Posted by justonce (anonymous) on December 12, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Seems alls not well at the ritzy private "academies". It appears there are thugs all over. Ironically, I can't remember any incident at any of the public schools requiring law enforcement involvement in over three years.

Posted by jumpshot (anonymous) on December 12, 2009 at 9:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I believe the Hertford County and Bertie bands fought at halftime in a game 2-3 years ago. Lack of sportmanship seems to be universal.

Posted by 11fan (anonymous) on December 13, 2009 at 3:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Amazing the things "adults" post up here. The problem has nothing to do with public or private school...it has to do with "adults" acting as children. This is the lesson our future gets to learn. This will be there example to lead by. Parents should think before they act...doctor or not. As well as other adults. I have seen this at many public schools as well as private, and it is usually not the players that make it escalate this far. And as for the public school comment, when you have to add that it hasnt happened in three years, it just sounds ridiculous. Technically the private schools could say it hasnt happened ever, and that makes it no better or worse.

Posted by justonce (anonymous) on December 13, 2009 at 7:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

To the two previous posters, I agree with you. Reprehensible behavior can be found anywhere.
However, we must admit, there are a few, not most, but a few who still hold to the view that this type of behavior does not exist at "certain institutions", because "we are better than that". Here again, I'm only saying a few think that way.

Posted by MsR22 (anonymous) on December 13, 2009 at 6:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Let's just be honest here, while these comments may be true, had it been the public schools these comments would be a lot different. Plain and simple. It's a shame that our children have such lack of parents. No restraint, no self-control are the qualities that are being taught.

Posted by the_popo (anonymous) on December 13, 2009 at 11:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Justonce, This incident did not require law enforcement involvement. The story even states that nothing was done in the presence of the officer's that responded. ALL of our great public schools require a police officer to be posted at the school on a daily basis just for incidents like this one. Sure it does not hit the paper headlines, it is what it is. Secondly, the children involved are no different than children anywhere. This incident does not mean that they are not "raised right". Even the headmaster of the school agree's that without the adults getting involved this would have been a minor incident, handled by the coaches and headmasters and nothing the wiser. ANY heated rivarly will bring its share of troubles. When Bertie plays Hertford County Law Enforcement is on the scene by the dozens.

I for one realize that bad behavior can occur anywhere at any given time. No one is exempt from trouble, even people with money. Either the article is written to poorly or some readers are reading into the article to much. I see nothing in this article that states that the school aged children were causing a big scene, whooping and hollering, etc.

Let's get a grip folks, kids are going to push and run into each other while playing sports. As usual a parent or parents ruin the game for the youngsters. Remember the video of the football dad that tackled the other teams player who was all of what, 6 or 7 years old? This story has Bad sportsmanship by the parents written all over it. I can gurantee that the fiasco was mostly started by the "adults". I had a father the same exact way, getting ejected from my baseball games over his attitude with the umpires and opposing teams coaches. It is truly an embarressment when a child knows that this not acceptable behavior yet the adults don't seem to cue in on what they are really doing to the sport, the children, and their reputation.

Posted by justonce (anonymous) on December 14, 2009 at 3:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

The PoPo,
Why is everyone so sensitive? I agree with you. You can find thugish behavior anywhere. I'm just commenting that no one group or institution is immune.
Oh by the way Popo, in the future maybe there should be a law enforcement presence at the games to prevent this type of behavior.

Posted by the_popo (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 1:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I didn't know anyone was sensitive, maybe I missed something in the post? I pointed out to you your factual errors that stated law enforcement was involved, when in fact law enforcement did not get involved. Two people took out warrants on each other for simple assault. I agreed that no one is immune to these kinds of incidents, money or no money. If you want to dig deeper into this I hardly find the behavior "thuggish". A team rivarly is just that, regardless of what schools are playing. Thuggish behavior causes police officers and deputy sheriffs to be posted at the schools when ever the doors are open to students. When it takes an armed police officer to stand in the lunch room so that it is somewhat controlled, that is thuggish behavior. Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, stat for stat, Private schools have alot less behavior problems than their public counterparts. More of their students excel academically and go on to attend college where as public schools can't quite speak of stats like that with any truth.

Should law enforcement start going to the games? Hey, I am all for it. If they want to pay me $25 dollars per hour to watch some rich kids play ball, it will be the easiest money I have ever made.

Will law enforcement start going to the games? highly unlikely.

This would be like paying a Ahoskie Police Officer over-time to sit down at colonial acres because someone ran a stop sign. All while taking officers away from much needed areas like first and maple or the catherine street projects. Would any of us like to sit down at colonial acres for O.T. money? Who wouldn't? How many tax payers do you think would be happy about that?

Posted by justonce (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 10:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Now, now Mr. PoPo, or should I say, Mr. Town of Ahoskie Police Officer, it is unfortunate that you see the need to sink to such depths in discussing this issue. To think, a Town of Ahoskie Police Officer would compare the private schools to Colonial Acres,(non-crimnial activitiy), and the public schools to First and Maple Streets (criminal activity). It is disheartening and frightening to think that as you go about your duties as a Town of Ahoskie Police Officer that whenever and wherever you see "public school" children you think First and Maple Streets (criminal activity).
As a citizen I wanted to believe that our police officers viewed all of the citizens equally unless they are given a reason not to. Sadly, Mr. Town of Ahoskie Police Officer you look at our citizens as either the Colonial Acres type or the First and Maple Streets type.
Mr. Town of Ahoskie Police Officer I will pray for you and all the "public school" youth you encounter.
Be safe, and have a Happy Holidays.

Posted by the_popo (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 11:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Just Once, I wanted to clarify to you that I am not employed with the town of ahoskie and have never worked for the town of ahoskie. I used ahoskie as an example because I am familiar with both the good parts and the bad parts. I do not view everyone as equal, nor should I. Why should I go looking at the Duck as a suspicious animal when the chicken reports her eggs stolen? The duck did not steal the eggs did they? No, the fox probably stole the eggs. If I want to find a fox, I do not go look in the tree's do I? No, fox do not live in tree's. I am going to look in den's for the fox. Sure, Our public schools have some great kids out there. We even has some awesome athletes that come from there as well. What are the odds though? And as for your comment about all of the public school youth that I encounter, I have never once mistreated anyone because of where they grow up or go to school. I do not care about social status. You started all of this crap up by mentioning flase stat's and then calling the behavior of two rival teams as "thuggish" when in fact you were wrong. You threw the bait out there with your first post and I called you on it.. Which I am sure was your intention to begin with. You be safe as well, and enjoy your holidays.

Posted by abcm24 (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 12:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)

There is a big difference between private schools and public government run schools. The kids at the private schools are there for an education and they have parents who are involved in their lives. The opposite is true in public schools. This is most likely the reason the parents got into a dispute, as they were at the game, supporting their children, not so in government run schools. This is evidenced by the fact that, as the first poster said, the police have never been called to a public school event. What say you????

Posted by justonce (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 12:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Whew! PoPo I am relieved to learn that you are not a police officer...I was really worried for a moment about the type of people we had employed to protect us.

OK, we disagree on "thugish". Person or persons were charged by a magistrate with assault on another person. I think assaulting a person is thugish behavior, you don't.

Anyway a person is innocent until proving guilty. I do trust for all involved the incident can be resolved without anyone actually receiving a criminal record. That would be unfortunate for both individuals.

Posted by arlenematt (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 1:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I think the comments section on this article needs to be closed down. What happened in the heat of a moment at a basketball game has changed some people's lives drastically. It can not be taken back, but the outcome can be changed. If people would just think twice before they post their comments that are hurtful to all involved. Give them a chance to cool down and resolve this matter between each other. Why ruin the lives of innocent people? It doesn't matter who cast the first stone, it is over! Let it be forgotten to the public! Let the children get on with their lives and the parents involved have a chance to resolve this in peace.

Posted by the_popo (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 1:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

ABCM24, I think every person with any sense would understand there is a huge difference between the cultures and atmosphere at public schools. The original poster was throwing bait out for people to take because he/she understands the difference but somehow chooses to make a mountain out of a mole hill. You can't argue or discuss events with anyone like that in an informative manner. The only thing that he/she can come back with is insults of someone's personal character based on sound and sane discussion. I think that speaks volumes of the character of the original poster and is enough said.

Just once, I see that I cannot have any sort of intelligent conversation with you without receiving insults of my personal character. Whatever helps you sleep at night, go with it. If you can't tell the difference between thugs and two people on rival teams getting into a fist fight, you are either blind or stupid. You take your pick.

Posted by justonce (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 1:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Now, now PoPo here you go again. I clearly stated we simply have a difference of opinion on what is "thugish" behavior. I respect your opinion that you do not think one person assaulting another person is thugish behavior. I respectfully disagree. But because I disagree, you personally attack me by saying I'm either blind or stupid.
That's a shame PoPo. I would have hoped two adults could engage in civilized discourse without one of them descending into such boorish behavior.
Take care POPO.

Posted by chillinincolerain (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 2:18 p.m.

(This comment was removed by the site staff.)

Posted by RCNewsHerald (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 3:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)

To all posters:
The comments section of any article appearing on this web site should be an opinion linked to the subject matter within the story and should, under no circumstances, not be used to attack or belittle another poster.
R-CNewsHerald.com Web Site Editor

Posted by Aggie_Dre (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 3:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I work with several people that have kids that go to these schools as well as other of the private academies, they tell me all the time that these things do happen at the ball games. They simply are not reported. Which is the biggest difference to me. You have some of the same behaviors, it is just reporteed more with the public schools.

Posted by lemonshirt (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 5:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along? Can we get along? Can we stop making it, making it horrible for the older people and the kids?...It’s just not right. It’s not right. It’s not, it’s not going to change anything. We’ll, we’ll get our justice....Please, we can get along here. We all can get along. I mean, we’re all stuck here for a while. Let’s try to work it out. Let’s try to beat it. Let’s try to beat it. Let’s try to work it out."
- Rodney King. spoken in the aftermatch of the LA riots. The initial incident occurred when he was going home from watching a basketball game.

Posted by the_popo (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 7:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)

My apologies to R-C herald staff and to the other posters/viewers for feeding the trolls. Back to the subject at hand, I hope that things can be resolved in a satisfactory way so that they learn something from this.

Posted by soldier_from_ahoskie (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 7:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)

im gonna throw in my two cents here. everyone needs to step back and look at this.... both teams were undefeated and didnt want to lose. you have parents that care about there kid's education and they get into the games too. theyre was an altercation and it was done. it happens. now as for the difference in schools, yes there is a difference between public and private. private schools make you pay and the kids get a better education and the teachers get paid more. at public schools (such as hertford county) the education is not so great because most of the kids dont care and therefore neither do the teachers. how is it that i personally skipped the last half of my junior and the first half of my senior year and still pass my final exams and graduate. that says something about the quality of education. As for the difference between 1st and maple and colonial acres.....just drive by both locations. nice neighborhood with decent people or run down by the tracks neighborhood with drugs. PLEASE. i have been all over the united states and in combat.... i have seen many things.. 1st and maple looks like an iraqi town.

Posted by justonce (anonymous) on December 15, 2009 at 10:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I guess the soldier from Ahoskie has settled all issues; the private schools are better than the public schools,the private school teachers are better than the public school teachers, the private school children are better than the public school children, and people who live in colonial acres are better than the people who live across the tracks.

Halleulah! Praise the Lord! I've seen the light!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by blackpearl (anonymous) on December 16, 2009 at 10:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I must say to everyone who finds public education so bad, what are you doing to fix the problem. You all seem to think that private is better but you fail to realize you don’t have to have a college degree to be a teacher at a private school nor be in administration. Private over public are you for real; just because a person attended private school are they suppose to be of higher class or something. I came out of the public school (Hertford County Public Schools), I came from a not so good part of the town, BUT today I have a BA degree in Political Science and Public Administration, as well as a Master of Education degree in School Counseling, and getting ready to start on a Doctoral degree. All of this was obtain due to my public education (that’s where my foundation started). It hardens my heart for some of you to look down on First and Maple; news flash everybody there ain’t bad people, what makes you think those people there don’t want what’s best for there children. Yes, once again it’s a bad part of the town but what are you doing to help there problem; it is so easy to seat in judgment of people and call them thugs or whatever but been a thug don’t just happen in the poor neighborhoods it happens everywhere, we look at the people on First and Maple, or other bad neighborhoods and set judgment and say they ain’t this, there’re none thing but drug users and sellers, killers thieves whatever, but look at the people in your neighborhood, you never know who lives next door to you. I find it a slap in the face for people that live in poverty (because I was one who was) to belittle like this, and to be honest everybody is a pay check away to poverty, you never know. In conclusion DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WE HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU. Also I know this is not anything about the article, but to see the comments and to belittle a certain class of people angered me.

Posted by soldier_from_ahoskie (anonymous) on December 16, 2009 at 10:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)

now i didnt say the people were better. im just sayin look at the difference in locations. im not sayin private school kids are better..... most of em are stuck up because they have money. then you have public schools where most of the kids dont care. im not sayin one is better than the other. im just saying there is a difference.

Posted by soldier_from_ahoskie (anonymous) on December 16, 2009 at 10:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)

my apologies to black pearl but if you look at my first post i didnt say all people .... i said most. there are decent people all over. but its the majority that people see. also, im not saying that public education is way below private, but they are not on the same level.

Posted by blackpearl (anonymous) on December 16, 2009 at 10:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)

You know what, solider from Ahoskie I can respect that; I may not agree with every point that you stated but its good to know that you are open minded. Also for the comment that you said that a lot of public school kids don’t care; some don’t but there are a lot that do. Our public school children is portrayed in the negative so much that the ones who are doing good our the ones who are improving, or the ones who were on the wrong track that are turning around in positive way need to know that we stand behind them, cheer them on let them know we are not giving up on them, stop negativity in our kids lives so we can motivate them to achieve more. I will say no we are not on the same level as private but I believe we can compete on the same level and I just believe public school yeah we would blow them out the water (LOL)

Posted by skmpeace (anonymous) on December 16, 2009 at 6:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I would like to address all the previous comments concerning the basketball game last week that resulted in an altercation between Ridgecroft School and Halifax Academy. It is truly sad that the comments above are focused more on issues that affect all regions of the world instead of how well the Rams played. The JV team worked hard against Halifax Academy and won the game. I can say this because I attended the game. The unfortunate events that took place after game are just that…unfortunate. Those events will be dealt with outside of the parameters of this newspaper’s comment section. However, I do find it very offensive for someone to consider my children privileged (in the context mentioned above) or stuck-up just because I chose what I believed to be the best option for my children’s education in the area. I can assure you that this option did not come lightly. My family has been on both sides – public and private. Having said that, it is my choice, my money and absolutely none of your business of why I chose this option. Attending a private school for your K-12 education is not any different than choosing a private or public college for your higher education, and it is simply wrong to generalize schools, whether private or public, and the children that attend them.

This article was made possible by an education obtained from Murfreesboro Baptist Church Kindergarten, Riverview Elementary School, Murfreesboro Middle School, Murfreesboro High School and Roanoke-Chowan Community College!

Posted by the_situation (anonymous) on December 16, 2009 at 10:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Where to begin?

First of all, the altercation at Ridgecroft School was an unfortunate event caused by high emotions and adrenaline. The incident could have easily happened at a private or public school. I, personally, think that it is a shame that two adults broke out into physical violence over a junior varsity basketball game! What kind of sportsmanship is this supposed to be showing the children that were in attendance? Come to think of it, what kind of sportsmanship is this showing anyone that lives in the Tri-County area that reads the News-Herald? That is really the issue at hand, not the differences between public and private schools.

Second, if anyone is going to engage in civil debate I think it is imperative that you come informed and willing to respect other opinions. I also think it is extremely important to proofread your comments to ensure competency, which will in turn allow you to gain respect of your own opinions. When I read a comment written by a person claiming to have a Master's in Education, my respect quickly diminishes when I discover THEIR inability to use the proper use of "their", indicating possession. If you're going to spend four years as an undergraduate, and two years in Graduate School, why not put your hard-earned knowledge to work? I'm not trying to create hostility, but if you're going to claim to have an education, at least express your opinion in an educated manner.

Posted by clayt85 (anonymous) on December 18, 2009 at 12:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)

lemonshirt... if only I had a father like you!

"...private schools make you pay and the kids get a better education and the teachers get paid more." Two of those three statements are categorically false. I'll leave it to the masses to decide which two.

I would also like to thank the RCNewsHerald post for making the most egregious grammatical error in the comments section. For God's sake, people, google the term "verb phrase" and see if you can spot the error.

And, to abcm24's point, my parents' decision to send me to public school had little to do with their involvement in my schooling, as both were quite involved. It was simply a matter of their lack of racism. I might believe the utter fantasy of the private school education being better than the "government run school" education, except I am yet to see Ridgecroft produce an alum with a doctoral degree in mathematics.

Back to the original report: ignorance truly is a ubiquitous trait. It is a same that parents had to ruin an otherwise excellent basketball game.

Posted by 11fan (anonymous) on December 18, 2009 at 1:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

To the previous comment about racism...which by the way has nothing to do with the matter at hand...I went to an academy in the area and it has produced many alumni with Doctorate degrees in many areas of education. Granted it was not Ridgcroft, so I personally have no idea about their educational standards, but lets not categorize. I enjoyed every minute of the school i attended which was 99% white. My class in the latter years of highschool had an african american boy join our small, tight knit group. We treated him just as well as we treated one another...private school or not.My parents worked very hard to send us there, and were proud of their decission. Most private academies these days are being attended because of there religious background or affiliation which was a lot of the reason my siblings and I attended ours. I am too sure that religion will bring up another argument, but regardless, I have yet to understand why the race card gets thrown around so easily by the people who are supposedly offended by it. No one else seems to bring these ideas out except for the ones whom have no other reasoning to fall back on or have been brought up to beleive that every argument leads to race and situation not leading in there direction is because of the same. It is 2009...race hardly matters any more except for the ones of you who still dwell on it. Everyone has equal opportunites and from my knowledge, Ridgecroft has a mixed group of ethnicities amongst their student pool. I dont understand How this comment section has turned into a battle amongst many adults. I suppose this may be how a simple ballgame turned into a scuffle....hhhmmmm.

Posted by blackpearl (anonymous) on December 18, 2009 at 8:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Okay my grammar was off; my mistake. Anyways to the one who posted about my Master Degree, I don’t claim to have one I do. By the way you lost respect for me ; should I care

Posted by PL (anonymous) on December 18, 2009 at 2:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

clay85: I try to stay out of discussions like this one, because we often don't know all the facts. But, I can't help but say something about your comment about people sending their kids to private school because of racism. In this case I do know the facts because I attended private school my whole life and my children now attend the same school I attended. To even make such a claim is ludicrous. Some parents may make their decision based on race, but the vast majorities do not. My children are at private school because I want a good education for them. Environment plays a role in education and I feel that my children learn better in an environment that does not have a resource officer patrolling the halls and deputies showing up to break up fights. I don't care if the students are black, white, or polka dotted, I don't want my children around that. And, before you say I don't know what I'm talking about, I do. I work at a local high school and see first-hand the types of things that go on at school. That does not mean that things cannot happen at a private school, but there are smaller class sizes and the students that keep causing problems can be kicked out. It is not so easy to kick kids out of the public school system. I am not saying that private school teachers are better than public, I'm saying that it easier for them to do their job because they are not dealing with behavior problems all day. I don't know about other schools, but can speak for the school that my children attend and can assure you that behavior problems are handled swiftly and those students are removed from the classroom so as not to distract others. The kids are not perfect but administration's hands are not tied in dealing with the ones who do cause problems. Quite simply, my children are in private school for no other reason than the fact that I think it is easier for them to focus on their education. The thought of keeping them away from children of a different race has NEVER crossed my mind.

Posted by clayt85 (anonymous) on December 18, 2009 at 4:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)

"Some parents may make their decision based on race, but the vast majorities do not." Very true, except for the "majorities" [sic] part...

"My children are at private school because I want a good education for them." Funny. And ironic...

"...and deputies showing up to break up fights." Which clearly does not ever happen at, say, Ridgecroft. Wait, what was this story about again?

"...I don't want my children around that." Sheltering children from reality is clearly the better choice to produce well-adjusted young adults...

"I work at a local high school..." Good enough for a paycheck, but not good enough for your kids, eh?

"It is not so easy to kick kids out of the public school system..." Quite true, because the educated among us realize that what problem-children need most is an education.

"I am not saying that private school teachers are better than public..." Its a good thing you aren't. At least public school teachers have to pass certification exams.

"...they are not dealing with behavior problems all day." Instead, they get parents who want their child to receive the 'A' they paid for...

"...it is easier for them to focus on their education." It is also easier for them to pass classes because of exemption rules for standardized testing. There is a reason RHS opts to use the Iowa course exams rather than the NCDOE exams: Iowa's are the easiest in the nation.

Posted by Gravy (anonymous) on December 18, 2009 at 5:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)

OK, back to the original topic. If someone (a STRANGER) put their hands on your child, How would you react? I think I would also be charged with assault.