Halloween, MACA style

So, to raise funds for the kids going to New York in the Spring, we hosted the MACA Halloween party. This meant that I did most of the planning, but I was impressed by how much the kids did. Fun times were had by all! It was a really great turnout, we made lots of moolah, and we all got to see the principal play Guitar Hero.



















As a tech arts school, we of course had to do some techy things. We have a covered outdoor area, and we projected The Ring on one of its walls. I forgot how creepy that movie is. And yes, it's only PG-13! Also, we hooked a Wii up to one of the projectors in the Media Lab, and also had two PS2's playing with Karaoke and Guitar Hero. We did it arcade-style - 25 cents per turn. Also, we had purchased a fusball table the weekend before at the Rummage Sale (what a nightmare last week was - definitely not worth the $250 we got out of it), and we set up a Ping Pong table in there as well. In my classroom, the kids decked it out with two strobe lights (thank goodness no one had a seizure), four black lights, a lazer light, and some good dance music. We also sold homemade goodies (cookies and almond roca), soda, candy, and even had a smoothie station! We sold out of many items.
For legal reasons, I can't post pictures of some students, so to play it safe, I only included one. This is Tiffany, the Smoothie Guru.
































Andrea the dinosaur, and Liz the nerd. Liz and I drove all the way to Fry's on Wednesday evening, JUST to pick up the pocket protectors.



















Laurie (the Principal) also gave me a Walkie Talkie so we could be in constant communication.
Percentage of real communication: 22%. The rest was just playing. Felt like old times (NBHC), only I got one of those real heavy-duty industrial Walkies, so I felt even cooler.
It was a desperate hope of mine to be out of the building by 10:00 (party ended at 9). I was more than pleased that all the cleaning was done by 9:45! It was marvelous.

Here I go with the sensitive topics...

I've been having roughly the same conversation with different people for the last month or so, and I finally just decided to blog about it, because what better way is there for me to make my opinions publicly known without the risk of actual face-to-face conversation? Also, I can delete comments, which makes me feel like a wizard. So, that said...

I was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I learned a lot of important lessons going to church, and that upbringing definitely had a great influence on who I am today. My parents, also, taught me that I should a) think for myself, and b) value education. They also taught me that I should be compassionate. So I went to BYU, and I read my scriptures, and I went to church, all the while fighting against some of the ignorance that is present when any ethical or religious group congregates. I could accept that - people are people, and entitled to their own opinions. And I was okay with the Church's position that homosexuality is morally wrong, but that it's not okay to persecute or insult or tell other people what to do or how to vote. I felt okay affiliating with it because the Church leaders themselves had always encouraged its members to "search, ponder, and pray" about what is right, and to act on that - instead of telling its members what to believe and leaving no room for personal meditation.

That changed a couple years ago, when the Church publicly - and from the pulpit - began getting political. It is now the practice of its leaders to tell its members how to vote on an issue, not that they should get involved in what they believe is right. And instead of choosing a side on, oh, really important, valid, and urgent issues like health care or poverty or mental health or child abuse or education - you know, things that affect every single person in this country - they choose an issue regarding the rights of a person to make a personal decision. A decision that has no impact on me or my family whatsoever. An issue that very nearly crosses the line from "morality" to simply "hate". Who cares if two men in Connecticut love each other enough to want to make a legally binding committment to each other? Really?

And I've heard the "preservation of family" argument as well - but you know what? Show me a perfect family. Show me any statistics at all the provide evidence that gay marriage a) adversely affects other families, or b) gay couples divorce more often, or c) children being raised by gay couples more often grow up to be totally messed up, or God forbid, homosexual themselves. Show me any evidence of that at all and I will agree to listen to your case. The "One-Man-One-Woman" argument also leaves out families with one parent, or step-parents, or grandparents raising kids, etc. etc. Um, Jesus had a stepdad. Who remembers that? There are all sorts of families in this world, and what makes one successful and another not is compassion, love, and patience, not who Daddy is attracted to. Studies show that if a child sees love and compassion between his parents (gay or not), that child will continue those positive habits (gay or not). There are plenty of problems between "traditional" families - why not start programs to improve those relationships? Oh, I dunno, improve healthcare so counseling is more available? Parenting lessons? Improving the welfare system to support one-parent families while not enabling those that take advantage of it?

Phew. That was difficult to write. And, I'm sure, difficult to read, for some that know me well but were not aware of my thoughts.

That being said, I present you with this list by Facebook's group: "Gay Marriage Killed the Dinosaurs"

Top 17 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is Wrong

17. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

16. Gay culture is a new fad created by the liberal media to undermine long-standing traditions. We know this is true because gay sex did not exist in ancient Greece and Rome.

15. There are plenty of straight families looking to adopt, and every unwanted child already has a loving family. This is why foster care does not exist.

14. Conservatives know best how to create strong families. That is why it is not true that Texas and Mississippi have the highest teen birthrates, and Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire have the lowest. This is a myth spread by the liberal media.

13. Marriage is a religious institution, defined by churches. This is why atheists do not marry. Christians also never get a divorce.

12. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why our society has no single parents.

11. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

10. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

9. Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

8. Gay marriage should be decided by the people and their elected representatives, not the courts. The framers checked the courts, which represent mainstream public opinion, with legislatures created to protect the rights of minorities from the tyranny of the majority. Interference by courts in this matter is inappropriate, just as it has been every time the courts have tried to hold back legislatures pushing for civil rights.

7. Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

6. Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because "separate but equal" institutions are a good way to satisfy the demands of uppity minority groups.

5. Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

4. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

3. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

2. Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

1. METEORS and VOLCANOES.

Help!

As many of you know, I am planning a trip with 12ish students to New York City this upcoming Spring. I will be teaching an Art History and Appreciation class, and it's those students who will be coming with me to tour the Met, the American Museum of Natural History, Wall Street, Chinatown/Little Italy, NBC, Ellis Island, and other places in the city. Most of these students come from less-privileged families, and especially since the economic crisis has developed, these families have no funds to spare. So, we're doing a lot of fundraising. Some of the things we have in the works:
*Online silent auction of artwork. Right now, there are just photographs, but there will be student artwork in the coming weeks. Check it out!
*HUGE rummage sale, benefiting both the MSD After School Program and the New York City trip. We've got SO much good stuff so far! It will be the weekend of the 17th/18th at the MACA campus, if you're a local and want to check it out.
*Halloween party! Outdoor movie, video games, bake sale, costume contest, the whole works. Oct 24th for MACA and MHS students.
*Donations and sponsorships. If you or your company would like to become an official sponsor, drop me a line! We're begging for any and all donations. The Merri Artist in McMinnville became our first official sponsor on Friday, with a large donation of paint and canvases. Woot!