Results tagged “highschool”

Following the suspension of a Bronx English teacher who assigned 11th graders a short story about tragic masturbation attempts, students have defended the instructor while adults have expressed skepticism over his decision. Louella Hatch, whose grandson attends the Bronx School of Law and Finance, is one of the adults who objects to teacher Greg Van Voorhis' assignment of "Guts" by "Fight Club" author Chuck Palahniuk. "Well, I really don't go for that. Well, I'm old fashioned anyway, but I don't like things like that," she said. "If it is true, he can't still be around the school, you know?" she added.

One day in September 2008, Queens High School student Stephen Cruz suffered a lacerated forehead when school safety agent Daniel O’Connell, without provocation, allegedly kicked open a restroom stall that Stephen was using. Cruz claims that after he tumbled to the floor bleeding from his head, O'Connell (whom the students called RoboCop) walked away saying, "That's life; it will stop bleeding." Typical robot.

NY1 reports 12 students were hospitalized "after a pepper spray fight erupted in the school cafeteria." The East Fordham Road building, which houses a number of schools, was evacuated in an apparently confusing manner. Students said, "If it was a real emergency, if it was a fire, we probably would have been the last ones to get out," and "Most people were pushing. It was scary. And they didn't really organize it when we were outside, because some people were saying to either go home or stay in."

The NY Times spotlights the worries of some parents whose daughters are freshmen at NJ's well-regarded Millburn High School. Specifically, how senior girls' hazing of the frosh include a slut list ("A dozen or more names are written on a piece of notebook paper, with crass descriptions, and copies are passed around — hundreds this year, some say") and senior girls "blow[ing] whistles in some girls’ faces" and shoving "them into lockers."

Free love lives! This sign was spotted at Brandeis High School on the Upper West Side (just before their prom which is taking place tonight). It's like a little history lesson on how things were in the carefree '60s, when that stinging feeling as you urinated was no cause for concern. No mention of abstinence or condoms, just a friendly reminder that if you're going to have sex, you might wanna keep it clean. Men: wash thoroughly before and after (with soap and water) because the ladies probably already have a V.D. and don't even know it! Time to stock up on douche and go to the doctor, tramps. Then it's straight back to studying up on the USSR.

The devastated parents of a Queens high school student who was killed by a drunk driver are suing the parents of his friend for serving booze at a party the night he died; they're also suing the motorist who left his Kia Spectra idling outside a convenience store, where an inebriated ex-con stole it. 16-year-old Robert Ogle (pictured) was walking home with his 20-year-old friend Alex Paul at 1:30 a.m. on February 1st when they were both struck and killed by Kenneth Guyear, who prosecutors say took off in the car after owner David Jaber left it unattended. The wrongful-death lawsuit contends that Sing-Chau Fung and Yuk Lai Fung are to blame for permitting underage drinking at their house that night during a birthday party for their son; Jaber and Guyear are also named in the suit. The teen's father, Brendan Ogle, tells the Daily News, "Each person in their own way contributed to this train wreck. If everyone had exercised better judgment, my son would be alive today."

The Bloomberg campaign isn't just spending money on TV ads—it's also looking for high schoolers to take paid internships! The Daily News reports that ads appeared in Murrrow and Bronx Science newsletters ("Students must be available nights and weekends"). NYPIRG's Gene Russianoff questioned whether the ads should have been placed in the newsletter, which could violate the city charter's ban on using city resources for non-governmental purposes. The Department of Education doesn't think there's a conflict (but asked the Conflicts Board to review); still, one principal told the News, "We didn't do it, but I wondered if it would get back to City Hall that we refused." The best quote is from former McCain '08 staffer Jill Hazelbaker, now working on the mayor's reelection effort: "This kind of sophisticated outreach to younger voters is exactly the type of grassroots organizing that President Obama was celebrated for in the '08 campaign." Quick, get Poster Boy to do a Bloomberg poster!

That stabbing on Ninth Avenue and 50th Street mentioned on the Gothamist Newsmap yesterday? Well, it turns out an 18-year-old student at the High School of Graphic Communication Arts was stabbed and attacked just a block away from the school by four other teens. According to 1010 WINS, "Witnesses say he was stabbed in the torso and hit with a two-by-four during a fight near a deli at the corner of 50th Street and 9th Avenue. Witnesses believe the fight was over a girl." And besides two-by-fours and a knife, sticks were also being brandished in the 3:30 p.m. attack! The teen is in stable condition at Cornell Medical Center; four teens, from ages 15 to 18, were arrested on charges including gang assault, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.

A truly heartwarming story from the Star-Ledger: Estelle Manorek, 90, attended a day of classes at West Caldwell High School in West Caldwell, NJ. Manorek "grew up the child of Polish immigrants in Jersey City during the Depression" and never attended high school because she went to work at age 14 after her brother contracted polio.

Abraham Lincoln is so totally "in" these days, so some teenagers attending Abraham Lincoln High School teamed up with the with New York Historical Society to pay homage to the 16th President inside of Barneys Madison Avenue windows. A full set of the display can be seen here, where it's noted the kid's "original portraits may be purchased for $100 each," and are going fast (though none of them seem to include the famous stovepipe hat!).

With more focus being put on public schools improving standardized test scores, should we be surprised that a high school administrator is accused of falsifying answers? Department of Education investigators say that High School for Contemporary Arts Assistant Principal Ruth Ralston "brazenly erased 1,000 wrong answers on her students' algebra Regents exams and swapped them for the correct responses," according to the Post." The NY Times reports someone noticed that "1,013 multiple-choice answers had been erased and changed — in 94 percent of the cases, from incorrect to correct." Suspicion fell on Ralston, who held the uncorrected exams after students took them and before they were graded. She had also been told her $109K/year job might be eliminated due to budget cuts--"while a high passing rate on the exam might not save her job, 'it could help her search for a new position.'" (The Post says she's still working there three days a week.)

Officials at Stuyvesant High School told parents that they want to install metal detectors, but not because of concern that students are bringing weapons to school. The prestigious public high school simply wants to catch students who are breaking the Department of Education's ban on cellphones and are using them to text each other test answers. Principal Stanley Teitel said that the scanners would hopefully be installed during finals week in January. In the past, students at high schools that have metal detectors installed to combat them from bringing weapons in have griped about having their cell phones taken away, while students magnet schools like Stuyvesant can sneak them in unchallenged.

What ever happened to itching powder in the jock strap? NY Mag is reporting that two sophomore J.V. football players became violently ill after drinking Gatorade spiked with copper sulfate, a chemical fungicide. One of the kids started coughing up blood and had to be taken to the hospital! Police arrested one suspect, a sophomore, and charged him with reckless endangerment. Happily, both of the sickened players recovered in time for the big homecoming game three days later. In September, a 13-year-old student at the Talented and Gifted School for Young Scholars was arrested after spiking his teacher's water with calcium hydroxide, sending her to the hospital. And in June, students at the Brooklyn School for Global Studies were arrested when their laxative-spiked cake sickened teachers. Isn't it high time for an After School Special on this? Oh, ABC stopped making After School Specials. Which explains a lot about today's poison-prone youth.

A Williamsburg high school teacher is filing a federal discrimination complaint against the Department of Education. After three years of complaining about students fondling her, calling her a "b-- licker," and flinging condoms at one another, the only response the NY Daily News says social studies teacher Theresa Reel got was a scolding from the Department of Ed for wearing a "low cut, V-neck, lace top" that was deemed "inappropriate attire." Reel claims that she doesn't even own such a top and that she has waited this long to take action against the Department ignoring her because of fears of what would happen to her job without having tenure.

More on that student prank gone horribly wrong: The Daily News has it that seniors at the Brooklyn School for Global Studies who served their teachers cake laced with laxatives got the idea from watching MTV’s prank-reenactment show High School Stories. Two teachers ended up in the emergency room last week after eating the tainted cake, which was prepared by a straight-A student and her two friends, and ultimately sickened a grand total of two crossing guards, a social worker and three teachers.

Teachers at the Brooklyn School for Global Studies in Boerum Hill were on the receiving end of a student prank that resulted in arrests and hospitalizations last week. When three seniors at the high school offered their teachers some slices of homemade cake, nobody suspected the students, which included a straight-A student, of filling the baked goods with laxatives as a zany end-of-the-year gag.

A 16-year-old student at James Madison High School was arrested after a teacher discovered a note outlining a murderous plot. Apparently Badrakh Byambadorj was planning on both blowing up the school and killing three people-- according to the NY Times, "a teacher, a student and an employee at the McDonald’s across the street"--as well as others at an intersection.

Some tardy students at Boys and Girls High School in Brooklyn tell the Post they aren't being allowed inside the school when they arrive late. And since they can't get into the school, many decide to skip out the whole day.

Cardinal Hayes High School, says the allegations are “absolutely, positively 100% false." Officials have confirmed that Keogan’s hard drive was storing pictures of nude men and that since there were no minors depicted, Keogan does not face any criminal charges, though of course his career is destroyed.

After the prison-yard murder of Larry Davis in upstate New York, most City papers noted his infamy and folk- or anti-hero status, but for the most part were content to portray him as a vicious thug, murderer, and all-around lowlife. Davis was shanked multiple times by another inmate at the Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Ulster county New York.

They may have grown up privileged and prepped for success from birth, but a record number of four-year-olds are facing rejection from New York's top kindergarten programs. Fortunately, the parents of the doomed children are probably still young enough to procreate again and hope for better chances with their younger progeny.

His record is pretty impressive, he's organized 70 "real dates," 19 of which turned into relationships that lasted over a year. The numbers could be higher but Ibrahim is selective on who he sets up.

He listens to their conversations, asks them a few questions and then, if he thinks they are suitable, explains his matchmaking services and asks for their number and e-mail.

Continue reading "Cupid Cabbie Cures NYC's Lonely Hearts"

READING: Jeff Garigliano, Condé Nast Portfolio senior-editor turned author, will be reading from his debut novel titled Dogface. The story follows a rebellious 14-year-old boy who, like so many before him, gets sent off to a camp that specializes in "whipping mixed-up teens back into shape".

Several hundred people, including Gothamist, gathered at the Staten Island Zoo early this morning to hear a well-fed rodent's forecast for the remainder of the winter. After the Tottenville High School chorus entertained the crowd local dignitaries and elected officials were introduced. Then, the moment everyone was waiting for. A Brownie troop member was enlisted to coax Staten Island Chuck out of his house with the aid of a few peanuts.

In early 2007, The New Yorker writer George Packer published an enthralling article about the desperate plight of Iraqis who had assisted the American effort in their country and were being hunted down as a result, with little or no U.S. protection. Betrayed, Packer's first play, is based on interviews conducted while in Iraq for the sixth time to research his article; the fictionalized account concerns three young Iraqis – two men and a woman – whose willingness to risk their lives to help the Americans is rewarded with an indifference bordering on contempt. Following tonight’s performance, Pulitzer Prize winner (and My Trip to Al-Qaeda playwright) Lawrence Wright will join Packer for conversation about the war in Iraq. Betrayed continues through March 16th at Culture Project; ticket prices vary.

Sure, getting dumped hurts, but does that mean you need to deface an entire neighborhood? A Brooklyn man was arrested after police discovered he was behind a number of swastikas found in Brooklyn, apparently acting out after being left for another (possibly more stable) man.

A 17-year-old student at Massapequa High School died of bacterial meningitis yesterday. Michael Gruber had gone to bed with flu-like symptoms on Wednesday and on Thursday morning his parents were unable to wake him up. He died at New Island Hospital.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting on 120th St. and 3rd Ave. in Manhattan, a stabbing on West 31st St. in Brooklyn, and a fall victim at MoMA in Manhattan.
• The New York Yankees took first place in franchise spending, with a total payroll of $218.3 million last year. The World Series-winning Boston Red Sox payroll totalled $155.4 million to finish a distant second.
• The New York Water Taxi is terminating its South Brooklyn service between Sunset Park, Red Hook, and Wall St. at the end of this month.