<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1170" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: = Arial" bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=rol= e_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2> <DIV> <DIV>In a message dated 2/9/05 11:52:21 A.M. Central Standard Time, atodd@uh= .edu writes:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><= FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size= =2>BEE BEEN BANNED: Schools in Lincoln, R.I., have canceled the annual<BR>  = spelling bee competition. Assistant Superintendent of Schools Linda<BR>   Newman said the decision was unanimous, and was beca= use the "No Child<BR>   Left Behind says all kids must reach high standards," but a spelling<BR>   bee is "about one kid winning, several making it to the top and leaving<BR>   all others behind= . That's contrary to No Child Left Behind." A spelling<BR>   bee "sends a message that this isn't an all-kids movement" as it leaves<BR>   "some kids being winners, some kids being losers." = That just won't do,<BR>   she says, since "You have to build positive= self-esteem for all kids,<BR>   so they believe they're all winners." (Woonsocket Call) ...Asinine.<BR>   A-S-I-N-I-N-E. Asinine.<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV> <DIV></DIV> <DIV>Then I guess band contest, baseball tournaments, and being the class valedictorian are on their way out, too. Heaven forbid, we don't want to giv= e the smart and outstanding children a complex. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Wim </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>