Budget Cuts May Kill Essential Funding

State and Local Budget Cuts May Drastically Affect MLWGS Size, Scope, Future

by Danny Yates, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

With less than one month until the New Year, fear and tension over budgets is palpable everywhere from our national capital to the MLWGS Board Room.

MLWGS, which is funded by state and local tax dollars, may well be affected as these governments finalize their budgets.

“They [the localities that send students to MLWGS] can’t afford to not look at everything carefully,” said Regional Board Chairman Ivan Mattox of Goochland. “This may mean putting Maggie Walker on the chopping block.”

In the coming weeks, MLWGS Administration and Regional Board will develop a school budget for the 2009 fiscal year.

“We get money from two sources, the school division and the state. The concern that we have is that if the state cuts our money and cuts money from the school divisions, then the school divisions will cut their funding to us,” said MLWGS Director Mr. Doug Hunt. “We could get hit from two sides.”

Governor To Reveal State Budget

On December 17, a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly will convene at the newly-renovated capitol to receive Governor Kaine’s proposed state budget.

With a multi-billion dollar state deficit, next year’s budget will include severe reductions, potentially in the area of K-12 education.

Mr. Charles Pyle is the Director of Communications at the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

“The budget situation has certainly been widely discussed and the prospect of K-12 cuts is definitely on the table,” said Pyle. “The Governor has said that, members of the legislature have said that, and the state superintendent has advised schools that K-12 is on the table this time.”

Roughly 65 percent of MLWGS funding comes from the state, either directly or through allocations from municipal gifted education budgets.

In most public school systems, however, the state provides an amount closer to 55 percent of the necessary funding for “quality education,” while localities provide the additional 45 percent. The term “quality education” refers to the Commonwealth’s basic standard of “cost-effective and capable training for tomorrow’s workforce.”

In a recent Jabberwock interview, a local expert in state politics, who asked not to be named, alluded to a potential re-evaluation of the need for gifted programs.

“One idea is to reconsider what makes up the criteria for this quality education,” said the state politics insider. “I’ve heard another proposal to divide that [gifted education] funding burden equally, with more payment from the localities.”

VDOE’s spokesman shared a similar prediction.

“We really won’t know what the consequence might be overall or for programs like the Governor’s School,” said Mr. Pyle. “Any of the programs that are not part of the foundational, basic, general education plan may be considered for cuts.”

Meetings, Meetings, Meetings

In response to budget woes, MLWGS hosted three funding-related meetings on December 2.The first, a monthly financial administrative meeting, brought in the CFO’s from MLWGS four largest localities to provide advice on financial issues and next year’s school budget.

“The meeting was to determine how much money they [the localities] will send us,” said Mr. Hunt.

Meanwhile, in the boardroom, directors of Virginia’s 18 Academic Year Governor’s Schools gathered for their first of three scheduled meetings this year.

Appomattox Regional Governor’s School (ARGS) is the arts and science equivalent of MLWGS, located in Petersburg. ARGS Director Dr. James Ruffa spoke of the measures he has taken to make ends meet at his school.

“For the current year, we’re very concerned that the revenue we anticipated may not materialize,” said Dr. Ruffa.

“In times like these, if you cut personnel you might not be able to replace them later, so we have initiated cut-backs on things like field trips, transportation, and staff conferences,” said Dr. Ruffa.

The budget crisis has prompted Virginia’s Governor’s Schools to search for outside revenue sources.

“We’re more active in trying to get private money through our foundation,” said Dr. Ruffa. “Anything that can be offloaded from the general budget will help.”

At the same time, parents of Governor’s School students from across the state met for a Friends of Virginia’s Governors School (FOVGS) planning session.

FOVGS is a volunteer organization that works to ensure funding and support for Virginia’s three full-day and fifteen half-day Governor’s Schools, which are scattered throughout the state.

MLWGS parents Ms. Sara Hillgrove and Ms. Martha Young led the meeting during which parents began planning for a January 29 FOVGS “Day at the Capitol,” an annual event where students and parents meet with legislators to ask for continued funding.

“We’re discussing what we know so far. If we stay proactive and have some public hearings, maybe we can avoid the worst,” said Ms. Young. “Our main work begins when the appropriations committees meet and that’s when we go [ to the Capitol].”

The conclusions of the MLWGS budget meeting and the FOVGS gathering will be presented to the Regional Board during its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, December 18 at 9 am.

The December Regional Board meeting will come only hours after Governor Kaine officially announces the state-wide budget cuts. It is likely that much of this meeting will focus on the question of funding for MLWGS.



Optimism Remains in Midst of Potential Budget Cuts

Some in the MLWGS community believe that public outcry and frustration over budget cuts to gifted education and Virginia’s Governors Schools would far outweigh savings to the Commonwealth.

Others, such as MLWGS parent, math teacher, and Faculty Representative to the Regional Board, Ms. Lynn Reed wondered why recent spending has occurred in advance of possible cuts.

“Certainly I’m concerned about the big picture, but we also need to remember that we are paying for things such as the diversity consultant,” said Ms. Reed.

One positive sign is that regardless of the funding situation, some MLWGS feeder districts have expressed interest in increasing their number of student slots for next year.

“There are hard times out now,” said Mr. Hunt. “We want to make sure that we continue to have the student enrollment that we currently have. But we may even have a growth year ahead.”

Jabberwock News Editor Charles Condro contributed to this report.

Editorial: MLWGS State Funding Must Be Preserved

The annual price tag on sending a student to MLWGS is approximately $11,000. While this sum may seem costly, it pales in comparison to most other education options.

The annual per student cost for Richmond City Public Schools is $12,000. In Washington D.C., the cost is $13,500. And so far, we are just looking at public secondary education costs. When compared to private school tuition, MLWGS per student cost is just pocket change!

St. Christopher's School, a private K-12 institution in Richmond’s West End, is considered by some local education experts as the region’s second best high school, behind MLWGS. At St. Chris, parents pay an annual tuition fee of $19,000.

Not to mention the sky-high tuition of higher education, huge costs that many seniors are quickly becoming aware of! At some universities, tuition + room + board + books = $50,000 or so annually – approximately the same amount required to send five students to MLWGS!

Returning to the subject of MLWGS price tag, it is quite interesting to break down this $11,000 figure. This year, the state paid about $7,200, more than half the cost per student.

Yet as we are all well-aware, the U.S. is now officially experiencing a recession. Federal, state, and local budgets are being led to the slaughter. All “non-essential” services are at risk of being down-sized or scrapped entirely! Unfortunately for MLWGS, gifted education is often classified as a “non-essential” educational program.

In two weeks, a new, drastically reduced Virginia budget will be presented to the General Assembly. According to some state officials, funding for K-12 education, especially for gifted programs, may likely be reduced.

MLWGS funding may be slashed, or might even dry up completely. This could result in lower teacher salaries, a smaller faculty, larger class sizes and no extra-curricular activity funds.

Recently, a smoke and scales school-wide e-mail alerted students and parents of the dire situation. The message suggested that members of the MLWGS community contact the Office of the Governor at www.governor.virginia.gov, to demand that our funding be preserved. In your e-mail, letter, or phone call, explain why you think the state should continue to fund our school.

If asked “why support MLWGS?” The answer is simple. We are a community of hardworking, high-achieving students and faculty from 11 different cities and counties across the Metro Richmond region. Even that hackneyed, five-year-old quote from former Governor Warner, which is so prominently displayed on our school website attests to this fact.

“The Commonwealth of Virginia stands to benefit immensely from the future leadership capabilities of the alumni of our governor’s schools,” said Warner. His words, forever immortalized on our homepage, clearly explain why the state has invested so much in MLWGS over the years, and why this investment should be continued

So be sure to send a letter, e-mail, or just pick up the phone. The future of MLWGS is at risk, and the only way to keep our funding is by taking action now!

A Conversation with MLWGS' Own Mr. Charles

Maggie Walker Alumnus and MLWGS Head of Security shares his thoughts

First of all, how was your Thanksgiving?

It was beautiful. We stayed at home and had some relatives come in, and we had a very nice meal. I did a lot of the cooking, but it was still peaceful and very relaxing.

How is your basketball team coming along?

Our [girl’s JV] first official game was this week and we won 34-16 against Armstrong, which was a real scrappy team. But even in the win we saw a lot of areas that we need to work on. Hopefully we’ll improve our game to the standard I feel comfortable with by mid-season. As for varsity they won as well, and I think they are going to surprise some people this year.

Monday, December 1 was the deadline for all MLWGS applications. Do you personally know any students who are hoping to come here?

Actually, I do. One of the eighth graders, a young man who I believe we spoke to at Albert Hill, he came back here for the Lego tournament and he reassured me that he was excited about coming here.

Any advice for students on how to survive these three weeks until Christmas break?

One word, focus. Students need to focus on the task at hand. This is the time of year that you want to strengthen up all your academic areas, especially before we head into the new year.

Have we had any security issues recently?

Surprisingly no! In fact, security incidents have gone down. We don’t have half as many theft issues this year… People are still leaving their stuff around, but we’re working on that.

Anything else?

Yes. I’ve reflected on what I observed during the middle school visits and I’m concerned why we don’t take more of an active leadership role in beginning recruitment at a younger age. We need to catch these students and parents at an earlier age – maybe even in the fifth grade.

Q&A with Jabberwock Editor Danny Yates on December 1.

Letter to the Editor: Books by the Barrel

Dear Editor,

This year MLWGS Peer Mentors are working to build their community by reaching out to young people. To celebrate National Young Reader’s Day, students visited Highland Springs Elementary School, where they read children’s books to kindergarteners and first graders.

Ms Arnold, Ms. Davis, and I facilitated this activity, which promoted interaction among scholars of varying ages. Because of the generous influx from the MW student body, three barrels of gently used books were donated to young pupils, who were able to select titles that appealed to their individual interests. “Students are so excited about this,” commented the Highland Springs Elementary School librarian. To conclude the visit, Peer Mentors helped pupils create bookmarks, which included pictures of Maggie L. Walker, school namesake and one who epitomizes perseverance, education, and community involvement.

Note: a special thank you to Mr. Brown, Mr. Charles, Ms. Hawkins, Ms. Deck, Ms. Sheppard, and Mr. Zweerink for their assistance with this activity.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Lisa Williams, MLWGS English Teacher

Guy's Night Out

Coach Davis Honored by Former School, Henrico HS

In a ceremony before the MLWGS boys’ varsity basketball season opener at Henrico High School, Coach Guy Davis was honored by his former team.

Mr. Davis was called out onto the court before the game, and the announcer read off the laundry list of achievements that Mr. Davis accrued while at the helm of the Henrico High School Varsity Basketball team.

To commemorate Mr. Davis, Henrico High officially named their basketball court, Guy Davis Court.

“It was supposed to be a surprise,” said Mr. Davis. “But I found out.”

“First of all, it is very much deserved,” said Director Mr. Doug Hunt. “Hats off to them [Henrico High School] for recognizing him. He spent an unbelievable number of hours with students and parents building Henrico into a formidable basketball program.”

Many of Mr. Davis’ former assistant coaches and players as well as members of his family were in attendance and were called down from the stands to pose with Mr. Davis in a group picture. MLWGS was well represented, as former Assistant Coach Calvin Jamison was present, along with former players Max Hilterbrant (’08) and Ben Ashauer (’08).

“That was the highlight of the whole evening—seeing the players who had played [for me],” said Mr. Davis.

“It was cool to see how many people have been influenced by Coach Davis,” said Parker Kirwan (’10), co-captain of the basketball team. “He’s such a legend in coaching.”

It is not just in the school that he was admired, but in the whole Richmond area,” said Mr. Hunt.

Several members of the MLWGS faculty were in attendance, including Director Mr. Doug Hunt and Athletic Director Mr. Jim Holdren.

Mr. Hunt also had the distinction of being a teammate of Mr. Davis on their 1960 state championship basketball team from Highland Springs High School.

“It was fun for me because I had played [with Mr. Davis],” said Mr. Hunt. “Two of the other players from our team were there.”

Mr. Davis accomplished a great deal over his twenty-six year tenure as head coach at Henrico High School. He had an overall record of 358 wins and 227 losses for a sixty-one percent winning percentage. He was four-time Metro Richmond Coach of the Year and led his team to a total of thirteen district or regional titles.

Mr. Davis was the five-time coach of the Metro Richmond entry to the U.S. Youth Games. In 1979, his team won the U.S. Youth Games National Championship.

“We basically had the best fourteen and fifteen year olds to choose from in the Richmond area,” said Mr. Davis. “We could put five guys on the court that were just as good as the cities.”

Over the years, Mr. Davis has coached a wide variety of players, including those who went on to higher levels of basketball. He has coached for former NBA players, including Tim Legler from his Metro Richmond team and Alan Bristow for Henrico High School.

When Mr. Davis looked back over his coaching career, he said that his favorite part of it was the players.

“When you coach a long time you come across a lot of fine young men.”

Mr. Davis also said that he has enjoyed his time as head coach at MLWGS.

“Our kids are good kids. They are fun to be around,” said Mr. Davis. “As a coach, I just like going to practice every day.”

The MLWGS community also seems to enjoy having Mr. Davis as the head coach.

“He’s made me a better player in every aspect of the game,” said Kirwan. “He taught me to be strong in the briar patch.”

“Coach Davis and I have been friends since I was fifteen years old,” said Mr. Hunt. “I’m so happy that he accepted my offer to work with the kids here.”

How They Manage

by Karthik Ilakkuvan, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

It was 4:30 in the afternoon last Monday, and I started to think – why is the gym floor always so dust-free?

So I did a little of my fancy handy-dandy investigative reporting, and I reached an awe-inspiring conclusion.

Kris Kusnerik (’09). Yes, the man, the legend, the Kris with a ‘K’ himself.

Managers. We don’t give them enough credit. They carry the balls, they lug the equipment, they sweep the floors, they film the games, and they give encouragement. Yet, as fans, all we see is the game-winning shot, the last second save, or the bottom of the seventh grand slam home run (except not really because… who actually goes and watches a Maggie Walker baseball game?)

Yes, my friends, the managers are the ones behind the mask. They’re the ones who make the whole show run. The athletes and coaches are important, but the managers are what turn a team around. Let me provide a few examples.

We all know our field hockey team is one of the best in the state (top eight to be exact). Why exactly is that, though? It’s because they have something many of our other sports teams do not. It’s not the team unity they’ve built year after year, it’s not their drive to win and their passion for the game, it’s not their talent (okay… maybe, it’s a little bit because of their talent) – it’s the fact they have one of the best groups of managers the world has ever seen.

Zane Underwood (’09) and Hannah Gropper (’10) lined the field, set up all the equipment before games, kept score, ran the scoreboard, kept the equipment straight, and Underwood even went as far as making restaurant reservations for the state tournament. Gropper also made multiple six o’clock bagel runs for morning practices.

“Zane always skipped class because he was managing,” field hockey playerLindsey Elliot (’09) said.

Now, Girls’ Basketball has acquired three managers - Kusnerik, Lindsey Toiavao (’09), and Jamar Banks (’09) - for this season, and already, the team is on their way to a record number of wins. Standing tall at 1-0 after beating Armstrong quite convincingly 54-36, one has to think that it has more to do with the caliber of their managers than the actual players themselves.

“One of my goals this season is to be at least half as good a manager as Zane is,” Kusnerik said. “Zane is my managerial role model.”

Now, the opposite effect can be seen on other sports. Golf, wrestling, and baseball, to name a few, are all managerless, and coincidentally enough, they all also do not have winning records. But, it’s not as if these sports are lacking talent, have a dearth of team bonding, or are smelly (although wrestling kind of is) – it’s just that they don’t have someone cheering them on at every game, painting their fields, and recording their stats.

And it’s not that they’re not trying to find managers, either.

“We just want managers, preferably girls, who have to be able to bake cookies,” Lloyd Blake (’09), who is on the baseball team, said. “And they can’t do homework in the dugout – they have to enjoy watching us play. I don’t think we’re asking for too much.”

I don’t think so either. So invest in a winning tradition at Maggie Walker, and go become a manager!

Opinion: War on Christmas

by Mitch Caudill ('10)

In some countries the population cares so greatly about separation of church and state that the military will literally overthrow governments that become too religious in nature. While obviously that is a gross overstep for the United States, the truth remains that the society of this nation needs to do more to ensure our secular nature.

The simple fact is that any government, federal or local, should not condone, promote, or reference religion in any manner public or private. The sovereign face of the state should not be distorted by public appeals or recognition of a higher power. The authority and sovereignty of the United States government comes not from any religious divinity, but from the people.

To imply the power derives from a religious divinity, which is all that can be gained from holiday decorations of any sort, warps the very basis of the United States. Now, many will say that the Founders were Christian men, and that American law is derived of Christian values. I would remind them that the Founders were white, land-owning males and according their values, well over half the country would not have the ability to vote or own property.

The state should be impartial, and should derive from the people, not divine right; therefore this holiday season, the decorations should go.

Opinion: An Expression of Individual Freedom

by Logan Ferrell ('11)

Entering into another holiday season, most people are filled with excitement and joy. However dissenters always emerge around this time of year— those who feel that outside the home, celebration of holidays like Christmas should be conducted in a more universal and secular way.

The basis of such arguments of the latter, as cited by its supporters, is that officially sanctioned Christmas events defy the secular idea of American establishments and leave out those not celebrating the sanctioned holiday.

The traditional, and in my opinion inefficient, arguments brought against such a statement, is that America is founded on Christian beliefs and should retain a Christian character. Personally, I find several more logical arguments than that, none straying so close to authorizing a state sponsorship of any one religion.

Likewise, the celebration of any holiday, religious or not, always lies in the hands of the individual, who may express such celebrations as one likes as long as they do not infringe on the actions of another.

Some now say, that to endorse any holiday in particular, via celebration or greeting, is to discriminate against those who do not believe in the said holiday. The notion of celebration is not nearly so exclusive as it is made out to be. Celebration and belief lie within the individual, and it will always be one’s choice to take part in any celebration.

Holiday events, even if government-hosted, are not planned with malicious intent or to purposefully alienate those who chose to celebrate other the holiday. Nor do they represent a targeted trampling of American political principals.

Instead, those who don’t wish to participate in such a event have every right to decline, and even organize their own celebration. There is no censure and no retribution, for the broaching of personal religious beliefs.

When it comes down to it, public celebration of Christmas isn’t an a assault on a secular America; it is the ideal example of everybody’s inalienable right to choose. That is the true embodiment of our privileged religious freedom.

Even ignoring the religious aspects, the holiday offers some inherently good qualities in what it has become. In modern America, the season represents a time for giving to others and service to the community. At no other time of the year do we see those usually committed to selfishness suddenly devoted to generosity and charity.

For many in the world, the freedoms we take for granted are foreign concepts that will never become a reality. As opposed to bickering over the nature of celebration, and discussing the institution of a “war on Christmas,” we should remember the action truly appropriate during this season. That is giving thanks for all that we have.

Quantum of What?

by Melanie Burks, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

Ian Fleming is a pretty spectacular guy. It is simple as that.

He created two of my all-time favorite things: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and James Bond. The classy 007 we all know and love would be lifeless without the ingenuity of Ian Fleming.

However, it is the actors’ interpretations that give James Bond his unique personality. Portrayed by six notable actors, the character of James Bond has accumulated many traits.

Sean Connery, hands-down the best Bond actor in my book, had the smooth moves of a landed gentry.

Roger Moore used his humble brilliance as his star trait, while Pierce Brosnan, my least favorite, was perhaps the polar opposite of humble.

Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby were “the in-betweens” that appeared only in a handful of the James Bond movies.

Daniel Craig, the current Bond and my runner-up favorite, is just downright sexy. How a womanizer such as himself remains so classy is truly beyond me.

As for the new movie, Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig was probably the best part– and not just for the apparent reasons.

In his Casino Royale debut performance, Craig proved himself as definite Bond material. Fans were not disappointed by his second Bond film.

The plot of Quantum of Solace made as much sense as the title. Most would agree that at first glance, Quantum of Solace, is virtually meaningless. What is a quantum? What is a solace? And more, importantly, how do they relate?

I have personally scrutinized the movie, and I am still not sure. All the intricate details and complex twists left me baffled. I will try to explain the plot as best as possible but I am still a little wary of the fine print. So here it goes…

James Bond (Daniel Craig) was on a mission to expose a classified plan when M (Judy Dench), his head honcho, pulled him off the case.

This “classified plan” was so complex, I don’t know if I could explain it if I tried.

Disobeying those orders, Bond embarked on a personal mission. It so happened that a man involved in the “secret plan” also murdered his love interest Vesper Lynd (Eva Green).

Bond decided to kill two birds with one stone: take revenge for his lost love and expose the “top secret plan”.

I was outraged at the thought of a vengeful Bond. The incentive of a classy guy, such as Bond, should not be revenge. It is simply not in the rulebook.

Thankfully, Bond decided to be the bigger man and not kill Vesper’s murderer. When it became clear that Bond was not going to take revenge, I felt like a proud mother whose child just said no to drugs.

My biggest concern with the film was its incoherent plot. If I viewed the movie ten more times, maybe I could fully understand it...maybe.

Quite frankly, no one walks into a movie theater wishing to decode the producer’s tangled message. For me at least, seeing a movie should be more enjoyable. However, I should emphasize that I found Daniel Craig very enjoyable.

The supporting actors, on the other hand, did little to contribute to the integrity of the movie.

Ian Fleming is a pretty spectacular guy. I stand firm in that declaration. I think the mediocrity of Quantum of Solace can be traced back to the directors, not the writer.

James Bond is…well … James Bond. Not even I can undermine the infamous character. Daniel Craig kept it classy. I suppose that is all that matters in the end.

All Bark, No Bite

by Gabriella Cifu, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

Our fine, fanged friends are finally on the big screen, bringing with them overwhelming excitement.

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is the new girl in town. After moving from Phoenix to Forks, Washington, her adaption to her new life includes a new school, new friends, and a dramatic change in weather. In school, everyone seems friendly, except Edward Cullen (Robert Patterson). At first cool and unresponsive, Edward suddenly takes an interest in Bella. As she begins to know him, she realizes that he possesses certain peculiar qualities that can only be explained in one way: he is a vampire. As a romance sparks between them, Bella begins to learn about Edward’s life.

The book? Great. The characters? Well developed. The literary Edward? A dreamy vampire. The movie? Terrible. The character development? Non-existent. The televised Edward? An average looking, overly-forceful vampire.

The expectations were high. Millions of fans had been long awaiting what they expected to be a great recreation of one of their favorite books. They were sorely disappointed. Fans who had read the book had their own perception of the characters, and with four books of the characters, they had plenty of time to form their opinions.

As it turns out, those characters that fans had the greatest expectations of did not even come close to meeting them, while some secondary characters turned out much more entertaining than we expected. Point in case: Edward. While we all knew he wasn’t the warmest guy (literally and figuratively), he maintained the same level of high, uninviting intensity throughout the entire movie. Viewers didn’t immediately fall in love with Edward as they were supposed to.

The other main character, Bella, also did not make as great an impression on us. Her character development was non-existent, and she showed very emotion. Kristen Stewart’s acting was nothing spectacular and left readers bored with her monotone personality.

On the other hand, such characters as Charlie, Bella’s dad, and James, the evil vampire, were much more likeable in their televised versions. Charlie was not with a sense of humor in the books. In the movie, his subtle jokes added a hint of humor, especially with his insistency that Bella always have a can of pepper spray with her.

James played the part of vicious vampire with much more conviction than any other actor had in portraying their characters. I enjoyed his sniff as he caught a whiff of human scent. While certainly not a prominent character, viewers all remember his excellent acting.

The vampires in general did not fit the description Stephanie Meyers provided. None of them seemed as inhuman (in the sense of being noticeably different) as described in the book, nor were their personalities as developed as Meyers intended. Readers were drawn into the lives of vampires, but viewers were left unfulfilled by the impersonal vampires they saw on screen.
The script was poorly written, and made many important scenes awkward. The scene where Bella’s suspicions of Edward’s true identity were confirmed was one of the worst in the movie. Rather than a moment of understanding between the two of them as the book describes, the scene seems forceful, as Edward demands she say what he is, and then forcefully tells her about his life. Edward has much less of the gentle grace we associate with him, and seems more like a violent killer, which he proclaims to be over and over again.

Even the special effects did not attract fans. The unique abilities given to the vampires could only be described as corny. Also, the camera seems to switch from one odd angle to the next. While switching the view is ok, the camera doesn’t need to constantly circle the characters.

Twilight grossed over $69 million on the day of its release. Herds of screaming fans waited in line, having bought their ticket weeks in advance, to see the opening of Twilight on Friday at midnight. Many experienced a letdown . We probably should have expected it. Movies based off well-loved books rarely meet our expectations. And yet, though we know we are going to be disappointed, fans, myself included, cannot resist seeing these films, and will see as many sequels as the producers can make. It looks like Twilight is no different.

Rating: 2/4