Latest news with #graduation
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Outdoor graduation ceremony becomes 'mass casualty incident' as over 150 people fall ill to extreme heat: 'I couldn't breathe'
Several high school graduations in New Jersey were postponed after excessive heat during a two-part ceremony Monday caused what the Paterson city fire chief declared a "mass casualty incident," according to the Guardian. A "heat dome" began to descend on vast swaths of the Northeast and Midwest on Sunday, and over 100 million Americans endured a days-long extreme heat warning as dangerous temperatures blanketed Boston, New York City, and Baltimore. Over 150 people were sickened in Paterson, New Jersey, on Monday during a pair of high school graduation ceremonies, the Guardian reported. According to NBC News, the Paterson Fire Division initially responded to the first of the two events. During the morning ceremony, around 50 people fell ill because of the excess heat. A second ceremony, held in the afternoon, proceeded as scheduled, and another 100 attendees required medical attention. Of those sickened, nine were hospitalized. Paterson Mayor André Sayegh subsequently canceled all "recreational activities," declaring a state of emergency as the heat index approached 110 degrees. The heat index, or "apparent temperature," is what outside temperatures feel like when accounting for humidity. CBS News' coverage of the events underscored the insidious nature of high temperatures, showing how quickly heat-related illness can endanger anyone. Excess heat is a form of extreme weather, and over the past three decades, it has resulted in more annual deaths on average than hurricanes, tornadoes, and lightning strikes combined. Rising average global temperatures and warming seas have been likened to "steroids" when it comes to extreme weather. Heat waves, hurricanes, wildfires, and severe storms have always been part of weather patterns — but as the planet overheats, they've become far deadlier, costlier, and occur much more frequently. What's the worst thing about taking care of your yard? The time it takes How noisy it is It's too expensive I don't have a yard Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Extreme heat poses risks even to the young and healthy, and in Paterson, graduates and spectators alike fell ill. "It was exhausting. I couldn't breathe, like my chest hurts," Rosa Parks High School graduate Ciarra Bailey told News12 New Jersey. Another attendee witnessed "people fainting around us." Existing climate models are "likely understating the relationship between climate change and persistent summer weather extremes today," climate researcher Michael Mann told CNN. The city of Paterson issued a heat warning on its website ahead of the ceremonies. Nevertheless, more than 150 people became seriously ill. In Paterson and on much of the East Coast, local municipalities opened cooling centers for residents without access to a climate-controlled environment. The incidents at Paterson's graduation ceremonies occurred early in the season, with the typically hotter months yet to come. As extreme heat waves become stronger and more frequent, awareness of the impact of climate on weather is important — particularly because heat-related illnesses are fast-moving and extremely dangerous. During a heat wave, staying hydrated and avoiding unnecessary exertion are two key ways to stay safe. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
New York Times
2 hours ago
- General
- New York Times
Quote of the Day: Graduates' Joy Chilled by Worry After Student's ICE Arrest
'They're going to watch you, and you know what they're going to see? Greatness.' NORMA VEGA, principal and founder of Ellis Preparatory Academy, a Bronx high school devoted to immigrants. She spoke at a graduation ceremony.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
Graduation a celebration for adult students with disabilities
Graduation a celebration for adult students with disabilities at Place Cartier Adult Education Centre in Beaconsfield. Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual For mature students with disabilities, Place Cartier Adult Education Centre in Beaconsfield offers work skills and social programs. Like all schools, it's grad season for the hard-working folks at the school on Montreal's West Island. Student Stephanie Toriani says it's been a good year. 'Math, English, French, and we have exams as well, but I passed!' she said. The centre is part of the Lester B. Pearson School Board, with 150 mature students with learning challenges. It also offers work training and other vital courses for people 17 years and up living with disabilities. They put together their own graduation day party. Educator Amanda Dowbyhuz says it's all part of the 'Thrive' program. 'Events like this kind of show how they can plan a party,' she said. 'They bring their positive attitudes and their amazing ideas.' With the gym full of dancers and music, student Tevin Morrison-Davis said, 'It's a party and I'm a DJ!' Austin Amato-Reede said the work training experience he received is satisfying because he worked in the coffee shop on-site. 'I'm proud of myself for doing it,' he said. 'My school year was really great.' Morrison-Davis and Amato-Reede added more skills by helping out with the camera work and interview questions. Tevin Davis, Mattew Kennedy and Austin Amato-Reede Tevin Morrison-Davis, Matthew Kennedy and Austin Amato-Reede assist on CTV News video shoot with reporter Christine Long. (Christine Long/CTV News) Programs are all about positive, hands-on learning with tangible results. 'It's an opportunity for them to practice the leadership skills that they've been honing all year,' said pedagogical consultant Matthew Kennedy. 'We do a lot of events, but this is the main one that is put on by students this year.' Every year is full of accomplishments for these students. '[We] celebrate all our differences and we're all accepting here and we consider ourselves a one big family,' said special education technician Erliza Magajes.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction training program propels Clayton County students into career opportunities
Friday was graduation day in Clayton County, and the diplomas came with a bonus. Thaddeus Brown told Channel 2's Berndt Petersen he liked the math. 'At least 45 to 47, to 120, and maybe 200,000,' Brown said. That's dollars, salaries for qualified construction professionals who got trained by the metro Atlanta nonprofit Construction Ready. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Most of the 19 graduates just finished high school, then successfully completed the nonprofit's intense four-week pre-apprenticeship program at Clayton Schools' Perry Career Academy. 'This is for students who aren't going to college or into the military. This is another option for them to get into our industry very quickly and make a lot of money and have a long-term career in construction,' the nonprofit's CEO Scott Shelar said. 'It has been amazing in terms of the lives we have impacted through this partnership,' Principal Terry Young said. The graduates have already had interviews with local construction companies. They're prepared to report to a job site today, and some are thinking big about tomorrow. 'I will start my own business in construction,' graduate Sanna Brown Tucker said. Brown said he can't wait to get to work. 'The more you're willing to learn, the farther you will go,' Brown said. Industry experts say 7,000 construction jobs are currently unfilled in Georgia. TRENDING STORIES: Teen who went viral for working drive-thru with graduation medals on gets dream opportunity Driver killed in I-20 crash identified Meteorite hunters searching for fragments in Henry County [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tug-of-war over Palestinian flag at Algonquin College convocation
For her convocation ceremony last week, Algonquin College graduate Rama Al-Zu'bi wanted to walk across the stage at Canadian Tire Centre waving her Palestinian flag. "When it's my time on stage, I'm celebrating me, and Palestinian is me," Al-Zu'bi told CBC. Before she was able to wave the flag of her homeland, however, she first had to win a tug of-war with an Algonquin College staff member who tried to pull it away from her as her name was being called. The incident on June 19 was captured on video. "I yelled, 'Let go!' and took the flag away from him," Al-Zu'bi recounted. "He was pulling very hard." WATCH / The moment Al-Zu'bi describes, captured on video: Al-Zu'bi, a graduate of the college's film and media production program, said she was not told of any policy that would prevent her from waving the Palestinian flag during the ceremony. Other graduates crossed the stage with flags from their home countries including Ecuador, but did not experience pushback from security personnel, Al-Zu'bi said. "I don't think it's the problem of a flag, I think it's a problem with the Palestinian flag," she told CBC. In a statement to CBC, Algonquin College said graduates were informed in advance of the venue's policies, which included a ban on flags. "In keeping with venue rules, flags were not permitted inside," the college said in a statement to CBC. "However, some flags were missed during security screening. As a result, various national flags — including Palestinian flags — were carried across the stage during 12 ceremonies held over four days in Ottawa." The college said security personnel "including venue and College staff, worked to uphold the guidelines," but added it regrets "any distress the enforcement of these rules may have caused." Another video posted on social media shows venue staff confronting a graduate with a Palestinian flag after she crossed the stage. That person declined to speak with CBC. Al-Zu'bi said she feels like her alma mater tried to stifle her freedom of expression. She said her Palestinian flag, which normally hangs on her bedroom wall, was a gift from a sister and is an object that "feels the closest to home." She said there has been no follow-up nor disciplinary action from the college since the ceremony. João Velloso, an associate professor of law at the University of Ottawa, said he found the footage of the June 19 incident "troubling." "It's not necessarily the flag, but how the staff tried to grab it aggressively instead of just managing it," said Velloso, who was part of the University of Ottawa's Senate and Board of Governors during the months-long encampment of pro-Palestinian demonstrators on campus last year. Velloso argues convocations are inherently political events, and activism is going to happen despite institutions trying to prevent it. "In the U.S., just receiving a degree in gender studies is a political statement," he said. "Graduations come with a political dimension." Velloso said one way to manage it would be to allow flags and offer support to students who may be triggered by them – whether the flag is from Palestine, Israel, Russia, Ukraine or other conflict zones.
