Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Vol. 9 No. 9

February 26, 2016 www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Reduce overcrowding

Neighborhood schools too specific for board goals

Equal access to programs

Expand what’s working

Provide options for high-need students

Despite the outcry of parents urging the CMS Board of Education to retain their neighborhood schools, the provision was left out of the board's student assignment goals.

Page 10

Reduce concentrations of p

overty

News Briefs 6 | Crime Blotter 7 | Education 8 | Faith 11 | Calendar 12 | Sports 13 | Classifieds 15 Town could see new events venue Developers are pursuing a banquet hall and events center near Four Lakes Drive, which could be used for weddings. Page 3

Woman's Club launches fashion show Matthews Woman's Club has teamed with Plantation Estates to launch its inaugural fashion show fundraiser in April. Page 5

Tapé leads Stallions in playoffs No. 4 seed Queens Grant is 21-5 and playing their best ball yet in the playoffs, behind senior Patrick Tapé.

Page 13

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Page 2 | February 26, 2016 | Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

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Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly | February 26, 2016 | Page 3

Couples could have another wedding venue option ding venue that can move events indoors if the weather poses a threat.

by Justin Vick justin@carolinaweeklynewspapers.com

MATTHEWS – Developers have approached Matthews’ town leaders about building a banquet hall and events center near Target.

Tony Morales and Rodney Ladd envision a unique place for outdoor weddings, business meetings, award ceremonies, company outings and other special events.

The site, located on 4.4 acres off Four Lakes Drive, would include an outdoor venue, openair restaurant, botanical garden with flowers and trees and a multi-function meeting center.

Ladd and Morales, of Four Lakes LLC, sought feedback from the Matthews Board of Commissioners on Monday, Feb. 22, before going through the formal rezoning process.

Town staff had anticipated the Four Lakes area to transition over time into a commercial area given its proximity to U.S. 74; however, about a half-dozen homes have been built in recent years along Forest Drive, according to Senior Planner Jay Camp.

“The expectation is this area is going to remain as a mixture of residential and commercial uses for the time to come,” Camp said. “From our perspective, an event facility is not a bad use, but we’d want to make sure parking is not an issue for adjacent residential uses.”

Town zoning rules require banquet halls to have one parking space for every 250 square feet, Camp said.

Morales said the intent was to limit surface parking as much as possible to maintain the area’s

Gas station, restaurant could be redeveloped

Matthews leaders are in talks about the redevelopment of this Exxon gas station at the intersection of John and Trade streets. Courtesy of Mecklenburg County

trees, woods and natural features.

“We want almost a park setting,” Morales said.

Morales wants the venue to take on a winery or European mountain theme.

He envisions a site more upscale than Treehouse Vineyards in Monroe, as well as something closer and more affordable than Childress Winery in Lexington.

“Not everybody can afford to rent Childress,” Morales said. “We’d like to make it fancy and nice like that where you wouldn’t have to go so far.”

He likes the idea of people seeing the woods and trees from the restaurant.

Councilman Larry Whitley encouraged the developers to think big when it comes to seating.

“We really do need something that can accommodate more than 200 people sitting,” Councilmember Larry Whitley said. “When you talk about weddings or events, that’s not really uncommon. That’s one of the things that

Matthews doesn’t have.”

Mayor Jim Taylor thought a banquet hall and event center was a phenomenal idea, but he encouraged Morales and Ladd to come back with a specific plan.

Chris Melton’s initial thoughts on the project: “right concept, wrong location.”

Melton thought the concept would be more appropriate within the town’s nearby Family Entertainment District, the area flanked by the Mecklenburg County Sportsplex at Matthews.

Taylor disagreed with Melton, even though he could understand his rationale. Taylor thought the event center was more adult-themed and complemented the uses in the Family Entertainment District.

Town leaders wouldn’t be surprised if a hotel were to open within the Family Entertainment District, perhaps one that includes event center space.

Councilmember John Higdon said it would be a great advantage to have an outdoor wed-

Matthews leaders were also approached for feedback about the potential of redeveloping land where the Exxon gas station and Ming Fu Chinese & Sushi downtown.

Former Matthews Mayor Shawn LeMond is a registered agent for both holding companies that own the adjacent parcels on West John Street. An associate of LeMond’s discussed with commissioners Monday, Feb. 22, how they’ve reached out to multiple developers about the site’s potential.

The associate told commissioners that merely replacing the gas station with a Starbucks and releasing the restaurant would be underwhelming. They sought a mixed-use project with retail on the ground floor and housing units above the shops.

The only problem they heard from other developers was that such a project wasn’t economically feasible unless there was more density, which means taller buildings to allow for more housing units.

Pressed for time by the approaching commissioners meeting, leaders weren’t able to offer much feedback. Councilman John Urban said with the right scale, six stories could look like four from the street.

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Page 4 | February 26, 2016 | Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

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The Weekly

Development Briefs Mecklenburg Parks and Rec expanding nature preserves CHARLOTTE – The Mecklenburg Parks and Recreation Department is looking for potential partners to open the first nature-based preschool at Stevens Creek Nature Preserve, according to Director Jim Garges.

“We do need to make sure we take opportunities to connect more young people to nature,” Garges told Mecklenburg County commissioners Feb. 16. “There’s no question about the research in terms of the physical benefits of connecting nature to children and also the educational benefits.”

Visitation of nature preserves has grown from 600,000 annually in fiscal year 2011 to 1.1 million in 2015.

The Stevens Creeks Nature Preserve & Nature Center is one of 54 parks and recreation projects in design or construction. The $7.5-million nature center in Mint Hill is in the design phase.

Other Matthews-Mint Hill area projects include: • Little Sugar Creek Greenway (Tyvola to Huntingtowne Farms). The $5.9 million project is out for bid.

• Phase II of the SportsPlex at Matthews. The $25 million project opens in October.

Commissioner George Dunlap expressed the need for athletic facilities in which people can play basketball or softball in neighborhoods close to downtown Charlotte.

“How do you get a SportsPlex with the second phase before some parks are completed?”

Dunlap said. “That’s the concern of people in the Eastway Park area. Right or wrong, they’ve been waiting 12 years for a completion of a park. To be quite honest, they are sick and tired of waiting.”

Perfect Image marketing firm under new ownership CHARLOTTE – Kevin and Ellen Carlisle have sold their marketing firm, Perfect Image, to Tom Pagani and Andy Horseycame with the help of Viking Mergers & Acquisitions.

Perfect Image was founded in Charlotte in 1981 with the goal of providing printing and mailing services. Kevin and Ellen bought the company in 2006 with the focus of expanding it.

"We wanted to offer additional B2B services to complement our 'print shop' and the natural next step was into the marketing realm," Kevin Carlisle said in a press release.

The firm offers web design, email marketing and social media management.

The Carlisles enlisted the help of Viking Mergers senior advisor Peter Keretsis to help them sell the firm. Viking Mergers has sold more than 500 businesses across the Southeast since 1996.

"Finding the right buyer was critical to a successful transition," Keretsis said in a press release.

“We needed someone with industry experience, and for a business like Perfect Image, cultural fit was important," Perfect Image is located at 8505 Crown Crescent Court.

Town receiving input for park

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MINT HILL – The town has scheduled a meeting to gather input about the conceptual layout of a new athletic park for 9801 Brief Road. The plan includes four soccer fields and a 750-seat

baseball stadium.

The public can drop in anytime between 4 and 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, at the Mint Hill Town Hall, located at 4430 Mint Hill Village Lane.

Charlotte Chamber presents transportation summit March 4 CHARLOTTE – The Charlotte Chamber of Commerce has invited several prominent leaders to a summit to discuss the region’s transportation plans.

Speakers include: • Brent Cagle, director of Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

• Ned Curran, chairman of the N.C. Department of Transportation.

• John Lewis, CEO of Charlotte Area Transit System.

• Gregory Nadeau, administrator with the Federal Highway Administration.

• Danny Pleasant, director of the Charlotte Department of Transportation.

• Nicholas Tennyson, secretary of the N.C. Department of Transportation.

The 2016 Transportation Infrastructure Summit takes place March 4 from 8 a.m. to noon at The Ballantyne Hotel & Lodge, located at 10000 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. Registration costs $99 for chamber members and $125 for others.

Call Carrie Cook at 704-378-1325 for details.

New firms form in region Registered agents filed the following new corporations with the N.C. Secretary of State from Feb. 12 to 18: Matthews • American Plus Construction L.L.C. – Amirhossein Azmoon, 4218 McCamey Drive.

• Messy Bun Marketing LLC – Lauren McNeely, 1016 James Madison Drive.

• Nicolex International Inc. – Eric Owarume, 1224 Woodglen Lane.

• Brooks-Evans Properties Ltd. – Robert Brooks, 1016 Jaywood Lane.

• Boxwood Realty LLC – Mary Cogswell, 2600 Whisper Ridge Lane.

• Leo Remodeling LLC – Leonardo Magalhaes, 3700 Margaret Wallace Road.

• CNA Cars LLC – Mark Murphy, 10931 E. Independence Blvd., unit K. Mint Hill • AAAA Visions Storage & Warehouse Solutions Inc. – Marcia Hinson, 10315 Club Field Court.

• Ali-pops LLC – Kristy Hooper, 8920 Goldfields Drive.

• Caldwell Pro LLC – Paul Cochrane, 11301 Blair Road.

• D&S Remodeling Group LLC – Jereme Duckett, 7519 Barn Stone Drive.

• Fjord 13 L.L.C. – Donald Poush, 9433 Stately Oak Lane.

• Gran Pro LLC – Scott Griffin, 11301 Blair Road.

• Max Built LLC – Maksim Solodyankin, 5618 Beaver Dam Lane.

• Northwest A&F University Education Foundation (USA) Inc. – Jianming Li, 2101 Sardis Road N., suite 201.

• Innovestive LLC – Galen Massey, 2400 Crownpoint Executive Drive, suite 100.

• Group Cleaning Service Inc – Rosiris Morales, 5117 Apple Mint Court.

• REDfive Management L.L.C. – Luis Navarro, 2400 Fox Hollow Road.

• Sardis Rock Pro LLC – Anthony Griffin, 11301 Blair Road.

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Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly | February 26, 2016 | Page 5

Matthews Woman’s Club launches luncheon, fashion show

by Hannah Chronis hannah@carolinaweeklynewspapers.com

MATTHEWS – Leaders of the Matthews Woman’s Club service league knew their organization needed to raise money to maintain their club house on South Trade Street and continue helping nonprofits in the area.

Their annual Victorian Tea during the holiday season is popular across Matthews and the greater Charlotte area, and is the organization’s biggest fundraising effort. But as expenses with (From left) Rozanna Monteith, Theresa maintaining the historic club house building Bova, Stacey Brown and Joanne McMurtrie increased, the women began thinking creatively will help present the inaugural Matthews about how to keep their organization’s meeting Woman’s Club Fashion Show on April 30. place thriving. fore,” said Kathy Schumacher, publicity chair for Thus, the idea of a luncheon and fashion show the Woman’s Club. “We’re so excited. It’s going was born. to be a lot of fun.”

On April 30, the Matthews Woman’s Club Visit www.matthewswomen.org or call 704and Plantation Estates retirement community 849-5063 to purchase tickwill join together to host ets. Deadline for reservations Celebrating Women the inaugural “Celebrating is March 9.

Luncheon Women Luncheon.” TickThe Matthews Woman’s ets went on sale this week for April 30 Club Service League be$25, which includes lunch, $25 gan in 1989 and has been a raffle and fashion show, thriving in Matthews since 10:30 a.m. presented by Dress Barn. its installment. The club’s The show will feature five Presented by: Matthews Woman’s motto, “service, support, Club and Plantation Estates models from the Woman’s sisterhood,” echos the orgaClub and five models from www.matthewswomen.org nization’s desire to know and Plantation Estates wearing understand others, while the latest spring fashions. raising money to support nonprofit’s that are esThe event will take place at Plantation Estates. sential to helping those in need.

Doors open at 10:30 a.m. Lunch will begin at 11 Plantation Estates is located at 733 Plantation a.m. and the show will start at noon.

Estates Drive in Matthews.

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Page 6 | February 26, 2016 | Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

The Weekly

News Briefs 10100 Park Cedar Drive, Suite 154 Charlotte, NC 28210 Phone: 704-849-2261 • Fax: 704-849-2504 www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Editorial Managing Editor Hannah Chronis Education Editor Courtney Schultz Development Editor Justin Vick Sports editor Ben Doster Faith Columnist Mark Harris

Posey celebrates 20th year at Tutor Time Learning Center MATTHEWS – Junior kindergarten teacher Lanette Posey is celebrating her 20th year with Tutor Time Learning Center in Matthews.

Posey is a two-time Teacher of the Year (2012, 2013) and has helped educate many young children through Tutor Time, including three of her own.

Visit www.tutortime.com or call 704-8473223 for more information.

Matthews Playhouse will perform Junie B. Jones on Friday.

Matthews Playhouse to present ‘Junie B. Jones the Musical’

Advertising Charlotte Conway Mike Gianpetro

MATTHEWS – Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts will present Junie B. Jones the Musical on Fridays at 7 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m., Feb. 26 to March 6 at Fullwood Teater. The musical is performed in one act and is adapted from the book series by Barbara Park.

Tickets cost $10 for children, students and senior citizens, and $12 for adults.

The musical is directed by Jill Bloede, with choregraphy by Kayla Piscatelli. Tiffany Bear is the musical director.

Design Art Director Maria Hernandez Layout Editor Erin Kirby

Business President Jonathan McElvy Publisher Kelly Wright Associate Publisher Frank Vasquez Business Manager Brent Epling

Advertising: adsales@carolinaweeklynewspapers.com Letters to the Editor: hannah@carolinaweeklynewspapers.com Press Releases: hannah@carolinaweeklynewspapers.com

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly is published by Charlotte Media Group. All rights reserved.

Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

two additional CPCC campuses in 2016 and 2017.

The exhibit will be up through May 10.

Lanette Posey celebrates her 20th year with Tutor Time in Matthews.

Mint Hill Arts offers new programs MINT HILL – Mint Hill Arts recently made some changes to its Saturday Sampler Program. Kim DiBiasio will teach “Beginning Pastels” from 1 to 3 p.m. on Feb. 27. Gina Anderson will offer “Techniques with Colored Pencils and Mark Anderson will instruct “Basic Photographic Principles” on March 5.

Frances D'Amato will offer "Monotype Printmaking" on March 12. An additional new class will be "Decorative Ceramic Tile" with Mila Antonyuk on Feb. 27. She also is offering "Clay Hand Building" on March 12.

A full list of classes offered this month can be found at www.minthillarts.org. Contact Marta Brown at martabob@aol.com or 704577-8922 for more information.

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Mint Hill to hold public meeting on proposed athletic park MINT HILL – The town will hold a public meeting on March 8 at 4 p.m. to gather public input and comments regarding the preliminary conceptual layout of the proposed athletic park, located at 9801 Brief Road.

The meeting will take place at town hall, located at 4430 Mint Hill Village Lane. A quorum of the Mint Hill Board of Commissioners may or may not be present at the public meeting.

CPCC Levine Campus launches ‘The Penland School Series’ MATTHEWS – Central Piedmont Community College’s Levine Campus celebrated the opening of “The Penland School Series” exhibit with a celebration on Feb. 12. The college partnered with Penland School of Crafts, thanks to a donation from Bill and Patty Gorelick, to exhibit the works of Penland School artists. The exhibit will travel to

Jean McLaughlin, executive director of Penland School of Crafts, greets guests.

KidzArt to offer multiple summer camp options KidzArt will hold full-day and half-day summer camps beginning June 20. Pre and post camp care will be offered and registration is now open. Camps will be offered: June 20 to 24, June 27 to July 1, July 11 to 15, July 25 to 29 and Aug. 1 to 5. Full day camp runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Half day camp runs from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Cost for a half day of camp is $155 for Matthews residents and $165 for nonresidents.

Cost for a full day is $265 for Matthews residents and $275 for nonresidents. This year’s themes are Road Trip USA and Caribbean Treasures.

Register through the Matthews Community Center at www.matthewsfun.org or call 704321-7275.

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The Weekly

Crime Blotter The following incidents were reported between Feb. 15 and 21 in Matthews, according to the Matthews Police Department.

Property Theft • Kohl’s, 9617 E. Independence Blvd.: $339.98 GPS stolen. Feb. 15 • Shell/Adam’s Mart, 11130 E. Independence Blvd.: $25 of lottery tickets stolen.

Feb. 15 • Novant Medical Center, 1500 MatthewsMint Hill Road: iPhone 6 stolen. Feb. 16 • Kohl’s, 9617 E. Independence Blvd.: Shoes, headphones, phone charger, toothbrush, phone cover, speaker and watch, worth $837.95 total, stolen; damage to property; warrant for arrest. Feb. 16 • JCPenney, 10101 E. Independence Blvd., suite B: Shoplifting. Feb. 16 • 8100 block of Chimore Lane: Tag stolen from motor vehicle. Feb. 17 • Kohl’s, 9617 E. Independence Blvd.: $68 jeans stolen. Feb. 19 • Best Buy, 2109 Matthews Township Pkwy.: Shoplifting; trespassing. Feb. 19 • 11000 block of Atrium Way: Possession of stolen firearm; warrant for arrest. Feb. 19 • Lowes Home Improvement, 2115 Matthews Township Pkwy.: Circular saw blades, audio and video recordings and documents, worth $74.62 total, stolen. Feb. 20 • 100 block of Matthews Station Street: $250 wooden sculpture stolen. Feb. 20

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly | February 26, 2016 | Page 7 Vehicle Break-Ins • Courtyard By Marriot, 11425 E. Independence Blvd.: Hockey sticks, lamp, transponder E-Z Pass, clock, gym bag, tennis shoes, T-shirt, wallet, bank cards and gift cards, worth $650 total, stolen during a vehicle break-in that caused $300 of damage to the passenger front window. Feb. 15 • Quantum Security, 2020 Independence Commerce Drive: Radiator and parts, vehicle battery and tires and rims, worth $700 total, stolen during vehicle break-in that caused $100 in damage to the back right window. Feb. 15 • 21000 block of East I-485 Inner Highway: Battery, cables and license plate, worth $220 total, stolen during a vehicle break in. Feb. 20 Business/Home Break-Ins • 300 block of Vinecrest Drive: Cordless nailer, cordless drill, cordless jigsaw, laser level, corded jigsaw and assorted golf clubs, worth $1,700 total, stolen during a burglary with nonforced entry. Feb. 16 • 3400 block of Ludman Way: Pictures stolen during a breaking and entering incident that caused $200 of damage to a window.

Feb. 17 • 9300 block of New Towne Road: Clothing, watch, electric guitar with rainbow strap, a debit card, worth $400 total, and $200 cash stolen during a burglary with non-forced entry.

Feb. 17 • Qdoba Mexican Grille, 2233 Matthews Township Pkwy.: $1,556 cash and $800 cell phone stolen during an armed robbery. Feb. 20 • 130 block of Morris Road: $500 in damage to door in a burglary with a forcible entry. Feb. 20 Fraud • 700 block of Plantation Estates Drive: $300

stolen through credit card fraud. Feb. 16 • 2700 block of Carriage Crossing Drive: Obtaining money/property by false pretense.

Feb. 17 • 1800 block of Tanfield Drive: Obtaining money/property by false pretense. Feb. 17 • 3100 block of Fincher Farm Road: Financial identity fraud. Feb. 18 • 1800 block of Windsor Square Drive: Credit card fraud. Feb. 18 • 1700 block of Reverdy Oaks Drive: Credit card fraud. Feb. 19 Drugs and Alcohol • 9100 block of East Independence Boulevard: Simple possession of marijuana; failed to produce a license; fictitious registration tag; possession of drug paraphernalia; open container. Feb. 19 • Movies Ten, 9508 Northeast Court: Possession of drug paraphernalia; possession of 0.01 grams of marijuana. Feb. 20 • 11100 block of East Independence Boulevard: Driving while impaired. Feb. 20 • 13000 block of East Independence Boulevard: Driving while impaired; speeding. Feb. 21 Property Damage • 2500 block of Connemara Drive: $2,000 of damage to a light pole in a vandalism incident.

Feb. 15 Other • 200 block of Morris Road: Simple physical assault; communicating threats. Feb. 17 • 1300 block of Brittle Creek Drive: Harassment by electronic communication. Feb. 19 • 11000 block of Atrium Way: Aggravated assault. Feb. 19 • Novant Medical Center, 1500 MatthewsMint Hill Road: Assault. Feb. 19

The Weekly

Restaurant Scores The Mecklenburg County Health Department inspected the following restaurants from Feb. 15 to 21.

Lowest Score: • Pepero Oriental Foods, 10920 Monroe Road, 28105 – 90 Violations included: Employee did not wash hands for long enough; cooked bean sprouts in walk-in in deep tub cooling; cooked green bean not thoroughly cooled on make table; multiple foods without date marks; unlabeled spices and sauces; equipment on site was not safe for work environments; and general cleaning needed.

All Scores: 28105 • Applebee’s, 9616 E. Independence Blvd.

– 98 • Carrabba’s Italian Grill, 10400 E. Independence Blvd. – 91.5 • Casa Rita’s, 9727 E. Independence Blvd., suite B – 95 • Chia Best, 3104 Weddington Road, suite 100 – 90.5 • Hao Chee Fresh Café, 3122 Fincher Farm Road, suite 600 – 98 • Pepero Oriental Foods, 10920 Monroe Road – 90 28227 • Burger King, 7026 Albemarle Road – 99

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Page 8 | February 26, 2016 | Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Education

Actor Hill Harper and MassMutual hosted a presentation to teach CMS eighth-graders steps to becoming money savvy. Courtney Schultz/MMHW photo

CMS eighth-graders learn money management

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools eighth-graders were urged to start saving money now on Feb. 16 in Time Warner Cable Arena, and learn how money management today can help their futures.

Actor and author Hill Harper, in partnership with MassMutual Financial Group and the Charlotte Hornets, gave more than 3,000 students a 45-minute rundown of financial savviness in hopes of establishing positive money habits. MassMutual has partnered with multiple NBA teams and reached 30,000 kids with its FutureSmart Challenge presentation. This is the first presentation the company has brought to Charlotte.

“We believe financial education is important,” said Nicholas Fyntrilakis, vice president of community responsibility at MassMutual. “They’re beginning to make decisions that will have an effect on the rest of their lives when they’re in middle school. They’re picking classes that will relate to careers. The power of education can help them begin to save and create good habits of spending.

The more you learn, the more you earn.”

Fyntrilakis said money habits start at home and start young, so MassMutual wants to help shape those habits early.

Harper discussed the importance of proper money management and encouraged students to talk to their families about money and budgeting.

The actor enlisted the support of Hornets legend Matt Caroll to discuss how planning his future helped him stay money savvy and achieve a degree from the University of Notre Dame. Caroll encouraged students to have a plan of how to achieve goals and what steps are needed.

Harper encouraged students to create a “blueprint” of their goals, emphasizing the importance of higher education and seeing a degree as an investment rather than a debt-collecting problem.

“Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t further your education,” Harper said. “It’s going to cost you to not further your education.”

Many students, particularly those from highpoverty areas, see college as a daunting task that will procure debt. Harper, a Brown University and Harvard Law School graduate, discussed

how achieving good grades in schools and athletic and academic achievements can lead to scholarships to make college more affordable.

Harper set five goals for students to achieve with the FutureSmart Challenge, which include: learning and engaging in financial decisions; committing to the FutureSmart Challenge; talking with their families about finances; thinking before spending; and opening a student savings account.

Thirteen-year-old Michelle Epp, an eighthgrader at Quail Hollow Middle School, said she realized the importance of starting a bank account from the presentation. Her father opened a savings account and told her to place half her money in the account, and she realized the savings could help her afford college one day.

Piedmont Middle School eighth-grader Emy Calles, 13, said Harper reminded her to manage and spend her money well.

She plans to have more conversations about money management with her family.

“We get students to Time Warner Cable Arena to get excited. They see that the Charlotte Hornets and the Honey Bees and Hugo love them.

They see the DJ. They see all this stuff. I think they listen with different ears. All of this is just the jump start,” Harper said.

In the coming weeks, Junior Achievement, a nonprofit, will enter eighth-grade classrooms to further Tuesday’s discussion and host hands-on activities to apply what Harper discussed.

“We wanted to introduce these ideas and concepts to them in a fun and entertaining way and then Junior Achievement workshops actually drill down the material,” he said.

Harper invited the eighth-graders to create a blueprint of their goals and financial plan and post the plans on social media, tagging the actor. From past cities, such as Miami, Phoenix and Oakland, he’s received countless responses of children’s plans.

“Habits develop very young. The way students choose to spend money develops young,” Harper said. “When you start a young person saving and get them in the habit of saving, that tends to last their whole life … If you don’t (save), it’s very difficult to reverse that. Once they start getting into credit card debt, once they start just trying to keep their head above water, that’s all they tend to do and it becomes difficult.”

www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly | February 26, 2016 | Page 9

Education

MeckEd student assignment discussion still leaves fears, questions

by Courtney Schultz courtney@carolinaweeklynewspapers.com

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education (BOE) continues its student assignment discussion, but some parents feel like their voices aren’t being heard.

Nonprofit MeckEd presented a panel at a community conversation on Feb. 18 of all ethnic speakers, including Charlotte Post CEO Gerald Johnson, ONEMeck representative Justin Perry, Latin American Coalition Executive Director Jose Hernandez-Paris and an Independence High School senior Hannah Lofton, who went to six different elementary schools through CMS. All panels vouched for positive outcomes from integrating students of different socioeconomic backgrounds, urging for diversity, but MeckEd Executive Director Ross Danis pointed out CMS had not defined “diversity.”

Hernandez-Paris pointed to 70 CMS schools with high Latino population that appear isolated on economic lines. He urged for less “linguistic isolation,” so ESL students could have access to native speakers, adding that high-poverty children aren’t given the same opportunities and support in their schools.

Johnson said if highly involved parents’ children were moved to schools with high poverty rates, parental involvement would increase as a result, creating a sense of community at the schools who need it most.

Dilworth Elementary School PTA President

Nathan Lanning said his school has more than 100 parent volunteers, but the significant involvement didn’t happen overnight. Dilworth, which started as a magnet school, became a neighborhood school six years ago and some parents were skeptical. However, after a few years, parents began to become more involved and build that community.

Perry said increased diversity isn’t the answer to isolated neighborhoods, but schools also need to equip teachers with ways to help students of different backgrounds integrate.

Joanna Schimizzi, a former CMS biology teacher of nine years, said teachers were often left out of the discussions for diversity and felt they could bring perspective of teaching diverse classrooms; when she started teaching ESL students, she learned a new method to teach vocabulary that she started to use with all students.

Even with the array of panelists, some parents felt their perspectives weren’t represented, as they supported retaining neighborhood schools, while others were concerned about issues only CMS officials could answer, such as the timeline of the district’s student assignment survey, which closed on Monday, and the guideline decision this week.

Akeshia Craven-Howell, assistant superintendent of the Office of School Options, Innovation and Design, told community members to look at the guiding principles the BOE decided on Tuesday, Feb. 23, (see page 10) as “aspirational” benchmarks of the student assignment plan. She

said the goals the board set are not addressing how the board will determine student assignment, but will be “high level” aspirations of what the plan would accomplish.

“I believe the goals can’t be argued with. Who doesn’t want to maximize the equity and operation of our resources?” she said.

The results of the student assignment survey and continued community forums will influence what the school board plans to do.

Some parents questioned who the consultant will be and whether that person would have a specific agenda. One parent asked District 5 BOE member Eric Davis if a third-party would pay for the consultant. He confirmed the school board would fund the consultant and Scott McCully, executive director of Student Placement, had put out a request for a consultant that wasn’t limited to a specific group.

Davis said he faces questions regarding those fears and wants the BOE to address those fears.

He said board members are hesitant to reveal potential examples of student assignment because the example might appear set in stone. However, the lack of examples, has created a void and room for assumptions that the BOE will carry out a busing plan similar to the district’s plan in the 1970s, which he said is not the case.

Davis said he hears consistently from parents in both low- and high-poverty areas that they simply want their child to go to a good school, not a specific school miles away in a different district. He wants to see the board address the issues

in high-need schools, but a community effort is needed.

“Our city is segregated by poverty,” he said.

“But the schools can’t create a long-term solution (for poverty).”

He believes the board should focus on bringing confidence to all neighborhood schools and potentially bring in students with greater resources. But, he doesn’t believe parents who are highly involved in their neighborhood schools will continue that involvement if they don’t like the school.

“They’ll leave,” Davis said. “If that happened, you’ll not just have an isolated school, but an isolated district.”

Some south Charlotte parents echo those sentiments, including parent of three CMS students Aileen Westover.

She already has alternative school options prepared if her children are moved out of their neighborhood schools, adding her daughter would be devastated if she couldn’t finish her fifth-grade year at the same elementary school.

Other south Charlotte parents said they don’t believe they’d be as involved in their children’s schools if they had to travel. Many parents say volunteering at their neighborhood schools is easy now because of less travel time and greater accessibility to their schools.

Davis said he hopes the BOE will make a statement and provide examples to continue a “meaningful discussion” about the student assignment plan.

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Page 10 | February 26, 2016 | Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

Education

Board passes student assignment goals without ‘neighborhood schools’ provision ful schools and programs, which would add the phrase “such as the proximity home courtney@carolinaweeklynewspapers.com school seat guaranteed” to the end. Parents Much to the dismay of many south Char- cheered for the amendment, but the excitelotte parents, the phrase “neighborhood ment fell on deaf ears, as the amendment schools” won’t be found in five student as- was struck down in a 2-to-6 vote, with signment goals the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Lennon and Davis in favor.

“I don’t think anyone here wants to make Schools Board of Education (BOE) ap1970s busing happen, but we do have treproved Tuesday in a 7-to-1 vote. mendous awareness that we do have treThe board voted solely on the non-ranked mendous amounts of poverty,” Vice Chairfive goals, which were slightly adjusted at person Elyse Dashew said. “We’ve reached the Feb. 11 Policy Committee meeting, but a point where out of 50 of the biggest cities not the five-paragraph preamble of convoin American, we’re 50th in poverty mobililuted language “explaining” the purpose of ty.

It means you’re most likely to be trapped the goals. in poverty more than any part of American.

District 1 member Rhonda Lennon was That’s a problem that affects all of us.” the sole adversary because she wanted the Davis said he acknowledged the need to neighborhood schools provision within the help the high concentrations of poverty goals; however, other members felt addthroughout the ing the term county, but he would be “preApproved Student didn’t want to scriptive.” The help those stuAssignment Goals current student dents at the exassignment • Provide choice and promote equitable pense of schools guiding prinaccess to varied and viable programs that are “workciples retain ing.” neighborhood • Maximize efficiency in the use of Some board schools. school facilities, transportation and other members said Many board resources to reduce overcrowding they felt the members called goals alleviated the goals “as- • Reduce the number of schools with high concerns of the concentrations of high-need students pirational parents rooting b e n c h m a r k s” • Provide school assignment options to for neighborof targets the students in schools that aren’t meeting hood schools.

BOE wants to state performance standards District 3 hit with its stumember Ruby dent assignment • Preserve and expand schools and guidelines. Pol- program in which students are achieving Jones pointed icy Committee the Mission and Vision of the school board to one goal urging for “effective members starttransportation,” ed the goals in which she said implies the district will not December to serve as “guardrails” to create “do miles and miles and miles of busing.” the plan and as items to give to the conShe also said she felt the phrase “neighsultant, who would develop the plan from borhood schools” was vague and would those objectives. ultimately be disrupted by increased overThe meeting chamber was filled with crowding, anyway. parents donning green shirts and signs that At-large member Ericka Ellis-Stewart read “Save our neighborhood schools” and said she believes the board doesn’t have “#nobusing,” which represented a continthe ability to “make everyone happy,” but ued fear from many parents that the stushe wanted to alleviate isolation in schools dents assignment plan changes will mean based on race and socioeconomic status, their families would lose their neighborwhich is one of the student assignment hood schools – a major reason they moved goals. to their specific homes.

Lennon said CMS wasn’t the only solu“The public and I don’t understand ‘astion to helping students of poverty, pointpirational,’” Lennon said. “Neighborhood ing to drawing the community to help the schools don’t mean that diversity is wrong. entire impoverished community.

Until, we say, ‘We are not going to send “You cannot fix generational poverty kids on busing schemes and we do support with a student assignment plan,” she said. neighborhood schools,’ I don’t think the “You have to engage the community to fix public is going to believe us.” the problem.”

Lennon said the “neighborhood schools” With the goals passed, the policy comprovision should be added because she mittee will begin working on the guiding wanted eliminate the public’s fear that their principles and start what they say will put child would be bused across town, which action into the plan. occurred in CMS about 40 years ago.

The next policy committee will be March District 5 member Eric Davis presented 10 at 6 p.m. in Room 267, at the Governan amendment to the fifth goal listed, rement Center, located at 600 E. 4th St. ferring to retaining achieving and successby Courtney Schultz

www.matthewsminthillweekly.com

Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly | February 26, 2016 | Page 11

Faith

The Weekly

Problems with Charlotte’s non-discrimination ordinance

by Mark Harris mark.harris@charlottefbc.org

Lately North Carolina’s legislators have come under attack for taking steps to defend traditional marriage and religious liberty. The religious liberty exemption for magistrates is under attack, and criticism swelled around the very thought of the legislature intervening in the just-passed Mark Harris Charlotte city ordinance defining LGBTQ as a protected class and permitting transgender people to use their bathroom of choice, whether they present as the opposite sex or not. As George Will aptly noted, the “sore winners” of the gay rights movement will not rest until every American is forced to endorse the gay lifestyle and all of its increasingly confusing associations as to gender “fluidity.”

Political battles aside, who are the real losers here?

As a follower of Christ, I can only define my concerns in terms of what happens with real people.

The terrible loss to real people in real-life situations is enormous when government attempts to intervene to forcibly change cultural norms. Consider the following examples regarding situations that will be impacted by the new Charlotte city ordinance, and the unintended consequences that will result.

Super Bowl Sunday, as always on Sunday nights from Decmeber to March, First Baptist Church hosted “Room in the Inn,” in which we shelter homeless guests from Urban Ministries in our facilities. A co-ed Sunday School class volunteered that night to prepare and serve dinner, assist, and provide breakfast and sack lunches for the departing guests. Two men stayed overnight, including one First Baptist employee. On this evening, a transgender person was part of the group who is anatomically male but dresses as female. Female guests at the shelter, a vulnerable and fragile population, expressed their discomfort with the situation.

A compassionate resolution was reached in which those directly involved in the situation were able to assess it, make decisions, and take into account the feelings and concerns of all involved.

If this particular event had occurred after April 1, 2016, when the city ordinance goes into effect, my church could have been subjected to a fine or lawsuit if this transgender individual had demanded access to the women’s locker room and been denied. Does anyone know how “denial” will be construed legally? If this individual had been asked to wait until all the other ladies finished and then allowed to use the locker room, would that still constitute a denial? Because of the vague nature of the ordinance, its practical application will play out in the court system. An unintended consequence of this ordinance is the undue pressure and angst that will arise for compassionate and caring people using their time and resources to help others.

Mark Blackwell of Justice Ministries, whom I wrote about in a previous column, testified at the

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council meeting that this ordinance places a strain on his organization, which offers rescue and shelter to victims of human trafficking. He stated before the council that his ministry works with LGBTQ individuals, but that the rigidity of the ordinance regarding access for anatomically opposite sex transgender persons will burden his organization financially, and more importantly, like the above example, removes his ability to assess a situation in regard to all involved, including women who have been traumatized and victimized by sexual crimes.

The judgment of compassionate people has been removed from the equation by a city council so eager to please the lobbyists and activists who elected them that they have thrown common sense out the window.

Lastly, and most tragically, was the testimony at the council meeting by a psychologist who confidently asserted that if discrimination were just removed, the 44-percent suicide rate among transgender persons would surely decrease. (The rate for the U. S. as a whole is around 12 percent). I have to wonder, is it possible that these individuals are engaged in a larger mental struggle relating to identity and rejection of self? Will the next step of “help” the law provides include strict regulation on types of counseling and therapy for persons struggling with questions of sexual and gender identity? Or farther down the road, when will it become illegal for me to read from Romans 1 in my pulpit?

I, for one, am thankful that we the people have our North Carolina legislature as a final line of defense against the overreach of the city of Charlotte and activist judges.

Faith Briefs

Team Church hosts weekly fitness classes MATTHEWS – Team Church will offer free dance-inspired fitness classes twice a week, on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Some classes will depend on the church’s schedule. All music played during the class will be clean and family friendly. Donations will be accepted and proceeds will support Pat’s Place Child Advocacy Center. Email zumba@ teamchurch.com for more information or visit www.teamchurch.com.

Team Church is located at 2301 Stevens Mill Road.

St. Luke Catholic to hold Lenten Fish Fry MINT HILL – St. Luke Catholic Church will hold a Lenten Fish Fry at the church every Friday from 4 to 6:50 p.m. through March 18. The dinner will include fried and broiled fish and side dishes. There is no cost, but donations will be accepted. Everyone in the community is invited to attend the fish fry, as well as the church’s Lenten Celebration at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

St. Luke Catholic is located at 13700 Lawyers Road.

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Page 12 | February 26, 2016 | Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly

The Weekly

Calendar February

25

Hatha Yoga Gentle

Kathy Sherwin leads a Hatha Yoga Gentle class, through Matthews Parks and Recreation, to help adults have healthier bodies and minds. Classes, which span Feb. 25 to March 31, cost $54 for Matthews residents and $59 for others. Register at www. matthewsnc.gov.

6 to 7:15 p.m.; Matthews Community Center, 100 McDowell St. E., Matthews

25 Pajama Storytime

Families sharpen their literacy skills through stories and songs – wearing pajamas.

Call 704-416-5200 or go to www.cmlibrary. org for details.

6:30 p.m.; Mint Hill Branch Library, 6840 Matthews-Mint Hill Road, Mint Hill

26

Junie B. Jones

Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts presents opening night of its latest stage production, “Junie B Jones The Musical.” The play revolves the experiences of a first-grader on the first day of school. Tickets cost $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Future performances include 2 p.m.

Feb. 27 to 28 and March 5 to 6, as well as 7:30 p.m. March 4.

7:30 p.m.; Matthews Community Center, 100 McDowell St., E., Matthews

26 Page to Screen

27 Introduction to Coding

26

27 Winter Farmers’ Market

Teens and adults watch a presentation on Jane Austen’s “Sense & Sensibility” and then watch the 1995 film based on the book starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet. Call 704-416-5000 for details.

1:30 to 4:30 p.m.; Matthews Library, 230 Matthews Station St., Matthews

Submit photography

Mint Hill Arts accepts submissions for its March exhibit on unaltered and modified photography. Adults may enter up to four works. The exhibit opens with a reception 7 to 9 p.m. March 4. Call 980-226-532 or go to www.minthillarts.org for details.

4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 26 and 10 a.m. to noon Feb. 27; Mint Hill Arts, 11205 Lawyers Road, Mint Hill

26

Bag Sale

Matthews HELP Center’s Backporch Treasures Thrift Boutique will close out February with a $5 bag sale featuring all remaining winter clearance on clothing and shoes Feb. 26 to 29. Call 704-847-9393, ext. 225 for details.

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Matthews Help Center, 119 N. Ames St., Matthews

27

Tryouts for football

The Mint Hill Steelers are registering children 5 to 14 years old for 2016 spring tackle football Saturdays. The paperwork and $100 fee are due March 13. Fees include cleats. Call Lee Cruse at 704-907-2253 for details.

10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Lebanon Road Elementary School, 7300 Lebanon Road, Mint Hill

Teens and adults learn what the fuss is about when it comes to coding. Register in advance. Call 704-416-5000 or go to www.cmlibrary.org for details.

2 to 3 p.m.; Matthews Library, 230 Matthews Station St., Matthews

The Matthews Community Farmers’ Market opens its winter market rain or shine.

Stock up on locally grown or produced foods.

Call 704-821-6430 or go to www.matthewsfarmersmarket.com for more information.

8 to 10 a.m.; 188 N. Trade St., Matthews

29 Book Signing

McArthur Cato Jr., of Bowie, Maryland, will sign copies of his debut book, “Again.”

Cato offers insight from his personal struggles and perspective of Biblical accounts to show people they can have a new life in Jesus Christ.

All day; Elevation Church, 11416 E. Independence Blvd., Matthews

March

2

Trim, Tone & Firm

Beckie Saupe-Kohler leads fitness classes designed to help attendees lose weight, maintain shape and increase muscle tone with light weights, stretch bands and core exercises.

Classes cost $35 for six weeks. Register at www. matthewsfun.org. Call 704-708-1287 for details.

10-11 a.m. Wednesdays or 9 to 10 a.m. Saturdays; Crews Recreation Center, 1201 Crews Road, Matthews

3

First Thursday

3

Jamaican Mood

3

Business Networking

4

Food Truck Fridays

Expect the dishware in your China cabinet to shake a little when the Red Brick Partnership resumes its First Thursday Matthews Downtown Crawl. The monthly mini-festival features activities, shopping and a market.

5 p.m.; Downtown Matthews

Enjoy tropical drinks and Jamaican music in conjunction with the town’s First Thursday celebration. The event ties in with event beneficiary Jamaica Hope Foundation.

Patrons can register for Jamaican-inspired art.

5 to 9 p.m.; Orr & Orr Art Studio and Gallery, 110 Matthews Station St., Matthews

The Mint Hill Chamber of Commerce members network at the next Business After Hours. Chamber members are encouraged to register in advance. Call 704-573-8282 or go to www.minthillchamberofcommerce.com for details.

5:30 to 7 p.m. Benchmark Communities, 8317 Ole Stonegate Lane, Mint Hill

A dozen food trucks are stopping by downtown to tickle the tastebuds with southern comfort, international, seafood and Tex-Mex treats. Celebrate the kick-off to the town’s popular food truck program by sticking around to listen to acoustic music, but don’t bring pets or alcohol. The series spans Fridays through Sept. 30.

5 to 9 p.m.; Stumptown Park, 120 S. Trade St., Matthews

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Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly | February 26, 2016 | Page 13

Queens Grant fills coaching jobs, opportunities still available

Sports

Stallions basketball is riding high in the postseason

by Ben Doster ben@carolinaweeklynewspapers.com

Queens Grant boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; basketball team has shown much improvement since its 5-5 start to the season. It has rattled off 16 straight victories, and picked up the first playoff win in the history of the school when it beat Thomas Jefferson Academy, 83-49, at Independence Feb. 23. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The beginning of the season was kind of shaky, but we started to mesh together and become a cohesive unit,â&#x20AC;? senior forward Patrick TapĂŠ said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like that everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s starting to be unselfish, and no oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worried about scoring or whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s getting the best stats.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really all about winning right now, so I think everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on one mindset and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to win.â&#x20AC;?

The No. 4-seeded Stallions (21-5, 10-0 Uwharrie), who are fresh off conference regular season and tournament titles, advanced to face No. 20 seed River Mill Academy (22-8, 12-4 North Central) in the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A state playoffs at Butler Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

The winner will face the winner of No. 5 seed Winston-Salem Prep and Community School of Davidson at

an undetermined location Saturday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.

It took a quarter for Queens Grant to figure the Gryphons out, but once they did it was smooth sailing. The Stallions only led 10-9 after one period, but outscored Thomas Jefferson 23-5 in the second quarter to take a 33-14 lead into halftime. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We kept pushing the boys to ratchet up their intensity,â&#x20AC;? Queens Grant coach Jay Forsythe said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once we get our intensity up thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no stopping them. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to keep pushing, and it gets us into a better flow of the game.â&#x20AC;?

He said transition offense is a strength of his team, but added his players must value the ball. The Stallions turned the ball over 11 times in the first half against Thomas Jefferson, but only gave it away 11 times total in their 49-48 win over North Stanly in the conference tournament championship Feb. 19.

Junior guard Terron Dixon led all scorers with 18 points in the win, while TapĂŠ recorded another doubledouble with six points, 11 rebounds, 10 blocks, eight assists and four steals.

TapĂŠ impacts games in a myriad of ways even if heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not scoring a bunch of points. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a stat stuffer when it

comes to rebounds, blocks, assists and steals. He stands in the lane as a rim protector, who blocks, alters and discourages shots, forcing opponents to settle for jump shots instead of trying to attack the basket. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can say our practices are boring,â&#x20AC;? Forsythe said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We work on fundamentals. Something we work on is close outs on defense, and our shooter pump faking against the close out and going two dribble pull-ups for five or six, seven minutes of it every day and it shows. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the little things that win championships. Everybody can be flashy and score points, but are you willing to sit down and play defense for 30 seconds, are you willing to close out, are you willing to box out, are you willing to rebound, and on offense value the ball, are you willing to value the ball to work it to a good shot instead of just taking an average shot?â&#x20AC;?

Forsythe said the Stallions are approaching it one game at a time, one quarter at a time, one stop at a time, one pass at a time and one play at a time. He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want his players to get out of control or lose sight of whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not about being flashy, but playing the right way.

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Queens Grant, a charter school in Matthews, has filled two coaching vacancies â&#x20AC;&#x201C; girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; soccer and JV boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lacrosse, but the Stallions are in search for a volleyball head coach and a part-time track & field coach.

Tim Waite, a math teacher at Queens Grant, who has coached soccer for 20 years will lead the Lady Stallions on the pitch this spring. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty excited,â&#x20AC;? Queens Grant athletics director Dan Kerr said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done all levels of soccer, boys and girls.â&#x20AC;?

Waite, who has served the soccer programs at area schools, Charlotte Country Day and Olympic, has coached in three different states.

The schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; soccer coach, Mark Guercio, has taken on the additional load of building the Stallionsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lacrosse program from scratch. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was good to find a coach from on campus, which is always a struggle,â&#x20AC;? Kerr said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He stepped up, and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing a great job trying to learn the game and getting the guys out for workouts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty cool weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing this. Lacrosse in this area is a real big sport. Not many schools have it. In fact, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be the only team in our conference that has lacrosse, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re kind of a trailblazer in that matter.â&#x20AC;?

The Stallions have about 15 players, which is a solid number for an upstart program. This is an opportunity for guys, especially those who wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t usually participate in a spring sport, who want to be a part of something new and special.

For volleyball, Queens Grant has received interest, but Kerr said he wants a candidate with significant coaching experience. Playingexperience at the collegiate volleyball level isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessary, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s helpful.

The part-time track & field coach will work two days a week with the primary responsibilities being to help with throwers and strength and conditioning.

Kerr hopes to have the positions filled by April or May at the latest.

Interested applicants can contact Kerr by phone at 704-201-2056 or kerr@queensgranthigh.org.

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Matthews-Mint Hill Weekly | February 26, 2016 | Page 15

Carolina Weekly Classifieds Network

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Help wanted

Environment/Systems Engineer needed by Ally Bank, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, for day to day support & maintenance working as a systems engr & keeping tech’l skills reasonably current, to the point that he/ she can still contribute to architecture discussions.

Req. exp. in a *NIX & Windows distributed/tiered enterprise environment. Administrative exp. w/ App & Web Servers (Apache Tomcat, Red Hat JBoss & Oracle WebLogic, etc.). Demonstrated ability w/ Deployment Automation on App servers.

Proven knowl of J2EE application development (Springs, Struts & MVC Framework, AJAX, JQuery, JavaScript, CSS); ability to script in Unix / Linux, Python, Shell & WLST. Working knowl of N/work fundamentals (incl diagnostics w/ Unix / Linux tools), Load Balancers (Big IP F5 - LTM, GTM, ASM, etc.). Proven ability w/ Database (Oracle, MSql, etc.).; demonstrated ability to troubleshooting system issues using monitoring & analytical tools (Nginx, Splunk, etc.), Application Performance Monitoring tools (Foglight, Sitescope, Dynatrace, etc.), working knowl of mutual authentication & certificates, performing preventative maintenance, incl the installation of hot fixes & version upgrades. A strong tech’l foundation in build, release & environments. Demonstrated ability & willingness to document procedures.

Ability to occasionally work off-hours/weekends; Req. Bach’s deg in tech’l field or related, +6 yrs’ in J2EE Application Servers & Webservers, & *nix systems. Send resume w/salary reqmts to: Rich Nejman at richard.nejman@ally.com Looking forMaintenanceTechnician forApartment Complex in Monroe. Skills needed: painting, sheetrock, minor plumbing and electrical and working knowledge of HVAC. On call weekend work. Resumes to Maintenance268@gmail.com or PO Box 3232, Monroe, NC 28111.

Employment – Drivers Experienced OTR Driver: 53’ van run from WI to PA to NC. Flexible home time. 99% no touch.

Top pay, vacatioin, 410K, health insurance.

Requires a Class A CDL, 2 years OTR experience With good MRV. References.

Call Ruth/Mike 1-800-558-2664 or Visit ttitrucking.com Diane’s Cleaning Service I am in search of about 7 women who are personable, very neat, hardworking and full of energy to join my cleaning crew. You must be able to pass a drug test and background check as well as understand and speak English. Also, a North Carolina driver’s license and Social security number are a requirement.

If you are interested in applying for a position, please call the number below and set up an appointment.

Diane Howard (704)-517-7926 Moe’s Original BBQ in Matthews is now hiring kitchen help. Kitchen experience preferred.

Nights and weekends a must. 2 Full Time positions available. Apply at 111 Matthews Station St in Matthews

Drivers: CO & O\Op’s: Earn great money Running Dedicated! Great Hometime and Benefits. Monthly Bonuses. Drive Newer Equipment! 855-582-2265 Drivers: Local Recruiting FairMon 2/29 - Wed 3/02 8a-5p Holiday Inn (Conference Room) 2707 Little Rock Road. Charlotte, NC 28214 18 months Class A or B CDL Apply: TruckMovers.com Call for an appointment or come see Greg: 855971-6171

PART-TIME NEWSPAPER DRIVERS NEEDED Candidates must have a clean driving record, proof of auto insurance and be able to lift 50-75 lbs. Additionally, the ideal candidate can work Thursday, Friday, or both and can make a long-term commitment to grow their workload and earnings.

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

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