain why the song was intellectual. Most of the intellectual songs that we picked had to do with bad parenting, world issues, and domestic violence.

Here’s a list of the intellectual songs written by some CW2 students:
Amanda Aponte- You See
Henry Murphy- Generation Lost
Shayla Ford-This is Why I Write
Sawda Salami- Nature
Evanleigh Davis- Memoirs of the Last Man Standing
Emilio Bonilla- Illusion 

Cyberbullying: The Click Incident

By Cinthia Perez

“Click, Click, Click, Click, Click.” These five sounds can take someone’s life away.”

Be careful before you press send.

Many teens feel free to log in to their MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter page and express how they feel to whoever they want. We have the right to say a lot of things in the United States but that doesn’t mean we can threaten, harass, intimidate, or mistreat someone. We all sit back and think everything is okay with our friends, brothers, and sisters, but who can say they are being cyber-bullied? A newly released report by Electronic Media and Youth Violence, says that between 9% to 35% of young people been a victim of electronic aggression.

 “Theresa Bell, Theresa Bell report to the main office.” 

In the office, administrators informed Theresa that she’d sent a MySpace message to Tory Spell that was consider cyber-bullying.

“I was not aware that what I did to her was bullying. I just sent her a message saying how I was mad at her because she hadn’t participated in something. But I remember everything I wrote; I know that some of the stuff it was really hurtful,” said Theresa.

Tory Spell sent the letter to her guidance counselor, who called administrators and Spell’s parents, “I printed the message out and decided to show it to Mr. Cunningham or someone that had a better understanding about what to do, because I felt lost and alone,” said Tory.

Research indicates that though as many as 75 percent of teens have been bullied online, only one in 10 have reported the problem to parents or other adults. What happens to those that don’t report cyberbullying to an adult?

“I felt it was my fault and not Theresa’s fault and that everyone was against me. I just felt lonely and betrayed,” Tory explains how she felt after reading the message on MySpace, eyes distant, as if she was going back to that time when she first read the message.

Recent studies conducted by The Journal of School Health, showed that teens are “likely to blame themselves and once they do that, they increase their risk of depression.”

Asked why she sent the comments to Tory, Theresa said, “I was just frustrated. I was failing that class and I knew that I needed help and I wasn’t getting the help from her.”

Recent studies conducted by cyberbully.org show that children who cyber-bully each other are because they are often motivated by anger, revenge or frustration. Theresa Theresa was fearful about failing science class and the only way to bring her grade up was to participate in the science fair. Theresa tried her best to do everything in the science fair, but felt she wasn’t getting the help from her group members. Therefore, she was eager to send a message to Tory telling her how she felt about her slacking.

“I felt like she was against me the most. I felt betrayed and I believe in some way it was her fault,” said Tory. Tory explained how she felt about Theresa blaming everything on her. She felt that it was not necessary for Theresa to send her a rude message through MySpace. “I was not expecting that at all. I felt as everything was under control. After I read the message I knew it was not under control, “said Tory with a disappointed face.

“I’m a mature person and I don’t hold grudges. I never knew I was cyber-bullying, but now that I read the message and had my parents come in to the school and talk to the administrator, I believe cyber-bullying is not good for my reputation.” After talking to the administrator Theresa knew that she made a mistake and that she’s is aware about what can happen if she cyber-bullies.  Makeadifferenceforkids.org states, “Postings in cyberspace are traceable, downloadable, printable, and sometimes punishable by law.”

“Next time when doing a group project, I will be careful and have good communication with my partner; it will be less stressful,” Tory states. She’s ready to move on. She has recently seen that many teens are taking their lives because of cyberbullying. She didn’t want the same thing for her parents and herself. Therefore, she asked for help. “I never planned to be a cyber-bully victim, it just happened.”

“We both acknowledged everything and apologized to each other. We both respected each other and were mature about it,” said Tory and Theresa.

But not all cyber-bullying situations end like Tory and Theresa’s. Others may commit suicide, become a cyber-bully, or commit a crime. Makeadifferenceforkids.org states, “Online victims are eight times more likely to report carrying a weapon to school in the last 30 days than non-bullied victims and suicide. “

So many teens die because of a simple instant message. We need to put a STOP to this. Our children need to learn that cyber-bullying is not a joke; it’s a criminal act with criminal penalties. Children need to be aware of what they put online, because cyberbullying can be conducted 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and someone is waiting for their next victim.

If you have a cyberbullying incident, “Don’t ignore it, solve it, and make it be the last time,” says Tory. 

Sillybandz: The Takeover

By Derick Pagan
It’s basically impossible to walk down a street and not pass by someone--child, teen, male, female-- without noticing a colorful twisted up piece of plastic adorning his or her wrist. And it won’t be alone. Sillybandz vary in form and come in a multitude of colors. Ranging anywhere from $4.95 to $6.95 and found in most local convenience stores, sillybandz are both easily accessible and inexpensive.

The Sillybandz Corporation describes their product as the “Hottest New Fashion Accessory”, a statement which has proven to be true. The wave has become so massive that some schools have banned the toys. Www.nbcnewyork.com reports that in New York, “The Superintendent of Deer Park Schools, Eva Demyen, sent a letter home to parents on April 30th alerting them that students are now banned from bringing Sillybandz to school.” This decision stemmed from the distraction the rubber bracelets caused within the classroom. Students want to show off the Sillybandz to their peers and trade them with one another. Conversely, some schools view the Sillybandz as a good thing rather than a distraction. Fair Haven Middle School, in New Haven, C.T. has begun to sell Sillybandz in an attempt to profit from their popularity.

The Sillybandz craze is not limited to young people. I have overheard my peers, 16-18 year olds, have conversations about their Sillybandz: which ones they have, how they got them, which ones they want and what they want to trade for. One friend even said, “I might just keep these forever. Show them to my kids, like look what mommy used to wear and collect when she was in highschool.”

Sillybandz are an accomplishment, the more sillybandz you have, the cooler you are. Anyone who has a Sillyband that his friends do not have is proud to show it off. Two weeks ago a boy offered to give me five dollars and any one of his sillybandz for  my money sign Sillyband. Keep in mind that a pack of Sillybandz is $5, so he could have easily got my money sign and 23 more Sillybandz for his money, but the heat of the Sillyband moment overwhelmed him.

Like most crazes, the Sillyband fever has spread across the nation. With Sillybuttons already available and SillyBiners-Caribiners and SillyBandz apparel coming soon, who knows how far this craze will go. Will SillyBandz go worldwide? How far can these bands stretch? 
 Get your pack today, because the "Spring pack is already retired.

Photos from a recent trip to New York City by Emily Messinger.

The Blood Drive

December 9, 2009 


Article on Co-op’s Blood Drive (for the Newspaper)  


Co-op’s Blood Drive; A Great Success!  


      “Ouch! That sucked, but it’s over” said senior Amanda de Castro as the needle was placed in her arm as she was donating blood during Co-op’s first ever blood drive. “It was worth it though,” she said afterwards—“I’m not going to say it was completely painless, but it didn’t hurt that much and it’s a really great feeling to know that you’re helping out other people by donating blood.”

      This past year, on December 4, directed by Ms. Harris and Ms. Daniels, Co-op held its first blood drive for students and staff to donate blood. Co-op had a surprisingly large turnout of people willing to donate blood, and more than fifty units of blood were collected; overall the Blood Drive was a great success!

      Donating blood is an extremely important for many reasons—first off, people need blood all the time and the only way for hospitals to gather blood is from voluntary donations. Having blood in hospitals is vital, blood banks have thus been set up all over the country to encourage people to donate blood. Any one person who donates blood will not only help one person, but can help three!

      For a blood donation to help three people, once its donated, the blood gets separated into three different components; red cells, platelets, and plasma. (A little bit of science is involved here, but I promise; it will be brief!) Red cells make up the bulk any one person’s blood, and when blood is donated, the red cells are used to help people who have lost great blood due to surgery, car accidents, childbirth, and other such accidents. When someone experiences a blood deficiency like this, their body will need red cells quickly, if they have lost more than a certain amount of blood, their body cannot produce the red cells quickly enough. Blood infusions are then needed and red cells from volunteers are used to save that person. Platelets are found in the blood stream, they are fragments of cells that are involved in the clotting process; they are what causes cuts or wounds to stop bleeding. However, many cancer patients who have to go through chemotherapy have their platelets killed off the by the radiation. Therefore, many cancer patients are in constant need of platelets, without sufficient platelets in the blood stream, accidental cut could become life threatening. Platelets are thus in constant need, and are supplied by volunteers that have donated blood. Finally, the plasma from the blood is supplies vital proteins and salts in the blood stream, they help buffer the pH of the blood and play an important role in muscle and nerve activity. This plasma can be found in any healthy person’s blood stream but they are vital to help burn and shock patients, and can only be taken from voluntarily donated blood.

      Brenda Wagner is the manager of all the Red Cross blood banks in New Haven, West Haven, North Haven, and Hamden. During Co-op’s blood drive I was able to speak to her briefly about blood banks and blood drives that occur around New Haven. She emphasized the educational purposes of blood drives and how important she thought that it be brought to schools where students themselves can become part of the process for donating blood. Many high schools in New Haven hold blood drives each year, Wilbur Cross, Career, HSC, and Hill House are example some schools that annually hold blood drives. Because any individual can donate blood every eight weeks, some of these schools hold as many as four blood drives each year. Co-op has proudly been put on this list of participating schools, and hopefully will now be holding biannual blood drives. These blood drives that occur in schools are not run by adults either—students volunteer and are the driving force of running the blood drives that occur at the schools.

      Co-op has to give great thanks to its student volunteers of who without this blood drive would not have happened. Emmanual Almodovar, Nicole Colafati, Kiya Clark, Stevie Love, Iris Bryant, Tanairy Heredia, Diamond DeMatteo, Nakia Jones, Leah Gimbel, Rochelle Dunkon, Morgan Addy, Alissa Ferguson, Jamorie Johnson, Carlee Carvalko, and Leyla Heredia. These students worked recruiting people to donate blood, setting up and running the blood drive. Co-op has to commend them for all their hard work that they have put in to make Co-op’s first blood drive a real success.

      Right now, researches are studying ways of producing artificial blood cells to help people in need of blood transfusions, but so far, they have been unsuccessful. Until synthetic blood is created hospitals and patients will continue to need blood donations. Co-op will be having a second blood drive in the spring and any students (above 17) and faculty who are eligible to donate blood we encourage you to do so; you can save three people lives from doing this! All students can volunteer to help out during this event even if you are under seventeen and cannot donate blood. Keep an eye out in announcements and see Ms. Harris before the next blood drive to volunteer.