Michael Vick: The Comeback Kid

The front-runner for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award is Michael Vick. Vick, a star player for the Atlanta Falcons in the early part of the decade, has just returned to the NFL after a run-in with the law. Vick was in prison for two years and was out of the league. Now three years later, Vick has returned to his old form, for a new team and with a new purpose. Vick is now with the Philadelphia Eagles and is trying to re-write his image.

Michael Vick was the poster boy for the NFL from 2001-2006 when he was with the Atlanta Falcons. He was the best and most exciting player during that time. But in the 2007 season, Vick was arrested and was sent to prison on dog fighting charges in Virginia. Vick was sent to prison for 18 months and was facing numerous financial problems. Vick lost all of his endorsements and his contract with the Falcons. While many thought Michael Vick’s career was over, his persevered and broke through. He did his time honorably and suffered his losses, all the while trying to maintain a healthy attitude.

Two years removed from prison, Michael Vick is back in the NFL with the Eagles. Vick is the team’s starting quarterback, after beating out the front-runner Kevin Kolb for the job. Vick is back to his old form and is playing at a Pro Bowl level. Now the sky is the limit for Vick, who has the respect from his teammates, fans and the society at large.

Vick turned his life around and made the best of his situation. His story shows that anyone can do their best no matter what kind of mess they are in, and can do the work to get themselves back to their best abilities. Vick has shown that people deserve second chances and is giving hope to people who have made bad decisions in their lives. Further, his story illustrates that we can learn from our mistakes and become better human beings.

- Marcus Vincent
Junior Correspondent

The BSC Core Principles: A Year Later

Hello everyone,

I pray all is well. Last year, I wrote about the four principles that we were going to focus on as a program. A year later (September 25th 2010), we asked scholars to reflect on how they "did" last year with regards to each of the principles (humility, proactivity, integrity, and maturity). Here's a quick recap of that discussion:

(1) The principle scholars said they wanted to work on the most this year was proactivity.

(2) They suggested that a fifth principle be added: stability (consistency). A common theme amongst some of the scholars was they they started out strong last year (or there were spurts last year where they were strong academically), and then let up and fell behind.

Hopefully this year we'll see increases in all the principles, especially proactivity and stability. By the way, has anyone received any further "clarity" on the issue of whether or not "proactivity" is a legit word, lol?

New Links Section Added

Hello Fresh Scholar Family,

We've just added a links section to the blog. The first link added is for "Brightstorm", a SF-based company whose mission is to bring great teaching to the world. They have agreed to partner with Berkeley Scholars to Cal II (mostly Juniors and a few Sophomores), and providing them with free SAT Prep resources. Until next time, take care and keep it scholarly...

Athletes and Gunplay from a Scholar's Perspective

The following was written by a scholar who, in addition to maintaining a 3.8-4.0 GPA, is an avid sports fan and analyst:

"Athletes are considered by some to be “super humans.” Athletes have million-dollar contracts and are loved by adoring fans everywhere. Athletes have it all, but some athletes make stupid decisions that cost them their fame and fortune. Former NBA forward, Jayson Williams, and Washington Wizards guard, Gilbert Arenas, have both been in trouble with the law because of guns. Both were good basketball players that have made a bad name for themselves, black men, and the NBA. Jayson Williams, a decent basketball player in the 1990’s, was playing with his guns, inside his house when he accidently shot the gun and killed his limousine driver in 2002. After the shooting, he immediately tried to “cover up” the incident by making it look like a suicide. After 8 years, he was finally convicted of reckless manslaughter. Unfortunately, this tragedy could have easily been avoided if he had been more responsible.

Unlike Williams, Gilbert Arenas brought his guns from home and put them in the locker room for protection. According to witnesses, Arenas began arguing with another teammate, Javaris Crittenton, over a card game debt. The facts are still unclear; however, it seems that one player wanted to collect on the debt, and to see who was the “bigger man” guns were drawn to “settle the score.” Presently, both Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton are suspended for the remainder of the NBA season. These three men represent the worst of manhood, being irresponsible and immature. Furthermore, the three men did not take responsibility for their behavior. At the next basketball game, Arenas using his thumb and index finger as a gun, jokingly “shot” his teammates. The fact that they were gun owners was not necessarily the problem, but it was that they were completely reckless and irresponsible in regards to the guns, which now makes them poor role models."

- Marcus Vincent, 10th Grade, BSC II

Reflection of CPA talent show

I arrived at the CPA talent show a little bit late. I sat down at one of the tables with my friends. After some food and laughs, out of nowhere, Mrs. Johnson came up to me and asked me if I wanted to host. I agreed, and then got up on stage to introduce the crowd and announce the first contestant. The first act was a group doing an Aztec dance. The next act coming up was a rap performed by my friend Dave and me.

Unfortunately, the instrumental we had on a CD didn’t play. The DJ said our CD must have been scratched or something. So we had to spit a cappella, cool. Dave forgot most of his words so he read from his note cards. His rap was good, but in one line he dissed the Raiders. So everyone got all upset. Next, it was my turn to rap. My very first two lines had everyone into rhyme. I kept going (reading something off of my arm) and by the time I was at the middle, my stage fright was completely gone. I finished with everyone clapping and cheering. I had to host the rest of the show but when I hopped off the stage everyone gave me pats on the back.

-Written by Jonah Hemphill