Budget, Director's Search Discussed By Board Part 1

Mr. Hunt’s Resignation Accepted by Board, Search for Replacement Continues

By: Charles Condro, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

Change was the focus of the December 18 MLWGS Regional School Board Meeting.

The first of these changes was that this meeting was the last for Richmond representative Ms. Lisa Dawson. She lost her second district school board seat to Ms. Kim Gray. Richmond has not yet stated, however, who will replace Ms. Dawson on the Regional Board.

Mr. Ivan Mattox, chair of the Regional Board and a representative from Goochland County, presented Ms. Dawson with a silver plate from the Regional Board to commemorate her service.

“A very fine board member,” said MLWGS Director Mr. Doug Hunt. “To say we’ll miss her is an understatement.”

While it did not come as a surprise to those in attendance, Mr. Hunt officially gave his letter of resignation to the Regional School Board.

Line item 140 of the proposed state budget addresses education. A sub-section of this document lists funding for programs, like MLWGS, which exceed the “Virginia Standards of Educational Quality.”

In the proposed budget, there is approximately $13 million allocated to Virginia’s Governor’s Schools. This figure, however, represents a reduction of about $715,000 for FY 2009 and nearly $300,000 for FY 2010 from what had originally been discussed.

Of this lump sum, the three full-day academic year Virginia Governor’s Schools are the greatest recipients, but some of this funding is also distributed to the fifteen half-day programs.

“We, [Maggie Walker], Appomattox, and T.J. Fairfax will take the main hit on this one,” said MLWGS Parent and Friends of Virginia Governor’s Schools (FOVGS) representative Mrs. Sarah Hillgrove.

With the proposed state budget now in the hands of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees, much attention will soon be devoted to editing, altering and possibly overhauling the state financial package.

On January 14, the General Assembly will reconvene for the 2009 session. This year, the objective of both houses will be to revise the proposed budget and search for new revenue sources.

In addition to his controversial suggestion to double the state cigarette tax to cover Medicaid expenses, Gov. Kaine has also proposed a re-allocation of proceeds from the Virginia Lottery. Instead of using the $55 million of lottery funds for new school construction, next year’s lotto tickets may be directed to cover general education costs.

“I don’t expect local governments to love the 400 million taken out of the school budget,” said Gov. Kaine, speaking to reporters after his announcement. “…But there needs to be some sharing of this burden, and I think most people understand that.”

Mr. Gordon Hickey, Gov. Kaine’s press secretary, told the Jabberwock that the cuts are being aimed at non-instructional personnel.

“The Governor is trying to avoid having these cuts affect anything inside the classroom,” said Mr. Hickey.

MLWGS students, parents and administrators will make their own trip to the state capitol on January 29 for the FOVGS lobby day and luncheon reception. The purpose of this event is to encourage state legislators to minimize funding cuts for Virginia’s Governor’s Schools.

“Our challenge is to make our voice heard,” said Mrs. Hillgrove. “With our last call to action we sent more than 75 emails to just one person at the DOE (Department of Education)… we just have to kind of keep the pressure on.”

Regional Board Chair Mr. Ivan Mattox presents a certificate of recognition to departing Richmond member Ms. Lisa Dawson. Picture by Danny Yates.

Gov. Kaine proposed his budget to a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of www.governor.virginia.gov.

Budget, Director's Search Discussed By Board Part 2

Local Funding from Has Been Promised, But State Funding for Virginia’s Governor’s Schools Will Likely Be Reduced By 6%

By: Danny Yates, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

Budget cuts for MLWGS are no longer a possibility, they are becoming a reality.

On Wednesday morning, Governor Kaine submitted his proposed fiscal year 2009 and 2010 budgets to a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly.

For the first time in years, the Commonwealth will be significantly cutting funds for secondary education.

“The revenue reductions for 2010 are big enough that we cannot ignore the single largest state expenditure in the budget,” said Gov. Kaine, referring to the $6.3 billion state education allotment.

Gov. Kaine has proposed a nearly $340 million reduction for state education.

6% Cut From MLWGS

At yesterday’s Regional Board meeting, MLWGS Director Mr. Doug Hunt estimated the proposed state cuts for MLWGS at approximately $78,000 to $85,000.

“It’s not as bad as it could have been, I suppose, but that amount of money will have an affect on us,” said Mr. Hunt.

Regional Board Chair Mr. Ivan Mattox shared a similar outlook.

“Everyone is going to be impacted, but we’re hoping for the minimum affect,” said Mr. Mattox.

Overall, however, the larger state reductions in general education funding may have a ripple effect on MLWGS.

Hanover County Superintendent Dr. Stewart Roberson spoke to the Regional Board about his predictions for state education as a whole.

“Salary freezes and lay-offs are a clear dynamic, and now having said that, Merry Christmas,” said Dr. Robertson.

Chesterfield County Superintendent Dr. Marcus Newsome spoke of how some citizens might react to the 6% cut in MLWGS state funding when compared to the greater 9% cut for most other secondary schools.

“Support around this table is unwavering, but when our communities see this [funding disparity], they are going to be pointing fingers,” said Mr. Newsome. “People will say why are we going to save that program when you’re cutting programs for poor kids… that is something we certainly need to be prepared for,” said Mr. Newsome

“Doug’s done a fantastic job,” said Mr. John Axselle, of Hanover County.

“He has raised the bar… It is with regret that I move we accept Mr. Hunt’s resignation.”

Board Leadership Retained

The Regional Board will continue on with the officers they have.

On the Superintendent Steering Committee, there will be some internal change, as Mr. Fred Morton of Henrico County is replaced as vice-chair by Mr. Marcus Newsome of Chesterfield County.

The Regional Board has not been idle about its search for the new director. Mr. Axselle, who is the head of the committee to search for the new director, gave the Board an update on the search.

Director’s Search Progress

“We will be meeting as a team to develop our questions [for the interview process],” said Mr. Axselle. The committee will meet on January 15 to begin formulating the questions, based in part on the results of the surveys filled out by members of the MLWGS community.

Mr. Axselle also addressed the issue of finding a replacement for Ms. Pat Taylor. She will be retiring from her post as Coordinator of Curriculum at the end of the school year.

“The process and focus of the director search will be the director, and that’s it,” said Mr. Axselle. “The new director should be the one who leads the search for the assistant director.”

Mr. Hunt, however, was concerned about waiting so long to pick the assistant director.

“The fear is that if we wait until the new director is in place,” said Mr. Hunt, “Then it might be too late in the season to get anyone.”

Stop the Diversity Study, Save the MLWGS Budget

On Wednesday, Governor Kaine hand-delivered his proposed budget to state lawmakers. For those involved with education in Virginia, Kaine’s delivery wasn’t exactly a Christmas present. The proposed budget contains nearly 400 million dollars in reductions to education funding. Basically, this means that some of the money we were expecting will most likely not materialize.

MLWGS will have to tighten up its belt next year, as state budget cuts will likely reduce the funding for non-instructional, non-essential services. So far, it looks like our operating budget will be reduced by approximately $78,000 to $85,000.

Now we come to the question of – “what will we have to cut to make ends meet?” Two weeks ago we learned that a similar institution, Appomattox Regional Governor’s School (ARGS), has already begun its cuts.

Dr. James Ruffa, Director of ARGS spoke of his reductions in areas like field trips, transportation, and extracurricular activities. At yesterday’s Regional Board meeting, Mr. Hunt acknowledged that MLWGS will be faced with the same scenario and will have to implement similar measures in the months to come.

But before we start slashing away at our “non essential programs,” which arguably constitute some of the most important aspects of student life, let’s take a look at one recent unnecessary expenditure.

Over the summer, the MLWGS Regional Board agreed to pay $70,000 to a group of four U.Va professors for a quantitative study of diversity and our school’s admissions process.

The job description for the diversity consultants stated that the team of four would interview students, parents, and teachers before making any recommendations. In addition the four agreed to compile statistical data about the admissions process and whether it is fair to all, including underrepresented minorities.

Yet not one of these four individuals has ever set foot in the MLW building except for the day when the Regional Board awarded a $70,000 contract to the group. The diversity consultants are supposed to deliver their recommendations sometime this spring, but let’s face it, without any hands-on observation their suggestions will not be very useful.

How can they make an informed recommendation if they have never spoken with students, parents, or teachers? How can they make an informed recommendation if they never attended a MLWGS open house? How can they make an informed recommendation by sitting in Charlottesville and crunching numbers?

But there is some hope! The Regional Board has yet to sign the check for the diversity consultants. As with most contracts, the RFP for the diversity study specifies that the researchers will be paid at different intervals, a process usually referred to as “progress payment.”

So, the solution is simple. If we halt the study now, we could use the $70,000 to fill the holes in next year’s budget!

In addition, we could turn over the issue of MLWGS diversity study to an in-house committee of parents, students, teachers, and community members.

Whatever the case, the answer is straightforward. Stop the study and save the budget!

Letter to the Editor: Sports

Dear Editor,

Since the beginning of our public school brainwashing, we have all been forced into playing sports. Random protests to this are greeted with such replies as “It will build teamwork” or “You need the exercise.” But how can something that forces competition be good for us?

Let’s examine some common knowledge. There are always some students, the “jocks,” who excel at sports and plan their whole lives around them. Then there is the entire community who also takes part in this: the cheerleaders, the devoted fans, even the moms who prepare meals for the athletes.

In school there are even monstrous “pep rallies,” designed only for the sole purpose of getting people more obsessed with athletics. By why does every school system set aside entire days for this purpose?

Recently, the answer has become very clear to me. If everyone is preoccupied with fighting their neighbors, then any nefarious government plot will go un-noticed. The whole idea of sports is to get the entire populous to become so obsessed that they completely overlook serious problems. Essentially, the government wants people to fight each other, rather than fighting the system.

So what can we do to stop this? Although it may seem that there is nothing that can be done, there are several options. First of all, you can refuse to participate in Phys. Ed. class. It just takes one person not caring to make everyone else realize the pointlessness of the class. And remember, the next time you want to go see a game, imagine the economy you are feeding.

Sincerely,

Quinten Marsh (‘11)

*Note, the Jabberwock would like to remind its readers that the opinions expressed in letters to the editor are solely the thoughts and words of the letter writer.

A Conversation with MLWGS’ Own Mr. Irvin Charles

Maggie Walker Alumnus and MLWGS Head of Security shares his thoughts

Have you made any Christmas plans?

No, I’m looking forward to staying home and spending my time relaxing with my wife and my daughter.

What are you asking Santa for?

I would like an all black 2009 Lamborghini or Bentley.

What’s the chance of that?

I think the likelihood of that is probably around fifty-fifty.

Talk about Girls’ Basketball

They are definitely coming along. The varsity is doing well. My JV girls, they’re making improvements.

We’re trying to tighten up on some things so that mid-season we can be in the midst of competing with some of the better teams out there.

You’ve been putting posters on the windows of each classroom door...

Well, each year, I have to re-supply each classroom to make sure they have (poster covers) just in case we do have a situation. My experience in past drills was that most of the teachers did real well as far as complying with the different codes.

Advice for the New Year?

I hope that students will go home on the Christmas break with safety on their mind – don’t do anything crazy like drinking and driving. I wish everyone a safe and Happy Holiday.

Any recent security issues?

No, right now, we’re going to close the Christmas break with no major problems, but I do hope that students will pay more attention to their personal belongings – certain things you just can’t leave and come back and expect to find them…


Q&A with Jabberwock Editor Danny Yates on December 16.

Continuing Debate: A Secular Holiday?

Ben Zavelsky (’12):
“I think that it should be religious; people should be able to express whatever they want: you have to weigh secularism and freedom of expression.”



Esther Lee (’11):
“It depends on what people want to do; you don’t have to keep it secular if you do."

Elsa Schultze (’10):
“I think you say what you say and you shouldn’t have to change it for anyone else: you can’t force people to express a holiday wish (just) so no one else gets their feelings hurt.”

Courtney Wynn (’09):
“I think people have a right to put up Christmas decorations: It’s freedom of expression and even freedom of religion.. It’s a beautiful time of year, and decorations just make it more beautiful.”

Production Cancelled

A production of the MLWGS drama department set to be performed on December 12, 13, and 14 was cancelled. The production was student-driven and is not related to the shorter one-act plays drama students put on throughout the year.

"It [the cancellation] was largely just because of scheduling," said Mr. Grant Mudge, MLWGS drama teacher.

The drama department has many shows scheduled for this year, including the recent "Much Ado About Nothing" as well as the Spring production, which Mr. Mudge said will be a contemporary play and, hopefully, a comedy.

NHS Inductions

The Patricia E. Taylor Pioneers of Excellence chapter of the National Honor Society inducted 79 MLWGS juniors and seniors on December 10. The inductions took place in the MLWGS auditorium.

"We had a lot of students inducted," said Ms. Denise Yagel, NHS Sponsor. "It was a big night."

This year, the name of the chapter was changed from its original name, The Pioneers of Excellence, to honor Ms. Pat Taylor, MLWGS Coordinator of Curriculum, who is retiring this year.

Chorus Concert

MLWGS Chorus set the rotunda of the Jefferson Hotel alive with festive music last Friday, December 12th. Song selections included "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," "O Tannenbaum," and "Japanese Snow Song."

“Many people liked Japanese Snow Song because of the way it flows and how peaceful it sounds,” said Khalila Roney (’11), chorus member. The audience included various hotel guests, the families of performing students, and even some employees.

MLWGS' chorus is now called Triskaidekaphilia, meaning the love of the number 13. This is an appropriate name, being as they have 13 group members.

VML Packs The House

The auditorium was filled with sound of pens scratching last Tuesday as 148 students filled out a six-question mathematics test for MLWGS’ third Virginia Math League competition for this school year.

Although MLWGS almost always gets first or second place in the state for test scores, the main goals of the tests are recreation and academic enrichment.

“Because there’s no monetary prize, there’s not exactly an incentive to cheat on it,” said Mr. John Walter, Mathematics Department Chair.

A national organization known as the Math League supplies the tests for use in state competitions. The MLWGS math department carries out six of these tests each year. About 60 schools across Virginia take part.

Applications Begin

The application process for MLWGS is in full swing. Current eighth graders turned in applications to guidance counselors on December 1.

Letters will be mailed to applicants January 15 with room assignments and testing dates, which will be January 31 and February 6. The current number of students applying is not known because the responsibility of reviewing applications belongs to each district's gifted coordinator, not MLWGS.

The application process is the same as past years. Since the results of the diversity consultant's study have not yet come through, no changes have been implemented.

Budget cuts are not expected to influence the application process. "From what I understand," said Mr. Karl Zweerink, counseling department chair, "we are not looking at cuts in the number of students sent here."

Thank You Lowes

A new media lab will be installed in MLWGS during early 2009 thanks to a generous donation from the GSGIS Foundation and Lowes.

Lowes matched funds raised by the Foundation and gave a $25,000 grant. The majority of this money will be put towards new equipment for room 109. Printers, scanners, new software, digital video equipment, and new computers will be installed in an effort to make the lab as state-of-the-art as possible.

However, the lab will not just be for digital video and art classes. According to Pat Taylor, the Coordinator of Curriculum, “It’s more than fine arts. It’s a communication lab.”

There will be an exhibition on March 6, 2009, to showcase the new lab and its equipment.

Thank you banner for Lowes Photo by Elaine Hillgrove.

Mr. Kessler: Revealed

by Virginia Cross, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

Some know him as “Special K,” and some know him for his riddles, but all know substitute teacher Mr. Sidney Kessler for his humor and love of teaching. The following is an excerpt of an interview with Mr. Kessler himself.

Everyone wants to know: How do you come up with your riddles?

They come from National Public radio—they’re on air.

What is your favorite subject to sub for?

English! And then social studies. I was an English major in college, and I thought I wanted to have a life in television advertising. Life is what happens when you’re making other plans, and I ended up in the advertising world, but certainly not television. And then social studies—I am not particularly interested in ancient history, but instead what’s going on today. Some of the students know this from times when I can’t control myself and have to give an opinion about what the world’s coming to today, mainly in the Middle East. Other subjects… languages are fun, but I’m a loss in math and most of the science. I’ve done everything though; I’ve even played tennis during P.E.!

How did you celebrate your 75^th birthday? I came here on my birthday, and I told Mr. Tharp I was coming here for my 75th birthday. Just in passing I told him, 'If I'm going to spend it anywhere, this is a great place, and I'd love to spend it here.' So I got here, and in one of the classes I was it, Mr. Tharp walked in with a cake. It was a big birthday cake with 'Happy 75th Birthday" and candles. We cut up the cake in the class I was in, and then in the last period of the day, when I was free, I walked around with this cake and gave it out to a few teachers.

That evening, we went out to a favorite restaurant with nine other people. Then we came back to our house and my wife Evelyn had a cake and ice cream for dessert. I've never ever celebrate milestone birthdays, but 75 for some reason or another, has hit me, and I think it's because it's three-quarters of a century. It's such a large percentage of a century that it has hit home. Also the fact that I have gotten to this age, is very, very unusual for my family. I'm amazed that I've made it to this age. I am the patriarch of the family; I have no one in the family as old as me.

Tell me about your ties.

I have not had to wear a tie for many years. Only when I started substituting in schools did I have to wear ties again. I retrieved about 20 ties I had in my closet from the 60s and 70s, and I wear them almost exclusively. And now when I wear these ties, no matter what school I go to, at least one person comments on my tie. Retro—that’s a style. Well, I consider myself Mr. Retro.

How do you connect so well to the students?

I have in my 70s finally reached the level of maturity of a teenager. That’s why all of you think I’m awesome. I’m walking around with this quarter-of-a –century body and I’m able to communicate with teenagers. That comes a lot from my grandchildren—I have five grandchildren and a granddaughter –in-law, and it’s just instinctive. I have a youthful outlook on life.

The Maine Coming to MLWGS?

By: Virginia Cross, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

An online contest sponsored by social networking site Buzznet gave MLWGS students an opportunity to come together and attempt bring the Maine, a popular teenage band, to Richmond.

As the possibility grew that MLWGS could win the competition, a few students dedicated themselves to the contest.

“At first, I thought, ‘There’s no way we’re going to win,’ but when it came down to the last week, I started to think that we could do this,” said Monique Dibich (‘11). “I didn’t sleep for three days before the contest ended because I was working so hard to get people registered.”

Last Friday, Dibich and a few of her friends distributed flyers encouraging people to make accounts and vote for the school. That night, Facebook exploded as people urged their friends to vote, and MLWGS began to move up the Buzznet leader board. Around 9 p.m., MLWGS moved into first, and stayed in the lead for the rest of the night.

“I voted eighty-five times,” said Teresa Dula (‘11). “Or should I say, me and eighty-four of my best friends voted.”

The official contest rules stated that the competition would end at 11:59 a.m. Pacific time, January 9, meaning the contest would have ended during school on Friday. Maggie Walker only rose to first after the contest would have been over.

However, Ryan Johnson (‘11) emailed a Buzznet administrator, and the website claims they intended the contest to end at 11:59 p.m. Although students were unsure that their votes would count, they registered anyway, and the v

Another controversy that arose about the legitimacy of MLWGS’ first place standing was that by the time the contest was no longer accepting votes, MLWGS had over two thousand votes—but the school only comprises about 700 students.

Students that never signed up for the site began to receive emails from Buzznet with usernames and passwords for accounts they never created.

When I went on the website and tried to register, I got an error message that said, ‘An account with this email address already exists,’” said Alicia Moore (‘10). “I thought, ‘what in the world?’”

Although Moore was planning on voting anyway, other students who had no interest in the band or the contest got messages as well.

“I couldn’t care less about this band, but I got an email telling me I’d signed up for this contest to bring them to Maggie Walker,” said Woody Kaine (‘10). “I’m really annoyed someone used my email address.”

A few people admitted that their friends took email addresses out of the MLWGS directory and registered accounts using the first and last name of students.

“That’s fraud,” said MLWGS Director Mr. Douglas Hunt. “It’s an invasion of privacy because someone is misrepresenting the truth. They’re trying to use your information for something you have not allowed them to do.”

If Maggie Walker actually wins the contest, then The Maine is expected come to Richmond and play a private show for MLWGS students at a local venue. However, if the band is expecting 2000 people to come to the show, then they may be disappointed by lack of support for their music among some students.

“They’re considered power pop. That’s pretty lame; I’m not going to lie,” said Lindsay Maguire (‘11). “It’s cool we won something, but it’s not cool we won them.”

The rush of support came mostly from people who wanted to support the school, not specifically the band. For MLWGS to win a national contest for a nationally-known band is something many found exciting, whether or not they listened to the Maine’s music.

“I think it was really awesome our whole school showed support for this contest,” said Dibich. “In the end, it wasn’t just for the band—it was to support the school.”

The Maine. Photo courtesy of artists.letssingit.com

Simply Aussome

By: Gabriella Cifu, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

From cattle stampedes to romance, bar-fights to fine aristocratic balls, Australia covers all the bases. Viewers leave with the feeling of having just seen a truly memorizing film.

Australia follows the life of a sophisticated Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) who must travel to Australia to bring her husband, who is working as a cattle raiser, back to England.

Upon her arrival, she learns of his tragic death. Rather than go back to England, she takes an interest in her late husband’s estate.

With the help of a cattle drover (Hugh Jackman), Ashley makes plans to bring her cattle to the city, in an attempt to beat her husband’s rival cattle breeder, who is believed to be stealing her cattle. Along the way, a romance spurs between Ashley and Drover. Ashley also becomes fond of an aboriginal child, Nullah (Brandon Walters), who is living on the ranch with his mother.

The second half of the movie deals with the Japanese bombing of Darwin, Australia. The arrival of the Japanese is devastating to Ashley, who must fight to keep her new family together through this difficult time.

Meanwhile, Nullah believes it is time that he join his grandfather, King George (David Gulpilil), to “walk-about”, a coming-of-age tradition in his culture, of which Lady Ashley does not approve.

I absolutely loved this movie. Despite the many negative reviews it received, every moment of this movie kept me fully engrossed. The scenery was beautiful, the actors were fit for the part, the script was well-written, and the plot was easy to connect with.

Kidman, gave an entertaining and commendable performance. She managed all of Lady Ashley’s quirks which added humor to the film; in addition, she was also likeable and easy to connect with. Her rendition of “Over the Rainbow” was truly unforgettable.

At only eleven years old, Walters gave one of the most heartwarming performances I have seen in a while. From his adorable accent, to his mature acting, this kid’s got everything.

You instantly fall in love with him and can’t help but smile the whole time he’s on the screen. Walters was chosen by director Baz Luhrmann, from his home in Western Australia.

The power portrayed by his character was simply amazing, especially for a child-actor.

Hugh Jackman. The perfect guy. Whether it’s his breathtaking acting or his enthralling accent, here is another Australia native born for the role.

It doesn’t hurt that he looks great no matter what he’s doing, where he’s going, beard or no beard. The combination of Jackman and Walters was enough to fill a theater. .

Nullah's colloquial diction adds a whole other element to the film, particularly his line, “bring dem cheeky bulls to the bloody metal ship” stands out among the rest.

Also, there is the perfect contrast of history and character focus in the movie; the movie has some factual foundation, but is also concentrated on character relationships.

There was also a good equilibrium between the more sentimental scenes, and those centered on action.

The special effects were well executed throughout the movie, whether it was during the Japanese bombing scene or the gruesome cattle stampede on the rocky mountain ledge.

From Nullah’s sweet melody to King George’s tribal chant, music was another element that made this movie the epic it was.

The only fault I found, was when Ashley escaped from the bombings without a scratch, when all her people were dying.

There have been no recent movies in theaters that I have enjoyed quite as much as this one and I would highly recommend it. If you aren’t already, you will become a fan of Jackman, Kidman, and even Walters.

Australia will keep viewers transfixed from previews to credits.

Nicole Kidman and Brandon Walters. Photo courtesy of http://movies.about.com.