The James Logan Courier

By Laurel Brodzinsky, Courier Staff Writer

“ He kissed her so gently she wondered if she had imagined it. She pulled back slightly, to look into his eyes. And then there was a shot."

The Pact by Jodi Picoult starts with this climax of action, and works simultaneously backwards and forwards to explore the motivations, character development, and aftermath of the death of Emily Gold.

Emily Gold and Christopher Harte have been best friends since they were born, and it was only expected by their families that they should begin dating in high school. Chris is completely comfortable with this, but Emily has doubts about the relationship and feels it is almost incestuous. Afraid to break up with the one boy she loves and afraid to stay with him, the problem is compounded when Emily finds out she is pregnant. She feels her only option is suicide.

By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer

Mikey McKelvey, a seventh-grade teacher at Alvarado Middle School, has been selected as the New Haven Unified School District’s Teacher of the Year, it was announced during the Board of Education meeting Tuesday night. Lenora Matthews, a campus monitor and noon supervisor at Searles Elementary, was named Classified Employee of the Year.

A New Haven teacher for 18 years, including 14 at AMS, Mikey McKelvey also serves as a coach for Writers Workshop, the District’s research-based approach to literacy instruction. A member of the school’s Instructional Leadership team, she also has served as a department head, a curriculum leader and a literacy coordinator, as well as on School Site Council, the Site-Based Decision-Making Team and the Curriculum Budget Committee. She is a National Board certified teacher in both English/language arts and social science/history.

By Rick La Plante, New Haven Schools Public Information Officer

Cheri Benafield, assistant principal at Alvarado Elementary, and Anthony La Rue, a highly regarded young educator from San Diego, have been hired as principals at Pioneer and Eastin elementary schools, respectively, and Hui Stevens has been promoted from assistant principal to acting principal at Alvarado Middle School.

The New Haven Unified School District Board of Education approved the appointments Tuesday night. The Board also approved the appointment of veteran educator Geri Isaacson, currently overseeing professional development for nearly two dozen schools in Oakland Unified, as the District’s Director of Instructional Support.

From wikipedia:
Lorraine Hansberry (May 19, 1930 - January 12, 1965) was an African American playwright and author of political speeches, letters, and essays. Her most famous work, A Raisin in the Sun, was inspired by her family's legal battle against racially segregated housing laws in the Washington Park Subdivision of the South Side of Chicago during her childhood.

Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago, Illinois, Hansberry was the youngest of four children of Carl Augustus Hansberry (a prominent real estate broker) and Nannie Louise Perry, and niece of William Leo Hansberry. She grew up on the south side of Chicago in the Woodlawn neighborhood.