See below the WHS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION'S position
on the proposed closing of Weequahic High School
...and what we can do about it
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WEEQUAHIC HIGH SCHOOL
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Alumni Bulletin
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The Newark Superintendent's proposal
to phase out Weequahic High School
Last week, the state-appointed Superintendent of Newark schools, Cami Anderson, announced a city-wide school reform proposal which included bringing two gender specific academies (one for boys and one for girls, grades 6-12) to Weequahic in September and to phase out the the traditional high school program (as we know it) in three years. Weequahic will take in no new 9th graders for the 2014-15 school year.
The boys academy, which is in its 2nd-year, uses the Eagle Foundation model (other schools are in NYC) and the girls academy, in its 1st-year, was developed by the school system. Currently, both schools are located in another Newark school building. The Superintendent's proposal also includes universal choice which allows students to select the school that they want to attend (from a list of choices that they submit), regardless of where they reside.
As a result, there will be no neighborhood schools. In addition, some of the elementary schools that many of us attended will be closed or reopened as charter schools.
The links below are two articles by Bob Braun, the former education editor for the Star-Ledger. Please review them.
Note: If the above links do not work when you click on it, copy it and paste it into the browser Internet address window.
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Weequahic High School Alumni Association's
Position on the Newark Public Schools
New Educational Plan
- We oppose the One Newark vision as proposed by Newark's state-appointed Superintendent of Schools due to a lack of genuine community input in the planning and decision-making process by the stakeholders that are most affected by this new plan.
- We support the traditional concept of neighborhood schools and believe that it should continue to be one of the options offered to students and families.
- We demand that Weequahic High School remains open as a public comprehensive high school in the city of Newark and that all plans to phase out the traditional high school program over the next three years be discarded.
- We advise that the plan to eliminate the 9th grade at Weequahic High School be abandoned and that that high school is listed as one of the high schools available to students for the 2014-15 school year
- We view Weequahic High School as a progressing high school - one of the higher performing comprehensive high schools in the city - which has made gains in attendance, test scores, and graduation rates in the last five years. .
- We endorse the high school's new Principal, Faheem Ellis, a 1996 WHS grad, and observe with pride that he has in his first year demonstrated dynamic leadership, vision, and effectiveness.
- We believe that any innovative changes in the high school program should utilize the abilities and talents of Principal Ellis, his leadership team, and faculty in designing and implementing new strategies to create a more successful learning environment.
- We urge that greater financial resources are allocated to the high school (which it has not received in previous years) to carry out its current program and/or to develop and support new programming.
- We also recommend that additional funds are allotted to make essential repairs to the physical facility.
- We believe that the rich tradition and history of Weequahic High School for the past 80 years (the number one academic high school in the state for many years) needs to be preserved and passed forward to serve as a catalyst and springboard to inspire a new generation of Weequahic students.
- We declare that the Weequahic High School Alumni Association, which has invested more than one-half million dollars in scholarships and student activities at the high school over the past 16 years, will continue to enthusiastically provide assistance to the high school that we know so well in the coming years.
- We will enlist our vast alumni community (more than 10,000) in joining us in this struggle to save our beloved high school and in communicating our position to the state-appointed Superintendent of Newark Public Schools and to local, county and state officials.
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WHAT CAN WE DO ???
The Newark Public Schools unveiled this new educational plan last week. They have established January 6th as the date for students to begin selecting their schools for the 2014-15 school year. Weequahic High School will not be listed for incoming 9th graders. They are pushing their agenda very quickly.
WE NEED TO REVERSE THIS DECISION NOW!
At the local level, there has already been community meetings, rallies, demonstrations, a press conference, petitions, blogs, letters, e-mails, and phone calls in opposition to this plan. As a result of the winter holidays (schools and the central office are closed), we need to prudently use this time to take decisive action.
We are asking Weequahic alumni and friends, from all across America and in 10 other countries, to send e-mails, make phone calls, and write letters immediately to the key individuals listed below.
Do it once, do it again, and then keep doing it until our message is heard.
Contact Information:
Ms. Cami Anderson
Newark State-Appointed Superintendent of Schools
Newark Public School
2 Cedar Street, Room 1003
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 733-7334
Christopher Cerf
NJ Commissioner of Education
Department of Education
P.O. Box 500
Trenton, NJ 08625
(877) 900-6960
Governor Chris Christie
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 001
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 292-6000
Note: If the above link does not work when you click on it, copy it and paste it into the browser internet address window.
Charlotte Hitchcock
Newark Public Schools General Counsel
Newark Public Schools
2 Cedar Street
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 733-7139
John Jay Hoffman
NJ State Attorney General
P.O. Box 080
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 292-5828
Craig Sashihara, Director
Division of Civil Rights
P.O. Box 089
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 292-4605
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SIDNEY GOPRE
NJ's Defensive Player of the Year
By Charles Guthrie, for the Star-Ledger
Everything Sidney Gopre of Weequahic does is direct and to the point.
The Rutgers commit proved he belonged on varsity as a sophomore right away. When he was asked to switch from defensive end to linebacker as a junior, the transition was seamless.
It is what helped make Gopre The Star-Ledger Defensive Player of the Year this season. The ball is snapped, he is able to make a split-second decision on whether it is a pass or run and then he attacks.
"He's all business out there," Weequahic coach Brian Logan said. "He's matured in years and is a grade above everyone else. He's worked real hard in the weight room and led by example. He doesn't do a lot of talking. He let's his action speak for itself."
He plays like a terminator. He makes a play, goes back to the huddle and repeats the process. Gopre aggressively got after the quarterback off the edge, was able to shoot through the line to stop the run unblocked as if he knew the play and could drop back into coverage when needed.
Gopre was the heart and soul of a stellar Weequahic defense that allowed just 41 points the whole season. His numbers were astounding, as he racked up 170 tackles, including 38 for loss, with 14 sacks and five forced fumbles. He also rushed for 524 yards and six touchdowns.
"He's a tremendous athlete and has the natural instincts to play linebacker, along with the speed and range," said defensive coordinator Leander Knight, who played four seasons in the NFL as a defensive back. "I moved him around. He was never stationary and he's more effective that way. He can play multiple linebacker positions. Some linebackers are a liability in coverage, but not him."
Knight took over as the defensive coordinator in 2012 and Gopre, a defensive end, was the only returning starter on that side of the ball. Knight decided he was going to build the defense around this gifted athlete and was going to move him to linebacker.
The adjustment period to this multiple-look defense was brief, as Gopre finished with 132 tackles, including 14 for loss, and five sacks last year.
"It was a big step in my career and a big responsibility I was ready to take," he said. "I worked on it a lot. My linebacker coach (Brian Logan Jr.) showed the techniques and the stance. I had a poor stance at first, but I got it together and it came natural to me. I've been able to teach the younger guys."
The 6-1, 200-pounder has about 15 scholarship offers and it is because he plays as if he is two to three steps ahead of the offense. Part of the reason is the ability and the other is his preparation.
Gopre started playing football when he was in fifth grade and then started studying highlight tapes of the best in the NFL when he was in seventh grade. He's continued to do that and then really started studying and breaking down his opponents this season.
"Every team we play, me and coach Brian (Logan Jr.) would watch film on them," he said. "I'll then go home and watch film at night until 10 p.m. Then, I'll wake up early and watch some before school so I'd have the game plan down."
Gopre was sometimes too fast and his coaches pulled him to the side earlier in the season. They wanted him to play within himself and not feel as if he had to make every play.
"I had to become more of a team player and not try to be around the ball all the time," Gopre said. "My teammates were stepping up and we developed better chemistry. We started trusting each other."
He adjusted and was a part of one of the best defenses in the state, which recorded eight shutouts and did not allow an offensive point in nine games (West Milford scored on a safety Oct. 4). Gopre still recorded double-digit tackles in all but one game and had a season-high 28 against Verona on Nov. 2.
The lesson was learned, but it was hard to notice if he was reigning himself in.
"He has a lot of speed and is strong," Knight said. "He doesn't waste steps. He plays what he sees. He'll drop back if it's a pass and if it's a run he's going to make a tackle."
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Hawthorne Avenue Neighborhood
The Old Hawthorne Avenue Neighborhood Association is planning a reunion luncheon to honor all the kids who attended Hawthorne Avenue Elementary School during the years 1946-1956, Hawthorne Avenue Weequahic Annex from 1948-1956, or Clinton Place JHS from 1957-1962. If you lived near Hawthorne Avenue or any of the surrounding neighborhoods and would like to attend this long awaited reunion, we would love to hear from you.
The luncheon is scheduled to take place in the Fall of 2014 at the Maplewood Country Club, Maplewood, New Jersey. If you would like to spend time with your childhood friends and the "kids you grew up with," please contact Barbara Ellen Dubin at [email protected] or Eddie Keil Klein at [email protected]. We can also be reached at (908) 616-3730 or (862) 452-5487.
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UPCOMING
CLASS REUNIONS
30th REUNION
CLASS OF 1984
Newark Club in Downtown Newark
Contact Tharien Karim Arnold at
50th REUNION
CLASS OF 1964
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Marriott Hotel at the
Newark Liberty International Airport
to include bus tour of Newark and visit to Weequahic High School
Contact Barbara Bierbaum Schrob at
(732) 257-5114
40th REUNION
CLASS OF 1973
Planning a late November 2014 Reunion
Looking for classmates interested in attending and
classmates to help with the planning
Contact Patricia Williams at
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Our Fall 2013 Alumni Calumet Cover
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Our "amazing"
Alumni Association
In only 16 years, we have become one of the largest, most active, and successful high school alumni associations in the country.
JOIN US! and get your free subscription to the popular 20+ page Alumni Calumet newsletter. Take a look at one of our past newsletters by clicking on the following hyperlink: Alumni Calumet Summer 2011. Give it a few seconds to appear.
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Call Phil at the Alumni Office at (973) 923-3133
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Order your ORANGE & BROWN
Weequahic apparel from us. Give it as a gift
for a birthday, anniversary, reunion,
or the holidays.
- alumni pin or tote bag-$5;
- T-shirts with WHS logo-$12;
- golf style shirts with Indian logo in orange or brown-$20;
- regular sweatshirts w/WHS logo in orange or brown-$25;
- hooded sweatshirts w/WHS logo in orange or brown-$40;
- dvd on the late Les Fein, WHS legendary basketball coach-$10.
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Contact:
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Phil Yourish, Executive Director, Class of 1964
Weequahic High School Alumni Association
279 Chancellor Avenue, Newark, NJ 07112 or
P.O. Box 494, Newark, NJ 07101
(973) 923-3133 / (973) 303-5294
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