In brief

New school board president elected

The LMSD community welcomed five new board members this year while electing a new president for the first time in three years. The five were elected to four year terms in last month’s general election. On Monday, December 5, all five board members were sworn in one by one. The Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas officially swore each new member in within the crowded large group instruction room at LMHS.

The nine board members next unanimously elected Diane DiBonaventuro as President for the next year and Melissa Gilbert as Vice President. DiBonaventuro, who served as President of the Board in 2008, is replacing David Ebby as President. Ebby completed his four year term and decided not to run again.

The renewed board looks forward to focusing its attention on education, achievement and success of students, and steering away from lawsuits or other distractions.

--Hannah Schaeffer, '12

Second suit from Robbins family

Paige Robbins, the sister of Blake Robbins, a student at Harriton High School who filed the first webcam suit two years ago, recently filed a similar lawsuit. The suit alleges that Paige Robbins had compromising pictures taken of her while she was partially dressed in the bathroom. Ex-attorney Mary Elizabeth Bogan cites the deposition of Harriton Vice Principal Lindy Matsko, where she made vague references to possessing compromising pictures of Paige Robbins.

However, the District claims that the plaintiffs have omitted key words in their evidence. At one point, they left out the word “face” in order to imply the District had nude, or semi-nude pictures of Robbins.

Since the original filing, Bogan, who represented the Robbins family, has removed herself from the case, citing “irreconcilable conflict(s) with the client.”

The District responded negatively to the Robbins family’s latest suit. They called “the complaint…deceptive and misleading.”

Back in 2010, an investigation headed by a computer forensic company working for the District’s attorneys determined, of the 60,000 pictures taken, there were none that depicted any form of nudity.

The 2010 Robbins case was settled for $175,000. Jalil Hassan’s case was settled for $100,000.

The District stated the suit is “the epitome of an attempted money-grab.”

--Zack Schlosberg, '12

U.S. Court of Appeals makes new ruling on Doe v. LMSD

The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has ruled in favor of LMSD in the Student Doe et al v. LMSD redistricting case. The appellate Court unanimously confirmed the District Court’s ruling that racism was not a factor in the redistricting. LMSD stated that it is “very pleased” with the ruling; the response confirmed that the practices of the District were “educationally and operationally appropriate.” Litigation was originally filed against LMSD in May 2009, when several parents believed the new redistricting plan forcing their children to attend Harriton High School was discriminatory. With this new ruling in favor of the District, the case is unlikely to progress any further.

--Jonathan Bloom, '12

Sophomores babysit to benefit class

On December 3, LMHS rang with the chatter and laughter of children as the class of 2014 held its biggest fundraiser of the year: Parents Night Out. The event, described on flyers as “a fun night filled with movies, board games, open gym, arts and crafts and more,” lasted from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., and was considered a great success, with around seventy children present. [more]

Parking spots to free up as construction comes to a close

After three years of renovation, beginning in the summer of 2008, LMHS is finalizing the construction process with the completion of the parking lot. LM started by tearing down the old school, continued with the construction of the new school, and is now finishing the restoration of the Administration Building. With the constant sound of drilling and hammering, and the view of massive machines seen from the windows of our school, it has been hard for both the faculty and the students; specifically, it has come to the student body’s attention that the “Parking Spot Lottery” will be delayed for another month. [more]

LM alum, web entrepreneur passes away

Ilya Zhitomirskiy, LM alumnus and one of the co-founders of the Facebook alternative Diaspora, has died at the young age of twenty-two. He was a co-founder of the Facebook alternative social networking site Diaspora. [more]

State government pushes new educational reforms

On October 26, the Pennsylvania Senate approved Senate Bill 1, which uses taxpayer money to fund vouchers for students already enrolled in private schools. This bill, along with others, has been the cause of heated controversy. [more]

Small group counseling begun at LM

Since the beginning of the second marking period, both LM and Harriton have offered small group counseling services to students in order to promote positive mental health. Both schools instituted this program to help students who experience problems in learning, attendance, behavior, health, and academics. [more]

Local family fights against Cystic Fibrosis with new charity

Emily’s Entourage, a campaign started by an LMHS student’s family, is on a quest to raise money to cure Cystic Fibrosis. [more]

LMHS garners education recognition

LMHS has always been known for their successful students. But this year the school has topped off this standard by winning awards in science and math courses. [more]