The incident causing the furor that eventually led to the sweeping school closures took place early last month during a world geography class at riverheads high school, where a teacher handed out an assignment to her ninthgraders. The augusta county school board does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, or gender in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the boy scouts and other designated youth groups. How a lesson on islam led to school closings thoughout a. Riverheads high school practice calligraphy by writing there is no. Former students defend islam lesson at augusta county school. A virginia school district closed all of its schools and offices after an outcry over a high school geography lesson that included an example of arabic religious calligraphy. The controversy stems over an assignment in a world geography class at riverheads high school. Students in a world geography class at riverheads high school in staunton, virginia, had been asked to try their hands at copying a passage known as the shehada, or declaration of faith in islam. Were an independent nonprofit that provides parents with indepth school quality information.
At riverheads high school in virginia last week, world geography teacher cheryl laporte wanted to introduce students to arabic calligraphy, so she had them copy a phrase to show off its artistic complexity. The incident took place on friday during a world geography class at riverheads high school in staunton. Its academic curriculum includes english, mathematics, agriculture, social studies, science, business and physical education. Located at routes 11 and 701, ten miles south of staunton, it is one of five high schools serving augusta county. Virginia schools closed after teachers lesson on islamic. Riverheads high school is a public high school of the augusta county public schools located in staunton, va. Parents upset over high school lesson involving islam. Compare details riverheads high has the smallest high school student body size in the augusta county public schools district. Within days, local parents began a pushback against the assignment that gained national attention. Schools in virginia shut over anger at islam homework cnn. What to look for in a high school geography curriculum. Ap parents expressed concern during a community forum over a high school world geography lesson that involved islam. Riverheads high school is the 266th largest public high school in virginia and the 11,092nd largest nationally.
News leader reported on tuesday that parents at riverheads high school are angry after world geography students were assigned to practice calligraphy by writing in arabic there is no god but allah, and muhammad is the messenger of allah, which is the islamic conversion creed. Parents outraged after students are given arabicthemed. Students practice calligraphy by writing there is no god. Muhammad is the messenger of allah, in calligraphy as part. Riverheads high school 19 howardsville rd staunton, va. Riverheads high school was built in 1962 to accommodate 600 students. Students in a world geography class at riverheads high school in staunton, va. Virginia high schoolers assigned transcription of muslim.
Using our world geography text book, maps, globes, graphs, pictures, stories, diagrams, charts and. Greenville just a few days after more than 100 people met in fury over a world geography assignment at riverheads high school, support is increasingly being heard for the embattled teacher. Riverhead high school 700 harrison ave, riverhead, new york 11901 rated 3. Complaints erupted over a calligraphy assignment in a world geography class at riverheads high school in staunton, virginia.
The chilling rise of islamophobia in our schools mother. Islam homework assignment prompts closure of virginia. The assignment in question was for a ninthgrade world geography class at riverheads high school. Watch riverheads high school boys varsity football highlights and check out their schedule and roster on hudl. Post to facebook islamic faith statement outrages county parents a riverheads high school teacher led a lesson on the islamic faith that shocked and outraged parents. The arabic text the students copied which was not translated was the shahada there is no god but allah, and muhammad is the messenger of allah. Designed for use with walldesk maps or atlases, 60 worksheets provide quizzes or practice activities for skills involving latitude and longitude, identification of physicalpolitical features, locating places by direction and distance, and more. Riverheads high augusta county public schools virginia school.
The internet is again blowing up, this time over a generated controversy regarding a lesson on the arabic language from a world religions textbook at riverheads high school. Parents of students at greenville, virginias riverheads high school were shocked by a recent assignment given in world geography class. Here is the shahada, the islamic statement of faith, written in arabic. Riverheads high school social studies teacher cheryl laporte administered the lesson dec.
The controversial lesson at riverheads high school. Boys varsity football riverheads high school staunton. A virginia school district has canceled classes in response to outrage and security concerns prompted by a lesson about islamic calligraphy. Inside virginia basketballs run to the 2019 national championship, by jerry ratcliffe and chris. Some parents were upset after learning that riverheads high. Lesson on islam shuts down virginia school district the. In the lesson, laporte asked students to copy a statement written in arabic that translates to. Riverheads high school located in staunton, virginia va. Earlier in december students in a ninth grade geography class at riverheads high school were asked to copy arabic calligraphy to get a sense of its complexity as part of a unit on world religions. Riverheads high school is a public school located in augusta county, virginia. What to look for in a high school geography curriculum while a simpler approach to geography is suitable for younger ages, for a high school curriculum, you want a study that will provide a strong foundation for these almostadults who will soon be setting out on their own and taking on the world. Public weighs in on islam lesson at augusta school board. A virginia school district is reportedly defending an assignment in which public school students were instructed to practice calligraphy by reproducing the shahada the first pillar of islam which states, there is no god but allah.
Classroom teacher, cheri laporte, asked students to practice calligraphy by copying the muslim statement of faith, also known as the shahada, which translates as. The names listed below are alumni who have been searched for on this site from riverheads high schoolin staunton, virginia. Ninthgraders at riverheads high school were given assignment to copy the islamic creed known as shahada during world geography class it reads. The calligraphy, from a standard teachers workbook called world religions, happened to be the shahada. The geography teacher made a poor choice maeve maddox.
Inside virginia basketball s run to the 2019 national championship, by jerry ratcliffe and chris. If you see your name among the riverheads high school graduates, someone is looking for you. Ninthgraders at riverheads high school were given an assignment friday to copy the islamic creed of shahada during a world geography. Angry parents claim that students at riverheads high school in augusta county. The school also provides classes in engineering graphics, architectural drawing, jazz band, studio art, and family and consumer science. Laporte, who teaches 9th grade world geography at riverheads high school in staunton, virginia, one of several high schools in the augusta county, virginia school district, assigned the controversial calligraphy lesson to her class earlier this month. A riverheads high school teacher led a lesson on the islamic faith that shocked and outraged parents. As a part of a world geography class, virginia high schoolers practiced writing out the shahada, or muslim statement of faithand it was done under the guise of learning the complexity of the script. Geography literature for grades 812 score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Virginia school district cancels classes after teacher. The lesson of the day focused on world religions, among them islam.
By thursday, however, the school board had issued another letter expressing security concerns based on the tone and level of backlash severe enough to cancel all district activities today. Riverheads high school practice calligraphy by writing. Laporte, cheryl, social studies world geography syllabus. Lesson on islam spawns furor, closing schools in virginia. The lesson, which was part of a world geography class at riverheads high school, asked the students to copy the arabic letters that translate to. Traditionally, the high school curriculum has been rigidly compartmentalized. A school was closed after a lesson in arabic calligraphy prompted a wave of antiislamic complaints from parents. When the world geography class at riverheads high school in staunton rolled around to the subject of major world religions, homework on islam asked students to copy religious calligraphy. Arabic calligraphy lesson causes school security lockdown. As part of a class on world religions, the geography teacher at riverheads high school in staunton asked students to use calligraphy and copy an islamic statement of faith. Parents in virginia incensed by arabic calligraphy lesson.
Geography middle school score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Riverheads high school ffa is dedicated to shaping the lives of students in augusta county through premier leadership, personal growth. When the world geography class at riverheads high school in staunton rolled around to the subject of major world religions, homework on. School system shuts down over islam homework assignment in. Riverheads high school staunton, virginia va greatschools. Students in a world geography class at riverheads high school were asked to practice calligraphy by copying the muslim statement of faith, but the. Virginia school district closed today after commotion. The upheaval was sparked after a world geography teacher at riverheads high school had students practice calligraphy by writing a muslim recitation that translates as.
Yet, linkages between disciplines in the curriculum increasingly are being made, such as the connections of english to u. Lesson on islam shuts down virginia school district the new york. Greenville students at riverheads high school in augusta county have studied islam, as well as the other major world religions, as part of their world geography class since 2002, when the. Outrage over arabicwriting lesson leads virginia district.
Virginia schools close after arabic calligraphy lesson. Riverheads high school offers education to students in grades nine through 12. A worksheet handed out by a geography class at riverheads high school is aimed at teaching students the complexity of arabic calligraphy by using the shahada, the islamic statement of faith in. The schools in augusta county were closed after riverheads high school teacher cheri laporte told students they would be practicing calligraphy as part. Cheryl laporte, a teacher at riverheads high school in staunton, virginia, instructed students to write, there is no god but allah. Using literature to teach geography in high schools. And a facebook page organizing a tuesday protest against the calligraphy lesson was flooded with comments pushing back against the antimuslim rhetoric. Various conservative media sources have made the story to be an overt effort at. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to use a wide variety of sources such as nonfiction books, websites, films, textbooks, journals, novels, artwork. Augusta county schools closed following reaction to islam lesson.
1018 1120 1382 1469 520 1403 1275 522 666 1369 907 68 645 1076 592 143 1263 319 1509 1346 1141 1501 502 480 1029 223 1287 1197 1311 1235 977 1342 1187 1129 482 801 561