In the March 1 meeting, the Board released a presentation that explains the system in greater detail.

Johns based his proposals on five ideal characteristics of Liverpool graduates:

1. Possesses Core Body of Knowledge
2. Demonstrates Effective Communication Skills
3. Demonstrates Good Problem-Solving Skills
4. Be a Responsible Citizen
5. Be a Productive Worker

In addition, Johns recognizes “twin pillars” of high school reform:

• Improving personalization
• Developing instructional improvement

In order to achieve those goals, Johns intends to communicate with “stakeholders” – the high school, the Board, and the community – by using subcommittees to finalize the details of the academy system, creating an Academies Task Force of teachers and administrators, and collaborating with students for input and ideas.

Phases of Reform

Phase 1 (2009-2010):

Prepare for new high school instructional elements

Phase 2 (2010-2011):

Implement and evaluate new elements, and implement two Academies

Phase 3 (2011-2012):

Evaluate new elements and implement four Academies

Changes in 2010-2011

The district will introduce the following “instructional elements”:

• New Block Scheduling Model
• Academic Assistance daily for 30 minutes
• Teaming at 9th and 10th grades
• Collaborative planning time among Team Teachers

The above changes are in addition to professional development for teachers and curriculum assessments.

The Academies

2010-2011

• FOCUS Academy (“Non-traditional”, for students who cannot benefit from normal system)
• Creative and Performance Arts Academy

During the 2010-2011 school year, academy-specific, cross-disciplinary, and project-based courses will be introduced, and the district will strive to establish greater connections with colleges.

2011-2012

• Foundations (9-10) Academy at Liverpool
• STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
• Regents Inquiry at Liverpool
• Global Citizenship at Liverpool

Contrary to popular assumptions, students will not be forced to commit to their careers as sophomores because they will be allowed to take classes in other academies and switch academies as their interests change.

Next Steps

The Superintendent will continue to work with LHS staff, including the Academy Task Force and Board subcommittees, and continue researching the potential effects of the reform. There are also plans to establish more direct contact with students to “gather perceptions and ideas for the Academies”.

The district is already seeking funding for the restructuring, including federal Race to the Top funding. A possible explanation for the timing of the academy proposal – amid a dire budget crisis – is that such an experiment will attract enough federal funding to, in conjunction with budget cuts, close the budget deficit.

We will seek additional details about the academy system as administrators become available for comment.

An Opinionated Desk Scene from The Deep End Show on Vimeo.

Wild Eric from The Deep End Show on Vimeo.

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Glue 3 from The Deep End Show on Vimeo.

Executive Principal Grenardo "Greg" Avellino ends his three-year term amid a turbulent restructuring process.

Read about the academy system →

Executive Principal Greg Avellino announced today that he plans to resign at the end of the school year, in accordance with Superintendent Richard Johns’ intent to eliminate the position. Johns has expressed his interest in condensing the administrator hierarchy at the high school.

Johns explained in the district’s Key Communicator report:

“I have advised the Liverpool Board of Education that I will no longer support the present hierarchical administrative structure at Liverpool High School. I believe it contributes to the depersonalization of the students in that building. As a result of this, I will be recommending the elimination of the Executive Principal position. I am looking to a structure that moves principals closer to the students and holds each of them accountable for a smaller number of students’ academic success.

I have discussed the elimination of the LHS Executive Principal position with Greg Avellino and reviewed his options. He believes it is in his best interests to resign effective at the end of this school year.”

The announcement comes just weeks after Johns announced his restructuring plan, which has certainly been a hot topic among students and faculty. Cuts and reforms are being made throughout the district in order to close a $10.3 million budget gap, caused in part by $7 million in state funding cuts.

Avellino, who was given the position in 2007, is the leader of a large administrative staff at LHS: Associate Principal Tony Davis, Annex Principal Ted Phillips, and Assistant Principals Daniel Henner, Judy Campoleita, and Amanda Caldwell. In 2008, Avellino was named the NYSTEA Administrator of the Year for his outstanding achievement in music education at Liverpool.

UPDATE (9:15pm): Mr. Avellino has sent The Lifeguard a written statement:

You can report this: Please understand and know that I have to respect the decision of Dr. Johns. This is a great school within a community that cares deeply for their children. The diversity we all bring to our school makes us the PROUD WARRIORS that we are! I am humbled with the reaction and the support I have heard and read on the Lifeguard and Syracuse.com.

BUT, I am not the only one losing my job and these are tough economic times that we all must band together and figure out how to weather the educational storm of less money and still deliver a high quality education. You, and all students are our future and in today’s times we have to do more with less.

Today, I held two staff meetings after school, one in the Annex and one in the 10-12 high school. My message was from my heart and that the focus must be on the kids and not me.

I say that not to be a martyr, but because everyday I come to LHS with pride, dignity, and respect for all. The greatest tragedies occur when we lose respect and lose focus. I am so proud of the students, the staff, and community. We will all survive together with pride, dignity and respect! Words can not describe my sadness, but my actions from now until my last day will be nothing but professional because I care for you all! Fondly, Mr. A

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We still need your help. If you wish to participate, the final Phone-a-Thon date is next Sunday, March 14, from 5-8pm in the cafeteria. Please bring family numbers and cell phones to call and ask for their support.

The downside to the tournament is that these Big East games are sometimes played while high school is still in session. The Orange are playing on Thursday at 12 p.m. Eastern time, which means that students in Liverpool and the rest of Central New York will be begging their teachers to put the game on during class. Some teachers will, and some will not.

The beloved Madison Square Garden home of the Big East tournament. Photo from Creative Commons.

That’s why some students will be making other arrangements, such as cutting class or getting their parents to sign fake doctor’s notes to go home. Some fans will do whatever it takes to see the Orange square off against the Georgetown Hoyas.

Even though the Orange are heavily favored, any Syracuse-Georgetown game is always a good one, especially come tournament time.

For example the St. John’s Red Storm upset the highly-favored Connecticut Huskies 73-51, crushing Calhoun’s championship hopes. The other Big East favorites would hold on and win, though it wasn’t pretty: Cincinnati would hang on to win 69-68 over Rutgers, and Seton Hall would also win in a high scoring battle against Providence 109-106.

The Big East tournament is always a great appetizer to the main course of the NCAA tournament because of its intense games and intense upsets. That’s what makes the month of March so great for college basketball. This tournament can make or break a season for some teams, as the committee of selection Sunday will be watching not only this tournament but many more – and very closely.

Even though Syracuse has locked up an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the Big East tournament is still as meaningful to Syracuse as it would be to any team. The only goal is to win.

The classic fist pump, after another heroic buzzer beater gave the Orange another win from Mr. McNamara. Photo from Creative Commons.

If the Orange could win the Big East Tournament, they would easily lock up the number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament and possibly play the Villanova Wildcats in the semifinals. Maybe the Orange will have a rematch with their “Kryptonite”, Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals, in the Championship.

It would be nice if Syracuse won the tournament. Regardless of the winner, it will still be a great experience for everyone, especially the people at the game.

It can even leave memories for people who can’t attend the game, like it did for me when I was in seventh grade watching the Orange in my social studies class. It was a close game between the Orange and the Cincinnati Bearcats. The Bearcats led 73-71 and the Orange would have the final possession. Gerry McNamara took the ball and made a right handed floater, a 3 pointer over 2 Bearcat defenders at the buzzer, to lead the Orange to a 74-73 victory over the Bearcats. The game time buzzer sounded at the same time as the bell for the next block.

McNamara didn’t stop there. The next day he would do it again, this time against the Huskies – though that time, it was a pull up 3 pointer from NBA range. These buzzer beaters would lead the Orange to the 2006 Big East conference title; McNamara was rewarded with M.V.P. honors and became a Syracuse legend.

Who knows how this tournament will be for the Orange? I hope we win another title, but I guess you just have to let the cards fall where they may.

Three members of the girls' All-Star Volleyball team were a part of the Gym Class Heroes. Photo by Jenna Street.

You hear the words “The Refuge”, and you probably become confused. You may think that it’s a homeless shelter or maybe something different.

At first, it appears to be just another church off of Route 57 in Seneca Mall. It’s more than just a church – it’s a place for teens and kids of all ages to come together and hang out or play sports.

This great place wasn’t well known by most people, especially by LHS students, until high school resource teacher Kate Caveny took charge.

Caveny, adviser of the GSA, allied with the Christian Students of Liverpool to organize a volleyball fundraiser, but realized that the high school just wasn’t sufficient, so she was able to have it hosted at The Refuge. To encourage students to participate, she made sure that the first place team would receive a cash prize.

This Volleyball tournament got the attention of many high school students, including some of Liverpool’s own Volleyball players. There were 10 teams, including the Liverpool volleyball team, who called themselves the Gym Class Heroes. The others were the Scarlet Moonlits, CSL, English Teachers, including newspaper founder Chris Savacool and freshman journalism teacher Allison Porzio. There were more teams to follow, such as T-Malf and the Malfettes, Craig’s Team, Sheridan-Castleman, Staff Infection, Uncle Brian’s, and last but certainly not least Team Refuge.

Fans bounced back from gym to gym to see their favorite team play. After multiple games, it came down to the last one:the championship. It was the Gym Class Heroes – the co-ed Liverpool volleyball teams – vs. Uncle Brian’s, the underdogs.

“They have the advantages of experience, talent, height, and team chemistry, but not heart; we definitely had them beat there,” admitted James Feliciano, a member of Uncle Brian’s.

Even this wasn’t a cake-walk for the Gym Class Heroes, as they battled it out until the end. When time ran out, the Gym Class Heroes’ experience was just too much for the underdogs. There were mixed cheers after the win, but at the end of the day the Gym Class Heroes were on top, just as they were predicted.

The Gym Class Heroes included Brooke Holland, Jenna Street, Marissa Vollmer, Aaron Carroll Marsh, A.J. Lamicha who were the volley ball players, and Josh Richardson. For the Uncle Brian’s were James Feliciano, Tony Osborne, Nick Pascallara, Nick Alister, Brandon Arcuri, and Matt Egan.

After the game, everyone enjoyed some burgers, hotdogs, lollipops, and even some Avicolli’s Pizza. This was a great day for everyone, especially the Red Cross, which gained $200 from the party.

I talked with some players from the Tournament.

Jenna Street

Mike Ortiz: Was it hard to adjust to the new rules in this tournament, compared to school volleyball?

Jenna Street: Since the calls weren’t as strict as regular volleyball, it was a little difficult, but overall it was fine.

Ortiz: Since you guys have prior volleyball experience, did you think that you guys would be the favorites.

Street: Yeah, I thought so.

Ortiz: Did you guys play your hardest?

Street: I think only in the last game because it was the best competition.

Ortiz: Do you think there should be more tournaments like that?

Street: Yeah. It was a lot of fun, and was for a good cause, so they should definitely do more.

Ortiz: Should they try different sports, or just volleyball?

Street: All kinds of sports would be great.

Ortiz: Since you guys won, are you going to go to Disney World?

Street: Yes we are all definitely going to Disney World, as couples too! [Laughs.]

James Feliciano

Mike Ortiz: Have you had any prior volleyball experience?

James Feliciano: Nope. We had just the experience from playing in gym class.

Ortiz: So what made you guys do it?

Feliciano: It was sort of a last minute thing. We just thought it would be fun, so we did it.

Ortiz: Do you think you would win if you played the Gym Class Heroes again?

Feliciano: Unfortunately not, because they have the advantages of experience, talent, height, and team chemistry, but not heart. We definitely had them beat there.

The legendary and inspirational writer ends his 13-year print column, "Life of Reilly." Photo courtesy ESPN.com

On March 10, ESPN’s Rick Reilly posted his weekly column on ESPN.com, which is easily the most popular column on the site. View Reilly’s section on the front page—a tiny rectangle that showcases his latest works of wonder—and click on Stop That Coach! Two things jumped out at me:

1) The spoiler alert saying that the article would be published in the Magazine on March 22.

2) That Reilly is hangin’ up the cleats.

Now don’t get all worried like I did. The .com column lives on, as well as a new SportsCenter endeavor. But still, this is the end of an era—at least to me.

It’s a typical Friday afternoon: get out of school, fall asleep on the way home, text my bros and figure out the weekends plans. But as soon as that car pulls into the driveway and lets me out, the mailbox is my one and only destination.

I grab my ESPN The Mag, and immediately turn to the back page. I do my best to read the whole issue before I flip to the end, but I can rarely resist the urge. Sometimes, that’s all I read before the next issue rolls in. Why is this pattern as addictive as quoting The Hangover? One word: Rick Reilly. Well…you get it.

Reilly joined Sports Illustrated in 1985, and began his literary phenomenon in 1997, when “Life of Reilly” debuted on the back page. It was the first of its kind—the first weekly opinion column to grace the last page of the most famous magazine in sports. The rest is history, my friends.

Through his witty sarcasm, strong opinions, and unique flow, Reilly has not only created stability and love for SI, but has entered the classrooms of Liverpool’s own, including Martha White and Alan Pascale.

In 2007, Reilly made the move to ESPN, where he took over the last page, among other ventures for the Worldwide Leader in Sports. The Weekly edition of “Life of Reilly” reached the web, a monthly interview show entitled Homecoming reached the tube, and his golf coverage graced our greens; he even co-wrote Leatherheads, starring George Clooney.

I will never forget Reilly’s SportsCenter piece on Coach Wooden, an intimate interview filled with an admirable bio of the life, times and philosophies of one of the greatest men to ever live, let alone coach basketball.

On vacation in Virginia Beach, the premiere of Homecoming was on in the restaurant. I couldn’t hear it, nor could I read the subtitles, nor did I care because I was a little preoccupied with my vacation, but I remember. I remember because Rick Reilly worked his journalistic magic on the screen.

I’m sure someone will tell me that this column is unnecessary—maybe George, our online editor—and that’s rightfully so; but I felt it was important to honor the man who is the reason that I write this column. He single-handedly influenced me to do this. And believe me, it ain’t easy! This is week number three and my ideas list is already shrinking like George Costanza in the pool. But when I write something, I always think of how Reilly would have done it. How did he use his voice without talking? How did he take a current event and make it funny? How did he take a topic and mold it into a clever twist?

But the era isn’t quite over – it’s just a little adjusted. By Reilly himself:

Note to readers: My math says this column puts me over one million published words. And that doesn’t count books (No. 11 coming up in May), screenplays (two), sonnets, ransom notes and quilts. This is one million too many for many citizens, but the fact remains.

Ironically, this is also my last column for The Mag. I’m going to try my hand at a weekly 90-second essay on “SportsCenter” beginning this spring. I’ll still write longer pieces for The Mag, write my ESPN.com column, host “Homecoming,” cover golf for ESPN and ABC and anchor “SportsCenter” once in a while.

Oh, and no way I’m giving up the flügelhorn.

It’s a typical Wednesday afternoon: get out of school, fall asleep on the way home, text my bros and figure out the weekends plans in advance. But as soon as that car pulls into the driveway and lets me out, the computer is my one and only destination: a 2×3 box with the “Life of Reilly” column, on ESPN.com.

We in Liverpool have much to be grateful for. We still have our outstanding sports teams and after-school activities and elective courses, not to mention the outstanding faculty and talented students who call Liverpool their home. With so much success and good fortune, it is understandable for the community to balk at the closure of an elementary school or the slicing-and-dicing of a high school.

Not terribly far away, in Oswego County, the Hannibal school district – which, no doubt, is host to students and teachers just as talented and dedicated as our own – has gone to Hell.

In Hannibal, there are no varsity sports or student councils or senior plays. There is no junior prom or yearbook or student newspaper. These budget cuts were made by administrators who are just as passionate about education as Superintendent Johns and the rest of our Board. Problem is, they had no choice, in the face of a 1.7 million deficit wall – that’s $1.7 million just to keep the district in the precarious position it was in before.

No community deserves to be confronted with a situation like this. It is, quite honestly, tragic.

Though Hannibal is a different district with different conditions, it is helpful to realize, despite our own depressing budget cuts, how fortunate we are – and just how far we could fall in more precarious circumstances or in less capable hands. I am confident and hopeful that we will never be forced to make such grim decisions just to tread water in the ‘Pool.

1. Animals that can talk.
2. A caterpillar that smokes tobacco.
3. Sleighing a jabberwocky- whatever that is.
4. Card soldiers.
5. Me dancing the fudderwagon.
6. Thinking that Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland was a terribly made movie.
   
   

   That's right, all you Johnny Depp lovers: Johnny Depp plays the madhatter. Isn't he just dreamy?

Entering this dream we call Alice in Wonderland, I thought it would be a totally twisted, cavorted depiction of how Tim Burton saw the original animated Alice in Wonderland. During this wonderfully composed dream-like film, I realized that Tim Burton wasn’t at all trying to poison Walt Disney. No, besides a few parts, he followed the original storyline, but intensified it. As I came out of the dream-like movie, I was refreshed and found myself wanting to buy the DVD when it comes out.

Alice is the main character, whom, we see at first as a young child, around the age of seven living in 19^th century England, an imaginative girl who is a little bit “mad”, “bonkers”, and “off her rocker crazy”, waking up from her dreams of talking animals and flowers, smiling cats, blue caterpillars, and much more.

Thirteen years later, she is the same Alice, only older. However, her dreams are still as vivid as daylight and she is always being told what to do and how to act and how to dress. Attending a party in which has been planned since before she was born, she finds that her dreams are coming to life right before her eyes.

So when the nightmare in her life proposes to her, she runs away, not knowing where to go. A suspicious tree trunk catches her eye, so that’s where she runs to. Seeing a hole near the trunk, she looks in and falls endlessly until she reaches solid ground. There she find a key to the wildest of wild- the jungle of her imagination. There, she meets all types of strange creatures, finds out that she has to defeat the jabberwocky once and for all, restoring the crown to the rightful queen, and most importantly, finds herself in this dream-like expedition.

I would highly recommend seeing this, especially if you are “mad”, “bonkers”, or “off your rocker crazy” or if you are just a normal sane person. Just remember to think of six impossible things before you see it.