Blog Update

Last week, I started a year and a half college program so I won't be able to update this blog for the next while. If I can find someone to write posts for me, I may start it up again. Just thought I'd give you an update.

-Sarah 

When they leave...

When I leave O&A I'm going to go back to school.

EA, age 15

I will not be under the influence 24/7.  Plus I will become the most nicest guy in the world.  I will also write clean freedom rap, yo!

MONKEY!!!

 

ZCG, age 16

 

Im gonna stick with my family until I know Im ready to hang with my friends so I dont do bad things with the law to get locked up again.

 

HM, age 15

 

I wont get any deeper in the court system.

 

CP, age 15

 

I'm not gonna skip class and get my High Honor roll GPA back, then attend college.

 

CY, age 17

One thing Imma do differently when I leave O&A.  Imma go back to school try to get my credits because I want to graduate and hopfully become a Navy Seal.

DC, age 15

One thing I will Do when I get out of O&A is that I will not do drugs and I will change Myself and be a better person to my family and myself.  work hard like always and do my best in school to make it to university.

LG, age 17

be there for my Family.  Stop gang banging, selling, and doing things to make money thats agenst the law.  also I want to be able to see my baby boy be born and not be locked up for it.

KS, age 17

When they leave...

When I leave O&A I will change the people that I hang out with and my schooling.

VSA, age 15

Stay focused in school.  Learn to appreciate all the little things in life that can so easily be taken away by poor choices.  Exspressing gratitude to all the people who have helped me perservere and never take them for grantide again.

AS, age 17

When I get out I'm going to follow the rules of probation.

AW, age 16

When I get out of O&A I will get clean for my family.

CH, age 16

One thing I will do when I leave O&A is stay clean, Respect m;y family and friends and stay out of trouble.

CS, age 15

Be a batter roll model for my litler brother's and stop smoking weed.

KK, age 14

One thing I will do differently when i leave is..  Start doing good things for me like school, work, good friends I'm going to stay away from the people who are no good. I also am going to stay away from drugs.

CR, age 15

One thing I am going to do differently when I leave O&A is I'm not going to run from my problems anymore I'm going to be courageous & get back on the right track.  & especially put my family first.

SA, age 16

When they leave...

When I leave O&A I am going to do my best it what ever program I go to and stay off drugs also do everything in  my ability to be succesful to be happy and wise I will choose to make the right choices when I know something is wrong and I will work hard to get out of the system and stay out of it for myself and my family.

TL, age 15

Dear Sarah thank you for teaching me and showing me what I did not no  You are the best teacher in O&A I love your teaching and I love your class and I love yo I will never forget about you in my life anywhere I go or an where I see you I will always thanks you.

I will have good freands and Do good in school and get a good job and not Do staf that got me in here.

ZR, age 17

When I leave O&A i am going to change my way's my life and im gonna attend school every day and due the best i can to learn in school.  and think before i take any action because if i don't i'm gonna end up back in here.

AM, age 15

The way I think and act & also treat my family & friends.

TA, age 15

I will stay calm at all times

CJW, age 13

One thing I will do differently when I leave O&A Is think about my actions first before I act.

NL, age 14

I am going to stop the addiction of the stuff I am doing also is to apoligize and to say sorry to my family.  Plus to be a good citizen and to love my family and to be more truthful.  Turn my life over.  Or got to my home and not the big house.  

FT, age 12

Everybody has a Story--"Drugs"

This is my everybody has a story writing and I'm going to tell you about my story.  My life started out in ---.  I was born in a fairly decent environment with a decent father and mother.  After about three months in --- I moved to ---.  Living in --- was a big part of my life I lived there for fourteen long years.  I really enjoyed my life in --- I had quite a bit of friends.  I grew up seeing past color and race.  I grew up around drugs and alcohol and living a life no one should.  When I was ten is the first time I experimented with drugs which end up taking over my life.  Out of all my friends for the longest time drugs was my best friend.  Then after awhile I realized how bad drugs are and I've been trying to get off drugs recently Just because of how bad they are.  I really wish people sometimes would stop dragging people down with them.  Anyway I also drank every now and again, and none of these things are good things so I hope no one goes down the path I did because it was a bad path.  and I feel bad for anyone who has.

SS, age 15

Everybody has a Story--"Boxing"

When I lived with my dad up in --- I had alot of problems.  Me and him got along great it was just the people that i was hanging out with.  I did very well in school and did what I had to do to not get into trouble.  When I would leave school for lunch everyday I would go to my friends house and we would all have boxing matches.  Then one day I knocked out one of my friends, and we had to go back to school.  After that we kept on trying to wake him up then finaly we just decided to call an ambulence.  After a few days we heard from him and he had been in a comma for about 26 hours.  After that we decided not to box during lunch anymore.

JH, age 16

Everybody has a Story--"Light Sabers"

I remember once a horrible thing that happened to my brother that I did to him.  This was about around when I was in 4th grade.  After the California trip, my mom, my brother, and I came home from the airport by my dad who stayed behind.  My brother and I had our prized possessions in our hands that we got from California.  We got them from disneyland.  It was our very first time at disneyland and our mom bought both of us our own light sabers from star wars.  One of my favorite movies around that time was star wars.  My brother and I went in the back yard of our house to play with them.  After a while we started to get real bored with playing the same thing.  So we decide to play golf with our light sabers.  We had little squashy balls for golf balls and our light sabers as clubs.  We were swing the ball to a sprinker hole we used as the putter hole.  It was my turn to swing at the ball.  Not realizing that my brother was behind me, I swung.  At that moment the hilt of the light saber whacked my brother right between the eyes, into the bridge of his nose.  He was crying and bleeding.  I ran with him to get our mom.  She quickly stopped the bleeding.  The gash wasn't big enough to need stitches but was big enough that there will be a scar.  My brother knows it was on accedent and he should of moved out of the way.

RS, age 15

Everybody has a Story--"Rum"

My friend called me and said we should hang out, I should have said no...but if I had he probably wouldnt be alive today.

When I got over there it was like any other day, but then it started getting late and we ended up fairly bored with a gallon of Bucardi Rum... We started drinking, and we were duking it out on a killer pirate video game (it seemed only fit with the rum and all) the more we drank the funner the game got, and the more we got into the game the more we took up a pirate's drinking habits.  this continued for a while until my friend started feeling queezy, by this time the drink was almost completely gone, and I found myself finishing his glasses off after everyone of mine.  Suddenly my buddy rushed to the bathroom and started Puking, I wasnt too worried because we had drank a lot and I had heard of that happening before so I thought nothing of it.  When he didn't stop I got worried...When I went to check on him I found him vomiting blood all over himself and into the tub.  at this Point my fun night came to an abruct end and I sobered up real quick.  I spent the rest of the night forcing my friend to try and drink some water and keeping his head out of the puke so he could breath.  eventually at 6:30 AM I got him out of the tub and onto the couch where I gave him some water to try and drink, a piece of bread if he was daring, and then I had to walk 6 miles home in the brisk early winter morning air back to my house to avoid Parental detection.  right when I got home I pretended to have just woken up and begged to be able to go over to his house "early today" my confused Parents agreed and so I walked all the way back with a hang over to make sure he was ok.  eventually he could drink water and keep it down for a while.  but he stayed sick for about 18 hours.  I'm lucky I didn't watch my friend die from alcohol poisoning, because he should have been in a hospital.  That experience changed the way I thought about a lot of things like life, drugs, my friends, who I really care about, how destroyed I would have been if he had died, and it really just opened my eyes to the fact that its not all about fun and games.  Some things matter more to you than you could know, but don't make it take a near death or death experience to have you realise that.  bottom line is that yea it is a lot of fun, but if your not safe, or responsible, and even when you are sometimes, crap catches up with you.  its not worth the end result.

JG, age 16

When they leave...

I am going to do, no longer try, life is such a challenge and if I can over come them and remember that life is a journey will be a wonderful start to my success.

RJ, age 17

One thing I will do differently when I get out is stay of drugs and get out of the gang and thug life.

TB, age 15

When I leave ONA I am going to stay out of truble be there for my sister show her the right way stay drug free and go to colige for football.

AF, age 16

When I leva O&A I will chage my life to make it better.

HM, age 15

not do drugs and not disobey authority figures.

BB, age 16

When I leave O&A I am not going to fight with my parents.

When Im out of O&A I will stop robbing people.

SB, age 17

I'm going to go to school and get straight A's.  I'm going to my house and tell my family I love them and mean it.

CU, age 12

I am going to finish my program or if I go home I am going to stay drug free and finish probation so I can get out of the system and stay out.  But I am going to do things that are productive and that keep me out of trouble.  I am also going to stay away from negative influences.

AC

My Dream Job-- a persuasive writing assignment

My dream job is pilot or librarian.

Dear Sarah,
I would make a good pilot because I meet the Height requirements and I have no fear of heights.  I will be able to manuever in big and small air currents no matter how difficult. I would be able to remember all the controls and all the flight patterns I would be the class clown in flight class.  It would be in honor to train me cause I'm crazy in love with plains, helicopters, and Heights.

JDE, age 16

My Dream Job-- a persuasive writing assignment

Dear Sarah,
My dream job is to be a cosmotologist.  I think I'd be good at it because I've been doing hair and makeup for all my friends & my little sisters for a while now.  I know how straighten hair, curl hair, crimp hair, bump hair & some other stuff.  I can do makeup pretty good to.  I want to be a cosmotoligist because ever since I was little I liked being able to see how different a person can look juss by doing a different hair style and putting make up on.  Im good at it.  I did my cousins hair & makeup for her wedding and it turned out really pretty so I know I'd be good at it.

JM

My Dream Job-- a persuasive writing assignment

My dream job is an archeoligist.

Dear Sarah,
I am writing you today, to inform you of my love of history.  More than just history, uncovering the past and discovering what was once never found.  Since I was a small girl growing up in the desert region of --- I knew one thing, I had a passion for digging holes.  As I got into school, my love expanded into history as well.  Naturally archeology fell into place.  There is a lot to be said for my love of adventure and seeing new places.  I'm sure you do not want to just hear about how much I love the job in which I'm applying for, but if I meet the expectation  My qualifications are more than perfect, this is my area of expertise.  I am available at all hours of the day or night, seven days a week (except when History Channel is running an Ancient Aliens marathon, but of course you understand)  As I mentioned earlier my love for digging holes is only matched by my accuracy.  People have always dreamed of digging to China, while I have actually achieved this feat.  My final achievement is top secret.  You must not tell any of your collegues because they will be super jealous.  Before being reincarnated as a 16 year old delinquint, I had many prosperous lives.  One of those was an archeoligist from 1798, but not just any archeoligist.  I traveled with Napoleon Bonaparte to Egypt and discoved what is now called the Rosetta Stone!  You can see that is wher my love of this field comes from.  I look foward to working with you soon

With the most sincerity,
MP, age 16

When they leave...

One thing Ill do different is count my blessings and keep true to myself.

DW, age 17

One thing Imma do differently when I leave O&A is listen to my parents because they know whats best for me & another thing I'll do differently is not violate my probation.

CO, at 15

 

Im going to finsh school and get ready to go to my LDS mission and be with my family.

MAT, age 16

To follow a program with my best.  To go with live, with valor.  Success, to strive, life is great, making it is another.

CW, age 15

go to school and get good grades.  And stop smokeing.

ARH, age 14

When I leave O&A, I am going to stay away from bad influences and be a non-violent person.  I also will not use drugs any more.  I am 2 months clean and want to continue that.  I will finish school and lead a successful life.

CL, age 15

I am not gonna do the Negitive choices my retarded friends who want you to get in to trouble anymore Im gonna do good. 

FC, age 12

I am going to chang my future a head of me in  make my in my family happy in better in earn my trust back from my uncle in my family.

BC, age 14

Not smoke pot & spice.

TR, age 13

Im going to be a thinker and leader not a follower and doer.  Im going to think twice before I do or take any action.

SC, age 17

Everybody has a Story--"Stolen"

The statement above holds 100% truth to it.  Everybody holds a story inside of them, whether it be great and large, or little, we all old our own stories deeply.  A story I have, is a major life changing experience, it doesn't only cause me to look at life differently, but forced my mind to endure permanent damage to my cognitive recall.  My story starts out simple and happy, much like the rest.  I was attending a football game, as a young, strong spirited individual. I was 13 years old, with no problems occuring within my life.  Until that night, at that football game on October 8th.  I was having a great time with my friends and some females, until the 4th quarter came around.  It was in that quarter, when a life changing 2 1/2 minutes occured.  I was being innocient, without causing any sort of problems, to make the outcome of that night happen.  I was secretly followed by 4 individuals, that a certin person had "Hired" to "punk" (jump) me.  I was later approached by these individuals, with a fierce thought in their minds.  They had at first questioned me about a kid named Ixxxxx, asking me what I had said to him or done to him.  My response was truthful "I haven't seen or talked to him in almost a full year."  I was puzzled at why these people were even talking to me, until I was struck with a right hook, onto my left temple.  It was then, when I had entered a flight or fight mode, my first reaction was to fight back, when on my way to the ground I had hit one in the eye, with a returning right hook.  That was when everything was jump started into action, as the one was stumbling for recovery, and was trying to get up, the other 3 had rushed in at me with brute force.  I was kicked, punched, stepped on, crub stomped and tackled wothout and way at all for me to get away or fight back.  After what had happened, I was rushed to the hosbital by mother, where there I had final lost conciosness at the door way.  They had later reveiled my injuries, with a major 3" by 1" fracture in my frontal left lobe of my skull, also with 4 to 8 concussions, 2 minor subdermal hematomas on the right side of my brain, and with multiple spinal fractures in my neck.  I had a 4 1/2 hour surgery 5 days later, where there they found out about the multiple fractions of bone chips, just fractions of an inch from puncturing my left eye.  From that one night, those short minutes, my whole life from there on back and forward had forever changed.  I now suffer from short term memory loss, with in 20 minutes I lose 60% of what information I had retained.  Not only that, but I now have no recolection of my past life at all.  People can break into your car and steal your radio, but that is worthless to you, to any person compared to their past, their memories, their life.  Everyday which I wake up, I always wonder, how different would my life be, how different would I be?  Would I ever had met those who are bad influences, and those who incureged my negitive behavior, and would my life be different, would I not be locked up.  They say "don't for give thy 7 times, but 70 times 7 times", with that saying it makes you really thing if someone stole your T.V. from your house, could you forgive them?  Probably so, if someone broke your heart, could you forgive them, yes.  But all of these things are something you can either replace, or repair.  But if someone stole your future, your past, your life, would you be able to forgive those?  I don't think I will ever get the strength to forgive someone for stealing "me" from myself.  This is the story which changed my life, in many ways.  I hope you get from this, to live while your dying, than to die while you are dead.  This experience has caused me to live for the moment, to live like there is no tomorrow.  Take what you want from this, but every second counts, and anything can happen in those short messily seconds.

IR, age 15

Everybody has a Story--"Stitches"

And one of my stories that I'm willing to share takes place five years ago.  When I was twelve years old I used to kick it with this fool --- and my older Brother.  This particular story about this particular incident is probabley one of the worst most painful thing I have ever gone through.  So it was a Sunday afternoon in the month of May on the 21st day when I was kickin it with my homie --- and my older brother --- when we were hangin out at my neighbors house waiting for my parents to get home to give us a ride to the --- skate park.  I was super stoked cause I had just gotten a new Board.  But I started walking on the top of one of them  black fences with the iron rods going up it and I walked up seven of the Bars then fell and had the Bar go into my leg.  So as I was hung up on the fence my homie --- saw me and ran around the house to get my Brother, and while he was getting him I pulled my leg off the fence and watched my skin rip all around to the other side of my leg then I ended up getting life flighted to the hospital had 350 some odd stitches and was in a wheelchair for a few months.

LW, age 17

Everybody has a Story--"Dad said..."

I grew up in ---.  While I was growing up I was introduce to drugs and gangs.  My whole Family on my dads side is in a gang but they live in ---.  We visited them a lot though and they all did meth and smoked weed and drink.  I grew up thinking everyone grows up being a gang- so I got jumped into --- when I was only 13 years old.  My dad incouraged it and said it would make me stronger and he will have more respect for me, he dint tell me that I would be involed with illegal activities such as drugs, robbery, shootings etc.  He even encouraged me to be in those activities, but then he told me when he was 17 he got charged with armed robbery and served 7 years in prison.  He dint get out until he was 25.  but now I realize that is where Im headed and only 16 with a 1 year old daughter.  There is so much more to my story then this but I dont want to get in to details but if I could I would restart my life, and make sure I did not get into a gang because there is no way out unless I basicaly risk  My life and then be disowned by my own family.  I would not of got pregnent at age 14. because its very hard being a teenage Mom thats locked up and cant be there for her daughter because she got drunk then got in a gang fight at a party.  I truly wish I could go back and live my life how a kid/teenager should.

MV, age 16

When they leave...

What I am going to do diffrently is that I will tell the truth to myself and I will be more accountible for my actions and I will have more integrity in my actions, I will also try and earn my parents and familys respect and trust back.

LS, age 14

Im going to make a brighter future and make positive choices and never ever give up I believe in myself.

One thing I will do diffently when I leave O&A is to stop stealing cars.

AP, age 15

 

One thing im going to do when I leave O&A is going to get out of the system and never get in the system again and make all of my family proud when I graduate from high school and college.  

 

LA, age 14

 

The thing i would Do Diffrent is stay away from Gangs Drugs & most of all Guns.  Spend time with my family and think Do i Really wanna Go to Jail, Prison or Death.  Thank you O&A & Sarrah :)  Don't Hide Your Talent.

 

JR

 

I am going to go to school.  Kick it with the family.  get out of the system!

 

CM, age 14

 

I am going to go and Bmx for life to become pro, I am going to stop using weed.  I will go to school and get good grades.  I won't get in any more trouble when I get out.  I will make new friends.  

 

CBP, age 13

 

I'm going to stay away from bad influences, go back to school, stay with my mom, be successful and adopt an african baby :).  I promise...

 

TP, age 17

 

When I leave O&A I will stay out of D.T. for good I'll be nicer to my family get new friends when I get out.

 

KT, age 15

 

I am going to respect my family and play rugby again.  Yea!  Yea!

 

BL, age 15

My Dream Job-- a persuasive writing assignment

My dream job is to be a video game tester.

Dear Sarah,
I feel you should hire me to me a video game tester, because I have the lazy skills that it takes to sit and stare at a screen.  I live with my mom.  I built a man cave under my moms stairs.  I carved out a hole in the wall under the stairs that led to a magical place with game consels every where.  That is why you should hire me for a video game tester.

CJW, age 13

My Dream Job-- a persuasive writing assignment

My dream job is Rap Star.

Dear Sarah,
I like to write my own rap songs and songs and I once wrote a whole alubum seven songs like 2 years ago but my ex step mom threw it away with my dads stuff in the garbage when he left her and If I still had my album pages seven songs I would be the youngest Rapper alive and I forgot what I wrote because it has been so long but I still continue to write my own rap songs.

HM, age 15

My Dream Job-- a persuasive writing assignment

My dream job is a DJ.

Dear Sarah,
I love music and more than that I love other peoples music.  Its nice to plug in and hear somebody who feels the same way I do at the same exact time I need to hear it.  I believe that music heals the soul.  No matter what song it is they all have a meaning and emotion that I have at one time felt or expierienced and can relate to on a personal basis.  Also Im very good at helping people and saying what they need to hear.  Im a big crowd pleaser and whats a better job than a dj when It comes to giving people what they want.  That and you basically get paid to party and listen to good music.  Who wouldnt want that right?  The biggest reason is when I sit down and write it feels like a weight on my shoulders is shifted and makes it eaisier to bear, like a my problems arnt that catastrophic and I can actually breath again.  I can get paid to do something that probably is one of the very few things that I hold close to my heart why wouldnt I do every thing in my power to get this job.

RW, age 16