 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| News Desk SFP Vinyl Afropostale SFPSports SFPhotos Multimedia Home |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Bring Back Mr. Sarkis Campaign |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Editorials written by Nicholas Tolomeo-Stanish published in Tribune Review and in Wednesdays Post-Gazette North Section. Pick up a copy and make more copies and spread them throughout school. Dont worry bout Suits desk, the SFP has got that covered. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Status: Discharged as a professional employee at Shaler Area High School pending arbitration hearing June 16. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| We here at the Shaler Free Press are doing are job to ensure that Sarkis is back in teaching as quickly as possible. A simple mistake should not be enough to ruin an established teacher who has been in the district for eight years and was voted "Teacher of the Year" a few years ago. Punishment should be dished on for the honest mistake commited, but certainly not the most extreme form. Do your part and support the Bring Back Mr.Sarkis Campaign. Former student of Sarkis in Media Literacy and good friend of the SFP, Edward Trdina is currently working on an online petition for Sarkis' return. Sarkis' Online Petition. You can also sign the Shaler Free Press Guestbook, customized into a Bring back Sarkis Petition. We are looking to amass over 50 names. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| News and Notes from March 19 School Board Meeting These students and teacher should be comended for standing up in front of everyone and a daunting school board to let them know their opinion of Anthony Sarkis. -Joe Schuler, Lisa Schwartz, Ryan Oday, Mr. Jay, Anthony J. Larkin, Emily Devoe and Sam Miller among others -30 minutes of comments and about 15 speakers, and only one fat old bitch had something negative to say about Sarkis. -Meeting was covered by Channel 11 News -8 people remained after the Sarkis issue was put to rest. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Updates: -June 16th is the date set for the arbitration hearing for Sarkis. -The school board voted 7-0 to approve the measure to discharge Sarkis. -School Board meets Wednesday Night at 8 in the Intermediate School Auditorium. They will vote on whether or not to allow him back. Come out and Support Sarkis. -The school board is now going to decide if to listen to Dr.Lee's recomendation or to overule and reinstate Sarkis. If they go with Dr. Lee the case will go in front of an arbitrator. -Joseph Yablonski said he hopes the community support for Sarkis(i.e. the Bring Back Mr. Sarkis campaign) will improve his standing in front of the board. -A hearing is set for Sarkis in front of Dzvonick on Thursday for is misdemeanor charge. -Support for Sarkis remains with the students, but is becoming less seen around the school. Rumors are circulating that Sarkis has the backing of the Police Chief and District Justice. -300 "Save Sarkis" signs posted throughout school on Friday. No walls were left untouched, even the third floor balcony was tagged. -Student petition started by Greg Plut and Bob Yeager began circulating throughout the school Wednesday March 5. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Online Petition | |||||||||||||||||||||
  |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| The story has been getting media attention. Write a letter to the newspaper and it will probably get published. Email: Post-Gazette Letters to the Editor letters@post-gazette.com Tribune Review Letters to the Editor opinion@tribweb.com Include your name and phone number Email these writers and tell them to cover the student uprising. Post-Gazette Staff Writer mfuoco@post-gazette.com Tribune Review Staff Writer bkeat@tribweb.com |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| About Sarkis *Eight year teaching veteran at Shaler Area High School *Involved in St. Sebastins and St. Bonaventure Catholic Youth Groups *Went on trips to help out less fortunate in Appalachia many times *Sponsor of Key Club. A community service organization for Shaler students *A big part of the Talent Show every year and Mr. Shaler Area competition *Voted "Teacher of the Year" Tell me that sounds like a man that does not deserve to be in a high school. Try to replace that by hiring another 22 year old teacher. Sarkis is irreplacable and Shaler Area High School is less of school without him. |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Excerpts from Editorial Published in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Monday March 17 "Arms and a man: This Shaler teacher should not lose him job" This newspaper is no fan of American's obsession with guns, but we also believe in common sense and oppose penalties that have more to do with zero tolerance than a judicious weighing of the facts. The school board should reconsider(their stance on firing Sarkis). Of course guns should not be on school property. In this case, though, no children were in danger and Mr. Sarkis admits his error and has apologized. A serious point could just as well be made with the teacher being suspended without pay for a reasonable period. Those who have risen to his defense say Mr. Sarkis is a good teacher. Let him stay and perhaps he can tell his students how right the Immortal Bard was when he wrote: "The quality of mercy is not strained." Opinions from the Shaler Free Press Writers and Editors -"The only people being hurt by this decision is the students. The superintedent, school board and anybody else involved in this decision are depriving Shaler Area High School students of having an excellent teacher and incredible person in their school." -"The ultimate question that we would like to pose is, why are school district violations 'water under the bridge' until a mistake is made, much like the honest mistake made by our teacher, Mr. Sarkis?" It is the feeling many of my fellow classmates that if the rules are going to be inforced, then they should be enforced 100% of the time. They should not be enforced when they 'catch you' or when the school district feels like it. And we would like to discover what the teachers that allegedly found the handgun were doing going through Mr. Sarkis' bag. We all have a right to privacy under the constitution, right?" -"I am more concered over a teacher such as Jake Mitchell who intentionally brought harm to a student, rather than Mr. Sarkis who unintentionally did something that brought no harm to students." -"Dr. Lee is concerned over the fact that if Sarkis is allowed back it will mean rules and regulations will mean less. Well the rules do not mean jack shit if they can not be interpretted by human beings to know the difference between someone intentionally violating a rule and some that meant no harm." back to home |
|||||||||||||||||||||
