🇧🇷 Let’s hit the ice | Morning Newsletter
Olympics, Philly style.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Good morning, good people!
The snow is gone, but chilly temperatures are sticking around today. The silver lining? The sun will make an extended appearance.
For today’s top story, we’re hitting the ice with a local athlete who just repped Brazil at the Winter Youth Olympics. Our very own Kristen Graham, who has a Pulitzer Prize, which is essentially journalism’s version of an Olympic gold medal, will walk you through his story.
And as a former New Yorker, Ashley relates to our “only in Philly” story from Anthony R. Wood. She recently walked by the Azalea Garden, where Wood reflected on how different life is here compared to New York, and it hit a nerve. This one’s poetic.
Let’s dive in.
— Ashley Hoffman and Tommy Rowan (@_AshleyHoffman and @tommyrowan, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)
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🎤 Now we’re passing the mic over to Kristen A. Graham:
It’s cheesy but true: The very best part of my job as The Inquirer reporter covering the School District of Philadelphia is going into classrooms and talking to kids and educators. So when I heard about Lucas Koo, a 17-year-old Masterman student who just so happens to have been the first athlete in years to represent Brazil in short-track speedskating at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in South Korea, I had to tell that story.
I loved spending time with Lucas, learning about everything from how he was when he first stepped onto the ice (age 4, because of a 10-free-lessons special) to what his favorite junk food is: Popeye’s, no question. Lucas was honest about what it’s like balancing being a high-achieving student at one of the city’s best schools with being an elite athlete — tough; he practices three hours a day most days, and spends hours in the car to be able to do so. (His mom put her career on hold so Lucas could chase his dream.)
Sometimes, people roll their eyes or heave a knowing sigh when I tell them I cover Philadelphia schools, often better known for academic troubles than anything else. But Lucas’ story is emblematic of what I see so often — there’s such potential, so many talented students and amazing stories in the district. This was a fun one to cover!
Read Kristen’s full profile of the 17-year-old sensation.
Recent research out of Penn State’s Center for Evaluation and Education Policy Analysis found that Philadelphia teachers leave the profession at very high rates — higher than the rest of the state, and higher than the rate at which local education schools are graduating new teachers.
The study found that 20% of charter teachers and 18% of district teachers left the profession in their first year. After five years, the attrition rate dropped to 9% for district teachers but was 17% for charter teachers.
The Inquirer spoke to three Philadelphia educators who are considering leaving, or have already made their decision to go, including:
✏️Takia McClendon, fourth-grade teacher in North Philadelphia: “I come here because I love this job, I love these kids, but I don’t know how long I can survive.”
✏️Maddie Luebbert, an English teacher at Kensington Health Sciences Academy: “I’ve felt like my job is impossible, and I do work in a place that I really love with an administration that is very respectful and supportive.”
✏️A 28-year-old high school teacher who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisal: “This is so not set up for me to be at my best. I feel like I’m on my own.”
Read reporter Kristen Graham’s (busy Mondee) full dispatch from the classroom.
What you should know today
Pennsylvania is preparing for what’s expected to be another tumultuous presidential election cycle. They’re bracing for another round of lawsuits, recount requests, and claims of fraud in 2024.
Black baseball players have been part of the fabric of Philadelphia as long as the game itself. In May 1883, a newspaper recorded the Philadelphia Dolly Vardens drew a crowd as a baseball team fully composed of Black women. The team was the antecedent for later accomplishments of Black women in baseball.
Trust in public health agencies declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, as misinformation about vaccines and the virus proliferated on social media. But did the public health agencies themselves also play a role in the decline of their credibility? The Inquirer spoke with Paul Offit, who had a front-row seat to the pandemic response.
A Mini Nurse Academy for elementary school students is designed to introduce Black and brown students, in particular, to the field of nursing.
A North Carolina man was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison Friday for back-to-back attempts to violently abduct women he targeted on Center City streets.
A newly expanded law is helping Pennsylvanians seal their felony records and start fresh. It could help hundreds of thousands of eligible people access more opportunities in employment, housing, and education.
It’s officially tax season, and Philly-area experts are here to help. Here’s what to know about the child tax credit, the right time to file, and a new IRS pilot program.
Jason Kelce’s red and yellow Super Bowl luchador mask, which he wore hanging in the DJ booth with Marshmello and hyping up the crowd with his epic dance moves, is being returned to its rightful owner — an eighth-grader from Texas.
Bryce Harper arrived at Phillies spring training on Sunday, and said he doesn’t expect to move back out to right field and looks forward to “trying to be the best first baseman I can.”
❓ Pop quiz
What was an actual gem of a quote referenced in an Inquirer story I told you all about last week?
“This took off so much that no one cares about Taylor Swift.”
A) DJ Jason Kelce popping out of a Super Bowl cake
B) Jason Kelce encircled in flames in dessert form
C) Ice Spice’s everything eclipsing meme moment
D) “Herring Styles” and “Billie Eilish”
Think you know? Check your answer.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
What Benjamin Franklin called the seat of power where Washington sat while presiding over the Constitutional Convention in 1787.
Hint: 🌅
GINNI RUSS
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Jack Walker who correctly guessed Sunday’s answer: The Holdovers.🍿
Photo of the day
My ‘only in Philly’ story
🎤 Now I’m handing it over to Anthony R. Wood:
The Azalea Garden behind the Art Museum was in full bloom on a brilliant May afternoon in hues that language can’t fully capture.
I’ve always had a bee phobia, but I couldn’t help but watch close up as one appeared to be tickling its stomach luxuriantly on azalea filaments.
I recently had moved back to Philly from New York, and was ready to return. I missed Central Park; the scale of the buildings, in an era when Philly’s skyline was more modest; the density, and maybe that “energy.”
Maybe not. One of Evelyn Waugh’s most famous characters observed that New Yorkers mistook energy for neuroses. Come to think of it, he had a point. Central Park? It’s an oasis; Fairmount Park, an all-city sanctuary.
That afternoon I returned to the three-story house I was renting two blocks from City Hall, fit maybe for the average Manhattan real estate baron.
I rejoined a real neighborhood where families lived, neighbors socialized and bickered, and friends greatly enjoyed complaining about a city none of us planned to leave. — T. Wood
Have a wonderful week. I celebrated Valentine’s Day at my favorite restaurant, Kanella. I saw Cat Power at the Keswick Theatre sing all Bob Dylan covers, and it was so, so special.
👋Thanks for starting your morning with The Inquirer, and have a great day.
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