Michael Ortiz

(Attorney Michael Ortiz, Student Services) AD-HOC ON EXTENDED TIME

Congratulations to the following students who received gold medals for placing first in their division: Dysart High School students Erick Farrett, Daniel Bjerke, Michael Ortiz, Amanda Blue, John Grey, Mayra Gomez, Sophia Gomez, Christopher Cameron and Ileana Sierra; Surprise Elementary's Cody Scarbrough; and West Point Elementary students Leslie Judd and Malcolm Eskridge.

Michael Ortiz, Esq. Attorney for Lowell Public Schools

LOWELL -- Mike Ortiz was growing up in Brooklyn and still couldn't speak English when he was 7 years old.

But he was a member of a street gang.

He fit the typical profile of a gang member -- growing up in a broken home rampant with violence and substance abuse.

Gangs offered protection, friendship and a sense of belonging, Ortiz said.

,When you come from these backgrounds that's a really attractive offer,, he said.

He told his story during the
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Ortiz said young children join gangs and eventually get in trouble which leads to juvenile court.

,You knew the handwriting was on the wall and there was nothing you could do about it,, Ortiz said.

He got lucky.

A teacher took an interest in him, schooling him on how to speak, read and write English.

A police officer also got involved.The cop would go to Ortiz's home and protect him as he passed over turf for three or four gangs on his way to school.Ortiz even had the officer's telephone number.

Ortiz went on to become a lawyer and is now the staff counsel for student services at Lowell Public Schools.
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Yesterday's panelists included Ortiz, Juvenile Court Judge Jay D. Blitzman, Superintendent of Schools Karla Brooks Baehr, retired Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt.

,It's a great step,, said Michael Ortiz, staff counsel for the Lowell Public Schools. ,It sends a message that parents will have some burden here.
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In Lowell, 15 to 20 complaints are filed each year against the district's special-education program, Ortiz said.
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Ortiz, the Lowell schools' staff counsel, also said he expects the number of hearings to diminish in Lowell.

Michael Ortiz Student

"I learned so much about the culture of Chinese people by visiting Chinatown," said my student, Michael Ortiz.

Attorney Michael Ortiz, representing Ginn & Co., the owner of the shopping center, said he would have to check with his client to see if he would be willing to negotiate.

Durham attorney Michael Ortiz confirmed Tuesday that his client, Ginn and Co. of Cincinnati, was willing to go into mediation with Eastern Federal, the Charlotte-based company that owns the theater site.

Durham attorney Michael Ortiz, who represents Ginn and Co., the other party in the dispute, said he'd have to talk with his client Monday night or today and let the town know Ginn's response.