On Tuesday, March 30, 2010, MSJ teachers gathered on Palm Ave. and Mission Blvd. before and after school to protest the proposed budget cuts.

A little common sense can go a long way –  especially if you are the Obama Administration’s Chief of Staff, and your name happens to be Rahm Emanuel. Even in such a high government position, Emanuel did not have the common sense to stop himself from calling liberal activists “f***ing retarded.” In response to his derogatory comments, Sarah Palin, whose son has Down Syndrome,  regarded the term “retarded” a racial slur and consequently asked that Emanuel be fired.  In the past, Palin has been criticized for allowing her children to be the topic of various debates, but this time, Palin has a point.

Zerg Rush was one of the two teams from MSJ’s Math Club that entered the 2010 Stanford Mathematics Tournament on February 28. This all-day competition was composed of four subject tests (algebra, geometry, advanced topics, and calculus), a general test, and two team tests. The team placed second, with several members placing in individual rounds. Zerg Rush is composed of eighth-grader Lewis Chen, Freshman Matthew Jin, Sophomores Jonathan Chen, Michael Choi, Merry Mou, and Juniors Bowei Liu, Carl Gao, and Eugene Choi. This worldwide competition attracted math enthusiasts from as far as Beijing to participate, as well as the New Jersey team that won.

On March 4, polls for the survey posted on the Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) website presented by the Parent Representative Advisory Assembly (PRAA) closed. The FUSD board utilizes these surveys to help determine the district decision to change the school schedule to 25 minutes later, 65 minutes later, or leave as is. Results were discussed at the PRAA meeting on March 16. The board meeting will be public and televised, allowing FUSD students, teachers, and parents to know the decision as soon as it is made.

Earlier this year, the Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) school board was forced to implement a string of budget cuts in order to comply with California’s then $26.3 billion deficit. California’s deteriorating economy now requires that FUSD’s budget for the 2010-11 school year be reduced by $16 million. MSJ has lost a counselor, faced larger class sizes, and has had less accessibility to the library due to similar budget reductions in the past. “It is true that almost regardless of how you decide to make the necessary FUSD budget cuts, someone would be unhappy…Please spread and share the burdens as much as possible,” said Parent Hiu Ng in an email to the board.

“What makes Fremont special?” Willow Lung-Amam, a Ph.D. in landscape architecture and environmental planning at UC Berkeley and her students aimed to find out.  They recently conducted a survey for a project that they do every year called Heart and Soul. The purpose of this project is to find what places people feel define their city. The students then analyze the top response in order to find out what social and physical aspects appeal to a specific community.

This past month, English Teacher Lili Kim, and her freshmen and junior students spent their Wednesday lunches brainstorming on ways to help the raise awareness and money about human trafficking. Kim’s past students already held a benefit concert last year called “Not for Sale” that mostly involved seniors. This year, however, Kim hopes to attract a wider range of participants for the upcoming concert on April 30.

On February 8, the University of California (UC) Board of Regents released a bulletin announcing that eight UC campuses, all excluding Merced and Los Angeles, will adopt a waitlist procedure for the Fall 2010 freshmen and transfer admissions. This procedure will also apply to the California State University (CSU) system.