Newtonite
Newton North High School, 360 Lowell Ave., Newtonville, Mass. 02460
◆ Friday, Jan. 30, 2009 • Volume 88, Issue 1
Newton to be on ‘Nation’s Report Card’
ELLEN SARKISIAN To show what they know and can do in key subject areas as part of a federal study, 95 seniors will need to take a test Thursday, Feb. 12, said principal Jennifer Price. School systems must participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress in order to receive federal funding, she said. “It is part of our requirement as a school system,” Price said. “It is similar in many ways to the MCAS, but we only do it when asked. It is a wonderful opportunity for Newton to see if the school system is serving all of our kids.” The U.S. Department of Education uses the test results to make policy and publishes them in a report called “The Nation’s Report Card,” said assistant principal Deborah Holman. “It allows for comparison of achievement among states,” she said. Other states besides Massachusetts in the 2009 12th-grade pilot are Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Jersey, South Dakota and West Virginia. “While state-level results for 4th- and 8th-graders have been reported since 1990, only national data has been available to measure the progress of our nation’s 12th-graders, according to Mass. NAEP materials. Starting with this test, 12thgraders will be measured state by state, the materials say. According to Holman, based on demographic data on seniors BY
Chloe Judell-Halfpenny
Happy at 7 a.m.: With the Capital Building behind them, members of the Black Leadership Advisory Council get set for a memorable day.
Great to be in Washington for Obama’s inauguration
CHLOE JUDELL-HALFPENNY e met a pitch-black sky and a wave of frigid air as we stepped outside, bundled in layers of clothing. As we boarded our bus, English teacher Adam Carpenter began a role call for attendance. “When I say your name, you say ‘Obama,’” he said. As he streamed through the list of names, the enthusiastic cry, “Obama!” echoed from every voice. With 27 students from the Black Leadership Advisory Council, I headed to Washington, D.C. to witness the inauguration of the nation’s first African-American president, Barack Obama. Carpenter and work-study coordinator Molly Gadenz led the trip, but Carpenter couldn’t be on the mall because of a student’s medical emergency. We arrived in the capital from our Maryland hotel before 7. With the Capitol Building in the distance, we began our long trek toward the Mall. As we approached Independence Avenue, we clung to each other, linking arms, in order to weave through the vast mob. It was almost impossible to move, but if you looked away for just a moment, you could be swept away. Never before had I seen so BY
W
viewpoint
many people. We made our way into the crowd and gradually inched closer. In the distance, I could see glimpses of a Jumbotron screen that displayed the event. People climbed onto the tops of portable toilets and into the branches of trees to catch a glimpse. Finally, it started. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California called the ceremony to order. Rick Warren, the pastor of Saddleback Church, began the invocation, his voice a faint murmur from where we stood. Aretha Franklin offered a rousing performance of “My Country ’Tis of Thee” that silenced the chattering group. After the music, the vice president-elect, Joseph Biden, took his oath of office. Then cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Gabriela Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill played composer John Williams’ “Air and Simple Gifts.” heers grew deafening as the man we had all been waiting for graced the stage. The crowd stood silent. No one around us uttered a word, despite the infamous flub in Chief Justice John Roberts’ recitation of the oath.
C
And at last, the inaugural address. We listened in silence, struck with awe. Tears streamed down the face of a woman standing beside me. Carpenter and members of BLAC later reflected on their experience. “I live to teach,” Carpenter said. “I’m literally sustained by strong lessons. For this lesson I was the guide, but life was the teacher.” Senior Kendra Dolor said the number of people in the crowd inspired her. “It was crazy at first, but it was wonderful,” she said. “It was different to see black people as a majority. Whites and Asians were the minority around us.” enior Sophie Dover said she was also moved by the unity of the group. “It was shocking to look out and see such a huge sea of people, but really awe-inspiring to watch people come together,” she said. Senior Mariah Wynn said she she didn’t realize how inspired people were by Obama becoming president until she went to Washington “Then it hit me,” she said. “I realized how important it was and could really see how much change is happening in the world.”
S
Matt Kalish
In the librar y: Students see Barack Obama give his inaugural address.
Non-profit org. US postage paid Newton, Mass. Permit no. 55337
Gaby Perez-Dietz
In Lasker: Students and faculty watch the ceremonies.
that the school sends, the NAEP chooses a cross-section of seniors in schools they select. This year, the U.S. Department of Education chose Newton North along with sic others in the city: Cabot, Countryside, Horace Mann, Lincoln-Eliot, F.A. Day and South, Holman said. Other high schools in Massachusetts include Brookline and Lexington, according to Rebecca Bennett, Mass. NAEP State Coordinator. High school seniors will take English, math or science tests, which will be about 90 minutes long, Holman said. Of the students selected to take the test, a participation rate of at least 90 percent is required, Holman said. “The seniors have to show up or the NAEP will continue to return to the school to retest,” she said. “Individual test scores are not reported to the school and do not affect student’s grades or report cards,” Holman said. Barry housemaster Aaron Sanders said the test allows students to “show their achievement across the state and nation.” “We would think that since the school has been selected, students would want to be represented in a positive light,” he said. To encourage participation, there will be a breakfast for seniors taking the test, Holman said. Today is the deadline for parents to notify the main office in writing if they do not want their sons or daughters to participate.
Faculty to dispose of unwanted paper
Two purge days next week MARENA COLE Two purge days are scheduled for next week, said work-study coordinator Molly Gadenz. Thursday and Friday, faculty can get rid of unwanted paper, Gadenz said. “It will be a win-win situation, for both faculty and the students in work-study,” Gadenz said “Faculty can get rid of unwanted paper before the move to the new school, and it will be something different for the students to do,” Gadenz said. “If this goes well, we will try to plan other days to get rid of more than paper. “We might make an inventory list and arrange days for other items to be discarded.” Faculty can put unwanted paper in recycling bins outside their doors. Sixteen students from the Connections work-study program will collect the bins and bring them to the loading dock, Gadenz said. For confidential papers, faculty can choose to have them shredded instead, Gadenz said. Faculty should place them in BY
separate boxes marked “shred” and place them in designated shredding locations around the school, she said. Shredding locations will be 126A, M5, 365, 337, the math office and the main office, Gadenz said.
Inside •Death by Chocolate page 3 •Exchanges page 7 •King essays pages 10-11