New Wilson Principal and the Beacon paper

[Anonymous]

According to The Beacon article, "High school administrators are legally allowed to preview newspapers before publication..."

If so, what is the problem? Principals also often ask teachers to submit report cards and notes home to parents before they are sent home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:According to The Beacon article, "High school administrators are legally allowed to preview newspapers before publication..."

If so, what is the problem? Principals also often ask teachers to submit report cards and notes home to parents before they are sent home.

Did you bother to read the rest of the article? It clearly explains the problem, along with many other comments on this page.

[jsteele]

[b]

Anonymous wrote:According to The Beacon article, "High school administrators are legally allowed to preview newspapers before publication..."

If so, what is the problem? Principals also often ask teachers to submit report cards and notes home to parents before they are sent home.

The editorial did an extremely good job of explaining the problem. I would add that she has enough to do without adding editorial responsibilities.

[Anonymous]

Jeff, you should help sponsor these kids!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So far everyone who has commented is in agreement that Martin is wrong. A DCUM DCPS forum record?

Sounds like the wolves are circling the prey. She's barely gotten off the plane and the blood-thirsty detractors are aiming for the jugular. Seems a lot like the Carolyn Cobbs detractors.

[Anonymous]

If the online link to The Beacon was reviewed by Principal Martin prior to publication, she obviously permits dissension.

[Anonymous]

Great job on the editorial, Beacon writers! I will simply add that if the new principal believes she can't trust a faculty adviser to supervise a student-run newspaper, then it will be a tempestuous path ahead.

Based on the first week's turbulence, the principal would have done well to leave the newspaper to the students and their faculty adviser, and instead focus on the basics of running a high school. Many students encountered total schedule chaos (my 9th grader received 3 totally different versions of his schedule within 3 days), and two of his classes had teachers who didn't show up the whole first week. Clearly the principal has a lot of other work she could have been doing.

[Anonymous]

I'm following this thread with interest, and I don't even have a kid in DCPS! Please keep us posted. I'm hoping all the backlash will make the principal reconsider.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Jeff, you should help sponsor these kids!

I'd gladly help them in any way that I could, but I don't believe they need my help. They are doing pretty well on their own.

[Anonymous]

Beyond the Beacon it is very discouraging to learn that there are 900 (!!!) freshmen at Wilson this year-- that is nearly double the size of every other grade. Further we have not received any usual Sunday email from the principal, and she has not even introduced herself to the student body. I want her to succeed but she is going to have to get in front of this snowball that's growing on so many fronts. Cahall's "cult of personality' would be very useful this fall which to parents and students looked like something like leadership. Bargeman should take over until she gets her sea legs. This is no time for Sissies!

[Anonymous]

900 freshman- that can't be true PP. That would mean the school is well over 2000 students.
I do agree that the principal, for one thing, needs to focus on her own lack of communication. We are not receiving a Sunday robocall or email with information about the school. The issue with the Beacon shows poor judgement. Controlling the student newspaper should not be a top priority.

[Anonymous]

what? 900? I don't think that sounds right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Beyond the Beacon it is very discouraging to learn that there are 900[b] (!!!) freshmen at Wilson this year-- that is nearly double the size of every other grade. Further we have not received any usual Sunday email from the principal, and she has not even introduced herself to the student body. I want her to succeed but she is going to have to get in front of this snowball that's growing on so many fronts. Cahall's "cult of personality' would be very useful this fall which to parents and students looked like something like leadership. Bargeman should take over until she gets her sea legs. This is no time for Sissies!

whoa!!!! Are these all from feeder schools? This is not sustainable, by any means, if these figures are correct. I don't get the numbers, though. 500 from Deal, maybe, but fewer than 100 each from Hardy and Oyster-Adams, which are the only other feeders...A few students, 80 or so from those feeders may have chosen SWWHS, Banneker, Ellington, or private, so where are all these kids coming from?
As an aside, I hear they are short a math teacher, and the replacement teacher isn't due to report till January, as well as the issue of missing Chinese teacher...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Beyond the Beacon it is very discouraging to learn that there are 900[b] (!!!) freshmen at Wilson this year-- that is nearly double the size of every other grade. Further we have not received any usual Sunday email from the principal, and she has not even introduced herself to the student body. I want her to succeed but she is going to have to get in front of this snowball that's growing on so many fronts. Cahall's "cult of personality' would be very useful this fall which to parents and students looked like something like leadership. Bargeman should take over until she gets her sea legs. This is no time for Sissies!

whoa!!!! Are these all from feeder schools? This is not sustainable, by any means, if these figures are correct. I don't get the numbers, though. 500 from Deal, maybe, but fewer than 100 each from Hardy and Oyster-Adams, which are the only other feeders...A few students, 80 or so from those feeders may have chosen SWWHS, Banneker, Ellington, or private, so where are all these kids coming from?
As an aside, I hear they are short a math teacher, and the replacement teacher isn't due to report till January, as well as the issue of missing Chinese teacher...

I can't attest to the 900 freshman number, but remember, enrollments aren't just coming from the feeder middle schools. There are lots of students who live in-boundary for Wilson who went to places like Latin and Basis for middle but are coming back to the neighborhood for high school.

[Anonymous]

I understand about Latin and Basis, but that doesn't seem like another 200 kids
Deal-500
Oyster-Adams-100
Hardy-100
????