News from Central High School -- Philadelphia

This is the second Central High School email newsletter -- a volunteer effort brought to you by the Home and School Association with assistance from the Associated Alumni of Central High School. We hope you find it interesting and useful. Our goal is to build up the Central community by spreading the word about all the interesting things happening at the home of the Lancers. With support from you, this newletter will help Central tap into the talents and resources of the entire Central family -- students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. Tell your friends to sign up for the newsletter. Please send your comments, suggestions, ideas to centralhighschoolnewsletter@yahoo.com. We need your eyes, ears and noses for news! Speaking of news, hope all your news is good in the new year.

Thank you,

Jane Von Bergen and Diane Luckman, co-editors

Passionate and peaceful

About a hundred Central students, alumni, and parents responded peacefully, yet passionately, to a handful of anti-gay protesters who showed up at Central Monday, Jan. 5. Rumors had been flying all weekend about the plans of the Kansas-based group, which gained national notoriety for its anti-homosexual protests at the 1998 funeral of Matthew Shepard, 21, a gay University of Wyoming student who was beaten, tortured and left to die. Central students, parents and alumni were determined to show the Kansas group that Central is welcoming to all kinds of people. Over the weekend, assistant principal Mr. Speir was on FaceBook and in chat rooms communicating with students. Dr. Pavel was in touch with school district officials and police, city police and the mayor's office. There was a solid police presence at the school in the morning with no incidents reported. Later that day, some teachers discussed the incident in class from two perspectives -- the importance of understanding the rights and sensitivities of gay and lesbian people, as well as other minorities, and the importance of free speech and protests in a democracy, even when the message is unpopular. Central's Gay, Lesbian, Straight and Bisexual Alliance student group talked about the protest at their regular meeting the next day. In the end, an incident with disruptive potential became a learning opportunity. Dr. Pavel thanked staff, city and school officials, students, alumni and concerned adults for their calm and caring responses.

Diversity: Central style

Consider My Thi Le, 268, a young Vietnamese woman who holds the office of treasurer for SALSA/Aspira, the Spanish and Latino Student Association. What initially drew My Thi to SALSA was a love of dance. She used to dance with African-American, Asian, and Hispanic students in a Central hip hop group aptly named Melange, the French word for mixture. Then My Thi joined SALSA, bonding with the other members during intense rehearsals for last year's International Day performances. "I'm more of a person who likes to explore other cultures than just stay inside my own," she said. Club president Catalina Ramos, 268, of Northern Liberties, agrees. "My Thi will have an SAT class in Chinatown and then come to eat rice and beans with my family," Catalina said. That kind of cross-cultural experience is not unusual. "It's one of my favorite things about Central," Catalina said. "Diversity at Central is not just diversity that you can see, but much deeper - people with different backgrounds working for the same goals."

Course selection info: Jan. 14

Confused about course selection? Mr. Shanker, head of the roster office, will reveal the mysteries of rostering at Wednesday's Home and School Association Meeting at 7:30 p.m. in the Spain Conference Center. He'll lay out timelines and explain how students qualify for advanced classes. Refreshments will be served and everyone is welcome, whether or not you are an Association member. (But we'll try to make you join!)

Coming Jan. 16: 268 deadline

There's an immediate deadline for the March 6 senior 268 trip to Baltimore and Washington D.C. Permission slips and a $30 deposit are due to Mr. Barthelmeh by Friday, Jan. 16. The trip will cost $90, which includes the bus, a class photo, all admissions and a ticket to a dinner/dance cruise on Baltimore's lovely Inner Harbor. Unfortunately, unless enough seniors respond and pay their deposits by Jan. 16, the trip will have to be cancelled. In that case, deposits that have already been paid will be refunded. All seniors who have privileges and have paid $125 of their $175 senior dues are eligible. Questions? Contact 268 class parent Tamar Magdovitz, at magdovitzfam@comcast.net.

In the classroom

Three years of classroom work focused on engaging students in the political process will culminate next week when 25 Central students travel to Washington D.C. for the presidential inauguration. Central social sciences teachers Mr. Graham, Mr. Horwits and Mr. Levy spearheaded the Power of Student Voices project and earned the $100,000 AARP Ethel Percy Award for Civic Engagement, which is helping to fund the trip. Throughout the election season, students analyzed debates, political advertisements and the candidates' position papers. Parents, if you think you have no influence on your teenagers, think again. "A wide majority of kids are shaped by their parents' views," said Mr. Graham. "They'll know the minimum about the candidate and their views, but they were dead-set with the candidate. At the end, they were still with the same candidate, but were able to back up their choices." The students, who were selected on the basis of grades, an interview, an essay and their willingness to participate in politics, will leave Central at 4 a.m. on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20. They'll go by subway to the inauguration and the parade, joining the throngs on the Mall in Washington. With any luck, they'll make their way to an inauguration ball. The next day, after a night in Maryland, they'll meet Sen. Casey, tour Capitol Hill and visit various monuments.