December 11-17, 2003

mailbag

Letters to the Editor

by the Readers

Report Card

My daughter, Alexis, is a student at PACS [Philadelphia Academy Charter School] and my wife and I couldn't be more pleased with the school and [principal] Brien Gardiner ["A Special Education," Amy L. Webb, Nov. 27, 2003].

Two years ago, my wife and I were wondering where we would send our first child for school. Alexis is a gifted student who stood out in preschool, so we wanted her to attend a school that would challenge and not bore her. A school that would educate her and make her want to attend. A school that had strict rules where we wouldn't worry about her safety. We hoped and prayed Alexis would get picked to attend PACS.

Four friends of ours send their children to PACS and couldn't praise the school enough. What we heard from them about class size, philosophy, parental participation and the strict rules made PACS the top choice of a list that included a private school and two other charter schools. Philadelphia "regular" public schools were never considered. One of just 22 students in her kindergarten class, Alexis thrived. She missed only one day of school and by the end of the year could partially read, do simple math and write in a journal. She also had to do a science project where she demonstrated how by mixing baking soda and vinegar you could create carbon dioxide gas.

When I was in kindergarten, a good student was one who could play with blocks well and got along with the other children. Math, reading, writing and science were things I wasn't expecting but was amazed to see. I won't even get into the fact that she had classes in music, dance, art and the Chinese language. All this in kindergarten! All this with less money from the state than Philadelphia public schools get. School is one thing my wife and I no longer worry about. Thank you for a wonderful story.

Scott Windle
Northeast Philadelphia

Give South Street Back!

My wife and I have lived in Queen Village since we got married in September 1992. We love the area and used to have fun taking our visitors up to South Street. ["Where Do All the Yuppies Meet?", Peter Woodall, Fine Print, Nov. 27, 2003]. We both find the changes over the past decade to be depressing. This neighborhood needs a good "new" bookstore if for no other reason than to have a place to purchase from an eclectic selection of periodicals. We both love The Book Trader (my cousin works for them) and have patronized them on a regular basis. It is sad to see that South Street now has a McDonald's, Taco Bell/KFC, Dairy Queen, Blockbuster, etc., all of which do nothing to give someone a reason to go out of their way to visit our neighborhood and, instead, reward mindsets of mediocrity on both ends of the corporate and customer relationship.

Mike Ginsberg
Via E-mail

Clarification

Bruce Schimmel's review of Another Christmas Ruined by Bah & the Humbugs [Loose Canon, Dec. 4, 2003] neglected to mention Paul Nordquist, the band's founder, who wrote "Jolly Roger" and "Genetically Modified Gingerbread Man."