Sixth-grader finds activism suits her.Byline: FACES AND PLACES by The Register-Guard Name: Rayven Laury Grade: Sixth School: Jefferson Middle School Jefferson Middle School is a middle school located in Jefferson City, Tennessee. The middle school is home to the football team the Elks, which has won more conference champs than any other middle school in Tennessee. Age: 12 Hometown: She's lived in Eugene all her life and attended Westmoreland Elementary. Family: Father Thomas Laury; stepfather Sergio Perez and mother Monica Perez, who own and operate a furniture repair shop; stepsisters Anna, 20, and Olivia, 6; stepbrothers Sergio, 16, and Jose, 13; half-sisters Crystal, 17, and Ruby, 14; sister Jasmine, 10. She lives with Anna, Crystal and Sergio. "I get along with most of them but they don't always get along with each other," she says. Clubs and activities: Besides playing basketball, Rayven is an active member of Ganas, the Latino youth club at Jefferson Middle School. Ganas - the word means "hope" - aims to support Latino kids socially and academically and teach them more about their culture and heritage. Rayven - whose father is part Mexican and whose stepfather is full Mexican - is a member of the Ganas Dancers, which performed merengue merengue Couple dance from the Dominican Republic or Haiti, danced throughout Latin America. Originally a folk dance, it has become a ballroom dance, where it is danced with a limping step, the weight always on the same foot. Varieties include the jaleo and juangomero. and hip-hop last weekend at the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. . Ganas in the news: The Ganas group, with adviser Roscoe Caron, spearheaded the recent effort to name the new "Southside" elementary school elementary school: see school. after Cesar Chavez Noun 1. Cesar Chavez - United States labor leader who organized farm workers (born 1927) Cesar Estrada Chavez, Chavez , the Mexican-American labor activist who led the fight for farm workers' rights in the 1970s. Rayven, a budding activist, attended all the public hearings and rallies, and even spoke to the crowd at one of them. "My mom thought it was really cool that I was involved," she said. "She thought it was really cool that I was an activist." Next year, Rayven and other Ganas students plan to visit classes at the new school, which is being built nearby at the Patterson Elementary School site, to give presentations on Chavez. On Jefferson Middle School: She likes most of her classes, and especially likes the school's diverse student body and commitment - renewed annually - as a Racism Free Zone. "Most of the time it's accepting (of differences)," she said. "Sometimes there are still conflicts." Favorite classes: Her block language arts/social studies class, and her "Explorer" class, which gives students a chance to dabble dab·ble v. dab·bled, dab·bling, dab·bles v.tr. To splash or spatter with or as if with a liquid: "The moon hung over the harbor dabbling the waves with gold" in various electives, including Spanish, art, computers and music. And least: Math and science Heroes: Her father and Cesar Chavez. "I didn't know a lot about (Chavez)" before the school naming process, she said. "I knew of him. I knew what he had done for the farm workers. Then I just kept on learning more about him." High school plans: She'll go to Churchill, where her half-sister and stepbrother step·broth·er n. A son of one's stepparent. stepbrother Noun a son of one's stepmother or stepfather Noun 1. are currently students. Career aspirations: She's interested in politics, geography and world events, so she figures maybe she'll be the first woman president, "if someone else doesn't do it before me." Pastimes: She likes going to the movies, going to the mall, playing basketball and dancing. Favorite recent movie: "The Passion of the Christ," which she saw with a friend. "I'm Catholic and I didn't get upset by it," she says, but her friend, who is Jewish, wasn't a big fan. She says it was "pretty gory go·ry adj. go·ri·er, go·ri·est 1. Covered or stained with gore; bloody. 2. Full of or characterized by bloodshed and violence. ," but no worse than some of the horror films she's seen. Favorite book: "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry Lois Lowry (born Lois Ann Hammersburg[2] on March 20, 1937) is an author of children's literature who has been awarded the Newbery Medal twice: first for Number the Stars in 1990, and again in 1994 for The Giver Favorite television: "The Apprentice" and music videos Favorite music: Hip hop hip-hop or hip hop n. 1. A popular urban youth culture, closely associated with rap music and with the style and fashions of African-American inner-city residents. 2. Rap music. adj. . The Black Eyed Peas This article is about the American hip hop group. For the vegetable, see Black-eyed pea. The Black Eyed Peas are an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, who have enjoyed worldwide pop success. The group is currently composed of will.i.am, apl.de. and Alicia Keyes are big favorites. Travel: She traveled in Oregon, Washington and California, and has visited relatives in Mexico three times. She thinks it's beautiful, with its stone houses and rich history and culture. - Anne Williams CAPTION(S): Rayven Laury (left) and fellow Ganas club members learn about culture and heritage with the Latino youth organization. |
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