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NEWS<br />
PAGE TWO THE LIGHTNING STRIKE SUMMER 2005<br />
ADMINISTRATION<br />
Former AP returns as principal<br />
FORMER AP,<br />
from FRONT PAGE<br />
an assistant principal here (from<br />
the school’s opening in 1998 to<br />
mid-2003), and was recognized,<br />
in one <strong>of</strong> those years, as Assistant<br />
Principal <strong>of</strong> the Year for both the<br />
county and state. Also, Welker<br />
served as principal <strong>of</strong> Nautilus<br />
Middle <strong>School</strong> for the past two<br />
SCHOOL BOARD<br />
THE DAY THE LIGHTNING STRUCK<br />
PHOTO BY KATIA PHILLIPPEAUX<br />
Security guard Alex Belizaire rushes students to class with his megaphone<br />
and air horn while the school’s bell system and clocks remain broken Aug.<br />
31. According to Assistant Principal Roger Miret, Lightning struck building two on<br />
Aug. 30, frying the annoucement system.<br />
Miami-Dade <strong>School</strong> Board<br />
shortens summers for FCAT<br />
By REBECCA STELLA<br />
Staff Writer<br />
This year, Miami-Dade<br />
County schools resumed classes<br />
a week earlier than the previous<br />
year. Students are disappointed<br />
with their shorter summers and<br />
an earlier return to school.<br />
The school year was altered<br />
because “it’s more in line with<br />
the rest <strong>of</strong> the state,” Assistant<br />
Principal Dawn Baglos said. “It<br />
also has something to do with<br />
testing.”<br />
The school board pulled<br />
back the school year in order to<br />
give schools more time to work<br />
on state mandated tests.<br />
years.<br />
“Someone<br />
o b v i o u s l y<br />
felt that he<br />
had the right<br />
qualifications<br />
WELKER to be<br />
successful,”<br />
said Melanie Megias, District<br />
Director, Administrative<br />
Staffing.<br />
Besides Welker and<br />
“We get an additional week<br />
to work on things such as FCAT<br />
[which is] needed to graduate,”<br />
Baglos said.<br />
The earlier-starting school<br />
year does have its advantages.<br />
“A pro is that we have more<br />
time to help students with<br />
FCAT,” Principal Matthew<br />
Welker said. “Also, <strong>this</strong> year<br />
was delegated by having the<br />
end <strong>of</strong> the semester before<br />
winter break.”<br />
But students feel the earlier<br />
starting school year and schedule<br />
is a hassle. “I think that it’s very<br />
inconvenient because it’s much<br />
hotter; we don’t have as much<br />
time to relax,” junior Jessica<br />
Núñez, numerous other county<br />
employees were affected by<br />
the reorganization. Three other<br />
senior high school principals<br />
were promoted to either region<br />
center superintendents or<br />
directors.<br />
“It improves morale when<br />
people know they have the<br />
ability to move up in the system,”<br />
<strong>School</strong> Board Member Martin<br />
Karp said.<br />
Levis said.<br />
“A con to the earlier return<br />
to school is that it is terribly<br />
hot <strong>this</strong> time <strong>of</strong> year,” Welker<br />
agreed.<br />
“I didn’t like the fact that our<br />
summer was cut short because<br />
students need more time to study<br />
for FCAT; we need our longer<br />
summers back,” junior Daniela<br />
Ferro said.<br />
Some students question<br />
if classes will resume even<br />
earlier next year. “It will<br />
either be a week earlier or the<br />
same,” Baglos said. The 2006-<br />
2007 school year calendar<br />
has not yet been released to<br />
students.<br />
With a promotion, however,<br />
there is added responsibility.<br />
“I have 54 schools I’m<br />
responsible for,” said Núñez,<br />
whose region includes Northwest<br />
Miami, Doral, Sweetwater and<br />
part <strong>of</strong> Hialeah.<br />
For Welker, his new<br />
assignment will be different<br />
from that at Nautilus.<br />
“<strong>High</strong> school moves a lot<br />
faster than a middle school,” he<br />
By LINDSEY YOUNG<br />
Assistant Business Manager<br />
New assistant principal,<br />
Roger Miret<br />
made Krop<br />
history over<br />
the summer<br />
as the first<br />
a s s i s t a n t<br />
p r i n c i p a l<br />
to mow the<br />
lawn.<br />
MIRET<br />
When the custodial staff<br />
was on vacation, Miret did not<br />
wait for their return; instead he<br />
mowed the lawn himself in the<br />
July heat.<br />
“In 22 years <strong>of</strong> working in<br />
Miami-Dade public schools I<br />
have never seen an assistant<br />
principal cut grass,” Athletic<br />
Director Lori Nelson said.<br />
“I just did it, I didn’t think<br />
about it. I just did what needed<br />
said.<br />
But, according to him, his<br />
previous experience at Krop<br />
should help. As an assistant<br />
principal, he helped hire many <strong>of</strong><br />
the teachers who still work here.<br />
“Being part <strong>of</strong> the team that<br />
brought <strong>this</strong> facility to reality<br />
gave me an insight about the<br />
operational components <strong>of</strong><br />
the building, its strengths, its<br />
weaknesses,” he said.<br />
ADMINISTRATION<br />
New AP mows lawn<br />
CLUBS<br />
The Best Buddies club has<br />
long suffered from communication<br />
problems and anonymity.<br />
The club, dedicated to create<br />
friendships between students with<br />
intellectual disabilities and those<br />
without, wants to leave those<br />
problems in the past.<br />
“I didn’t join the club until<br />
my junior year solely based on<br />
the fact that I didn’t even know it<br />
existed,” current president, senior<br />
Heather Marcello, said.<br />
After attending the<br />
international Best Buddies<br />
leadership conference at Indiana<br />
University in June, Marcello<br />
hopes to utilize her training to<br />
reach more students with and<br />
without disabilities.<br />
The four-day conference<br />
taught Marcello how to conduct<br />
productive meetings, plan group<br />
outings and make efficient<br />
“Buddy” matches.<br />
“I got involved in Best<br />
Buddies club because I have<br />
heard nasty remarks aimed at the<br />
students at Krop with intellectual<br />
disabilities,” Marcello said.<br />
“I want to change their<br />
to be done. I was glad to help,”<br />
Miret said. Principal Matthew<br />
Welker agreed: “He just jumped<br />
right in, no questions asked.”<br />
Miret and Welker also worked<br />
to improve student hygiene: new<br />
urinals in the boy’s bathroom,<br />
a new program to install hand<br />
sanitizers as well as newer,<br />
cleaner vending machines to<br />
combat student illnesses.<br />
“I have noticed a greater<br />
sense <strong>of</strong> cleanliness,” Welker<br />
said.<br />
Before coming to Krop, Miret<br />
worked as an assistant principal<br />
at John F. Kennedy Middle<br />
<strong>School</strong>, where he also oversaw<br />
the custodial staff.<br />
However, the students at<br />
J.F.K. are very different from the<br />
students at Krop: “Here, they are<br />
very mature and independent,”<br />
Miret said. “I have really enjoyed<br />
working with them so far.”<br />
Best Buddies seeks<br />
new members, friends<br />
By NINA BARRACLOUGH<br />
News Editor<br />
attitudes and show everyone that<br />
just because someone is different<br />
doesn’t mean they can’t be a good<br />
friend.”<br />
Marcello’s buddy Jackie<br />
Rodriguez graduated last year.<br />
“Jackie and I got along very<br />
well because she loved reading,<br />
particularly the Harry Potter<br />
series. I learned many things from<br />
her and I hope she learned from<br />
me.”<br />
Although joining Best Buddies<br />
can be a rewarding experience, it<br />
takes effort to maintain contact,<br />
especially when these students are<br />
isolated from the rest <strong>of</strong> the school<br />
population for most <strong>of</strong> the day.<br />
The peer buddy must talk or<br />
write to their buddy twice a week<br />
and meet outside <strong>of</strong> school twice<br />
a month.<br />
In the spirit <strong>of</strong> friendship and<br />
fun, Marcello plans activities<br />
that include barbeques, costume<br />
parties, bowling and an annual<br />
trip to Disney World.<br />
To become a Best Buddy,<br />
members must fill out an<br />
application, take a buddy-match<br />
survey and be interviewed by the<br />
program manager and <strong>of</strong>ficers.<br />
Best Buddies meets in room 1-<br />
131 and dues are ten dollars.