After being kicked around the legal system for almost four years, Ochshorn, et al. v. Ithaca City School District, et al, the first-Amendment rights lawsuit involving The Tattler, has finally moved forward.
On March 24, Norman Mordue of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York partially denied the Ithaca City School District's (ICSD) motion for a summary judgment (which would throw out the entire case), and ruled on several of the charges the plaintiffs, eight former Tattler editors, had brought against the district.
The lawsuit was filed on June 3, 2005. Earlier that year, after a series of controversies surrounding material printed in The Tattler, Superintendent Judith Pastel, IHS Principal Joe Wilson, and Bill Russell, the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction at that time, imposed guidelines on the editorial board. The controversial material in question included an editorial critical of Wilson, a restaurant review viewed as racist, and a cartoon argued to be obscene, the last of which was censored by then-advisor Stephenie Vinch (who resigned in 2005).
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- Competition Causes College Rejection to Hit Record High - By Soyoung J.
While many qualified IHS seniors dreamt of receiving acceptance letters to their first-choice colleges, the standard acceptance message didn't appear on many letters this year. It seems that the biggest reason for this, according to Debra Rivera, senior class Assistant Principal, and Isaac D. '09, is the high level of competition among students at IHS and students of other high schools in the nation.
The U.S. Department of Education predicts that the number of high school graduates will continue to rise through 2009. The percentage of high school students expecting to go to college is also rising, and is already over 60 percent. In addition, the number of applications per student has increased tremendously. "When I was in high school, we didnā't apply to ten different colleges like students this year are doing," said Phillip Jordan, the IHS Social Studies Department Head.
- Applause for New Link Crew Programs - By Lily T.
Beginning in November at the end of the first marking period, two new elements, called Link Applause and Link Alerts, were introduced to the IHS Link Crew Program. With the program now in its third year, IHS teachers and Link Crew Coordinators Judy Cogan and Kelly Metzler, are working with student Link Leaders to look for ways to positively impact the school community. These new programs are examples of the product of these efforts.
Link Alerts are ways for Link Crew leaders to provide help to freshmen in need. Staff members recommend students to receive help via a Link Alert form, available from Tracy Compton in the main office. This support can range from academic help, to minor peer counseling, to suggestions for extracurricular clubs or activities. Alerts may be about a student who is struggling in Global History and needs a tutor, or one who sits alone at lunch and needs someone to reach out to him or her. Once the student has decided that they want help, Cogan or Metzler email Link Leaders who then respond by contacting the students and offering support. There are also follow-ups with Leaders and students to notify teachers and guidance counselors of progress.