Commentary

Editorial: Failure to communicate

Seeking School Superintendent Karen Baldwin’s resignation must not have been an easy decision for the Board of Education to make, but it was the right call. In today’s world, technology has made “cut and paste” practices easier, probably more common, and perhaps even more accepted. But it is still wrong. Students are warned not to plagiarize. They’re punished for it … read more

Letter: Extremely poor example

To the Editor: RPS Superintendent Dr. Karen Baldwin’s statements in the Feb. 1 issue of The Press, criticizing Mark Robinson’s MLK Day address were extremely disappointing. The statements made unsupported assertions and used deeply inflammatory language to profoundly mischaracterize Mr. Robinson’s remarks. I urge Dr. Baldwin to withdraw those statements. The disputed portions of Mr. Robinson’s address were recorded in … read more

Student column: Without individualized attention, students won’t reach full potential

Receiving a graded essay is unlike receiving a graded math test; the piece does not lose points based on being “right” or “wrong,” because literature is open to interpretation, and essays demand insight. Therefore, it is harder to grasp why an essay receives a ‘B’ instead of an ‘A’ after one spends countless hours writing it. To address this issue, … read more

Editorial: Remember Lodestar?

Thirty years ago, in 1988, the school administration and board were defending a lawsuit over editorial control of the high school magazine, Lodestar. Colorful lawyer William Laviano took on the student magazine’s case and drove the school board crazy, all the while running up legal fees. The three year battle cost the board $400,000. What a mess! School authorities seem … read more

Letter: The write choice — Don’t cut English

To the Editor: Last Monday, the Board of Education expressed an intent to cut two to four RHS English teachers — and with them, the writing conferences at the heart of the English program. Writing conferences are one-on-one mentoring sessions between students and teachers, the only source of individualized attention in a school where it is too easy to get … read more

Walsh's Wonderings — When trust goes bust

Nothing screams “first world problem” more than the whining about Apple’s recent announcement that they designed iPhones to throttle their own batteries as they aged. While the flagship tech company put out a tone-deaf press release to quell the storm (it didn’t), it did little to remove the impression that they’d just been caught making their phones artificially antiquated in … read more

Letter: GOP Viewpoint lacked facts about drug addiction

Heroin makes headlines, but opioid addiction has its roots in prescription painkillers.

To the Editor: As a health care provider who has worked with people (mainly pregnant women) who are addicted to a variety of substances, including opioids, I would like to say that horrified is the only word I can summon to describe my feelings regarding last week’s GOP Viewpoint by Betsy McCaughey. If she would like to provide scientific-based, evidence-based … read more