The Maroon Vol. 3… No. 65
Sunday, August 13, 2023
“Bringing us all to a place we don't want to lose."
Observer: Ridgewood Public School Superintendent’s Coffee
Macky’s New York: The Fear & The Cyclone
William Peay: Tales From The Wood…
RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame: Made For & Inspired By RHS Alumni
Project Arrow: Creating An Online Home For RHS Arrow Yearbooks
Mark Porro: A Cup Of Tea On The Commode
M + A NYC: Mighty Are We As One
In Memory Of Our Faculty: Photographs & Memories
James Stroker: Hope Coach
Jim Schoneman: Rock Hound
Kathy & Ross Petras: You’re Saying It Wrong
Ridgewood Library Bolger Heritage Center: RHS Graduation Photos
Observer
Ridgewood Public School Superintendent’s Coffee
Bravo to Ridgewood Public Schools Superintendent Mark Schwarz for creating the Superintendent Coffee! Future Superintendent Coffees will provide time for the Superintendent to answer questions and for opinions to be heard & put on the public record. The timing of the Superintendent Coffees will reportedly work in coordination with BOE meetings.
Mark Schwarz has been on the job since July and quickly recognized the inadequacy of public access to BOE officials during Board of of Education meetings. He chose to increase his own public exposure to help shorten BOE meetings and assure that people are heard.
During future Superintendent Coffees there will be ample time to listen to people online via Zoom web conferences. He can then choose to use, or not, what he hears at subsequent BOE meetings. In this manner he hopes to create an environment conducent to public discourse, both online and live meetings attended by the general public. This can certainly help to mitigate the intense feelings generated sometimes by live meetings of the BOE at Cottage Place.
Let’s also give a tip of the cap and congratulate the BOE for implementing a graceful solution for the people waiting hours to comment live at their public meetings. People can still show up and ask to speak, nothing will change in that regard. The huge difference is the BOE offering people time to comment and pose questions before meetings.
New leadership at the BOE seems to have realized the trend in Public Life for creating ever greater public access, especially for those unable to attend a meeting. The BOE understands that good ideas and observations can come from a variety of sources.
Macky’s New York
Matthew Cortellesi Photography
August 8, 2023 - Coney Island
The Fear & The Cyclone
I swear the roller-coaster is as scary from afar as it is from the top.
Shot on a rainy morning from the Aquarium parking lot looking west.
Time 9am.
William Peay
Tales From The Wood…
La Terrazzo at Felina
RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame
Made For & Inspired By RHS Alumni
Visit the RHS Hall of Fame
Digital Printing for the RHS Hall of Fame provided by Tim Boucher, RHS 1988
Project Arrow
Creating An Online Home For RHS Arrow Yearbooks
Details To Be Available in September, 2023
Digital archiving by Michael Culver, RHS 2002, and his firm 1Row.com
Mark Porro
A Cup Of Tea On The Commode
Five Star reviews keep rolling in. Though we appreciate all reviews, the 5s make my Momma in Heaven smile even more.
"A Cup of Tea on the Commode" is still on sale on Amazon.
Save $3.15 (17% off).
Order A Copy For A Friend Of Family Member.
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
In Memory Of Our Classmates & Faculty
Photographs & Memories
If you would like to contribute a few words about a Ridgewood Public School teacher who was memorable to you, please send it to us. If we don’t currently have a page for the teacher you want to write about, we’ll create one.
Faculty Tributes & Ashby Award Recipients
James Stroker
Hope Coach
"Comparisons are the thief of joy," Eleanor Roosevelt sagely observed. In the context of this timeless truth, let's heed the words of Jordan Peterson, paraphrased as: "Compare yourself not to anyone else today, but solely to the person you were yesterday." This poignant sentiment, though seemingly straightforward, often evades us in the maze of our relentless pursuit of self-improvement. The unassailable fact is that you are a singular entity—distinct, unmatched, and utterly one-of-a-kind. Consequently, the hours we invest in frivolous, often detrimental, comparisons rarely yield constructive outcomes.
While acknowledging the value of wholesome competition, it is pivotal to redirect the majority of such comparisons inward, directed at the self who existed the day prior. True gratification unfurls in the soil of personal growth—an experience akin to uncovering a novel treasure. The zenith of dopamine surges emerges from the revelation that today's you is an iota better than yesterday's—an assertion of your unyielding persistence and the grit that fuels your endeavors.
These seemingly incremental one percent gains house boundless potential. They symbolize advancement, an intentional departure from the drab landscapes of routine and stagnation. Through the embrace of these daily increments, you transmute into a fortified and refined version of your former self. James Clear's narrative in "Atomic Habits" masterfully underscores the profound influence of these slight shifts. When compounded over time, these minute gains burgeon into a staggering 37% transformation by the culmination of the year.
Consider the analogy of a penny, doubled for 30 consecutive days, metamorphosing into a substantial $3 million. However, if offered an immediate $3 million, the potential for amassing an extraordinary $5 million dissipates. The moral is unequivocal—unwavering and consistent advancement births extraordinary outcomes.
And so, against this backdrop, what is your chosen arena of one percent improvement today? In this journey of growth, may you find solace, inspiration, and relentless determination.
Jim Schoneman
Rock Hound
One more from the North Shore.
Kathy & Ross Petras
You’re Saying It Wrong
Ross & Kathy’s podcast: You're Saying It Wrong is a podcast that looks at what we get wrong—and what we sometimes get right—when it comes to this English language.
Ridgewood Library Bolger Heritage Center
100 Years Of Library Services
Shows the Works Progress Administration (WPA) deepening Graydon Pool in June of 1936. The WPA was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of job seekers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads.