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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 11, 2011)
www . tHeSkANNer . COM M Ay 11, 211 S eAttLe , w ASHiNgtON V OLuMe XXXiii, N O . 28 25 CeNtS i nSiDe Attitude and Leadership page 4 Sharpton in Seattle page 2 Medal of Honor C hallenging P eoPle to S haPe a B etter F uture n ow page 6 HealtH Fest photo BY Julie keefe Chef wayne Johnson from Andaluca does a food demonstration at the 9th Annual Annual kidney Health Fest for African American Families May 7th at Van Asselt elementary on Beacon Hill. the theme of this years event was “Back to Our roots: Healthy eating, Healthy Cooking,” and included free health screenings, a private consultation with a doctor, a panel discussion emceed by Angela russell, kirO 7 eyewitness News anchor, fitness demonstrations, entertainment and food. the event has grown from an attendance of under 20o to close to 700 participants. Susan Fried photo Obama Bypasses Bridgeport All 37 seniors this year plan to attend college or trade school By Shannon Dininny The Associated Press BRiDGepoRt, Wash. (AP) — Students at tiny Bridgeport High School shed some tears Tuesday with news that President Barack Obama won’t give the commencement address, but a little ice cream and word that the governor and a cabinet secretary will attend eased the disappointment. The school that serves 200 students in Eastern Washington’s orchard country was one of three finalists in the Race to the Top challenge. Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis won the honor; High Tech High International in San Diego was the third finalist. “We weren’t on the map, but now everybody says, ‘What’s up Bridgeport?’” said Carina Ochoa, a senior who will attend Washington State University in the fall. “We’re sad, but we’re proud of what we accom- plished.” Ochoa and four friends who inDeX News ..................2,3,6,8 Calendar ....................2 Opinion ....................4,5 Bids/Classifieds............7 Books ..........................8 helped make a video touting their school for the competition waited anxiously with the prin- cipal in her office for the call from the White House. The girls cried in the office as they waited for the student body to file into the gymnasium for the announcement. Two teach- ers danced a jig, bringing laughs from the students, and teachers handed out small U.S. flags for the students to wave. Principal Tamra Jackson broke the news, reminding the students that making the final three was a huge accomplish- ment. “Do you know how big this nation is? Do you know how many high schools there are in this nation?” she asked the stu- dents. “You guys are amazing, so you need to give yourselves a hand.” The school largely serves the students of farm workers who labor in the neighboring apple and cherry orchards, and 100 percent of the students receive free or reduced lunch. Many are See School on page 3 NBA Star gives Advice Former all-star James Donaldson shares his secrets to success By Brian Stimson of The Skanner News F ormer NBA All-Star James Donaldson wants to share his secrets to success. In his new book, “Standing Above the Crowd,” Donaldson opens up about not backing down from a challenge, the impor- tance of mentors and the keys to keep your- self focused during a time when many peo- ple are switching careers. With three different distinct career changes under his belt – professional bas- ketball player, small business owner and candidate for Seattle mayor’s office – Donaldson says he knows what it’s like keeping on task. Here, the all-star talks to the Skanner news about his awkward and uncertain youth, career transitions and how he fed into an interesting piece of trivia from his days as a pro baller. the Skanner news: What is your secret to success? James Donaldson: I credit a lot the suc- cess I’ve had over the years with mentors who have helped me make good decisions and given me a lot of insight and expertise along the way. tSn: Does that extend to your career in basketball, as well as your business and pro- fessional career? JD: Yes, exactly, it started in basketball of course and helped to get that career under- way, but along the way, I was able to meet new mentors and professional mentors that helped keep me going and on the right track. tSn: Can you share some of the secrets to success from your book? JD: One of the biggest lessons I learned was from an assistant coach who taught me never to be satisfied. I think nowadays a lot of us get satisfied and complacent, we quit pushing ourselves to excellence. I learned that at an early age, well before I became a professional athlete, that reaching a certain See DonalDSon on page 3 Seattle reporter Arrested in Syria Dorothy Parvaz’s family has no confirmation of her whereabouts By Barbara Surk associated press DuBai, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Syrian officials say their government has sent an Iranian-born Al-Jazeera correspon- dent, who also has American and Canadian citizenship, to Tehran following her deten- tion last month in Damascus. Al-Jazeera said Wednesday that Syrian officials had informed the network of the whereabouts of Dorothy Parvaz, 39. She was last seen leaving the Qatari capi- tal of Doha on April 29 for Syria to report on the uprising there. On May 4, Al-Jazeera said Syrian authorities confirmed she was detained. A week later, on Tuesday night, Syria said she had not been in the country since May 1, without explaining where she had gone. There was no immediate comment from officials in Iran, but the apparent jailing of Parvaz highlights the increasing pressures and clampdowns against journalists trying to covering the uprisings against the auto- cratic regime of President Bashar Assad in Syria and others across the region. Sending Parvaz to Iran - if true - also See RepoRteR on page 3
