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Shepherding her Shepard A South of South mother is easing into her new life with the help of a children’s museum. By Joseph Myers
d for Audenrie s n la p e th views on ent. No to this incid Ms. Moffett’s t n a v le e r ir are offett’s High School eliefs, Ms. M b r e h g n o tr s e matter how e safety of th th d e r e g n a d ng. actions en with protecti d e rg a h c is e s children sh Philadelphia’
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he miracle of life can spell the death of independence for a firsttime mother. Jacey Lucas, however, delights in having her new title, offering boundless love to her 17-week-old son Shepard. The residents of the 1000 block of South 25th Street have fraternized with other moms and newborns since early February as members of the Please Touch Museum’s Wellness Parents workshop. Along with four other mother-child pairings, the duo receives advice from Donna Ellenbogen, a New York City-based licensed clinical social worker, at the FairSee WELLNESS PARENTS page 9
trict of —School Dis report. ory incident ct fa unsatis
A hopeless plan
Hope Moffett, 25, may have incurred enough wrath to lead the School District of Philadelphia to part ways with her. S ta f f P h o t o b y G r e g B e z a n i s
Sports
A Bella Vista resident will likely lose her teaching position for speaking out against changes to a Grays Ferry high school. By Joseph Myers
Peerless mates
Three area schools are aiming to be kings and queens of their respective sports. By Joseph Myers................Page 34
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ope Moffett is not a politician but conducts herself with as much aplomb as an established officeholder. The third-year English teacher at Charles Y. Audenried Sr. High School, 3301 Tasker St., has executed three weeks of civil disobedience opposing the School District of Philadelphia’s plan to allow Universal Companies, 800 S. 15th St., to convert her
institution into a charter. Citing two elements, the district has enacted a course to terminate her employment. A resident of the 1000 block of Christian Street, Moffett wonders why the district feels Audenried is a lackluster academic school in need of joining the Promise Neighborhood Partnership. “I don’t like being put on a failing schools list; these students are not failing,” she said. A look at testing figures, or the lack
thereof, proves Moffett correct. Following the 2005 destruction of its old space, Audenried opened a $55-million facility in September ’08. Its 419 students in ninth through 11th grades, have not yet taken the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, a test for third through eighth and 11th graders. Moffett, who next week would have begun to administer the tests to juniors, See MOFFETT page 10