Posted at 12:42 PM ET, 10/18/2008

They Came To Honor Him

Roosevelt Community Dedicates Stadium to James Y. Tillerson

By Jervon McClain and Lawanne Johnson
Staff Writers

James Tillerson and wife Gertie Tillerson were honored before the Roosevelt-Coolidge Clash of the Titans football game. Roosevelt's stadium was renamed the James Y. Tillerson Stadium

They came to relive a time when life was good and uncomplicated. They came to recapture a spirit that, like an embryo, has grown over the past 10, 20, 30, 40 years. They came to see old friends and old rivals of a time not long ago. Bodies, once chiseled in stone or proudly flashing an hour-glass figure, now shows the wear and tear of age and children, splattered with a touch of gray and a wrinkle here or there. They came because they had to. They came to honor him. They came for former head football coach and mentor James Y. Tillerson.

On Friday night (October 10, 2008) the Roosevelt administration, faculty, student body, alumni and community honored former coach Tillerson by dedicating and renaming the Roosevelt's football stadium the James Y. Tillerson stadium. It was a very emotional ceremony, which preceded the Roosevelt-Coolidge Clash of the Titans football game. As coach Tillerson, who once was a giant of a man in stature, importance and size, was carried out to the center of the football field in a wheel chair, his body slumped over and crippled by Parkinson's disease, tears filled the eyes of family members, close friends, former players and past students. He was being honored for his courageous, dedication, and never-ending desire to help children and getting them to make the right choices.

Coach Tillerson has come a long way since his journey through Roosevelt, from experiencing different faces, attitudes, and emotional scenarios each and every year for many years. He coached Roosevelt for 24 years and won seven west division championships, three Interhigh (now known as the DCIAA) championships, and one city championship (he won the last actual city championship ever played in DC - beating St. John's 41-7). More importantly, he touched so many lives in a positive way. To many, this ceremony was more than just an award presentation for "some coach", but an award presentation to a mentor, a father figure, a man who demanded respect and demanded that children have respect for themselves and to respect their fellow man.

"He's a living legend," stated Andre Oates, a member of Roosevelt's class of 1987. "He helped so many people out. He sacrificed his time and his family's time so he could help us so attending this ceremony was the least I could do." "He was like a surrogate father to me, but also to other young men in this school and in this community," stated a reflective Derrick Posey, Roosevelt class of 1975. "He took us under his wing, he kept us out of trouble, he gave us an outlet, and he kept us on the right path. If it wasn't for him, I probably would not be here today." "He was my mentor," stated an elated Jay Adams, Roosevelt class of 1979. "He did a lot for me. Through his teachings I was able to grow as a person and his strong regiment and discipline helped me through college and my USFL experience. I teach the same principles he taught me to my son and the team I now coach." "Coach Tillerson was a mentor to the guys and kept us women in check," exclaimed Lydia Desborces, Roosevelt class of 1973. "He let us know that we were young ladies and they were young men and we should respect each other. "I haven't been back here in 25 years," Gwendolyn Vinson, class of 1983, stated. "I came out tonight because they were dedicating the stadium to him. I had to be here."

The setting was a football game in a brand new stadium featuring arch rivals. The air was filled with the smell of hot dogs and chicken, and the sounds of hip hop and rhythm and blues blaring over the public address system. The atmosphere was festive and the football was fierce. Coach Tillerson wouldn't have it any other way.

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Posted at 09:25 PM ET, 09/21/2008

More Than Just a Football Game

Theodore Roosevelt - 27 Oak Hill Youth Center - 0

By Maurice Butler

It has often been said that football is a game of life. Well, the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Riders got a real good lesson when they played Oak Hill Youth Center for Boys on Saturday, September 20, 2008.

As the players from Roosevelt got off of the security bus, they were forced to line up in twos, got searched, and counted countless times by several security guards who barked out orders and refused to listen to pleas for anything. As the players quietly marched through the barbed wire gates, the eerie silence was deafening. They were supposed to be preparing to play a football game, but something more important was transpiring on this day. "Listen to those doors being locked," shouted one security personnel. "I hope I don't see any of you back down here unless it is to play a football game!"

Head Coach Daryl Tilghman, who is returning to the sideline after a brief retirement, had an opening on his football schedule so he decided to play Oak Hill. "For us, this is a gut check game and an opportunity to see where we are as a team," Tilghman exclaimed. "I didn't know what kind of team I would have this year so I didn't want to schedule a lot of out-of-town games. I also wanted to give my players an opportunity to see what incarceration was really like ...somebody telling you when you could eat and when you could sleep and where you have to walk...and not just what they see on television. I feel that our kids need to understand that when they make the wrong choices in life this could be their consequences."

Several of the Rough Rider players seemed to be taking in the whole experience in a reflective mood. "When I was walking through the gates I was thinking about my brother and my mother," linebacker Darin Drakeford reflected. "My brother has been down here twice and in jail twice. I try to make the right choices in my life because I have seen the pain my brother put my mother through and I don't want to put her through that again."

"I was excited when I first got here," stated a somber Chris McGhee, one of Roosevelt's five quarterbacks. "I've never seen a real prison before. I felt kind of sorry for the guys who are stuck down here."

The eerie silence erupted into more familiar sounds when the game finally started. Any jitters the Rough Riders may have had ended seconds after the opening kickoff. The Rough Riders responded to the hoops, hollers and shouts of what the Oak Hill players were going to do with an organized effort of controlled violence of their own (i.e. Rider football). The result of the game was never in doubt after Drakeford scooped up and returned a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown. McGhee added two touchdowns on passes of 11 yards to Lorenzo Fisher and 18 yards to Chris Kinney.

Fullback Ronnie Speight added another score and kicker Obed Gomez kicked three extra points making the score 27 - 0 before the game was ended prematurely just before halftime. The Riders were on Oak Hill's 20 yards line and poised to score again when upset players from Oak Hill charged the field in an attempt to get the Riders to participate in uncontrolled violence. After order was restored, the referees called the game because of the unsportsmanlike conduct of the Oak Hill players and fear that it would happen again.

The Rider players refused to retaliate knowing that an ejection would mean they could not play in the next game. Lesson learned...the choices you make have consequence

Head Coach Daryl Tilghman returns to the Rough Rider sideline after a two-year retirement.

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Posted at 10:40 PM ET, 08/31/2008

Riders Return to Basics and Rout Indians of Anacostia in Season Opener

Tilghman Earns First Victory after Returning as the Rider's Head Coach

By Jervon McClain and Maurice Butler
Rider Times Staff Writers
Photos by Darnell Lee and Bryan Simms

Fullback Ronnie Speight breaks away for one of his four touchdow runs in a 51-0 rout of the Anacostia Indians

"We had to get back to basics and that means running the football," exclaimed an exuberant Daryl Tilghman, who is returning to the helm as Roosevelt's head football coach after a three year absence.

Tilghman's exuberance resulted from the fact that his Rough Riders ran all over the Anacostia Indians by the score of 51-0 on Friday night August 29, 2008 in Roosevelt's newly refurbished stadium. The Rider offense amassed 285 yards rushing on 26 carries using a host of runners which included junior Quantrell McKissick (8 carries, 81 yards), senior Ronnie Speight (7 carries, 58 yards and 3 touchdowns), senior Alphonzo Duckett (4 carries, 68 yards, 1 touchdown) and junior Robin Bowles (1 carry, 39 yards, 1 touchdown).

The Riders opened the scoring floodgates with a 12-play, 74-yard drive that culminated with an 18-yard run for a touchdown by Ronnie Speight with 6 minutes and 38 seconds left in the first quarter. Speight, who rushed for two other scores, also intercepted a pass from Indian quarterback Khaliel Kinchen, returning it 60 yards for another touchdown giving the Riders a 33 point lead going into halftime. Speight's name was called often over the public address system and soon the sparse crowd's chant "Ronnie Speight" could be heard on Georgia Avenue. "It feels good to be recognized next to all of these other athletes," Speight said. "Darin Drakeford (Roosevelt's blue chip athlete who is being heavily recruit by numerous division one colleges) is a really big influence on me, because he comes out here all of the time and plays his hardest....I would like to be like that too."

One of the major surprises of the evening was the play of 5'4", 130-pound kicker Obed Gomez, a two sports star (football and soccer). Not only did Gomez get off some booming kicks but showed his toughness with some vicious hits on the kickoff team that prevented possible touchdowns. "Gomez was a real surprise," a smiling coach Tilghman said. "I knew he could kick because he has been hitting 40-yard field goals in practice regularly, but I didn't know he was that tough. He seemed to enjoy the contact and wasn't afraid to stick his head in their and hit somebody." I'm really happy that we were able to win our first game of the season," Gomez said. "I think I did my best and my teammates and I will always do the best we can."

The second half saw the Riders utilizing a more balanced attack as coach Tilghman unleashed his air attack. Senior quarterback Chris McGhee completed several passes to senior tight end Christopher Kinney and a beautiful 34-yard touchdown strike to sophomore wide receiver Lorenzo Fisher. Senior receiver Darin Drakeford outfought two Indian defenders to haul in a 28-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Imani Kelly. The Rider defense persevered the shutout by sacking Kinchen four times (defensive end Larry Birdine 2 sacks) and stuffing all rushing attempts at the line of scrimmage.

Coach Tilghman was pleased with the performance of his team but knows that his team has a lot of work to do in order to reach its ultimate goal...winning a championship. "We have to work a little harder in practice and especially on our passing game," coach Tilghman stated. "We left a lot of open receivers out there and we have to get better. I left coaching because I felt a little burnt out, with being the athletic director and football coach., but coaching is like riding a bike, there are some things you don't forget. The one thing that I did not like, when I returned, was this complacent attitude the kids have. They seem to think that everything should be given to them and that attitude is going to change. I am a firm believer that you have to work hard for what you get and the lesson they learn while playing football will help them be successful in life."

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Posted at 02:06 PM ET, 05/11/2008

Riders in the News

Bianca Edwards a.k.a. Miss B performs her new hit single No Lip Gloss Baby, at a block party near Howard University.

The national and local news media have often been criticized for only publicizing negative stories about DC public schools, but this school year has been an anomaly with respect to that type of coverage, at least for Theodore Roosevelt High School. Positive stories about the accomplishments of students and staff at Roosevelt have appeared numerous times on WJMAL (ABC) news, in the Washington Post, the Washington Informer, Digital Sports and other national publications.

Roosevelt senior Betika McKeever poses with actor Nate Parker (The Great Debator) after a debate in Chicago.

Senior Betika McKeever made news when she earned the right to compete in the Chase Urban Debate National Championship held in Chicago in April. She teamed with Angela Lubkeman from Mckinley Tech and they were the subject of an article in the Washington Post written by Timothy Wilson (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/09/ar200804091474.html). The DC team won three out of five matches.

Rough Riders Veronica Torres (softball) and D'Angelo Johnson (basketball) were selected by ABC news as Athlete of the Week for their performance in the classroom and in their respective athletic sports. Their stories were aired on ABC's 5 o'clock news show. For Veronica's story see http://cfc.wjla.com/searchvideos.cfm?k=Veronica+Torres+x=16+y=7. In order to see D'Angelo's story go to http:cfc.wjla.com/videoondemand.cfm?id=9010. D'Angelo was also the subject of another feature on ABC news which highlighted his ability to overcome adversity and still achieve academically. This gripping story can be obtained by going to http://cfc.wjla.co/videoondemand.cfm?id=9341.

Bianca Edwards is making a name for herself in the music industry. She has been accepted to Belmont University, which is one of the best music schools in the nation as well as Syracuse University. She has published her first CD entitled "Miss B" and her first music video (One Step Away) can be seen on the Washington Post's online site.

Darin Drakeford

Junior scholar Darin Drakeford has been selected as one of the nation's highly talented prep stars by an organization called Collegiate Sports of America (CSA). He is being recruited for football by schools like the University of Maryland, the University of Illinois, Michigan State University just to name a few. His biography will appear in CSA's national publication next month. Darin was also the subject of an interview that can been seen on the Washington Post's online web site (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-yn/content/video/2008/04/23/VI2008042301880.html?referrer=emaillink).

Roosevelt's Digital Sports web site has been selected by the managers of Digital Sports, Inc. as the best sports web site on the "East Coast". An article was written in the Washington Informer about our own Dr. Maurice Butler and his indefatigable effort to get his students to write and publish (http://washingtoninformer.com/sproosevelt2008mar20.html).

Juashuanna Kelly has been the center of a firestorm when she was not allowed to participate in a track meet in Maryland because of her uniform. The news media jumped all over this story because of Juashuanna's religious beliefs and it received national coverage. She was also the subject of a story in the Washington Post that related to her participating in track while fasting. The web sites are too numerous to list here so in order to read the coverage you should just Google her. She has recorded the fastest time in the District this season and recently won the gold medal in the 3200, 1600, 800 and 400 meter run at the DCIAA East/West Championships. She has committed to run for Coppin State University next fall.

Juashuanna Kelly

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Posted at 08:14 AM ET, 04/23/2008

One Step Away

A Production of the Arts Media Communications Academy at Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School

Producer: Bianca Edwards
Lyrics by: Bianca Edwards

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Posted at 10:35 AM ET, 04/22/2008

Behind the Scenes (Video)

A Production of the Arts Media Communications Academy at Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School

Producer & Host:
Darnell Lee

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Posted at 10:14 PM ET, 04/21/2008

The Wonders of Golf

Roosevelt Golf Program Provides Stress Relief

By The Aging Adolescent

Members of Roosevelt's Golf Club work out at East Potomac Golf Course (l-r Lamar Bradley, Marcelles Young, Marcus Gladney, David Smith, Roger Wood, Tommy Swinton).

The sun began setting against an auburn sky. A cool spring breeze rustles through the trees singing a song of calm and serenity. The awesome silence was interrupted by a flock of geese swooping down and landing on a golden pond in a synchronized formation that brought to mind a choreographed dance in a Broadway show. A deer, with its' offspring in tow, peered harmlessly from behind a bush to see what was going on before it stealthily continued searching for food. The closely manicured green grass was soft and flowing, adding to the picturesque scene that entices people of all ages and sizes and from all walks of life to come in search of the perfect swing, the perfect drive, the perfect score.

The golf program at Theodore Roosevelt High School has introduced students to a new world. A world where the hustle and bustle of the real world is suspended in time, if only for a brief moment; a world where the constant noise of hate, violence, crime, poverty, racism, and economic chaos is replaced by the rules of proper etiquette, dress, fair play, and honesty; a world where the sounds of hip hop, rap, reggae, and acid rock are replaced by the sounds of nature and the sounds of silence; a world where accountants, bankers, presidents, and politicians can mix with students, teachers, and the average hard working citizens with one goal in mind...putting a little ball in a hole in the ground. A world where you can constantly fail and have fun doing it!

"I joined the golf club because I wanted to do something challenging and different," stated Marcelles Young, a junior at Roosevelt. "I like learning new things and I love to be challenged. I also like the quiet environment. When I went out on the course I found it nice and peaceful. There was not a lot of noise like at a football game or like when I ran track. Sometimes I need it to be quiet and peaceful.

"It is a soothing sport," exclaimed Whitney Simms, a star point guard the girl's basketball team and short stop on the girl's softball team. "When you are out on the course you can really clear you mind and it relieves your stress." Simms, who has been playing golf since she was 13 years old, has found golf to be as challenging as the other sports that she has mastered. Her five foot frame may fool many people but she can hit the golf ball a country mile. "Golf is a fun sport and you have to really focus on getting that tiny ball in a tiny hole in a certain amount of strokes. I like being able to hit the ball far and I love the sound it makes when the ball goes in the hole!"

The golf program is in its' second year and has gotten plenty of support from all areas. The Roosevelt Alumni Association paid for the practice sweats and the uniforms. Members of the Roosevelt staff, including the principal, help students work on the fundamentals, pay for green fees, help transport members to golf courses and participate in a faculty-golf team tournament. Many staff members come out and practice with the team. "I tried golf for health reasons," Roosevelt's athletic director, Mr. Daryl Tilghman stated. "I wanted to do something to get some exercise. I think it is fairly easy to learn, but difficult to master. That is when the obsession sets in because you start to try to get better and hit the perfect shot. The competition, the people you meet, the friendships you make, the networking that goes on is all a part of golf and is good for the kids."

The golf team practices at area golf courses including Rock Creek Golf course, Paint Branch Golf course (MD), Langston Golf course and every Tuesday the team travels to East Potomac Golf course. The team received equipment and training from an organization s called the "Kids Hooked on Golf program, spearheaded by former ABC news anchor Paul Berry. Through the Paul Barry program the team was equipped with bags, clubs, balls, mats and free access to the golf course. At the end of the five-week training session the program sponsors a golf tournament where players from the participating schools play a 9-hole match. Participating schools included Roosevelt, Dunbar, McKinley, Anacostia, Wilson, Bell and Eastern.

With all of the advantages that golf has to offer, the central themes seems to be the calming effect that it has on anyone who dares to venture into this world. "My first impression when I went out to Paint Branch Golf course was that I could stay out here all day," senior Tommy Swinton exclaimed with a twinkle in his eye. "Golf is a fun filled stress reliever. If you have problems in your family, you can come out here and it will take your mind off of things!" "I like the environment," freshman Roger Woods said. "The green grass, the water, the trees, it makes me feel like I can do anything!"

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Posted at 05:54 PM ET, 04/18/2008

Rumor Has It

Chancellor Michelle Rhee Announces That Roosevelt Will Change Next Year

By Carrington Gibson and Rashauwn Foreman
Staff Writers

Will Roosevelt become a charter school next year? Will all of the teachers and administrators be fired? Will students have to apply to attend Roosevelt? Who is all of this new construction really for anyway? Inquiring minds want to know!

Rumors are running rampant around Roosevelt these days concerning what the school will look like next year and who will be here. Rumor has it that this year's graduating class will be the last for Roosevelt High School as it exist now, or that a charter school will take over next year and all students will have to apply to get in or go somewhere else, or that the administration and teachers will all be fired and a new staff will be brought in. As a result of these rumors, some students are beginning to look for other schools to go to next year, faculty members are getting their resumes together, the alumni and parents are up in arms and ready to fight, and fear of the unknown is spreading. Those are the rumors, here are the facts.

According to Chancellor Michelle Rhee, "there are 27 District schools that are in restructuring status according to the federal No Child Left Behind Law (NCLB) and Roosevelt is one of the schools. Roosevelt has acquired 'restructuring status' because the school has consistently fallen short of goals to help students to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). As a result, the federal government requires that we must do something significant in order to increase their academic progress. We must change the way the school is governed, and NCLB gives us five possible ways to do so. We have to pick one of those choices after researching each choice, examining data about Roosevelt, meeting with...the community, and talking to the Local School Restructuring team (LSRT).

DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee

The choices do not move Roosevelt students to another school, so [students] will still be able to attend school at Roosevelt next year. [Students] will not have to apply to attend Roosevelt, but the way that the school is managed will change."

The five options from which the Chancellor will choose include: (1) Reconstitution or restructuring; (2) having a private company take control of and run the school; (3) turn into a charter school; (4) have the state government [DC] take over running the school; (5) allow the school to develop a partnership with an outside educational entity (like American or Howard Universities) who will help make decision in the school along with the administration.

If the school goes through reconstitution this means that more than likely the administration would be replaced and teachers would have to reapply if they wanted to remain. New staff would be brought in along with a new curriculum and resources. The other options include turning over the operation of the school to a private company with a demonstrated record of effectiveness or to the state government (for further information see Questions and Answers on No Child Left Behind www.education.com/reference/article/Re_questions_Answers_No/)

Chancellor Rhee met with members of Roosevelt's LSRT in November and plans to make her final decision by the end of January. Reaction to the Chancellor's proposals has been swift and ranges from passive acceptance to hostile emotionalism. When asked about her opinion on the proposed changes Chancellor Rhee responded, "I absolutely believe [the changes] will be good. The reason for the NCLB law is to make sure that if a school is not set up in a way that helps students gain the skills they need every year, then we need to change the way the school is set up so that students can perform at their best."

There are a lot of questions that students, parents, alumni and members of the community want answered that the Rider Times news staff has been trying to find answers for. For example, if 27 schools (which includes most of the high schools in the District of Columbia Public School System except Banneker, School Without Walls, Duke Ellington, McKinley and Bell) have to be reorganized, where are all of the teachers and administrator going to go if they are released? What happens if parents in the community don't like or want the proposed changes? Will Roosevelt's name still be Roosevelt if a private company or charter school takes over? How did we get in this mess in the first place? Many of Roosevelt's students, staff members and administration are stunned at the Chancellor's mandate because they have only been at this school for a short period of time and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) has to be demonstrated over a five year period. And what is Adequate Yearly Progress in the first place and how do you demonstrate it?

The answers to most of those questions will have to come from the Chancellor, but as far as the last question is concerned (AYP) it is about test scores! It's about how many people took the test (the Stanford 9 and the DC CAS) and how many made proficient on the test. This is the test that students (now only 10th graders on the high school level) take every April and the same test that many students don't feel is important or "blows off" because it is too long! The law states that EVERYBODY (only 10th graders on the DC CAS) has to take the test and when students don't show up it contributes to the whole school failure.

The No Child Left Behind legislation states: A Title I school that has not made adequate yearly progress, as defined by the state, for two consecutive school years will be identified by the district before the beginning of the next school year as needing improvement. School officials will develop a two-year plan to turn around the school. The local education agency will ensure that the school receives needed technical assistance as it develops and implements its improvement plan. Students must be offered the option of transferring to another public school in the district--which may include a public charter school--that has not been identified as needing school improvement.
If the school does not make adequate yearly progress for three years, the school remains in school-improvement status, and the district must continue to offer public school choice to all students. In addition, students from low-income families are eligible to receive supplemental educational services, such as tutoring or remedial classes, from a state-approved provider.

If the school fails to make adequate progress for four years, the district must implement certain corrective actions to improve the school, such as replacing certain staff or fully implementing a new curriculum, while continuing to offer public school choice and supplemental educational services for low-income students.
If a school fails to make adequate yearly progress for a fifth year, the school district must initiate plans for restructuring the school. This may include reopening the school as a charter school, replacing all or most of the school staff or turning over school operations either to the state or to a private company with a demonstrated record of effectiveness. (for further information see Questions and Answers on No Child Left Behind www.education.com/reference/article/Re_questions_Answers_No/).

Regardless of what name this school goes by or whoever is in charge, if students don't start coming to school everyday and taking the test seriously this situation will never go away.

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Posted at 10:44 PM ET, 04/10/2008

Expression or Mutilation