As a teenager, it was a joke to answer uncertainty. As an adult, Blake McCarty’s joke about just wanting to create good art with good people when he grew up became the thing he gets to do professionally, every day.“Fast forward and I’m very lucky to do just that, even if I’ve opted not to focus on a specific career path or a single skill,” said the creator and director of the Verbitas program for New Village Arts. “More generally, one of my core beliefs is that empathy and understanding are critical to our health, happiness and sheer survival. During particularly divisive social and political times, storytelling is one of the only ways to build understanding and develop empathy. In my opinion, live theater forces us to engage with other people’s humanity, experience and perspective in ways unlike any other medium.”With Verbitas, he’s working directly with students in local high school theater programs, using community organizing … [Read more...] about Expanding high school students’ lives through theater
Research topics for high school students
High school student infiltrates, uncovers racist online chat
A black student at a North Carolina high school infiltrated and exposed a racist student online chat, but it’s unclear if everyone in the chat is facing consequences.The News & Observer reports 14-year-old Cenayia Edwards uncovered slur laden conversations about killing black people and reviving slavery. The chat involved two students at Edward’s East Wake High and five others at Johnston County’s Corinth Holders High.Edwards and her family say East Wake High Principal Stacey Alston told them he’s not disciplining anyone. County school officials on Thursday said federal student privacy laws prevent them from saying if disciplinary action was taken. In the past, district officials have revealed when students were disciplined for racist behavior.Meanwhile, Johnston County school officials said the principal “issued consequences” and parents were notified. ___Information from: The News & Observer, http://www.newsobserver.com … [Read more...] about High school student infiltrates, uncovers racist online chat
Esko High School football player dies after collapsing on field
A 15-year-old Esko High School football player died Friday after collapsing on the field during a game. Jackson Pfister collapsed just after 9 p.m. during a varsity game at Veterans Field in Aitkin, Minn. He was taken by ambulance to Riverwood Healthcare Center with what police described as a serious medical condition. The boy, who would have turned 16 next week, died shortly afterward. Jackson was the son of Brooke and Matthew Pfister of Esko. His mother’s Facebook page indicates that Jackson had a congenital heart defect and has undergone open heart surgery. Aitkin police and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating. … [Read more...] about Esko High School football player dies after collapsing on field
The St. Nicholas School team mark their names in global contest
Vietnamese students, when led the right way, are gradually proving their proficiency. Recently, the St. Nicholas International School team made it to Sydney to participate in the World Scholar’s Cup 2019 with over 30,000 students from 70 countries, triumphing with 19 medals and now heading to Yale. Nguyen Quynh Phuong, Tran Van Hung, and Van Tuan Nam are the three students of the St. Nicholas International School (SNS) team that succeeded with superior performance at the Danang round of Cup. At the Sydney Global Round of the World Scholar’s Cup 2019, they had an opportunity to explore different aspects of a global competition titled “A World on the Margins” in four intense sessions. In the first session called Scholar’s Bowl, participants have to answer increasingly challenging questions within a limited time. After that, in the Scholar’s Challenge session, multiple choice test questions await them. Participants can select more than one answer to … [Read more...] about The St. Nicholas School team mark their names in global contest
California first state to mandate school start times
California is the first state in the country to enact a statewide start time for public high schools and middle schools.Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Sunday that bans most high schools from starting before 8:30 a.m. and most middle schools from starting before 8 a.m. The law will take effect starting in the 2022 school year. The exempts “rural school districts,” a definition to be worked out later.The law is a victory for the “start school later” movement, which has been pushing schools to adjust their daily calendars for decades in the name of public health.But teachers and school districts warn the law will burden them with extra expenses, like paying staff to chaperone students who still arrive early because of their parents’ work schedules. … [Read more...] about California first state to mandate school start times