Broad Education

by Nazbanoo Pahlavi (HNZ'03)

In April's Carnegie Mellon Today
Camp counselor isn't an uncommon teenager job. But Camp Iroquois director Dave Sherman doesn't allow just anyone to join his staff. Leadership is important. So is the ability to connect with disadvantaged children. He also wants someone he thinks will be inspired by the experience.

In his search, he considers the students at the Elmira, N.Y., high school where he is a gym teacher. He approaches Sarah Coon, a sophomore, who is active in sports and school clubs. She agrees to become a summer counselor at the upstate New York camp.

Youngsters—identified as high-risk by the New York State Sheriff's Association—are bused in each week. Coon learns many of the campers haven't had ideal childhoods. Don't they deserve a chance, too, she wonders? "I just knew instantly that this was the group of people I wanted to work with," she says.

It has been 10 years since she felt the need to list camp counselor on her résumé, but it established her career path, which she began in 2001 as a Teach For America teacher. In addition to classroom work, she's accumulated education policy and management experience, and in 2006 she earned her MPM in education policy from Heinz College.

Last year, she was chosen for a two-year Broad Residency in Urban Education, which places residents into top-level management of urban school systems. Only 31 residents nationally were selected, which represents less than 5% of the applicants. All have advanced degrees. Coon's residency is at Achievement First, a charter school management organization with 15 schools in Connecticut and New York. She is director of evaluation and organization development.

My latest Netflix review

I have recently enjoyed the easy dvd rental outfit called Netflix. Prior to my membership, I had know acquaintances who were big fans, and after receiving a two-week free trial, I decided to be a member myself. It was better than watching the same re-run of "Seinfeld" on my cable-less television.

I've been watching some good 80s movies recently. I saw "Kiss of the Spider Woman" which was mainly a character study between William Hurt's old movie obsessed Molina in search for his leading man, and Raul Julia, as the tortured political prisoner who finds happiness in the unlikeliest person. I just now finished watching "St. Elmo's Fire", which for 80s cult classics is probably mandatory viewing. A Pittsburgher also wrote the screenplay, so it seemed I had to see it and judge for myself.

The theme song is beautiful and, unfortunately, the rest of the movie nowhere near gets as good as those musical interludes (although I did enjoy Rob Loewe's sax playing scenes). The relationships between the characters were forced and contrived - their inside jokes didn't even come off as something natural between good friends (it didn't even make sense). The characters were lacking in meat and many were not well developped at all - Poor Emilio Estevez was a wierdo stalker obsessed with Andie MacDowel - Who doesn't seem to mind the little creep following her and banging on her door late at night.

The sentimental 80s cheese was a bit much and taken outside of its context; this movie would be laughed at today, and not for the right reason. The characters are all self-obsessed, except maybe Mare Winningham who goes to the other extreme as the Mother Theresa of the bunch. For a much better rendition of self-obsessed 80s film, I'd see Whit Stillman's "Metropolitan".

Next up, I get Mike Leigh's "Happy Go Lucky", just out on dvd!

Obama says Happy Norooz

Here is the link to Obama's remarks on Norooz to Iranian-Americans, and to the "Islamic Republic of Iran". The highlights of the message are his quote from celebrated Iranian poet Saadi, and saying "Eid E Shomah Mobarak", which means "Happy New Year". He also commented on the achievements of Iranian-Americans. Unlike Bush, Obama pronounces Iran the correct way - With a long "a" rather than a short "a".

It's a nice message, although it shows that the President likes any chance to wax a little poetic.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/Nowruz/