INSIDE ▼ Family wins Backyard Paradise PAGE 1B Friday, June 3, 2022 • Vol. 15 • No. 22
ABOUT US P.O. BOX 1104 Matthews, NC 28106 (704) 849-2261 justin@cmgweekly.com charlottemediagroup.org
WHAT'S INSIDE:
Upswing Regional festival returns from COVID, 5A
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CMS starts path to bond by Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
CHARLOTTE – Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools hopes to convince county leaders to put a bond referendum on the November 2023 election ballot. To get there, CMS has launched a capital needs assessment, in which the district will outline potential construction projects. CMS will use feedback from district and county leaders as well as the public to create a capital investment plan. “The whole point of this process is start early, engage the communi-
ty, revise the product and move forward with the community’s plan,” according to CMS construction leader Dennis LaCaria. CMS is not starting from scratch. It has a wishlist of 125 potential projects that could be completed over the next 10 years at a cost of $5.3 billion. “That sounds like a lot – and it is – but a billion dollars also doesn’t go quite as far as it used to,” LaCaria told CMS’s bond oversight committee. “We delivered Rocky River and Hough High schools in 2010 for $52 million apiece. We are delivering substantially the same high
school at Endhaven and Johnston Road for $130 million. Nothing has happened but time and the cost of things.” CMS is looking at construction from an equity lens. Schools with classrooms or buildings that negatively affect learning, staff morale or community perception may get priority, LaCaria said. Factors include a lack of outside air quality and natural daylight, as well as ambient noise, impacted lines of sight and insufficient core capacity. Some of this was spurred by COVID-19. LaCaria said a project considered
for a renovation or addition in 2017 may now be designated as a replacement school based on that equity lens. Adrianne Johnson, a member of the bond oversight committee, expressed concern that relief for Community House Middle School was within five projects away from being included in the 2017 bond package. Now it ranks 19th. “Whether or not the Community House relief is No. 5 or No. 19, if it is above the line relative to the CIP – that’s the goal,” LaCaria said. see BOND, Page 5A
Grads ready for new challenges by Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
Artist Kim Shepherd stands with family in front of the new mural she created at Matthews Veterans Memorial Park. She was tasked with creating a piece that was gender and ethically diverse while respecting each branch of the military. Justin Vick/CMG photos
Saluting sacrifices
American Legion post holds Memorial Day event in Matthews by Justin Vick justin@cmgweekly.com
MATTHEWS – Mark Tofano passed the torch of leadership as commander of the Hooks-Orr American Legion Post 235 to Vice Commander Stephen Wilfong during the group’s annual Memorial Day observance May 30 at Stumptown Park. The post’s crowning achievement under Tofano’s tenure was the cleanup and restoration of the war memorial at Stumptown Park and the designation of that Tofano area as Matthews Veterans Memorial Park. The town plans to invest tourism funding to upgrade it. “It takes a lot of energy,” he told the large Memorial Day crowd. “It takes a lot of time see LEGION, Page 5A
CHARLOTTE – School board member Sean Strain shook the hands of every graduate at the Levine Middle College High School commencement – except one. When daughter Caroline Strain’s name was called, he switched places with Principal Brian Bambauer so he could present her with a diploStrain ma and a big hug. This was one of several highlights of the ceremony May 26 at Ovens Auditorium. Not only was former CMS Teacher of the Year Kimberly Tuttle recognized along with several other faculty members for their work in preTuttle paring graduates for this day, but she also had the opportunity to watch her daughter, Morgan, receive a diploma. Morgan, who will study nursing at Winston-Salem State University, kicked off commencement by thanking those in attendance for their impact on graduates as they’ve faced challenges over the past two years. Other student speakers addressed those same challenges in their speeches. “For many of you, it may be your first time seeing me – I’m pretty sure y’all know the reason why,” 12th-Grade Valedictorian Archer Liu told classmates. “Junior year, everyone was online. So many faces squeezed onto one screen. Everything was on Zoom or some kind of variation of it. “Learning at home might not have been the best experience for some of y’all. … It would be so easy to lose motivation while doing all this high school and colsee GRADS, Page 5A
Upcoming graduations
The Hooks-Orr American Legion Post 235 held a laying of the wreath ceremony in which the names of the fallen were read aloud. This was followed by a 21-gun salute by the Matthews Police Department Rifle Squad and Taps by the Matthews Concert Band. Singers from Opera Carolina also performed during the ceremony. Those attending the observance learned how the Legion helps the community as well as the significance of Memorial Day.
These CMS graduations are held at Bojangles Coliseum. June 11 • Butler: noon June 13 • Independence: noon • Providence: 8:30 a.m. June 15 • Rocky River: 12:30 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPT. 12, 2022 Olde Sycamore Golf Plantation
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