Monthly Archives: February 2022

Lia Thomas, a 22-year-old senior on the Penn womens swim team, holds the fastest swim times in the country among NCAA women in two freestyle events. She also happens to be a trans woman. Last weekend at the Ivy League Championships, Thomas won three titles. Her success has put her in the center of a national debate on trans womens right to play sports.

As a nonbinary trans person myself, and a former swimmer, I cant help but notice that only a few voices are weighing in on this topic. Few have anything original to say.

Olympic champion Michael Phelps said on CNN that the issue is very complicated. Caitlyn Jenner, a trans woman and Olympic gold decathlon champion, said on Fox News that we need to protect womens sports and that Thomas participation is not good for the trans community. Jordan Peterson, a former professor of psychology, likened trans lives to satanic ritual abuse and a sign of the end of civilization in a conversation with former MMA fighter Joe Rogan on his podcast.

Michael Phelps, Caitlyn Jenner, and Jordan Peterson are being asked to weigh in on an issue that they havent worked on in any substantial way. Phelps hasnt committed his life to trans activism and civil rights. When I listen to Jenner, I cant help but feel that even though she is trans, she is isolated. She doesnt have much other than the spotlight, and under that glare, she repeats what other people say. Peterson has never published peer-reviewed work on gender, bodies, or anything of relevance to the topic of trans women in sports.

The exclusion of substantive voices and a lack of understanding about the topic of trans life has consequences. This month, state legislatures in Kentucky, Indiana, and Iowa passed bills that limit trans women and girls from participating in sports. Alabama lawmakers also passed a bill banning transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.

Many people dont realize that the real impact of these anti-trans bills will be a spike in depression and a risk of suicide for trans kids fueled by rejection, marginalization, and hate. We owe it to trans kids to do better.

My recommendation is that those having conversations about trans people whether at home, in the news, on the deck of a swimming pool, or in a state legislature consult experts with a known track record in what they are talking about. There are many fantastic voices to choose from.

Veronica Ivy has done a stellar job addressing inexpert arguments about unfair advantages in sports. Historian Julian Gill-Petersons 2018 book Histories of the Transgender Child addresses the medicalization and racialization of childrens bodies. Anne Fausto-Sterling has a long record of publishing peer-reviewed papers on the topics of sex, gender, development, and biology. Reubs Walsh has committed her academic career to investigating the links between neurodiversity, transness, and mental health. Sari van Anders researches sex and gender as it relates to the study of hormones and culture. Their work is all too often ignored or overlooked.

We need to invite real experts into any conversation or policymaking discussion that impacts trans people.

The true conversation has nothing to do with testosterone or science, and everything to do with fear specifically, peoples fear about their own gender identity and fear of people who dont have a gender identity thats easy to read.

Maybe, someday, well all be able to swim together.

Mal Pool is a trans nonbinary founder of a collective that mediates nonviolent conflict and discrimination at music events in Berlin and a former swimmer from Indiana.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386, Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860, or text TALK to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

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When we talk about Penn swimmer Lia Thomas, were listening to the wrong voices | Opinion - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Kansas coach Lance Leipold reacts during the first half of the team's NCAA college football game against TCU on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU won 31-28. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)

The Kansas football team has hired Oscar Rodriguez Jr., a Kansas native who finished last season as Akron's interim head coach, as a defensive analyst.

Rodriguez will work with the defensive backs, though as an analyst, he is not allowed to coach players on the field. Jordan Peterson has been the Jayhawks' defensive backs coach the last two seasons.

His roots in Kansas are deep. Born and raised in Liberal, Rodriguez played safety at Emporia State in 2001, transferred to Coffeyville Community College in 2002 and then played two seasons at Fort Hays State. He then began coaching, first at a high school in Texas, and earned a master's in educational administration in 2008 from Washburn, where he was the defensive backs coach. He then coached at Baker, Hutchinson Community College, Emporia State and Garden City Community College and served as the defensive coordinator at each school.

Rodriguez then left Kansas before the 2015 season and spent three seasons at La Verne, a Division III university in California, where in 2017 he was named the Division III National Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches' Association. He then became the assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach at Chattanooga in 2018 and moved to Akron the following season, when he was the safeties coach before coaching the inside linebackers beginning in 2020.

Akron coach Tom Arth was fired in November after nine games and Rodriguez was named the interim coach for the final three. The Zips lost all three, and new coach Joe Moorhead did not retain Rodriguez after he was hired on Dec. 4.

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Kansas hires former Akron interim head coach Oscar Rodriguez Jr. as analyst | Boyer on the Beat - KUsports

OTTAWAPrime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the House of Commons Tuesday to announce his intent to retain the Ring of Power.

The ring, which he obtained last monthon the field of battleat the base of Mt. Logan in the Yukon Province, was freed from itsmaster when Trudeau slew a halfling ring bearer and took it from him.

"This ring... this precious ring... it is a gift," said Trudeau before the House of Commons."We can wield its power against the forces of white supremacy and transphobia!"

According to sources, Trudeau had a chance to destroy the ring when former Canadian intellectual Jordan Petersonimplored him to cast it into the fires from which it was made.

But Trudeau, who has been using the ring to quell anti-vaccine protests, today said he would bear it indefinitely.

"This I will have as compensation for the microaggressions I experience every day. Was it not I that dealt the Enemy his death-blow?" he said in his address.

Members of the Canadian parliament were mystified given that there is no ongoing emergency but opted to support their leader to avoid being canceled.

This woman - er, wymxn? - was pulled over for driving alone in the carpool lane. But she's got a surefire way to get out of the ticket: her preferred pronoun is they!

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Trudeau Announces He Will Retain Ring Of Power Indefinitely - The Babylon Bee

There are few things so terrible that a white man can do that the media won't still find a way to romanticize him. Even Ted Bundy and David Koresh got the Hollywood treatment that portrays them as glamorous and sexy. In an environment where even murderous sexual predators get romanticized, I suppose it's no surprise that the standard-issue American dirtbag is getting a media glow-up, reframed as daring rebels because they stand up for the millennia-long tradition of letting men skate by with the bare minimum of effort. And yet, it's still annoying.

"Populist flamethrowers rock media," blares a headline at Axios. The text describes "Joe Rogan, Elon Musk, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy," as well as Substack writer Bari Weiss and comedian Dave Chappelle as people who "brand themselves 'free thinkers' untethered to political dogma." The piece goes on to quoteSaagar Enjeti, a supposedly "anti-establishment" YouTuber: "They explicitly say: 'Screw you.'... I would say that is the heart of a lot of their appeal." Weiss, in a particularly goofy bit of self-congratulation, describes herself as committed "Wrongthink," even though her newsletter is largely dedicated to conservative nostalgia for the days when one's dumbest prejudices could be expressed without discomfort.

RELATED:Why Joe Rogan's vaccine misinformation is so dangerous and dangerously appealing to his audience

Even in our bullshit-heavy era, this Axios article is truly off the charts. Repeated self-assertions of rebellion from these figures does not change the basic fact that they are, in reality, the opposite of freethinkers, rebels, or any of the other self-aggrandizing terms they may apply to themselves. On the contrary, the appeal of Rogan, Weiss, Musk, and others to their fanboy base is simple: They are selling validation to a lazy, incurious men who fear change.They are soothing figures, stroking the heads of their D student audiences, telling them that they are in the right to react to any intellectual challenge or threat of social change with a childish tantrum.My god, Weiss wants to start a fake university, so tender-minded conservatives can get an "education" without ever having to grapple with an uncomfortable idea. Not exactly a profile in courage, there.

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Sadly, it's not just Axios who insists on recasting whiny reactionaries are rebels, and the people they hate feminists, anti-racists, LGBTQ activists who are the real rebels advocating for real change as the "establishment." As the article notes, Atlantic writer Derek Thompson fell into the trap of labeling these figures the "DGAF Populists." Which....no. These folks very much do give a f*ck, especially when their unearned status or privilege is challenged, or they are asked to actually learn a thing or two about an issue before opining at length about it.

The laundry list of recent or ongoing controversies these folks kick up demonstrates how much a big ol' whiny f*ck they give if the "right" of crappy white men to impose their ignorance on others is challenged in any way. Musk, for instance, recently drew criticism when he tweeted a comparison of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Adolph Hitler, because of the measures Trudeau took to stop the far-right blockade of Ottawa. The blockaders were making life hell in the city, constantly honking horns and harassing residents, all in an effort to force their fringe, authoritarian views as well as to demand the "right" to spread COVID-19 by refusing vaccination on an unwilling public. By siding with the blockaders, Musk was siding with the view that a fanatical right-wing minority should be able to rule by fiat on everyone else not exactly the view of a DGAF person who believes in freedom and democracy and doing your own thing.

RELATED:Bari Weiss' field of right-wing dreams: Will the "University of Austin" ever actually exist?

With Chapelle, the situation is equally dark, as he's built his resurgent career on being an obsessive jerk about trans people, doing an entire Netflix special built around his outrage that anyone dare challenge his reactionary attitudes about the issue. The ensuing fallout led to a trans worker at Netflix getting fired for objecting to the anti-trans orthodoxy and Chappelle getting a bunch of new specials, where he and his snowflake-delicate new fans can wallow in their shared anger at having their hidebound ideas about gender and biology contested.

As for Rogan, the two biggest controversies of late involve behavior that would have read as outdated and reactionary a century ago, much less today. First, there's the racism.Rogan bizarrely ranted on a recent episode about someone "100% African from the darkest place where they're not wearing any clothes all day," which is a stereotype that even white people in the early 20th century clocked as over-the-top racism. He also was recently exposed as a frequent dropper of a certain racial slur, as well.

Want more Amanda Marcotte on politics? Subscribe to her newsletter Standing Room Only.

Then there's the anti-science crap, which is so bizarrely reactionary that it's reminiscent of the medieval church's reaction to Galileo saying the Earth revolves around the sun. Rogan and his guest Jordan Peterson another whiny reactionary who largely focuses on throwing tantrums over challenges to patriarchal authorityand threatens to sue feminists who question him recently unleashed a bunch of complaints about the science of climate change that really would have felt comfy to a 16th century priest defending heliocentrism. And, of course, there's Rogan's ongoing campaign against the Covid-19 vaccination, which is rooted in a fear of scientific advancement that's so out of control that one would not be surprised to next hear him come out against germ theory.

There's, of course, a strong thread linking the priests who locked up Galileo, the 19th century doctors who rejected germ theory, and Rogan's weird paranoia about vaccine technology. All are rooted in a desire for the simplicity of patriarchal authority, where "truth" is whatever rich men in charge want it to be, and the mind is unbothered by troubling questions about evidence, research, and the discomfort of having to abandon prior assumptions in the face of new facts.

RELATED:Elon Musk's Tesla factory in California sued (again) as alleged racist work environment

Despite the surface claims to be somehow non-partisan, the actual arguments of the Rogan/Weiss/Peterson world are, in actuality, no different than what's coming out of the openly right-wing world of Fox News. Just Tuesday, Tucker Carlson was making a defense of Russian President Vladimir Putin a man who literally has journalists murdered on, uh, "free speech" grounds.

Carlson's desires aren't mysterious. He wants a world where one can be racist without being confronted or challenged, where white nationalist and misogynist ideas aren't questioned. And he sides with dictators who will literally use violence to silence dissent. But when knee-jerk reactionaries are recast as "rebels" and fear of robust discourse is rewritten as "free speech," is it any wonder that Carlson feels he can get away with this kind of doublespeak that paint his censorious, authoritarian urges as "freedom"?

But there's also just old-fashioned laziness and entitlement. Thinking is hard. Learning is even harder. Dealing with new ideas from the socially constructed nature of gender to the scientific theory of mRNA vaccines requires work. A lot of that work can be genuinely uncomfortable, especially if it also requires confronting your own prejudices. Picking up a feminist text or reading the history of how the vaccine was developed means giving your brain lots of exercise, some which can be disagreeable as previous assumptions get questioned and cognitive dissonance is suffered. Easier to tune into Rogan's show or read Weiss's newsletter, wrapping one's self in the comfy blanket of never having to the mental work of contending with novel ideas.

Axios marvels at how much money these faux-populists make peddling intellectual lethargy to their audiences, but they shouldn't be. Pandering to laziness has always been profitable in a capitalist society. It's not a surprise that so many of these folks also market supplements or fad diets, such as Peterson's "meat only" nonsense. Such products rely on the wish to have a fit body without the bother of exercise and a balanced diet. Rogan, Weiss, and others are playing the same game, but for the mind: Selling the fantasy that one can be an "intellectual" and a "freethinker" without ever doing much in the way of actual thinking. It's opportunistic and exploitative, but certainly not romantic. Dull people pouting because others find them tedious is nothing new, and it certainly isn't any form of intellectual rebellion.

The rest is here:

The problem with the populists "free thinkers" they are just lazy - Salon

Ash Wednesday observance on March 2 at North Hollywood First United Methodist Church on Tujunga Avenue. (Google Street View)

Here is a sampling of religion events in the San Fernando Valley area.

Final Sunday in Epiphany at Prince of Peace Episcopal Church: In-person services at 8 and 10 a.m. (10 a.m. service is live stream; click on the link from the website). 5700 Rudnick Ave., Woodland Hills. 818-346-6968. http://www.popwh.org. http://www.facebook.com/POPWH. Details on this Sundays services: http://www.popwh.org/happenings.html

Respect Honor Above All: The Rev. Rob Denton delivers the message, part of a sermon series Character Still Counts, at the 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services. The 10:30 a.m. service is live stream on the website. West Valley Christian Church, 22450 Sherman Way, West Hills. 818-884-6480. http://www.facebook.com/westvalley.christianchurch; http://www.wvcch.org

Joshua Lay It on the Line: Pastor Jim Sillerud explains the message, based on Joshua 24:14-18, at the 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday services. Watch the service on YouTube from the website link. Read more about the church in the February The Spire newsletter here: bit.ly/3L8uATK. First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills, 10400 Zelzah Ave., Northridge. 818-360-1831. http://www.fpcgh.org

What Are You Thinking? Transfiguration Sunday: Pastor Timothy Jenks delivers the message, based on Hebrews 3:1-6, at 9:30 a.m. Masks required. Sermons also available to watch on the churchs Facebook and website. Canoga Park Lutheran Church, 7357 Jordan Ave. 818-348-5714. http://www.facebook.com/canoga.park.lutheran.church; http://www.cplchurch.org

Transfiguration Sunday with St. Luke Lutheran Church: Lay leader David Primuth delivers the message online, 9:30 a.m. Readings: Exodus 34:29-35; Psalm 99; 2 Corinthians 3:12 to 4:2; Luke 9:28-36 and 37-43a.Click on the YouTube link on the website to watch the service or follow the Facebook directions for watching on Zoom. The church is located at 5312 Comercio Way, Woodland Hills. 818-346-3070. http://www.stlukelutheran.com; details on the service and the bulletin to download, bit.ly/3HkuW6N

Do You Want to Be Well?: The Rev. Joseph Choi explains the message, based on John 5:1-9, at 10 a.m. (in English) and at 11:30 a.m. (in Korean). Also, service are available to watch online here: youtube.com/numcvideo. The churchs February newsletter: bit.ly/3olx7QJ. Northridge United Methodist Church, 9650 Reseda Blvd. 818-886-1555. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/northridgeumc. http://www.northridgeumc.org

Turning Christians into Followers of Jesus: The Rev. Bill Freeman discusses the topic online at 10 a.m. Find the Zoom link on the website. 616-796-5598. church-ish.org

Sunday at Woodland Hills Community Church (United Church of Christ): The Rev. Craig Peterson delivers the message in-person, 10 a.m. Also, watch live on the churchs Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/whccucc or on Zoom (see the recent announcements page for the Zoom information). Recent announcements: bit.ly/31AhfP1. Location, 21338 Dumetz Road, Woodland Hills. Voice mail, 818-346-0820. Email: whccucc@gmail.com. http://www.woodlandhillscommunitychurch.org

Between Realities Transfiguration Sunday: The Rev. Steve Peralta delivers the message, based on Luke 9:28-36, at 10:30 a.m. First United Methodist Church, 4832 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood. 818-763-8231. http://www.facebook.com/nohofumc1

Liberation of Spirit Power to Change the Things We Can: Sabbatical Minister Joshua Berg delivers the message, 10:30 a.m. Make a reservation to attend in person from the link here: bit.ly/3BOBgCh. Options to watch the service on Zoom at live.emersonuuc.org or listen by phone, 669-900-6833 and use ID: 8581092800 and Password: chalice. Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church, 7304 Jordan Ave., Canoga Park. Voice mail, 818-887-6101. emersonuuc.org; details on this service: bit.ly/3BOBgCh

Living the Story: The Rev. Stephen Rambo explains the message, 10:30 a.m. Watch on Facebook by using the link here: bit.ly/3Ij7iJ3. Center for Spiritual Living-Simi Valley, 1756 Erringer Road. 805-527-0870. http://www.facebook.com/cslsimi; http://www.cslsimi.org

Love Responds to Me: The Rev. Michael McMorrow delivers the message, 10:30 a.m. during an online-only service. The centers February theme is The Power of Love. Click on the link to watch a service here: http://www.youtube.com/user/CSLGranadaHills. In addition, the Rev. Michael McMorrow often gives a Mid-Day Reset, around noon Monday-Friday on the centers Facebook (www.facebook.com/csl.granadahills). Center for Spiritual Living-Granada Hills, 17622 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills. 818-363-8136. Check the centers Facebook page for updates. Details on this weeks online service: conta.cc/35lglL4

The Shining: The Rev. Beth Bingham, PhD, explains the message, based on Luke 9:28-36, at the 10:30 a.m. service. Bingham or the Rev. Curtis Peek give a devotional and prayer, 10 a.m. Monday-Friday on the churchs Facebook page. Congregational Church of the Chimes, 14115 Magnolia Blvd., Sherman Oaks. 818-789-7124. Email: office@churchofthechimes.org. http://www.facebook.com/ChurchofChimes; churchofthechimes.org

Sunday at St. James Presbyterian Church: The Rev. Erik Daily, PhD, delivers the message, 10:30 a.m. 19414 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. 818-345-2057. http://www.stjamespres.org; http://www.facebook.com/stjamesprestarzana/

Ash Wednesday at North Hollywood First United Methodist Church: Imposition of Ashes, 7-9 a.m. (Boyer Chapel) and a service, 7 p.m. (in the sanctuary) Details on Ash Wednesday, and also a Lenten Study beginning 7 p.m. March 3: conta.cc/35rXQoo. 4832 Tujunga Ave., North Hollywood. 818-763-8231. http://www.facebook.com/nohofumc1

Ash Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills: Imposition of Ashes, 7:45-9 a.m. and 11:45 a.m-1 p.m., and also at the end of the 7 p.m. service. 10400 Zelzah Ave., Northridge. 818-360-1831. http://www.fpcgh.org

Ash Wednesday at Prince of Peace Episcopal Church: Holy Eucharist and Imposition of Ashes, 8 a.m. and noon (in the chapel) and 7 p.m. (in the sanctuary and also live stream). 5700 Rudnick Ave., Woodland Hills. 818-346-6968. Email: office@popwh.org. http://www.popwh.org. Details on these services and Lent observances: http://www.popwh.org/happenings.html

Ash Wednesday Online: Hear the message from Congregational Church of the Chimes, 10 a.m. on the congregations Facebook page (have Communion elements ready to use at 10 a.m. or whenever youre able to watch the brief service). 818-789-7124. Email: office@churchofthechimes.org. http://www.facebook.com/ChurchofChimes; churchofthechimes.org

Ash Wednesday at St. Luke Lutheran Church: Pastor Brian Hiortdahl, from Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, leads the service, noon. 5312 Comercio Way, Woodland Hills. 818-346-3070. http://www.stlukelutheran.com; details on the service, bit.ly/3HkuW6N

Ash Wednesday at Canoga Park Lutheran Church: Pastor Timothy Jenks delivers the message Witnesses John the Baptist, based on John 1:29-34. The service is available to watch on the churchs Facebook and website. Lent services, 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays through April 6. The church is located at 7357 Jordan Ave. 818-348-5714. http://www.facebook.com/canoga.park.lutheran.church; http://www.cplchurch.org

Ash Wednesday at Woodland Hills Community Church (United Church of Christ): The Rev. Craig Peterson leads the service, 6:30 p.m. Also, watch live on the churchs Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/whccucc or on Zoom (see the recent announcements page for the Zoom information). Recent announcements: bit.ly/31AhfP1. Location, 21338 Dumetz Road, Woodland Hills. Voice mail, 818-346-0820. Email: whccucc@gmail.com. http://www.woodlandhillscommunitychurch.org

Ash Wednesday at Northridge United Methodist Church: A service with the Imposition of Ashes, 7 p.m. The service is also available to watch live stream on the congregations YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/c/NorthridgeUMC). 9650 Reseda Blvd. 818-886-1555. http://www.northridgeumc.org

Ash Wednesday at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church: Pastor Brian Hiortdahl leads the service, 7 p.m. Also available to watch live from the congregations Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sovlc. 23838 Kittridge St., West Hills. 818-348-8343. http://www.sovlc.org

Shabbat at Temple Judea: A service, 6:15 p.m. Must show proof of Covid-19 vaccination, valid ID and wear a mask to attend. Outdoors (if weather permits) at 5429 Lindley Ave., Tarzana. 818-758-3800. portal.templejudea.com/event/erev-shabbat-service-.html

Shabbat at Temple Beth Hillel: 7 p.m. Details on attending in-person or online here: bit.ly/3sghsVe. 12326 Riverside Drive, Valley Village. 818-763-9148. tbhla.org

Holy Spirit Retreat Center events: Lenten Silent Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon. An introduction to the centering prayer given at 8 a.m. (for those familiar with centering prayer, arrive by 8:45 a.m.). A donation/offering is appreciated for participation in this retreat. 4316 Lanai Road, Encino. 818-784-4515. Email: officemanager@hsrcenter.com. Details and about the events, click on One-Day Retreats, here: bit.ly/3oTrCJy. http://www.hsrcenter.com

Send information at least two weeks ahead. holly.andres@dailynews.com. 818-713-3708.

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Religion events in the San Fernando Valley area, Feb. 26-March 5 - LA Daily News

Photo: Payton Kirkland; Credit:Zach Goodall

The 2023 recruiting cycle is well underway, and the Florida Gators have several goals in mind as new head coach Billy Napier puts together his first full class of signees after a transitional 2022 haul.

One of those goals, simply put, is to recruit more effectively than the Gators' previous coaching staff, which consistently missed opportunities on the trail and underwhelmed year after year. The second goal is to put a fence around the state of Florida, being able to keep elite talent home rather than allowing blue-blood programs from across the country to enter the Sunshine State and take top prospects as they please.

All the while, Florida has more than a handful of needs to address before the current cycle wraps up. AllGators broke down the Gators' six biggest needs for this class below, including numerous prospects to keep an eye on at each position.

Players to watch will certainly be updated as the 2023 recruiting cycle continues on.

Prospects to know: Payton Kirkland, Dr. Phillips (Fla.); Francis Mauigoa, IMG Academy (Fla.); Lucas Simmons, Clearwater Academy International (Fla.); Shamurad Umarov, Denmark (Ga.); Bryce Lovett, Rockledge (Fla.); Tommy Kinsler, Trinity Catholic (Fla.)

This has been Florida's biggest need for years, as former offensive line coach John Hevesy failed spectacularly to recruit the position over his four years with the program despite several lay-up opportunities to do so.

We're keeping our eyes on Kirkland in particular as the cycle lingers on. A national recruit since his freshman season of high school, Kirkland has been widely expected to travel outside of the state of Florida to play college ball for some time. However, Florida's new offensive line coaches in Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton, as well as head coach Billy Napier and local recruiter in outside linebackers coach Mike Peterson, have made Kirkland a priority very early on in their tenure.

Kirkland will visit UF on March 5, and so will Mauigoa.

Prospects to know: Arch Manning, Isidore Newman (La.); Christopher Vizzina, Briarwood Christian (Ala.); Dante Moore, King (Mich.); Eli Holstein, Zachary (La.);Malachi Singleton, North Cobb (Ga.); Marcus Stokes, Nease (Fla.)

The Gators pursued and held a commitment from a blue-chip quarterback in Nick Evers for the majority of the 2022 cycle, only for Evers to flip to Oklahoma shortly before the early signing period following Florida's coaching change. It was a move made very late in the process, leaving UF with limited options at the position which led to the signing of project passer Max Brown in February.

While Brown has plenty of potential, the Gators will look to secure one of the top quarterbacks in the class of 2023 to bolster their room of signal-callers in both the short and long term. Napier has already prioritized Manning, having visited the classes' No. 1 overall prospect in-person in January himself, and the team sent Vizzina a scholarship offer earlier in February.

AllGators went further in-depth on 2023 quarterbacks to know for Florida here.

Prospects to know: Brandon Inniss, American Heritage (Fla.); Tyler Williams, Lakeland (Fla.);Daquayvious Sorey, Chipley (Fla.);Shelton Sampson Jr., Catholic-Baton Rouge (La.);Adarius Redmond, Powell (Tenn.); William Fowles, Dade Christian (Fla.); Santana Fleming, American Heritage (Fla.); DeAndre Moore Jr., Los Alamitos (Calif.)

There is a need for speed out wide in the Gators' offense, and after signing just one receiver in Caleb Douglas in the 2022 cycle, the position could use more bodies moving forward as a whole.

Two of the Gators' nine scholarship receivers (including Douglas) will run out of eligibility after the 2022 season, including starter Justin Shorter. The position is growing thin on talent from a numbers perspective, and as seen throughout the 2021 season, could use some upgrades across the board as is.

Williams and Redmond have emerged as early targets for new wide receivers coach Keary Colbert, while Sorey has a relative on Florida's off-field staff in Lamar Sorey (quality control) and very recently decommitted from Georgia. Fowles also included UF in his top ten schools less than two weeks ago.

Prospects to know: Derrick LeBlanc, Osceola (Fla.); John Walker,Osceola (Fla.); Will Norman, IMG Academy (Fla.); Peter Woods, Thompson (Ala.);David Hicks, Allen (Texas); Vic Burley, Warner Robins (Ga.); Keldric Faulk, Highland Home(Ala.); Zavion Hardy, Tattnall Square Academy (Ga.); T.J. Searcy, Upson-Lee (Ga.); Jordan Hall, Riverside (Fla.)

It will be interesting to see what kind of scheme Patrick Toney will deploy as Florida's defensive coordinator. If he intends to utilize two hands-in-the-dirt edge rushers as a part of a four-man front, the numbers on Florida's defensive line will need to increase.

That being said, the Gators are well-equipped for the 2022 season should the base front feature three linemen and a standing edge rusher as it has in years past. Still, two linemen are set to graduate after the season and should Gervon Dexter put together a big campaign, he could find himself included on NFL Draft boards and leave the university early.

In which case, adding to the interior defensive line is a must for Florida in the 2023 class, and new defensive line coach Sean Spencer has already begun to dig in on prospects. The state of Florida, as well as the entire southeast region, will provide several blue-chip DL prospects this year, and Spencer has already built strong relationships with Norman, LeBlanc and Walker, each hailing from the Sunshine State.

Prospects to know: Jordan Hall, IMG Academy (Fla.); Troy Bowles, Jesuit (Fla.); Grayson Howard, Jackson (Fla.);Jaiden Ausberry, University Lab (La.); Lewis Carter, Tampa Catholic (Fla.); Jayvant Brown, Deerfield Beach (Fla.); CJ Allen, Lamar County Comprehensive (Ga.)

Florida has recruited this position well over the years, pulling in the No. 3 linebacker in the 2022 class in Shemar James as well as top talents in Jeremiah Williams and Derek Wingo in the two prior hauls. Diwun Black also joined the program as a junior college transfer last year.

Still, the position could use reinforcements. Ventrell Miller and Amari Burney are set to depart after the 2022 season, and the unit lacks a true middle linebacker aside from Miller at this time. Wingo has been developed at the position after playing edge rusher in high school and could certainly hold it down when his time comes, but the team could use a MIKE linebacker to develop behind Wingo sooner rather than later.

Hall, in particular, has a relationship with new Florida inside linebackers coach Jay Bateman dating back to his time coaching at North Carolina. A long and athletic linebacker, Hall is capable of playing both middle and weak-side, and UF would certainly love to add his versatility to its group of 'backers.

Prospects to know: Cormani McClain, Lake Gibson (Fla.); Tony Mitchell, Thompson (Ala.); AJ Harris, Central (Ala.); Sharif Denson, Bartram Trail (Fla.);Kayin Lee, Cedar Grove (Ga.); Ethan Nation, Roswell (Ga.); Avieon Terrell, Westlake (Ga.); Antonio Robinson, Florida Christian (Fla.); Dijon Johnson, Wharton (Fla.)

There are only six cornerbacks listed on the Gators roster and, aside from Jalen Kimber's transfer from Georgia, Florida did not land a cornerback in the class of 2022.

Fortunately for UF, every cornerback on the roster has eligibility beyond the 2022 season, meaning the position is not necessarily a glaring need. That being said, the team wants to rebuild the future of the room with a strong foundation and, in an ideal world, would like to add at least one corner in this class who could play fairly immediately. Keep an eye out for a strong push to land at least one of McClain, Mitchell or Harris as a result.

Stay tuned to AllGators for continuous coverage of Florida Gators football, basketball and recruiting. Follow along on social media at @SI_AllGators on Twitter and Florida Gators on Sports Illustratedon Facebook.

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What Are the Florida Gators Biggest Needs in the 2023 Recruiting Class? - CalBearsMaven

In her biography, Lindo remembered helping her younger brother with homework. This is where my teaching skills and interest to help others began, she wrote. Other children in the neighborhood started coming over because he would be telling anyone who would listen that his sister would help.

Hudson says her own teachers inspired to teach, especially those at North Lenoir High School, her alma mater. Not only did I want to pass on these skills but also to have the same impact teachers had on my life, she wrote.

That desire to help is a thread that ran through all the Teacher of the Year nominees, according to LCPS Superintendent Brent Williams, a member of the judging panel.

I am very proud of all of the candidates for Lenoir County Teacher of the Year for 2022-2023, Williams said.They represent all of the best qualities of truly outstanding educators with inspiring dedication to instructionalexcellence and unconditional commitment to doing whatever it takes to help our students to grow and to experience success now and throughout their lives.

Hudson is in her second stint as a K-5 physical education teacher at Northwest. A magna cum laude graduate of East Carolina University with a bachelor of science in physical education, she found her first teaching position at Northwest in 2014, spent the 2017-2018 school year at the ECU Lab School and returned to Northwest in 2018.

At Northwest, she is a member of the Crisis Intervention Team and School Improvement Team and chairs the schools Communications Team. She is a member of the North Carolina Association of Athletics, Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance and Sports Management Professionals.

She is an extremely gifted teacher who has mastered the art of getting her students to perform for her, Northwest principal Dr. Heather Walston wrote in her recommendation. Her students do not want to disappoint her.

Lindo started teaching in 2002 and came to LCPS for a three-year stint at Rochelle Middle School in 2007. Shes been at EB Frink since 2017 and currently teaches seventh-grade math. She holds a bachelor of science degree in education from Western Carolina University and a masters of arts and learning degree from Nova Southeastern University.

To her, teaching involves both imparting knowledge and motivating students to learn for life. I believe if my classroom atmosphere is inviting, fun and safe for all students then they will be motivated to try, she wrote in explaining her philosophy of teaching.

She holds students to extremely high standards, EB Frink principal Michael Moon wrote in his recommendation, but has created a classroom culture that allows them to not only succeed but excel. She places a premium on forming meaningful relationships with her students and they respond by being highly engaged in their own learning.

A product of Lenoir County Public Schools and a graduate of Lenoir Community College, where she earned an associate degree, Tilghman-Rouse holds a bachelor of science degree in family and community services and K-6 elementary certification from East Carolina University. Shes taught for 18 years, starting at Bynum Elementary in 2003 and moving to Northeast Elementary in 2008 when Bynum closed.

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LCPS Teacher of the Year finalists discovered desire to help early on Neuse News - Neuse News