A Great Spring Weekend

In one of her high school acting roles, this one
about a year ago, Margot Bergeron performs
in 'Grease.' 

It’s been an unpredictable spring:  warm and pleasant one day, cold and damp the next.  But that’s April, now ready to exit from this year’s calendar. 

No complaints though,  because it’s the rain and the variability of the early spring that bring nature into full bloom and which make way for the warmth of May and the summer to follow.

This weekend was as good as it gets.  Warm enough to work outside; to go fishing; to sit on the outdoor rocker with a book; or simply to edit the draft of a post at the patio table. 

On Saturday, Pris and I chose to spend the afternoon with the Hamilton branch of the family, prompted by the performance of our granddaughter Margot who sung at a local church event, enchanting us with my favorite song from Les Misérables, I Dreamed a Dream.

Amid the Chaos of Terror, a Bit of Refreshing Solitude

Springtime at the Sayen Gardens,
Hamilton, New Jersey.

Decades ago, high up on the promontory of Seminary Hill in Bucksport, Maine, I regularly enjoyed a perfect view of the Penobscot River as it flows into the funnel-like neck of Penobscot Bay that opens wide its island-strewn mouth all the way down east, where it eventually greets Mount Desert Island off the coast of The Pine Tree State.

From atop that hill, I took many walks during each season.  One of the most enjoyable of those strolls occurred at the advent of spring, after the end of mud season in Maine.
 
In one particular spot, at the crest of that hill, there lay a long, wide, colorful bed of brilliantly yellow daffodils – far more than I could count. 

Each year, prodded by warm breezes and the encouraging rays of the sun, they rose from the life-giving earth, “tossing their heads in sprightly dance.”

Flying the Flag as a Mark of Respect for Victims of the Second Boston Massacre

This TV image shows the American colors flying
near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, shortly
after the terrorist attack.
(TV ScreenShot/Dick Bergeron)

On Tuesday, April 16^th, one day after the detonation of two improvised explosive devices in Boston, the flag of the United States flew at half-staff over the White House. 

President Barack Obama issued a proclamation to that effect, and the colors of America will remain in that position over the White House until the sun sets on Saturday, April 20^th, five full days later.

Yet, as of yesterday, when I drove by the Bridgewater Township Municipal Complex, the U.S. flag was still catching the wind in a fully raised position.  I thought that odd.  Today it is flying at half-staff.

School Superintendent Decides to Stay

(Revised, 5:45 pm, 04-10-2013, with names accompanying group photo – see end of article.)

Yesterday, in an interview with this writer, Dr. Michael Schilder, Superintendent of the Bridgewater-Raritan School District disclosed that he withdrew his name from consideration two weeks ago as a candidate for the same position within the Easton (PA) Area School District.

Group photo of the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of
Education; with Superintendent; Brd. Adm/Sec.;
Assistant Superintendent and Student Representative.
(Credit/Dick Bergeron)

Quoting anonymous sources, Peter Panepinto of The Times-Express reported on March 26, 2013, that “The Easton Area School Board has narrowed its superintendent search down to two candidates,” naming Dr. Schilder as one of the two.

Asked why he had a change of heart about the superintendent’s position in Pennsylvania, Schilder tactfully declined to give his reasons, indicating that he “did not want to embarrass” either his current employer or the school district to which he had applied.

Rutgers: Sports or Academics?

Rutgers University President, Robert Barchi at a
press conference takes questions concerning the
recent basketball scandal at Rutgers.
(FIOS ONE Screen shot/Dick Bergeron)

At first glance, it might not appear that the fallout from the Rutgers sports scandal should lead to the question of equity between sports and academics, but it should.

The negative consequences associated with a recent video showing what happened during practice sessions on the basketball court at Rutgers are just beginning to unfold. 

An evaluation of this fiasco should lead to a review of the tens of millions being spent on basketball and football at the expense of all the other less popular programs on the sports agenda at Rutgers.