The Ridgewood Maroon Vol. 4… No. 1
Monday, January 1, 2024
“Bringing us all to a place we don't want to lose."
Observer: S.O.S Ridgewood Public Schools
Macky’s New York: Navigating The Seemingly Unnavigable
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
Our Classmates: 50th Reunion RHS 1974
James Stroker: Hope Coach
Jim Schoneman: Rock Hound
Kathy & Ross Petras: You’re Saying It Wrong
Ridgewood Library Bolger Heritage Center: 100th Anniversary
Observer
S.O.S Ridgewood Public Schools
Welcome to 2024! (A tip of the cap to Rob Howard for the S.O.S. acronym.)
I am sending up a flare for the Ridgewood Public Schools to call for assistance with their purchasing & testing AI. This is not a slight of any kind; however, the reality is that the number of decisions around the topic of allowing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Ridgewood Public Schools is staggering!
Imagine:
“There are 100+ similar tools. How do I compare them all?”
“Even if my tool is the best now, what do I do if something better comes out?”
“If I go with the most popular tool, how do I know I am not missing out on something amazing that will make my life way easier?”
“What if my solution is out there and I just can’t find it?!”
If the immensity of this task wasn’t enough for our current RPS team, they are bound by contracts which prohibit use of AI tools under the age of 18!?
Maybe this resolves itself after the lawyers agree the age prohibition violates the Civil Rights of students covered by The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). Then the RPS team will have the opportunity to define what “Safe-Guards” can be added to the AI tools their student population is using. Yes, another task the RPS has no experience with.
There is good news which needs to be remembered while considering these angst-filled administrative decisions lurking in 2024. The good news is an underappreciated area of improvement in technology products designed for & by people with disabilities, such as A.I. models that can interpret images and turn text into speech. This is an unambiguously good use of A.I., and an area where people’s lives are improving in meaningful ways. Let’s keep these type breakthroughs as our touchstones. Rather than following a ill-conceived Student Conduct policy banning AI tools & equating their use with plagiarism.
Macky’s New York
Matthew Cortellesi Photography
December 31, 2023 - Flatiron
Navigating The Seemingly Unnavigable
On new years eve day...a man rides his bike thinking about all the great things he accomplished this year and how he was able to successfully navigate the seemingly unnavigable.
Shot through the glass "cow catcher" on the north end of the Flatiron building at 23rd street and Broadway looking west to 5th ave.
Time 930am.
William Peay
Tales From The Wood…
Graydon Pool. March 2014
RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame
Made For & Inspired By RHS Alumni
Visit the RHS Athletic 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
A collaborative effort by Ridgewood High School and the Ridgewood Public Library. The Arrow Yearbooks from the 1898 through the 1940s are now online.
Digital archiving by Michael Culver, RHS 2002, and his firm 1Row.com
Mark Porro
A Cup Of Tea On The Commode
A son's multi-tasking adventures of caring for Mom. And he survived to tell the tale. The parent/child role reversal might not have been unique to me, but how I dealt with it was. A Cup of Tea on the Commode chronicles my adventures filling my mother’s last years with love, laughter, and joy. Though not always successful, I came pretty damn close.
“This author weaves his stories together, employing a wickedly humorous skill not unlike that of David Sedaris and Augusten Burroughs”
For more information:
https://acupofteaonthecommode.org
M + A NYC
Mighty Are We As One
M + A is a Lifestyle brand known for handcrafted, ethically made, modern home decor and wearable accessories. Artisanal | Small Batch | Designed in NY
Shop home décor and wearable accessories at www.mplusanyc.com
Our Classmates
RHS Class Of 1974 Reunion
We are planning our 50th Reunion for September 21, 2024 at the Woman's Club of Ridgewood. If you might conceivably want to attend, please email us at RHS1974Reunion50@gmail.com so we can send you an invitation. We also are planning other events for the weekend that will be detailed in the invitation.
James Stroker
Hope Coach
Jim Schoneman
Rock Hound
One nice thing about low water levels on the river is that it can expose areas that may be good fishing holes at normal or higher water levels. This is a rock bar just below the Alexander Hydro in Council Grounds State Park just last week, before the winter weather returned, and the water was very low. This rock bar is almost out in the middle of the river, and these rocks are normally under water, but now I can see that even if the water level was a couple feet higher, this area would still be accessible by wading with a good pair of felt soled boots. Looks like good small mouth country. One more fly fishing spot to check out.
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
100th Anniversary
On December 28, 1923 the Village of Ridgewood celebrated the grand opening of the George L. Pease Memorial Library, establishing a free public library in Ridgewood. There were speeches, flowers, gifts and a general celebration. Mayor Garber presided over the ceremony and said "the beautiful building was the fulfillment of a dream of year" (Ridgewood News, December 30, 1923). 100 years later the Ridgewood Library is still providing services to the community and would like to thank you all for your support over the years.