"We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels 'cross the floor..."

 

Now Attending

 

 

Irish National Championship

Deirdre performs at the Irish National Championship in Belfast, Northern Ireland where she won the Ladies Junior Championship, April 6, 2012...

 

 

My Newest Release

Edge of Seventeen

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serena Ryder Sings

Cafe, Lake Tahoe!

Deirdre with George Alm, General Manager, KRLT FM and KOWL AM

 

Left to Right: George Alm, Serena Ryder, Leland Thomas Faegre and Deirdre Leah Faegre

Award Winning Canadian Singer/Songwriter, Serena Ryder and Leland Thomas Faegre

 

On Friday, November 6, 2009, my dad and I had the most extraordinary pleasure and privilege of attending the Lake Tahoe appearance of the most passionate and poetic singer/songwriter and performer in pop music, courtesy of VIP passes from 93.9, KRLT FM.

In the rotation of KRLT FM’s ‘Unique Mix of Music’ for many months, on many occasions in our studio, I would be so distracted by her songs that I would have to leave my immediate project and go to the piano to play along.  So engaging is her product.

A most remarkable artist, Serena Ryder's live performance at the Hard Rock Café only a few hundred feet from the California-Nevada line did not disappoint those lucky enough to attend.

Scribes write for myriad reasons but this propitiously passionate pop poet does it ‘All For Love.’

Deirdre on Piano, Dulcimer and Guitar on RSN TV

     

Brandi Welcomes Deirdre to 'Tahoe Tonight...'

Brandi Welcomes Deirdre Back to 'Tahoe Tonight'

Deirdre Performs 'Peoples' Parties' on RSN Television

     

 

 

Brandi Ledbetter Welcomes Deirdre Back to RSN TV's 'Tahoe Tonight'

Singer/Songwriter/Performer, Deirdre Leah Faegre makes an encore appearance on RSN TV when host, Brandi Ledbetter welcomes Deirdre back to 'Tahoe Tonight,' Lake Tahoe's top rated evening show Thursday, June 18, 2009.

 

 

     

And Heard On 'Howie's Morning

 

 

 

Exclusive Sponsor of the Sierra House 'Weather Kids' on KRLT FM, 93.9, The Lake

 

 

 

...Deirdre's newly re-released follow-up single, 'In My Eyes' has been placed in a short film [written and directed by Jack Kearney of The JAX Company Film Production Group LLC] entitled, 'Indian Hill,' about a 12 year old boy and his friends growing up in suburban Portland, Connecticut, circa 1975. A neighborhood coming of age story about the challenge of conquering 'Indian Hill Road' on a bicycle; a feat that separates the “little kids” from the “big kids” in their neighborhood...

"I really loved the songs in the movie...The musicians were just awesome...I can’t thank you enough for...your song(s) in the film, and I hope to work with you all again..."

---Jack Kearney, Writer and Director of 'Indian Hill'

 

The "Indian Hill" Trailer

Indian Hill Director's Notes

Brandi Welcomes Deirdre to 'Tahoe Tonight...'

FOX 61 Indian Hill Premiere Interview

       

The Trailer

Director's Notes

Deirdre on RSN TV

Jack on FOX

       

The Premiere of 'Indian Hill': Scenes From Connecticut, Part 1

The Premiere of 'Indian Hill': Scenes From Connecticut, Part 2

The Premiere of 'Indian Hill': Scenes From Connecticut, Part 3

The Premiere of 'Indian Hill': Scenes From Connecticut, Part 4

       

Scenes from CT PT 1

Scenes from CT PT 2

Scenes from CT PT 3

Scenes from CT PT 4

 

"They re-graded the hill.  It used to be steeper!"

---Jack Kearney, Writer and Director at the Premiere of 'Indian Hill'

 

 

Verizon Wireless.

Get Deirdre's Ringtones...

 

And don't miss Deirdre at the Comma Coffee Cafe in Carson City on the first Friday of every month and at the Matan Music Center every other Friday in Reno...

Comma Coffee - a place to pause and unwind  

 

 

 

 

 

Deirdre on Ice

       

Through a Rainbow

Shining On Ice

'Catch Your Breath:' Deirdre Skates to Joni Mitchell

Nutcracker On Ice

       

Through a Rainbow

Shining On Ice

Blonde in the Bleachers

Nutcracker On Ice

       

I Wish I Had a River I Could Skate Away On...

Deirdre Skates to 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'

Deirdre Skates to Joni Mitchell's 'Both Sides Now'

Deirdre On Piano On Ice

       

I Wish I Had a River

Somewhere, Over the Rainbow

Both Sides Now

Deirdre On Piano On Ice

       

 

Member, Ice Skating Association of Ireland; Member, U.S. Figure Skating

Member, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers

 

 

 

 

Deirdre with Max [Jethro of The Beverly Hillbillies] Baer Jr. at Lake Tahoe's Kahle Community Center, Stateline, Nevada

 

 

 

Play the Video

Girl Bounced from California School for Cartwheels

11-year-old suspended for performing gymnastic stunts at lunchtime

 

 

"There would be chaos if all students decided to do gymnastic stunts at school."

---Richard Vladovic, Superintendent, West Covina Unified School District

 

 

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Just say to killer cartwheels

 

"There she is.  The freedom fighter...an American hero."

 

 

Play the Video

 

 

Education

11-Year-Old Declares Victory In Battle Over Cartwheels

Play the Video

pitch (pch) n. Chiefly British  A playing field. Also called wicket

 

 

Edition 3DCSAT 13 NOV 2004, Page 116

Only in America; Magic sponge

OWEN SLOT

SPORT

"Only in America"

 ---The Times of London Headline Over a Story about the Cartwheel Suspension

 

 

Dateline Down Under: The Fun Polizia are at it Again!

Australian Cartwheel Ban: Reprise Down Under

Left to Right: Cali and Mum, Kylie Buschgens

Minister calls for backflip in Townsville cartwheel saga

Cartwheel Pals Across the World: Deirdre Lends Support

Follow the Australian Cartwheel Ban Here and Lend Your Support by clicking the image of Kylie and Cali Buschgens above...

 

 

 

The Fun Polizia are at it Again!

It looks like the fun Nazis are at it again. According to an article from Reuters, little Deirdre Faegre has been suspended from her school in Los Angeles because she was, gasp, doing cartwheels. My god, what is next somersaults or ever worse the dreaded handstands? The fun Gestapo has gotten out of hand over the last few years removing the fun activities from the children's playgrounds and gym classes. School officials and "Safety Polizei" do not want them to have "winners and losers," they feel that this may scar the little tykes for life if they are not all labeled winners all of the time. Heaven forbid a child scrape their knee, bruise themselves, or otherwise come to grief. Where did all the fun stuff on the playground go, sure there were minor casualties, but you either got better at it or tried something else. Children of all ages used to have recess and time to run around and burn up excess energy from being pent up for seven and a half hours a day just listening and lining up in hallways (there would have been a whole lot less call for ritalin et al, and a whole lots less obese children). Lawyers and Government schools have taken all the fun out of being a child. Principal Denise Patton's "first concern is the safety of all children." I think it's high time that we go back and find Ms. Patton's grade school Principal and string her up. Let's find out why she was so callus in allowing the children of her school to gallivant around the playground and play on Chinese merry-go-rounds, teeter-totters, jungle gyms and all of the other recess monstrosities that Ms. Patton had so deftly dodged as a child. Ms. Patton and her entire graduating class of 11-year olds deserve medals, the ones that lived unscathed from the maniacal playground menaces, for what they had to endure. If they only knew, If they only knew.

Jonathan Clausen, 11/15/2004 11:14:49 AM | link | (0) comments |  

 

Sadly, they find fame as victims

 

 

Principal: 'It Made The School Look Bad'

 

CAUTION: Principal is Intellectually Challenged

Courtesy of http://www.dahog.com

 

Intelliseek's BlogPulse

Bursty (Biggest Movers)

 

Point

Compromise best (Your View, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Nov. 21, 2004)

I am a sixth-grade student at San Jose Edison Academy in West Covina, and I would like to give my point of view on Deirdre Faegre, (she was in my class last year).

I think she should be allowed to do her gymnastics in a designated area. But I also think that she was told many times and gave many warnings to stop, but she kept on going, which was wrong.

But I do believe it was wrong if her father told her to go against the schools warnings. Also I think it's wrong if her father is going to home school her because she is going to miss all of her friends.

Michael P. Anderson

West Covina

Counterpoint

From gymnast's view

Re "Cartwheel compromise best,' (Your View, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Nov. 24, 2004)

The reason I refused to stop (doing cartwheels) was because I was not given a designated area even though my parents had asked for it. Also, the school never made it an issue at the beginning of the year. There are many sports out there and you can get hurt by playing all of them, but they did not allow my sport.

My dad helped me because there are many people in the past who made great changes such as Luther and Galileo and Rosa Parks that stood up to stubborn unfairness. If you do not go against something that is wrong how do you expect to fix your problems?

It is a good thing my dad will home-school me because education these days is not as good as it should be. I will not miss my friends because we have one another's phone numbers and we can see each other any time. Also my dad says that anyone not using the schools should not have to pay for them.

Deirdre Faegre

West Covina

 

 

 
I want to say hello and thank you very much for your support.  I am going to stand up for all kids if I have to stand on my hands to do it.  With your support, we put a stop to these "handstand battalions and cartwheel cops."  And thank you for trusting me because there were quite a few myths about the last few months.  If you would like to help kids be kids, please write to your local media, my principal, and to school board members Mike Spence and Richard Vladlovic And cc me at dfaegre@aol.com And don't ever give up!

---Deirdre

 

 

"...It was later discovered that her lunch consisted of six Hostess twinkies and two cans of Red Bull."

---Anonymous

11/12/2004 04:31:55 PM

 

 

Related Story: Cartwheel Politics

Blue in the face: Angry Democrats can't see they are losing their grip

 

 

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John Stossel's 'Stupid in America'

 

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And then, a description of rape in her required reading...

 

“I still have obviously no objections to ‘Julie of the Wolves’ as a Newberry Award Winner as well as [being] approved by the California Board of Education.  And yes while that may be a negative passage out of context, I think within the context of the book it definitely has its place…”

---Denise Patton, Principal, San Jose Edison Academy

What others are saying...

While Patton 'thought' that sexual assault "definitely has its place" in a middle school novel, on February 28, 2006, the West Covina Unified School District disagreed and summarily took remedial action against the dissemination of 'Julie of the Wolves...'

The Newest, Newbery Assault on the Innocence of Children

 

 

 

The author of the highly acclaimed

FedEd: The New Federal Curriculum and How It’s Enforced

now takes a closer look at the ideological battle taking place in our schools.

America's Schools: The Battleground for Freedom

By Allen Quist

Taking orders now!

 

WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE, PITY AMERICA'S KIDS

 

And Please Sign the Separation of School and State Proclamation

 

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"First, God created idiots. That was just for practice. Then He created school boards."

--- Mark Twain

 

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Personally, I still sympathize with the Faegre family, and give a tip of the hat to Leland Faegre for manipulating both the press and public sympathy into his court. He's got a political agenda that will get marginally more interest now that his daughter is semi-famous. The name "Deirdre Faegre" is probably among the top 100 search terms on Google this weekend (which makes her 2,000,000,000,000th overall).

---Chris Elam, Safety for Dummies, 11/15/04

 

dingbat.gif (89 bytes)

 

 

"Playground monitor, Edwina Funklebutt has had it out for Deirdre Faegre for years. "There's only gonna be one freaky name on these grounds, dammit!"

---Unnamed Source

 

NEWS RELATED :


ARE SCHOOLS GETTING TOO CONTROLLING? CAN KIDS BE KIDS AT SCHOOL?

Vote

Yes
80%
Wish I could do a cartwheel!
15%
No
5%

 

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"When cartwheels are outlawed, only outlaws will do cartwheels..."

---Anonymous

 

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The penalties of excellence

The Adventures of Baron MunchausenIn the brilliant "Adventures of Baron Munchausen," the Prefect (Jonathan Pryce) of a city under siege by the Turks has brought before him a valiant, heroic soldier (Sting) who singlehandedly took out several Turkish cannons. The Prefect promptly has the stunned soldier executed, contending that his heroism served as a bad example for lesser soldiers who would be incapable of duplicating his feats.

And you laugh at the satirical content of the notion...until you read the following from the preferred news publication of peterdavid.net, "The Week":

"A California sixth grader was suspended from school for performing cartwheels and handstands in the schoolyard. Eleven-year-old Deirdre Faegre 'created an unsafe situation for herself and others,' said principal Denise Patton. She explained that other, less skilled kids might try to imitate Faegre and get hurt. In that case, Faegre said, the school should also ban basketball."

Suddenly it's not as funny anymore.

PAD

 

Posted by Oryan at November 27, 2004 09:00 PM

This whole thread made my head hurt. This is what happens when you start down a bad road and try to make it better with patchwork solutions.

I'm sure this will fan the flames, but....this is why people want school choice. Why the public school system should not have a monopoly on education or, yet, not exist at all.

This girl apparently is good at cartwheels. Really good. The principal's problem seems to be that if other students emulate her without the skills, they'll get hurt. The folks in the thread who compare this to the football or basketball teams have it dead on. Why should any student, possessed of skills, be discouraged or punished for displaying them when they don't hurt anybody??

I figured this one out years ago when I was a good student academically, but not athletically. The trophies on display in the halls went to the strong kids, not the smart ones. They got sent home on awards night with a pat on the back and a kick in the ass cause the durable award went to the locker room bully. Our lesson: "yeah, yeah, report cards are just spiffy, but better run that gridiron like a champ."

Now, this circumstance shows us the reverse. If this girl had, say a talent for designing guns. I mean of course, on paper, drawing blueprints, that sort of thing. Anybody want to bet she'd still be in a sling with Mr. Principal? What if another child built one of her designs? What if she did? The school can't be endorsing this type of violent creation...heavens, no.

In all three examples, as well as some others posted to the thread, creativity, creation and achievement, the things our schools are by their very mission designed to instill, are verboten by an arbitrary standard handed down by the bias of one or a few administrators. Not a fan of handsprings? Call them dangerous and punish them, while endorsing hockey. Don't like hockey, but love the balance beam....by all means scratch the hockey games. This bias can be applied to more cerebral pastimes, of course.

The main problem here is while if it was my backyard or yours, or ABC Inc.'s school, we'd simply say "well, they set the rules. Stop the backflips." But, see, this is the State. If we don't like what a private group does, we pack our bags and head for the one we do like, or like better, but not with the state. In this case, public schools. The principal pulls a stunt like telling a student to curb her natural abilities, we get big conflict, like we got.

I haven't forgotten about you folks who said "well, the girl wasn't punished for backflips, she was punished cause she wouldn't listen to the teacher." What's next? telling the sighted kids to wear blindfolds because of the visually-impaired student? At a certain point, one fellow was right in the thread, officials lose all their authority when their rules display obvious bias, in this case, literally, a child could spot it.

What's that you say? The law does this to all of us at one point or another? We all have to put up with nonsensical rules, like the girl should have, or we go to the slammer? True, but as one can see, our prison population us way way up, and our society is increasingly polarized on this issue of when its a good idea to ban behaviors which affect little outside of ourselves, and which in turn, frequently cause ourselves to learn the best new ways to do things.

In short, there's no moral high ground to stand on with the story of the girl's suspension. Students should listen to teachers, and teachers should not be so shortsighted as to stifle student talents. Barring a utopia, it'd be nice if this girl could easily have said "Mr. Principal, if you don't like me using my natural ability to do handsprings in school, that's okay, my parents and I will start transferring me to a new school tonight, but Mr. Principal, if you do this to too many students who utilize their talents in ways you don't like, you may need to find yourself a new job.

Kevin Ryan

 

 

SJEA Education: now there is an oxymoron...

Dear Board President Spence

I would be grateful if your would please forward this message to the
other board members and your Superintendent. I have already copied Ms.
Patton.

Dear Mr. Spence

I'm not so sure about the masthead on your website, or if your board
relishes its prominent future as a militant and oppressive autocracy.

I read with sadness, the absurd suspension of an eleven year old
student gymnast who was forbidden from exercising - literally and
figuratively,-her rights and improving her bodily health on your SJ=-E
campus. What were they thinking? Were they thinking?

I suspect the thong-inspector in a Southern California school two years
ago also thought she was performing some noble act when she lifted
girls' skirts to check their underwear.

One has to ask what the real motive is in this case when students are
encourage to play basketball, tag, dance, soccer, or any other physical
activity without similar repercussions. Such a draconian punishment -
suspension - warrants drug, fire arm or some more serious offenses.
What is next, expulsion for tank tops, or baseball caps?

I feel for this student who likely will suffer humiliation if not
anguish, and hopefully ultimately will receive  superior learning in
spite of the formal education she is getting in an environment which
doles out such ludicrous punishment for so benign an 'offense', and I
use that term loosely.  I hope she has a good attorney, and that your
distinguished school can rise from the ashes of its own pathos and
correct its errors.

SJ-E education: now there is an oxymoron.

f. data
marin county, ca


cc:  LA Times, Dr. Patton, mass media, DFaegre parents
 

 

 

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Sunday, November 14, 2004

2:20:02 PM
Enough Already!
11-Year-Old Takes a Tumble

CAUTION: Principal is Intellectually ChallengedDeirdre Faegre, of West Covina, California, is just like any other sixth-grader: exuberant, fun-loving, full of energy.

Deirdre has been taking gymnastics lessons since she was six years old. During the lunchtime break at her school, San Jose-Edison Academy, she enjoys doing cartwheels, handstands, and other maneuvers she's learned.

The principal of the Academy, Denise Patton, warned Deirdre repeatedly about doing such things on the playground. She tried punishing the girl with lunchtime detentions, verbal warnings, and a conference with the parents.

Nothing worked; you simply can't keep an 11-year-old from doing something she loves to do. Finally, Ms. Patton suspended Deirdre from school for one week, claiming that her gymnastic moves "created an unsafe situation for herself and others."

Ms. Patton went on to give a few examples. For instance, she's afraid Deirdre - now remember, this child has been taking lessons for five years - might choose to do one of her stunts too close to a door and get whacked if someone opens it from the other side.

Or, a passing schoolmate could accidentally walk into Deirdre's path while she's executing a cartwheel and be injured.

Another of Ms. Patton's worries is that other children, who don't take gymnastics lessons and don't know how to perform the moves, will try to copy Deirdre and wind up with potentially serious injuries.

Uh...yeah.

DaWebmistress, who has never been the athletic type, has fond memories of doing cartwheels, flipovers, and other stunts on the playground of her elementary school. As she remembers it, nearly every child in her class knew how to do a cartwheel; it was practically a prerequsite of childhood. No one ever told her or the other kids to stop because it was "dangerous;" in fact, the teachers thought it was good exercise for all of the children.

No one worried about a classmate walking into the path of someone's cartwheel; anyone who did would have been arrested for Felony Stupidity. The same philosophy guided the careful avoidance of any door that might open unexpectedly. And as for emulating each other's moves, DW's friends were in constant competition to see who could do the most flipovers without running out of breath. If someone else's method looked easier, it was copied by everyone in the group.

DW's late father had a saying that he would use when she aggravated him to the point of terminal frustration: "Kids should be born when they're 5 years old and turn 18 on their next birthday." This is obviously what happened to Ms. Patton. She seems to have completely missed an era of her life that should have been filled with the same exuberance that Deirdre Faegre demonstrated on that playground.

But in this case, DW will let Deirdre's dad, Leland, have the last word: "Contact sports, apparently, are fine. But this one is so ... dangerous it requires the cartwheel cops."

It's all right, Mr. Faegre. As far as DaWebmistress knows, the Felony Stupidity law is still on the books, and it applies to school principals, too.


We heard it from

The Pasadena Star-News


posted by DaWebmistress ('110050481925368320')
Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
 

 

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Hi Deirdre~

My name is Jennifer Parkes, and I have to say I agree with your father that suspending you from school for doing cartwheels and handstands is unreal.  My daughter is also a competitive gymnast and has been corrected at school dances for doing basic gymnastics stunts and even in school for the same things.  Fortunately she has never been suspended, but it just so crazy.  They are allowed to play basketball at dances and "slam dance" but let someone stand on their hands and oohhh that's so scary it must be dangerous.

I just wanted to say that while I'm the whole way across the country my daughter and I both feel for you and just wanted to say we are sorry.  It would be so nice if people would take the time to understand gymnastics and while yes it can be dangerous it is no more dangerous than football, wrestling and other sports and they are allowed to be done on school property during school time.

Keep your chin up!!

Jennifer

 

 

On Behalf of Deirdre

Leland Faegre

http://www.ontopofacloud.com Tell Deirdre to keep fighting. My daughter
in 7th grade sued her school because when she ran for president the
principal - and thus the board, said she could not engage the audience
in any way, including asking rhetorical questions. She ended up
dropping this suit, but the absurdity of this, and cases such as yours
make me want to go back to college and get a law degree in educational
justice.

From thong checks, to no free speech, to banning controversial debate
topics, to banning Halloween costumes, to no fun at lunch with
gymnastics, I am sick and tired of public educational institutions
invading declaring themselves governors of personal rights. This
includes dress codes. I  fear for our schools more with this new 4
year's of Bush and the blurring of lines in church/state issues.

when cartwheels and gymnastics....and tank tops, and hats   - become
larger issues than learning or free speech, we are in big trouble.

I sent my email to the LA times and to Ms. Patton. When I find the
board addresses, I will email them as well.

ok, enough venting. Best of luck to you and your daughter.

fd

 

 

She said, "There is no reason and the truth is plain to see."

 

 

Principal SJEA

YEP, YOUR SCHOOL IS DISTINGUISHED, ALRIGHT. But sadly, for its absurd and draconian leadership. Suspension, gymnastics, infamy.

Education at San Jose-Edison Academy. Now there's an oxymoron.

Felice Data
Marin County, CA
 

 

 

The Cartwheel Chronicles

 

Thu - November 11, 2004
Reference: Student suspended for handstands, cartwheels

I don't know what to say about this. I couldn't even think of a good title for this entry. So, I'm going to just reprint the whole article here. Hopefully the follow-up on this story will be headlined "Principal Fired for incompetence, idiocy."

 
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Cartwheels and handstands have gotten an 11-year-old girl temporarily bounced out of her Los Angeles-area school.
Deirdre Faegre was suspended for a week after repeatedly disobeying school officials who told her not to perform gymnastic stunts during lunchtime.
"Our first concern is the safety of all children," San Jose-Edison Academy Principal Denise Patton told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Patton said Deirdre could accidentally strike another student, or injure herself, and other children could get hurt trying to imitate Deirdre, who has been doing gymnastics for five years.
Deirdre's father, Leland Faegre, said it was absurd to suspend his daughter for doing gymnastics when students were allowed to play basketball and other sports.
"Contact sports, apparently, are fine. But this one is so dangerous it requires the cartwheel cops," Faegre said.


Posted at 04:17 PM   anti-[Culture]   Feedback   Comment (0) | Trackback (0)

 

 

— Bill Wallo @ 6:57 pm

An 11-year old girl in California was suspended from school for performing cartwheels and handstands during lunchtime.

Deirdre Faegre was suspended for a week after repeatedly disobeying school officials who told her not to perform gymnastic stunts during lunchtime.

“Our first concern is the safety of all children,” San Jose-Edison Academy Principal Denise Patton told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Patton said Deirdre could accidentally strike another student, or injure herself, and other children could get hurt trying to imitate Deirdre, who has been doing gymnastics for five years.

Deirdre’s father, Leland Faegre, said it was absurd to suspend his daughter for doing gymnastics when students were allowed to play basketball and other sports.

“Contact sports, apparently, are fine. But this one is so dangerous it requires the cartwheel cops,” Faegre said.

Now, it seems a common defense to argue that “individual liberties” are at risk as schoolhouse nannies strive to produce a world of the lowest common denominator, where excellence is forbidden because others might somehow feel bad (Harry Harrison, they thought your short story was a laudable goal!). I’m not automatically on the girl’s side here: my first thought was that she was performing say, in the school cafeteria. If she were, certainly it would make sense for school officials to tell her to stop.

But it sounds like she was at recess and on the playground. And it certainly sounds like the nannies were out in force - after all, “other children could get hurt trying to imitate Deirdre.” They’ve already banned dodgeball and want to outlaw most contact sports - too dangerous, not everybody can be “good” at them, etc. Meanwhile, obesity among school children is a significant problem. I’m thinking school officials are again up to their standard busy-body tricks: the self-esteem Nazis covering their tracks with purported worries about “injuries.”

 

 

 

"For some reason, I can't help thinking that they were worried she'd start recreating the lobby shootout from the Matrix."

---Psycho_Leech, Beyond Unreal, 11/13/2004

 

 

 

Subject: Girl Suspended from School for Doing Carwheels
Time: 9:16:30 PM EST
Author:  ibspiccoli4life
Mood:  Happy
Music:  Saul Williams


 

 

It was a quiet day at San Jose-Edison Academy.  All seemed calm on the lunch grounds of this Los Angeles-area school.  And then all hell broke loose!  Deirdre Faegre began doing the unthinkable: cartwheels.  I know, I know, it just illustrates how bad things have gotten in our schools.  Will the madness ever end?  Well rest assured that this little daredevil was swiftly dealt with before she harmed anybody with her flying limbs.  It is only by the grace of god that nobody was injured in this insane stunt.  The principal suspended Deirdre for one week.  Hopefully she will use this time to reflect on what she did.

This is a real story folks!  Obviously I'm kidding around but you can read the full story here.  This little girl had repeatedly disobeyed school officials that were hell bent on keeping her from doing cartwheels.  They feared she might harm someone, maybe even herself!  The little girls father felt it was absurd to suspend his daughter, as do I.

Patrick, from Patrick's Place, sees this a bit differently than me. Here's an excerpt from his journal entry:

The child's father told NBC News that the suspension is absurd when other students are allowed to play basketball and other contact sports.

"That is about citizenship, and that's how things get changed:  by confronting, politely, issues and rules that are unreasonable," he says.

That's funny...when I was in school, I learned that the first responsibility of being a citizen is to obey the rules.  If she felt the rule was unreasonable, the responsible thing for her to do was to go to her parents and ask that they contact administrators.  The responsible thing for her parents to do, then, would have been to contact the principal and explain the situation from their point of view, hoping that the policy might be adjusted.

Intentionally breaking rules and being punished for it doesn't change anything:  it merely teaches the simple truth that there are consequences for our actions.  That her parents would support her in her blatant disregard for those rules would seem to me to indicate that the child is learning that it's okay to do whatever you want, no matter what anyone says.  Is this the kind of lesson our kids need to hear?

The problem is that intentionally breaking rules does change things.  The sit-ins of the Civil Rights era are a perfect example.  In fact the entire theory of non-violent protest is based upon the idea of intentionally breaking, in a non-violent way of course, laws/rules that are deemed wrong.  By breaking this absurd rules this little girl has brought attention to the issue.  And this attention could possibly get this ridiculous rule revoked. 

Far from teaching this little girl that she can do whatever she wants, this has taught this little girl that she should question authority, that she should stand up for what she believes in, and that stupid rules are not to be followed.  I for one applaud this little girl.  I understand her fight isn't for something as noble as racial equality, but it's people like her that will grow up and fight the injustices of the world.  It is people like her who will question authority and the rules they make.

Blind conformity is a scary thing.  It was conformity that led to the Holocaust.  It was conformity that led to the Salemn Witch Trials.  Authority should always be quesioned, Rules--whether they be against doing cartwheels or against blacks drinking from the same water faucet as whites--should always be questioned.  And when they are deemed unreasonable, they should be broken.

Written by ibspiccoli4life (Link to this entry)

 

CULTURE: Just Say "No" to Gymnastics

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 12 2004 7:00 PM
SUBMITTED BY: DOVE    EDITED BY: CHRISTOPHER

An 11-year-old Los Angeles girl has been suspended from her school for doing cartwheels. Cartwheels.

Apparently, Deirdre Faegre had been repeatedly asked to stop her child-like behavior out of safety concerns for the other children, the principal claimed.

Patton said Deirdre could accidentally strike another student, or injure herself, and other children could get hurt trying to imitate Deirdre, who has been doing gymnastics for five years.

Faegre's father, in a wonderful display of parental logic, argued that it made little sense that other sports were allowed, but his daughter's flip-floppery was not.

"Contact sports, apparently, are fine. But this one is so dangerous it requires the cartwheel cops," Faegre said.

Of course, we all know that cartwheels are just a gateway activity to harder actions, such round-offs.

Student suspended for handstands, cartwheels

 

 

Just say to killer cartwheels

                                                                                               

Quote  

"Deirdre Faegre was suspended for a week after repeatedly disobeying school officials who told her not to perform gymnastic stunts during lunchtime."

 

Was she flailing nunchucks or hawaiian firesticks while doing those cartwheels?

I'm glad she disobeyed.

But I can see why the school wanted her to stop.

Frivolous lawsuits.

...with thanks to JustJon

 

 

Crime and Punishment: The Criminal Mind of Gymnasts

 
This week an 11-year old girl in LA was suspended for a week for doing cartwheels during lunchtime...

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Cartwheels and handstands have gotten an 11-year-old girl temporarily bounced out of her Los Angeles-area school.

Deirdre Faegre was suspended for a week after repeatedly disobeying school officials who told her not to perform gymnastic stunts during lunchtime.

"Our first concern is the safety of all children," San Jose-Edison Academy Principal Denise Patton told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Patton said Deirdre could accidentally strike another student, or injure herself, and other children could get hurt trying to imitate Deirdre, who has been doing gymnastics for five years.

Deirdre's father, Leland Faegre, said it was absurd to suspend his daughter for doing gymnastics when students were allowed to play basketball and other sports.

"Contact sports, apparently, are fine. But this one is so dangerous it requires the cartwheel cops," Faegre said.

I would like to shake Deirdre's father's hand. What the hell is the world coming to when you have to suspend 11-year old girls for doing cartwheels because of liability risks?

I know any day now that I am going to read a story where a school was sued because a boy was allowed to chase a girl around the playground and pull at her pigtail braids...

Absolutely absurd.

 

 

FLIPPIN' MAD

 

I am, as usual outraged.

 

Watch out America. There is a dangerous thing happening with our youth. And it’s happening in broad daylight right on the playgrounds of our schools. 11-year-old Deirdre Faegre of West Covina, California is an offender. Why her parents haven’t been arrested and forced to confess on Jerry Springer, I don’t know. What has their little hooligan done? She has performed cartwheels during recess. That’s right, you heard me - cartwheels. In a country where fast food companies have to be careful about being sued for serving hot food, now we have schools afraid to let kids play because they might hurt themselves. Have you been to a playground lately? Forget about cold steel pipes stacked like the Watts Towers over sizzling hot cracked asphalt or those metal merry-go-rounds you’d push in circles until your head would explode. Now they’ve got everything rubber-padded safe and every piece of equipment has rounded plastic corners. The kids are protected like they are Faberge eggs. You couldn’t hurt yourself if you were Evil Kenevel with a death wish. So what did they do to the rebellious Deirdre who was blatantly cartwheeling through lunchtime despite panicked cries to stop from mealy-mouthed school officials? Officials, who, I might point out, had to walk past basketball games and contact sports to put a halt to Deirdre’s flagrant behavior. But you can understand this. If it didn’t get stopped, think about it - what’s next? Summersaults? A back handspring? Maybe, one day, a floor routine? God help us or even, I don’t know an Olympic medal? Well thank the Lord above, they expelled her. And now I know, I for one, can sleep easier at night knowing our schools are safe from the innocent playing of school girls out to destroy our very way of life – which by the way, seems hellbent on not being any kind of a way of life at all.

 

I’m Steve Tatham and I am outraged.

 

 

 

Posted by Jeff Lawson at November 24, 2004 02:32 PM

Den wrote...
I've always been a firm believer that whenever an authority figure is an idiot, they forfeit all of their authority.

If that isn't inviting this to become another political thread, I don't know what is =)

It's interesting that the one article mentions another side of the story, but I can't figure out what that could be. Of course, the school would have the right to ask the girl to stop if her actions were overly dangerous, as has been mentioned, but I'm not sure "cartwheels and handstands" qualify.

 

 

And Speaking of Absurd, This Went Out to Parents of SJEA Monday, November 15, 2004

 

 

There's only one possible response to this, and Kimberly Swygert, no slouch herself at doing the 'wheel, has already made it:
 
California, California — can we talk? Someone is not telling you what you need to hear. Apparently, you've spent the last 30 years surrounded by snake-oil salesmen pushing bogus child-rearing theories about self-esteem, creativity, the evils of discipline, and the supposed fragility of children. At some point, you've become convinced that it makes sense for the State to do everything in its over-reaching power to prevent children from ever encountering anything nasty, offensive, challenging, problematic, or painful. You've become convinced that no child should do anything unless all children can do it without fear of any pain being involved.

The kind of place, in other words, where even superheroes could be sued for saving lives.

Rock on, Dr. Swygert. And Deirdre — when you make the Olympic team come 2012 (2008?), make sure you forget to mention where you went to school. They don't deserve you.

Posted at 7:22 PM to Dyssynergy
 

 

2004.11.12

 

少女、側転をして放校に

 
 禁止されていた逆立ちや側転を昼休みにくりかえしていたとして、ロスアンゼルスに住むDeirdre Faegreちゃん(11)が小学校から一時放校となった、
 サンホセ・エジソン・アカデミーのデニス・パットン校長は「何より心配なのは子供たちの安全です。」とし、Faegreちゃんがほかの生徒にぶつかったり、彼女自身がけがをしたり、彼女をまねた生徒がけがをする可能性にふれた。Deirdreちゃんは体操競技を5年間続けている。
 Deirdreちゃんの父親リーランドさんはバスケや他のスポーツは許されているのに体操が許されないのはばかばかしいと述べている。(Reuters)【吉】
 
 

November 12, 2004 at 05:15 PM in 今日のトピックス |

 

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加州女孩练体操废寝忘食 校方以影响学生安全为由停学
2004-11-12
美国加州洛杉矶地区一名11岁的女孩,因为勤练翻跟与倒立等体操动作,遭到学校处以暂时停学。

校方曾多次告诉狄卓儿(Deirdre Faegre),不要在午餐时间练习体操,狄卓儿未听规劝,竟然遭到了停学一周的处分。

“我们的首要考量是全体学生的安全,”校长派顿(Denise Patton)对当地媒体表示。派顿说,狄卓儿可能不小心撞到其他学生,或者伤到了自己而其他学生在尝试模仿这位体操小将时,也可能受伤。狄卓儿练习体操已经有五年的时间了。

狄卓儿的父亲表示,学生们可以打篮球或从事其他体育活动,而他的女儿却因为练习体操就遭到停学,简直荒谬。 
 

 

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Tahoe Gymnastics

Tahoe Gymnastics
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South Lake Tahoe, CA 96158
(530) 544-7314

Ski training, cheerleading, gymnastics and more at Tahoe Gymnastics. Call us now for more information.

 

 

 

 

EducationNews.org 
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  November 2002, Education Writers Association  (over 900 members)

 

First Amendment no big deal, students say

go to  MSN.com

Study shows American teenagers indifferent to freedoms

 

Don't Let Congress Fund Orwellian Psychiatric Screening of Kids

January 31,  2005

Parental Consent Act -- H.R. 181
(Mental Screening of Children)

 

R-rated movie at school upsets parents

*Seventh-grade teacher's screening of film about Joan of Arc has some squawking

 

'No Child Left Behind' Blamed for Cancellation of Spelling Bee

"Is it any wonder that children aren't performing up to par when their administrators are clueless!"

---Friends of Dave, 1/31/05

 

 

 

 

October 20, 1993

Top Ten Reasons Dan Quayle Would Make A Good President

10. Picked up a lot of jargon from Bush, like "congress" and "Washington"

9. Would be fun to see it spelled "Natoe"

8. Five words: State of the Union flashcards

7. No need for Camp David; give him a box of styrofoam peanuts and he's entertained for hours

6. New cabinet post: Secretary of cartoons

5. Was allowed to visit the White House once during the Bush administration

4. Wouldn't be out of touch with the concerns of the not-so-bright

3. America is the Love Boat, and he wants to be our Captain Stubing (shot of Gavin Macleod)

2. His wife is smart enough to run the country

1. Four more years of Quayle jokes

10/20/93

Back To October 1993 Archive
 

 

 

Singer/Songwriter

Member, American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers

Listen To My Debut Single, 'Shining in My Hair' ASCAP

Released 6/4/2006

Based in the United Kingdom, Deeper Thought Ltd, a new entry in the coin operated video game industry and creators of amusement content for video games that build on current and popular trends has licensed Deirdre's 'Shining In My Hair' for 'Make Meez A Rockstar!'  a music based Flash game.  Deeper Thought Ltd specialize in game and system development, game design, programming, hardware design and interface development...

 

'Shining In My Hair' Licensed by

Deeper Thought LTD

 

Images from the Vocal and Acoustic Guitar Session

 'Down to Hear Studios,' 5/13/2006

 

AudioSparx: Female Pop: Volume One

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, April 2, 2007

    "An American Hero..."

---Jimmy Kimmel, November 12, 2004

AudioSparx has announced the inclusion of Deirdre Leah Faegre's irresistable, 'Shining In My Hair' on its Female Pop Volume 1 compilation CD. A published singer/songwriter at thirteen, the worldwide release of her beautifully innocent, 'Shining In My Hair,' appearing on an artist compilation CD from AudioSparx entitled, Female Pop - Volume 1, came only 9 months following its debut in Summer, 2006.

A collection of female-vocal pop music with a flair, including pop, soft pop, alt pop and Lillith Fair-styled pop music tracks, 'Shining In My Hair' stands out as an endearingly attractive statement of youthful wonder and love of life. Deirdre's follow-up single, 'In My Eyes' is expected to be released, April 26, 2007...

 

Female Pop - Volume 1

Female-vocal pop music with a flair, including pop, soft pop, alt pop and Lillith Fair-styled pop music tracks

Download this entire collection for only $124.95

Plus get the collection shipped on CD (Free Shipping!)

 

 

 Deirdre with best friends and family dining at

 Benihana's following the announcement from

Sound effects, Loops, Ringtones and Production Music

 

 

Sound effects, Loops, Ringtones and Production Music

My newly re-released follow-up single, 'In My Eyes' has been placed in a short film [written and directed by Jack Kearney of The JAX Company Film Production Group LLC] entitled, 'Indian Hill,' about a 12 year old boy and his friends growing up in suburban Portland, Connecticut, circa 1975. A neighborhood coming of age story about the challenge of conquering 'Indian Hill Road' on a bicycle; a feat that separates the little kids from the big kids in their neighborhood...

From the Short Film, 'Indian Hill.'  My Follow-Up Single:

'In My Eyes'

"I really loved the songs in the movie...The musicians were just awesome...I can’t thank you enough for...your song(s) in the film, and I hope to work with you all again..."

---Jack Kearney, Writer and Director of 'Indian Hill'

 

"Indian Hill" is a short film (24 minutes) about a 12 year old Jack and his friends growing up in suburban Portland, CT  in 1975. The story centers on Jack and his friends who spend their days playing kickball on Taylor Drive, skipping rocks on the river and riding their bikes around the neighborhood. Join Jack as he tries to be the first kid on the block to accomplish the one feat that separates the “little kids” from the “big kids”, conquering the toughest hill in their neighborhood-- INDIAN HILL...

 

'In My Eyes' Original Release Date: 6/3/2007

 

Images from the Vocal and Acoustic Guitar Sessions, Cloverland Studios, In Fidelity Recordings, Collinator Studios and On Top Of a Cloud, Lake Tahoe

 

Verizon Wireless.

Get Deirdre's Ringtones...

 

 

 

Words and Music by

Piano and Vocals by Deirdre Leah Faegre; Arranged by Deirdre Leah Faegre

Arranged and Produced by Leland Thomas Faegre

All Guitars and Percussion by Leland Thomas Faegre

Engineered by Leland Thomas Faegre at On Top Of a Cloud; Additional Engineering by Billy Sullivan at Cloverland Studios; Paul Grove at 'Summit Audio;' Engineered and Mastered by David Scharf at In Fidelity Recordings

 

 

'Here I Am / Libra Go Lucky' ASCAP

Full Version

 

TrebleClef1.gif (1949 bytes)

*Forwarded by 'Taxi' to Platinum Music

 

 

  

'Playing Along with Paul'

 

Deirdre on Ice

Member, Ice Skating Association of Ireland

skateslogo

Tahoe Figure Skating Club

 

 

 

Watch the Video

Watch the Video

Pershing Square, Los Angeles

December, 2005

*22nd Annual ISI Competition

Pasadena Center, 4/30/2006

 

*First Place: Interpretation, Footwork and Freestyle

 

 

US Figure Skating

 

Official Kimmie Meissner Fan

 

 

Dave and Paul on the Ice

 

 

Christmas with my cousins in Ireland, 2004

 

 

Sofia and I

 

 

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