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.

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