Blair L. Hornstine is a woman from Moorestown Township, New Jersey, who achieved notoriety in 2003 by suing Moorestown High School in an effort to name her as its sole valedictorian. She won the lawsuit, but amid the publicity, it was revealed that she had plagiarized repeatedly in a newspaper column, prompting Harvard University to revoke its offer of admission. Moorestown Township highlighted in Burlington County. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that civil trial be merged into this article or section. ... Moorestown High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from Moorestown Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Moorestown Township Public Schools. ... In the United States and Canada, the title of valedictorian (an anglicized derivation from the Latin vale dicere, to say farewell) is given to the top graduate of the graduating class (the Australia/New Zealand equivalent being dux, although some Australian universities use the American term) of an educational institution. ... For other uses, see Plagiarism (disambiguation). ... Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA and a member of the Ivy League. ...

In 1995, Blair Hornstine and her brother Adam founded an organization called the Moorestown Alliance for Goodwill and Interest in the Community, or MAGIC.^[1] As she later summarized it, "MAGIC's goals include community service to provide social support and hope to the elderly, disabled, and underprivileged". A few years after creating MAGIC, she was quoted in the press saying, "Knowing that I've helped someone less fortunate is rewarding." This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Old age consists of ages nearing the average lifespan of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle. ... The term disability, as it is applied to humans, refers to any condition that impedes the completion of daily tasks using traditional methods. ...

The GPA controversy

Hornstine was classified with a disability on entering Moorestown High School, supposedly a type of chronic fatigue syndrome^[2] or immune deficiency,^[3] but its exact nature was never disclosed publicly. Her Individualized Education Plan (IEP) excused her from physical education (gym) classes and allowed her to be home-schooled. In place of gym, Hornstine took extra Advanced Placement courses. Moorestown High School, in its calculation of GPA, weighed gym lower than normal academic courses. This put her in a position to earn a GPA higher than what was mathematically possible for students who did take gym. After seven semesters, Hornstine had a slightly higher GPA (4.689) than the second-place student in her class, Kenneth Mirkin (4.634), a difference of 0.055. Considering the special circumstances, however, Superintendent of Schools Paul Kadri sent a letter to Mirkin advising him he was under consideration for valedictorian honors. Kadri sent no similar letter to Hornstine. In the USA, an Individualized Education Program, commonly referred to as an Individual Education Plan, (IEP) is a mandated requirement of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). ... Physical education (PE) is the interdisciplinary study of all area of science relating to the transmission of physical knowledge and skills to an individual or a group, the application of these skills, and their results. ... Advanced Placement (AP) is the term used to describe high school classes that are taught at a college level. ... A grade in education can mean either a teachers evaluation of a students work or a students level of educational progress, usually one grade per year (often denoted by an ordinal number, such as the 3rd Grade or the 12th Grade). This article is about evaluation of... In education, a superintendent is an individual that has executive oversight and administration rights, usually within an educational entity or organization. ... In the United States and Canada, the title of valedictorian (an anglicized derivation from the Latin vale dicere, to say farewell) is given to the top graduate of the graduating class (the Australia/New Zealand equivalent being dux, although some Australian universities use the American term) of an educational institution. ...

During this time, Hornstine was accepted to Harvard and four other prominent universities (Stanford, Duke, Princeton, and Cornell). However, she decided that she would attend Harvard, where her brother Adam had previously attended. Mirkin also accepted an offer to attend Harvard in the fall. “Stanford” redirects here. ... Duke University is a private coeducational research university located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. ... Princeton University is a private coeducational research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. ... “Cornell” redirects here. ...

Upon hearing that she would have to share the valedictorian award, Hornstine's family brought suit in federal court to force the school to name her as sole valedictorian. The suit asked for $2.7 million for her embarrassment, pain and suffering.

Local and later national media focused intense attention to the case, leading to talk-radio scorn, an online petition calling for Harvard to revoke her admission ^[4] and unflattering front-page photos in the Philadelphia tabloid newspapers. Superintendent Kadri said that Hornstine's father, a New Jersey Superior Court judge in Camden County, had told him that "he was going to manipulate rules designed to protect disabled students for the purpose of allowing [Blair Hornstine] to win the valedictorian award".^[2] For other uses, see Philadelphia (disambiguation) and Philly. ... Camden County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

On May 8, 2003, U.S. District Judge Freda Wolfson ordered the Moorestown school district to name Hornstine the sole valedictorian for the class of 2003.^[5] Wolfson wrote, "Ms. Hornstine earned her distinction as the top student in her class in spite of, not because of, her disability". Hornstine's claim for compensatory and punitive damages was settled on August 19 for $60,000; all but $15,000 of which went to lawyers' fees. On June 11, Hornstine had her lawyer, Edwin Jacobs, inform the school that she would not intend to attend graduation (which was held on June 19) and request her valedictorian award be made in absentia, citing the school environment had "traumatized Blair both physically and emotionally". Her fellow classmates had been spray-painting obscenities and throwing eggs and toilet paper at the Hornstine house, and her parents had received numerous death threats over the telephone.^[6] is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Judge Freda Wolfson serves as a United States District Judge in Trenton, New Jersey. ... is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... An egg is a body consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing of some type, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The plagiarism controversy

Shortly after Judge Wolfson handed down her decision, The Courier-Post accused Hornstine of plagiarism. Hornstine had in the past contributed several columns to the "Static" section of The Courier-Post, a weekly insert aimed at teenagers. A Courier-Post reporter doing research for a future article found that Hornstine, on several occasions, copied from sources such as President Bill Clinton and U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan. She had entered some of these essays into contests and in one instance won, using text copied from Steve LaMontagne, senior analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington, D.C.. Two examples follow (Bold in Hornstine's excerpts is added to illustrate usage of the exact wording of a previous source in Hornstine's March 29 essay on North Korea's nuclear arms): The Courier-Post is a daily newspaper in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. ... For other uses, see Plagiarism (disambiguation). ... The Courier-Post is a daily newspaper in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III[1] on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ... William Joseph Brennan (April 25, 1906 - July 24, 1997) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... is the 88th day of the year (89th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

From Hornstine's November 12 column on art censorship: is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that public entities may not prohibit expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.

From U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan's 1989 decision in Texas v. Johnson: Holding A Texas statute that criminalized the desecration of the American flag violated the First Amendment. ...

If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that Government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.

The following essay won the newspaper's monthly contest:

North Korea's recent admission that it has continued to pursue a nuclear weapons program in violation of the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty, the 1992 Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the 1994 Agreed Framework caught the United States off guard and startled the world. Rather than rush to judgment, it is extremely important that the Bush administration endeavors to mount a coordinated peaceful international response.

While the hope is that North Korea will respond favorably, if the delicate political balance is untenable, then the United States must warn them of clear consequences should North Korea choose not to comply with international demands. Despite the preference for a diplomatic solution, we must be mindful that the use of military force may be a reluctant alternative.

From a piece by Steve LaMontagne, senior analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington, D.C., posted on The Nautilus Institute's Web site:

North Korea's recent admission that it has continued to pursue a nuclear weapons program in violation of the 1968 Non-Proliferation Treaty, the 1992 Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the 1994 Agreed Framework caught the United States off guard and startled the world. As the Bush administration endeavors to mount a coordinated international response, it is important to consider the status of North Korea's nuclear program, possible reasons for its disclosure and the implications of various response options....

While the hope is that North Korea will respond to a delicate balance of carrots and sticks, if incentives prove unattractive to North Korea or politically untenable at home, then the U.S. will have to warn of clear consequences should North Korea choose not to comply with international demands. Despite the preference for a diplomatic solution, such an ultimatum could lead to a policy of isolation, and ultimately the use of military force.

Loss of Harvard acceptance

Blair Hornstine accepted her spot at Harvard and planned to attend in the fall, but Harvard asked her to explain her dishonest behavior. In an apology published in The Courier-Post ^[7], Hornstine said that her plagiarism resulted from a "lack of training in journalism". The Courier-Post is a daily newspaper in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. ... Journalism is a discipline of gathering, writing and reporting news, and more broadly it includes the process of editing and presenting the news articles. ...

In early July, The Harvard Crimson broke the news that Harvard had rescinded its offer of admission. The Director of Undergraduate Admissions, Marilyn McGrath Lewis, declined to comment on Hornstine's case specifically, but she discussed the five conditions under which admissions might generally be revoked, including the engagement "in behavior that brings into question [one's] honesty, maturity, or moral character".^[6] The Harvard Crimson, the breakfast daily of Harvard University, was founded in 1873. ...

In popular culture

• In "Chapter Seventy-Seven"[1], an episode of Boston Public, an overachieving white female student sues Winslow High when she has to share presidency of the honor society with a black female student who is wheelchair-bound. She is successful in being named sole president of the honor society as she technically has a higher GPA (albeit a very small difference, as in the Hornstine case), but is ostracised from the students and staff of the school, who find her actions despicable.

This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

References

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 144th day of the year (145th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 192nd day of the year (193rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Courier-Post is a daily newspaper in Cherry Hill Township, New Jersey, United States. ... is the 154th day of the year (155th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Kaavya Viswanathan, a Harvard student accused of plagiarizing passages in her novel.
• Gina Grant, a young woman whose Harvard admission was similarly revoked for having lied about murdering her mother.