Invite: Proclamation for Family Engagement week in PPS

Sent by Mark Connor, and I expect to be there too.

Please join me at 10:00 tomorrow morning, Tuesday, November 16th at City Council chambers on the 5th floor of the City-County building to receive a proclamation from city council on the importance of Family Involvement on our district.

All families are wanted and needed to represent importance of what parents bring to the education of our own children and demonstrate how important community is in this work as well.

Please come and STANDUP for families, meet us at 9:45 outside of chambers.

Family and Community School Involvement Week

November 15-20, 2010

Whereas; Family and community engagement is a key goal for the District;

Whereas; Family and community involvement is critical to the success of our students and schools

Whereas; Families and communities are an essential part of a student’s Pathway to The Promise; helping students nurture dreams and ambitions and ensuring that all students develop the habits and behaviors that lead to success in school and in life

Whereas; The 17th Annual National Parental Involvement Day is on Thursday November 18, 2010.

Whereas, To celebrate this occasion and to raise the profile of the importance of family and community involvement, Pittsburgh Public Schools will host a week of events and activities spotlighting the importance of family and community engagement November 15-20, 2010.

Whereas, the District’s final Pathways to the Promise Night family event is on November 17 at Pittsburgh Milliones 6-12;

Whereas, an Excellence for All parents steering committee meeting featuring Superintendent Mark Roosevelt is on November 18 at Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy;

Whereas, on November 18 the University of Pittsburgh, Africana Studies Department will host the next Dame-Dame series monthly meeting highlighting an outstanding school educator at the University of Pittsburgh’s Langley Hall; and

Whereas, on November 20 the Hill District Education Council will host its Fall 2010 Education Conference titled “Connecting on Education Justice”.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, Pittsburgh City Council officially proclaims November 15-20, 2010 as “Family and Community School Involvement Week” in the city of Pittsburgh at its Tuesday, November 16 Legislative Session.

Dawida heads the fight against billboard pollution

Dawida heads the fight against billboard pollution

Stan Geier, a local vice president for the company, wrote in an e-mail: "Many more companies than just Lamar are affected by the billboard hate group cleverly disguised as Scenic Pittsburgh."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10318/1102988-53.stm#ixzz15IJakxR6

Peace Alliance Sends Message To Stop Neighborhood Violence - News Story - WPXI Pittsburgh

Peace Alliance Sends Message To Stop Neighborhood Violence - News Story - WPXI Pittsburgh

The Peace Alliance Network brought people together to jump start that process.

Around 100 people gathered today at Schenley High School in East Liberty to discuss issues in the black community that have led to violence.

One of the most recent events touched upon was last month's shooting of Jeron Grayson.

Did anyone who attended this event offer a recap or else a pointer to another site that does have some news and insights. Thanks.

Harry Potter enthusiasts look to capture 'snitch' at fourth annual Quidditch World Cup in Manhattan

Cute sports story.

Harry Potter enthusiasts look to capture 'snitch' at fourth annual Quidditch World Cup in Manhattan

Pipeline companies may seek eminent domain

Pipeline companies may seek eminent domain

It's the latest worry for those Pennsylvanians suspicious of the growing Marcellus Shale industry. Under applications currently before the Public Utility Commission in Harrisburg, pipeline companies would be able to use condemnation powers to gain rights-of-way, even from unwilling landowners.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10318/1103192-454.stm#ixzz15I6E3b4x

I hate eminent domain. And, I hate condemnation powers too.

Are you ready white team? Sports reform should look like this.

Sports reform in Pittsburgh needs to happen at the high school level. But the most important time to begin is when the kids are young, as I've tried to do.

Here we are getting ready for a water polo game with some rookie players. This is from the summer of 2009. In 2010, we did water polo with nearly 100 kids as part of the PPS Summer Dreamers program.

City League: Perry rights ship with playoff win over Schenley

High School football coach talks about Facebook.

City League: Perry rights ship with playoff win over Schenley: "Perry meets Brashear for the championship Saturday at Cupples Stadium.
Gallagher is a former Brashear assistant. After leaving Brashear in 2001, Gallagher led Perry to five consecutive City titles in his first five seasons there. However, Perry has not won a league championship since 2005 after winning it eight times over a nine-season span.
'[The Brashear coaches] are great guys and they do a wonderful job,' Gallagher said. 'In this day and age with Facebook all the kids know each other. It will fun. It's a great honor to be in the City championship game.'"

Panel urges African Americans to build their own institutions

Panel urges African Americans to build their own institutions: "The panel, titled 'The Disappearing Black Community and How We Get It Back,' took place in the auditorium of the August Wilson Center in front of an audience of about 350 people, but was broadcast to listeners throughout the country.
The program was meant to be a frank discussion of the state of black communities in the United States. Panelists, who delivered their messages with the fervor of pastors in the pulpit, drew frequent choruses of applause and affirmations from the crowd.
'We have been playing around with the truth,' said Ms. Smith. 'It's time for the truth.'"

What is the URL?

Community Stream

Steve wrote:

I wanted to let people know about an interesting exchange on the
"Locals Online" group (a community of practice for host on
neighborhood e-lists, forums, placeblogs, social nets, Facebook Pages,
etc.) on the idea of the "community stream":

http://forums.e-democracy.org/r/topic/49NoINmwFmYtOA7pGcQbmD

The general question - at the hyperlocal level, how do you get
community groups and others to simply post the information raw
materials for local community, democracy, etc. - think unedited
pre-news. Since many of us come out of the civic engagement frame and
not journalism, I am interested in other successful examples of
getting this distributed publishing model revved up and sustained.

From our discussion, there appear to be two primary working models -
the multi-tech/multi-space approach/aggregation (Boreal) and the
unitary space, multi-tech syndication approach (our Issues Forums).

I recall a day when online news sites attempted to give online
publishing spaces to community groups on a shared platform owned by
the paper, but I'd call that an "information island" brochure approach
unless "what's new" is pulled into a stream that is presented to lots
of people somewhere. I think most of those efforts died as larger
community groups began to publish on their own.

In our case, the "community stream" seeks to get information from
groups that just do not have the capacity maintain a fresh web site to
at least publish online in lowest common denominator ways. We are
trying to convince community organizations to simply get in the habit
of sending an e-mail to a community forum and if they have in it,
attach the poster they stuck up on cork boards in the community.
Drafting: http://pages.e-democracy.org/Issues_Forums_for_organizations

If you have more lessons to share, consider joining -
http://e-democracy.org/locals - or posting on the groups where you
received this query.

Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com

Feel free to add my email contact to your blast lists or when you have news. I try to post the items to this blog and elsewhere.

Furthermore, if you want to be a "running mate" and want to post directly to this blog, let me know.

City League Football Game -- Tonight

Tonight could be the last game of football for the Schenley Spartans. Fedko coverage will occur as the game with Perry is on the Skylight Highlights list.

At South Side's Cupples Stadium, tonight, comes the semi-finals between Schenley (away team) and the #1 seed, Perry team. Last year's champions were Schenley. And last week Schenley played Perry to an overtime game. Perry got the 2 point conversion and Schenley didn't.

So, this could be a great game.

I expect I'll be on the bridge. Join me is you can.

They Said This in August 2010

The PPS Board VOTED on this two, if not THREE times already.

Home Run with coaching hire

South Park hires parents' choice for baseball coach
Friday, November 12, 2010 By Sarah Steimer

The South Park school board voted Thursday evening to hire Steve Bucci as its high school baseball coach.

Last month the board had scheduled a motion to approve Rick Bubash as coach, but parents attending the meeting asked the board to reconsider Mr. Bucci's application.

Mr. Bucci's hiring is contingent upon his submission of a letter of resignation to Bethel Park School District, where he is currently the high school's baseball coach. The South Park school board will negate its offer if Mr. Bucci fails to resign.

Mr. Bucci's current position at Bethel Park came under debate when the district's teachers union filed a grievance over his hiring. Under the union's policy, a teacher in the district gets privilege for a coaching position. An arbitrator ruled in favor of the union; however, the school district is appealing the decision. South Park board members were concerned that if they hired Mr. Bucci, he would return to Bethel Park if the court ruled in his favor.

Sarah Steimer, freelance: suburbanliving@post-gazette.com Source: http://post-gazette.com/pg/10316/1102629-100.stm#ixzz155P6pSlW

Long wish list for Pittsburgh Public Schools chief made - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

My son and I went to the A+ Schools meeting last night in The Hill to talk about the next superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools. Let's look at the news that is out today about that meeting.

The Trib says that the community has a long list of qualifications and qualities -- but really -- I think that there was more of a large interest and not so much a long list. The list that got promoted on the screen was long and it was pre-made from A+ Schools. And, the one speaker had a theme that was about 'going deep' in a few areas and NOT trying to go to many points but in a more shallow way.

The little voting was hardly about building 'consensus.' It was a fun treat, but to really build a consensus, there would need to be much more voting and re-voting and re-asking of ballot questions. We don't get too far when the first questions are -- what is your skin color -- and there are less than 10 questions to vote upon throughout the entire night. People in the room could see who was in the room without the need of a clicker response on skin color.

It was an interesting night among community, no doubt. But it wasn't about consensus.

I did enjoy seeing many of my top replies get warm reactions among the others in the room. I want an "open source mentality" from the next superintendent. That means collaboration is important. I want an emphasis on sports reform to continue in planning and become a reality if the plans make sense. I want that because I feel that our schools are with lower spirit and missing out on valued community interactions. Bingo! Many people expressed a desire for the next superintendent to build student and neighborhood morale by bringing all sectors of the community -- like parents, colleges, businesses and service groups -- together for the benefit of students.

Long wish list for Pittsburgh Public Schools chief made - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Community leaders and parents have a long wish list when it comes to the qualifications and qualities of the next city schools superintendent.

They want someone with experience in the classroom and in an urban school district who is fiscally responsible and will listen to the community and reduce the racial academic achievement gap.

"We need someone who knows how to manage change," said James Stewart, who serves on an advisory board working to reduce the achievement gap in the district.

Stewart was among about 90 people who attended an A+ Schools meeting Thursday night at Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Hill District to share their ideas about what qualifications and qualities are important in the next Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent and what the priorities should be. The information gathered will be shared with the school board members.

The Black Political Empowerment Project and the Urban League of Pittsburgh co-sponsored the meeting.

A+ Schools used an electronic polling system so everyone could see the consensus around the room after smaller group discussions. The options used were gathered from an online survey A+ Schools conducted about the superintendent search.

Superintendent Mark Roosevelt is leaving at the end of the year to become president of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Many people expressed a desire for the next superintendent to build student and neighborhood morale by bringing all sectors of the community -- like parents, colleges, businesses and service groups -- together for the benefit of students.

However, they believe the superintendent's top priorities should be continuing efforts to promote teacher excellence, reduce the racial achievement gap and provide support and instruction based on students' needs.

Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of Great City Schools, a Washington, D.C.-based advocate for urban school districts, spoke before the discussion. He said the meeting is a good start.

"The secret to (successful) searches is the community and the board to be clear about what they want, the direction they want to go in, the process they want to follow and then following that process and being transparent about it," Casserly said.

Frankly, I don't have much faith that Pittsburgh's school board and the diverse community will have great clarity in our wants. We all agree that we need a person to take the job and do well.

The P-G article also talked about "morale" -- more school spirit, IMHO. Trust and morals play into the quality as well.

Being able to listen is a HUGE character trait that comes with leadership.

City schools: Same or new direction?
Citizens tell 6 school board members they want good listener, morale builder as superintendent
Friday, November 12, 2010
By Eleanor Chute, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

What should the Pittsburgh Public Schools board consider when looking for a replacement for superintendent Mark Roosevelt?

About 85 community members gave their opinions at a community forum Thursday night.

The top vote-getter for the most important qualification -- 23 percent -- was experience in the classroom or administration. The second highest, 20 percent, was evidence of being able to reach consensus and work collectively.

For the top quality, two characteristics tied, with 58 percent of the vote combined: being willing to listen and having the ability to build morale and inspire confidence.

The group also picked a top priority, with 28 percent naming addressing racial disparities in access and outcome and 26 percent choosing ensuring that teachers are effective, supported and trained. Only 6 percent voted for continuing the work already begun as a priority.

The forum at Ebenezer Baptist Church in the Hill District was organized by A+ Schools, a public education advocacy organization, and co-sponsored by the Black Political Empowerment Project and the Urban League of Pittsburgh.

Mr. Roosevelt announced that he was resigning at the end of December to become president of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The board has not yet named a temporary or permanent replacement.

Six of the city school board members attended the forum: Dara Ware Allen, Mark Brentley Sr., Bill Isler, Thomas Sumpter, Sherry Hazuda and Sharene Shealey.

At the forum, participants met in small groups and then recorded their answers on an electronic device.

An electronic tally divided participants into five regions, but the largest number -- 46 percent -- were from the East End. About 55 percent were black, and about 39 percent were white.

The largest groups were concerned citizens, 33 percent; educators, 30 percent; and parents, 24 percent.

The meeting included some expert advice from Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, and Thomas Payzant, former superintendent of Boston, San Diego and several other districts.

Dr. Casserly said some boards make the mistake of first thinking about whether they want someone with experience, certain degrees, an urban background or other traits.

But he said the first thing that must be considered is what kind of a school district the board envisions. He said board members must think about whether they want to continue in the same direction or make some changes.

He said it would take a different type of leader to build on what's existing than to start over.

Dr. Payzant said the board needs to reach an agreement on both how to sustain what's working and how to change. He recommended the board set three to five key goals.

Sports and the arts also got a mention in one of the long lists -- and got the top support of 23% of the voters. That's a nice win too.

What if the City League Sports Teams merged into the WPIAL?

The City of Pittsburgh school district has sports teams that form its own league, often called the City League, also known at PIAA District 8. In Roman Numerals, VIII. Isn't sports jargon something?

The City League plays various sports, but, all the teams from all the schools play in the same league but also play in the same "classification" for the regular season. The big schools are mixed in with the little schools. Every week there are games between the Davids and the Goliaths. When little Westinghouse plays Brashear or Allderdice, it is Westinghouse with the slingshot and the much larger student body on the other side of the pitch.

Meanwhile, in the WPIAL, the little schools play against the little schools. The middle sized schools play against the middle sized schools. And, guess what, the biggest schools play against the other big schools. This happens all the time, with the exception of a few exhibition games.

Competitive balance matters greatly in sports. In the city, there is none of that. In the rest of thw world, it is one of the most important features for competitions.

In some sports, such as soccer, there are three classifications. In other sports, such as basketball, there are presently four. The smallest schools are Single A. The largest are Quad A.

If the city sports teams merge into the WPIAL, a splendid benefit will be the on-going embrace of the classifications and an awareness of competitive balance. The soccer teams would play in one of three classifications based upon the student population of that school.

To be exact, the students of each gender in grades 9, 10 and 11 are counted, not grade 12. This counting happens every two years.

In the charts below various options are presented based upon the suggestion from some that the PPS schools should enter into "co-ops" as the teams migrate to the WPIAL. For example, with a co-op, the students of Pgh Sci-Tech might play on the same teams as the students of Pgh U-Prep. That's just one possible co-op example. With this example, every day after school the U-Prep students who wanted to play basketball would need to finish their school day at U-Prep and then get onto a bus and go to the gym at Pgh Sci-Tech, put on the Sci-Tech uniforms, and so on. Of course they'd need to try out and make the team first. Sci-Tech's team would have players from both Sci-Tech and U-Prep. Furthermore, the student population from both Sci-Tech and U-Prep would be counted as one unit so as to determine the team's classification.

The smallest schools are listed at the top of the list. The largest schools at the bottom. 

Pittsburgh Allderdice and Pittsburgh Brashear are big schools. No matter what, those teams from those schools would play in the 3A classification against the other giant schools in Western PA: Norwin, North Hills, Mt. Lebo.

But Pittsburgh has a number of smaller schools. Unlike the present city league, the teams at Langley, Oliver, Westinghouse would NOT need to play against the soccer powerhouse Allderdice and the over-reaching Schenley. Unless, of course, the ugly plan of coops is put into place. Then the kids at Langley would play with Brashear and face off with the big schools. And if Westinghouse joins with Allderdice, as one of the plans option reads, they would be playing against the bigger schools as well.

Kids from Pgh Westinghouse and Pgh Langley don't want to play all their soccer games against teams from Hempfield and Seneca Valley. Those kids play soccer year round. Those kids play with their soccer mates for years as they grow and develop in their respective soccer programs and reach varsity status in their high school teams.

For sure, the smaller schools have some talented players. But, the smaller schools don't have a full bench of year-round cup players. Often, varsity athletes at smaller schools get to play two or three sports per year where the players at the larger schools are often more devoted to a single sport and play year-round in that sport with camps, club programs and specific conditioning.

Pittsburgh Obama, in the chart below, given the assumptions of school enrollment, is posted as the second smallest school in the middle classification, Double A. But, if Pgh Obama should contract every so slightly, it would be one of the larger schools in Single A. That's a big difference. Playing Vincentian Academy, with 84 boys students, and playing against Hampton, West Mifflin and Montour means a great deal in terms of competitive balance.

What is worse is if Pgh Obama is forced to hook up in a boys coop with Pgh Sci-Tech and Pgh U-Prep. Then the side goes against Plum, Penn Hills and North Allegheny in every match. Getting a single win might be impossible.

This week those same kids, playing under the banner of Schenley, played against Norwin and Hampton and the combined scores for boys and girls games was 13 to 2.


Example 1: boys, soccer, 3 classifications in PIAA.

Boys Soccer Classifications:
Single A
Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh, 20
Beaver County Christian, 33
Trinity Christian School, 38
Eden Christian Academy, 49
Geibel Catholic, 67
Quigley Catholic, 68
Saint Joseph, 72
Vincentian Academy, 84
Elderton, 91
North Catholic, 98
Winchester Thurston, 102
Monessen, 106
Sewickley Academy, 108
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 115
Serra Catholic, 128
Pgh CAPA boys, 128
Bentworth, 136
Springdale, 141
Chartiers Houston, 148
Bethlehem Center, 149
Avonworth, 150
Neshannock, 150
Pgh Sci Tech, 150
Brentwood, 162
Riverview, 165
South Side, 171
Pgh Westinghouse, 171
Bishop Canevin, 175
Carlynton, 176
Pgh Oliver, 183
Pgh Langley, 188
Greensburg Central Catholic, 190
Pgh U-Prep, 190
Seton LaSalle, 199
Mohawk, 207
Shady Side Academy, 213
West Shamokin, 218
Riverside, 219
Freedom, 225

AA Classifications
Brownsville, 222
Pgh Obama, 225
South Allegheny, 230
Charleroi, 233
Steel Valley, 241
Ellwood City, 245
Quaker Valley, 246
Freeport, 250
New Brighton, 252
Burrell, 254
Southmoreland, 261
Washington, 263
South Fayette, 266
Deer Lakes, 267
Waynesburg Central, 267
Beaver, 279
East Allegheny, 282
Mount Pleasant, 285
Pgh CAPA girls, 285
Keystone Oaks, 296
Yough, 309
McGuffey, 317
Valley, 318
Blackhawk, 321
Derry, 321
South Park, 321
Highlands, 325
Kittanning, 325
Pgh Perry, 333
Indiana, 336
Belle Vernon, 346
Elizabeth Forward, 353
Pgh U-Prep + Pgh Sci-Tech, 340
Pgh CAPA (boys) + Pgh Obama, 353
Hopewell, 356
Thomas Jefferson, 358
Ambridge, 366
Uniontown, 375
Mars, 378
Knoch, 380
Greensburg Salem, 387
West Allegheny, 389
Pgh Carrick, 392
Pgh Obama + Pgh Westinghouse, 396
Hampton, 399
Montour, 403
West Mifflin, 406
Ringgold, 418

AAA Classification
Central Valley, 339
Trinity, 429
Chartiers Valley, 447
Moon, 465
Laurel Highlands, 481
Albert Gallatin, 482
Franklin Regional, 498
Pgh CAPA girls + Pgh Obama, 510
Pgh Perry + Pgh Oliver, 516
Peters Township, 541
Pgh Brashear, 558
Greater Latrobe, 560
Upper Saint Clair, 560
Kiski, 565
Woodland Hills, 565
Pgh Obama + Pgh Sci-Tech + U-Prep, 565
Plum, 568
Canon McMillan, 577
McKeesport, 578
Pine-Richland, 595
Gateway, 606
Fox Chapel, 610
Penn Trafford, 610
North Hills, 619
Pgh Allderdice, 625
Baldwin, 641
Connellsville, 643
Mount Lebanon, 658
Bethel Park, 665
Norwin, 666
Central Catholic, 670
Shaler, 677
Penn Hills, 686
Pgh Langley + Pgh Brashear, 746
Hempfield, 792
Pgh Allderdice + Pgh Westinghouse, 796
Seneca Valley, 899
North Allegheny, 984
Butler, 1107

Another look at the WPIAL merger with the city comes with a four classification sport. Soccer, as above, has three classifications. But boys basketball has four. Likewise, football has four classifications. But the PIAA wanted to make five for football a couple of years ago, and the WPIAL didn't want to do that as it would be impossible to have five games played at Heinz Field on one day.

Wilkinsburg does not filed a boys soccer team. But it does have a boys basektball team, in Double A.

Example 2: Boys Basketball Classifications (4 classes)
Single A
Trinity Christian, 38
Eden Christian, 49
Geibel Catholic, 67
Quigley Catholic, 68
Mapletown, 69
Saint Joseph, 72
Avella, 80
Vincentian, 84
Elderton, 91
North Catholic, 98
Western Beaver, 98
Cornell, 99
Winchester Thurston, 102
Jefferson Morgan, 104
Monessen, 106
Sewickley Academy, 108
Union, 112
West Greene, 112
Lincoln Park Charter, 113
OLSH, 115
Leechburg, 116
Clairton, 124
Carmichaels, 125
Rochester, 125
Serra Catholic, 128
Pgh CAPA boys, 128
Bentworth, 136

Double AA
California, 140
Springdale, 141
Aliquippa, 148
Chartiers Houston, 148
Bethlehem Center, 149
Avonworth, 150
Neshannock, 150
Pgh Sci Tech, 150
Wilkinsburg, 155
Frazier, 157
Jeannette, 158
Sto-Rox, 160
Brentwood, 162
Fort Cherry, 162
Riverview, 165
South Side, 171
Pgh Westinghouse, 171
Bishop Canevin, 175
Carlynton, 176
Northgate, 176
Shenango, 177
Pgh Oliver, 183
Burgettstown, 188
Pgh Langley, 188
Laurel, 189
Greensburg Central Catholic, 190
Pgh U-Prep, 190
Seton LaSalle, 199
Apollo Ridge, 202
Mohawk, 207
Shady Side Academy, 213
West Shamokin, 218
Riverside, 219
Brownsville, 222
Freedom, 225
Pgh Obama, 225
South Allegheny, 230
Charleroi, 233
Steel Valley, 241
Ellwood City, 245
Ford City, 245
Quaker Valley, 246
Beaver Falls, 247
Summit Academy, 248
Freeport, 250
New Brighton, 252

Triple A
Burrell, 254
Southmoreland, 261
Washington, 263
South Fayette, 266
Deer Lakes, 267
Waynesburg Central, 267
Beaver, 279
East Allegheny, 282
Mount Pleasant, 285
Pgh CAPA girls, 285
Keystone Oaks, 296
Yough, 309
McGuffey, 317
Valley, 318
Blackhawk, 321
Derry, 321
South Park, 321
Highlands, 325
Kittanning, 325
Pgh Perry, 333
Indiana, 336
Central Valley, 339
Pgh U-Prep + Pgh Sci-Tech, 340
Belle Vernon, 346
Elizabeth Forward, 353
Pgh CAPA boys + Pgh Obama, 353
Hopewell, 356
Thomas Jefferson, 358
New Castle, 360
Ambridge, 366
Uniontown, 375
Mars, 378
Knoch, 380
Greensburg Salem, 387
West Allegheny, 389
Pgh Carrick, 392
Pgh Obama + Pgh Westinghouse, 396
Hampton, 399
Montour, 403
West Mifflin, 406
Ringgold, 418
Trinity, 429

Quad A Classification
Chartiers Valley, 447
Moon, 465
Laurel Highlands, 481
Albert Gallatin, 482
Franklin Regional, 498
Pgh Perry + Pgh Oliver, 516
Peters Township, 541
Pgh Brashear, 558
Greater Latrobe Senior, 560
Upper Saint Clair, 560
Kiski, 565
Woodland Hills, 565
Pgh Obama + Pgh Sci-Tech + Pgh U-Prep, 565
Plum, 568
Canon McMillan, 577
McKeesport, 578
Pine-Richland, 595
Gateway, 606
Fox Chapel, 610
Penn Trafford, 610
North Hills, 619
Pgh Allderdice, 625
Baldwin, 641
Connellsville, 643
Mount Lebanon, 658
Bethel Park, 665
Norwin, 666
Central Catholic, 670
Shaler, 677
Penn Hills, 686
Pgh Langley + Pgh Brashear, 746
Hempfield, 792
Pgh Allderdice + Pgh Westinghouse, 796
Seneca Valley, 899
North Allegheny, 984
Butler, 1107

Coops stink for PPS.

NCAA Division Swimming Rankings

Division III
Men's Team Rankings

1 Kenyon 425, 2 Denison 399, 3 Emory 347, 4 Kalamazoo 292, 5 Johns Hopkins 290, 6 Washington (Missouri) 267, 7 Stevens Institute 233, 8 MIT 214, 9 Williams 196, 10 Amherst 194, 11 TCNJ 177, 12 DePauw 158, 13 Carnegie Mellon 154, 14 Washington and Lee 143, 15 Hope 140, 16 Middlebury 137, 17 UW-Stevens Point 127, 18 Grove City 124, 19 Chicago 123, 20 Carthage 93, 21 St. Olaf 91, 22 Tufts 88, 23 Case Western Reserve 85, 24 St. Thomas (Mn) 79, 25 Olivet 78

Women's Team Rankings

1 Emory University 375, 2 Denison University 351, 3 Kenyon College 342, 4 Williams College 270, 5 C-M-S 214, 6 Johns Hopkins 205, 7 Amherst College 199, 8 MIT 169, 9 UW-Stevens Point 162, 10 WashU 146, 11 Carthage College 144, 12 Stevens Institute 118, 13 UW-LaCrosse 117, 14 Grove City College 99, 15 Chicago 87, 16 Carnegie Mellon 85, 17 Hope College 85, 18 Calvin College 83, 19 Ithaca College 82, 20 Mary Washington 82, 21 Kalamazoo 65, 22 Middlebury 62, 23 Gustavus Adolphus 60, 24 Keene State 59, 25 Springfield 58,

Division II Dual Meet Poll - AP Format

Women's Team Rankings
1 Grand Valley State 421,  2 Ashland 341,  3 UC-San Diego 328,  4 Drury 298,  5 Incarnate Word 293,  6 Ouachita Baptist 292,  7 California-PA 254,  8 Truman State 234,  9 Indianapolis 229,  10 Tampa 229,  11 CW Post 222,  12 Indiana -Pennsylvania 206,  13 Wingate 204,  14 West Chester 190,  15 Bridgeport 150,  16 Grand Canyon 136,  17 Clarion 130,  18 Nova Southeastern 123,  19 Henderson State 118,  20 Southern Connecticut 106,  21 Wayne State 104,  22 Saint Cloud State 98,  23 Pace 84,  24 Findlay 79,  25 Hillsdale 67

Men's Team Rankings  

1 Ashland 439,  2 Missouri S&T 385,  3 Grand Valley State 372,  4 Drury 357,  5 Incarnate Word 341,  6 Wayne State 327,  7 UC-San Diego 282,  8 Nova Southeastern 281,  9 Ouachita Baptist 275,  10 Wingate 273,  11 Florida Southern 252,  12 Indianapolis 198,  13 Queens University 197,  14 Grand Canyon 178,  15 Bridgeport 161,  16 Southern Connecticut 148,  17 Tampa 124,  18 Lewis 116,  19 Texas at Permian Basin 111,  20 West Chester 109,  21 Henderson State 107,  22 Limestone 104,  23 Mesa State College 98,  24 Bloomsburg 85,  25 Clarion 79

At first, plans put green in place of Igloo

At first, plans put green in place of Igloo

GRASS. Great.

Councilman protests South Side patrol cancellation

Councilman protests South Side patrol cancellation

Pittsburgh City Councilman Bruce Kraus today sent a letter to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl complaining about the abrupt cancellation of special police details last week in the South Side entertainment district.

The city had saturated the neighborhood with police on recent weekends amid complaints from Mr. Kraus and residents about illegal parking, public urination and other problems connected with weekend revelers.

Mr. Kraus said he was pleased with the progress being made and stunned when the city canceled the operation with little explanation last weekend. Even stranger, he said, the cancellation was announced just hours after the city said the special patrols would continue.


Read more: http://post-gazette.com/pg/10314/1102176-100.stm#ixzz14uH6jIrf

I think I did a post on this latest folly from Bruce. KDKA Radio was reporting that the sweeps were nixed after Bruce went to the mayor's office and had a melt down that began with some conversation about the loan that was promised but not delivered to the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.

Last night the police were in the South Side, in force, giving out tickets to those who ran the red light at 10th Street and East Carson Street. There were nearly a dozen motorcycle police and when I walked past -- three were giving out tickets a couple blocks away and another batch were on their motorcycles ready to swoop as any driver pushed the yellow light into red and dared to pass through the intersection.

Freediver Carlos Coste sets new world record with 150m swim through cave | Mail Online

Freediver Carlos Coste sets new world record with 150m swim through cave | Mail Online

This is a worthy read. Hat tip to ASCA.

Pittsburgh Public Schools -- THIS SUCKS!

Pittsburgh Public Schools shuffles reconfiguration plan - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Pittsburgh Public Schools is proposing two changes in its plans to reconfigure schools in the East End.

Administrators asked the school board Tuesday to make the single-gender academies at Westinghouse High School a magnet program open to all district students and move the Obama 6-12 International Baccalaureate program a year early to Peabody High School, which closes at the end of this school year. The program wasn't to move from Reizenstein until 2012-13.

The district could postpone an early college program at Oliver High School until 2012-13 because of ongoing community discussions about changes to North Side school configurations. The board is expected to vote on the plans later this month.

No way.

Pgh Obama is to stay at Reizenstein for the rest of this year (2010-2011) and for next year (2011-2012). Then the move to Peabody should occur for the start of the school year in September 2012.

Sports Reform aricle in the Trib

Future of City League uncertain - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "The public received its first look at the potential future of athletics within Pittsburgh Public Schools on Monday night -- a future that could see the end of the century-old City League."

Let's get into this article.

At a community meeting at Oliver High School, Jake House, the leader of the school district's athletics overhaul committee, presented comprehensive working recommendations for athletic reform in the district. The idea for reform was born in part from an internal Title IX audit the district performed last year, but it also came from the City League's dwindling participation numbers and lack of success at the state level.

Not really. The Title IX audit was unwelcomed by me. The Title IX audit told us what we already knew. The Title IX audit was a huge waste of time. It cost a little money, but it was a sink that delayed the reform efforts by more than two years.

The idea for reform of athletics has been put upon Mr. Roosevelt since he arrived in Pittsburgh -- by me and others. For years I told him that this needed to happen. Finally, in January 2010, I got an email from Mr. Roosevelt that he was going to take sports off the back burner.

Before Mark Roosevelt's arrival to Pittsburgh there was another effort at sports reform -- 2001 vintage. I was not on that exact committee but did attend four or five meetings at various locations (East Liberty Libary) to talk among other interested people about those efforts. Dr. John Thompson was in town then. Promises were made -- and then broken. Reminders were made -- and then those got broken too.

If there were 100 suggestions that were made back in 2001, less than five were done. One of the big victories -- middle school boys play fall baseball, not softball. That's nice. My son played baseball this year. Greenfield won the city middle school league. There were a few great teams and players. Allegheny, South Hills, Colfax and others were impressive. Pgh Obama had some good players and good innings too.

This is no "grassroots effort" to reform sports. This is a superintendent ordered effort with a newly hired, full-time employee.

In a grassroots effort to improve the school district's overall athletic program, the wide-ranging proposals have been spread across eight categories: coaching, wellness, connection to academics, sportsmanship, facilities and equipment, transportation and schedules, league structure and participation.
"I feel like we're moving in the right direction," said Derrick Lopez, the district's assistant superintendent for secondary schools. "It's not like we've gotten to these recommendations without a lot of conversation and disagreements. But I think we've gotten to the point right now where we want to make sure what's best for the kids participating in sports is what the recommendations will hold."

The aim is subject to personal opinion, but I'd say it isn't to improve the overall athletic program. Improvement and reform are close cousins. A booster group could make improvements. This is much more. This is more urgent.

Mr. Lopez feels that the moves are going in the right direction, but I don't. The talk might be buzzing around various directions -- some right and some wrong. But, the positive movement is yet to be seen by me. The low-hanging fruit for quick improvements has died on the vine this fall. Things are plugging along with each sport and each sport -- but -- the status quo is not the right direction. The system has been content to manage decline for years.

Good to see that there is mention of disagreements from Mr. Lopez. Those recomendations are not supported fully. Some are harmful in my not so humble opinion.

I've misplaced by decoder ring, so if anyone can filter the following quote, please do so in the comments: "But I think we've gotten to the point right now where we want to make sure what's best for the kids participating in sports is what the recommendations will hold."

But the recommendations regarding league structure would mark a drastic change to the look of high school sports in the area. Under the proposal, the City League -- also known as PIAA District 8 -- would join with the WPIAL, District 7 of the PIAA. Also, on a sport-to-sport basis, several former City League schools may co-op their athletic programs if participation numbers in a certain sport are too low.

"Right now, in looking at all of things we've gathered to this point, we are looking at what it would look like for the City League to dissolve and to merge with the WPIAL," assistant superintendent for secondary schools Derrick Lopez said.

When I first heard of the plan to consider joining the WPIAL, I was elated. Then my heart sank with the next suggestion of forming new coops, (or co-ops) among schools to form sports teams.

Coops are failing now in PPS in terms of sports participation. They stink. U-Prep is not getting its kids into sports teams as it should and could.

Citizen quote: It took the spirit away and killed it.

Well, to be sure, they (PPS) killed school spirit with a move of all the football games to Cupples Stadium on the South Side. They killed neighborhood spirit too. But, sports are still alive and not dead YET. PPS sports, on the whole, are sick, injured and in a deep slumber. The killing blow, however, could be sports coops.