Entries by Justina Janas

Finding Your Voice book release party attracts hundreds

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Students and teachers meeting family and friends at book party

Finding Your Voice Release Party Attracts Hundreds

On June 2, hundreds of people gathered to hear Visions In Education students read from their recently published books. The books stem from the Finding Your Voice class that Visions offers every semester. The class allows students the opportunity to write in a safe and collaborative environment and discover their potential as a writers. The overall goal is to change students from reluctant writers to confident writers. Visions collaborates with 916 Ink to bring in community writers and influencers as well as to publish the books. This semester, three books were published:

  • Around the World in 12 Weeks
  • Quiet Storms
  • Words on the Wind

The event and class were a huge success! Click here for all the photos. If you are a student and are interested in becoming apart of this tight-knit community, Fall enrollment for Finding Your Voice is now open!

Finding Your Voice, the Visions In Education writing workshop, will be offered in three locations in the fall of 2014-2015. It is offered to any high school student in any academy as well as mature 8th graders. The classes will meet each Friday of the fall semester from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the following locations:

  • Carmichael (Christ Community Church)
  • South Sacramento (St. Luke’s Church)
  • Benicia (pending adequate enrollment)

Our creative writing classes allow students the opportunity to write in a safe and collaborative environment and discover their potential as a writer. Our goal is to change our students from reluctant writers to confident writers. Let your teacher know if you are interested!

One-on-One with Hannah Till

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Image of Hannah Till, a student with a harp

One-on-one with Hannah Till

Hannah Till isn’t the kind of girl who sits back and hopes opportunities come knocking on her door. The 17-year-old Visions In Education Home School Academy student works hard, is dedicated and only stops at perfection. Till is first in her class, gets straight A’s, is an excellent harp player, plays soccer and even knows karate. The senior just graduated and applied for 11 scholarships to help her defer college costs. She received seven of them! We sat down with Hannah Till and her mother, Jodi to learn a little more about her accomplishments and what she calls, “an amazing experience” at Visions.

Talk to me about playing the harp, I heard you are an excellent musician. You have even played at some Visions events?

Yes I have. I have been playing since I was 10-years old and the piano since I was 8-years-old. I had a great harp teacher here. I volunteer a lot, play with an orchestra and I have even done recordings.

What kind of reaction do you get from people when you play the harp? Mom, what do people say and do when they hear your daughter’s music?

(Jody) People are normally in awe when they hear her. The room gets quiet and people are relaxed. It is beautiful. We let her pursue harp because everyone plays the piano and we wanted her to be able to do something different. She even earned enough money to pay for a nice harp (listen to a performance, here).

How much does a good harp cost?

The one we purchased was a few years old and it was $21,000. It is really expensive. I had to do a lot of babysitting, chicken sitting and other odd jobs. I wrote all about that in one of my essay submissions for the college scholarship.

What do you want to do when you grow up?

I want to compose my own songs, study and make music. I really like to rewrite old hymns. I have written a lot of melodies, but it takes a lot of time to do that. I want to continue to volunteer, I want to perform at weddings and other events. I also want to teach harp and provide opportunities to other for kids who can’t afford instruments.

You are a 2014 Visions graduate! What is next?

I am going to Bob Jones University in South Carolina. It is a Christian college and my brother is already there. I am really excited about Bob Jones. It was my dream to be able to go there. I am excited to learn from another harp teacher, too. At the college there are only 17 other harpists so they push for you to do well.

You applied for college scholarships and were able to snag seven of them? Which ones are they?

I wasn’t even expecting to get seven! I filled out 11 and thought maybe I would only get one. They are:

    • BJU Founder’s Grant – $2,500/yr
    • BJU Scholarship – $2,500/yr
    • BJU Academic Excellence and Leadership Award – $2,000/yr
    • Demonstrated Need Scholarship Fund – $1,700
    • APIASF/Wells Fargo Scholarship – $2,500
    • Akademos Scholarship – $500
    • Woman’s Thursday Club Scholarship – $1,000

That is amazing. Your mom must be proud and thankful you guys have help paying for school.

(Jodi) We were actually planning on her not going to Bob Jones because it was just going to be too expensive, especially with her brother already at BJU. We were trying to figure out another avenue. We thought maybe she could do two years at American River College and then go to BJU, but then the scholarships came along and helped.

Talk to me about your experience with Visions as a Home School Academy student. (Hannah) A lot of people think that home school kids are secluded kids, but I have a lot of friends. I was able to play on the San Juan High School soccer team and I do a lot of volunteering. So I am very involved in my community. I really enjoyed Visions. It allows you to choose your own curriculum, you don’t have to stay in one place for school and you get extra money for different activities. I was able to do karate, take pottery classes and rock-climbing. I would never have been able to do that or the time to pursue harp had I not gone to school here. (Jodi) The charter system really helped our kids excel. It helped also because my husband and I were both able to have part-time jobs and home school. We wanted them to be well-rounded kids, with music, sports and academics. Visions helped with that.

One-on-One with an Olympic Gold Medalist

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Picture of Jamie Anderson, Olympic Medalist and Visions Grad

One-on-One with an Olympic Gold Medalist

American snowboarder and proud Visions alum Jamie Anderson made international headlines this year for being the best in the world at what she does, freestyle snowboarding. The 23-year-old Lake Tahoe native credits her flexible schedule as a Visions student for allowing her the opportunity to constantly be on the mountain growing up. Jamie recently won the gold medal in women’s slopestyle snowboarding at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and is a leader in her sport, having many other wins and medals under her belt.

We had a chance to talk to the free-spirited, sweet, down-to-earth athlete one-on-one, where she talked a lot about gratitude, her love for the sport and trusting that you can do whatever you put your mind to if you have faith in yourself.

Talk to me about how you got your start in snowboarding? What sparked your interest? I was very fortunate to grow up in Lake Tahoe, and spent a lot of time out in nature and the mountains. Naturally, I was always drawn to snow sports and exploring outside. When I was 9-years-old I got my first snowboard, and I’ve been riding and loving it ever since!

What are some of your favorite memories from your childhood in the Lake Tahoe area? I loved camping! My parents took our family on a lot of cool trips. We were always exploring the area and learning about our natural and local environment.

When did you realize that snowboarding could actually be a legitimate profession for you? Did you ever imagine you would be where you are today? I never imagined I’d be where I am today. I just really loved snowboarding. It was one of my first passions in life, and although I thought I wanted to be a pro-snowboarder when I grew up, I didn’t have any idea it would bring the opportunities it has. For all that it’s given me, I am neon’s grateful!

What goes through your mind when you are at the top of a mountain about to compete? I visualize my run quite a bit. I listen to music and dance to release any nerves and tension. And yeah, just go have fun!

You seem very level-headed. How do you keep your feet on the ground and stay humble? Growing up in a big family, and having down-to-earth parents plays a huge role in the person I am today. I was always taught to be humble and remember how grateful I am for all that I have. And I truly am grateful for everything I’ve been given and all the amazing opportunities in this life.

You just won the GOLD MEDAL in Women’s Slopestyle Snowboarding at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Congratulations! What is your reaction? It’s unbelievable! I feel like I’m still taking it all in. It’s been the craziest year of my life by far. I was born into the year of the horse, in Chinese symbolism, and just before the Olympics we went into the year of the horse. I felt like this year was truly about coming into my power and working hard towards my dreams and goals!

This was the inaugural year for your sport in the Olympics. How amazing does it feel to be such a huge part of that? It feels great. I have heard that people just loved watching the slopestyle event, so I’m really happy to be a part of that push for freestyle snowboarding!

You were the favorite to win the gold in your event the whole time. How did you deal with all of that pressure? By living in the “NOW.” (The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle, is an amazing book!) Taking everything moment by moment. It’s a lot to take in and a lot of stress and pressure. I truly had to practice not getting too far ahead. I knew I had set the goal to do my very best and work hard to feel my strongest leading up to the event. Then I had to let go and trust. I believe that everything happens for a reason, even though sometimes it’s difficult to see.

The tricks you pull off in the air are pretty amazing and you make it look so easy. How hard is it to do what you do? It’s like anything you do in life. It’s challenging, but it’s possible! If you work hard and believe in yourself, you can do anything!

I heard you say in another interview that you weren’t always a super patriotic person. Now that you have had the chance to represent your country so well, how do you feel about that? I was very happy to go to the Olympics representing our country. I just acknowledge how much I love our whole world, everywhere on Earth, all the nations. There is so much beauty everywhere. I don’t like the separation vibration from country to country. At the end of the day, we are all ONE. One love.

Your competitors call you an athlete who is a leader in the sport. What does that mean to you? That means a lot to me. I remember being the young one looking up to a lot of the athletes, and now I do play a positive role being a leader. I want to represent myself, our sport and our environmental awareness, in a positive light. I’m doing the best I can. No one is perfect, but I’m learning more and more every day, and always growing …we all are!

I’m sure there will be many opportunities for you beyond snowboarding when you get back to the United States! Are you excited to come back to U.S. and experience all of that love? I am ready for whatever the universe brings me!

What do your family and friends say about your success? They must be so proud of you. I feel so fortunate for my family and close friends! They truly know what hard work, passion, strength and determination it took for me to get to where I am. Without their love and support I’m not sure all of this would have been possible! We need each other to reach our goals. We need to support all of our friends, family, competitors, co-workers, and anyone else to truly be the best person we can be. If you can’t help someone, at least do no harm. Let’s come together to be our greatest, and really want to see everyone succeed.

You were a Visions In Education student. How was the school able to support you in your educational goals and life dreams? I did home school most of my education, and it was amazing to be able to stay active and live a healthy lifestyle. I was always outside playing and doing sports. When I got into snowboarding at age nine, that was my new favorite thing to do, and I was on the mountain every single day. I was doing homework at night. During high school I was traveling quite a bit and had a hard time getting my schoolwork done on time, but my teacher Rosie was absolutely amazing and helped me through all of my schooling and truly understood the lifestyle I was living. And she totally believed in me to be my best!

Is there anything else that you would like to say or that I may have missed? Always believe in yourself! You are capable of anything you believe in. Life is precious, so have fun, and enjoy every moment. And more then anything TRUST your intuition; it will always guide you through this life … peace & love.

All pictures in this article were used with the permission of © Jamie Anderson. For more on Jamie Anderson, visit her website.

Students Find Their Voice

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Image of students at a Find Your Voice Writing Group

Students Find Their Voice

As 17-year-old Jarreau Hudson sat in class he put his head down and had no interest in talking with other students, certainly no interest in reading what he just wrote down as part of a prompt exercise to the rest of his class. This was the old Jarreau, two semesters ago. A year later, the confident young man on the verge of graduating from high school stands in front of a crowd of more than 100 as he transforms himself into the characters in his story, reading it out loud to an expectant crowd.

It’s a familiar story to many students enrolled in the 16-week writing class at Visions In Education. The unconventional class, in conjunction with 916 Ink, the premiere literacy organization in Sacramento, focuses on building courage in students to share their unique voices and improve their writing skills.

“We have visiting writers from the community that come in,” lead English curriculum teacher Hilary Brugger said. “I think there is a blossoming of their writing, but the more profound impact for a lot of our kids is a socio-psychological one. Their confidence really changes and they see themselves differently.”

The class begins like this: About 30 kids sitting around a large table, gazing at each other, some recognizing friends and others not knowing a face in the room. But by class number two, kids start opening up. They talk to each other and begin feeling more comfortable writing down on paper whatever creative words pop up in their head. By class number three and beyond, a deeper change will often emerge. These students begin feeling a little bit better about sharing their stories with the class, because they never get any negative feedback. It’s all positive reaction. That’s a rule.

“No one is allowed to ask any questions about your writing or say anything negative,” 10th grade Visions student Radhika O’Conner said. “They are only allowed to tell you what they really liked about it. So that helps narrow down what you are good at. Once you’re feeling good about it, you can look at it and say, ‘yeah, I don’t like this part,’ because you know the rest of it is good.”

This semester is the fourth time the writing class has been offered at Visions. It’s so well liked that the school is offering it in multiple locations throughout its nine county service area, and for different levels of writers. Its popularity might have something to do with the fact that at the end of the class, the students have their work published in a tangible book, bound with a beautifully designed cover by a graphic artist, and then they hold a book release party. At the event some of the students get up and read their work in front of an audience filled with their peers, parents, teachers and other guests.

“I was nervous when I was sitting down because I was towards the end,” 10th grade Visions student Jennifer Tickner said about waiting her turn to get up and read. “But once I got up there I felt ok reading because it was a lot of positive energy and so that helped. I read a poem. It was about the experience of this class. We each get at least two writings published in the book.”

“This is the third book that we have published,” Brugger said. “916 Ink publishes student writers because they want to celebrate literacy with our students. If we didn’t have the end product for our classes, it would just have a very different feel. Students are really invested in what they write and they care a lot more about where their semi colons go when there is going to be a real and true audience for their books and they will be sold in book stores.”

Every time class is held, there is a representative from 916 Ink amongst the students. In the advanced class this year, inspirator Ryan Cicak, a published writer and poet, joins the kids and makes sure he not only gives feedback, but also shares some of his work too.

“A lot of the stuff that I write tends to be sort of pop culture oriented or weird,” Cicak said. “I wrote a zombie poem that they actually used for teaching when it comes to poetry so I think I kind of have that bridge between their age group and that of the teachers.”

By the end of the four-month class it’s a community of writers that sit in that room together sharing stories and laughing, knowing their work is valued. It’s that same group who come together at the B Street Theatre, in Sacramento, where they hold their book release party and enjoy the company of their friends and family. On February 3 this year, the book “Stumbling through the Stars” is the latest Visions-produced book to make its debut. Students and teachers alike read their works from a podium on a stage filled with bright lights.

“I think teachers going up to read is good because it models the behavior you want your students to have,” credentialed teacher Kristen Wetzel said. “It also leaves you vulnerable and says that you are willing to take the chance and read what you have written as well as the students. It’s important for them to see you taking the risk and being brave too.”

Jarreau Hudson was nervous to share his story at first that Monday night, but he dug deep, ‘took the yes’ mentality of just going for it and shined.

“Probably, if I read this the first day I would have read normally and quickly,” Hudson said. “I am going to leave this class with more confidence and now I can share what I have with others even if they don’t like it. I can take that and make it better and then they will like it as well.”

You can purchase “Stumbling through the Stars” and previous student-produced books on the 916 Ink website. It’s a well-designed place where student writing is featured, contests are held and students and others alike can express their writing online.