2022-2023 School Year Calendar. Directions on submission are attached. Eastside HS Athletic Department Contacts downloadable PDF . Blessing Ejiofor landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in February 2014, working through a mental checklist of her new life in North Carolina. Griles, as has been the case since NJ Advance Media broke the story two months ago, did not return multiple calls for comment. Supervisor of Athletics at Eastside High School phone: 973 321-0515 Email: thill@paterson.k12.nj.us. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. From news that sixoverseas players were living with the boys coach to the discovery of an international pipeline funneling athletes to Paterson since 2013 and the waves of fallout pounding the school and its officials, here's the reporting of Steve Politi and Matt Stanmyre: *The Fast Break: How final 2 players escaped Eastside. (Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com). Seattle Times staff reporter A Seattle high school teacher is accused of repeatedly having sex with a 16-year-old student, who reported their encounters to school officials and police last. But who would look at a student of privilege and wonder the same thing? All four ended up in Paterson, playing for the powerhouse teams at Eastside High School, . CLICK HERE. Boys and girls teams face state tournament bans. Andrea Aquino was treated like a curiosity in Caacupe, Paraguay, according to local coaches and an article on ESPN.com. But Esteban, who admits crying when he read the first story about the Eastside scandal, said Selwyn was broken emotionally by Griles and couldn't wait to return to Puerto Rico after graduation in 2013. Father Heric remains our chaplain and community liaison. "He didn't have a bed (for me) so I was sleeping on a pile of clothes on the floor. A furious Edwin Rodriguez -- who said he sent more than $60,000 to Paterson in two years for rent, food, clothing and other expenses -- moved his sons to another apartment in the fall of 2012. In response to questions raised by our faculty and community, we held a Town Hall on Wednesday August 16. When he contacted Lyde, the coach offered a spot on his team and free housing. According to videos shared on social media, a male student can be seen escorting a female student with hands behind her back. A fight broke out during the Camden County Tournament championship game between Camden High School and Eastside High School. *State vows to crack down on international player recruiting. (Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com). Unfortunately, the timing was poorly chosen, because it happened just a few weeks before school. Should they lose their jobs? Any charity interested in applying for Eastside's 2023-2024 Spirit Week can apply by filling out the application and submitting no later than March 24, 2023. ", Selwyn Rodriguez during practice with Vaqueros de Bayamon in Puerto Rico. In a practice last week with the Vaqueros, Selwyn finished every drill with a flourish. when she graduated from high school. More:Paterson Eastside High School basketball ban upheld by state commissioner, More:Paterson names new coach for Eastside girls basketball team, More:Michael Baker named boys basketball coach as Eastside looks to rebound from scandal. Selwyn Rodriguez with Vaqueros de Bayamon in Puerto Rico. Frame. She said she learned of the problem after enrolling last summer at Vanderbilt, where she had earned a full athletic scholarship. According to our sources, one of these central figures is said to be involved in a forthcoming family court matter although no additional details about that case were provided. Agents of the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) could soon be called upon to join an investigation into a myriad of allegations involving the exclusive Thornblade neighborhood and its scandal-scarredcountry club, multiple law enforcement and prosecutorial sources tell this news outlet. "Yesterday we were made aware of an inappropriate post on social media made by students at Eastside High School," Davis told The Covington News. *Ugly accusations tearthrough highest levels of school. The Office of the Attorney General is reaching out to staffers at Eastside. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards and is a four-time Pulitzer finalist. Lyde also told Ugboaja the school could accept international students with I-20s, Ugboaja said. Probably. 0:00. Their stories, when taken together, reveal just how far a high school program would go to scour the earth for talent, only to then discard many of the same players. Aquino needed to get to the U.S., where she could develop her game, earn a college scholarship and potentially play professionally. Upon learning of this fact, we separated and I filed for divorce in July., Mathews added that he was aware that there is an investigation being conducted and that while he was not a suspect in any illegal activity, I am cooperating fully with law enforcement and will continue to do so.. Father Heric was appointed to be interim president after the previous president, John Kennedy, resigned over the summer. Again, though, we are told HSI is looking to question the deputy in connection with its investigation. "I can't say no to this,"Ortiz, now 20, remembers thinking. He came to New Jersey that fall, just before basketball season began, and moved into a house where Griles lived in Somerset. Ejiofor still hopes to return to the U.S. and pursue her dreams, but she said she has been denied a new visa three times. In the meantime, we are told half of Greenville is lawyered up in response to our ongoing reporting on the Thornblade saga prompting several of our sources to warn us to be careful how we proceed. Griles, he said, promised to handle the rest, leaving Edwin to assume his boys would be safe and comfortable. It was freezing in the house. That trust has cost her a scholarship to Vanderbilt and forced her back to Africa, where she remains a prisoner of immigration rules. But there he was Wednesday in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, at a massive Goya factory. LAPD Deputy Chief Gerald Woodyard said LAPD narcotics detectives working with the Long Beach-based Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents recovered 82 firearms, including 42 ghost guns used by the Eastside Wilmas gang, along with 19 pounds of methamphetamine, 5 pounds of cocaine and 3 kilograms of fentanyl. The police investigated the incident as an alleged gang rape. "Nobody ever said anything to me about I-20s," Lyde said. The Vaqueros are a proud franchise in the country's top basketball league, and as their first-round draft pick this season, Rodriguez, a 6-foot-7 point guard, can carve out a nice career here. Selwyn Rodriguez and Christian Ortiz started their odyssey in Puerto Rico. Griles, the Rodriguezes said, approached the family after Selwyn led Puerto Rico to the Under-17 championship in a 2011 Central America tournament. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "As a result of the information that Andrea has shared, it is evident that Andrea may be the victim of neglect, child exploitation, emotional abuse and child endangerment," the report reads. We want to make sure everything is done properly, Castillo said. We are disappointed that these students engaged in this inappropriate behavior. (Natalie Jordan also has been suspended by the district.) We have also rescheduled our back-to-school dates to allow us to refocus on the classroom and prepare adequately. Some turn down out-of-state offers because their parents need them to help out at home, or because of a fear of leaving California at a time of anti-immigrant fervor and uncertainty about whether Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protections will continue. We came to Eastside on a very big lie.". Abraham wrote, "I will not remain at a parochial school whose singular religious figure, and now, president badly lies to his faculty and staff.". This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. What if they came knocking on the door?". *Report leaves more questions than answers, Wallace documentminimizes the actions of key figures, even referring to the ousted boys basketball coach as a "humanitarian. Teachers told KIRO 7 Eastside Catholic has buses that bring students who live far away to Eastside Catholic to play football -- with tuition paid for through the Independent School Association. Thanks To Our Sponsors. The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association said in a statement Friday it approved the . A Q and A about its creation, Decades later, 'Uncle Sam' billboard still sparks debate, VIDEO: President Trump Says 'Blame on Both Sides, I Wait for Facts', Woman loses $29K after being targeted by banking scam with victims in 9 states, Driver killed after car goes off overpass in Georgetown, Puyallup teen considered suicide after school beating, Cheerleader performs solo after team quits before state championships, Kent police investigating kidnapping after car stolen with 2 kids inside. NJSIAA slams Eastside with unprecedented penalties, N.J. lawmakers take steps to halt phony transcripts like ones used at Eastside, Homeland Security joins probe, with eye on international pipeline, State athletics group orders hearing into Eastside, Ugly accusations tearthrough highest levels of school, State criminal investigators launch probe into Eastside, District busted budget on$90k Wallace report, NJSIAA announces new hearings to deal with Eastside fallout. 0:05. Sherri Davis, NCSS director of public relations, said the students involved have been disciplined. Selwyn Rodriguez never imagined a basketball journey that included meeting reporters in front of a giantbottle of seasoning salt. Meanwhile, we have spoken with numerous Thornblade residents who have offered their own intimate insights into the situation. "We just needed one college scout to come and visit him, but nobody ever came. ", "Here I am sitting there watching her. undefined Paterson Eastside High School basketball scandal From news that six overseas players were living with the boys coach to the discovery of an international pipeline funneling. Got something youd like to say in response to one of our articles? In the fall of 2015, officials from her high school filed a report to the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency (formerly the Department of Youth and Family Services). Neither do we. Often, the players lived with coaches or other school employees. Head coaches and assistants in all sports had to take the exam, which also included questions about the city school districts policies and procedures, officials said. I used to play against them and perform good. coach blew up, NJSIAA demands 'full accounting' from hoops power with several overseas players, School suspends hoops coach who had 6 overseas players living with him. He was visiting family in Queens and playing for a club team in a tournament at Eastside. Eastside Catholic updated its website announcing Father William Heric, the school's chaplain, as the interim president on Thursday. He formerly served as our interim president. In addition, the changes were announced very close to the start of the school year, which caused a lot of consternation. The college scouts never came, either. But Esteban, who admits crying when he read the first story about the Eastside scandal, said Selwyn was . Griles, who played professionally in Puerto Rico and owned businesses there, told the family Rodriguez would get to face Towns, who played scholastically at St. Joseph's in Metuchen, and prove he was better. The school serves the city's Ironbound neighborhood. Deputy reportedly cleared after being accused of failing to report intimate knowledge of Upstate scandals . Even the women making rice-and-beans in the back of the room stopped to snap photos. HSI agents have also reportedly been asking questions about Brian Gem Garrison - a former adjunct tennis coach at Eastside High School in Taylors, S.C. who was arrested and charged with. They already have money and they have resources, and they still had to do these things to get into college? asked Andrea, who gets up early to catch a 6 a.m. bus to school, gets home after dinnertime and still has a few hours of homework each night. A basketball powerhouse is under fire after packing its roster from overseas, leaving players to live with their coach. For now, however, he thinks about other opportunities he had after that big international tournament in 2011, and how his career might have been different had he never met Griles. The stories, including allegations of human trafficking, highlighted how players on the boys and girls teams suddenly and mysteriously arrived with promises of playing time, eventual college scholarships and new homes, according to interviews with players and internal school documents. I help her set the whole thing up, said Andrea, a Roosevelt High senior who is waiting to hear back from some of the colleges shes applied to. Juan Griles,coach of the powerhouse boys basketball team, was among those fired by the Board of Education. 0:49. Documents obtained by NJ Advance Mediashow discourse within the district as scandal barreled out of control. Former Supreme Court justice was paid$900 each time he traveled from South Jersey to the Passaic County school. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. These allegations have since received mainstream media coverage courtesy of The Greenville News. 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