Archive for the ‘School news’ Category
Battling the bottle: Students and industry face off over water
February 15th, 2012
Bottled water is trickling away from college campuses nationwide, thanks to the efforts of student activists and the nonprofit groups that support them with campaigns like Ban the Bottle.
But that’s not going over too well with the International Bottled Water Association. The industry, which had $10.6 billion in revenue in 2010, went on the defensive this month with a YouTube video to counter what it calls “misinformation” used to turn college students against bottled water.
Corporate Accountability International, which created the Think Outside the Bottle campaign that has been used on some campuses, says more than twenty schools have complete or partial bans on bottled water because of environmental and health concerns about the industry. Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., and California’s Humboldt State University imposed campus-wide bans in September, and the University of Vermont announced last month it will end its contract with Dasani bottler Coca-Cola in July.
In addition to removing bottled water from vending machines, stores and cafeterias, students have pushed for reusable bottle hand-outs, water fountains, and filling stations. “We’re really trying to make it part of the student culture to carry a water bottle,” says Clare Pillsbury, a Macalester senior who led her campus’s effort.
But the IBWA video suggests the cause is unworthy of students’ energy – instead, perhaps they could focus on genocide in Darfur. It claims bottled water is a good alternative to sugary beverages and easier to recycle than other packaged drinks. The IBWA also argues bottled water is safer than tap water.
The students – and a lot of water experts and authors – disagree with most of these points. They say the bottles add up to a lot of waste, and that the companies have privatized something that should essentially be free.
So, what’s the take-away?
IBWA president Joe Doss always circles around to freedom of choice. “It’s not a tap water versus bottled water issue,” he says; the industry just wants students to have the option.
And they do, the activists say – they just have to go off-campus.
The bottled water war is spreading beyond campuses, though. Several cities have stopped using public funds to purchase bottled water, and Grand Canyon National Park announced Monday it will stop selling water in containers smaller than one gallon.
Doss estimates his industry grew by five percent in 2011, so for now the freedom of choice looks safe. But that could change, if activists continue to get their way.
“The fact is, you could eliminate bottled water,” Pillsbury says. “These companies are creating a product that we don’t need.”
Tags: Water
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Industry Preferences for the MBA Class of 2013
February 9th, 2012
They may not have even wrapped up their first year yet, but most members of the MBA Class of 2013 have already selected an industry preference as part of their career profile process, says the comprehensive recruiting network that is MBA Focus.
So, what types of employment are tomorrows MBAs interested in? While there are few surprises among the industries that make up the top ten, there is some movement when compared to this years graduating class as well as alumni.
- Financial
- Consulting
- Consumer Products
- Tech
- Energy/Utilities
- Healthcare
- Entertainment
Three industries round out the top 10 for the Class of 2013—with some notable differences from the classes that have gone before them. Advertising lands at #8 for these first-year students—but is 10th for MBA alumni, MBA Focus reports, noting that Media is the 9th most preferred industry for the class of 2013—but is 11th for this years graduating class, and 13th for alumni. And Nonprofits slide in at #10 for next years graduating class, but come in at #15 for both 2nd-years and alumni.
Also, Real Estate falls within the top 10 for the two more senior populations, but is 12th for the current first-year students, the survey reveals.
Many top-ranked MBA programs require students to select an industry preference, which helps channel employers to the best and brightest future leaders and streamlines career services such as resume coaching and mock interview practice, MBA Focus notes.
Are you wondering where such industries as telecom, environmental services or manufacturing fall in this list? For a complete breakdown for the class of 2013 MBA industry preferences, check out the original post on the MBA Focus blog.
Tags: 2013, Mba Class
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State football regional semifinals set
January 23rd, 2012
The regional football playoffs kick off next weekend, and MPSSAA officials announced the schedule this morning. Here are the matchups involving Baltimore-area teams:
Class 4A North
4 Perry Hall at 1 Poly, Friday, 7
3 Paint Branch at 2 Catonsville, Friday, 7
Class 4A East
4 South River at 1 Old Mill, Friday, 7
3 North Point at 2 Arundel, Friday, 7
Class 3A North
4 Digital Harbor at 1 North Harford, Friday, 7
3 Franklin at 2 Aberdeen, Friday, 7
Class 3A East
4 Stephen Decatur at 1 Atholton, Friday, 7
3 Howard at 2 River Hill, Friday, 7
Class 2A North
4 Dundalk vs. 1 Edmondson at Poly, Saturday, 6
3 Lake Clifton at 2 Chesapeake-B at CCBC-Essex, Friday, 7
Class 2A South
3 Gwynn Park at 2 Glenelg, Friday, 7
Class 2A East
4 Patterson Mill at 1 Kent Island, Friday, 7
3 Fallston vs. 2 Wicomico at Wicomico County Stadium, Friday, 7
Class 2A West
3 South Carroll at 2 Walkersville, Friday, 7
Class 1A North
4 Lewis at 1 Overlea, Friday, 7
3 Northwestern vs. 2 New Town at site TBA, Friday, 7
Class 1A South
4 Southside vs. 1 Dunbar at Poly, Saturday, noon
3 Surrattsville vs. 2 Du Bois at Poly, Saturday, 3
Class 1A East
4 Havre de Grace at 1 Perryville, Friday, 7
To see the regional matchups for the rest of the state as well as the final points standings, go to the MPSSAA website.
Tags: Regional, Regional Semifinals
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Nexus Showroom is Looking for Interns!
January 17th, 2012
Nexus Showroom, a high-end luxury fashion showroom in Midtown Manhattan is looking for 10-15 interns.
Duties/Tasks involve, but not limited to:
- Assist on special projects and events such as our fashion shows and sales market
- Assisting the sales department
- Merchandising showroom
- Scheduling appointments
- Assist in sales appointments
- Customer service: preparations of sales campaigns, after sales services
- Administrative duties
- Helping with daily activities
- Updating accounts, sample tracking, etc.
- PR activities: Social Media, Assist stylists, Tracking pulls and updating lists
School Credit is offered and you have the Opportunity To Display Your Own Line In Our Showroom!
Please contact Jeff at NexusShowroomNYC@gmail.com or call 917 340 1101
Tags: Interns, Nexus Showroom
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No, the school nurse is not in
January 3rd, 2012
More than half of American public schools dont have a full-time nurse, and the situation is getting worse as school systems further cut budgets. This year, 51 were laid off in Philadelphias public schools, 20 in a Houston suburb, 15 in San Diego and dozens more in other school systems nationwide.
Other schools have reduced their school nurse staffing.
At Githens Middle School in Durham, N.C., school nurse Valerie Mitchell is only there two days a week. Parent Suzanne Fuller chalks it up to luck that Mitchell was there the day her son, 12-year-old Rock, had a seizure. In addition to having seizures, Rock has an attention deficit disorder and cerebral palsy.
When the school had a fire drill a few months back, the sensory overload of the flashing lights, screaming alarm and rushing students was too much for Rock. His teacher thought he was having a seizure and called Mitchell.
“Had a bad headache, and he just felt like he was in a tunnel. That’s what he kept telling me. I just tried to keep him calm, tried to keep him comfortable. You multitask during that time,” Mitchell says.
Mitchell checked his vital signs, told the office to call his mom and cleared out the nearby students. She says Rock got through it without going into a full seizure — and he was OK by the time his mom got there. She says Mitchell made a huge difference.
“I was very lucky that she’s here,” Fuller says.
The rest of the week Mitchell bounces between four other schools. She’s the only nurse at each one.
Cutting Positions
The National Association of School Nurses reports that a quarter of schools don’t have a nurse at all.
The association’s president, Linda Davis-Alldritt, says that’s bad for schools, parents and students.
“Children are coming to school with increasingly complex medical conditions that need to be managed on a daily basis. And when there is no school nurse available, those kids are not going to be well-managed in school, and so it puts them at risk for complications,” Davis-Alldritt says.
And Davis-Alldritt says the staffing is getting worse. In the association’s most recent poll, one-third of school districts surveyed said they reduced nursing in the past year. She says the recession has dried up local and state funding for school nurses.
Sue Guptill, director of nursing in Durham, says that’s what happened in her district.
“We’ve had two that were actually cut by the state, [and] one that was actually cut by the county. And so we’ve lost three positions,” Guptill says.
Guptill says almost none of Durham’s public schools has a full-time nurse, and some schools go two weeks without a nurse visiting. She says students’ health needs fall to teachers and other staff.
“You’re asking someone who is not a health professional to make a decision about, ‘Is it time to give the child medicine? Is it time to call a parent?’ And if a kid is kind of quiet, and you’ve got a room full of kids, a teacher just might not notice,” she says.
But there’s often no one else to take care of students. At Githens Middle School, the only people trained to help diabetics inject insulin are a janitor and a records specialist.
Ryan Dozier, the records specialist, says Mitchell taught him what to do.
“Of course, you always hope that nothing serious ever happens. So that’s kind of the nerve-racking part,” Dozier says.
Back in the nurse’s office, Mitchell shows a teacher’s assistant what to do if a student has a seizure and she’s not around. She tells the assistant that the timing is crucial.
“So he comes to me now at a quarter till, and saying, ‘I don’t really feel well.’ You don’t time it from there, you time it from the time that he goes out, has a seizure,” she says. She explains that at that point, the child might be breathing very heavily or might get a little blue around the mouth as he struggles to breath.
Mitchell says this is an essential part of her job. She can’t be at five schools at once, so she teaches staff members at each how to handle emergencies, and that sometimes, it’s best just to call 911. Copyright 2012 WFAE-FM. To see more, visit .
Tags: Nurse, School Nurse
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