Pa8cA2_________________________________________ JJortlanò (©hseruer________________________ tune 30.2004 Pushing the Vote in 2004 VICTORY Middle School 5250 NE MLK (Near Killingsworth) 503-789-9099 Ask About 6th- and 7th Grade Today New Principal: Cottrell White, Jr. Cottrell White, Jr., former administrative assistant for behavior in Portland’s Adams High School and later in Portsmouth and Whitaker Middle Schools will take over as principal ofVietory Middle School ifeonfirmed by the Governing Board as expected Tuesday, June 29th. "White is an excellent choice,’’ said current principal. Rich Blizzard. “He will bring our students, staff, and families together on the pathway to excellence.” "His extensive experience and successes with student management would be an asset to any middle school.” Fall elections inspire youth turnout in J ohanna S. K ing T he P ortland O bserver If an y b o d y has an o p in io n it’s young people, so why a r e n 't they ex ercisin g th eir ch e rish ed fre e dom o f ex p ressio n at the ballot b ox? T h is is the big q u estio n stum ping p o litical p arties from every angle. The presidential elections o f 2000 saw the lowest turnout am ong young voters since 1972 when 18 year olds first gained the right to vote. Accordingly, new efforts are now in the making to reverse the politi cal participation in the young gen eration. Polls indicate that this fall young people are more interested in voicing their opinions and may vote with a vengeance. In hopes o f increasing the turn outs o f young people, the Secre tary o f State Bill Bradbury and Su perintendent o f Public Instruction Susan C astillo sent letters and voter registration cards in June to more than 50,00()0regonians w ho will be turning 18 before the Nov. 2 G en eral Election. “Look at the issues that directly affect young people today," said Castillo. “Their voices and opin ions need to be heard, and voting is PHOTOS BY M ARK W ASHINGTON/THE PORTLAND OBSERVER Kamaria Porter (right) gives instructions on voting registration to Rebecca Cornwell during a “Let Justice Roll" voter registration drive at Augustana Lutheran Church, 2710 N.E. 14,h Ave. the way in w hich young people can impact the direction o f the state and the nation." Bradbury and Castillo are also w orking with organizations such as the New Voters Project to pro vide voter registration to students and other young people. M T V ’s R ock th e V o te an d o th e r p o litic a l an d c iv il lib e rty versity o f Oregon. “V oting is espe cially im portant for us as students because so m uch w eighs on it. W e 're trying hard to becom e edu cated leaders so that we can make a difference.” M ore inform ation about voter registration can be found online at w w w .ro c k th e v o te .c o m and www.mobilize.org. Flashlight Used in Recent LAPD Beating Victory Students Scorred 8 M onths o f G ain In Just 4 M onths Tim e! As Measured by the Nationally Normed California Achievement Test g ro u p s h av e a lso c o m e to g e th e r u n d e r th e u m b re lla o f sta m p in g o u t v o te r s u p p r e s s io n by y o u n g p e o p le . “ I believe that voting is a pow er ful tool that can be used to our advantage as young people,” said 19-year-old Iyonna St. G erard, re cent graduate o f Benson High and current undergraduate at the U ni Community activist Shaka Satori speaks to reporters in Los Angeles Friday to protest the flashlight beating of an African- American man by a Los Angeles Police officer. (AP photo) (AP) — Three officers involved in the videotaped beating o f an unarmed black man during an arrest will be investigated for excessive use o f force, Police C h ief W illiam Bratton said. A total o f eight officers have been placed on desk duty as the FBI and the Los A ngeles County S h e riffs D epartm ent investigate, Bratton said. The LA PD also has started an internal probe w hich Bratton vow ed would be fair and open. O fficer John H atfield, 35, ap- pearedtohitStanley M iller 11 times with a flashlight after the man had surrendered follow ing a car chase. Miller, 36, was not seriously hurt but com plained o f being struck in the head and had a bruised cheek, police said. M ayor Jam es Hahn said any of ficer found to have com m itted a crim e will be tired and prosecuted. “W e ’ ve worked too hard to bui Id our relationship with the com m u nity to have it je o p ard ize d by thoughtless actions o f a few ,” he said. The violent arrest, captured June 23 by aT V news helicopter, quickly drew com parisons to the 1991 beat ing o f Rodney King, but Bratton and Hahn said much has changed. For one thing, Hahn said, reform s now m andate an independent in vestigation. Closing the “Achievement Gap” Our guiding mission at Victory MS is to close the “Achievement Gap." That means the children we serve will do as well as all others. We are realizing our dream. The average sixth-grader came to Victory nearly two years behind, as measured by the highly respected and nationally normed California Achievement Test. By scoring 8 months of gain with just 4 months instruction, we arc fulfilling our dream! Victory Has . . . • 15:1 Student-to-Teacher Ratio • FREE Tuition Equal O pportunity) • Exceptional Textbooks • Theme-Based Curriculum • Certified Teachers If You were the Owner or Beneficiary o f an Industrial Life Insurance Policy Issued by American National Insurance Company and are African-American or H ispanic You may be entitled to additional death or surrender benefits I hese additional benefits are being provided as part o f a m ulti-state regulatory settlem ent • Grades Based on Performance between A m erican National Insurance Com pany and the insurance regulatory authorities • Before and After School Help of the states in which Am erican National does business. • 6 Annual Field Trips Ihe settlem ent only applies to industrial life insurance policies with a face am ount of • An Excellent Gym $1,000 or less, issued by Am erican National betw een 1936 and 1939 (African-Am erican • ESL and Special Ed Welcome and Hispanic), and betw een 1948 and 1964 (African-Am erican only), and w here a Equal Opportunity for A ll Victory Middle School admits students o f any race, color, nationality and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available (o students at the school. VICTORY Middle School 5250 NE MLK (Near Killingsworth) 503-789-9099 Ask About 6th- and 7th Grade Today surrender or death benefit w as paid since D ecem ber 31, 1959. To find out if you are entitled to additional benefits, you must act by D ecem ber 20, 2005 by calling our toll-free num ber: 1-866-229-9685 O r w rite to: American National Insurance Company P.O. Box 1900 Galveston, Texas 77553-1900 M o re in fo rm a tio n is available at w w w .re g u la to ry s e ttle m e n t.c o m