Blair staff in the news

Two Blair staff members were mentioned last week in The Washington Post. The newspaper printed a letter to the editor from journalism and English teacher Anne Cullen on Monday, Feb. 28 as well as a feature on security guard Cedric Boatman's family on Tuesday, March 1.

Boatman's family was featured in a lengthy article, "For Copeland, Family Matters," on the front page of The Washington Post sports section. Boatman said in an interview with Silver Chips Online that "a ton of people have come up to [him] about the article, a lot of co-workers and students." The story revolved around Boatman, who had been an assistant basketball coach at the Bullis School when one of his players, LaTayna Copeland, lost her grandmother, with whom she lived. After an unsuccessful attempt to live at an uncle's house Copeland and her brother moved in with Boatman and his family, who became the legal guardians. Copeland is now a star player on the Gaithersburg High School varsity girl's basketball team.

While the arrangement might have seemed strange to some, Boatman and Copeland had always had a close relationship. "LaTayna always said she wanted to live with me," Boatman said to Silver Chips Online, and at the grandmother's funeral, he told Copeland "[his] house was always open to her."

The Copelands' attorney agreed that living with the Boatmans would be the best choice for high-school junior LaTayna and her brother, who was 12 at the time. Boatman already had two children, so the sudden and unexpected change created tension in the family. "It was tough in the beginning," Boatman said to Silver Chips Online, explaining that there were many arguments at first. "Everyone wants acceptance."

Cullen's letter to the editor was a reaction to a recent article on school food. The article, "Md. Targets School Snacks," reported on the State Board of Education's decision to limit the sale of junk food during school lunches. Cullen's letter pointed out that while vending machines have become healthier, the school cafeteria still sells many non-nutritious items. "It just appeared that [the school board] was a little self-congratulatory," Cullen said in an interview with Silver Chips Online.

Cullen's letter criticized the school board's apparent belief that vending machines are to blame for adolescent obesity. She believes that in order to make an effective change in school food, schools must re-examine their contracts with companies. "I saw 'Supersize Me.' The thing that most impressed me was this school in the Midwest for troubled kids," she said. "When the school contracted with a company that provided nutritious and balanced meals, [bad] behavior plummeted [and] test scores went up. It makes you wonder."

Both Cullen and Boatman have been in newspapers before, Cullen as a journalist for the Winston-Salem Journal and Boatman for being on Blair's championship basketball team.

Anne Cullen's letter can be found here, and the feature on Cedric Boatman's stepdaughter and family can be found here.