Our event has two components - a one mile race for elementary school children who will compete for the One Mile Challenge Cup and a 5K run or walk for all ages.  Please join us for the fun and for food and music afterwards.  To register for the race, please visit www.HaverfordTwilightRun.org. 

Bill Marimow speaks with Fordian editor Katie Shoo. Foundation president Ellen Fisher (far right) looks on.

"It is a privilege to be back at Haverford," Marimow said, the sleeves of his dress shirt already rolled up, his suit jacket on the back of a chair. "Some of the happiest and most fulfilling years of my life were spent here," he said, and looking out over the students he added, "what is taught here creates a foundation for all you will do in college and in life," he said.  "It was here I learned to communicate in writing and speaking," he said, "and I left high school knowing how to read a book critically and with sensitivity." He was able to personally thank one of his teachers who came to the event.

Marimow has come full circle.  After beginning his career at the Philadelphia Bulletin and Philadelphia Inquirer where he won two Pulitzer Prizes for reporting, he went to the Baltimore Sun and then was vice-president of news for National Public Radio.  He has just finished four years as managing editor of the Inquirer and will continue to do investigative journalism for the paper. 

With captivating stories of covering police and politics in Philadelphia, Marimow inspired the student journalists with the change he was able to affect as a reporter and editor.   To do the job correctly he listed the essential elements of good journalism for each of them.

"Master the subject," he said. A reporter, he told them, must have a working knowledge of the topics so he or she can ask good questions.  Then, listen carefully to the answers, he said.  Reporters should talk to all the people involved in the news, talk to experts and be fair by getting both sides of the story.

Knowing that most of his audience spent more time with technology than the printed page, he stressed the importance of being informed. "If you are not reading (the news) you can't do a good job as citizens," he said. "To make intelligent choices, you have to have the information."

Along with much applause, Marimow received several plaques before leaving the podium and was named the Honorary Editor of the Fordian by current teacher and adviser to the paper Sarah Chaga. A special nameplate is now attached to the wall leading into the Publications Office heralding his new position.

Education Foundation President Ellen Fisher and Vice-President Mary Beth Lauer were there to greet this distinguished alumnus. 

Interested in helping out?  David Weston has agreed to act as the ombudsman to Alumni of WHHS. Please feel free to contact him to pass along your WHHS stories and to offer your support to the station.  You can reach him at dweston@permitdoctor.com.

The Phoenix Newsroom is a group effort.

Last year the foundation awarded Jayne Dambman a mini-grant to create a TV studio at Chestnutwold.  Using our grant and funds from other sources, the TV Studio is up and running and being used by all the students.  The Phoenix Newsroom is student operated and current technicians (anchors, studio director, teleprompter technician and mixer technician) are in charge of training the new ones.  Students formally apply for these jobs.

Jayne reports the Phoenix Newsroom has been used for a variety of projects:

• Presenting special poems, readings and featured announcements such as green tips of the day.
• Joke of the Day.
• Videotaping short class presentations to show throughout the building.
• Fireside Chats.  Special guests from the district read Aesop fables focusing on giving. Every day of the week, classes were challenged with thought provoking discussion points related to the fable. The week of fireside chats was followed with the entire student body packing lunches, making cards and creating music CDs for a homeless shelter.
• Word of the Week. One word for K-2^nd grade and one word for 3^rd -5^th grade. The teachers use the words throughout the week and students send their sentences to the library by Thursday. On Friday, a few of those sentences are read allowed on the news.
• No Name Calling Week.   Each day the "Chestnutwold Phoenix" (a 5th grade student) read "Dear Abby" type letters that concerned bullying and name calling topics. The teachers used these letters as discussion starters during their morning meetings with their students.
• Special presentations for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Reading Incentive.

Yet to come: interviews using Skype during announcements, telephone interviews, and students using IPods to interview and/or capture clips of special school events and then editing them for production on the morning news.

The newsroom uses the green screen to great effect.  Fireside Chat readers looked like they were sitting in a comfy chair next to a roaring fire.  The Chestnutwold Phoenixes have a giant phoenix behind them.  The daily anchors appear to be standing in front of the school.  And for Halloween?  Floating heads!

The impact has been tremendous. Students love watching their schoolmates give announcements. The announcers work to improve their public speaking so that it is loud and clear. Students are learning the craft of writing the announcements as well as the technical side. All students are involved in the announcements as listeners, as participants in the vocabulary word of the week or the fable lesson and discussion of the week. The studio is providing an authentic showcase for these skills and it is providing skills that students will need for the 21^st century workforce.

In addition to their gratitude to the many people that made this possible, including Principals Tim Bickhart and Joel DiBartolomeo, the Chestnutwold PTO, parents, district personnel including IT experts Blu Taylor and Carol Bellamy and school maintenance staff, Jayne passed along this thank you:

 "I want to thank the Haverford Township School District Education Foundation for your financial participation and encouragement in this project. This is a wonderful addition to the Chestnutwold School and provides fabulous learning opportunities for our students."

The foundation is delighted to support this project which has involved the entire school and promotes a variety of language and creative arts skills.

Although we prefer direct donations, if you would rather donate to us through the United Way, you can do so.   Here is our donor code: 16281.

The foundation is a duly qualified, tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All gifts are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.  A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732--0999.  Registration does not imply endorsement.