A7 Inside and Out

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
Day two (of four) of my New York City theater break.

FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Completed showing the American Film video about the 100 greatest American films

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Completed showing Lean on Me.

COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
In a widely publicized episode of ABC's comedy Ellen, TV character Ellen Morgan, played by Ellen DeGeneres, announced that she was gay on this date in 1997. The episode featured cameo appearances by Oprah Winfrey, k.d. lang, Demi Moore, Billy Bob Thornton, and Dwight Yoakum. An estimated 42 million viewers watched the special hour-long program. Ellen became the first primetime sitcom to feature a gay leading character. The first openly gay regular character on a sitcom was Soap's Jodie Dallas, played by Billy Crystal, starting in 1977.

WRAP IT UP
All five members of Aerosmith visited shooting victim Lance Kirklin in a Colorado hospital before their show in Denver on this date in 1999. The band dedicated "Living On The Edge" to the student, who was one of 28 wounded and 13 killed by two deranged classmates at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado on April 20.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
Turn about is fair play. With all my seniors on their class trip, I decided to use my two personal for a four-day break in New York City. So a substitute will have my classses today and tomorrow while I Big Apple it.

FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Continued showing the American Film video about the 100 greatest American films

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Continued showing Lean on Me.

COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
British-born director Alfred Hitchcock, best known for psychological suspense films such as Psycho, dies at 80 on this date 24 years ago.

WRAP IT UP
"Dancing Romeo," the last Our Gang film, is released on this day in 1944. The first film, featuring a band of mischievous youngsters, was produced in 1922 by Hal Roach. Roach produced the short films until 1938, when he sold the rights to MGM. In all, more than 100 Our Gang films were made. Later, they were shown as TV comedies under the name The Little Rascals.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
The final day for Terra Nova testing. I was only supposed to substitute by I got to give the test all three days. Lucky me.

FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
Continued showing the American Film video about the 100 greatest American films.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Continued showing Lean on Me.

COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
On this day in 1926 Harper Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama.
After the immediate and overwhelming success of To Kill a
Mockingbird (1960), and despite forecasting more books, Lee is
known to have published only three short magazine articles since,
all in the 60s; nor has she broken the silence and anonymity into
which she quickly retreated.

WRAP IT UP
World heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali refused induction into the U.S. Army for religious reasons on this date in 1967; he was later convicted of draft evasion and stripped of his title. However, history was to prove Ali to be both social protester and icon.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
Day two of Terra Nova testing. Sometimes it seems all we do is administer standardized tests with little time for teaching.

FOR (YOUR) HONORS EYES ONLY
With classes virtually empty for the senior trip, we began showing the American Film Institute's video highlighting the 100 greatest American Films of all-time.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Attendance down due to class trip. Those few of us here are going to watch Lean on Me, the story of noted New Jersey principal Joe Clark.

COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
40 years ago today on this date Beatle John Lennon's "In His Own Write," a collection of funny poems and drawings, was published in the U.S.

WRAP IT UP
Three years and a day after opening its doors, New York's legendary disco, Studio 54 shut down on this date in 1980 due to numerous questionable activities. Now all we have left is John Travolta's white polyester suit and his Saturday Night Fever dance steps.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
It was a special schedule today to accomodate administering the Terra Nova standardized skills test to all 9th and 10th graders. Given the disrupted schedule, the day went reasonably well.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
It was a temporary goodbye for many students here as they will miss the next four days for the Senior Class trip to Disney World in Florida. Hope Mickey is kind to all those going.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
The same holds true for many students in these classes, as they too will be airborne tomorrow morning to Florida for the annual senior frolic.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
CBS TV broadcast "Inside Pop -- The Rock Revolution" on this date in 1967. Among the guests that host Leonard Bernstein has on is 16-year-old Janis Ian, who sings "Society Child." A year before the song was banned by some radio stations because of its subject (an interracial love affair). Following her television appearance, the song races into the Top Twenty.

The senior honors class studies the lyrics of the Ian's song as part of its exploration of William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello.

WRAP IT UP
Author of the Pulitzer Prize winning plays, Fences and The Piano Lesson, August Wilson is born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on this date in 1945. Self-educated after quiting school at 15, he would join the black aesthetic movement in the late 1960s, and become the cofounder and director of Black Horizons Theatre in Pittsburgh.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
Tonight there will be a scholarship dance at the local Marino Center to raise money for scholarships in memory of former BHS teachers Pete Saulin and Paul Kuntz, former BHS athletic booster James Camarote, and Salvy Blandino, longtime local sports activist and father of current athletic director Joe Blandino.

Anyone reading this blog who wishes to contribute to the worthwhile scholarship cause can contact Mr. Blandino at the high school at 455-8030.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
Continued the showing of the American Film Instititue's special detailing the 100 greatest American films of all time.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
We began viewing Lean on Me, the movie based on the life of controversial New Jersey principal Joe Clark. Students will use information gleaned from the video for a project later in the marking period.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
According to tradition, the great English dramatist and poet William Shakespeare is born in Stratford-on-Avon on April 23, 1564. It is impossible to be certain the exact day on which he was born, but church records show that he was baptized on April 26, and three days was a customary amount of time to wait before baptizing a newborn. Shakespeare's date of death is conclusively known, however: it was April 23, 1616. He was 52 years old and had retired to Stratford three years before.

Although few plays have been performed or analyzed as extensively as the 38 plays ascribed to William Shakespeare, there are few surviving details about the playwright's life.

WRAP IT UP
Elvis Presley made his first appearance in Las Vegas on this day in 1956. The audience, mostly middle-aged, was so unimpressed with the rock and roll star that his two-week run was cancelled after only a week. Ironically, Las Vegas was the site of the star's comeback in the early 1970s. Today, Elvis is viewed as much a king of Las Vegas as he was of rock and roll.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
At today's staff meeting, math teacher Ian Cornette was announced at this year's BHS Teacher of the Year.

Ian teaches many of my students and they say he is fabulous. So it appears that this was one well-deserved accolade.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
Students began viewing the American Film Institute's special 100 Years, 100 Films, which presents excerpts from its list of the 100 greatest American films. Following the showing, students will be expected to view one of the films and report back to class on their viewing.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
We held a Paideia seminar on the new school rules concerning profanity.

Principal Irv Marshall was a guest participant. The discussion was intense and insightful. In fact, we agreed to continue the discussion next week.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
The Who give their first complete live performance of the rock opera Tommy at a show in Dolton, England on this date in 1969.

WRAP IT UP
The first Earth Day was observed -- with the purpose of reclaiming the purity of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the environment we live in on this date in 1970. With the slogan “Give Earth a Chance,” Earth Day continues to be celebrated on this anniversary or on the vernal equinox.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
There appears to be a battle brewing over the ratings used for teachers in the Bridgeton district.

Currently there are four category assessments - distinguished (D), proficient (P), basic (B), and unsatisfactory (U). The Bridgeton Education Association, which represents teachers here, has maintained that only U's had to be rebutted as unacceptable to appear on an evaluation. But with reports circulating that some teachers who had only basics are not being rehired. If that is indeed the case, expect a fight between the BEA and administration over the use of the evaluation tool.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
We read and discussed a Philadelphia Inquirer article examining Columbine High School five years after the tragic shootings which left the Colorado high school's name to stay forever as a symbol of school violence everywhere.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Still reading Act I of Henrick Ibsen's A Doll House.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
On this date in 1977, The Broadway musical, Annie opened at the Alvin Theatre in New York City. Andrea McArdle was a shining star in the title role. Annie continued on the Great White Way until January 2, 1983.

WRAP IT UP
Michael Jackson’s Thriller album slipped a couple of notches from number 1 to number 3 on the pop album charts on this date in 1984.

Michael needn’t have been too upset. "Thriller" was number one for 37 weeks, setting a record in music history for the longest run at the top.

Now, with his plethora of legal troubles brewing, I'm sure Mr. Jackson longs for those simpler red jacketed Thriller days. At least then his fans weren't keeping websites like this one that traces the weird evolution of his face.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
Big news that will definitely impact BHS. The county vocational technical school is planning to become a fulltime facility. This means students who now attend BHS part-time will be enrolled in the countywide school. What happens at BHS isn't known, but the county change is sure to prompt changes here.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
No class today. Wiped out by Student Government meeting.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Continued with Act I of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
On this date in 1961 The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave approval for FM stereo broadcasting. It would be another five or six years before FM stations went ‘underground’ or ‘progressive’ to attract listeners who were tired of the lack of audio quality on AM stations. FM stations to that time had broadcast in glorious monaural sound.

WRAP IT UP
Edgar Allen Poe's story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", first appeared on this date in 1941 in Graham's Lady's and Gentleman's Magazine. The tale is generally considered to be the first detective story.

The story describes the extraordinary "analytical power" used by Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin to solve a series of murders in Paris. Like the later Sherlock Holmes stories, the tale is narrated by the detective's roommate.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
Today was the announcement of an end of an educational era for me - the last teacher who taught me when I was a student at BHS is retiring in June.

John Neron, my former chemistry teacher, is leaving the BHS family along with his wife Donna, currently a physics teacher here. Donna suffered a stroke last week and will also not be returning. The Nerons will definitely be missed, but here's a great wish for a long, enjoyable retirement.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
Students began selecting their novel for indedependent reading this month from a list of the 100 greatest fictional characters of the 20th Century.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
We began an introduction to the Henrik Ibsen play A Doll's House, an
exploration of an independent woman attempting to break from 19th Century mores. Many critics say the Ibsen drama with its direct language and contemporary themes represents the first modern play.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
British Romantic poet George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, died on this date in 1824 in what is now Greece, where he had traveled to support the Greek struggle for independence from Turkey. Even today, he is considered a Greek national hero.

Byron's scandalous history, exotic travels, and flamboyant life made such an impression on the world that the term "Byronic" was coined to mean romantic, arrogant, dark, and cynical.

WRAP IT UP
“The empty chairs are a simple yet powerful portrayal of someone’s absence. Like an empty chair at a dinner table, we are always aware of the presence of a loved one’s absence,” said architects Hans and Torrey Butzer and Sven Berg, explaining their inclusion of 168 bronze and stone chairs, each inscribed with a victim's name and mounted on a glass base, the focus at the opening of the Oklahoma City National Memorial on this date in 2000.

This memorial marks the place where 168 people died in 1995 in what was then the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. A new expanse of green lawn was once the site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, and a 320-foot-long reflecting pool lined with black stone has replaced the bombed-out street. The chairs, symbolic of tombstones, are also placed in symbolic positions: Nine rows representing the nine floors of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, with each victim's chair placed in the row according to the floor on which he or she worked or was visiting at the time of the blast. 19 of the chairs are smaller, representing the children who were murdered in the attack.

Ironically, A 70-year-old elm tree survived the bombing. “The Survivor Tree” is now protected by the Rescuer's Orchard: Fruit trees symbolic of the many rescue workers who pulled survivors from the rubble.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

There's Something Happening Here
Some additional news for the Affirmative Action workshop I attended yesterday. The Bridgeton school district is considering a detailed policy outlining acceptable behavior between students and teachers.

Some of the points are no brainers - like no dating. Other areas aren't as easy such as never giving any student a ride home for any reason or accepting any gifts. Once again this will be interesting issue as it develops.

For Your (HONORS) EYES ONLY
We went over yesterday's work on comma splices and homophones.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
We went over yesterday's work on comma splices and homophones

COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
On this date in 1926 The Book-of-the-Month Club in New York City chose as its first selection, "Lolly Willowes" or "The Loving Huntsman" by Sylvia Townsend as the offering to its 4,750 members.

Click here for another great site for current book choices and information.

WRAP IT UP
From the Here’s How Not to Be like Howard Stern file: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) sternly warned U.S. radio stations to watch the use of indecent language on the airwaves on this date in 1987. This was directed at shock jocks, like Stern, and those on your neighborhood radio station. Some stations, the FCC noted, had gone way beyond the seven dirty words made famous by comedian George Carlin in a routine from the early 1970s.

As any reader of today's headlines knows, the indecent language is far from over.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
I wasn't in class today as I attended an Affirmative Action workshop for the Bridgeton district. Among the topics of discussion were the criteria for a hostile working environment and a protcol for disclosing federally protected records to the victims of harrassment and bullying.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
Under the guidance of a substitute, students worked on correcting sentences with comma splices and those with improprly used homophones.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Under the guidance of a substitute, students worked on correcting sentences with comma splices and those with improprly used homophones.

COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN
The ‘unsinkable’ luxury liner Titanic sank at 2:27a.m on this date in 1912. The largest passenger vessel in the world went under off the coast of Newfoundland two and one-half hours after striking an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City.

A young David Sarnoff, later of RCA and NBC, relayed telegraph messages to advise relatives on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean of the 700+ survivors. 1,517 lives were lost at sea.

Many movies and documentaries about the monumental disaster have been filmed over the years. However, none had the exacting data gleaned by scientists from the 1986 expedition aboard "Atlantis II". Dr. Robert Ballard headed a crew and a robot named Jason in a descent to the deck of the "Titanic" aboard "Alvin", a submersible craft. They returned with information and photos that challenged and verified stories from the past. After years of studying the facts, the 1997 Academy Award-winning film, "Titanic", recreated the ship to the tiniest detail including the design on the elegant china. Although the film’s love story is fictitious, the true tragedy of the Titanic can now be seen by the world some eight decades later.

WRAP IT UP
"Two all beef patties...” Today is the anniversary of McDonald’s. Ray Kroc opened the first McDonald’s -- in Des Plaines, IL on this date in 1955.

Kroc began his career by selling milk shake machines. Among his first customers were the McDonald brothers from Southern California. After selling them several machines and watching the efficiency of their drive-in restaurant, Kroc bought the rights to market the brothers’ good fortune and hired them to work for him. On his first day of business, sales of 15-cent hamburgers and 10-cent French fries totaled $366.12.

Thirty years later, McDonald’s grossed a whopping $8.6 billion annually. There is no telling how many burgers have been served at McDonald’s. They stopped counting years ago, saying, “Billions and billions served.” The rest is McHistory with McDonald’s a common sight around the world. The first McDonald’s is no longer. It was torn down to build a newer McDonald’s restaurant across the street.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
It's finally here - the long-awaited Easter break. See all of you next Thursday.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
We took a challenging online test for Death of a Salesman. Even working together as a class, the scores were not strong. Period 3 answered 65 percent of the questions correctly. Period 7 answered 78 percent of the questions correctly. Both scores were higher than the national average of 51 percent.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
We administered a comprehension check on "The Rocking Horse Winner."

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
Singer Kurt Cobain died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, launching a national outpouring of grief among millions of Nirvana fans 10 years ago. Cobain's "grunge" band transformed rock music in the early 1990s.

Cobain, the son of a mechanic, grew up in a small Washington logging town. After his parents divorced, Cobain lived first with one parent, then the other, then with grandparents. He learned guitar as a teenager. Angry and alienated in high school, Cobain wore his hair long and dyed wild colors. He dropped out of high school a few weeks before his graduation and worked as a janitor by day, drifting and using drugs at night. In 1987, he formed his band, Nirvana, which provided an outlet for his anger and cynicism.

The band, heavily influenced by late-1970s punk, helped develop Seattle's "grunge" sound. Nirvana became an underground hit with its debut album, Bleach, in 1989, which they spent $606.17 recording. The album sold 35,000 copies. After a bidding war, the band signed with DGC for a $287,000 advance and made Nevermind, which topped the charts and sold 10 million copies in 1992.

Cobain had a stormy, much-publicized relationship with singer Courtney Love. The couple had a baby in 1992 and seemed to be headed for happier, more settled times. In 1993, however, Cobain overdosed on heroin twice and allegedly tried to kill himself several times before he succeeded. A posthumously released Nirvana album, MTV Unplugged in New York, topped the charts in 1994. Nirvana member Dave Grohl went on to start another successful band, the Foo Fighters.

WRAP IT UP
Director David Lynch's surreal series, Twin Peaks, premiered on ABC on this date in 1990. The show, with its bizarre characters and baffling story line, became an instant cult hit. Kyle MacLachlan starred as Dale Cooper, an FBI agent assigned to visit a small town in the Pacific Northwest to try to unravel the mystery of the murder of resident Laura Palmer. The series ran until June 1991.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
A department meeting today for time to work on self evaluations and the PIP (professional improvement plan). All in all, an aftrenoon devoted to paperwork which has virtually nothing to do with teaching.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
We explored writing assignments prompted by our study of Death of a Salesman.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
We completed our reading of D. H. Lawrence's short story "The Rocking Horse Winner."

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
American showman Phineas Taylor Barnum died on this date in 1891 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Though he was gravely ill, the 81-year-old showman's sense of humor hadn't deserted him. He requested that a New York paper run his obituary before he died so he could enjoy reading it, and the paper obliged.

Barnum was born in Bethel, Connecticut, in 1810. When young Phineas was 15, his father died, leaving Barnum to support his mother and five siblings. He worked as publisher of a weekly paper in Danbury, Connecticut, and was arrested for libel several times. He married at age 19 and in 1834 went to New York promoting Joice Heth, a woman he claimed was 161 years old and had been a nurse to George Washington. He earned $1,500 a week promoting her but later admitted Heth's history was a hoax.

In 1842, he purchased John Scudder's American Museum in New York and filled the five-story marble building with sensational curiosities from around the world, including a pair of Siamese twins joined at the chest, and an alleged mermaid preserved in liquid. The museum also presented dramatic spectacles, beauty contests, and other sensational entertainment. The most popular of the museum's spectacles, however, was Barnum's friend Charles Stratton, a diminutive man known as General Tom Thumb. Thumb became so popular that Barnum and Stratton were invited to an audience with the Queen of England. During the 26 years Barnum ran the museum, some 82 million guests--including Charles Dickens and the Prince of Wales--visited.

After two devastating fires, Barnum closed the museum in 1868 and moved on to promote a more legitimate attraction: Swedish singer Jenny Lind, whom he billed as "The Swedish Nightingale." She gave nearly 100 concerts under Barnum's management.

Interested in politics, Barnum served in the Connecticut state legislature and became mayor of Bridgeport. When his wife died, he married a woman 40 years his junior. At age 60, Barnum launched P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Circus, the largest circus venture in U.S. history up to that time. Although circuses had been around for many years, Barnum magnified the experience, offering action in three different rings at once. In 1872, he began billing his circus as "The Greatest Show on Earth." In 1881, he teamed up with James A. Bailey to form the "P.T. Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth, and The Great London Circus, Sanger's Royal British Menagerie and the Grand International Allied Shows United." The show was more commonly known, however, as the Barnum and London Circus. In 1882, Barnum added the 6 1/2-ton elephant Jumbo to the show. In 1888, the show changed its name to "Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth."

Barnum died after spending his entire life revolutionizing entertainment, popularizing not just the circus but also museums and concerts as entertaining activities. His last words were reportedly, "Ask Bailey what the box office was at the Garden last night."

WRAP IT UP
William Wordsworth, one of the fathers of British Romantic poetry, was born on this date in 1770. Of the stages of life, Wordsworth had this to say: "Life is divided into three terms - that which was, which is, and which will be. Let us learn from the past to profit by the present, and from the present to live better in the future."

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
As expected, the Board of Education approved the new teachers' contract. No more salary hassles for three years.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
We completed our reading of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
We began reading D. H. Lawrence's short story "The Rocking Horse Winner."

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
British Writer Oscar Wilde was arrested on this date in 1895 after losing a libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry.

Wilde had been engaged in an affair with the marquess's son since 1891, but when the outraged marquess denounced him as a homosexual, Wilde sued the man for libel. However, he lost his case when evidence strongly supported the marquess's observations. Homosexuality was classified as a crime in England at the time, and Wilde was arrested, found guilty, and sentenced to two years of hard labor.

Wilde was a well-known author by this time, having produced several brilliant and popular plays, including The Importance of Being Ernest

WRAP IT UP
On this date in 1959, Hal Holbrook opened in the critically acclaimed, off-Broadway presentation of Mark Twain Tonight. Quotes from the famous humorist include: “It is best to read the weather forecast, before we pray for rain.”; “The more things are forbidden, the more popular they become.”; “Modesty died when clothes were born.”; “Be good and you will be lonesome.”; and “Familiarity breeds contempt -- and children.”

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
By a margin of more than 12-1, teachers here supported a new three-year salary contract that calls for a starting salary of $40,000 in the third year of the pact. The top salary for a regular teacher then will be $66,000.

Now the school board must also approve the pact. That vote could come as early as tomorrow.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
Continued reading Act II of Death of a Salesman.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
Students composed a persuasive memo supporting their decision to show either Hoop Dreams or Hoosiers in an imaginary English class.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
Calling it the first launching of a television network in almost 40 years, the FOX Broadcasting Corporation, under the direction of media and publishing baron, Rupert Murdoch, started broadcasting on this date in 1987 with two Sunday night offerings. OK. Who said one was The Simpsons? “Hey, man, get a life. Not true. Cowabonga, dude!” Thanks, Bart. No, actually, Married......With Children and The Tracey Ullman Show were the beginnings of the FOX lineup.

WRAP IT UP
Black educator, writer, and leader Booker T. Washington was born on this day in 1856.
As we continue studying our unit based on the question what do I want is would be wise to heed these words from Washington: "I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed."

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
A first meeting was held today with juniors interested in enrolling in BHS' first-ever Advanced Placement English. The new course will be extremely rigorous. After hearing all the demands, some students said they would probably opt to remain in the Honors class. Keep posted for further updates on the new program.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
Continued Act II of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
We brainstormed reasons for a memo to support the showing of either Hoop Dreams or Hoosiers.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
The American Civil Liberties Union announced it would defend American beat poet Allen Ginsberg's book Howl against obscenity chargeson this date in 1955.

The U.S. Customs Department had seized some 520 copies of the book several weeks earlier as the book entered the U.S. from England, where it had been printed. Poet Allen Ginsberg had first read the title poem, "Howl," at a poetry reading in the fall of 1956 to enormous acclaim from his fellow Beat poets. The poem's racy language, frank subject matter, and lack of form offended some conservative readers, but to young people in the 1960s, it sounded a call to revolt against convention. Along with Jack Kerouac's On the Road, the poem served as the reference manual and rallying cry for a new generation. Ginsberg himself coined the term "flower power."

After the seizing of Howl, American publisher and poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti announced he would publish it in the U.S. After its publication, he was arrested and tried for promoting obscene material. The ACLU successfully defended both Ferlinghetti and the book at Ferlinghetti's trial, calling on nine literary experts to render an opinion on the book's merits. Ferlinghetti was found not guilty.

WRAP IT UP
On this date in 1902, the first motion picture theatre opened in Los Angeles. The Electric Theatre charged a dime to see an hour’s entertainment, including the films, The Capture of the Biddle Brothers and New York in a Blizzard. Think about that dime the next time you plunk down almost $10 to the see the latest movie.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking

THERE'S SOMETHING HAPPENING HERE
Superintendent Dr. Victor Gilson began an extremely ambitious program today to meet individually with all 947 employees of the Bridgeton district to determine their thoughts and suggestions on four district goals. The goals are:
-- improve student achievement as measured by standardized tests, report card grades, and student behavior.
-- improve safety for students and employees
-- increase parental and community involvement
-- improve district facilities

It should prove fascinating to see the range of suggestions.

FOR YOUR (HONORS) EYES ONLY
We began Act II of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.

LIGHT MY (COLLEGE PREP) FIRE
We viewed an excerpt from the basketball-based video Hoosiers starring Gene Hackman as an Indiana coach striving for excellence.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN
Although it's called March Madness, the Final Four of college basketball begins this April Saturday when four teams battle for the right to play in Monday night's championship game. Speaking of the NCAA basketball title, on this date in 1985 unranked Villanova University defeated top-rated Georgetown 66-64 to win the championship, ending the Hoya’s hopes for back-to-back wins. As a graduate of Villanova, I still savor that incredible victory.

WRAP IT UP
If you are reading this column you are one of only two people eligible to win a $1 million prize. April Fool. Today is the big day of practical (and not so practical) jokes. Here is a site that tells you virtually all you need to know about the spring joke day.

Well that it's for today. So - until next time - keep on reading, keep on thinking