Millions BRAGGING RIGHTS7THE QUEENS COURIER•january 24, 2013VISIT www.queenscourier.comNEWSFOR BREAKING lost after SFP SENIOR MAKES with teens and adults,” the aspiring psychologist said.Arora, who attends Prep on a full scholarship, evaluation SCIENCE TALENT SEARCH has her eyes set on attending Wellesley College,English.she will double major in psychology andBrown University or Vassar College, whereSEMIFINALS OF INTEL talks fail mchan@queenscourier.com - she said.Prep has produced semifinalists for“I’m on my way, which is exciting,”the past 15 years, but never a finalist,A Middle Village brainiac has brought bragBY MELISSA CHAN ging rights to the borough as the only Queens said science department chair Mary BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA kid to make the semifinals in a prestigious Ann Spicijaric. ctumola@queenscourier.com national science competition. “I think she did such a great job. The Aishvarya Arora, 17, a senior at St. Francis level of competition is so intense,” City school students just got a hard lesson Prep, made the second to last cut in this Spicijaric said. “To be one of in how not to compromise. year’s Intel Science Talent Search, joining 300 300 is still pretty, pretty good. Millions of dollars in education money of the country’s brightest high school seniors. We’re so proud of her.” was lost after Mayor Michael Bloomberg She did not advance to the finals, but the Jim Boylan, Arora’s and the United Federation of Teachers budding young scientist took home $1,000 science research tion system. “I’m extremely excited and very grate- advisor, touted theteen as the perfectand a coveted honor for her school.- (UFT) failed to agree on a teacher evalua reach a deal or schools would forfeit $250 developing an original research project student.“To be able toful,” said Arora, who spent two yearsThey had until midnight on January 18 to ble for $200 million in education grant funds. psychological malady in which a person watch her evolveand grow overon teenage body dysmorphic disorder, a- million in state education aid and be ineligi teacher evaluation models in the nation imagined flaws in appearance. the past fouryears has beenbecomes obsessed about perceived or“Since we established one of the strongest last year, 98 percent of school districts have successfully implemented them,” said and come in on weekends to work most reward-one of the“I’ve had teachers stay after school Governor Andrew Cuomo as the deadline approached. “The remaining districts and to have all of their work and my work ever experienceding things I’vewith me on this,” she said. “To be able their unions have until midnight tonight to do the same or they will forfeit the increase They believed in me, and it wasn’t he said. “There’sin my whole life,”come into fruition means so much. in education aid they have been counting on and both parties will have failed the children no one that’s morefor nothing.” they serve.” deserving than her.”-Arora’s 23-page study found teen the other for the stalemate. ists, cut down from 1,700same social cues as adults who sufferEach side of the negotiation table blamed-The contest’s 40 finalagers with the disorder show the the teacher evaluation deal after they had dents at school and analyzing data, for the top award of $100,000.-ing a 10-page survey, polling 120 stuThe UFT said that Bloomberg had blownentrants, will go on to vie-from the mental illness. After creat reached an agreement in the early hours of she discovered both age groups per- Photo courtesy of New York Daily News January 17. ceive defects in their body images. Aishvarya Arora, 17, was named a semi- “Despite long nights of negotiation and a “It’s a pretty big deal now that we finalist in this year’s Intel Science Talent willingness on the part of teachers to meet know this symptom is consistent Search. the Department of Education halfway — the tion on key issues has made it impossible to Son brings gun to school, Mom busted- intransigence of the Bloomberg administra reach an agreement on a new teacher evalu- ation system,” said UFT President Michael BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA Mulgrew. “Thousands of parents have gotten a les- ctumola@queenscourier.com or July for protection because of son this week, as the mayor’s ‘my way or the people who hung around her the highway’ approach has left thousands The mother of the seven-year-old stairwell when she came home at of schoolchildren stranded at curbs across who brought a .22 caliber pistol night. the city by the school bus strike,” he added. and flare gun to his Far Rockaway She also allegedly admitted that Bloomberg, on the other hand, said that school has been arraigned, with she put the .22 caliber firearm and every time the two parties approached a bail set at $35,000. flare gun in her son’s book bag deal, the UFT “moved the finish line back.” “The defendant faces serious Wednesday night. “Instead of working with us to tie up the criminal charges,” said District After realizing that the guns were loose ends of this agreement, they continued Attorney Richard Brown. “It is dis- Photo courtesy of NYPD still in her son’s bag, she went to to insert unrelated, extraneous issues into turbing to think of what could have Police arrested a woman after her the school around 10 a.m., and, these negotiations. The effect was to set the potentially occurred in this case seven-year-old brought a .22 caliber lying, said that he had a dentist talks back, time and time again,” said the if authorities had not found out pistol and flare gun into a Far Rockaway appointment. mayor. about the handgun when they did.” school. Once outside the school, Farley According to Bloomberg, there were three In addition to weapons and child checked the bag and her son told areas of disagreement. endangerment charges, Deborah book bag. her that he had given the flare June 2015. That condition would have made unlawful possession of marijuana. the principal found an orange and returned to the school and told theThe UFT wanted the agreement to end inFarley, 53, was also arrested forgun to a friend. At that point, sheAfter searching the friend’s bag, the evaluation system “meaningless,” said According to the criminal com- black flare gun. principal what had happened. the mayor, because the process of removing plaint, Farley went to the princi- A .22 caliber fire- Following the ineffective teachers takes two years. pal’s office at Wave Preparatory arm, a full magazine VISIT searched Farley’sincident, policewith 10 .22 caliber-Elementary School on the mornAlso, the union wanted to double the number of arbitration hearings for teach- ing of on January 17 to alleg- rounds of ammu- queenscourier.com Far Rockaway resi- ers who file grievances over the evaluation edly to pick up her son for a dental nition and a clear dence, where they process and wanted to change the method appointment. bag containing 14 be held found four rounds ofShould parents of scoring the evaluations. A short time later, she returned .22 caliber rounds Let us know! tion in a cardboard-.22 caliber ammuniresponsibleof ammunition wasto the principal’s office and saidIf he had agreed to those stipulations, said Bloomberg, then it would more difficult to that her son might have given a found inside her box in a bedroom in “weed out ineffective teachers.” gun to a friend at the school and son’s bag. one apartment and What both sides did agree on was that the that one of her sons had put the Farley told police that she had seven small bags of marijuana from students have suffered the biggest loss. gun inside her seven-year-old’s bought the .22 caliber gun in June bedrooms in a second apartment.
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