The Almo
They remember
it, too
We read, with great excitement, the April 23 article on the renovation of The Almo. We are anxiously looking forward to it’s completion so as to relive some of the great memories it holds for us.
And Bill Austin, you have again reached out for the nostalgia factor in Poulsbo! Thank you so much for all you do in our community!
Bob and Marilyn Mathews,
Poulsbo
NKSD super search
Maybe we should start from scratch
The North Kitsap School District is about to choose a new superintendent.
One candidate is Richard Jones, who comes to us from the Burlington-Edison School District after censoring veteran biology teacher Roger DeHart a few years ago. DeHart had dared to share with his students articles from scientific journals such as “Nature” that criticized some of the evidence for Darwin’s theory of evolution. Jones prohibited their use and reassigned DeHart to another subject.
Soon thereafter, the U.S. Congress adopted a conference report accompanying the No Child Left Behind act of 2001 that stated:
“A quality science education should prepare students to distinguish the data and testable theories of science from religious or philosophical claims that are made in the name of science. Where topics are taught that may generate controversy (such as biological evolution,) the curriculum should help students to understand the full range of scientific views that exist.”
Do we want a superintendent who will prevent students from learning about scientific challenges to Darwinism, or one who – like the U.S. Congress – wants students to understand the full range of scientific views on the subject?
The other candidate is Mary Vedra, who comes to us from the Englewood School District in Colorado after introducing the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program there. Although IB sounds good, it is a post-modernist attempt to turn students into “global citizens” without national loyalties or an appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the United States. A constant refrain in IB is “critical thinking,” which in practice means criticizing what students have been taught by their parents — including traditional religious values.
Do we want a superintendent who will bring IB to our schools, or one who will work to educate our students in the basics of reading, writing, mathematics, and U.S. history?
Maybe the North Kitsap School District would do well to reject both candidates and choose someone who is not a career educrat.
Other school districts have done that and have been successful in fulfilling the true goal of education.
Joan W. Gorner
Poulsbo
No official educrat for superintendent
Do we want an official educrat as our superintendent? When educrats speak with catchy phrases, it usually warrants scrutiny because often they are counting on you to assume the words mean what they usually do, which they actually don’t. An example would be “closing the learning gap” where one might think the goal is to bring all students to the highest level. One could be wrong. This means bringing all to a mediocre level. Another would be “rigorous academics.” Here one might think, “We certainly could use a little more rigor in academics.” Of course most would assume the content would be traditional, when in fact, it is not.
We are in the midst of making a critical decision about who will be the captain of our school director’s ship. Apparently we are down from about 35 candidates to two. One of these is Rick Jones who has been the Burlington-Edison superintendent for about 10 years. He was largely responsible for the departure of Rick DeHart, a biology teacher of 14 years. His students loved him because he made them think. But when he brought in supplemental materials from journals such as “Nature,” “The American Biology Teacher,” and “Natural History” that pointed out some problems with Darwin’s theory he was removed from his position. Mr. Jones replaced him with a PE teacher just out of school. (This story was made into the film “Icons of Evolution.”)
The second candidate is Ms. Mary Vedra. Ms. Vedra’s noted accomplishments include bringing the International Baccalaureate Program to Englewood School District in Colorado. Although the highly acclaimed curriculum is always accompanied with the catchy phrase, “rigorous academic program,” what most people don’t realize is that the IB program has several significant themes running through all subjects. The core required course is called the Theory of Knowledge. This is a post-modern course that attempts to rewire students’ way of thinking about themselves and the world. It is described as “critical thinking,” another catchy phrase meaning the deconstruction of anything their parents may have taught them. Students are asked the question, “Do you think we can become global citizens within your lifetime?” Any trace of national loyalty is considered an infection that must be overcome. Also, any religious sentiments are considered illogical archaic remnants of indefensible systems of thought. The core philosophy in the IB foundation of human sciences based on Darwin, Marx and Freud.
I have recently been informed that we are not required to have a professional administrator for superintendent. In other words, we are not limited to a choice between two.
Maybe we should “Just say no.”
Roberta Bidinger,
Poulsbo
UGA
Appointment wasn’t political
On April 11, Herald announced Poulsbo Historical Society President Bob Hawkinson was appointed to Poulsbo’s annexation task force. Some readers might think my appointment to the task force is in a representative role on the society’s behalf, which is incorrect.
I reside in the West Poulsbo UGA and was a proponent of the recent Gaines Annexation. I applied for a task force appointment solely in a personal capacity, and my participation on the task force is only in this role and thoroughly disassociated from society business. By law, the Poulsbo Historical Society is prohibited from taking positions in political issues, and is not involved in any manner whatsoever in the annexation or any other political issue.
Robert K. Hawkinson,
Poulsbo
