Diversity Consultants to Begin Interviews

Eighth Graders and Current MLWGS “Minority” Students Participate in Focus Groups
by Danny Yates, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

Current MLWGS students and prospective eighth grade applicants will be interviewed next week as part of an ongoing diversity study and review of the MLWGS admissions process.

“From what I understand, they [the consultants] are talking to minority students already in the school, as well as those who were accepted but decided not to come,” said Mr. Hunt

On Monday afternoon, the four consultants will visit MLWGS and local middle schools.

Selected students and their families received letters inviting them to informal but confidential half-hour interviews. A list of survey questions (see back page) was also included in the mailing.



Dr. Tonya Moon (left) and Dr. Catherine Brighton (right) are the two diversity consultants who will visit MLWGS next week. Moon and Brighton were also recently awarded a $2.2 million U.S. Department of Education grant for a four year study of diversity and gifted education in Henry County, Virginia. Photo courtesy of Dan Addison, University of Virginia.

Cafeteria to Change Hands

by Charles Condro, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

Every three years at MLWGS, it comes time for a new contract to be given to a group to provide lunch services.

On January 20, an advertisement was posted on the MLWGS website asking for proposals to be submitted from vendors by Friday, February 27. Prospective vendors were invited to a pre-submission conference and tour of the facilities on Thursday, February 19.

“We have taken groups on walk-throughs,” said Mr. Phil Tharp. “And Ms. Jones of course does not need a tour… At this time I am expecting three proposals.”

When the Governor’s School changed buildings from Thomas Jefferson to Maggie Walker, the Chesterfield County Public School system was initially in charge of providing lunch services for the students.

Chesterfield did this at a loss of $20,000 a year. After two years the school was faced with either finding a new vendor to provide lunch or find a way to offset the debt that Chesterfield County was accumulating.

Since then, the Regional School Board has awarded three-year contracts to bidders. The school provides all of the equipment at an estimated cost of $107,224.39, and covers the cost of utilities. The school makes no profit off of the sale of lunches. All of this is done in order to allow the vendor to turn a profit while offering reasonable prices.

The current vendor, Cake Sculptures by Michael, will not even be sending in a proposal for a new contract. Mr. Michael Wilson, the owner, said that he has only been able to serve 20% of the students and faculty. While he cited the nation’s current economic troubles, other reasons Mr. Wilson gave were that MLWGS only has one lunch period and clubs meet during lunch.

“My time here at Maggie Walker has been rewarding,” said Mr. Wilson. “I have enjoyed the relationships I have made with the students and faculty here… Unfortunately, it is no longer economically viable.”

A member of Mr. Wilson’s staff, Ms. Pamela Jones, is submitting a proposal. She is Mr. Wilson’s business manager, and she is submitting the proposal from the vendor Serve1.

One point on the advertisement that many students are excited about is the listing of breakfast from 7:45-8:30am under serving times.

“It is good thing that they might bring breakfast back,” said Dan Laws. (’11). “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”


Ms. Pamela Jones, currently a cashier for the MLWGS cafeteria, has submitted a bid for next year’s food service. Photo by Charles Condro.

Quote of the Week

“This is nothing like I've ever seen before; this is uncharted waters,” said Dr. James Ruffa, director of Appomattox Regional Governor’s School, when describing a proposed 10% cut to his school’s $4.5 million budget in a recent Richmond Times-Dispatch article.

MLWGS Director Mr. Doug Hunt was also quoted in Sunday’s front-page article, but his comments were less alarming in regard to the budget crisis.

In the coming months, MLWGS will unveil its proposed budget for Regional Board approval. While our financial situation may not turn out as severe as some other schools, we should still prepare for the worst. And, let’s not forget to be grateful if we are ultimately spared the chopping block.

A Suggestion for Mr. Morton

Perhaps in a gesture of solidarity to MLWGS faculty and in acknowledgement of the difficult economic times, incoming director Mr. Fred Morton could opt not to draw a full salary when he takes the helm in September.

Mr. Morton, a U.S. Army Veteran, already receives retirement checks in the mail each month from Uncle Sam. Next year, Mr. Morton will draw a second retirement check – from the VRS (Virginia Retirement System), for his service in Albemarle, Montgomery, and Henrico County Schools. Plus, as an adjunct professor at VCU, Mr. Morton is also compensated by that institution. On top of all those revenue streams, does he really need a $105,000 annual salary from MLWGS?

By working for half, or even three-quarters of that amount, Mr. Morton would earn the respect of students, teachers, and parents. The money saved could be used to prevent budget cuts in areas like textbook purchases and activity funds.

While this is only a suggestion, it is the sort of idea that could foster a positive relationship between the new director and the school community.

Gov. Grille: Hard to Make a Profit

Mr. Michael Wilson deserves a round of applause before he serves the final lunch in June. Mr. Wilson, a professional cake chef, a high school basketball coach, and part-time caterer, has put in three years of long hours and hard work in an effort to revamp the “Governor’s Grille.”

Yet despite his many efforts, most notably the introduction of an electronic “cash card reader” which was designed to expedite the lunch line, Mr. Wilson will not be returning next year. In January we knew that times were tough when Mr. Wilson’s breakfast stopped being served each morning. Now with the announcement that Mr. Wilson will not be returning due to an inability to make enough profit, no one really knows what the future holds for the MLWGS cafeteria.

What makes “making a profit” in the MLWGS cafeteria so difficult is the relatively small size of the school coupled with an unreasonable expectation by students and teachers that our lunchtime fare should be some sort of “haute cuisine.” The odds are that next year’s food service provider will not be able to measure up to Mr. Wilson’s cooking. Maybe it will take several doses of “mystery meat” to make us really appreciate what we’re losing.

A Conversation with MLWGS’ Own Mr. Irvin Charles

Maggie Walker Alumnus and MLWGS Head of Security shares his thoughts

What is your take on Mr. Morton?
My opinion is that hopefully he is the type of individual that will allow everyone to do their jobs. If we’re all doing our job and just concentrating on doing our own work to the best of our ability, then it doesn’t really matter who is in charge.

The diversity study is getting underway, what are your thoughts?
There is a real misconception about the admissions process. The process itself (the applications, testing, grades) is fair, but like anything else there are areas we can improve. But there are things in the recruitment area that we can focus on.

I understand that some students have been going off campus at lunch without permission?
I don’t think sneaking off campus is worth the consequences of being caught. I don’t think students understand the liability on us. If you’re not in the designated area, it would be very troubling if your parents called and we couldn’t locate you. Also, during the first three years of teenage driving, there is a high rate of accidents and crashes.

Any security news?
We’ve had a couple of big events here on the weekends with large amounts of people coming into the building. I think our school does more of these events than most schools, and they’ve been going pretty well.

On Monday your daughter was at MLWGS…
Yes, her school had a power failure, so I picked her up. She always enjoys coming by and she has a couple of girls on the basketball team that have taken a liking to her. I think it breaks up the monotony for me and the students when she’s here.

Q&A with Danny Yates on February 24, 2009.

Mr. Poindexter Retires from RFD

Mr. Barry Poindexter, a MLWGS Security Guard, recently retired from a long career of service at the Richmond Fire Department.

How many years have you served as a firefighter?
I served for 33 years. In 1980, I was the “Outstanding Young Firefighter,” and I was on the Hazmat (hazardous materials) team for 14 years.

What station did you operate from?
I was at Station #20, on Forest Hill Ave. and 48th.

Is this how you met Mr. Charles?
We worked at the same station. He [Mr. Charles] was my relief man – I was the one who actually told him about this job. I’ve been here since the school opened.



















Q&A and photo by Karthik Ilakkuvan

Broadening Horizons

by Reilly Henson ('11)

Maggie Walker is widely known for its talented, well-rounded students who bring all sorts of unique and valuable assets to the school. Whatever a student’s forte, that student can flourish in an environment which encourages variety and expression the way our diverse school does.

In every student’s high school career here, he or she takes a total of 32 courses, about half of which are mandatory (core classes). To ensure that students have enough experience in each subject, a diploma requires specific numbers of credits in each subject. That’s reasonable, right? If a student only took classes in one subject, he or she would be ill-prepared for almost any career. So why should art be excluded from these necessary subjects? Art (including both the visual arts and music) is undoubtedly a worthy study.

While not all students are inclined to take an art course, by doing so they are exposed to new methods of expression, and may even discover hidden talents. Some complain that there is no room in their schedules for an art course, yet art gives students a creative outlet and can reduce the stress of other classes.

Others who don’t consider themselves “artistic” may think that art classes will waste their time, but even art-related courses (such as art history) that are less hands-on can allow students to see into a very different world filled with individuality, controversy, and excitement.

If not for art classes, many people would be oblivious to the possibilities of the art world, and in my opinion, that is just as bad as missing out on math, science, history, or English.

An Unnecessary Requirement

by Logan Ferrell ('11)

It is that time of year again; that time, when all MLWGS students are forced to confront their futures, whether they are ready or not. That’s right, another year’s scheduling has come around, and all other worries are temporarily eclipsed in the mad rush to squeeze in, cut out, or discover new classes for the coming year.

It is that mad rush, and my own attempts to balance a schedule, which have led me to a new conclusion about our credit requirements. Firstly, let me say, that I accept the fact that there must be some curriculum framework and some universal academic requirements.

However, outside the realm of basic and practical knowledge, students are generally allowed to decide which classes are not only interesting to them, but which may best serve them in higher education and the real world.

That said, there remains still a major impediment to allowing student created schedules, and that is the fine arts credit required by the state. It has always seemed to me, that the main purpose of a school such as ours is to provide an environment for students with focused interests, while not necessarily excluding all courses outside the realm of “government and international relations”.

Seeing that, there are other schools focused on other areas of interest such as art. So, there exists the opportunity for students whose priority is art, to learn in an environment based on that. Even so, our school still offers optional art courses for people who have multiple such areas of interest; so students who really wish to focus on art have even more opportunity to do so of their own initiative.

It is in that initiative to that I find a problem with the fine arts requirement; art cannot and should not be mandated. For it is based in flexibility and freedom of expression, as any sort of culture, it is created and appreciated by those who feel a deep personal passion for the subject.

Likewise, that passion cannot be artificially instilled in those who do not feel a connection; and it should not be forced upon those who wish to grow and learn in other areas.

In the end, I maintain the view; that an education should be built upon the skills and talents of an individual, and how those may be utilized in later life. To confine and regulate classes, at the cost of keeping students from their true passions; is a desecration of the very freedom which is art.

Letter to the Editor: Senior Offers Rebuttal to Recent MLWGS Criticism

Dear Editor,

I wish I could agree with Nate Morawetz’s editorial talking about the burden imposed on MLWGS students. After all, I am in 4 AP classes, leading the robotics team through an incredibly busy season, doing a student mentorship with a biology professor at VCU, have just finished applying to college and taking exams, and am a member of an orchestra.

I must juggle all this with having down-time to spend with my friends and family, and leaving time to sleep. I often cannot find the time, and do not get to spend much time at all with my friends, and frequently go to bed way past midnight. However, as much as I empathize with him, I simply cannot agree.

Morawetz states that if schools were ranked according to happiness and stress level, Maggie Walker would fall in the bottom 20, not top. I strongly disagree. For proof of this, just look around. My friends and I, and all my classmates, are still enjoying life.

While we get stressed out sometimes, we need to realize how much we take for granted. We don’t have metal detectors at the doors. We don’t have faculty getting fired for committing felonies. We don’t have drug busts. We don’t have gang violence. We don’t have teen pregnancies. We don’t have suicides.

True, students at the Governor’s School do not have normal high school experiences. I am not interested in having one, though. If I wanted a “normal” high school experience, I’d go to Cosby, join the marching band, play at the football games, hang out with the band kids, envy the popular kids, go see movies in the evenings, spend all day hanging out on the weekends, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

While this would probably be nice, I could not survive in this environment. If I were at Cosby, I’d take all the most advanced courses, but I still wouldn’t be challenged, not to the degree I am here. I’m a Governor’s School student. I thrive off of challenge. I’m taking 4 AP classes because I love to learn. I’m leading robotics because I could seriously see myself as an engineer someday.

Yes, I have more than two hours of homework almost every night. Still, I get to have plenty of time with my friends. Although it’s not as often as we’d like, we find time to go to Great Wraps, see movies, hang out, and just enjoy being with each other. We just went on a ski trip, and we’re trying to plan another before winter is over, and in the spring we want to go to Busch Gardens and the beach.

The problem with Morawetz’s argument is that the large majority of his grievances cannot be blamed solely on the school. After all, everyone picks their classes on registration day. If you know you won’t be able to handle an exceptionally rigorous schedule, even with a study hall, then you shouldn’t sign up for so many APs. I realize that there is a lot of pressure, even competition, to take the most advanced courses possible. Resist this! Do not make yourself miserable.

Morawetz claims we are prisoners here, but if we are prisoners at the Governor’s School, we are prisoners of our own device. You, dear classmate, decided for yourself that you would come here, to Millwigs, to learn far more than you could anywhere else in the region. You knew, when you signed up, that ours isn’t a typical high school. You knew there would be more work than normal, and that there would be weeks when you wouldn’t have more than a few hours of free time. Why? Because, in the future, it will pay off.

The Governor’s School is not “out to get you” with outrageous amounts of work. The course loads may feel like shackles sometimes, but I stress that you will get out of this school what you put into it. If you put your honest effort into your assignments and try your best (and it is possible to do this without becoming a mindless automaton) then your grades, and college admissions letters, will reflect this. If it’s still too much, or if you need more free time, talk to guidance and get your schedule changed. However, if you procrastinate on your homework, BS all your tests, and spend your time in class sending text messages or playing games, then you aren’t learning anything, in class or in the long run.

On the small scale, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by your classes and extracurriculars and despise “the system” in place, which seems all but designed to work us to the bone with no reward. Believe me, it happens to me enough. I urge that whenever you get this feeling, you consider the bigger picture – you’re getting an advanced education, for free, from teachers that actually care about you, in an environment of student-faculty trust unlike any other. At this school, I’m learning college-level material, working with professional engineers, and actually having the time of my life. You can too.

And yes, you still do have friends.

At Maggie Walker, we are so privileged that we sometimes forget just how fortunate we are. Don’t take it for granted.

- Jerry Carlson (‘09)

Swim Team Goes to States

by Virginia Cross, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

After the boys’ and girls’ swim teams both came in first at the Feb 7 swimming Regionals, the two teams progressed to the VHSL sate competition held at George Mason University February 20-21. At States, the boys’ team placed fourth out of 36 teams, and the girls’ team came in 21st out of 36 teams.

“We won Regionals last year by a slim margin, and [we] wanted to come back this year with a dominant performance,” said Hunter Knight (’10), a member of the States team.

The overall scoring for the States competition placed the MLWGS boys’ team only two points behind the third place team, but for the boys swimming at States, the points awarded came down to fractions of a second in several of the races themselves.

The men’s 200 Medley Relay team, comprised of Knight, Ben Catanese (’10), JH Vivadelli (’09), and Sam Rairden (’09), missed first place by 0.6 seconds. Their time of 1:36.86 did, however, set a school record for the 200 Medley Relay.

“The best race of the weekend to watch was the boys’ 200 Medley Relay,” said Jocelyn Powelson (’10), a member of the girls’ swim team. “It was so close.”

The meet was held in two segments: semi-finals on Friday and finals on Saturday. The top eight swimmers for a semi-final event moved to the A heat of the finals, and the swimmers in the next eight places moved to the finals in a consolation heat.

Four MLWGS boys’ team swimmers swam in the finals in individual events (the same four who swam in the Medley Relay), and two of the eight girls’ team swimmers moved to the finals.
Before the race, swimmers have different methods to prepare for the race; some listen to upbeat music, most swimmers stretch, but for Knight, the biggest part of the warm-up is the mental preparation for the race.

“When I am about to swim, I think about the race itself,” said Knight. “Most of the time I try to be in a calm excitement [and] just be really focused.”

Teresa Dula (’11), who scored 23 of the girl’s 36 points in the finals, employed a different method of preparation.

“I bought a FS Pro, one of those swimsuits that go down to your knees,” said Dula. “It took 35 minutes and two people for me to get into it, but it ended up really improving my times. I felt like a fish.”

At States, Dula broke the MLWGS record for girls’ 200 IM, and along with Dula’s new top time, Rairden also set a school record in the men’s 100 freestyle.

“We worked so hard during the season, and our performance this weekend at States shows that dedication does pay off in the end,” said Dula.

After the competition, the team celebrated with a party at Outback Statehouse.

“We deserved a authentic Australian meal after a great weekend of swimming,” said Powelson. “We also had fun drawing on kids menus.”

During the regular swimming season, the MLWGS swim team only lost two meets, and next year, both the girls’ and boy’s teams hope for even more improvement.

“The girl’s team isn’t losing many senior swimmers, so hopefully we’ll make it back to States next year with even more people,” said Powelson.

USB Assembly

The United Sisters and Brothers (USB) hosted an educational program during 5th period on February 25 in recognition of African-American History Month.

"We're gonna have drama," said Kameron Adams ('09) before the show. As part of the assembly, students performed excerpts from the Ntozake Shange play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.

One section of the program was devoted to the history of the Richmond neighborhood of Jackson Ward, once known as "the Harlem of the South."

Architecture Seminar Visits NYC

Students from the 7th period Architecture Senior Seminar hopped the China Bus for a trip to New York City over President's Day Weekend.

"We were right in the center of everything, so [the trip] was really great," said Meredith Nuttycombe ('09). "We walked around the city a bunch and went to Times Square at night."

Attending seniors enjoyed a two-night stay at the YMCA, along with visits to numerous NYC landmarks. Students also visited the Moss Holzman architectural firm, which designed the 1980 addition to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

"I think they were wowed by the scale of the architecture, as well as the complexity of the public transportation system," said Mr. Edwin Slipek, Architecture Seminar instructor.

Scott Clark ('09) agreed. "The feel of a big city is just much different than a city like Richmond."

The 8th period seminar took a similar trip to NYC during the last weekend in January. In years past, the Architecture Seminar classes have gone to New Orleans and Miami.

NAIMUN a Success

MLWGS Model U.N. students brought home three awards from the North American Invitational Model United Nations (NAIMUN) Conference this past weekend at Georgetown University. Roughly 20 students from all grade levels missed school on Friday, February 13 to attend the conference.

Three best delegate gavels were awarded to MLWGS students Megan O’Donnell ('09), Madison Bush ('10), and Logan Ferrell ('11).

"I was [representing] Mexico," said Kevin McClain ('12), "as part of the World Health Organization." McClain and other students on the WHO committee discussed topics such as the avian flu and increased disease threat as a result of climate change.

The Model United Nations club will be hosting the upcoming GSMUN conference at MLWGS on March 27-28.

ASL Students See Play at Barksdale

On March 4, MLWGS ASL students will see the Barksdale performance of "Children of a Lesser God.” The play outlines the differences between hearing and deaf worlds and is performed through speaking as well as signing.

Ms. Brenda Thornton, views this as a learning experience for ASL classes.

“[Children of a Lesser God] speaks really clearly about struggles deaf people face,” said Ms. Thornton. “It’s a difficult play to do, but Barksdale has done it very well.”

"It should be interesting," said Aleshia Busjahn ('10) ASL student. "I've never seen a deaf play before, and I'm looking forward to learning more about deaf culture."

I'm Just That Into It

by Elaine Hillgrove, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

I really wanted to not like this movie. The whole premise of a movie based off of a book based off a quote that was said in a TV show shocked me. Have we really come so far that we can’t come up with any new ideas for a movie? However, this movie surprised me. It was funny, touching, and did not overly gag me with a bag of sugar sweet.

In case my opening paragraph went right over your head, let me explain the origins of this movie. During an episode of Sex and City, someone told Miranda (a main character) that a guy she liked was just “not that into you [her].”

Greg Behrendt and Liz Tucillo apparently found this quote inspiring, so they wrote a self-help book, which they creatively titled “He’s Just Not That into You.”

The book was then taken and adapted into a screenplay by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein. Ken Kwapis directed.

The movie follows four main couples who all have some sort of relationship problem stemming from the fact that one of the partners is more into the other.

There’s Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), a girl who is continually ruins her chances with men by obsessing over them to the point of stalking. She likes Connor (Kevin Connolly), and gets relationship advice from Alex (Justin Long), a bartender friend of Connor’s who is busy fending off the advance’s of a bar hostess (Busy Phillips).

Connor is a real estate agent who is really interested in starting a relationship with Anna (Scarlett Johansson).

However, Anna is currently having an affair with Ben (Bradley Cooper), who in turn is married to Janine (Jennifer Connelly). Janine works with Beth (Jennifer Aniston), whose boyfriend of seven years (Neil, Ben Affleck) won’t propose.

The plot looks complicated when it’s listed out like that (especially when you consider that Drew Barrymore is also in this movie playing a character that doesn’t really fit in anywhere), but in reality, it was very easy to follow.

The main reason for this is the transitions that were used between each scene. Rather than cut to an unrelated character and confuse the audience, a line from the book is placed up on the screen that relates to the movie (i.e. he’s not calling you) and random people comment on what it says.

What the movie boils down to is this: the actors can actually act and the jokes are actually funny. It’s rare in an all-star cast like this one to have every actor give a spectacular performance. Likewise, it’s always touch and go when it comes to jokes and romantic comedies. There can’t be too many jokes so that the movie strays away from the romantic side of the genre, and there can’t be so few jokes that the audience never laughs.

Alex and Gigi talk at his bar. Photo Courtesy of http://www.imbd.com

Neil and Beth at the park. Photo courtesy of http://www.imbd.com

Indoor Track to Compete at States

Nine. It may be a relatively small number but in perspective, it can be huge. This year, MLWGS Indoor Track team is bringing nine runners to states.

Marcel Rodgers (’09), Ben Watson (’09), Conor Farrell (’09), and Peter Askin (’09) qualified for the 4x800 relay, placing second at the regional meet, only behind Atlee. They are ranked eighth. Watson also qualified for the 500 event, placing third at both district and regional tournaments.

“I think the success of the season hinges on the state meet,” Watson said. “If our relay team can be All-State, like last year, it’ll be a good season.”

To be All-State, a team must finish in the top eight. The girls’ team has the same goal, too.

“We want to end on a good note,” Susannah Piersol (’09) explained. “It’s always exciting to go to states and see the competition, but we definitely want to make All-State.”

The girls’ relay team, who won districts and is ranked fifth for states, consists of Kelsey Green (’10), Clarissa Schick (’10), Anna Spiers (’10), and Piersol. Katie Ardiff (’10) qualified for states as well, and both Schick and Spiers are running individual events as well.

An impressive season on both sides of the track, MLWGS will be well-represented at VHSL State Indoor Track Championships today and tomorrow.

Seniors Ben Watson (left) and Peter Askin (right) enjoy some nice weather as they run down the straightaway as they train for this weekend’s VHSL Indoor Track State Championships. Picture by Karthik Ilakkuvan.

And the Oscar Goes To...

by Gabriella Cifu, Jabberwock Staff Reporter

A year’s worth of movies all lead up to one night and a little golden man. Yet, the Oscars are so much more than just the winners. From the dresses to the host, the presenters to the stage design, every little detail matters.

The show began with the grand march down the red carpet. As always some dresses were beautiful, while others were horrific. Some styles were classy, while others were downright clashing (ahem Mickey Rourke). Miley Cyrus promoted her upcoming Hannah Montana movie, even hinting that she could be one of the nominees next year. Yeah right.

Energetic, funny, and talented, Hugh Jackman was the right choice for host. Not to mention, he didn’t look too bad in a tux. Jackman kicked off the show with a musical montage of the Best Picture nominations, with a collection of “home-made” props, and even a duet with Anne Hathaway for Frost/Nixon. Along with the comical aspects of this routine, viewers got a look at Jackman’s relatively unknown singing skills from his days on Broadway.

From there, they went right into the first awards of the night. For awards such as Best (Supporting) Actress and Best (Supporting) Actor, five past winners of the award each spoke briefly about one of the nominee’s accomplishments. In general, this was a good idea because not only were the comments humorous, but they varied the style of presentation, which has been extremely mundane in past years.

Most of the awards were still presented in the traditional way with one or two celebrity presenters. This year, however, it looks as if the organizers actually made an attempt to choose funny, fairly well known individuals, which saved the viewers from the expected boredom.

Comedians Tina Fey and Steve Martin presented together acting as Scientologists, which was just the start of the witty presenters. Soon after, Natalie Portman and Ben Stiller presented the award for cinematography. Stiller’s impersonation of Joaquin Phoenix with his long scruffy beard and meandering walk around the stage, was just another great act of the presenters.

Finally Jack Black made an appearance on the show, leaving behind one memorable joke, "Each year I do one DreamWorks project, then I take the money to the Oscars and bet it on Pixar."

A Broadway- like melody of some of the greatest musicals was also sung by Jackman, Beyonce Knowles, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper. While the musical seemed like a good idea, in no universe should Efron, Hudgens, or Seyfried be allowed to sing on the same stage as Beyonce, or even Jackman. However, the song itself, while slightly random, was highly entertaining.

The three nominations for Best Song were performed live, and apart from the dreadful combination of “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire and “Down to Earth” from WALL-E, the dancing and singing was another new act that with a few alterations would be great for future shows.

The one truly unnecessary aspect of the Oscars was the lessons on Hollywood and the history of the Oscars, particularly on the set design. While it may interest some individuals, for most of us, it was just a waste of time.

Now to the main point of the Academy Awards: the winners. There were few unexpected winners this year, and there seemed to be a general consensus even before the awards began on the winners. As predicted, the recent sensation Slumdog Millionaire was one of the biggest winners of the night, winning eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Kate Winslet won Best Actress for her role in The Reader, while Sean Penn won Best Actor for his role in Milk. Heath Ledger won an emotional award for Best Supporting Actor in The Dark Knight. His award was accepted by his parents and sister, which will one day go to his daughter Matilda.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button also won a few awards, including Best Makeup and Best Art Direction, as did The Dark Knight for Sound Editing.

When it comes down to it, viewers have high expectations of the Awards and the show is almost as important as the winners.

Overall this year, the animated host and inventive new presenting techniques made up for the less-than-interesting history lessons, making for an enthralling Oscars that had viewers reminiscing about more than just the winners.



The Slumdog Millionaire cast celebrates their win. Photo courtesy of http://blog.oregonlive.com/

Diversity Consultants Develop Their Questions

Below are excerpts from a survey developed by the four U.Va diversity consultants. These questions were mailed to eighth grade MLWGS applicants and their families.

INTRODUCTION
We have been asked to gather some information about the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School and your experiences in school. As I understand, you are in the process of applying to Maggie Walker. The questions I will be asking you are structured to better understand why some students, like you, have chosen to apply to Maggie Walker. This is not an evaluation of you, or your teachers, but it will give us information about ways we can make Maggie Walker a better place for students to learn.

We will hold all of your responses in complete confidence. I mean that no one will know what you said. I will not tell who said what to me. Any information you give us will be reported as a part of the total group information. Your responses will not impact your application process in any way, either positively or negatively.

Do you have any questions before I begin?

Tell me about your experiences during the application process to Maggie Walker. Has the application process been clear to you?

Tell me about your reasons for wishing to attend Maggie Walker.

Describe what your current school is like. What are the classes like? The teacher(s)? The other students?

What are the good parts of your current school program?

What are the parts that are not a fit for you?

How do you anticipate that attending school at Maggie Walker will differ from attending your current school?

Is there anything you would like to share with me about your reasons for applying to Maggie Walker, the application process, or your expectations of Maggie Walker that I have not asked about?