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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| After 11 tries, 2 young women will finally get their diplomas |
| 2006-06-12 |
| BOSTON - If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try again. Nicole Pasquarelli and Ruth Nazoliny, whose high school classmates graduated three years ago, will finally receive their diplomas today after scoring high enough on their 11th attempt at the Massachusetts graduation exit exam. Education Department spokeswoman Heidi Perlman said the women are the only two people the state knows of who passed the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment Systems exam after 10 retries. "I can't emphasize strongly enough how much we applaud these girls," she said. "These girls have been personally committed to their education." Nazoliny, who graduates from Jeremiah Burke High School in Boston, declined an interview request. Pasquarelli got past the English portion on the first try, but the algebra and geometry on the math section stumped her. "I'm awful at math," she said. Graduation day in 2003 came and went for Pasquarelli, and she eventually become manager of a pizza restaurant. But she said her struggles did not embarrass or discourage her. After a couple of retests, she figured she had invested too much time to give up. She has been asked to speak at a high school graduation in Middleton. She said she will offer a simple reason to keep on trying amid failure: "To prove to yourself you can do it." |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #14 Mercy buckets, JFM. Dr. Steve, I picked him up at my Freshman orientation to the university, two years before he would have gone on to medical school anyway. (Totally ruined my plans for a wild'n'crazy freshman year, too!) Anyhow, he was doing cancer research at the Roswell Park institute with all Daddy's colleagues, and had gone out the night before with a bunch of my schoolmates, so we probably would have met eventually. As you said... ;-) As for the young ladies, most girls who have that much difficulty with maths just marry a man who'll take care of the checkbook for them. Well done, I say. Although I agree there are definite questions to be asked about the teachers involved. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-06-12 22:50 |
| #13 my boys passed the California exit exam as (fall semester) sophomores...tells you how hard the tests are... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-12 19:02 |
| #12 such determination is laudable. Indeed. But their learning curve is laughable. |
| Posted by: Thinemp Whimble2412 2006-06-12 17:43 |
| #11 Nonsense, it was destiny that brought them together ... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2006-06-12 17:40 |
| #10 Ah. A pity nobody told Mr. Wife that -- else perhaps he would have gone on to med school as originally planned, instead of falling for the seductions of an engineering degree. Still, I would've made a terrible doctor's wife, so I s'pose it's all for the best. If he had gone to med schoold he wouldn't have been at the right time in the right place for having the luck to meet you. :-) |
| Posted by: JFM 2006-06-12 16:51 |
| #9 Amen to that, GE. These two clearly were willing to work at it. They have more of what it takes to succeed than many of their "smarter" compadres. |
| Posted by: Omeating Whavirong6617 2006-06-12 14:34 |
| #8 Shouldn't we be, like, handing them a burger-flipping spatula after about the eighth try or something? |
| Posted by: mojo 2006-06-12 14:13 |
| #7 Ah. A pity nobody told Mr. Wife that -- else perhaps he would have gone on to med school as originally planned, instead of falling for the seductions of an engineering degree. Still, I would've made a terrible doctor's wife, so I s'pose it's all for the best. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-06-12 12:40 |
| #6 Ahem. There may not be math classes, but you definitely need to know math for med school. Algebra for sure, and some calculus is helpful. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2006-06-12 12:21 |
| #5 well i applaud these women but shouldn't some answers about some teachers actually teaching be asked? |
| Posted by: Greamp Elmavinter1163 2006-06-12 11:06 |
| #4 The CIA is always looking for quality applicants. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2006-06-12 09:40 |
| #3 Agreed, PlanetDan. There are no math classes in medical school. Actually, I'd hire those girls for just about anything, if I could -- such determination is laudable. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-06-12 09:37 |
| #2 now on to med school! |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2006-06-12 08:51 |
| #1 I definitely applaud their determination. Congratulations to them both! |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2006-06-12 07:35 |