The Maroon Vol. 2… No. 79 Monday, October 10, 2022
“Bringing us all to a place we don't want to lose."
Observer: Zoom Or Bust
Macky’s New York: The Hog Spotters
William Peay: Tales From The Wood…
RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame: Save The Date: Nov. 5th 2022
RHS Tired Teens: Later School Start Times
M + A NYC: Mighty Are We As One
Jim Schoneman: Rock Hound
Siobhan Crann Winograd: Around The Village
Kathy & Ross Petras: You’re Saying It Wrong
Observer
Long Distance Alumni
This past Homecoming Weekend, as well as all the reunions in the September and October which preceded it, clearly demonstrated the solid interest of RHS alumni in their alma mater. Given the chance, Alumni can be wonderful resources and mentors.
Hopefully, new leadership in the RHSAA will put forth some ideas & strategies on how to involve alumni, not only with students, but with one another. They might ask for suggestions from the cohort of RHS alumni over the age of 60. Maybe even invite them to join their committees as ad-hoc members. There is no harm in asking for help.
Macky’s New York
Matthew Cortellesi Photography
October 6, 2022 - Bronx Zoo
The Hog Spotters
As a teacher stares at a Red River Hog off in the distance...her student quickly swings his telescope determined to find another.
Shot off glass inside Congo Forrest.
Time 1030am.
#ny1pic
William Peay
Tales From The Wood…
Ridgewood Bus Station
RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame
Save The Date: Nov. 5th 2022
Visit The RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame & Order Tickets for 2022 Inductees Banquet
Digital Printing for the RHS Hall of Fame provided by Tim Boucher, RHS 1988
RHS Tired Teens
Later School Start Times
Hello,
During the previous BOE meeting (October 3, 2022), a Board member suggested speaking with superintendents who made this change. Please refer to the flyer following this email with details of this upcoming webinar offering.
Regarding the LSST portion of the previous BOE meeting, I’d like to share some reactions.
It’s clear a number of questions on the survey were terribly confusing, resulting in the survey being unreliable. Regarding the open-ended section with comments, it’s evident that many continue to not understand the research. Community members have been given ample learning opportunities… you can’t force people to get educated.
Yes, the degree of homework should be looked into further, but for a Board member to suggest that addressing homework concerns and continuing to give enrichment mornings would be sufficient to solve the sleep deprivation issues - I found that disturbing. There are frequent comments by Board members that centers decision making around data and research. Where’s the focus on the years of data and research of LSST? Districts that made this change led with conviction and prioritized health and wellbeing. Beyond the brave admins who have voiced their support for a LSST, our district leaders (higher up) and the BOE have the responsibility to NOT be neutral on this topic. Please be the leaders we need. As you continue to praise our impressive student body for their work of excellence (rightfully so), please lead with the values of prioritizing their health and safety. The Tradition of Excellence will certainly strengthen as a result.
Regarding instructional minutes, the survey did not offer an educational component explaining there is NO research to indicate more is better. Ranking sites no longer include instructional minutes as part of the equation…. Why? Probably because there’s no research to support it. With respect to the comment that perhaps homework should be looked into in terms of “meaningful” versus “quantity” (which by the way, I agree) – the same applies for instructional minutes. As Anne Burton Walsh pointed out in her excellent public comment at the recent BOE meeting, the high school’s current 80 minute classes are not fully utilized. The class time is too long. Again, it should be quality – not quantity. There seems to be an appetite within the community for a 3:05 end time, which combined with shaving off instructional minutes could allow for a LSST.
Let’s remember that the early school start times actually harms our growing teens which our district leaders have control over. Due to the shift in teens’ circadian rhythm, aside of melatonin release occurring later in the evening impacting their ability to fall asleep before 11 p.m. (and yes, there are homework issues), they are also missing out on the early morning, most potent REM sleep cycle due to early school start times. This impacts important aspects, such as, memory consolidation and the ability to effectively self-regulate. In a nut shell, it impacts academic performance, and their physical and mental health.
The issues of busing, sports, etc. is old news. These conversations in our district have been happening for years. What we need are problem solvers, creative thinkers, leadership… all the concepts that we expect our students to strive for.
The Radnor superintendent is part of the NJAAP task force on adolescent sleep and later school start times, which I’m also a part of. He conveyed that many districts have streamlined busing by having middle and high school students ride together. He acknowledged that initially he heard parents might have had concerns, but the opposite ended up happening. The older students set positive examples of appropriate behavior for the younger students. He hasn’t heard of any negatives that came from this solution - only positives. Has our district looked into this? Instead of adding costs, it could actually save money.
Although this change could be implemented for the 2nd half of this year (districts have made a final decision with just a few months’ notice), it's apparent our daughter, currently a senior, might not benefit from this. At a minimum, I hope you will do right by the middle and high school students moving forward to make sure this change is implemented for the next school year.
Sincerely,
Lynn Benson
M + A NYC
Mighty Are We As One
M + A is a destination devoted to art, artists, artisans and design. We are inspired by art as it relates to design: the soul, the spark that ignites beautiful ideas. We are equally as motivated by craft traditions passed down from generations.
Shop home décor and wearable accessories at www.mplusanyc.com
Jim Schoneman
Rock Hound
Need to make it out to that hole below that little rocky island. It’s not as easy a walk as it looks. One step you’re in a foot of water, and the next step you can be hip deep. Take it slow.
Siobhan Crann Winograd
Around The Village
Local elections matter. Vote local. Vote Siobhan Winograd 2022 for Village Council.
Kathy & Ross Petras
You’re Saying It Wrong
hysterical / hilarious
“Ken Ludwig’s Hysterical Comedy Opens in Santa Paula.” —HEADLINE SANTA PAULA [CA] TIMES
Does hysterical mean “funny”? Is it a substitute for hilarious?
According to most dictionaries, nope. It should be hilarious. Hysterical means “having uncontrolled extreme emotion, including uncontrollable laughter. It’s usually not meant in the positive sense, as in watching a funy comedy, but in a quite negative sense of being out of control and upset.
That Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means: The 150 Most Commonly Misused Words and Their Tangled Histories
Ross & Kathy’s podcast: