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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