Panther Press

Ja'Leah Robinson likes to play board games and PlayStation games. She enjoys playing online games such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat, and Minecraft. Her favorite board games are Monopoly, Trouble, and Sorry. Monopoly is Robinson's favorite.

Robinson has two sisters and one brother. She does not have a job at the moment. Online school has had both a negative and a positive effect on Robinson. She said that online school has been negative because it's harder to stay focused and do her work. Robinson said the positive aspect of online school is asynchronous Wednesdays.

Robinson said that she wanted to earn A's and to be successful. She is well on her way to that goal. Teacher Tristan Bernhard said, “One of the challenges of online education is recreating the energy that normally exists in the classroom. Ja’Leah has been crucial in filling that void this semester- supplying laughs, insights, and active participation."

Ja-Myyah Miller is in 10th grade and she is 15 years old. Some of Miller's favorite hobbies are flipping and dancing.

Her favorite genre of music is rap, and her favorite food is pizza rolls. Miller's favorite color is purple.

She has a medium-sized family including two older brothers and a little sister and brother. She also has her dad and his girlfriend.

Miller does not have a job at the moment because online school is pretty stressful for her. One of Miller’s short term goals is to do better this quarter than her last. Her long term goal is to go to college. She is very flexible and short.

Some other interesting facts about Miller are that she likes to cook, do hair, and dance.

English teacher Alana Veach said, "Ja-Myyah is an incredibly hard worker. She completed every assignment of the second nine weeks and did them all very well. She's kind and is a really good friend to her bestie. I'm lucky to have her in class."

18-year-old Deja Dean is a senior at LMSA. Dean's favorite things to do are driving, doing hair, and listening to rap music. Dean plays volleyball. Her favorite place to get food is Chipotle, and Dean's favorite color is pink.

She has four brothers, and she's the only girl. She works two jobs. Online school gave Dean more motivation because she knows that she has to work harder.

Dean's short-term goal is to graduate from high school, and Dean's long-term goal is to graduate from college.

Teacher Chad Novelli said, "Deja is a hard-working, respectful young woman. She is an excellent student, always participating and turning in quality work. She is really a pleasure to have in class."

By Deja Dean

Austin Tudor enjoys playing PS4 games, working on cars, writing music, and writing inspirational quotes. A small piece of one of his quotes is, "We all have good times, bad times, exciting times, and devastating times, but at the end of the day, time doesn't stop, and neither should you." Teacher Deshawn Sensabaugh said, "Austin is a student who demonstrates leadership and is willing to help others."

His teachers and classmates notice when Austin is in online class sessions because he is one of the few students who has his camera on, and his attendance record is one of the best in the school. Teacher Kathy McQuate said, "Austin has this wonderful, sincere personality that encourages others to take risks and speak up. He puts himself out there - lets himself be vulnerable by sharing his thoughts and ideas - and others follow his example. I have him for two classes, and those are the two classes where I have the most participation. It's not a coincidence. It's Austin."

Tudor is 16 and a junior in high school. His favorite music is country and rap, and his favorite food is pizza. His favorite color is green (like money), and he loves football.

Tudor has four sisters in his family, and he's the only boy. Virtual school hasn't affected him that much because he's still able to get his work done. When asked about his goals, Tudor said that he doesn't want to sit and wait for something to come to him. To Tudor, being a successful YouTuber would show he has achieved success. His short term goal is to make it through high school.

Chase Williams likes to play video games. He is 16 years old and in the 10th grade at Linden-McKinley. His favorite color is purple, and his favorite food is tamales. He has two brothers and one sister. Williams said that he misses seeing his other family members due to COVID-19.

His favorite sport is soccer because it's competitive. Williams said that he really enjoys the games against big rivalries. One negative aspect of COVID-19 that hit him hard was that there was no soccer season this school year.

Coach Benjamin Nielson said, "There are really two versions of Chase. Off the field, Chase is calm, cool, and collected. He leads by example and will do whatever you ask, no questions asked. However, once Chase steps on the field, the gloves come off. Without sacrificing his off-field qualities, he adds an unmatched intensity. He is one of the most high energy, physical players I have ever coached. He fears nothing."

Williams's favorite rapper is Carlos Coy, better known by his stage name SPM. His favorite song by SPM is "What an OG told me." One part of the lyrics is, "Mama always gonna worry herself/ And me I can't forget the pain I felt."

Another activity that keeps Williams entertained is watching movies. His favorite movie is the 1993 "Blood In Blood Out," which follows three relatives' lives from 1972 to 1984. The movie was filmed in Los Angeles and in San Quentin State Prison.

When asked about his goals, Williams said, "My short term goal is to get a job, and my long term goal is to finish school."

Sharmarke Ali is a 17-year-old junior at Linden-McKinley. He likes running and swimming. His favorite sport is cross country because it makes him strong and competitive, both inside and on the field. Ali said, “I simply enjoy it.” Ali has won a lot of awards for his running in the past. Even though he was injured this year, he was still an active participant in one of the most successful cross country teams in Linden-McKinley’s history this past fall.

Ali comes from a big family. He lives with both his parents and his grandmother. He has three sisters, three brothers, four aunts, and one uncle. He also has a lot of cousins and nephews.

Ali believes, “What doesn’t hurt you makes you stronger.” One of his favorite books is “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier” by Ishmael Beah. It is the true story of how Ishmael Beah was forced to be a child soldier in Sierra Leone and details his recovery from that trauma.

His goals for school are to complete all of his classwork and homework in order to achieve A’s and B’s. He also wants to finish the year with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. Dr. Freddie Jordan said, "Sharmarke invests continually in his education by being present, prepared, and reflective of his role in being a good student."

In his third year at Linden-McKinley STEM Academy, Tyrone Spencer II is an I Know I Can college advising manager. I Know I Can’s mission is “To inspire, enable, and support Columbus City Schools students in pursuing and completing a college education.”

When he was in high school, biology was his favorite subject. Spencer said, “I am from the best city in the world: Detroit, Michigan!” After high school, he attended Bowling Green State University for his undergraduate degree and the University of Dayton for his master’s degree.

Spencer worked in housing at the University of Dayton and Ohio Dominican University, and he also worked for City Year before joining I Know I Can.

As far as his hobbies go, Spencer said that he collects video games and loves to run. He coaches middle school track and field at Linden-McKinley. Guidance Counselor Ashlee Hoffman, who also coaches and works closely with Spencer, said, "If you ever question Mr. Spencer's loyalty, just remember he is a Detroit Lions fan. The Lion's loyalty is real, while his University of Michigan fandom only lasts the week leading up to the annual OSU beatdown of TTUN (That Team Up North)."

When asked how he ended up in this field, Spencer said, “I wanted to give back to my community and work with students that had a similar experience like me in high school.” He continued by explaining that he wants to help generations of students reach the career of their dreams.

Ron Bedra is a middle school ED math and science teacher for grades 7 and 8 at LMSA.

Bedra earned his special education license while working at Independence High School. He said, "I applied for a full-time position, and Linden was the first job they offered me. Bet they thought I wouldn't take it! Ha! I showed them."

Before working at Linden, Bedra was a special education tutor at Independence High school for three years. Before that, he taught 7th & 8th Language Arts at Gahanna Christian Academy for ten years, simultaneously working as a pizza delivery driver for Flyer's Pizza in Blacklick.

When asked to share some fun facts, Bedra said, "I collect Transformers and other toys. I have a workshop in which I customize my action figures. I like to create and fix things. Sometimes I like to stare at the bug zapper in my backyard just to watch things die. That's fun, right? Oh, and I love pizza." Among the LMSA family, Bedra is known and loved for his sense of humor.

When he was a student, Bedra said that art was always his favorite subject, with English as a close second. He went to Northwood High School in Northwood, OH (near Toledo), followed by two years at the University of Toledo and two years at The Ohio State University for his bachelor's degree in communication. Next, he earned a master's in education from Mount Vernon Nazarene University. Columbus City Schools paid for his master's degree through The Ohio State University.

Describing how he got into teaching, Bedra said, "My plan to go into broadcasting went out the window when I interned at Channel 6 and realized everyone in that business is a cutthroat jerk. My wife was starting a teaching career and suggested I try it out because she thought I would do well with it. Turns out she was right!"

After answering "Google Maps" to the question of what led him here, Bedra said, "I wanted to work at LMSA because when I got a call offering me a full-time teaching position, it was the first one offered to me, and you never turn down a good position."

Before teaching, Bruce Smith worked in the automotive industry as a draftsman/CAD operator/engineer.

When he was in high school, Smith went to all the football games and was a member of the Industrial Arts Club of America, Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA), and National Honor Society. He studied drafting. Smith said, “My vocational instructor made a huge impact upon my life, and I felt I needed to pay it forward,” and that is how he got into the field of teaching.

Recounting how he ended up at Linden, Smith said, “It was an opportunity I could not pass up. It has been exciting.”

Teacher Scott McMaken said, " As a brand new teacher in the career technical field, I felt very lost starting at LMSA. Mr. Smith immediately began helping me navigate the ropes of CCS and career technical education. He helped teach me how to manage supplies, teaching standards, and curriculum, even while he himself was juggling the same things. My first years as a teacher would have been much more difficult if I had not had Mr. Smith to work with!"

Thinking back over his time as an educator, Smith said, “It has been a wonderful career.” When he retires this May, Smith will enjoy more of his hobbies. He loves to BBQ, spend time outdoors, and travel.