Photo: Jon Reis

Stories of HopeStories of the Comeback

Become A Beacon of Hope

Photo: UnknownNet Photography 3

Photo: Waldo Jaquith

Empathy

The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Empathy does not recognize color, creed, or personal preference. It is innocent, pure, and full of hope. It

is the elixir of friendship, happiness, and health.

Letter from the AdvisorWelcome to the first edition of Empathy Empire Magazine, a publica-tion composed by Delta High School Students in my English class. The purpose of this magazine is to inspire hope and to help give you an inside perspective about students who, at times in their lives, were kicked down by life. However, most importantly, the fact that they never gave up, against all odds, and have become a model of positivity and hope for us all in their massive comebacks.

We hope that you read this magazine with compassion and leave each story with a newfound thought of what a positive social community and having a meaning in life bigger than yourself can do for someone.

Note, that we have used pen names for all students’ names to protect their privacy, as well as to add meaning to their story. Each name portrays the symbolic journey the student has taken. That being said, all of the stories you’ll read are real and the dates of events are true. These are the real life stories of the failure, misery, hurt, loneliness, bad choices, pain, and in final, best of all, our students’ inspiring come-backs in life in their battles from unhappy, to happiness and success.

I want to specifically thank my students from this class. I watched you not only give hope to others, but together through this process, we all found hope together. I also want to thank my colleague and friend, Justin Fraser, for his teamwork and inspiration in this project.

Without further adieu, we welcome you ... into our Empathy Empire!

Photo: Jon Reis5Shawn Tracht

Photo: Jan Tik

ope is something that comes from the heart. It’s something that can make someone’s day change in a heart-beat. It will make you feel more confi-dent about you and everything you do. Hope is the meaning of life. Hope is more than one thing for people. Hope can cause someone to feel 100% better about them self. I can inspire some-one to do something they thought they never could have done. When I deliver hope, I feel like I just changed some-one’s mind-set from negative to posi-tive. When I reflect on that giving ex-perience, it makes me feel good about myself that I inspired hope to someone who needed it the most at that time. What I have learned, is that giving hope is how I found mine.

H Ashika Radman

Ray of HopeDelta inspired me because they encouraged and put an immense amount of effort to help me try and graduate. I came here with the intention that I was not going to graduate because I had missed school for months and didn’t think I would be able to get back on track. A year ago I was diag-nosed with schizophrenia, which felt like my life was being thrown away in a dumpster full of maggots, rats, poo, and old food. I was struggling a lot with everything! On a scale of 1/10, I was at a 10 of how bad I was doing. It felt like wearing your favorite shoes and stepping in mud. I didn’t feel safe, and I was starting to worry friends and family. So they sent me to a hos-pital to get better; not once, but twice. I started getting suicidal because I did not know what to do anymore or where to turn too. I was as depressed as Eeyore. I didn’t want to believe it. My whole world was turned upside down. After I had gone to the second hospital and came back home, that’s when I had missed months of school. I felt like everyone was against me. I wasn’t ready to go back to school. I had to try a lot of different medications prescribed by the doctor. It was hard because it would start being normal for me again, and then it would go back to being horrible. After a couple months of trial and error, I finally found the right pill to make me feel nor-mal again. Finally, I was ready to start going out and doing things, and I was ready to go back to school. It was as hard. As hard as, balancing on a thin piece of fishing line. Then I came to Delta. At Delta, it felt like it was starting to look on the upside .Dr. Paul and a lot of other teachers helped me feel comfortable, and I learned that everyone here is really nice. I felt like at other schools they didn’t really care or pay attention. However at Delta, we are a fam-ily. Delta students and staff care and pay attention to each other, and help each other in need. I had tried home schooling. I also went to two differ-ent other schools, however, they didn’t. Yet Delta helped! At first, when I arrived at Delta, I wasn’t even giving the school a try at all. Then I saw that they actually wanted me to graduate, they wanted to help me. They gave 9

Giving HopeBy: Rey Royal

Frank Sinatra once said, “The best revenge is massive success.” This is a meaningful quote to me because I have failed in school since my 7th grade year, which for my entire life, made me feel like a fish lost in a dark ocean, like a bird with no wings, like a clown with a frown. Now I am a Junior in high school. I am finally back on track. I started to fail school because it was boring, and I felt like the teachers didn’t care about me or teaching. I have everything: I have a family. I live in a house. My parents aren’t di-vorced. I DID care about school, but my skills were low. I couldn’t compre-hend the reading and didn’t understand the other subjects, and, therefore, I

failed my assignments and tests. So of course my anxiety rose like mercury in a thermometer on a hot day, and I refused to even try anymore. Once I started high school, things went downhill fast. I joined the fresh-men football team to put myself in a positive atmosphere, but once the sea-son ended, I start hanging out with the wrong crowds. I started to drink. I started to fight. I was making money the wrong way. I got out of my first school because I felt things needed to change. I was carrying a 1.0 GPA.

Finding MyselfBy Ajax Chadwick

“I felt like a fish lost in a dark ocean.”

I got tied in with Delta, and at first I was upset. It felt as if I had lost a loved one; however, what made me change my thoughts about that was our coun-selor, Ryan. He talked to me and made me actually feel really welcomed, as if this was my second family. Ever since that simple talk when I started, I began passing school at Delta with a 3.5GPA and became a savage dragon hunting for good grades and knowledge. I don’t have bad habits anymore, and I am in the process of getting a job. I actually respect the teachers now,

and I like my parents again because they respect me. I honestly believe if you’re having some type of trouble in school, you feel life is hard, and you’re not getting anywhere, you should go to Delta because they will lift your spirits and makes graduation possible. If it wasn’t for Delta, I probably still wouldn’t care about school and would carry a bad attitude. Now that I’m older and more mature, I know how to pass this game called life thanks to the guidance and family I gained at Delta.

“Delta made me

actually feel really

welcomed, as if this was

my second family.”

Photo:: Aini

Delta inspired me because they encouraged and put an immense amount of effort to help me try and graduate. I came here with the in-tention that I was not going to graduate because I had missed school for months and didn’t think I would be able to get back on track. A year ago, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which felt like my life was be-ing thrown away in a dumpster full of maggots, rats, poo, and old food. I was struggling a lot with everything! On a scale of 1/10, I was at a 10 of how bad I was doing. It felt like wearing your favorite shoes and step-ping in mud. I didn’t feel safe, and I was starting to worry friends and family. So they sent me to a hospital to get better; not once, but twice. I started getting suicidal because I did not know what to do anymore or where to turn. I was as depressed as Eeyore. I didn’t want to believe it.

My whole world was turned upside down. After I had gone to the sec-ond hospital and came back home, that’s when I had missed months of school. I felt like everyone was against me. I wasn’t ready to go back to school. I had to try a lot of different medications prescribed by the doc-tor. It was hard because it would start being normal for me again, and then it would go back to being horrible. After a couple months of trial and error, I finally found the right pill to make me feel normal again. Finally, I was ready to start going out and doing things, and I was ready to go back to school.

It was as hard though. As hard as balancing on a thin piece of fishing line.

Ray of HopeBy: Aashish Radman

Photo: Kim Siever

“I was diagnosed with

schizophrenia, which

felt like my life was

being thrown away in a

dumpster.”

Then I came to Delta. Here, I felt like it was starting to look on the up-side. Dr. Paul and a lot of other teachers helped me feel comfortable, and I learned that everyone here is really nice. I felt like at other schools they didn’t really care or pay attention. However, at Delta, we are a fami-ly. Delta students and staff care and pay attention to each other and help each other in need. I had tried home schooling. I also went to two dif-ferent other schools, however, they didn’t help. Yet Delta helped! At first, when I arrived at Delta, I wasn’t even giving the school a try at all. Then I saw that they actually wanted me to graduate; they wanted to help me. They gave me hope and inspiration, which felt like a ray of sunshine coming through dark clouds. When I need help, they give it to me; they

help me understand and help me focus on what I need to do. Now, I’m here writing a paper on how to inspire hope, which is exactly what I’m trying to do for anyone struggling. I think you should always try and do your best. I think a lot of students, to this day, are inspired by Delta and everyone here.

At Delta, I feel like I have a purpose in life, like I could actually make it. I really hope I help in some way to inspire hope for anyone who’s going through what I went through, or for anyone who may be struggling at all. My meaning in life is now bigger than me. I have people to help and inspire, whether I know them or not, and it’s important.

Photo: Doug Wertman

“My meaning in life is

now bigger than me. I have

people to help and inspire,

whether I know them or

not, and it’s important.”

ave you ever felt trapped in your own body and knew there was nowhere to go. We’re all humans, we feel different from one anoth-er, but I can say we all have these feelings, thoughts, the likes, and the dislikes about many things. When you’re surrounded by teachers you know don’t believe in you or care about you, they show it all: in their looks, the way they act, and the way they show you don’t exist. You can just sense it, with no doubt. Then, you think too much and wonder if it’s an illusion, the way they see you, or just the way you see yourself. I hated my first high school because of this and each day sat thinking, “when will I be getting out of here?”

Finally FreeFinally FreeH

Photo: Nicolas Sanguinetti

Have you ever felt trapped

in your own body and

knew there was nowhere

to go.”

“

By: Silencia Cruz

The happiness in my heart

and smile that came from

Delta will never change. This

school is too great!”“

Photo: Heather Aitken

It was March 03, 2016, and it was my first day at Delta High School. My emotions from my old school came back: I was intimidated and it made me depressed. But my thoughts switched very quickly! My day started off fantastic. I wasn’t nervous or stressed. I was happy, and my frown just turned upside down instantly. I knew there was hope be-cause I could feel the de-termination all around me. The feeling of hope, at Delta, was just perfect! The teachers are amazing, very friendly, and they honestly know how to brighten a student’s day with a smile. I feel very emotional writ-ing this, but finally, with no stress running on my mind. The happiness in my heart and smile that came from Delta will never change! This school is too great. My feelings of hope are power-ful. The word hope was a lesson of love from Delta High School, and it is now my mission in life.

Give Hope ost people don’t succeed in life because they never do anything to get an opportunity at success. Delta is that opportunity at success, but in a different environment with people who actually care about you. Delta’s positive vibes of hope permeate through the whole school. For me, hope was always around, but just not found because I was on the wrong path. Delta gave me a different perspective of life. I was like a blind kid with new eyes. Delta assured me that with positive effort, anything is possible.

Another thing Delta has done that no other school did for me is give me hope. Giving someone hope is like bringing someone back to life. In other schools, trying to find hope was like seeing with no eyes. How-ever, at Delta, hope is like oxygen for an astronaut. Hope inspires stu-dents to move forward in life and

make their dreams a reality. How-ever, don’t think all these amazing things happen by themselves, you have to be determined and change bad habits.

Delta helped me find hope when there was no one else there to help me. Delta is like that hand that helped me up when I was down and hopeless on the floor. If you want hope, it actually starts by giv-ing it. The way Delta cares about you feels like if they were your own family looking after you. They don’t only give hope, they teach you how to give it to others and touch their heart. Not giving hope to others when someone gives it to you, is like finding the cure for cancer and not wanting to share it. Giving hope to others is like giving them the win-ning lottery ticket, and that’s what Delta did for me! Photo: JMoney

By: Ajax Herrera

M

23

Giving hope to others is

like giving them the win-

ning lottery ticket, and that’s

what Delta did for me!” “

I am an inspired per-son, and I love helping others. My heart is big; huge. My heart is as big as King Tut’s Pyramids. I don’t know why, but for some reason this is how I was made. Constantly, I am always thinking of others, and I revel in the moment of being there as an inspiration of hope for others.

My best attribute is my heart, and though at times I wonder if I’ll

make it and be great in this world, my heart for others always brings me back to who I am. Do I ever lack hope in myself? Absolutely! Do I ever not believe in myself…well, I am human. However, if you know me, like I know myself, help-ing others is what is most impor-tant to me, and helping others is what gives me hope. It’s the place I turn to, helping others, when all else seems lost and confusing in the world. For that, I am proud.

If you know what I mean by feeling lost, then you know how I’ve felt before, and how, possibly, I may feel tomorrow. Feeling lost is a terrible feeling; it feels like all you do, all your effort, everything feels like it’s not going to matter in the end.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Things are bound to get tough eventually, and if you haven’t faced a bump in the road, you will even-tually. What matters is how you

handle your situation. Many won’t want to get up after they’ve fallen. Many more take the easy way; they turn to drugs, alcohol, and gangs. Remember the easy way is not the way to go. Drugs will eventually lead to addiction; this would be a huge setback. Along with addiction, you will lose the trust of friends and family. Not only that, but you will begin to lose hope and you will regress instead of progressing. Does that sound worth it?

Photo: AJ Montano

King Arthur’s SwordBy: AJ Montano

Throwing away everything you worked so hard for, just for about an hour of feel-good? I didn’t think so.

Gangs are a bigger risk. Not only will you not progress, you’re endanger-ing your friends, your family, and most importantly, yourself. The sad-dest thing about the gang life is that most never get a chance to change for the better. Why? Because their life is stripped from them. This is some-

thing you won’t recover from. You will cause irreversible damage to your family and friends. That’s not the only risk being gang affiliated carries. If you’re lucky, you’ll get sent to prison instead of getting murdered. That doesn’t sound like the luck I would like to have. Can you imagine how great some of our fallen friends this year would be if they hadn’t fallen into the wrong footsteps?

Most people think it’s too late for a change. Guess what? It’s never too late. We all have something that mo-tivates us. Personally, I grind every day for my parents who have to wake up at 5 am every single morning be-cause they didn’t take their educa-tion seriously. Is that my only mo-tivation? Of course not! I’m out to prove a point. I keep in mind all my old teachers, friends, and coworkers who said I would never make it. We

have all been doubted at one point, but listen to me loud and clear right now! “Don’t let it bring you down!:” When I’m close to giving up, I just think about the time I’ll be able to say, “I did it! Even when no one but my mother believed in me.” Can you imagine how great that would feel? That feeling is unexplainable, its like the moment King Arthur removed the sword from the stone, and you better believe that sword will be mine.

Photo: Jon Reis

me hope and inspiration, which felt like a ray of sunshine coming through dark clouds. When I need help, they give it to me; they help me understand and focus on what I need to do. Now, I’m here writing a paper on how to inspire hope, which is exactly what I’m trying to do for anyone struggling. I think you should always try and do your best. I think a lot of students to this day are inspired by Delta and everyone here. At Delta, I feel like I have a purpose in life, like I could actually make it. I really hope I help in some way to inspire hope for anyone who’s going through what I went through, or for anyone who may be struggling like I did. My meaning in life is now bigger than me. I have people to help and inspire, whether I know them or not, and it’s important.

Starting off at a very big high school, I didn’t feel the same type of emotion or feeling that I got when I started to attend at Delta. My first high school had more than two thousand people attending there. There were a lot of bad influ-ences attending there too. On occasion, there were fights on campus, and al-though they didn’t happen often, it made me feel unsafe. It sometimes felt like a jungle of animals. Not many people got along and many had their own group to hang out with. It felt like most teachers didn’t put much effort to help me out, and it didn’t feel like they made sure I was on track. Coming to Delta was a lot different. It was smaller and the students were nice. Optimism was good at this school and it felt like a second home. The teachers actually wanted to

help me and guide me through. Classes were easier to focus in due to less people in a class. From day one, I was part of the family, and I knew it. This is what changed my education and my life. Unfortunatly, in January of my senior year, my mom told me we were moving out of state! Leaving Delta made me feel like a child losing his mom to a car accident because I knew I was going to miss my Delta family. In Las Vegas, everyone at my new school was to themselves and all I did was work on the computer the whole time. It was very boring and I didn’t learn anything. The classes weren’t very welcoming and nobody noticed me or cared about me. As you can guess, my grades began to fall again!

Empire of EmpathyBy Griffin Ryans

Photo: Day Donaldson

“My first school felt like a jungle of animals”

I missed my Delta family so much, therefore, I had hoped to come back some-how to finish school there. I tried hard to convince my parents to let me come and stay with my friends in California to finish back at Delta. I had hoped for things to get better and continued to strive for what I wanted. I missed all of my friends and teachers from Delta, so I tried to convince my parents to help me come back and finish at the school I really loved. I told them that Delta gave me hope and a lot of optimism, and that they are a good group of people who always support me like a coach cheering for his team on the field! There was never a day that I didn’t want to come back to Delta. Eventually, my parents worked out a solution, and I was able to return!

As soon as I came back to Delta, I was as excited as if it were the first time see-ing colors. This school has very supportive teachers and counselors. You also have the feeling of being welcomed at all times, and it doesn’t matter about your race, ethnicity, or even your sexual orientation. Everyone there, teachers and students, treat you as a human being. Everybody here is a family and you are always treated with the amount of respect you deserve. Delta is a school of welcoming and support, and for that, I’m grateful! It is a school of heart and inspiration, and a school that taught me that hope comes easy to those who spend their lives giving it to others!

“I was very excited like it

was the first time

seeing colors ”

Photo: Narcah

Hope is PowerBy: Barron Ventura

I felt like a piece of paper that was just one of many in an endless stack of papers”

“

Hope is power. Hope feels like energy. Most people have some hope, but not all of them. Every-one wants hope (power). You make your own way of having hope. Your future is what you make of it, and not what other people want to it to be for you. Let them do them, and you do you. Be something in life, not nothing. Make a difference in you. People drop out, but you can be that one person that makes it big and goes to college. It’s up to you, not anyone else. Be you! Love is respect, and every-one deserves second chances; everyone! Don’t let someone that gave up on their dreams talk you out of yours. You want to give hope (power) to others, so they can spread hope to others out there. Ev-eryone needs hope (power) in life,and no one should feel alone in this big world.

Photo: Jenni C Follow

At Delta, my hard work was finally recognized and put in print to inspire others.”

“

Some people in this world feel like a piece of paper in a classroom ready to tell its story. However, most of the time in school, that piece of paper gets lost in the stacks of paper on a teacher’s desk. Some people’s papers may get read to the class, but most won’t. That makes students feel lonely and unimportant. I have always felt like I was just a piece of paper that was stuck in a pile. My story was never read; it never mattered to anyone. Most kids now days are failing because they don’t care about the assign-ments. That’s because their paper isn’t going to be read or used for anything but a Gosh-danget grade! But what’s a grade?! A grade means nothing! What you want is some-thing to be laminated and put up on a wall. You want your voice to be heard and you want to say something that others feel is actually important. Mostly, you want something to take home to show your parents to make them proud. Yet what is a grade?! A grade is nothing! A grade is just a letter. A letter to show that you’re behaving in class. But a kid doesn’t care about that! A kid wants his/her parents to be proud of them. A kid wants their parents to brag about how their child’s work was pub-lished and put up on display at school or in the commu-nity for everyone to see. A kid wants to feel like their life has meaning and that they actually are important to their school and their community. No one wants to feel like a piece of paper that is never going to be used or read. Peo-ple want to have a purpose in life helping and inspiring others. Delta High School was the first school to ever rec-ognize me. They gave me hope by publishing this paper! They believed in me and asked me to become a light of hope for others. They published my positive light to the world and made me a leader of hope amongst the crowd.

Dragon FamilyDragon FamilyLive inspired!

from the...

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Give hope and fly free...

Photo: John Howard