July 24th, 2009
By: Don Wilde
TODAY’S ASTONISHING FACT:
If you are right-handed, you will tend to chew your food on the right side of your mouth. If you are left-handed, you will tend to chew your food on the left side of your mouth.
(I don’t know where I learned this. But I didn’t make it up. Honest!)
THE LONGEST ENGLISH WORD…
Praetertianssubstantiationalistically
(I know what it means, but I’m not going to tell you.)
*******
.
MEETING OPENING: Our newly-appointed president again was not present, so Paul Rosen, once again, charged into the breach, making sure that our weekly meeting got off to a roaring start.
.
SALUTE TO OUR FLAG, PATRIOTIC ANTHEM, AND PRAYER: Peter Garth, brimming with patriotism, led us in a Salute to Our Flag. Bishop John intoned the blessing, asking for forgiveness for our many sins and tips regarding admittance to Heaven. There was no singing of our national anthem. Alas!
PRESIDENT’S REMARKS: As mentioned before, inasmuch as there was no President of our chapter in attendance today, the indefatigable Paul Rosen called for Happy Thoughts and Significant Community News.
Sy Yuter responded by announcing that last week’s Rotary Fellowship Dinner was either a success or a failure, depending on how one looked at it. Although attendance was not what it should have been, the meal set out was superb, joy was unconstrained, and the festivities lasted hour after happy hour. Sy also pointed that the chef for the Fellowship Dinner will be the chief chef for the upcoming French banquet.
Sy was followed by Dean (What would happen if he were named President of our club?
Would he be known as President Dean or Dean, President? It’s confusing things like this that keep me awake nights.), who was thankful for the absolutely beautiful day.
NEXT WEEK’S SPEAKER: Our speaker on July 31st will be Phelps Hospital CEO.
Keith Safian. Mr. Safian will bring us up-to-date on The Universal Health-Care Debate.
THIS WEEK’S SPEAKER: Our speaker today was our own Bob Maher, head man at St.
Christopher’s, (Superintendent of Schools) whose mission is to serve young adults and their families with residential care, therapeutic care, and special education services outside a mainstream secondary school setting. The school‘s population consists of 10%
Whites, 60% Blacks and Hispanics, and 30% called Others.
Bob Maher, ex-superintendent of schools for Briarcliff Manor, proved once again that he is a good man, doing good work, for a noble cause. (This year there were 72 graduates of the school, 70 of whom earned a GED. His is up from a mere one (1), when he took over the reins!)
Mr. Maher started his talk by pointing with pride to examples of the art work produced by students at St. Christopher’s, displayed on the table behind him. The art work is bought by teachers, parents of the students, and art-appreciating citizens of the surrounding community. The student-artists (altogether, there are some 1200 examples of their work on display at the schools) are rewarded with the money raised from the sale. One student-artist collected an astonishing $3,200 from the sale of her art!
Bob pointed out that he works within a budget of $15 million, which seems like a lot until you realize that it costs $19 million to keep the doors of the schools open. The shortfall of $4 million is made up for by generous donors.
The schools classes run from grade 7 to grade 12, and their population consists of 10% white students, 60% Black and Hispanic students, and 30% others. Students can remain in school until they are 21, at which point they receive a pat on the back and are bid a fond farewell. Most students graduate, more or less, on time and on schedule.
Bob has added a significant number of staff members, including the 15 teachers who
followed him from Briarcliff High School. Together, the teachers and Bob, have shaken
things up, making the school much more than a school for outcasts, much more than
a holding-pen for the dysfunctional-young in our society. The school is on its way to
becoming a legitimate member of the educational establishment..
There are, of course, behavioral problems. (Bob described a recent occurence, when two female students barricaded themselves in the girls’ bathroom and refused to come out. They later relented, and emerged.) And sexual incidents arise, as they will, from time to time. But, overall, behavioral problems have gone down and continue to go down, significantly, since Bob took over the helm. And academic achievements continue to rise skyward.
Would you expect anything less from Bob Maher?
Bob is a credit to Briarcliff Rotary. We are magnificently proud of him.
###
THE DRAWING: The winners of this week’s lottery were Ernie Pacchiana and Bishop John. A criminal investigation is expected momentarily.
THE CONCLUSION OF OUR MEETING: Our weekly meeting ended precisely at 1:32 pm, when a fistfight broke out between Zen Eidel and Marie Fuesy. Mrs. Fuesy was declared--by a majority vote of the judges--the winner. But, to her eternal shame, it took her two rounds to do it.
.
Respectfully submitted by
Recording Secretary, Don Wilde
7/24 Attendance - Lee Carrozzi, Frances Chu, Antonia Conte, Dean Dykeman, Zenith Eidel, Rodney Ertischek, Marie Fuesy, Peter Fulltree, Peter Garth, John Herzog, Shelley Lotter, Bob Maher, Geraldine Mahoney, Ernest Pacchiana, Fiala Portnoy, Vladimir Portnoy, Paul Rosen, Carl Weiner, Donald Wilde, Elinor Yuter, Sy Yuter
