Vol. 8 Fall, 2016

Urbana Adult Education From the Director’s Chair

Talking with Samuel Byndom ______The Class Act

Addressing the Myths about Schizophrenia

By Caitlyn Irvin-Sprague

Schizophrenia is a mental disease, and it’s a very serious issue. Stressful emotional situations can become overwhelming at

times, and for people who are schizophrenic, can lead to an Dr. Byndom Director of Urbana Adult Education episode of illness. Some people confuse auditory hallucinations with schizophrenia but they are very different illnesses in many Getting to Know Dr. Byndom ways. (and the new APL curriculum!) By Elizabeth Ferguson and Characteristics of auditory hallucinations are psychosis Kristen Sweeney features such as localizations of voices outside the brain. They have Q: Can you describe how the new APL greater linguistic complexity, and they have a greater emotional curriculum differs from previous response. Also, auditory hallucinations can be so-called “cured” years? with a form of therapy called DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy). A: It is more closely aligned to not only This therapy is based on people’s behavior and emotional Common Core standards, but the responses to things. People who are in this therapy learn to focus Urbana High School Curriculum. The on their emotions and behaviors to better be able to control the new APL curriculum will provide Auditory Hallucinations. Experiencing auditory hallucinations is students with more opportunities for enrichment, such as classes very different from a schizophrenic experience. and workforce or career experience. Schizophrenia has some serious symptoms for someone who Now for some fun questions: has this disease. Some signs include social withdrawal, Q: What are some of your hobbies oversleeping, insomnia, depression, and also poor personal outside of work? A: I like to go to the gym, play tennis, hygiene. Whereas auditory hallucinations can be “cured” or strictly and listen to stand-up comedy. I like to managed, schizophrenia can only be mildly managed with laugh. medications and therapy. Schizophrenia is a rare disease but along Q: What is your favorite food? with the normal symptoms of it, like disorganized speech, it also A: Anything spicy! increases the person’s inability to do normal daily activities, it Q: What kind of music do you like to increases the suicide risk and can also increases the alcohol and listen to? drug abuse rates. A: These days, I mostly listen to old- school rap. Every once in a while I’ll - ContinuedIndex on page 2 listen to pop music. From the Director’s Chair pg 1 The Music Scene pg 5 4Addressing the Myths of Schizophrenia pg 1 Hot Pop pg 6 Q: What is your favorite holiday? Addressing the Myths cont. pg 2 Landscaping News pg 7 A: My birthday! I know it’s not really a Warning Signs , Symptoms, and Facts pg 2 Literacy Week pg 7 For More Information pg 2 Staff Spotlight pg 8-9 “holiday,” but it’s my favorite. UAEC Cares pg 3 Halloween Festivities pg 10 Parkland Seminar pg 3 Glimpses of UAEC pg 11 Thanksgiving News pg 4 The Cultural Exchange pg 12 A Note of Appreciation pg 13 1

Most people who have these diseases are more likely to have a higher suicide rate and drug Symptoms of Schizophrenia and alcohol abuse rate because all they are trying  Delusions (e.g. of persecution) to do is mask the pain of having one of these  Disorganized speech serious diseases. Coming from someone who has  Disorganized behavior been through “hearing voices”, I not only used  Absence of normal behavior drugs because of the voices but also because of the bullying that came with it. People in general  paranoia are cruel; but, when you have one or many Facts about Auditory Hallucinations mental diseases, I believe it is worse because they call you crazy and treat you differently. I  Localizations of voices outside the know personally all I want to do is to be treated head like a human being, just like everyone else. Yes, I  Stronger linguistic complexity do have certain limits and I can’t do things as fast  Greater emotional response or as adequately as some others, but I try my If any of your family or friends is experiencing hardest. these symptoms of auditory hallucinations or I hope that this article helped some of schizophrenia, please encourage them to get you who wanted to know more about mental professional help. And, please treat them health issues that people with schizophrenia and kindly. auditory hallucinations face. A lot of teens and Sources for more information: adults all around the world deal with mental http://www.psychiatricims.com/schizophrenia/auditor health disorders like these. Mental diseases y-hallucinations-psychiatric-illness http://www.helpguide.org/articles/schizophrenia- should be taken with as much seriousness and signs-types-and-causes.htm compassion as medical diseases of the body such as cancer. Check out the facts about For help, contact Community Elements or one of schizophrenia and auditory hallucinations that our local clinics specializing in mental health follow. services.

Early Warning Signs of Schizophrenia

 Social withdrawal  Hostility  Poor personal hygiene  Expressionless gaze  Inability to express joy  Depression  Inability to show joy  Oversleeping/insomnia  Irrational statements  Forgetfulness, inability to concentrate  Extreme reactions to criticism  Strange word usage while speaking  2

UAEC Cares Parkland Seminar By Trevon Ayers September was Suicide Prevention month.

The Class Act staff and yearbook staff want to On Wednesday, September 28th, be advocates for awareness, support, and Parkland College sent us one of their advisors, acceptance for our fellow students, friends, Ms. Mary Kay Smith, to speak with us about and family that may experience depression or registering for college at Parkland. She told us be at risk for suicide. The 24-hour crisis line about all the benefits of college and what they number is 217.359.4141. Help is available for can do for us when we enroll at Parkland. the asking. She talked with us about how to afford ______college and about the different kinds of financial __ help available. Ms. Smith informed us about

grants and scholarships which do not have to be repaid. So, it’s always worthwhile to search for grants and scholarships. She talked to us about

the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) which is the program that decides how much aid a student qualifies for. She reminded

us to fill out the FAFSA application in October of the year before we plan to attend. Aid is given on a first come, first serve basis.

Mary Kay Smith, Parkland College We heard about specific programs advisor gets students college Parkland has such as the CNA program and how dreaming. to get stackable credentials in the medical field by going on to LPN and RN programs after CNA. She gave advice about college careers for photography, business, and computers. Did you know that Parkland College has many ways to support student success like writing, math, and computer labs? They also offer assistance for students with learning disabilities. We learned this and much more. So, if you want to go to college but don't want to be rushed into a four-year college, go to Parkland. They have a lot to offer.

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Please note the dates of UAEC’s Thanksgiving Break which will be How to Receive a November 21st -25th. During that week off from school we hope you Thanksgiving Basket will take the time to reflect on the things in your life for which you are thankful. Do you have good health? Be thankful! Do you have a family? Be thankful! Are you working to complete your high school education? Be thankful! Do you have a job? Be thankful! Do you Would a basket of have clean water to drink and safe food to eat? Be thankful! Do you Thanksgiving food have a roof over your head at night? Be thankful! So much of life help you and your revolves around the attitudes we choose for ourselves each and every day. Choose well. family to celebrate this traditional Thanksgiving Basket Drive 2016 American holiday? With the “Giving Season” just around the corner, we want to remind everyone that there are UAEC students and their families who are in All you need to do is need of a good Thanksgiving dinner. The Yearbook and Journalism sign up with Mrs. students are sponsoring a Thanksgiving Basket Drive in order to collect Anderson, our items for 10 complete meals (although we would welcome more). counselor, and If you are able, please bring any of the following items to one of the “donation stations” (marked boxes) located around UAEC: arrange a ride to UAEC on the  Canned sweet potatoes  Canned corn, beans or other vegetables morning of Friday,  Boxes of dressing/stuffing November 18th to  Boxes of macaroni and cheese receive your basket.  Packets of gravy  Cans of cranberry sauce The first 10 to sign  Pie crust mixes up will have a  Cans of pie filling  Cake or brownie mixes Thanksgiving feast  $10 gift cards for last minute items like milk and butter ready to cook.  Money donations for turkey purchases * Please check the “count-down” poster in the front office to see how much of each item we still need.*

The last day to donate items will be Friday, November 18th. Donations of turkeys and greens will be last-minute requests due to storage issues. Thank you for your kindness and support!

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The Music Scene So, next time your friends invite you to a show, go with them! You’ll be supporting the By Clint Freeman music for future generations and you never know

who will come up with that next lyric or beat that will change your life. You don’t have to be famous Music = Life. Many people don’t realize to come up with well-structured songs and beats. how much music affects our lives. Music is the foundation of who we are, how we act, how we Give it a chance and get into something feel, and how we dress or go about our days. new! On the weekend, go find a show and give these guys support. You and your friends might

just get to see the next big band in music history Everyone is affected in one way or play and can say you were there and saw them another, whether by the lyrics sung or the before they became famous artists. rhythmic patterns created by the instruments. All the music we listen to comes from talented Music=Life people from all over, and all have one thing in common – they all had to start somewhere, and that “somewhere” was in a local music scene in and around their home towns, gaining support from people locally to get a fan base and make enough to go on the road. Here in Champaign/Urbana the music scene needs more support from the community and not just the people who run places that can put on the Isle Nine Asylum shows in their bars or other venues. Isle Nine Asylum is a local melodic There are so many different types of death metal band formed by music in the local music scene that everybody musicians Nikulas Bearcrusher, can enjoy. You have The Canopy Club that has Kevin Miller, and Clint –aka its DJ nights, along with other nights that are Thundercrusher – Freeman in more for heavy metal, rock-n-roll, or punk rock, 2007. Clint likes to call their music and even dub step shows. We have Cowboy war metal or Viking metal. Monkey, which does karaoke night for people to “Music = Life. Many show what they got and also do country music and cover bands mostly. people don’t realize

how much music affects Musicians come from all over to put on our lives. Music is the shows with other bands for people in our area foundation of who we and a lot of the time they only play for a small are, how we act, how group of people and don’t even make enough to we feel, and how we cover their gas expenses, not to mention other possible expenses like car trouble or a broken dress or go about our string or cracked cymbal. days.” Clint Freeman

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Hot Pop By Donnika Caldwell ______Editor’s Note: We are pleased to introduce Donnii Caldwell who is one of our latest Class Act contributors. She will be helping us stay on top of trends in the pop culture scene through her “Hot Pop” articles. Donnii choose the name “Hot Pop” because that’s “like when pop sits in the sun and develops a culture of its own.” ______

Clowns, Frowns and Being Upside Down? Hot Pop has you covered on the latest Pop Culture topics. We’ll talk about the crazy clown reports , the Jolie and Pitt divorce, and Solange’s new album after 2 quiet years.

Class A Clowns

Recently, Professional clowns have been afraid for their safety due to the clown sightings and arrests. Starting in Greenville County, South Carolina near an apartment building, parents and children reported sightings of clowns in the nearby woods luring children away from their home. Coaxing kids with cool toys and money, candy must not be working anymore. Clowns might even up their game with wifi passwords! Many believed that it was a weird way to advertise the new remake of Stephen King’s It but police officers have since denied it, and a statewide increase in patrolling of wooded areas has occurred in many states, such as North Carolina, Kansas and even upstate . People continue to disbelieve the reports, calling them pranks, myths, and even a short film advertisement. As internet tradition has it, memes and tweets are going viral, making this terrifying event funnier than it should be. Clowns are out to play, and the circus is in town. How’s that for clowning around?

I Now Pronounce You Divorced?

Hollywood’s hottest couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie-Pitt, has taken a turn for the worse. Angelina filed for divorce this past month and for custody of the children. The trigger? Alleged violent behavior towards the kids, alcohol abuse and angry outbursts from Brad. The power couple has been on rocky grounds even from the beginning of their ill- fated love. When they first met on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005), Jolie was just out of a 3-year marriage with Billy Bob Thornton, who took charge of what media call Jolie’s wild child years. Brad was still married to Jennifer Aniston, who still holds a grudge according to her response to a TMZ source, “That’s karma for you.” (TMZ; Fashion Style Mag.Com) Due to the intense nature of the divorce, there has been an investigation and since then we’ve learned a few things. Pitt and Jolie may not even be on speaking terms as DCFS has implemented a separation safety plan, which was confirmed by ET. (Entertainment Tonight.) The Federal Investigation as of October 11th is still open and continued. It is likely that this investigation will be carried all the way through. (Entertainment Tonight.) Up until now, Brad Pitt has not seen the kids, and by the evidence being report by different sources, it’s likely to be a while before he can. Both Jolie and Pitt have asked press and media outlets to respect the privacy of the children and their affairs. Can Lara Croft climb out of this Pitt of a marriage?

The Knowles Knows Best.

Beyoncé and Solange Knowles are the first sisters to top the charts in the same year, and everyone is going crazy for them. With A Seat at the Table, it seems everyone is sipping Lemonade on the topic of racial equality and pro- blackness. Solange pleads everyone, Don’t touch my hair, while Beyonce screams for Freedom. With the social praise, come the Madmen of conspiracies. And as Queen Bee said it best, “Ya’ll haters corny with that Illuminati mess.” The sisters ain’t Sorry about their proud heritage and claim with pride that they will Rise. With the sisters on their solo careers, they are definitely pushing the same message: Don’t you wait for others to accept you, Don’t hurt yourself over opinions. The Knowles are flipping the game upside down and we’re all along for the ride.

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Landscaping Assistance More Fun at Urbana Free Library

By Donna Clark

Urbana Adult Education would like to thank Mr. Mike Brunk, City of Urbana Arborist, for donating two cubic yards of supreme mulch. We appreciate your assistance. Thanks also to UAEC’s Rob Lang, Donna Clark, and Christina Gaston for unloading and spreading the mulch.

UAE Celebrates Adult and Family Literacy Week

Urbana Free Library Tour and Scavenger Hunt Is a Hit! Thanks, Edwin Vega.

Favorite Book Board

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Staff Spotlight: Getting to Know…

Jherilyn Hutton: Administrative Support and American Teacher Interview by Elizabeth Ferguson and Kristen Sweeney

Q: When did you first learn sign language?

A: I learned sign language as a very young child (it is my first language) due to the hearing loss which is hereditary on both sides of my family. I later lost contact with one side of the family who primary used sign language and I learned that the saying, "use it or lose it" is very accurate! So, I began taking again at Parkland before I graduated high school because I felt that it was important for me to ensure that the language was firmly ingrained. I later transferred to Northern Illinois University and took American Sign Language. While there, I worked as a dormitory advisor for the Program for Hearing Impaired (even though I do not prefer to use the term “Hearing Impaired”), where I assisted students who were transitioning from high school to a program that prepared them for work, vocational training, or college training. I was also a teaching assistant for American Sign Language Classes at Northern Illinois University, AND I was a Rehabilitation Counselor for the Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing, Late Deafened, & Deaf-Blind for DHS/Division of Rehabilitation Services for 7.5 years.

My education and training has primarily been in sign language, disability etiquette, Disability in Society, and providing advocating services/education of empowerment to persons with disabilities.

Q. What are some things you think people should know about Sign Language or the Deaf Community?

A: American Sign Language (ASL) has a very unique and syntax, which is different from English.

-ASL is not a universal language--every country has its own unique sign language.

-ASL does not have a written language. However, you'll see written, or glossed, words in curriculum. Glossed letters are, for the most part, capital letters indicating a specific sign instead of the actual word. Some examples are:

8 -ASL utilizes special symbols called grammar markers. Grammar markers communicate what you are to do with your eyebrows and body as you sign.

-Within ASL, there are regional differences, gender differences, and perhaps generational differences between language users.

-There are a variety of sign (also referred to as ) used in the United States alone. Examples are:

: a hand/mouth system to render spoken language visually intelligible.

: alphabetic signs to represent the written form of a spoken language.

: variety of visual communication methods expressed through the hands which attempts to represent the Unlike deaf sign languages which have evolved naturally in deaf communities, the different forms of MCE were artificially created and generally follow the grammar of English.

 Signed Exact English (SEE): strives to be an exact representation of English vocabulary and grammar. It models much of its sign vocabulary from American Sign Language but modifies the used in ASL in order to use the of the first letter of the corresponding English word. The four components of signs are handshape (static or dymamic), palm orientation (the direction of the palm), (where the sign is performed relative to the body), and of the size.

Things to know about the deaf community:

-It is most appropriate to use the whole encompassing identifier of “Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing” to refer to a person with hearing loss, rather than using the term, “Hearing-Impaired.”

-IF YOU CAN SEE IT, YOU CAN COMMENT ON IT. For example, if a person has changed their hair, make-up, gained or lost weight, etc., you are expected to comment on it. If you don’t, it’s considered rude. So if a person doesn’t like your new haircut or make-up, they are expected to comment on it and tell you that they liked it better the way it was before. Or, if someone has gained weight, you are supposed to make a comment like, “Oh my goodness. You’ve gained a lot of weight. Are you OK? Or “Wow, you look terrible. Are you feeling sick?” It is seen as rude to not comment on it.

- It is appropriate for a deaf person to ask about pricing information for vehicles/homes purchased by others (deaf individuals or friends of theirs, etc.) This is because it is typical for deaf individuals to be taken advantage of by a sales person. In the hearing community, asking about how much others paid for things is typically considered taboo because it is viewed as personal information. However, in the deaf community it is perceived as sharing necessary information in order to avoid being taken advantage of.

Q: Do your kids know sign language?

A: Yes, it is also their first language. Second is English, third is a little German, and fourth is Spanish (primarily for the oldest, as she is in the Dual Language Kindergarten Class.)

Q: What are some of your favorite things about working at Urbana Adult Education?

A: The students/my sign language students, the staff, my supervisor, and being able to teach American Sign Language 3 days a week!

9 UAEC Celebrates Halloween

Buulinh Quach’s ELL Class Makes Jack-o- lanterns for Halloween

Boo! Guess Who?

10 Glimpses of UAEC

Pizza Following Wednesday Speakers

Favorite Sayings Board

Nutrition Class Makes Breakfast Treats

Dueling cameras…

Congratulations, Enrique! Welcoming smiles Our first APL graduate of the school from Josh and Edwin year! We are proud of you and all your hard work.

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The Cultural Exchange – Appreciate the Differences – Learn a Phrase to Share by Danny Strowmatt

People from all around the world wind up in Urbana, Illinois, some who don‘t even speak a certain language such as English; but, we should all be able to communicate and agree on one thing: Life Is Good. Each newsletter we will present a common English phrase in several different languages. The newsletter staff would like to encourage all of our readers to try out a new phrase, start a conversation with another student, welcome the visitors and newcomers to our community. This

Theknowledgetree.com month’s phrase is: Can I help you?

Language Phrase Pronunciation English Can I help you? German Kann ich Dir helfen? French Puis-je vous aider? Spanish ¿Puedo ayudarte? Polish Mogę ci pomóc? Irish An féidir liom cabhrú leat ? Croatian Mogu li vam pomoći? Chinese 我能帮你吗？ Wǒ néng bāng nǐ ma? Czech Mohu vám pomoci? Kan ek jou help? Swahili Naweza kukusaidia? Russian Я могу вам помочь? YA mogu vam pomoch'? ?ayamkanni musaeadatak' أيمكنني مساعدتك؟ Greek Μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω? Boró na se voithíso? Korean 무엇을 도와 드릴까요? mueos-eul dowa deulilkkayo? Turkish Yardımcı olabilir miyim? Vietnamese Tôi có thể giúp bạn? Japanese いかがなさいましたか？ Ikaga nasaimashita ka? Italian Posso aiutarti?

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A Note of Appreciation

Thank you to those agencies that are responsible for providing the funding to make our programs possible. This year they include the Illinois Community College Board division of Adult Education and Family Literacy, Carle Foundation Hospital, The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission's Workforce Investment Act, Illinois Humanities Council-Odyssey Project, Illinois State Board of Education's Truants' Alternative and Optional Education Program, Orange Crush Foundation, United Way of Champaign County, 21st Century Grant- US Department of Education, Altrusa International, Champaign West Rotary Club, Individual Donors and the

Urbana School District. A big thank you to all of our sponsors!

Because of you all, we are able to continue to serve our adult education students during this difficult financial time in our state.

Don’t Forget to Vote! November 8th is National Election day and your

vote does matter!

The Class Act Staff and Contributors for Volume 7

Trevon Ayers, Student Reporter Peggy Buck, Staff Sponsor, Editor Join the Journalism Fun Jessica Chapman, Student Participant Alexander Colvin, Student Participant Elizabeth Ferguson, Student Reporter We’re looking for students to submit Constance Griffin, Student Participant articles, artwork, photographs, editorials, Gwenda Harris, Student Photographer Dona Hill, Student Reporter, Photographer and ideas for The Class Act. See Ms. Addy Kylie Mercer, Student Participant Placido or Ms. Peggy Buck or join the Addy Placido, Staff Sponsor, Editor Danny Strowmatt, Student Reporter elective class. Kristen Sweeney, Student Reporter

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