Overbrook High School

Annette John-Hall: As temperatures soar, Philadelphia school officials ...

What do you think about Superintendent Arlene C. Ackerman's managing to save full-day kindergarten with an 11th-hour power move of Title I funds?

I applaud her for acting quickly, because it means working parents won't have to worry all summer about whether their kindergartners will fall behind, not to mention how they would find and pay for child care should their kids be relegated to half-days.

But what about the other must-haves on the chopping block given the district's $629 million budget deficit: teachers, nurses, summer school, bus service, tokens, arts programs, and who knows what else? - 3,000 programs across the board.

Now that Mayor Nutter has forced Ackerman to sign his educational accountability agreement, at least he'll know what the heck she's doing before he puts his political neck on the line.

Ah, it's all just another week in the life of Philadelphia public schools - an in-house drama that went national, with the two officials on separate MSNBC programs Tuesday insisting there was none. Yet they also went public Thursday, insisting they'd made up.

Well, OK.

Still, as though Philly schools needed something else to trip them up, Mother Nature delivered a sweaty, near-triple-digit smackdown.

For the second consecutive day, onerous heat caused students to be dismissed two hours early. More learning deferred.

Severe weather hits Philadelphia schools especially hard. Many structures - like Overbrook High School, built in 1924 - are 75 years old or older with no central air.

Overbrook, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and nobly known as the Castle on the Hill, sweltered as the Furnace on the Hill Thursday.

"You're sitting in class fanning yourself the whole time," sophomore Shawnetta Tillman said as she sat on a stone rail waiting for her mother to pick her up.

"It's unbearable," agreed Frenchi Delpe, a junior.

"I couldn't even take my test because of the heat," ninth grader Joshua said as he sought relief with a cold Missile Pop.

Marie Richardson, 41, sitting in her air-conditioned car waiting to pick up daughter Shawnetta, said she didn't see how anyone could learn in such uncomfortable conditions.

She also can't imagine what else there is to eliminate from the school budget.

"There's nothing [Overbrook] can do without," she said. "The kids might as well go to the front door, sign in, and go back home. They don't have nothing as it is.

The Sports Complex: SIAP Hosts Overbrook High School

After the tour, students were brought back to the Goodwin College of Technology and Professional Studies for a presentation, given by SMTSU President Kevin Giordano. Among topics discussed were a general overview of the sports industry, the advantages of working in sports, and an overview of sport management. The day concluded with the presentation of a case study on sports marketing. Students were then tasked with creating their own sports franchise and developing a basic marketing plan.

Overbrook High School (Philadelphia)

Overbrook High School (New Jersey)

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