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Community Members Protest Hiring Of New Washington Principal


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http://www.khou.com/news/local/education/s...ton.d41e81.html

http://www.khou.com/news/local/education/s...s.dc168c4f.html

Here's a strange situation.

Mark Bedell was hired to be the principal of Houston ISD's Booker T. Washington High School in the Acres Homes area. The other candidate for principal, Victor Keys, will remain as an assistant principal. Bedell replaces Franklyn Wesley, who was principal of Washington for more than 40 years.

Alumni and community members are protesting the decision to hire Bedell, formerly an assistant principal at Worthing High School. Community members wanted Keys, a Washington alumnus.

Houston ISD, stamping its foot down, stated that the decision to hire Bedell is final.

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It's still in the Acres Homes area - The Houston ISD portion of Acres Homes is zoned to this school.

It's located south of Crosstimbers, on Yale at 39th, in the heart of Independence Heights. Even if Acres Homes kids are zoned there, they still live no where close to it.

It would be about like saying Greenway Plaza is in the Uptown area.

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Acres Home is split in so many ways its pitiful...when Klein, Aldine and HISD takes a chunk out of it that means alot as it's for racial purposes.

Vic...I invite you to pop up on Yale Street and tell a loyal BTW student BTW is in Acres Home..you may not like the response. Booker T is in Studewood.

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Don't know Studewood's boundaries, etc. but that's how it's been referred to for 100 or so years and the little league team that bears its name plays at Booker T. Independence Heights may be part of it but everyone goes by Studewood.

Similar to 3rd ward as no one really refers to their actual neighborhood or South Park.

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Don't know Studewood's boundaries, etc. but that's how it's been referred to for 100 or so years and the little league team that bears its name plays at Booker T. Independence Heights may be part of it but everyone goes by Studewood.

Similar to 3rd ward as no one really refers to their actual neighborhood or South Park.

Lived in Studewood, half my family is from Studewood, graduated from the magnet program at B.T.W and went to school far, far away. Here's the answer, Studewood is Independence Heights. However, Indepence Heights is the name for historical/government reasons. I never heard of indenpence Heights until a year after I graduated and they shoved the sign down on N.Main and 610. The boundaries as I know are I-45 to the east, Tidwell Rd. to the north, Sheperd to west (when north of Crosstimbers), Yale to the west (when south of 39 street), and 610 to the south. The western boundaries are all screwed up with Garden Oaks b/c of historically racial reasons and segregation. I bet knowone even knew this school does not have a traditional front door b/c of segregation and it's name before b.t.w was OLD Colored High as compared to Studewood High School. There is the real History!

My thought is that it was time for Mr. Wesley to go and I feel really bad for Dr. Keys! Now we have some Worthing person, I really feel bad for him b/c the school and the kids are getting worse and the will not respect him. This does not make for a safe situation, b/c in this community many people do not leave and if the parents don't know the leader, there goes his safety! Just watch, I should go over there and warn him to have some type of protection. They did not call this school B.one T.hugs and W.inos for nothing. Yes, I escaped it made me stronger and it's not like its the school, it's the community. If you don't leave it will keep you and hold you hostage, b/c it's the few rotten apples that spoil it for the other 100. But, I will say this " IF they see that you are trying to do good for yourself, they honestly respect you and will let you proceed, but if not you can end up as just another #, b/c kids have to walk those streets to get to school." I walked them and made it! Drug raids, crack houses and all?

Edited by sowanome
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BTW and Yates are the only schools in HISD where alumni still care and show up to events.....as for your experience, I've never head that from some my college classmates about thugs and stuff..hell...some of the "best-dressed" and "pretty-boy" types I knew in college were from Booker T!

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BTW and Yates are the only schools in HISD where alumni still care and show up to events.....as for your experience, I've never head that from some my college classmates about thugs and stuff..hell...some of the "best-dressed" and "pretty-boy" types I knew in college were from Booker T!

Lamar HS has a big alumni association as well - It has its own website and it is raising 3 million dollars for renovations to the school (As of July 1 the association received 64% of the money it is raising) http://www.lamarhsalumni.com/capital_campaign.htm

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Unfortunately, they don't show up to athletic events to support their students......but when half the team isn't zoned there anyway and most of the athletes have ties to Yates or Worthing I can understand...

I wonder if the alumni association is more concerned with other aspects of the school, such as physical maintenance of the school building and/or fund-raising.

Also, this HoustonInTown article shows that some parents of former Lamar kids, such as Fran Callahan, pour money into the school: http://www.intownmag.com/archives/05-08-august-2005/030.htm

You should suggest to the alumni association that it should send some representatives to sports games. :)

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most whites/non-blacks who attend Lamar don't really care what's going on as its evident in the attendance....they may like their school but I wonder because of its location and historical ties to River Oaks as to why they are "concerned"....

Sam Houston, Sterling, Madison, Davis, Austin, Westbury and Milby, etc. used to be all white but their alums don't have the same kind of desire for their schools as Lamar....

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  • The title was changed to Community Members Protest Hiring Of New Washington Principal

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