A proposal to end an alternative education program for 11th-graders in the Tamalpais Union High School District has caused an uproar among students, alumni, parents and teachers, who have organized online opposition that has drawn more than several thousand backers.

Created in the early 1990s, the Team Program serves 24 juniors each year in the Tamalpais Union High School District. It is based at Tamiscal High School, the alternative school in Larkspur, but the students spend much of their time on wilderness trips, internships and community service projects.

The program has become popular, drawing 80 to 100 applicants each year, according to the district.

With a longstanding teacher set to retire, district administrators will recommend that the school board close the program at its meeting on Feb 6. At issue is not the quality of the program, but the distribution of scarce resources to a small group of students, Superintendent Laurie Kimbrel said in an interview Tuesday.

"The question is not, is this a high quality program?" Kimbrel said. "It is. The question is, given that we're a public school (district), are we serving as many students as best that we can?"

Supporters say the program has been a godsend and, if anything, it should be expanded to serve more students. Within hours after news of the possible closure spread last Friday, they mobilized a campaign to save Team.

As of Tuesday, an online petition in support of the

"Because the model is successful, does that mean you should close it?" said Mary Newman of San Geronimo, whose daughter is in the program this year. "Why should you do away with something that is working?"

Newman said her daughter, Emma, has been transformed by the program, which has taken her on wilderness trips and placed her at the Bay Area Discovery Museum and the neurology clinic at the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center.

"She is taking it all on," Newman said. "It has changed her life. She is not the shy kid who entered as a junior or a freshman into the school scene."

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Proposed cancellation of Marin high school program causes uproar

Professor Emeritus John Mikuta, who taught gynecologic oncology in the Perelman School of Medicine, died last Friday of natural causes. He was 88.

Mikuta, a pioneer in the diagnosis and treatment of gynecological cancers, epitomized what it means to take advantage of every opportunity offered at the University.

He was a 1948 College and Medical School graduate as well as a practicing clinician and dedicated member of the alumni community.

After retiring, Mikuta was named the Franklin Payne emeritus professor of gynecologic oncology. He served as president of the emeritus faculty committee and was recognized by the Medical Schools Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology through the creation of the John J. Mikuta Award for Professionalism in Womens Health. His peers recognized him as the father of his field.

According to Stephen Rubin, who succeeded Mikuta as division chief of gynecologic oncology, Mikuta continued to treat patients for a decade after stepping down as chair in 1993.

Mikuta trained Rubin and nearly 20 other doctors as fellows.

He was a charismatic individual who was very inspiring to many of us, and who encouraged and supported a number of people over the years to go into obstetrics and gynecology, Rubin said.

Mikuta was also involved in many professional societies and was a founding member and eventually president of the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, established in 1970. In addition, Mikuta was an ardent member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

As an alumnus, Mikuta supported the Medical Class of 1948 Scholarship Fund as well as the John J. Mikuta Endowed Scholarship Fund.

Mikuta, who also served on the Medical Alumni Advisory Council and his graduating classs 60th reunion committee, received the Penn Medicine Alumni Service Award in 1994.

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Med School prof John Mikuta, 88, dies

COVINGTON, KENTUCKY (FOX19) -

A group of alumni are returning to their roots to keep a struggling program alive at Holmes High School.

A committee at the Covington school was considering whether or not to continue their International Baccalaureate program. IB offers college credits for high school students.

Instead of voting to get rid of the program, the principal gave that group of alumni the chance to save it Tuesday.

School officials say they were seeing fewer and fewer students enroll in the program with more competing college credit opportunities like AP courses available to students.

"I always have to look at the greater good I have to think about what's best for our students and our school overall," principal Dennis Maines explained. "Over the past few years the IB program has had some declining numbers and that's brought some concern to us from a resource perspective, a human resources perspective."

In addition to alumni, parents of alumni spoke at the meeting and others wrote in letters from around the country.

"The most important thing about being in this country is you can come from nothing and when given the right opportunities you can make something of yourself," Kayla Kinker said, addressing the committee.

Kinker, a 2007 Holmes graduate says she was living in a homeless shelter her senior year of high school.

"One child in Covington with nothing else going for them can turn their entire life around," she said.

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Alumni speak to save college credit program at local high school

For their outstanding service in a range of fields, an inspiring and distinguished group of staff, students and alumni from The University of Queensland community have been honoured in the 2013 Australia Day awards and honours list.

UQ alumni were in in the running for Australian of the Year in three of the four categories, while many other staff, students and alumni received Australia Day honours.

The University congratulates Ms Ita Buttrose on being named Australian of the Year 2013 and all awardees for their achievements.

Australian of the Year finalists from the UQ community:

National Finalist Australian of the Year Professor Adele Green AC

Professor Green has been at the frontline of melanoma research for 20 years. As head of cancer and population studies at Queensland Institute of Medical Research, her research establishing that daily sunscreen use can halve the risk of melanoma set the benchmark for prevention. At UQ, she gained a Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (1976) and Doctor of Philosophy 1984. More information is available here

National Finalist Senior Australian of the Year Laurie Lawrence

Starting with the smallest babies, Mr Lawrence's widely acclaimed program teaches children the skills to save themselves from drowning. Aiming to reduce child drowning rates to zero, he demonstrates the same conviction that saw him coach the Australian Olympic swimming team at Los Angeles in 1984, Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992. At UQ, he gained a Diploma of Physical Education (1963). More information available here

National Finalist Young Australian of the Year Julie McKay

In her five years leading UN Women Australia, more than $1 million has been raised for projects which directly affect the lives of women and girls in the developing world and hundreds of thousands of Australians have engaged with the organisation's work. At UQ, she gained a Bachelor of Arts (2004) and a Bachelor of Business Management (2004). More information available here.

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Australia Day honours abound for UQ community in 2013

24 January 2013 Last updated at 06:01 ET By Kate McGeown BBC News, Philippines

The little health clinic in the town of Tanauan, on the rural island of Leyte, is often so full of patients that some have to wait outside.

Ryan Almirez is one of only two doctors steadily working his way through the crowds.

Technically, he is still a trainee and due to qualify next year. But he's already seen as an essential member of the team.

The people of Tanauan are lucky to have Ryan.

Most of us come from poor families. We wouldn't have become health professionals if it were not for the school

Most Philippine doctors prefer to work in the cities, where they can supplement their government incomes by taking on private patients.

Still others - at least 11,000 since 2000 - have retrained as nurses and gone abroad, earning four or five times as much as they would as a doctor back at home.

But Ryan is not a typical medical student, and neither will he become a typical doctor.

He is enrolled in the University of the Philippines' School of Health Sciences, which is based down the road from Tanauan.

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Rural solution to health brain drain

NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

McCarter & English LLP has elected four new partners and one special counsel in its offices in Boston and Newark, effective January 1, 2013. The new partners are Maneesh Gulati, Yu Lu and Jonathan Short, members of the Intellectual Property / Information Technology group; and Joseph E. Ruccio III, a Construction and Infrastructure group member. The new special counsel is Kevin J. Quinn, who is part of the Public Finance group.

We are so pleased to welcome these five outstanding and talented attorneys to the partnership and our roster of special counsel, said McCarter & English Chairman Michael P. Kelly. These young attorneys have extraordinary skills and will contribute immensely to the future of this firm. We are confident in their continued success in their careers here at McCarter.

Maneesh Gulati (Boston) Mr. Gulati is a member of the Intellectual Property and Information Technology practice, where he focuses on the management and development of intellectual property portfolios, including the drafting, filing and prosecution of patent applications in a variety of genomics, chemical, biotechnological and mechanical fields. He has managed and actively prosecuted substantial patent portfolios with applications throughout the world, including for several Fortune 100 biotechnology companies. Mr. Gulati manages and prosecutes portfolios protecting FDA-approved drug products and performs extensive freedom-to-operate analyses, patentability analyses, due diligence investigations, clearance searches, noninfringement and invalidity opinion drafting, and competitive landscape analyses for industry clients, venture groups and emerging companies. He is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Gulati earned his B.S. from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. He was named a Massachusetts Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012.

Yu Lu, Ph.D. (Boston) Dr. Lu is a member of the Intellectual Property and Information Technology practice, where he focuses on strategic patent portfolio development and management for biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as leading academic institutions. He has extensive experience preparing and prosecuting U.S. and foreign patent applications in the chemistry, renewable energy, genetics, cell biology, immunology, RNA interference, drug delivery, stem cell, pharmaceuticals and medical device fields. Prior to starting his legal career at a global law firm as a patent agent, Dr. Lu was a Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School. His research has led to the publication of multiple scientific articles in journals such as Genes & Development, Nature Medicine and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. Dr. Lu received his B.Sc. with Highest Distinction in genetics and genetic engineering from Fudan University (Shanghai, China), his Ph.D. from Harvard University and his J.D. cum laude from Boston College Law School.

Joseph E. Ruccio III (Jed) (Boston) Mr. Ruccio is a member of the Construction and Infrastructure practice. He advises clients on the preparation of contracts, implementation of best practices and dispute resolution for their construction projects. Whether involved from a projects inception or brought in to handle a distressed project, Mr. Ruccio has the industry and legal experience to help avoid disputes or to minimize their cost and duration. Should litigation be unavoidable, he has the first chair trial experience necessary. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Ruccio gained significant experience in the area of public procurement as chief of the Bid Protest Unit in the Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office. He served as the chief hearing officer for all public contract disputes filed with the AG, prosecuted violations of the bidding and wage laws enforced by the AG, and served as the AGs liaison to state agencies, municipal organizations and trade organizations. Mr. Ruccio earned his B.A. from Colgate University with Honors and his J.D. from Boston College Law School, where he was the executive editor of the Uniform Commercial Code Reporter-Digest. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Boston Bar Association. He is admitted to the Bars of Massachusetts and New York. Mr. Ruccio was recognized as a Super Lawyers Massachusetts Rising Star in 2009 and 2012.

Jonathan Short (Newark) Mr. Short practices in all areas of intellectual property law, representing clients in disputes and transactions relating to patent, trademark, trade dress, copyright, trade secrets, cyberlaw and data privacy issues. He is dedicated to providing business-minded solutions to corporate clients from startups to international market leaders, including litigation avoidance and pre-litigation counseling. He has extensive experience with patent and other litigation relating to consumer electronics products and computer technology, including flash memory products (nonvolatile computer storage). Mr. Short has litigated several transaction-based disputes, including the alleged copyright infringement of a multimillion-dollar software product. Mr. Short earned his B.A. from Bowdoin College, magna cum laude, and his J.D. from William & Mary School of Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Bowdoin Alumni Schools and Interviewing Committee, and the Bowdoin Career Advisory Network. He is admitted to the Bars of New Jersey and Massachusetts, and was recognized as a Chambers USA Associate to Watch for 2012 and a Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2013.

Kevin J. Quinn (Newark) Mr. Quinn practices in the area of public finance, serving as bond counsel for conduit and direct issuers, and counsel for underwriters, borrowers, banks and trustees. He concentrates primarily on revenue bond financings, having extensive experience with acute and subacute health care facility financings, higher education facility financings and economic development transactions. He has participated in financings through the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the New Jersey Healthcare Facilities Financing Authority and the New Jersey Educational Facilities Authority, as well as financings of various municipalities, school districts and local authorities. Mr. Quinn received his J.D. from Fordham University Law School, his MBA from Fordham University and his B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College. He is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers. He is admitted to the Bars of New Jersey and New York.

About McCarter & English, LLP

McCarter & English, LLP, established more than 160 years ago, represents Fortune 500 and middle-market companies in their national, regional and local litigation and on important transactions. Its 400 attorneys are based in offices in Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, Stamford and Wilmington. http://www.mccarter.com

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McCarter & English LLP Promotes Five Attorneys in Boston and Newark

Three Harrisonville High School graduates will become the ninth class inducted into the HHS Distinguished Alumni Wall of Fame during Winter Homecoming activities at HHS Feb. 1.

G.R. Milner, Ret. Lt. Col. Renee (Labitska) Holmes, and Dr. Hillary (Rolls) Kelly will be inducted during a banquet and introduced to the community prior to the 7 p.m. varsity basketball game.

Milner graduated in 1958 from Harrisonville High School as the salutatorian. During his youth, he was highly involved in 4-H and band. He is a lifetime resident of Cass County.

Following graduation, Milner went to work as a bookkeeper at Henderson Burris Motors in Harrisonville. He worked in all facets of the business and at 23 purchased shares of stock in the business. He was one of the youngest dealers in the nation to be given ownership approval by the Ford Motor Company. He also graduated from the Ford Motor Companys School of Accounting and their School of Retail Salesmanship.

In 1977, he became full owner and changed the name to GR Milner Ford Sales and in 1978, he moved the dealership from near the square to its current location on Cantrell Road. During this time, Milner grew the business to one of the largest Ford, Lincoln, Mercury dealerships in the state of Missouri and tripled the number of his employees.

In 2012, Milner was honored by the Ford Motor Company for his 50 years as a dealership owner. Milner was a member of the Missouri Automobile Dealers Association and served in numerous leadership capacities including the associations 60th president in 1998.

As a business leader in Harrisonville, he was a member of the Chamber of commerce, Masonic Lodge and Ararat Shrine.

Milner and his wife, Karazo, will celebrate 22 years of marriage this year. His family includes two children, three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Holmes is a 1986 graduate of Harrisonville High School and spent a 20 year career with the United States Marine Corp.

She retired in December.

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Harrisonville announces Wall of Fame inductees

Tom Goodhart, a member of McCaskey's Class of 1980, buried his football jacket a few years ago at the high school stadium.

That's school pride.

After his beloved jacket was damaged in a fire, Goodhart couldn't just toss it. A volunteer assistant equipment manager for the Red Tornadoes, he wrapped the jacket and a football program in thick plastic and buried the package time-capsule style. He won't say where.

A bachelor who lives alone in his childhood home on Pearl Street, Goodhart, 51, is an unofficial Mr. McCaskey, his school spirit infectious. But lately, friends have grown concerned about Goodhart's well-being. They know he's reeling from his mother's death and the loss of his job, and they want to help.

Best known for his dedication to the football team, Goodhart also gives information-packed high school tours to alumni at reunions. He gleans trivia from his collection of McCaskey yearbooks, dating to its 1938 opening.

Goodhart, who worked part time at Whallons gift shop until it closed in December, also organizes his class reunions, and three times a year he tidies the grave of John Piersol "J.P." McCaskey, for whom Goodhart's high school is named.

"Tom has a definite passion for McCaskey High School," said Jon Mitchell, the school's athletic director. "He doesn't like it when 'J.P.' gets left off."

Besides Goodhart's hyper-focus on all things McCaskey, he volunteers for the Red Rose Run, Sertoma Chicken BBQ and other events, and he collects kitschy items such as Happy Meal toys about 850 in original wrappers.

But what's handicapped Goodhart is interests that aren't a strategy for self-sufficiency.

Ever since his mother, Mary Ellen Goodhart, suffered a stroke and died last March 8 as he kept a vigil by her hospice bed, Goodhart has struggled with being on his own. He has told friends, acquaintances and former classmates of his deepening despair.

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Feeling alone: Tough times for 'Mr. McCaskey' after death of his Mom, loss of his job

Written by Megan Corder Tuesday, 22 January 2013 19:21

Former Kent State graduate and Olympic Gold Medalist Gerald Tinker suffered a mild stroke earlier this month and needs financial help from Kent State alumni to cover his medical bills.

Kim Delgado and Wendy Wheaton, friends of Tinkers, organized the Gerald Tinker Fund to help ensure Tinkers financial security during his recovery.

We started the fund to give him time to recuperate, Delgado said. Were trying to get him set up so that he has some kind of stability.

Tinker, who works as a physical trainer, relies on his income on a day-to-day basis. Delgado, who is an actor and screenwriter, has contacted Kent State for alumni support.

We are assisting in trying to make sure that he has a financial foundation to be able to pay his bills and that will be everything from therapy to medications to living expenses while he is rehabbing, Delgado said.

Wheaton, a talent agent for film and television, believes that Tinkers involvement in the community is benefiting the fund.

He is very much in the community, Wheaton said. He is a dynamic kind of guy that has a lot of different relationships with people. From senior citizens, all the way to someone who is in high school that shows potential.

After graduating from Kent State in 1972, Tinker competed in the Olympics that year. He won a gold medal in the 4 x 100 mens relay. Since his experience in the Olympics, he has played football for the Atlanta Falcons and the Green Bay Packers.

Delgado, who wrote Gerald Tinkers story for television, said that Tinkers story intrigues him.

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Gerald Tinker, KSU alumnus and former professional athlete, suffered a stroke January and needs financial help to pay ...

The fifth time's apparently a charm. At least for recently crowned Miss USA Nana Meriwether it was. A former All-American volleyball star at UCLA, Meriwether lettered all four years of high school in volleyball, basketball and track and field in Washington D.C., and unlike most, she didnt make her way onto the beauty-queen scene until well after her highly-successful volleyball career came to an end.

Despite a late start, it was her background in athletics that helped lay the groundwork for her career in the pageant business.

I missed competing and having a goal, said Meriwether. [When] competing for pageants there is a physical aspect that you have to get your body to a certain way and I miss having that through sports.

Meriwether entered in the Miss California pageant for four straight years from 2008-2011, but could only come as close as second place in 2008. Perseverance was key for the 27-year-old, who in her final year of eligibility moved back to the East Coast to compete in the Miss Maryland pageant.

After finally winning the coveted state crown in 2012, Meriwether earned herself a spot in the Miss USA competition. From there, history was made.

Meriwether was named first runner-up to Miss Rhode Island, Olivia Culpo, who went on to win Miss Universe six months later. With the new vacancy, Meriwether took over as Miss USA.

We were both part of history, said Meriwether, who found out her fate while eating dinner at a restaurant with friends. It was such a unique way to come into the title.

But for the athlete-turned-beauty queen, Meriwethers sights werent always set on the pageant scene.

I would have never dreamed she would have matured enough to possess the confidence to put herself her out there like she does standing alone in a beauty pageant, said her UCLA coach, the legendary Andy Banachowski. She was willing to speak up among her teammates and lead them, but I never imagined she would have the drive to go it alone.

Once a shy, awkward multi-sport athlete, not even Meriwether envisioned she would land where she is today.

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Ex-UCLA volleyball star now Miss USA