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Last chance to win$$250, see page 21
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Vo l. 6 5 N O. 1 5
Vying for an open spot
Three Democratic candidates aim to be voted to a vacant seat in Harrisburg.
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ith the Pennsylvania General Assembly redrawing district boundaries based on the 2010 Census, Speaker of the House Samuel H. Smith (R-Jefferson County) held off on calling an election to fill vacant seats. However, a Supreme Court decision ordered him Feb. 29 to hold a special election April 24, the same day as the primary, to fill six empty positions, including the 186th District, which covers portions of Grays Ferry, Hawthorne, Newbold, Passyunk Square, Point Breeze, South of South, West Passyunk and Southwest Philly. Now 2nd District Councilman Kenyatta Johnson previously held the post. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled the proposed Legislative Reapportionment Commission 2011 plan was unconSee SPECIAL ELECTION page 7
Sports
A diamond a dozen
After last year’s playoff disappointment, the Phillies face 12 tough questions. By Joseph Myers.........Page 38
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Closure without closure s o u t h p h i l l y r ev i ew.c o m
APRIL 12, 2012
A stellar academic record and tireless community activism helped a South of South school to avoid closing.
Enthused sixthgraders proved the School Reform Commission’s decision to keep their facility operating was a great one, as they tackled a writing assignment with gusto Monday. Their educational home will be able to build on its reputation as a standout site. S ta f f p h o t o b y Greg Bezanis
By Joseph Myers R e v i e w S ta f f W r i t e r
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hen first grader Louis Rodriguez dons his glasses, his classmates at Edwin M. Stanton School, 1700 Christian St., dub him “The Professor.” He and the youngsters learned March 29 the nickname’s lifetime will extend beyond June, as the School Reform Commission decided to keep their South of South institution open after recommending its closure in Nov. 2’s Facilities Master Plan unveiling. The body’s announcement gave the students a joyous start to their spring recess, from which they returned Monday.
“I would have been mad,” Louis, of the 1800 block of Carpenter Street, said that day of his attitude had the School District of Philadelphia forced him and the 86-year-old site’s nearly 250 other pupils to find a new learning location. Fury is absent from all classrooms, yet most learners are present, as Stanton has achieved a 95 percent attendance rate under first-year principal Stacey Burnley. She and community figures spent the last five months averting the shuttering of a facility whose academic record had made its inclusion on the 10-school closure list an oddity. The master plan avoided making individual itemSee STANTON SAVED page 14