I arrived at the DMHS Alumni Educational Alliance picnic late and did not get to see many of the people that I wanted to meet. I had my two little grandkids with me. One moves significantly slower when in that situation. I was only in Dwight Morrow High School for 2 years. I was also on work study leaving school before 1pm each day. Consequently, I spent very little time even in the cafeteria where I would have mingled. I had to support myself during high school. I even worked as a maid and nanny for a family in Tenafly in order to contribute to my Grandma's household expenses. When I got my yearbook, I put it down and did not open it again until I joined Facebook and started looking for former classmates. My memories of DMHS are quite different from people who grew up in Englewood.
I do however understand how people may attack a tradition and use the demolition of that tradition as a way to emasculate a people. This is a tactic that has been used world wide throughout the existence of mankind. I am a strong history buff. Dr. Segall and Mr. Garrison knew exactly what they were doing when they removed the plaques and banners that represent the strong sports history of DMHS graduates. They have been putting the plan in action to change the colors and the name of the school since early 2000. ( "We must segregate in order to integrate." These were the late Dr. Grieco's words.) We have the segregation he spoke of, but when will the integration begin? They have also been monitoring the attendance at the picnic and other Alumni functions. As long as the Alumni Organizations are only involved in fundraising to benefit its members and to give scholarships, they are participating in their own erasure.
After reading the agenda for June 16th again, it has become quite clear that the Board has no respect for Alumni. They only want the Scholarship money to keep coming. They also want to make sure that the Alumni Association knows who is boss. They thought Curtis and I were part of the Association. They know that their wrongdoings have been uncovered. Dr. Segall and board members have put through changes that needed a board resolution to make official. Regardless, of what you think of me, this is being done without formal objection from anyone. If all of the Alumni Associations of DMHS continue in their own division there will be nothing left of our Alma Mater that we recognize.
I am not against the Academy. What I am against is that the Academy is an honors program that separates the students physically. Any student that takes an honors class in the Academy is recorded as an Academy student. NOT SO. This is causing an unreal number of children to be counted as Academy. Those students do not get all of the special consideration of the Elite children. Also the process of getting into honors period is too restrictive for the average student who does not have the right parentage or address.
When students leave Quarles School they are already slated into the Ivy program which becomes Academy Prep in Janis Dismus. I am speculating now. If a student is already reading in first grade they are placed in IVY based on his/her address and reading ability. (Meanwhile, a very high number of special education students have been included in classes at Quarles with children without disabilities. For the teachers among us, we know that the children w/o disabilites have a slim chance of learning to read and write while the autistic, down syndrome and numerous other classifications get all of the attention.)
In pre-K the odds have already been stacked against the students w/o disabilities. Now I have a question. How many Blacks and Latinos have their children classified at 3 years old and younger? Give a PIE AWARD to anyone who says, slim to none. These children never move into the public school from Quarles. They are only in the public schools long enough to pick up the classification and the money that will pay for their education all the way through high school.
While we are trying hard to keep our kids out of special ed. they are fighting to get theirs in so the money will follow them right out of the district to all of the special schools. Some of these schools are out of state and we the taxpaying public are paying for the tuition and the transportation. They have now removed all of the old agendas from the District website, because we ignorant Blacks and Latinos were reading too much for our own good and we uncovered this situation. It should be noted here that I am NOT against parents fighting for their children with disabilities. I am against the way the System has not dealt with the children who do not have disabilities at the Pre - K and Kindergarten level. I have been told by board members on several occasions that things will only change when parents come out to object. That very statement lets us know that they cannot be trusted to uphold the oath taken to make sure ALL children get a thorough and efficient education. It means that if a large enough group makes enough noise, then perhaps that group will be considered. They cannot be trusted. It hurts my heart to admit, because of all the young ones, but it is nonetheless true. My mission is to inform parents of the situation so they may make informed decisions from there. The district is nurturing oppositional attitudes in children from the time they enter school. Is there any wonder why so many people have decided that they would prefer their kids in charter school buildings that cannot hold a candle to our beautiful public facilities?
Meanwhile, little Sally or Enrique over there who had no disabilities and has a great capacity to learn has been neglected. It is a miracle if any of them are able to read by the time they enter 1st grade. The Ivys go from Grieco Elementary to McCloud. At Janis E. Dismus Middle School the Ivys become Academy Prep. (Oh and our children have become disagreeable and angry without knowing why by this time. They are now proposing another school that would remove these disagreeble children that they have created by neglect to an Alternative School.)
The special and privileged IVY/Academy Prep children are then tracked into the Academy. These children are already labeled as Academy from 1st grade. Now you tell me. What is going on here? Oh and, the children of the board members and folks affiliated with that click ALL end up in the Academies. That is the reason they pretend to object to the DMHS Alumni Educational Alliance giving a Scholarship to DMHS students.
Academy students are only referred to as DMHS students 2 times. They are DMHS students when they want the Scholarships. They are Dwight Morrow High School Students on their diplomas. The state of New Jersey does not recognize the Academy as a school. This is the reason DMHS must be erased. The Academy will arise out of the ashes like the historical and mythical phoenix.
In case folks were not aware of the fact. Mr. Garrison made his presence known during the picnic. He drove slowly by. He also sicked his daughter on me at the June 28th board meeting when I objected to them changing the colors. I openly asked for a truce and to have the plaques returned and the gym floor repainted to maroon and white. I have never seen a white girl head wiggle so much in my life. I was shocked into silence when the man trained his daughter onto me. She was yelling and head wiggling like a crazed teenager. Mind you, I was not even talking to her. I was talking to the Board President who had been instructed to show us the proposed brick sign they plan to erect on Knickerbocker road that gives an honors program top billing over the sports teams. I was suggesting that it was improper and inconsistent to list a program there when no other program is listed there. If a sign is erected, it should read, Dwight Morrow High School, home of the Raiders.
As you see from the video, the Board of Education have opened a dialogue suggesting that the Alliance is discriminating against children. As far as I am concerned, the Alliance needs to answer them, because they have been publicly challenged.
Every teacher that has been hired with the exception of one or 2 since Dr. Carlisle came into the picture has been female. I will also suggest that the Board of Education has not done "due diligence" in researching this man's past employment. Beginning September 2011, the teaching staff of the EPSD will be close to 74% whte female. At first glance this seems whiter than it was when I graduated in 1969. Are we going backwards. When will the integration that Dr. Grieco spoke of when he started the Academies begin? We are waiting.
Business is booming, facilities are beautiful, profits are high, programs are flailing, and students are failing.
How did we say the children were doing?
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