PSCS eNewsletter April 2011
PSCS founder Andy Smallman set to debate Jimmy Carter
We are thrilled to announce that PSCS founder and director Andy Smallman has accepted an invitation to debate former U.S. President Jimmy Carter on the topic of kindness. The debate, titled “Show Me The Kindness!”, will take place early next year at the Carter Center in Atlanta.
Smallman, whose Practice of Kindness blog and classes have been gaining international momentum, was contacted by Mr. Carter directly to arrange the event.
“At first I didn't believe that the guy on the other end of the line was really Carter,” said Smallman, who is on sabbatical in France. “I thought it was somebody playing some kind of April Fool's prank.” But both the call and the invitation that came with it were legit.
The official Carter Center announcement of the event states that “Smallman's upstart movement claims to be spreading kindness through the world one act at a time. Mr. Carter's international advocacy and philanthropy, on the other hand, are a full-on kindness powerhouse. This debate will show, once and for all, who is really the King of Kindness."
Smallman is undeterred by the throwdown. “Sure, Carter has won the Nobel Peace Prize and all,” he admitted. “But frankly, Mr. Carter is a bit stuck in a 20th-century kindness paradigm. Does he tweet? Does he blog? The man won't even friend me on Facebook. Where's the kindness there?”
Carter Center spokesman John Boolihan said that Smallman was actually Mr. Carter's second choice for the debate. Fox News personality Bill O'Reilly declined an earlier invitation.
No date has been announced for when tickets will go on sale.
PSCS girls basketball team begins practice
PSCS will join the Washington State Interscholastic Athletic Association and field the first competitive sports team in school history in the 2011-12 school year.
The school, which recently adopted “The Fighting Pacifists” as its team mascot out of respect for founder Andy Smallman’s commitment to compassionate living, is preparing to start with girls basketball. The team has already held tryouts and started practicing this week.
“We got orange uniforms!” said 4-foot-8 power forward Margaux Bouchegnies.
First-year coach Steve Miranda is determined to build the program into a regional power to compete with big schools like Roosevelt and Garfield. Miranda has taken advantage of the school’s creative schedule-building process to establish daily six-hour practice sessions.
“It’s a high commitment class,” Miranda said.
Some students, however, have already begun meeting with their advisor to figure out how to drop the class.
“It’s really embarrassing having to wear a wig all the time,” said sophomore Mason Reith. “I mean, I’m not a girl. We’re not fooling anyone.”
He added, “Miranda’s taken this too far. I want out.”
Miranda, meanwhile, has contacted the front office of the 2010 WNBA champion Seattle Storm and requested the academic records of all its players. It’s possible that one of the players skipped high school and went straight to college, Miranda said, which would open the possibility of adding depth to an already talented roster.
“Just wait until Andy gets back,” said staff member Liana Green, whose “Gym and Foam Balls” class was taken off the board due to lack of gym availability. “He’ll put a stop to this.”
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More stories . . .
Visit the PSCS website to read more PSCS news:
* Miranda makes finals in "Bernard Madoff Fundraiser of the Year" competition
* PSCS students open taco truck in parking lot
* Scobie's "Blow Stuff Up" class under fire from the Department of Homeland Security
April Calendar
APRIL FOOL'S DAY
Tuesday, 4/1
BOARD MEETING
Tuesday, 4/5, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
VISITATION DAY
Wednesday, 4/6, 8:45 - 11:45 a.m.
ALL-COMMUNITY POTLUCK
Saturday, 4/16, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
(at Jackson Place Cohousing, 800 Hiawatha Pl. S 98144)
VISITATION DAY
Wednesday, 4/20, 8:45 - 11:45 a.m.
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PSCS profile:
Carlos Slim Helu
Donor, volunteer
Carlos Slim Helu, who recently surpassed Bill Gates as the world's richest person, first heard about PSCS while browsing YouTube in between meetings with world leaders.
“I saw this wonderful video of students who built a bridge using only Popsicle sticks, and it held 942 pounds!” Carlos says. “I knew I had to get involved to support this wonderful school.”
Carlos is planning a series of major donations to PSCS that will allow the school to achieve a long-held dream.
“We’re having our staff-student retreat in Vegas next year,” says staff member Nic Warmenhoven. “We’re so grateful for Carlos’s generosity.” In fact, Nic believes that students can double the value of Carlos’s donation during the retreat simply by applying the principles of his “Play Poker Better” class.
Carlos, a Mexican businessman whose net worth is valued at $74 billion, also hopes to volunteer as a Spanish tutor twice a week. “Making billions of dollars is great fun, but really it’s all about the kids.”
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Check out these links
http://www.pscs.org
http://www.facebook.com/PSCSfans
http://twitter.com/pscsfans
http://andysmallman.com
http://stevemiranda.wordpress.com
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