I'd like to thank Mrs. Dahl for teaching me to write with my fist in the air.

Yeah, I know this is dead, but I just thought it was worth pointing out that Mr. White had apparently instructed his lackeys to break the law and try to take students' copies of the Pioneer, the satirical newspaper published by some seniors. Yeah, that'll get them to stop reading it-make them think there's something in there that they're not supposed to see. I sure hope this was just a result of our hall monitors being idiots, and not a result of Mr. White flat-out telling them to take them. Because he seemed to be getting a little better about this whole breaking-the-law thing.

Alright, well, I guess this is the last post of this here blog. It hasn't really been a good journey; if it had, then I wouldn't have needed to write this, would I? Today, though, was my last day under the jurisdiction of Pioneer's administration, and there are no plans for anyone else to take over. If you were really curious (which I doubt, considering the only people who read this knew who I was), my name is Bill Gallagher, I'm a senior, I wrote for the Optimist, blah blah blah. If the other writers want to reveal who they were, they can do that, but really, it's not important. What's more important is that students make sure that the discussion between the administration and the parents and the students continues next year. Without it, the school will degrade into a pseudo-military state with no communication whatsoever. Mr. White and his administration will not work to improve communication lines; it is up to you.

Who Cares?

Not you. No one really cares anymore. There are cameras in our school. No one protested. You'd expect a sit in of some sort. Nope. What do we have? A club that doesn't do shit. Well they sure complain a lot. Very helpful. Senior pranks? Hahahahahha yeah right we're all too lazy and scared. Overall Pioneer is bound to become the next Huron. I'm not saying I'm any better, I'm just the same. All talk, no action. Who cares? Not me. I hope that all you juniors and underclassmen enjoy the school how it is because it's not going to change.

Captian Obvious, stating the obvious one last time.

The Rules Don't Apply to All of Us

Today I was informed that a Librarian just whipped out her Cell Phone and started talking on it right in front of everyone during 7th hour. This reminded me of a math teacher I once had who did this. "It's important I have to take it," she'd always say. She did this about 4 times in just one semester. then some kids phone went of during class one time and she stopped teaching and embarassed him in front of everyone. All I have to say is that if you expect something out of your students you should think that they expect the same out of you. The same goes with all those teachers with 10-year that assign busy work and give tests they don't even write.

More Fun with Announcements

Michael White made another first-hour announcement today. However, he wisely chose not to make the exact same announcement second-hour. Because that'd be really, really obnoxious.
Anyway, the point of it was that you can't leave class early, or you will be "gathered up" (like livestock! Hall monitors now carry cattle prods) and sent to his office, and asked to go home. I kind of doubt people are "asked" to go home. I don't think they really have any say in it or any appeal process. But I digress. What bothered me was that he referenced a "system." If you leave class early, you mess with the "system." Sounds kind of sinister to me, as if he has some secret plan and us being in the hallways during class somehow messes everything up.

Anyway, yeah, that's your punishment for leaving early. Being sent home early. Seems like they just want to make it seem like they're still in control. . .

I also wonder about parents of children who can't walk home and who can't drive. If I was a parent and I received a phone call from my child telling me I had to leave my job and pick them up because they were in the hallway during class, there would be a problem.

Respect, respect, respect. . .

The First Rule of Senior Skip Day is There is no Senior Skip Day

As Mr. White has proclaimed, there will be no Senior Skip Day this year. Senior Skip Day doesn't even exist. In fact, it exists so little that we will be punished with not being able to go to the Senior all night party if we don't show up that day. It's bogus, so just have your parents call you in or call in yourself, pretending to be your parents, whatever.

Regarding the events of April 18, 2008

Yesterday, as most of you probably know, Michael White decided to crack down. He decided that enough was enough, and that the dress code had to be enforced.

I was sitting in first hour when he made the announcement. He said that people would be sent home for wearing shorts that were too short, etc. He told us right then and there that he'd be making the same announcement second hour. This makes very little sense; while there are people who start their day second hour, in my four years at Pioneer, I have heard of one person having a first hour, but no second hour. It simply doesn't happen. Why, then, make an announcement to both hours? Could it be that he was just so excited that he couldn't wait?

White has been mostly laying low since the camera issue exposed, over a period of a couple months, the fact that he had been spiraling downwards, most likely towards the realization that he is simply not fit to lead a school this size. This was one of the first times (besides shouting over musicians at assemblies) that he had put himself out there, shown how ridiculous he's come. It really wasn't reassuring.

It's not that I have a problem with all rules. Obviously, for a principal to be necessary, we need to have rules; it also comes close to preventing chaos. What I have a problem with is these specific rules, and the way they are being enforced.

I disagree with these rules not because I disagree with dress codes in general. I think certain things shouldn't be allowed. But I think this dress code takes things too far. For instance, I don't wear hats particularly often; still, I cannot understand the hatred White seems to reserve for headgear. I don't understand why the rules are ambiguous, based on your body type (think that's not discriminatory? Obviously, you don't have long arms and a small torso). Men are not held to the same standards as women. He claims that a school should be a semi-business-like environment. I understand that there are different standards in the Marines. But if I ever work in an environment where my boss refuses to respect me, no matter how hard I try, then consistently patronizes me in front of his superiors and peers in order to save face, I will quit. And that may be an idealistic viewpoint for me to have, but isn't that what White is doing, too?

The other aspect of yesterday that angered me was the way the rules were enforced. White had a hall monitor stand at the doors and watch for kids who might be wearing clothes that violated the dress code, and sent them to the office. Once there, it would be determined if they were to be sent home. They'd have to let their arms hang at their sides to determine if their shorts were long enough. Staff members would determine if the shorts were long enough (what a wonderfully efficient and ambiguous system!). My friend's sister was sent home, along with several of her friends.

White seems to think that we need a military state at this school. He's wrong. He can take that back to Livonia, where everyone will give in to whatever an authority figure says. I've said it before. I'll shout it until May 23rd. I'll help out efforts of the next classes at this school to promote it. Michael White will never succeed at Pioneer with that kind of mentality, and he will never succeed at this school without respecting students.

Quick Note

In response to a long comment regarding trash pickup:
The solution to that would not be extorting us for the right to park at our own school, funded by our parents' tax money. The solution would be to fine those students seen littering. The kids who say they're doing it to rebel against Mr. White are just using his convenient idiocy to cover up their own laziness, sort of like how people who are afraid of others being different use the Bible to cover up their homophobia, and so on. I certainly don't like the litter at this school, either; I think it's disgusting, and that students are just plain lazy.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's... a Water Balloon?

After school yesterday in and just outside of A-hall waterbaloons were being thrown all over the place. Personally, I thought this was pretty hillarious, especially when after all the throwing was over I saw Mr. Brown just standing there doing nothing at all. Iwouldn't be surprised if Mr. White's reaction to this was extremely over the top. "The parking lot is off limits to students" or something of the sort sounds like a reaction he'd have.

Also people being sent home left and right yesterday? What freaking bullplop. How are we going to "better out education" if half of us arn't even there? We should all just show up to school naked and end this.

Who wears short shorts?

I can't even comment on what went on in school today. I'm really, really angry at Mr. White, though I'm not sure why; it's not as if I didn't expect him to be an idiot who thinks he's running a military state. Anyways, I'll try to write down my thoughts sometime this weekend.


Seriously, I'm so glad I'm leaving this school. If I had to deal with this administration for more than another month, I'd probably go insane.

More News

Two perfect examples of Mr. White's general behavior and misuse of the school's time and money were made clear to me today, and, since I haven't been on the blog in a while, I thought I was due to post them. The two are quite different, as one is folly and pathetic, while the second struck me as far more serious.

At the beginning of first period, Mr. White came on to remind everyone that the rules regarding how we ought to dress are still being enforced. This is understandable; he is afraid that the warm weather will warrant cooler, more breathable clothing. In order for a student to wear this type of attire, some, if not all, of these myriad rules simply must be broken or stretched beyond reason. Mr. White went on to say, however, that he intended to repeat his announcement one hour later, reiterating his rather quotidian and elementary request. It's one thing to make a repetitive comment that annoys people, but it's quite another to waste people's time, who have to stop and listen to their principal tell them, essentially, nothing.

The second is an anecdote shared with me by a fellow student. I will respect the anonymity of all parties involved, out of courtesy and because their identities have no bearing on the meaning of the story... So a hall-monitor and a teacher get into a little quarrel about something or another. While this unpleasant exchange wasn't rooted in anything particularly awful, the effect was that of bitterness between the hall-monitor and teacher. Later, perhaps that day, but certainly within the week, a student of the teacher we are speaking of was sent out of the class -- with a perfectly legitimate and sponsored yellow hall permit. The hall-monitor, however, still fuming on account of her argument with the student's teacher, decides to "get even" with his/her enemy by sending the student, who was innocently traversing the halls, to the principal's office for violation of the dress code. The infraction, according to the person who told me the story, was that the student was wearing headgear, which consisted of a pair of sunglasses on her head (in order to avoid being punished for wearing them). This story absolutely baffled me, mainly because of the complete lack of fairness and professionalism of the hall-monitor. To punish a 3rd party as recompense for an alleged wrong received at the hands of another is one of the first misdeeds a young child learns not to do, let alone an adult. It is truly unfortunate that an employee of a public school is unable to keep in check emotions, especially when the victim in this circumstance is a youth. But the reason why such an event was allowed to happen was the unreasonably strict way in which the dress code rule pertaining to headgear is expected to be executed. The truth is, many entities are at fault and contributed in some way the sad synthesis of this unjust punishment. Hopefully the mismanagement of this school doesn't run this deep in every case.

Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting

I would like to take a break from all of the camera talk to inform the masses about some other aspects of our wonderful school.

I have heard many rumors of a huge melee at lunch in the parking lot today, but because I am complete loser I did not go out to lunch today, so I do not know if this is true or not.

On a different topic I would like to use this opportunity to plug Pioneer High School's Auto Shop. They do some quality work, fixed my crap wagon right up!

Now for the main focus of my post. I have a strong distaste for pioneer high school parking. I don't think we should have to pay 20 bucks, just to be able to park our cars at our own school. I think that $10 would be the highest I'd be willing to go, and I bet that many more people would buy them if that were the case. But the school board would never do that, because they get even more money from ticketing students for not having a sticker. Good thing photo copiers exist.

Oh and ladies, warm weather's coming up, I hope you have enough fingers to be able to follow the dress code.

Quickly

I just checked the announcements from this morning, since I can't really hear them in my second hour. What a surprise: No PSAS announcement. The thing is, they'll do this until the ACLU threatens them every time. They'll always back down; all they care about is disrespecting the students themselves.

He STILL thinks that's a word?

Things have toned down a bit on the blog front. As I've become more involved in the PSAS, I've mostly been concentrating on that, and I think you're all getting sick of camera talk without any action (which won't be the case for long). Meeting Wednesday. . .

Regarding that, in the unlikely event that there are any juniors, sophomores, or freshmen genuinely interested in continuing this next year, feel free to let me know via pioneer.uncovered@gmail.com.

In the nostalgia-inducing trivial Pioneer humor department, Mr. White used the word "consequence" as a verb in an announcement today. Really fascinating how he didn't realize that wasn't a verb the first time he used it.

Meetings

First, the ACLU meeting last night. PSAS got the award, we all got certificates, gift bags (with a t-shirt, a DVD, and a pocket constitution!), and a ton of handshakes. A lot of other stuff happened, but it's not really worth it to talk about them here.

Second, the PSAS meeting today. It was semi-productive, as definitive plans are being made for our first action as a club, with a time frame in mind. I'm not going to go into definites or specifics, because Mr. White apparently rejected an announcement we tried to make, and I'd rather not give him the chance to stop our completely legal activities. . .contact me at pioneer.uncovered (at) gmail.com if you want to help out or if you'd like some more information. A few of us will probably meet over break, in order to pull the plans together.

Quick Notes

The ACLU is honoring the Pioneer Students Against Surveillance with the 2008 Civil Liberties Champion award at their Annual Meeting tonight. Club members are welcome to come. The meeting starts at 7, with a presentation on religious liberty beforehand. The meeting will take place in Room 150 of Hutchins Hall, 625 S. State St.

Also, remember, PSAS meeting tomorrow at lunch. We're starting measures to get our club in the public eye, so make sure that you've made some progress on any assignment you may have had.

Recognize!

So, as of today, the Pioneer Students Against Surveillance have been granted club status and all of the privileges that go along with that. We're talking posters, fliers, the whole nine yards.

I guess Mr. White decided it wouldn't look too good if he went to court to protect his right to completely disregard and disrespect students, parents, and the community. Although everyone 'in the know' already knows that's true.

This means that we will absolutely be having a meeting next week (Wednesday). Get your assignments done!

Meeting

Maybe a bit of a sparse turnout today at the PSAS meeting, solid nonetheless. Probably about 20-25 people there, with some new faces. Assignments were made for the club's first actions, and Michael Steinberg (from the ACLU) has written a letter telling the administration and the school board (if you're on the PSAS mailing list, you can read the letter in the latest email). Efforts are being made towards organizing a teach-in, and fliers and buttons (!) are being produced.

Additionally, we got to learn a lot about our fellow group members when we went around the room, introduced ourselves, and spoke about why we personally were opposing the cameras. There were a lot of different reasons, which is good. We have a great number more logical reasons than the administration did in pushing for the cameras.

I expect we'll be meeting again next Wednesday, hopefully with a lot of progress made towards our efforts to gain recognition. Hopefully, you'll be there, with a few friends. . .

PSAS Meeting

Unusual time-there is a Pioneer Students Against Surveillance meeting TOMORROW (Tuesday, March 25). Lunch, Mr. Robert's room.

PSAS Meeting

Yeah, sorry I haven't been writing. There really hasn't been much to write about. Today, though, there was a PSAS meeting (I had a bit of a lapse and didn't write about it beforehand, so I hope you noticed anyway). We came up with a mission statement, and scheduled another meeting. We have a half-day next Wednesday, so the next meeting will be TUESDAY, MARCH 25 at lunch.

All News Ain't Bad News

A fellow student told me of his firsthand account with Mr. White in a different light than most Mr. White stories told. He had lost his glasses in the hallway near the end of third hour and was looking for them when a hall monitor told him he should just go to class and look for them at lunch. The student told the hall monitor the faulty logic behind this, that during lunch they would probably be crushed, stolen, or pushed away, and then he continued to look for his glasses. The hall monitor, responding negatively to this called Mr. White. The student explained the situation to Mr. White, and Mr. White responded by helping the Student find his glasses. Eventually they found the glasses under a car. All and all Mr. White seems to be learning how to deal with students and things seem to be getting better.

Mr. White: This Week

Well, since there hasn't been much news to report recently, and seeing as Mr. White was very active amongst the students today, I felt obligated to write something about our favorite principal. His and our schedules first collided at the assemblies, wherein he seemed determined to make a few changes to the theme. It was no longer a choral cavalcade, but more an exhibition of menacing glares, ominous pacing throughout the auditorium and belligerency. He was very thorough in his proceedings; it seemed as though he was always a step ahead of every text message, cat-caller and rowdy spectator. Unfortunately, he was also a step ahead of quite a few of the performers on account of his antics, genuinely conceived though they might have been. In the end, one could make the argument that his presence did more harm than good to the overall flow and good-naturedness of the assembly.

Later in the day, during sixth period, our paths crossed again. I glanced out the window of the portable I was in and saw him outside reprimanding a student. I saw Mr. White doing something he very commonly does in a place at which he very uncommonly does it. I had never seen him outside, let alone far off in the portables, and for that reason alone do I find it newsworthy (relatively speaking, of course). It reminded me of a Roman Emperor visiting the far off reaches of Gaul or Britannica, the autonomy of the empire, to see how things are going.

On an unrelated note, I've been reading "1984" recently, and noticed a phrase that kept coming up: "the hope lies in the proles." I don't wish to uphold the connection between Mr. White and Big Brother, which lots of people keep making, jokingly or otherwise, and with which I do not agree. I just thought the proletariat of the school - the students - might take comfort in the fact that George Orwell, the conscience of his generation, holds sympathy for you.

Dry ice!

So an anonymous student tells me that a dry ice bomb was set off in front of the main offices just before the end of seventh hour on Friday. That can't sit too well with Mr. White. . .I don't have much else to say, besides to wish all the juniors good luck while i sleep in the next three days. Remember, the Michigan Merit Exam doesn't mean anything! Unless you go to a state school, where the scholarship actually applies. Maybe.

ACLU honors the PSAS

Joshua Kay, the chair of the Washtenaw County ACLU, e-mailed Bennett Stein to inform him that the chapter will be honoring the Pioneer Students Against Surveillance with the 2008 Civil Liberties Champion Award.

The award will be presented at the ACLU's Annual Meeting on Tuesday, April 1. The meeting will run from 7-8:30 PM, with a short presentation beforehand on religious liberty, along with refreshments. The meeting will take place in Room 150 of Hutchins Hall, 625 State St.

If you can attend, either reply to Bennett's email (which was sent out to everyone who is on the mailing list) or send it to pioneer.uncovered@gmail.com, and I'll forward them to Bennett.

Also, this is excellent for our budding little club here. As Mr. Kay said in the email, "the board was unanimous in deciding to give PSAS this award." But our fight is not over. We as a club are just beginning, and we need to keep working hard. . .

Dud.

Today was pretty much a dead day. Nothing happened. Except Mr. White made an announcement saying people had to have permits on their cars. Scary. Whatever, I have one. Otherwise, it was a pretty dull day. So, sorry, but I don't really have anything to say. I can't believe it, after three days and a snow day, but I'm worn out.

Also, I'm sick of being taught like I'm in kindergarten and tested like I'm in college.

Something I missed

At some point, probably during my time without a computer, I missed this comment from Bennett. Hopefully, some of you saw it, and followed his advice. For those who didn't see it, though, here's a letter he wrote to Mr. White.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/2160590/White-letter-2-20

I think it's a great example to follow. Mr. White can ignore one or two students. But a large number of students expressing outrage over this situation is something different. Furthermore, sending it now, even after the break, shows him we haven't forgotten. I also think that sending letters to the school board (http://www.aaps.k12.mi.us/boe.home/board_member_contact_information) is a good idea; I'm not sure if they know about it. . .

PSAS No. 2 No. 2

Today's meeting was my first, and I just thought I'd share that which jumped out at me. First impressions and the like. First of all, it seemed like the majority of those in attendance was not only against the security cameras, but also willing to actively protest them, which was definitely a good sign. As Gold Lion alluded to, this group has only scratched the surface of disgruntled, angry, afraid, etc. students whose energy and passion against the current policies would be invaluable to the advancement of this cause. In order that this works, a good number of people need to continue to step forward and help till the fertile soil of disobedience. That being said, what took place with those who did come was certainly good and enlightening.

I won't bore you by recounting everything that was said, but a pervading theme was that some form of protest and/or disruption of the cameras should be strongly considered. Until the cameras are actually installed, however, there is not a lot we can do outside of spreading the word as widely as possible and laying the groundwork for whatever is going to be done. One thing I think we should be on the lookout for is, after the installation of the electronics, if the tune of the administration changes at all. The fact that the students are under surveillance might embolden them to make more threats, rules or further questionable changes, seeing as they will have been given, in their eyes, more freedom to operate and less risk of opposition. If that turns out to be the case, which sounds a reasonable plausible, that would really concern me (granted, the degree to which the administration changes matters).

Another thought that had struck me a couple of weeks ago and kind of resurfaced during the meeting was that of whether or not people who have been outspoken and publicly against Mr. White and his policies, myself included, are taking it too far. One of the main issues others and I have with our principal is that he doesn't give people a chance to raise their voice, express themselves freely and protect their rights. In my opinion, these arguments against him are valid and warrant discussion, criticism, outrage, even blame, albeit properly directed and respectfully. I just wonder if, directly or indirectly, I am inhibiting someone else's views that are in favor of Mr. White. Am I fostering an environment in which anti-Mr. White and anti-cameras sentiments are so loud that they drown out and extinguish the other side? I'm not saying that the PSAS meeting or any other forum I have been involved in is calling for the principal's head or anything, but it does appear as though opposition against him is centralizing, and therefore mounting. As PSAS grows and makes more progress (which I genuinely hope continues), it needs to adhere to the principles and rights it is fighting to keep. Just because Mr. White et al have been circumventing us and due process and the welfare of the student body's freedom of expression and privacy doesn't mean we should. This is not an accusation, even though it may sound like one. If it does, I'm sorry. This is just something I feel strongly about and want to do everything possible to prevent being violated (the "something" as the minority's ability to uphold its views), even if it is a thousand miles away at this point.

But as to the subject after which the name of this post was titled, I felt very positive walking out of JR's room today knowing that, every week or two, students have a place to share their views and find strength in solidarity against this issue. Keep it up!!

PSAS Meeting, part deux.

The second meeting of the (as yet unapproved by the administration) Pioneer Students Against Surveillance was held today. Better turnout than last meeting, certainly. I know we have more people out there, though. Show up, and bring your friends.
Sam DeVarti led the meeting. We again discussed what to do with the club, and, despite discussions last meeting, we still don't have anything written down. So, for the next meeting, we need people to get into groups (or just do it as individuals) and try to draft a mission statement for the club.
On the subject of the next meeting, there will be no meeting next week, due to the crazy schedule. But, from now on, the plan is to meet every Wednesday at lunch. There are plenty of discussions going on that I won't cover here, as they deal with protests and it wouldn't really make sense for me to discuss the protests on a public blog. So, show up, and join the discussion. We need more publicity and more discussion.

One last thing: Sam mentioned that if you wanted to post anything to this blog, like an article you found or just an opinion piece of some sort, you could just talk to me. I still maintain the blog on an everyday basis, so I might not post everything. But I realize that a lot of you don't know me personally, and might not want to just approach me. So, with anything like that, you can just email pioneer.uncovered@gmail.com.

EDIT: A comment pointed this out and I forgot to mention that this was also brought up at the meeting. While I don't believe any actual cameras have been installed, some wiring has been installed. The cameras will be installed by the end of April, I guess, mostly over spring break.

PSAS Meeting

As far as I know, the PSAS meeting is still going on for tomorrow. However, I received an e-mail saying that I'd get an e-mail letter with details about the meeting and whether or not it will actually be able to happen. . .just to be safe, I'm going to show up tomorrow anyway.

So, if you're reading this:
Pioneer Students Against Surveillance Meeting
Mr. Robert's room, E Portable
Tomorrow (Tuesday, March 4) at Lunch

Same old song and dance.

There was a Black History Month assembly today. I don't need to say much about it; you were all probably forced to go and then were subjected to the same religion-heavy assembly we had a month ago on MLK Day. The same songs were sung. The same dances were performed. The same songs were played by the jazz band, except without Jenny Herzog or Tim Van Riper singing, which was the best part about the MLK assembly (the jazz band did, however, drown Mr. Hudson out when he was trying to make an announcement. Nice work). The controversy about religion was seemingly nearly acknowledged by those involved, with some of the speakers saying "whether you believe in the Bible or evolution" (because those are mutually exclusive) and "by celebrating one culture, we celebrate our diversity. However, they still went on and played a bunch of completely unnecessary religious songs. Yes, religion was a big part of Martin Luther King's life; he was a minister. How are they going to tie it in now? Just because religion is an aspect of the history does not mean it should be made the focus. It doesn't mean you can't say "God" in a song. But when every song is about how The Lord Your Savior is A-Comin' Down From High, and every dance is exactly the same, it starts to get annoying.

Why did we need to have this assembly? And why do they constantly overbook these things? We had 25 minutes of third hour, and I had to take a test that second hour students got a full hour for.

It's also worth mentioning that Mr. White was nowhere to be seen at the second assembly. I hear he was at the first, but what, was he packing for his vacation or what?

Anyways, point is, I liked this assembly better the first time I saw it. In 2005.

First PSAS meeting

The first Pioneer Students Against Surveillance meeting was today. I think it could be considered a success-fifteen students showed up, plus Mr. Robert, and there was a lot of good discussion. At this point, with the decision having been made, the focus is changing from educating people about why cameras shouldn't be installed to trying to do something about the installation along with trying to stop similar programs. There's definitely still a reason to meet; 15 people is good for the first meeting, but it'd be great to see more people next meeting; we need to keep growing.

During the meeting, there were methods of protest discussed, along with plans for the future of the club and discussion about why it's still important to have a club like this. Our goal is to become as public as possible with our issues with the cameras. If you've got good ideas, or you just want to help, show up to the next meeting. March 4 (the Tuesday after we get back from break) at lunch in Mr. Robert's room. The facebook group had already been set up by the time I got around to checking, so you can stay informed. Hope I'll see at least a few new faces next time.

Big Important Reminder

PIONEER STUDENTS AGAINST SURVEILLANCE MEETING TOMORROW AT LUNCH IN MR. ROBERT'S ROOM, IN E PORTABLE

see you there.

Yet another example of craziness. This time it's serious.

So an alert reader tipped me off to this story a few days ago, and I found the note on facebook. This took place last week, and the letter is written by junior William Penner-Hahn. The excellent letter he wrote to Mr. White follows, along with a brief Q & A after that.

To Principal Michael E. White,

I know what you see when you look at me. You see a smartass
kid who is trying to make your job difficult.
You see a kid who wants to make a big deal out of
everything, and who needs to be dealt with. In short,
you see what you want to see. I would like to tell
you what I see when I look at myself.
When I look at myself, I see a sensitive kid that
tries hard and attempts to be respectful. I see a
good kid whose only crime is asking questions, a skill
that school has nurtured in us from day one. I see
someone who is disrespected, but tries not to let it
bother him too much. I see an A and B student who is
at school to learn.
So, about what happened today. I was on my knees on
a bleacher, talking to my friends and generally
minding my own business. One of the community
assistants came up and told me I had to sit down. I
asked him, fairly politely I think, why that was the
rule. He told me that it was just the rule and not to
ask questions. I asked again, because I have been
taught that asking questions is important, and indeed
the foundation of our society. When he told me that
it was so people didn’t slip and fall, I told him,
again fairly politely, that I didn’t see that as any
more likely than slipping and falling anywhere else.
I then proceeded to ask the community assistant where
the rule was written, as I in fact did not recall
reading this any where. I have since looked it up,
and after extensive searching on the school website, I
found one line that says “student will sit at tables
of their choice but must remain seated. No standing
around in groups, moving from table to table, etc.” I
personally do not view sitting on one’s knees on a
bleacher to be in violation of this rule, but the fact
remains that I merely asked where it was written. I
do not think that this justifies your later reaction.
When asked where the rule was written, the community
assistant said “You want to know where the rule is
written? I’ll show you!” He then took me to the
center of the gymnasium and proceeded to get you,
Principal White. I was standing there, and looked
over at my friends, who waved at me. I waved back,
and gave them a thumbs up. Yes, I may have made a
little fun out of it, but the fact is, and those who
have known me for a long time can attest to this, that
if I don’t laugh about it, I’ll probably end up crying
about it.
At this point, you came up to me. I waved at you,
without any intention of disrespect. You said “You
think this is funny? You think this is some kind of
joke?!?” I then tried to tell you what had happened,
but you just yelled at me. I don’t know if you ever
actually attempted to determine what had happened,
much less ask me for my side of the story. I tried to
ask you what the rule was, and you yelled “I’m not
going to argue with you!” I’d like to take this
opportunity to point out that you were the only one
being argumentative.
I again tried to be reasonable, speaking in as low a
voice I could muster with my somewhat flustered state
of mind, and also the lowest voice that could still be
heard over you. I tried to tell you that I wasn’t
arguing, and you waved your walkie-talkie at me, poked
me in the chest, and told me to “shut my mouth.” Then
you, at the top of your lungs, told me to get out and
leave. I asked you if I could at least retrieve my
belongings, and started in that direction. You and
the community assistant shoved me and forcibly
restrained me from retrieving my belongings. You
yelled the phrase “Leave now or you’re leaving with
the police” at me numerous times.
At this point, I left. You may remember the entire
gymnasium applauding at this point. I know that when
you look at this, you see a bad seed yucking it up for
his friends. When I look at this, I see a student
body, consistently disrespected and treated like
criminals, reacting naturally to an oppressive
situation.
So who was really punished here? It certainly wasn’t
me. I missed some classes, and this is bad, but I am
capable of making up the work. I certainly hope it
wasn’t you. No, the real victim here was
student-faculty relations. I value the positive
relationship I have with my counselor, my teachers, my
class principal. I value their openness and
understanding. How can you expect to be a good
principal if you do not offer the same openness and
respect? I should think it would be difficult.
In conclusion, I felt incredibly abused and
disrespected. I came to school to learn, and by
sending me home, you prevented that possibility. You
verbally abused me, physically shoved me, and
threatened police action for merely attempting to ask
a question.
Principal White, you have said that you enjoy a
hands-on leadership style, and that you value
openness. If pushing and shoving is your idea of
hands-on, and verbal abuse and threats are your ideas
of openness, then I am afraid you are sorely mistaken.
So, I ask you, when does this hands on leadership and
openness begin? I certainly have not seen it yet.

Respectfully yours,
William Penner-Hahn

P.S. Let’s meet and talk about it. I’m ready and
open. The ball’s in your court.


Q & A:


Gold Lion: Did you actually send the letter? If so, did he reply/do you anticipate a reply?
William Penner-Hahn: I did give the letter to his secretary at the end of lunch the day after the icident occured. In the middle of fifth hour, I was pulled out of class (missing Chem Lab, no less) and taken to his office, where I waited until partway into sixth hour. I met with him, and he was reasonable (for once), but if a long letter is what it takes to get him to be reasonable, then I for ome think that's kind of ridiculous. He did apologize, which is more than I expected. However, his apology was more of the "I'm sorry you felt that way" type. In addition, when asked the rationale for removing me from school without taking down any information, he A: blamed Dr. Kinel for not taking down any information and B: justified it as being an "emergency suspension" because I was being insubordinate. I don't know when students asking questions became insubordination and an emergency, but as I was told by the "community assistant": don't ask questions, just do what I say.
Also, even though an apology was made, it does not appear that Mr. White has changed his behavior, as evidenced by his announcement that thursday that students will be kicked out of school for "malingering in the hallways."

GL: Were you eating in the gym for the first time because of the new policy? Do you agree with that policy?
WPH: No, that was not my first time eating in the gym, I eat there most days because I do not enjoy eating in my car everyday, as I do have in fact more than 3 friends that want to talk to at lunch, and also because gas is expensive, and the car is cold without the heat on.
And no, I do not agree with the policy, because I do not think that a school of nearly 3000 students should be forced into two relatively small areas, consituting a near fire hazard, or off campus and in the parking lot, which as the former principal pointed out, is rife with crime.

GL: Did Mr. White actually make contact with you (whether it was with a walkie talkie or a poke in the chest or whatever)?
WPH: Mr. White did make contact with me with a poke in the chest and by forcibly restraining me from retrieving my belongings.

GL: Have you spoken to any teachers about this?
WPH: I have not spoken to my teachers about this except to give them a brief summary of why I was absent from school. The one teacher that I told in more detail, Ms. Fox (a very nice lady), acted as though I was merely a smartass, which is easy to say if you are a staff member and do not see this side of Mr. White.

GL: Have you spoken to the superintendent (or any school board members) about this, or do you intend to?
WPH: I have not yet spoken to any school board members about this, although I do plan on doing so.

GL: Do you think that you could've handled the situation differently?
WPH: I think that I probably could have handled it differently, but I still do not think I did anything wrong. As a student and a minor (that is, disrespected and not treated as having valid opinions) it is difficult to remain reasonable in the face of verbal abuse from staff members, although I did my best. However, as principal, Mr. White's job is to remain reasonable and fair in all circumstances, and he is not cut out for the job if he cannot do so.

GL: Do you think the school/district should respond to this, and, if so, how?
WPH: I think the school and possibly district should respond to this, but I am not sure how. Parents/the school board can at least censure/reprimand Mr. White, something that students are not capable of. However, a reprimand is not what I desire. I want Mr. White to commit to a change in his handling of the school and his treatment of students.

A couple other things: the school's job is to teach kids and to keep them safe. By sending me home without any genuine procedure, and only a short talk with my mom on the phone by Dr. Kinel (which I initiated), they made both of those impossible. In addition, the next day I received an automated call: "A student in your household was absent hours 4 through 7 on tuesday..."

One last point: It's easy for adults to look at this and think that kids are rebelling for the sake of it. That is truly not the case. I ask any adults reading this to put themselves in our shoes-and none of that "In my day" BS. It's not easy being a high schooler, even without an unreasonable principal. I know you think we're overreacting, but try to remember what it was like, and try and remove your nostalgia filter first.



I find all of this pretty ridiculous. One of the biggest issues at this school is that every problem is the fault of the student. Mr. White will admit that mistakes are made, but it's almost always a student's fault; if not, it's Kinel's fault. He made a huge mistake here, and he needs to own up to it. And since I don't have enough faith in him to do so, I plan on writing to the school board. Even if he won't respect us, he'll have to respect the school board.

Nobody cares what you think?

You know what bothers me most about all this? About everything at Pioneer? It's that nobody cares. And it sickens me.

How many kids really made statements about the cameras? Yes, plenty, PLENTY, wrote letters to the editor, etc., about cameras. But how many actually came to the meetings? Not many. Now, some of this is a result of the administration's desire to not let you find out. But it's your duty as a student of Pioneer to become actively involved.

Out of all those kids, how many were seniors? There were only two underclassmen at the meetings. I honestly believe that Mr. White has been stopped from larger things because of this senior leadership. The problem is, we'll be gone in four months. Then who will take over?

Fight for your rights. I'm so sick of people saying "Oh, I don't really give a damn about the cameras, they won't affect me." Well, look at what's happening! Mr. White is losing it. He's trying to make rules that are more ridiculous by the day. You cannot let him do this; you can't be complacent and let him walk all over you. You can't let him do whatever he wants. You must make Mr. White answer to you, not the other way around. People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

So come to the meeting on Thursday. Discuss things on this blog, or with your friends; let other people know. The administration doesn't want you to have information; spread as much information as possible. The administration is doing things that are wrong, and you cannot let them do that. Become involved.

This is not a criticism. This is a challenge. I want Pioneer to care. I know that a good number of high school students are complete morons. Mr. White is counting on that. You must be vocal enough to cover for the rest of them, the ones who refuse to get involved. You must care, and you must make sure everyone knows you care, and you must make other people care.

PSAS

A Pioneer Students Against Surveillance Meeting has been scheduled. It will take place at lunch on Thursday, February 21 in Mr. Robert's room (in E Portable).

Respekt.

Honestly, after the weird announcements of the last two days, I'm beginning to think that Mr. White cannot handle governing a school as large as Pioneer. He seems to be on a sort of downward spiral. The announcements over the last two days have not been coherent at all (not that the previous ones were, either) and he seems to be making them at completely illogical times; to the uninformed citizen, it might sound like a student had gotten a hold of the PA system and was using it to make the principal sound crazier and crazier. I'm not even sure it's Mr. White anymore; his verb-subject agreement and overall grammar indicate that it could just be a bunch of recordings melded together (credit goes to Dmitri for that one).

Mr. White, if you can still hear me, a word of advice. Principals do not need to be liked. They are, after all, principals. But they must be respected. And to be respected, you must show respect. You have not shown respect for the law (by denying the PSAS club status). You have not shown respect for the parents (by not informing them what is going on at the school they send their children to). You have not shown respect for the students (by not allowing us to have a real say in the policies of the school). This is not "my way or the highway." This is not the Marines. We're allowed to question, and I intend to question until 2:28 on May 23. You must show respect to gain respect. Without respect, you will fail.


And I can not, and will not, and should not respect you.

Announcement!

So I walked into Humanities at 7:30 this morning and heard, to my great surprise, an announcement playing. I certainly couldn't hear it in A Hall, and it'd be unreasonable to expect students to be in class at 7:30 when class starts at 7:40. I know teachers who aren't even in class by 7:30. so, of course, i figured this announcement couldn't be important. Well, it was. We're no longer allowed to eat lunch anywhere but outside, the gym, or the cafeteria. Because that'll get rid of all the trash. Also, hats were not allowed for today, because apparently students had been abusing the privilege of wearing hats for spirit days (as in, they were wearing hats not pertaining to the day, although, to be fair, he was yelling at kids for wearing hats relating to the day, too).

Why would he make an important announcement when no one could hear it?

Well, he made the exact same announcement a few minutes into first hour. Why did he bother telling us at 7:30? I think Mr. White is getting too comfortable with the PA system, because he'll go on it whenever he pleases just to tell us his views on whatever might be going on. I'm beginning to enjoy the stream-of-consciousness rants, though.

Also, I'm not eating in the gym. Sorry, administration. Maybe you'll spend your lunch period looking for me, which is actually much more productive than counting all the pieces of trash you find in the hallways (where we're not allowed to eat anyway) and making pointless announcements.

Yay! free promotion!

For those of you that didn't get one, try to pick up an Optimist today. We're mentioned on the cover (something I definitely did not expect), and a story was written about our humble little blog here. Hopefully, this will pull in some new readers, as our ill-advised facebook and business card experiments failed in that respect. . .

Good: By my count, this article of the Optimist has five articles tied directly to the camera issue. That's excellent; people really need to know about this issue, and few are very knowledgeable about it. Even more are apathetic; according to the paper, the students leading the charge against it will still be protesting. I'm looking for Pioneer Students Against Surveillance Meetings; I intend to attend. Good coverage of how ridiculously illegal Mr. White's refusal to allow this club to meet is, as well. Bennett Stein also wrote a letter to the paper.

I do have to disagree with the "Optimist Says" portion of the paper, though. While students did fight the cameras, they did not, as the paper says, show that "the community valued student opinions." Or, rather, the community valued them, but the administration just breezed right over student concerns and immediately labeled the students as "wrong."

Finally, on the note of the free publicity we got from the paper, I've been thinking about doing a mailbag-type thing, depending on how many responses we get. So, if you just started reading today, or if you've been reading for awhile, send us a question or a comment at pioneer.uncovered@gmail.com, and I might post them at a later date. Again, it depends on how many questions are sent in. You can ask about a lot of things, our views on this or why we do this or whatever you want. We probably won't tell you who we are, though. Not yet.

Party in the parking lot. . .

The next entertaining moment of the day was Mr. White's screaming rant near the beginning of fourth hour. The point of it, basically, was that he was going to talk to the other principals about confining kids to the gym, the lunch room, and the outdoors because there was too much trash in the hallways and the classrooms. If he does this, which he most certainly will (Who's going to stand up to him? One of the sheep from the administrative wing? Doubtful), I expect him to run into the same problems as last time; kids can't get help from teachers if they don't go at lunch. It's not like he'll care, of course. Anyways, his announcement was mostly an incoherent rant about how disappointed he was in us (according to my records, it was the first announcement of the school year that he did not end by telling us how proud he was of us) and how, eventually, we might get this policy implemented; he told us nothing. There are no new rules in place. "Students, there's a lot of trash, so you might be moving back to the gym!!!!! ANGRY!!!!"

Whatever. I'll sit right outside the front door if I have to. If he thinks he's herding me in there like livestock, he's mistaken. I'm not a sheep, and I'm not eating with 2000 other kids, not unless I'm encouraged with a cattle prod.

Recommendation Wednesday!

Happy Count Day!

Mr. White sounded pretty desperate to get everyone counted today. He was telling teachers not to mark ANYONE tardy, because buses were late and such, as usual. He was still telling them not to mark tardies in second hour. You're telling me the roads are so bad students can't make it there in two hours? I know the state probably has to have their school budget set by a certain time or something, but it seems to me like it'd be a much better idea to have count day later (or earlier) in the year, so that it isn't during prime snow season. I mean, we do live in Michigan.

Look at the HATS!

I've heard multiple reports of Mr. White asking students to take their hats off this week, even when announcements have told us that we're allowed to wear them if they're related to the spirit day. Apparently, when one girl mentioned this, he told her, "that's a lie."
It's great when members of the administration don't even coordinate with other members of the administration. . .

I hope he doesn't have a problem when this guy shows up tomorrow.

Cold

The Ann Arbor Public School System has the most illogical way of doing things. It was much too cold this morning for learning. I know that 10 of my friends' cars wouldn't even start, and 1 other whose car's battery almost bit the dust. This isn't to mention all of the little kids who had to stand outside in this weather to wait for their busses, well except for clauge of course, and their faulty piping or whatever it was. All more that I have to say is that if tomorrow is anything like today, and we still have school, I will sue!

Honor Levels of Hell

Well, now seems like as good a time as any to point out that thus far, only TWO seniors have received any sort of award for the honor level system. If you remember, initially, the honor level system was supposed to reward honor levels 1 and 2, perhaps with fun days or something like that. By my count, it's been roughly 12 school weeks since the system was implemented. Notice they didn't say they were going to reward TWO students; they said they'd reward the honor level 1 and 2 students. Why have I not been commended for my exceptional record?

P.S. Apparently, Ms. Thompson-Bert and Mr. White got in an argument over the phone today. I have no idea if this is true, nor do I have any other information about it. Still, spreading unsubstantiated rumors is fun, and I would be thrilled if this was true.

No news is good news?

There seem to have been a slew of slow news days lately. I believe that administrators from Balas are going to be meeting with Mr. White in the near future to figure out where exactly they will be putting the cameras, but that's not really news. We're kind of in between the camera decision and progress being made on the actual installation process (not that I consider it progress), at least that we're being told about. The cameras have been the main focus here lately, so I'm sort of unaware of any other issues that need covering (so if you have an idea, or just something to complain about, or questions, or comments, email pioneer.uncovered@gmail.com).

Return of the Gospel Choir

There's a letter in today's Ann Arbor News from Andrew Dorsey, whom I presume is a Pioneer student (a quick yearbook check reveals that he is a junior).

Keep religion out of public schools

I often hear prominent figures talking of the principle of the separation of church and state as one of the defining features to our democracy. In my opinion, the public school is one of the staple parts of the state, and should be separated from any religious experiences.

On Thursday, Jan. 17, Pioneer High School had an assembly celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Attendance was mandatory. The assembly included performances by the Pioneer High School Gospel Choir. Their performance was superb, but I was troubled by the content of their songs. Every song was religious in content, and every one obviously Christian religious content. I have nothing against religion - I am a Catholic myself - but this sort of preaching should not be allowed in our schools. King was religious, but he also preached equality more than anything else. Pioneer is a diverse school, and it is hardly equal for the Jewish, Muslim and other religiously diverse students to have to, for the better part of a half hour, listen to Christian gospel music.

The schools need to learn from King and stop this discriminatory violation of the separation of church and state. The Founding Fathers included the religion clause in the Bill of Rights to avoid events such as this. The school should either make attendance nonmandatory or remove the Christian gospel songs altogether. The public school is the epitome of the state, as it has a huge influence in raising the nation's children, and this institution is becoming religious.

Andrew Dorsey, Ann Arbor

Now, I don't agree with the whole thing; I thought one of the songs was non-religious. That's about it. I didn't really cover this issue, because I was too caught up in the whole camera thing. But the whole thing did seem quite religious. I know that they will never make assemblies non-mandatory; they were blocking the doors so people couldn't leave. But they could certainly come up with more interesting speakers. Like me! I would like to declare my candidacy for keynote speaker for whatever assembly we have coming up (not the pep assembly). Pioneer representatives, please email me at pioneer.uncovered@gmail.com.

Students are still voicing their opinions.

I'm a few days late on this, but Pioneer senior Elaine Ezekiel had a letter published in the "Other Voices" section of the Ann Arbor News a few days ago. I've heard plenty of seniors express indifference about the cameras, since they'll only be affected for a few months. But a good number of seniors are showing they recognize their responsibility to future students.

Cameras cost more, do less than Pioneer's peer programs

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

BY ELAINE EZEKIEL

There has been a lot of debate over the installation of video cameras at Pioneer High School. I will not argue the point that video cameras are inherently evil devices. Instead, I will discuss the alternative options we are developing at Pioneer to better serve the same purposes desired from the cameras.

Pioneer, like any school with nearly 3,000 students, has problems with theft, assault and fighting. However, as a fourth-year student who attends the school for seven hours daily, I have never felt unsafe at Pioneer. Unfortunately, many of the decisions made concerning Pioneer are shaped by those who are not able to spend significant time in the building. I am glad that the school board is concerned enough with the safety of students like me to spend $80,000 in security measures, but this money could be better used.

Any incident of violence is one incident too many and our collective goal should be a peaceful, safe school. The installation of cameras does not prevent violence or theft; they simply catch and punish the involved individuals.

Cameras are less cost effective and less efficient than proactive programs newly implemented at Pioneer this year. Here are three: The Peer Mediation Program, Positive Peer Influence, and the Peer Mentoring Program. Their aim is to create a more stable atmosphere within Pioneer. Their effect on the school is already statistically remarkable, but because there is more draw towards negative press, their existence passes under the surveillance of many.

The Peer Mentoring Program was created this year to pair one troubled freshman entering Pioneer with a volunteering junior or senior to ease the turbulence of transition. This program provides a tutor, mentor and friend to a student who may lash out as a result of lack of support in these areas.

PPI, headed by Jonathan Stern and Kristine Wisner, is a confidential peer group of 12 students separated by gender established in 1986. They help troubled students to work through their life challenges that could easily provide underlying reasons for violence at Pioneer such as substance abuse, problems at home and academic difficulties. Dr. Wisner describes the program as "swamped.'' It is insufficiently staffed with only one social worker and one psychologist to serve a school of nearly 3,000.

Most closely tied to this debate is the newly established Peer Mediation Program. Through the Oakland Mediation Center in Bloomfield Hills, 14 selected students, including myself, were trained over 14 hours this summer about conflict mediation techniques. Again understaffed by the hardworking counselors Evelyn Tolson, Sara Vance and community assistant Ketrina Webster, the confidential program offers an alternative way to address conflicts rather than resorting to administrative disciplinary action. From Sept. 25 to today, there have been 24 successful mediations, 10 of which clearly prevented violence.

How many violent fights would cameras prevent? Maybe a few on school grounds, but at most, the cameras would simply displace violence off of Pioneer property as opposed to ensuring actual student safety. The total cost of the Peer Mediation Program was a one-time fee of $4,500, which included the training session for staff and students, one year of consultation services, a four-day staff training program that certified the Pioneer staff in training future mediators, and rights to the curriculum for years to come. For one-twentieth of the proposed price for cameras, I can point to 10 individual cases where violence was avoided.

Under the two new programs, Positive Peer Influence, and Principal White's new leadership, Pioneer has seen significant drops in violence across the board according to administrative records. During the same time period last year compared to this year, reported cases of fighting, harassment and assault have fallen from 26 to 12, 17 to 4, and 12 to 5, respectively.

We are not perfect, but reactive measures such as surveillance cameras are extravagant and unnecessary for our school in this period of positive change.

About the writer: Elaine Ezekiel is an Ann Arbor resident and a senior at Pioneer High School.

Is a Principal the Answer?

The other day I had an idea, or rather a question, that I want to pose - is it truly necessary to employ a "principal" to guide a school the size of Pioneer, rather than having the job carried out by more than one person?

Although the comparison doesn't truly fit, as the principal does not rule its school, instead merely oversees its staff and departments, ensures that all the school's cogs are functioning and sets the general direction/attitude the school should take, I'll make it anyway: the Roman Republic (which I have been studying far too much of lately). While transplanting the entire government into a school like this one - the three-tiered system of consuls, senate and tribune - would not be feasible, having two "consuls" or three "triumvirs" man the top position of the school would. Without slowing down the administrative duties of the principal, redesigning the "principalship" in this way would check the power of any one principal and potentially widen the scope of its representation.

It has certainly been evident that the new administration has brought with it a new direction in which it is currently taking our school. I will not attempt to explain exactly what the old stance was, nor will I try to evaluate the new one - I don't know enough about either. However, it is obvious that a change has occurred, and many students are not happy about it. Principal White inherited a school he felt could be vastly improved. To fix it, he is, among other things, putting in security cameras. In light of the reaction of the student body, staff and the public to the decision, it seems conceivable that the proposal would not have been green-lighted had there been another administrator - Mr. White's equal - whose agreement would have been needed. In this case, the camera's may well have been ok'd regardless of who was in charge. In future matters, though, a more equal distribution of power may solve similar problems.

The main concern that has been raised whenever the job of one is awarded to two or more is that of accountability. Each of every member of the party has someone else onto which he or she can pawn the blame if something goes wrong or steal the praise if it goes right, as consulates would do in Ancient Rome (this point has been raised in reference to the Clinton campaign, arguing that Hillary and Bill Clinton could act in this way). My only response to this is that I would hope the principals would not sneak behind the other's back in making choices. At Pioneer, with so much specialization having been created, the principal doesn't often make wide-ranging, school-altering decisions (someone correct me if I'm wrong about this). Going back the surveillance cameras example, the administration's plan was made very public (albeit partly out of controversy) and would never have gotten as far as it has without the complete consent of Mr. White - or, of both or all principals.

Another necessary measure that would have to be taken by the school were this system to ever be considered is that both or all the principals were chosen by a third party (a vote by a high-ranking and well-informed panel of school officials at Balas, for example.) This way, the principals could selected so as to have the best of both worlds: different enough that they control each other and filter out the bad ideas of the other, similar enough that they aren't constantly at an impasse and suffocate the school. This, too, may be nothing more than wishful thinking. However, I can't help but wonder if there isn't a more stable way to govern a school.

To be continued, maybe. . .

Just sayin'. . .

Friday

Snow possibly mixing with sleet. Additional snow accumulations 4 to 6 inches possible...for a storm total of 5 to 9 inches. Otherwise brisk. Highs 29 to 33. Northeast winds 15 to 25 mph...becoming northwest 10 to 20 mph late. Chance of precipitation 100 percent.

+

Va. Student's Snow-Day Plea Triggers an Online Storm

By Michael Alison Chandler

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 23, 2008; Page A01

Snow days, kids and school officials have always been a delicate mix.

But a phone call to a Fairfax County public school administrator's home last week about a snow day -- or lack of one -- has taken on a life of its own. Through the ubiquity of Facebook and YouTube, the call has become a rallying cry for students' First Amendment rights, and it shows that the generation gap has become a technological chasm.

It started with Thursday's snowfall, estimated at about three inches near Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke. On his lunch break, Lake Braddock senior Devraj "Dave" S. Kori, 17, used a listed home phone number to call Dean Tistadt, chief operating officer for the county system, to ask why he had not closed the schools. Kori left his name and phone number and got a message later in the day from Tistadt's wife.

"How dare you call us at home! If you have a problem with going to school, you do not call somebody's house and complain about it," Candy Tistadt's minute-long message began. At one point, she uttered the phrase "snotty-nosed little brats," and near the end, she said, "Get over it, kid, and go to school!"

Not so long ago, that might have been the end of it -- a few choice words by an agitated administrator (or spouse). But with the frenetic pace of students' online networking, it's harder for grown-ups to have the last word. Kori's call and Tistadt's response sparked online debate among area students about whether the student's actions constituted harassment and whether the response was warranted.

Kori took Tistadt's message, left on his cellphone, and posted an audio link on a Facebook page he had created after he got home from school called "Let them know what you think about schools not being cancelled." The Web page listed Dean Tistadt's work and home numbers.

The Tistadts received dozens more calls that day and night, Dean Tistadt said. Most were hang-ups, but at one point, they were coming every five minutes -- one at 4 a.m., he said. At the same time, his wife's response was spreading through cyberspace.

Within a day, hundreds of people had listened to her message, which was also posted on YouTube. A friend of Kori's sent it to a local television news station, and it was aired on the nightly news program. As of yesterday, more than 9,000 people had clicked on the YouTube link. Hundreds of comments had been posted on the Facebook and YouTube pages, largely about what constitutes proper and polite requests for public information from students.

One Oakton High School student said in a posting yesterday that the crank calls to the Tistadts' home were out of line but that Kori's call was appropriate. "I am not happy that [Dean Tistadt] gambled multiple times with our safety just so we might have a bit more knowledge crammed in our heads at school," he wrote.

A Westfield High School student agreed: "thank God someone stood up for us at last!"

Some were just as adamant the other way. A student from James Madison High School in Vienna wrote: "It's called a home phone number for a reason. My dad is a physician and I can't tell you how irritating it is to get calls at all hours of the night from people who think they are entitled to immediate attention . . . leave the poor guy alone."

Kori, a member of the Lake Braddock debate team who said his grade-point average is 3.977, said his message was not intended to harass. He said that he tried unsuccessfully to contact Dean Tistadt at work and that he thought he had a basic right to petition a public official for more information about a decision that affected him and his classmates. He said he was exercising freedom of speech in posting a Facebook page. The differing interpretations of his actions probably stem from "a generation gap," he said.

"People in my generation view privacy differently. We are the cellphone generation. We are used to being reached at all times," he said.

Kori explained his perspective in an e-mail yesterday to Fairfax County schools spokesman Paul Regnier. Regnier said, also in an e-mail, that Kori's decision to place the phone call to the Tistadts' home was more likely the result of a "civility gap."

"It's really an issue of kids learning what is acceptable and not acceptable. Any call to a public servant's house is harassment," Regnier said in an interview.

Kori said that he was called into the principal's office to discuss the matter but that he was not punished.

Candy Tistadt did not return phone messages, but Dean Tistadt credited Kori for having the "courage of his convictions to stand up and be identified." He also credited him for causing the high volume of crank calls, not to mention considerable grief and embarrassment for his wife.

"This has been horrible for her," he said, adding that he and his wife both learned a hard lesson about the long reach of the Internet.

Second Semester

Hope everyone had a good first day of second semester.

I don't really have much else to say. Hopefully, The Pioneer Students Against Surveillance will be announcing meetings soon (note: I am not a leader of this group in any way), which I plan to attend. Hopefully, I will put meetings on the calendar (there --->) when I find out about them. Unless, of course, Mr. White is still illegally denying them club status, and they're meeting in secret. If that be the case. . .I'll figure it out then.

PSAS

It looks as if the Pioneer Students Against Surveillance will still be meeting, and promoting their meetings.

I'm interested in going; hopefully I'll see some of you there. . .

this is the way the world ends. . .not with a bang but a whimper

Alright, it's looking like I'm just going to do another huge post, sort of like I did after the PTSO meeting on December 17th. . .I had four pages of notes from that night. I have almost six from last night. . .

It was obvious something important was happening before we even got inside the library. A news truck from one of the Detroit stations (2, 4, 7, I don't know) was stationed outside on William Street.

We sat through about six awards for excellence given to teachers before getting to the camera public commentary.

A list of persons in attendance at the meeting:
Michael White, Principal
Kevin Hudson, Class of 2011 Principal
Dr. Robert Kinel, Class of 2009 Principal
Dr. Arthur Williams, Huron High School Principal
Bennett Stein, Student Council Executive President
Officer Jack Foster, Pioneer Police Liaison
Michele Macke, Pioneer Math Teacher
Michael X Benedict, Pioneer Art Teacher
William Leaf, Pioneer Senior
Michael Steinberg, Legal Director, ACLU of Michigan
Joshua Kay, Chairman, ACLU of Washtenaw County

The first thing I noticed was that this meeting was going to be a lot more organized than the PTSO meeting. There would be no Mr. White shouting people down, for one thing, or vice versa.

Let me make this clear right now: One of my biggest problems with the current administration is their lack of respect for the majority of students. Yes, they say they know everyone, they listen to students, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth. Mr. White doesn't give a damn about what you say unless it'll make him look good in front of the Board of Education (and they're all following him blindly anyway, so it doesn't matter). The administration felt they needed to sneak around the parents and students to deal with this issue; the one vote opposing the cameras last night, from trustee Susan Baskett, pointed out that nothing had changed since the discourse first included the public, and that the camera bid was exactly the same as it had been when it was sent before the first public meeting dealing with it. Nothing has changed, and nothing ever will. They know they don't have to listen to seniors, because we'll be gone in four months anyway. There were two underclassmen, a sophomore and a junior, at the meeting last night. Unless you start to fight for your rights, they'll realize how easy it is to walk all over you. Do not let them.

On that note: parents are starting to band together against Mr. White. They are angry that they've been shut out of this process until now. The best decision, from the standpoint of Mr. White, would have been to postpone the decision. A bunch of parents who are already angry at him banding together is not what he wants right now.

And just a note to teachers and administrators: be careful what sort of BS you're spitting. Because I write it down, and I save my notes. So when I have Mrs. Macke quoted as saying that the cameras won't help to identify people who steal things out of the school after hours (PTSO meeting, December 17), and when I also have her quoted as saying it won't stop fights (Ann Arbor Board of Education Meeting, January 24), and when recent records have proven that most school-day thefts don't happen in hallways anyway, you've painted yourself into a corner. You're extremely lucky that you confused the School Board into giving you these cameras, and you know it.

The meeting entered the Public Commentary phase.

First up was one Ruth Swifler (there will be a number of misspellings in this post because there were a lot of people speaking and I couldn't get spellings for all of them). She stated that surveillance cameras were something that she would expect from a fascist society, and was worried ours might be turning into one.

Next up was Mrs. Macke. She said that the PTSO had been wanting cameras for five years, and then pointed out that they wanted them because Huron had them. Huron's only had them for a year or so (more on Huron and why they need cameras, but we don't, later). I guess that's why they couldn't get them installed before; they couldn't pin it on Huron. How lucky we are to have two high schools that are exactly the same, huh? She also said that she didn't think the cameras would stop fights, because "they're irrational anyways". She also expressed concern for Officer Foster, who has a "huge stack" of theft reports to go through. Well, thankfully, Mr. White has cut that stack by 63%! Let's just run over some facts here. There were 582 "thefts" last year. Upon further examination, 27% of those turned out to be lost items, and only 165 took place in areas where surveillance would be used. So far this year, there have been 106 "thefts," fourteen of which took place where surveillance would be used. Mr. White's policies work. Why don't we continue to use them? After all, at the PTSO meeting, he said he'd keep the schools safe with or without cameras. I believe him, do you?

Lou Glory spoke next. She was concerned with the cameras violating the Constitution. "We're pitting security against our constitutional rights and protections," she said. She also pointed out that the rules do not only come into effect when we turn 18 or 21, they apply to everyone. Some kid sitting next to me kept pointing out Tinker vs. Des Moines to support his argument that we have no rights at a public school; problem is, public school students won the right to free speech in that case. Ms. Glory also expressed concern about limiting students, almost caging them: "Are they animals, or are they students?" It was at this point that I first noticed Officer Foster and Mr. White smirking. The Pioneer side provided hours of amusement during the meeting with their antics.

Dave DeVarti, who was also vocal at the PTSO meeting and provided the link about the two girls caught kissing in the hallways by security cameras, said that he wanted the board to balance security with other community values. Mr. DeVarti was the first to bring up the alternate proposal idea. He said that it could be done by June, and urged the board to consider postponing the decision until then. He pointed out that this would gain community trust that the board should be lacking in right now, especially after this decision. In a very interesting development, he reported that during a meeting with Mr. White and Todd Roberts, among others, the previous night, Mr. White had expressed not qualms about putting cameras in classrooms. Because, you know, schools aren't standardized enough; we might as well tell all the teachers to teach the exact same thing, and we might as well monitor them to make sure they are.

Ellen Rabinowitz spoke next; Rabinowitz is a Pioneer parent and has a daughter in eighth grade, whom she said is looking into other schools and is praying she gets into Community. She pointed out that we have no idea how Huron's have worked, as they have not been installed for long enough. "I want my daughter to go to a school where students are trusted and respected."

Lori Bennett followed Mr. DeVarti's lead in telling the board to wait until June to make a decision. She provided a number of alternatives to cameras. She spoke quickly, so I couldn't write them all down, but she included increased peer mediation programs, improved data collection on other schools with cameras, clarifying the school rules for all students, bringing locks into locker rooms, educating students on protecting their property, and installing cameras in parking lots and at entrances. She also proposed involving more people in the decision, including a number of groups associated with the school. She said that school safety expert Ron Astor (who is also a professor at the University of Southern California) was willing to help, and that these discussions should take place before the decision was made by the board.

Mr. Steinberg spoke next. He said that, in his time in the ACLU, he has seen many surveillance programs gone wrong. He spoke of metal detectors, students being held in "holding areas" for two or more hours before being found innocent, and even two schools strip-searching students unsuccessfully. He made it clear that he understands (and that we all understand) that all Mr. White is trying to do is make the school safer, and that he is doing so with good intentions. But that is always the case. Mr. Steinberg wanted the board to focus on developing solutions that do not violate civil liberties. He also said that viewing a map of the places where cameras would be installed reminded him of a prison map.

Next up was a parent whose full name I did not catch (but I believe it was Mark Zuckerberg?). He pointed out that cameras' preventative ability was in doubt, and reminded the board that Mr. White had stated that he would keep the school safe with or without cameras at the PTSO meeting. "Why haven't we looked at Huron?" he asked the board. "I don't know why all of you don't almost demand that."

Bennett Stein was the first student to speak. He relayed facts and statistics that I've used earlier in this post. He also questions why "no one has provided on statistic at Huron, or any other school for that matter," in terms of how effective the cameras are in preventing assaults. He also said that there are no open assault cases this year, though there have been two assaults this year at Pioneer-I guess that means they were closed, meaning they identified the perpetrators (probably because Mr. White chased them across a street and through yards and over fences and such). Later, Mr. White said that one assault had taken place during this process (and of course we're all doing this just to annoy him), and so, clearly, we could not waste any more time on the decision. But wait–his own employee said that the cameras wouldn't stop assaults!

Denise Ten Brink, another Pioneer parent, spoke next. She spoke out in favor of the cameras, and said that many people she'd spoken to supported them. It sounded to me, though, like her only reason for being in favor of the cameras was that she felt that she should support the principal and his recommendations, a disturbing trend throughout the meeting. She also said that she didn't want any hall monitors taken out of the hallways. That means we have to buy the cameras AND pay another yearly salary for a hall monitor. You can't have your cake and eat it, too.

The second student of the night to speak was Will Leaf. He said that proponents of the cameras often said they were just looking out for students' safety. "What evidence is there that this will make our schools safer?" he asked the board. "Why is there no burden of proof?" He pointed out that there are many schools with cameras across the country. Why hasn't data been gathered from these schools? Leaf also said that a prospective club at Pioneer, the Pioneer Students Against Surveillance, was rejected on the grounds of opposing the school. Leaf said this just illustrated the way in which students leading the charge against cameras were applauded in public and given conflicting messages in private.

Another Pioneer parent (whose name I did not get) supported the cameras and talked about the Safe School Ambassadors, who apparently have some sort of very important book coming out in April–so important, it's been featured on Katie Couric. You know it's good when Katie Couric figures out that a book that will feed the fears of parents nurtured by a sensationalist media will get her good ratings! Anyway, if the book is coming out in April, let's wait until then, so as to get the full effect of the life-changing research!

Joshua Kay, the chairman of the Washtenaw County ACLU, spoke next. He noted the irony of the "Freedom Shrine" on the wall of the room the Board of Education meets in, "complete with Bill of Rights." I thought he was one of the best and most convincing speakers of the night. "It occurs to me that there's been no evidence of cameras' effectiveness," he told the board. "We've heard no evidence in favor."

Next was a parent named Naomi Walushin, who pointed out that the population of Pioneer would be going down in the coming years with the addition of Skyline High School. She spoke in support of parking lot cameras, so that the community assistants would not have to worry about the parking lot. She did, however, make one great point that has been severely underrepresented in this debate. If you read one part of this blog, read this. I've heard people use the excuse, "well, when you walk into Target, you're on camera!" Yes, but, you can always not go to Target (not to mention Target is not run by the state). But, as Ms. Walushin pointed out, it is mandatory for students to attend high school until they are 16 years old. I didn't turn 16 until I was a junior! That's two full years of mandatory surveillance. The school wants to put you under mandatory surveillance. That alone should be enough to kill the bid. Or should have been, at least. Yes, a school is a public place. But it is not a public place in the way a store is. It is a public place we are required to spend at least 11 years of our lives attending.

Michael X Benedict, an art teacher with Pioneer, spoke next, and he considerably lightened the mood. While speaking in support of the cameras, he also thought that $80,000 was quite a lot of money. However, in the art department, he had to constantly worry about things being stolen. However, it seemed like the majority, if not all, of the items that had been stolen from art rooms and display cases were stolen after school. He was sitting next to Mrs. Macke; he should've asked her. She could've told him that the cameras won't stop after-school theft. He also jokingly requested a fake camera, to be placed above his door to deter students from stealing things.

At this point, the public commentary ended. Mr. White and Mr. Hudson left, probably going to gossip in the bathroom or something. Kinel had to retrieve them ten minutes later.

The board then asked one of the writers of the bid (I assume) to speak to the specifics of it. He said that the company they were going to buy the cameras from had given them "great flexibility" in terms of time frame and money. He said they had the price, although no one asked him what it was. If they have such great flexibility, why can't they hold off on making a decision until June?

Trustee Baskett asked Dr. Todd Roberts, superintendent, if anything could be lost by waiting to make a decision on the cameras until June. Dr. Roberts said that he believed any plan for protecting the school would involve cameras, so it was pointless to wait. Wait, if that was the alternate proposal that the parents against the cameras were going to come up with, what was the point of them coming up with one? When asked what the consequences of waiting five months would be, Roberts responded that this has been Pioneer's recommendation for a long time. Baskett made it pretty obvious that the process has only been more inclusive since the bid was already made, but there was no reaction.

Mr. White spoke next, along with his entourage. Doing his best Mark Antony impression, he avoided the facts and made a completely emotional argument. He talked about the one assault that had taken place, and how it painted him to have to tell that mother that her child had been assaulted. Well, the cameras are not going to stop assaults. So what would having a tape change? "Ms. Shelton, I'm terribly sorry your son got his nose broken by another student. Now watch this punch. . ."
Mr. White also said that the time spent solving these crimes could be used educating kids. At this time, he motioned to Kinel and Hudson. These people are administrators. They do no educating; they sit around and administrate (not as dirty as it sounds)! Watch for another post on this at some later date. But for now, they're not wasting time that could be spent educating. They don't educate.
White was also concerned that of the 582 items stolen last year, 565 were never returned. These must be those special new cameras that can actually grab students and immediately scan them for stolen items.
Mr. White was apparently distraught that, because he attended the meeting the night before, he had missed his son's basketball game. Maybe he should have sent someone with a camera, hmm?

Then Mr. White had Officer Foster come and speak (which was amazing in itself; Officer Foster had been falling asleep the whole night). Foster spoke of the "silent majority," saying a number of students in favor of the cameras just aren't vocal (they are also invisible, because they don't really exist).

Dr. Kinel came up and repeated the line used by many AAPS employees lately. "I see cameras as a tool," he told the board.

Mr. White told everyone that his sons didn't mind them, and they had been exposed to them for seven years. That effectively killed that argument–if kids start being watched in sixth grade, of course they'll think it's normal! That's the point, that kids will start to think of this as normal!

Huron's Principal, Dr. Arthur Williams, was the next to speak for the cameras. Unfortunately for Mr. White (for at least the following ten minutes), Dr. Williams' testimony only illustrated the vast differences between Huron and Pioneer. At Huron, the parent support was "overwhelming." At Pioneer, that is simply not the case. Many parents, including some of considerable clout, do not like the way this issue has been handled, and are opposed to the cameras as it is. Dr. Williams also spoke about the "unique" architecture of Huron; it is comprised mainly of circles, apparently (I wouldn't know, I've never been inside the school). It is constructed in such a way that if they wanted community assistants to have a view of every hallway in the school, they'd have to hire fifty to sixty community assistants. This, too, is different from Pioneer. We need ten. Pioneer is not Huron, and we're tired of being compared to them all the time. Dr. Williams also leaned on the "the world is changing" excuse, which, as an American, I'm getting fairly sick of. If you want to mess with the Constitution, don't just take out little parts. Have some courage and tell people you actually believe that we don't need it anymore. Afraid that people might not like that? Well, then, you don't have any support for your plan. According to Dr. Williams, during the first semester this year, there were 43 items stolen (of which 14 were actually stolen, not lost or otherwise unstolen); during the same period last year, there were 64. This looks impressive, but it's only a 33% drop. Pioneer nearly doubled that this year, without cameras. Huron has many genuine problems (such as having the richest kids in the city and the poorest kids in the city in one school). The cameras might even work for them. But Pioneer doesn't need them just because Huron does.

One board member commended both sides for their civility shown during the debates. That conflicts slightly with what I've heard about Mr. White in not-so-public meetings. . .

In the end, all the trustees spoke. Trustee Baskett said it was the hardest vote she's had to make in five years on the School Board. She mentioned that when the School Board was talking about bringing in a police officer, they asked "What's next? Cameras?" Baskett was concerned about security going too far. She also didn't seem to fully believe that the cameras would be effective. "They're not stupid. They're not likely to do it in front of a camera. These actions will move elsewhere." She was also worried about a possible false sense of security resulting from the cameras, and about the possibility that the Huron decrease in crime was just a short-term trend (maybe until kids figure out better ways to steal?). She pointed out that in the case of Laura Dickinson, an EMU student who was murdered in her dorm room, there was security footage but there still isn't a conviction. She also delivered the best line of the night. "If all you have in your toolbox is a hammer, then all your problems start to look like nails."

Board President Karen Cross said that she wasn't sure we could trust the data, and that Huron High School was not a controlled study. Apparently, it didn't worry her that much–she voted for the cameras. Every board member did except Trustee Baskett, to whom I intend to write a letter, thanking her for her stand. I urge you to do the same.

Camera Meeting

The Board of Education passed the motion. The cameras will be installed. Big, comprehensive post coming. . .soon. Probably tomorrow or the next day. I don't know what to write about anymore. . .

Almost a slow news day.

I went through nearly the entire day thinking it'd be a slow news day. However, Mr. White came through.

I won't say if I fully broke out into laughter when I heard the familiar "ding ding!" with five minutes left in the second hour final, but you can probably guess my reaction if you think hard enough. His timing was impeccable-it's not like anyone could possibly be stressing with five minutes left in their final. Good thing he had plenty of important information to fill us in on, namely, that we did, in fact, have to leave after finals ended. "No sleepovers, students! I know you all love my Super Happy Wonder Land, but you have to go home sometime!"

In more important news, CAMERA MEETING TOMORROW. BE THERE.
I got an email yesterday from a certain high-ranking member of Pioneer's student hierarchy. According to the email, there were 106 reported thefts first semester this year, less than half than first semester last year. For those of you keeping score at home, there were 580 thefts reported last year. At this pace, there would be 212 thefts this year, which is an astonishing 63% drop. Looks to me like Mr. White's policies are working–why do we need cameras?
Additionally, only 13.2% of those 106 thefts took place in areas where cameras will be installed. 14 thefts over the course of a semester? Well worth $80-100,000!

The Book Depository Must be Worth Millions

I woke up early this morning to the sound of coyotes running around my house, and rolled over onto a crumpled piece of paper. It was my receipt from the 4 books I received at the beginning of this year, which totaled to almost 200 dollars. That's 50 bucks a book. There are one hundred thousand million books in the book depository. You do the math.

I can hardly wait to see the Gospel Choir again in two weeks.

So another one of those famous MLK Day assemblies took place today. This year's edition was a cheap sequel of last year's; same speaker, same message, same songs. Oh, well. It was almost worth the shortened classes.
As soon as I walked into the auditorium, I heard Mr. White warning students about the dangers of electronic devices (I heard later that he and Mr. Hudson confiscated upwards of 25 of these dangerous mind-polluting items). Mr. White then pleaded with students to sit down, eventually growing very angry because he couldn't get everyone to sit down. Luckily, though, the state of anger is when Mr. White is at his best, grammatically speaking. "We have visitors that's in the audience and that's on stage!" he exclaimed.
He even threatened to dismiss the assembly at one point because students were becoming too unruly (or something like that; I was too busy being unruly to pay attention). Unfortunately, though, he decided that the show must go on.
Eventually, things calmed down; lucky for us, Mr. White still had an adrenaline rush, and continued speaking. "Thank you for all the people who are put on this show." Thank you, Mr. Principal, sir! I think!
We then got to the music portion of the program. The jazz band was excellent, with Tim van Riper and Jenny Herzog singing, both of whom sounded great (clearly the high point of the assembly). Then we got to the always-popular Gospel Choir. Um. . .well, at least they got to use the same songs as last year, so they didn't really mess up too much. . .
Then, of course, Mr. White told us that we deserved applause for how well we conducted ourselves during the assembly, apparently suffering from a disturbing case of amnesia. Someone should really check on him.
We then returned to our classes and, at least for me, third hour started. The announcements went on for a good ten minutes, and Mr. White decided that seven minutes was much too long for us to go without the soothing sound of his voice. He made an announcement having something to do with hats, I believe. . .just another one of his "Good morning, students, I just thought I'd tell you that the rules are, in fact, still in place" announcements. And then he reminded us how proud he was of all of us. I don't know about you, but it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.