Muslim school not welcome
Perhaps we’re not as accepting of other cultures as we thought. A protest erupted over a planned Muslim school in Carrara. The rally attracted approximately 400 local residents to the cause. Many feared that this would lead Muslims to further withdraw from Australian culture and cause even more segregation.
Despite the good intentions the message is having an opposite effect. The world may view this as Australia is not as culturally accepting as other G8 companies.
Mayor Ron Clarke has said that he supports the school so long as it meets the council’s educational requirements. The school council is expected to make a decision on the future of the school early next year.
Jonathan Pease says he’s not dating jailbait
He’s recent dating history points to an keen eye for young beauties, but Australia’s Next Top Model style director Jonathan Pease has denied he is dating a high school student.
Pease has been controversially linked to Killara High student Hilary Hannigan, an 18-year-old actress he met on the Sydney party scene last month.
While the pair happily posed together at the David Jones Summer Collection Launch two weeks ago, Pease was quick to dismiss any suggestion of romance when Confidential contacted him yesterday. (news)
iPods ok during exams
A Sydney girls’ school will let its student use iPods, the internet and mobile phones during exams as a new method of assessment.
Presbyterian Ladies’ College at Croydon will let year nine English students use the hi-tech equipment during exams first, before rolling out the program across all subjects by the end of the year.
English teacher Dierdre Coleman, who is dean of students for years seven to nine at the school, said the move was about “redefining” cheating, and would allow modern day technology to be fairly incorporated into modern education. (news)
Students suspended over pet deaths
4 students have been suspended over the slaughter of pets at a regional Victorian high school.
A teacher at Bellarine Secondary College in Drysdale, near Geelong, arrived at the school on Sunday to find three of its agriculture and horticulture program animals butchered.
One of the animals, a pregnant rabbit, belonged to a teacher and the other two were guinea pigs.
It has been reported that a group of teenagers with torches and dogs were seen in the vicinity of the school, near Geelong, on Saturday night. (news)
Robert Ian Drummond goes free, to make more upskirt videos
A former schoolteacher convicted of using a hidden camera to film up the skirts of schoolgirls has walked free from court today.
Robert Ian Drummond, 42, a former teacher at Cromer High School on Sydney’s northern beaches, was convicted last month of producing and possessing pornography.
In Sydney’s Downing Centre Local Court today, Magistrate Julie Huber sentenced Drummond to a suspended four-month jail term and a three-year good behaviour bond.
Drummond was charged after a 14-year-old girl noticed him filming up her skirt with a video camera concealed inside a bag placed at her feet in Warringah Mall in May last year. (news)
