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On Saturday the 9th I happened to be driving around town and at an intersection I observed a young driver in a pickup with a student that I recognized in the back, a 10th grader by the name of Zach Herman. He was hanging on to some BMX bikes. The driver took the corner too quickly and Zach had to hang on to keep from being pushed to the side of the bed. I don't think he would have been thrown from the truck, but he was still at risk. I made a mental note to see Zach this week to tell him he was in a hazardous situation and not to just dismiss what took place. I wanted him to be sure and let the driver know he was being negligent and could have gotten a ticket. It just so happened that in today's Ithaca Journal there is a feature story about a young man by the name of John Grandizio who graduated from Trumansburg High School in Trumansburg, New York, in 2003. Unfortunately, an accident a few weeks before graduation kept him from participating in the ceremonies. He fell out the back of a pickup truck and struck his head. He experienced comas, several brain surgeries and had little assurance from his care givers that he would lead much of a normal life. Although drugs nor alcohol played any part in the accident, Grandizio, now 23, realizes that riding unprotected in the back of a pickup was a mistake. The positive side of the story is that Grandizio will be the first to walk across the stage to receive his diploma at this year's Trumansburg commencement. He is also considering visiting other high school classes to convince teens "about the danger of thinking they're invincible." His trainer, Ralph Diliberto, has this to say about him: "He's got some savvy. Ninety percent of the population would just fold up" after an injury like that. He will be attending Tompkins County Community College this fall and hopes to work with people who have experienced similar injuries. When I showed the article to Zach this morning he knew that he was in a risky situation and was appreciative of seeing the article. He said that he would definitely be showing this to the driver of the pickup. Something else that should be mentioned is that the teenagers weren't just going out for a "joy ride". There is a local effort to build a BMX park in memory of Nick Wilson, a Newark Valley graduate who was killed in Iraq in December 2006. Wilson became a Navy Petty officer 2nd class. He was part of a unit that disarmed explosive devices. You can learn about this project at the following link: http://nickspark.wetpaint.com/?t=anon There was a fund raiser for the bike park that took place on May 9th. The story about Grandizio can be accessed online at this URL: ithacajournal.com. The link for "health" will bring up the article: "Crash victim has message for teens". Ed Nizalowski, SMS Newark Valley High School Newark Valley, NY enizalowski@nvcs.stier.org "Unfortunately, the owner of the business where I worked told us that it is America who asks us to enslave the children. American people like the cheap carpets, the rugs, the towels that we make. So they want bonded labor to go on. I appeal to you that you stop people from using children as bonded laborers because the children need to use a pen rather than the instruments of child labor." Iqbal Masih, Reebok Youth in Action Award acceptance speech, December 7, 1994 Currently reading Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note: All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. You can prevent most e-mail filters from deleting LM_NET postings by adding LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU to your e-mail address book. To change your LM_NET status, you send a message to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL 3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * LM_NET Help & Information: http://lmnet.wordpress.com/ * LM_NET Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/ * EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://lm-net.info/join.html * LM_NET Supporters: http://lmnet.wordpress.com/category/links/el-announce/ --------------------------------------------------------------------