Board OKs charter school on North campus despite protests
About 30 North High School students, parents and community supporters formed a conga line of sorts outside the Denver Public Schools headquarters Thursday afternoon as they chanted, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, co-location’s got to go.”
But despite their protests, North will share its historic campus with a charter high school. By a vote of 4 to 3, the DPS board decided late Thursday that STRIVE Preparatory Schools’ new high school will join the traditional one on the northwest Denver campus.
Board members Arturo Jimenez, Andrea Merida and Jeannie Kaplan voted against the proposal.
The vote capped months of impassioned protest by a group of northwest Denver parents, who charged that putting the STRIVE charter school at North would jeopardize progress the traditional school is making.
Those opponents, many part of a group called Choose North Now, said the district hasn’t come to grips with the fact that northwest Denver’s demographics are changing and more affluent young families are moving into the area.
Lawrence University Presents Benjamin Britten’s Comic Opera “Albert Herring”
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Britten, Lawrence University brings the great British composer’s hilarious coming-of-age comic opera “Albert Herring” to the stage Feb. 14-17.
Performances in Stansbury Theatre of the Music-Drama Center are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14-16 with a 3 p.m. matinee performance Sunday, Feb. 17. Tickets, at $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students, are available through the Lawrence University Box Office, 920-832-6749.
Originally set in 1900, guest director/choreographer Nicola Bowie transports the production to 1947, the year Britten wrote the opera.
“It is a period that resonated with me, and I believe further serves to accentuate the characters, making them more relevant to an audience in 2013,” said Bowie, an accomplished director who has staged operas with the New York City Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Washington Opera, among others. “It proved to be a perfect fit, emphasizing that life in many rural areas of Britain and probably elsewhere has changed very little over the last few hundred years.”
Intricate and Witty
Pairing an intricate but listenable score with a witty libretto, Albert Herring parodies life in a rural British village, poking fun at puffed-up politicians, flighty school teachers, vapid vicars, bumbling police officers and an assortment of other eccentrics. But his treatmen
Northwestern sorority playing host to chili luncheon, silent auction Feb. 17
February 7, 2013
Alpha Sigma Alpha members at Northwestern Oklahoma State University are trying to raise funds to help pay for District Days in Dallas. In order to help fund the trip, they have reserved the Ranger and Wyatt Rooms for a chili luncheon and silent auction on Sunday, Feb. 17, from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
This event is open to the public. Advance tickets are $7 and can be purchased from any Alpha Sigma Alpha member. Tickets will be $8 at the door.
The Northwestern chapter of Alpha Sigma Alpha is committed to intellectual, physical, social and spiritual development.
Revenge sweet as American Heritage girls soccer wins state title
American Heritage was out for revenge against Ponte Vedra, there was no doubting that.The memories of last year’s 2-1 (4-1 on penalty kicks) loss to the Sharks in the state finals haunted the Patriots throughout the season.
On Saturday, the Patriots extinguished the past disappointments that clung to them by defeating Ponte Vedra 3-0 in the girls soccer Class 3A state final at Melbourne High.
“We wanted to get it in their head that they weren’t going to win this time,” senior forward Melanie Monteagudo said. “It’s wasn’t going to be easy for them this time.”
It certainly wasn’t.
The Patriots (26-2) didn’t extract revenge with brute physicality, although Ponte Vedra players said they saw a more physical bunch than last year. Instead, they methodically served up an array of skill and graceful play that was too much for the younger Sharks (24-3-1) to match.
“Maybe we were a little more physical, but we just played our hearts out,” Alyssa Robinson said. “But I don’t think that
School Uniforms Are Destroying Individuality
School uniforms have expanded to public schools of late. Having taken the idea from religious institutes, many public schools around the world require students to wear uniforms. The debate over whether or not uniforms are essential is ongoing. Some people say that school uniforms are an essential part of a functional learning environment. Other people say that they inhibit the creativity of the students. While uniforms can sometimes be beneficial, the world should dispose of their existence.
In a survey taken by the National Center for Education Statistics, it was discovered that eighteen percent of public schools required uniforms for the 2007-2008 school year. Supporters of uniforms argue that they cut down on violence and help student focus on school work and reduce peer pressure. Focusing on school work has nothing to do with what a student wears. Good students will focus on school work no matter what they wear.
Court Backs School District in Principal’s Whistleblower Case
A federal appeals court has upheld the dismissal of an Illinois middle school principal who contends she was terminated for raising questions about alleged financial improprieties by her predecessor.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, in Chicago, ruled unanimously that the whistleblowing complaints by principal Julie McArdle were job-related speech not protected by the First Amendment under a key U.S. Supreme Court precedent.
McArdle took over as principal of Lindbergh Middle School in Peoria, Ill., School District No. 150 in the fall of 2008. Her predecessor at Lindbergh, Mary Davis, became academic officer of the Peoria district and was McArdle’s immediate supervisor. Court papers say McArdle soon discovered financial irregularities, including Davis’s alleged use of a school credit card for personal expenses and payments to a student teacher in violation of district policy.
McArdle questioned her superior about the irregularities but received evasive responses, court papers say.
Kicking Off the Special Olympics Winter Games in South Korea
Participating in sports through both training and competition promotes physical, psychological, and social well-being. Special Olympics not only provides the opportunity for individuals with intellectual disabilities to realize these benefits, but promotes dignity, respect, and the opportunity for fuller social inclusion.
Over the past several days, I’ve been fortunate to join more than 2,300 athletes and their coaches from over 110 countries in PyeongChang, Republic of Korea, for the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games. The Games, which include competition in events such as skiing, skating, snowboarding, and floor hockey, is also a celebration of the spirit of the Special Olympics.
I have had the privilege to meet athletes and their families from towns and cities across the United States, as well as athletes from Morocco, New Zealand, Egypt, Uzbekistan, South Africa, and of course Korea.
I met Chase from Salt Lake City, who, from the day he was born, wanted to play sports, yearned to achieve and excel in sports. B