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Sound Off! calls published Feb. 2, 2011
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• Trash coming from school kids

I want to comment about the trash in Ceres and the article written by the chief of police. In my neighborhood, which was built in the late 1970s, you don't see apathetic residents that the chief references, but there is a trash problem. The trash doesn't remain where it can be seen because homeowners routinely go outside - a couples of times a day - to pick it up. Here's my point: Even though the neighborhood is older, it is well kept. The trash found along our street exists mostly because school-aged children passing through our neighborhood on their way to and from school drop food wrappers and drinks in our streets and yards.

Kids, our yards are not your garbage cans! Parents, please do more parenting. Teach your kids that it is a privilege to walk in an open society, but with privilege comes responsibility. Respect of environment and respect of property must be taught. Parents, if you do that I know we will see less trash. I would appreciate seeing less trash because then I could be doing something else besides picking up after your kids because they lack parenting.

• CHS staff is squelching school spirit

Ceres High School staff says we need to improve our school spirit and they pump us up for everything. They feed us with great ideas for rallies, games, and homecoming. This past basketball game we were given the idea by our activities director to put "Get the Flock Out" on the back of our shirts for our cross town rivalry game against CVHS. This simple saying was not meant in a derogatory way by any harms. It was simply used as in a flock of birds needing to fly off our territory, as being cross town rivals.

Even though this saying was used in a harmless way and the idea was given to us by our activities director - whom denies giving the idea - our pride team and 20 other students were escorted out before the varsity game started. Many of the students offered to change their shirts if they could be allowed back into the game. Though the staff did not agree to let them back in. Not only were the students not allowed back into the game, but the staff refused to give them their money back.

The point we are trying to get across is our school spirit is being drawn out little by little. Any other school in our league is allowed to: Paint their faces, paint their bodies, have saying on their shirts, use noise makers, and bring in signs. Our school is not allowed to do any of the list above. Ceres High staff members are going overboard with the way our students show their school spirit. Soon enough there will be no spirit at CHS.

• Why aren't they blaming Obama?

Remember three years ago when we were paying $3 plus a gallon and you couldn't find a newspaper or editorial that didn't say it was all George Bush's fault. Today I paid $3.33 for a gallon of regular gasoline and there's nobody saying anything about that. This is ridiculous.

• Atta boy, Ceres Police Department!

I just think there should be some type of acknowledgment for the good work by Ceres Police Department on two major cases. It was in the paper that Ceres officers were involved in catching suspects on a bus fleeing to Mexico on a murder case and helping Modesto Police Department. And then the double homicide shooting of the market owners on Yosemite Boulevard in Modesto. Only due to an observant Ceres police officer recognizing the vehicle matching the description led to three suspects being caught at Mitchell and Hatch and prevented any further cost of life or other injuries.

Ceres Police deserve an "atta boy" for doing great work.