Italian City Invites Florida Students, Parents to Visit 'David' Statue
2023-03-31
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1What does a small school in the American state of Florida have to do with the famous Italian statue of David in Florence, Italy?
2Well, the mayor of Florence and the museum where David is housed recently invited parents, students and the former principal of the school to visit.
3The invitation came after some parents were upset when their sixth-grade children at Tallahassee Classical School saw a photo of the statue during an art class. Sixth graders are 11 or 12 years old.
4Renaissance artist Michelangelo completed the 5-meter-tall statue of David in 1504.
5The famous work shows the Bible story of David getting ready to fight Goliath.
6David is represented without clothing and armed with a sling over his shoulder and a rock in his hand.
7Two Florida parents said, under school policy, they should have been warned that their children were going to see the image of David's statue without clothing.
8A third parent called the statue pornographic - or overly sexual.
9The principal of Tallahassee Classical school in Florida said she was asked to leave her job as a result.
10But school leaders claimed it was one of several reasons for her removal.
11The private school follows a program of studies designed by a conservative Christian college.
12Cecilie Hollberg is the director of the Italian museum in Florence.
13She told the Associated Press, "To think that David could be pornographic means truly not understanding the contents of the Bible, not understanding Western culture and not understanding Renaissance art."
14The statue of David is the main reason thousands of people visit the museum, called Galleria dell'Accademia, every day.
15Following the controversy, visitors, including many Americans, arrived in large numbers this week to see the statue.
16Isabele Joles was there with a school group from the U.S. state of Ohio.
17She studies French and Italian art.
18"It's part of history," she said. "I don't understand how you can say it's 'porn.'"
19Brian Stapley is from Seattle, Washington.
20He said he was sad for the school's children.
21He called the statue "one of the most incredible parts of our history," and said he feels "sorry for the children that don't get to see it."
22Back in Florida, the local newspaper in Tallahassee reported a large crowd came out to a school board meeting on Monday night.
23Some parents disagreed with the decision of the school leaders to remove the principal.
24And the board chairman rejected a request from a teacher to resign.
25I'm Dan Friedell.
1What does a small school in the American state of Florida have to do with the famous Italian statue of David in Florence, Italy? 2Well, the mayor of Florence and the museum where David is housed recently invited parents, students and the former principal of the school to visit. 3The invitation came after some parents were upset when their sixth-grade children at Tallahassee Classical School saw a photo of the statue during an art class. Sixth graders are 11 or 12 years old. 4Renaissance artist Michelangelo completed the 5-meter-tall statue of David in 1504. The famous work shows the Bible story of David getting ready to fight Goliath. David is represented without clothing and armed with a sling over his shoulder and a rock in his hand. 5Two Florida parents said, under school policy, they should have been warned that their children were going to see the image of David's statue without clothing. A third parent called the statue pornographic - or overly sexual. 6The principal of Tallahassee Classical school in Florida said she was asked to leave her job as a result. But school leaders claimed it was one of several reasons for her removal. The private school follows a program of studies designed by a conservative Christian college. 7Cecilie Hollberg is the director of the Italian museum in Florence. She told the Associated Press, "To think that David could be pornographic means truly not understanding the contents of the Bible, not understanding Western culture and not understanding Renaissance art." 8Visitors coming to see David 9The statue of David is the main reason thousands of people visit the museum, called Galleria dell'Accademia, every day. Following the controversy, visitors, including many Americans, arrived in large numbers this week to see the statue. 10Isabele Joles was there with a school group from the U.S. state of Ohio. She studies French and Italian art. "It's part of history," she said. "I don't understand how you can say it's 'porn.'" 11Brian Stapley is from Seattle, Washington. He said he was sad for the school's children. He called the statue "one of the most incredible parts of our history," and said he feels "sorry for the children that don't get to see it." 12Back in Florida, the local newspaper in Tallahassee reported a large crowd came out to a school board meeting on Monday night. Some parents disagreed with the decision of the school leaders to remove the principal. And the board chairman rejected a request from a teacher to resign. 13I'm Dan Friedell. 14Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 15_________________________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17former -adj. a person who does not hold a position or title anymore 18principal -n. the leader of a school 19upset -adj. the feeling of being hurt or angry 20grade -n. a year in school 21sling -n. a small weapon made from animal skin used to throw a rock 22principal -n. the leader of a school 23controversy -n. something that has may people concerned or upset 24incredible -adj. something hard to believe 25board -n. a leadership or advisory group for a school, university or business 26________________________________________________________________ 27We want to hear from you. Would you permit your children to see David in person or in a class? 28We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 29Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.