Newspapers / North Carolina School of … / Dec. 1, 2000, edition 1 / Page 2
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page 2 news December 00 Trouble in the Holy Land Taymour Hammoudi ~ Bitter words and bloody clashes are once again threat ening the tentative Middle East peace process. Palestinians and Israelis are each blaming the other for a new round of vio lence following a September 28 visit by Israeli opposition leader Ariel Sharon to a contested reli gious site in east Jerusalem. Since that fateful Septem ber visit, violence between the Palestinians and the Israelis has only escalated. Palestinians claim that Israelis are pging ex cessive force to maintain some semblance of peaceful coexist ence in the region, causing mas sive Israeli opposition from members of the Palestinian State. Numerous acts of vio lence on both sides have in creased as Israelis claim revenge for attacks by the Palestinians. Other acts of violence in the Middle East include the kid napping of Israeli soldiers by the militant group, Hezboallah, and the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen. Palestinians have re tained support from several Arab nations in the region, which may explain the attacks in other areas within the Middle East. Several Israeli attacks have occurred in the region as Kitty Fromson Have you ever wondered why teachers get awards? Ob viously, it is because they are good at their jobs, but what ex actly makes a good teacher? Biology teacher Mrs. Leslie Brinson and history teacher Dr. Virginia Wilson seem to know. They were recently honored with prestigious awards that confirm their merit in teaching. Mrs. Brinson, who joined the faculty in 1995, re ceived the Outstanding Biology Teacher Award from the Na tional Association of Biology Teachers. She was recognized at an honors luncheon in Or lando on October 27, along with other biology teachers from across the nation. Her favorite part of the conference was meet ing Neil Campbell, the author of Biology, the textbook she uses. Before coming to NCSSM, Mrs. Brinson earned her bachelor’s degree at Florida State and her master’s at the University of Florida. She has studied lakes in Guatemala, taught in Germany, and taught at Rose High School in Greenville, where she spon sored many science clubs and competitions. In fact, at meets she would often talk to faculty members from NCSSM. These well, though they are not com monly broadcast, provoking several responses from the Pal estinians as well. What may seem like a small matter to an outsider rep- of conflict. In November 1947 the United Nations voted to end the British Mandate of Palestine by May 15, 1948, and to parti tion Palestine into Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem be Israel and Palestine have a longstanding dispute resents much more to many in the volatile region. As they struggle to find a way for their people to coexist, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak must contend not only with the po litical pressures of the moment but also with a lengthy history coming an international city. Jews in Palestine and elsewhere readily accepted the partition. The response by Palestine’s neighbors was overwhelmingly negative. Intent on preventing any Jewish presence in the re gion, they rejected the plan, and in what was to be a precursor to many more wars, the armies of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq invaded the new coun try with the declared intent of destroying it. Against the odds, the Israelis held their ground. By July 1949 Israel had re pulsed the invasion, joined the United Na tions, and been rec ognized by more than 50 govem- m e n t s around the world. In a series of armistices with Egypt, Jor dan, Syria and Leba non in 1949, Israel established borders similar to those of Palestine during the British Mandate. Jordan re tained the West Bank of the Jor dan River, and Jerusalem was divided under Israeli and Jorda nian rule. Subsequent wars were launched by both sides over the Kudos for quality communications made her eager to join our faculty when she was offered a job. Teaching here is very different than at normal high schools, Mrs. Brinson said, because she gets to know the students on a different level and she feels more comfortable be ing herself. Mrs. Brinson has taught Ad vanced Biology and Ecology in the past, and she is currently teaching Ad vanced Biology and Environ mental Science. She firmly believes that, “Teaching should be fun!” Mrs. Brinson enjoys biology and hopes that stu dents will find it equally fasci nating. She tries to always be open to feedback and she strives to communicate with and help students. Nicholas Jones, who is in her Advanced Biology class, agrees with her self-evaluation, declaring that, “She’s down to earth, has a great sense of hu mor, and is passionate about her subject.” Furthermore, she truly cares about students, is easy to talk to, and has a great smile. All in all, Mrs. Brinson seems to have discovered the secrets of becoming a well-liked and re spected teacher. Dr. Wilson, the head of joyed watching NCSSM change over the years. She tells pro fessors at other schools that teachers here have a dream job because students are interested and motivated to learn. As a young child, ex tensive travel inspired Dr. mifihc iistory class the Humanities Department, has earned the National Social Stud ies Teacher of the Year Award. This year, she teaches United States History—Critical Issues, Ethics in Leadership, and a dis tance learning course. Dr. Wilson earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doc torate degrees from Duke. She has been with the school since it opened in 1980 and has en Wilson’s love of history. She now believes that, “Travel is the laboratory for the study of history,” which is why she is teaching the London Mini-Term course. When asked about her philosophy of teaching. Dr. Wil son thoughtfully replied, “His tory means so much to me, and I try to let students see how much I love it.” next 35 years — in 1973 by Israel’s Arab neighbors, and by Israel in 1956 and in their 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The most dramatic of these was the Six- Day War, which lasted from June 5-10 in 1967. Responding to what it perceived as imminent attack by Egypt, Syria, and Jor dan, Israel launched a preemp tive strike against all three. Israel won stunning victories on all fronts, taking the Sinai and Gaza from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank from Jordan (including the Old City of Jerusalem). Efforts at achieving tem porary peace in the region do not seem promising so far, de spite several recent conferences between Arafat, Barak, Presi dent Clinton, Secretary of State Albright, and UN Secretary General Kofi Anan. Sides are now in heated debate as to what the solution to the current con flicts might be, and Barak and Arafat are attempting to subdue the desires of both sides to pur sue more acts of violence. If an agreement is not reached soon, a devastating war may begin that could include many other na tions around the world. The only hope is that mutual con cession will achieve temporary relief. She wants to give all her students an appreciation for history. Whether or not they will pursue a career in history, she wants them to understand the motivations for learning more about the past and the way that historians do their jobs. Besides giving her students a knowl edge base of historical events and themes, she also wants her students to gain a set of skills that will be useful in all areas; writing well, reading analyti cally, and speaking articulately. Jessica McCoy, who had Dr. Wilson last year for Unites States History, says, “She is amazing. She is a great teacher, and I learned so much from her. She drills things into your head so that you know them completely. Her lectures are interesting and she makes you care about history. There is not one moment of wasted class time.” Dr. Wilson, too, is a teacher appreciated by all. Mrs. Brinson and Dr. Wilson are noteworthy profes sors because they give students a love of the subject and a solid foundation of knowledge and skills. They are respected by students and teachers alike, and are recognized by the greater community for their superior teaching skills.
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