Page 25 - Florida Sentinel 6-14-19

National
Sybrina Fulton Gives High School Valedictorian Whose Mic Was Cut Off During Speech A Platform To Finish Her Address
Mob Attacks Alleged Gunman Who Shot Beloved Former Boston Red Sox Star David Ortiz
A hoard of angry fans as- saulted the man who al- legedly shot MLB legend David "Big Papi" Ortiz and television personality Jhoel Lopez outside of a nightclub in the Dominican Republic Sunday evening. The Daily Mail obtained footage of the incident which occurred shortly after Ortiz was taken to a nearby hospi- tal.
According to ESPN, Do- minican officials identified the individual as 25-year-old Eddy Feliz Garcia. Garcia suffered a cranium contusion, trauma to his thorax, trauma on his left knee, and trauma on his right leg, but was treated at a local hospital. Au- thorities say another suspect is reported to be on the loose.
A representative for Ortiz's media team told re- porters the 43-year-old un- derwent six hours of surgery following the attack and doc- tors removed part of Ortiz's intestines and colon, as well as his gallbladder. The 2013 World Series MVP also suf- fered liver damage.
"Doctors say he is out of
DAVID ORTIZ
danger, but he is heavily se- dated and will be in intensive care for the next 24 hours," Lopez told ESPN.
Big Papi's father, Leo Ortiz, echoed Lopez's state- ment with remarks of his own.
"He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting. Big Papi will be around for a long time."
Earlier in the evening, Lopez posted a photo with him and Dominican-born Ortiz to his Instagram ac- count.
A Dallas, Texas, high school valedictorian finally got the chance to deliver the entirety of her speech to graduating seniors after being censored by her school.
Thanks to Sybrina Fulton, the mother of slain teen Trayvon Martin, Emmett J. Conrad High School senior Rooha Haghar can now honor the victims of police-in- volved shootings.
The 17-year-old published a tweet June 3 revealing her high school principal cut her mic off when she mentioned Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice. According to NBC News, she shared a copy of her speech with Principal Temes- ghen Asmerom before grad- uation. He reportedly told her not to mention the victims' names, claiming the idea would be too political.
Trayvon was 17 years old when he lost his life to neigh- borhood watch man George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. Tamir was only 12 when Cleveland, Ohio, police
SYBRINA FULTON AND ROOHA HAGHAR
gunned him down in a park because a person suggested his toy gun may have been real. The child was killed in 2014.
"My valedictorian speech was cut short because I said the names of Black children who had become victims of po- lice brutality," Rooha wrote in the tweet. "Our principal sig- naled for my mic to be turned off as soon as I said 'Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice' and played it off as a technical dif-
ficulty. Pathetic."
The tweet spread like wild-
fire. Nearly 35,000 people retweeted the post which even- tually grabbed the attention of Fulton. After losing her son in 2012, the saddened mother turned her pain into anti-gun violence and anti-police bru- tality activism. On June 7, Fulton announced on Insta- gram that Rooha's speech can now be heard in its en- tirety for all.
This Baltimore City Public School started sending stu- dents to yoga class instead of detention and the results are incredible.
Fort Worthington Elemen- tary School launched a mind- fulness initiative to inspire a positive change in the way students deal with conflict.
The initiative is meant to address the school’s high sus- pension rate. By encouraging meditation and reflection, the school hopes to address prob- lems associated with trauma in an innovative way.
The school has hired pro- fessional yogi, Ramone Brown, to assist with the program.
“Meditation is good for letting go of trauma, letting go of any hate, any anger and just getting yourself into a peaceful place away from the
Fort Worthington Elementary School
daily stressing.” Brown told Now This.
Brown guides the chil- dren through meditative classes where he leads them through creative visualization and mindfulness techniques.
I think it’s created this overall sense of collective here in the school and unity. That when something hap-
pens, there’s been harm in the village, right, and instead of tearing that child down and you know, isolating a child and excluding that child, you’re bringing a child back in to let them know that they are loved and they are safe, that they made a mis- take, and that they are able to fix it.”
After Years Of Working As A Janitor, Denver Man Named Principal Of His Former Elementary School
The career achievement provides a full circle moment for Michael Atkins. He at- tended Stedman as a 6-year- old and fondly remembers playing basketball on the school's court.
"This has been a part of my story — Park Hill, Stedman has been a part of my story, and I've learned so much just from walking these streets," he told Denver's 9News.
Through work, he ran into his second grade teacher from Bromwell Elementary School, who helped him se- cure a position as a parapro- fessional at the school. This chance encounter kicked off his teaching career.
"I took pride in the bath- rooms I cleaned. I took pride in the rooms that I vacu- umed," he said.
Michael Atkins is now the principal of his former school.
"I'm home. I'm home. This is home for me. Park Hill is home for me."
He worked his way up from paraprofessional teacher to become a full time teacher and then assistant principal.
This Baltimore Public School Has Replaced Detention With Yoga Sessions
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