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IN THIS ISSUE

Outdoors Outdoor Living Special Section

February 27, 2012

West does best! German students place high on national exam

Find out where the wild things are and much more in this month’s “My Outdoors.” See the special section inside

By Betty Bean

Rotary wows! Area Rotary Clubs came together Feb. 18 to clean up the campus at Belle Morris Elementary School in celebration of World Rotary Day. When students returned to campus last Tuesday and saw the results, most were wowed by the Rotarians’ weekend work.

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Hayleigh Sneed is borne aloft by German teacher Mari Brooks and classmates Carolyn Craig and Matt Carpenter. Behind them are Reis Troutman, Leah Borsari, Spencer Trent and Matt Gentile. Photo by Betty Bean

West High School German teacher Mari Brooks’ students have done it again. Seven of them have placed in the top 10 percent of those who took the 90-minute National German Exam in early January. Almost 40 percent of Brooks’ kids win national honors. Brooks says this means she’s got a bunch of super-smart kids – “This test was taken by 25,000 kids around the USA.” The students credit Brooks with their success. “We have an awesome teacher,” said junior Carolyn Craig. “She has all these different styles of teach-

ing and really reaches everybody in the class. It’s always enjoyable – she makes it not lame.” Leah Borsari said Brooks’ teaching style helps students with rote memorization. “She makes everybody participate,” she said. “When she hands out a new verb sheet, she makes everybody get up and act it out.” Brooks said her philosophy of teaching is a little different from some because she doesn’t break out the top students into exclusive classes. This way, she said, the more advanced students help the others. “Each one of these kids functions as a competent, knowledgeable tutor, helping other kids. We have a real range of ability, and I To page A-2

NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ

‘Lolly-Madonna’ screening Friday A recently-uncovered 16mm print of “The LollyMadonna War” (also known as “Lolly-Madonna XXX”), an MGM movie filmed in Union County in 1972 starring Rod Steiger and Jeff Bridges, will be shown publicly for the first time in decades 7 p.m. Friday, March 2, at the East Tennessee History Center downtown. Admission is free. Parental discretion is advised. Info: Bradley Reeves, 215-8856.

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Coming together Betty Bean writes about three small churches in Concord, two black and one white and all operating apart for 100 years, coming together for mutual support following church vandalism. Find it online at ShopperNewsNow. com.

Index Anne Hart Wendy Smith Government/Politics Marvin West Rotary feature Faith Schools Business Community Calendar Health/Lifestyles

2 3 4 5 6 7 9-11 12-13 14 Sect B

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Friendship set to music By Wendy Smith Modern Western square dancing doesn’t require a ruffled skirt or cowboy boots. Even country music is optional. Maroon 5, Lady Gaga or Michael Jackson will do. It does require a quick mind and responsive feet. Members of the Double K Squares, which meets on Monday nights at Square Dancers Inc., have all been dancing for years. There are 10 levels in modern Western square dancing, and the Double K Squares is a C-1, or mid-level group, explains participant Melissa Neusel. As dancers move up in level, they become less interested in the outfits and more interested in the mental aspect of the dancing, she says. The concentration required to perform the moves called by Steve Kopman is evident on the faces

of the dancers. Each “square” is made up of four couples, and after performing a series of moves with names like “recycle” and “wheel and deal,” the goal is for each couple to end up where they started. That’s about the only time this group hoots and hollers. They are too busy following Kopman’s instructions for such frivolity. Kopman, who lives in West Knoxville, is a world-renowned caller. His father, Lee Kopman, is considered a father of modern Western square dancing, and he invented many of the calls currently in use in the square dance world. Steve began calling at the age of 7, and, like his dad, is in demand internationally. “He’s truly one of the best in the world,” says Neusel of Steve Kopman.

Ray Daugherty, Melissa Neusel, Kathy Kelly and Jerry Runnion dance with the Double K Squares at Square Dancers Inc. Photo by Wendy Smith While most members of the Double K Squares are in their 70s, they are young at heart – and in mind. “You don’t ever hear of any Alzheimer’s among square dancers,” says Kopman. “It’s brain exercise.”

It’s also physical exercise. The Double K Squares dance for three hours at a time with short breaks between dances. To page A-2

New playground at Carl Cowan Park Installation of new equipment at the Carl Cowan Park on Northshore Drive wrapped up Friday, but workers still must install Venture Turf, a rubber ground cover, according to Gary Rich of Rich Construction, general contractor. Knox County Parks and Recreation is constructing the playground to replace several old pieces of equipment that date back to the 1980s. “The playground at Carl Cowan was the oldest in our system,” said Doug Bataille, senior director. “With the number of visitors the park gets, especially during the summer months when the splashpad is open, an upgrade was needed for safety reasons.” The new playground is designed for children up to 12 years old and features two slides, a climbing wall

and climbing web, agility stations and several individual activity panels. It is handicapped accessible. Carl Cowan Park encompasses more than 30 acres along the Tennessee River. In addition to the splashpad and playground, amenities include tennis courts, a basketball court, soccer fields, a horseshoe pit, picnic tables and shelters, restrooms, a fishing pier and boat launch. A greenway loop around the fields measures threetenths of a mile and a onequarter mile natural trail along the river leads to Admiral Farragut Park. The park was built in 1949 and dedicated to Carl Cowan, a Knoxville lawyer instrumental in the desegregation of local schools. Cowan was born in Knoxville in 1902, attended Knoxville College and then received a law degree from Howard University Col-

Workers Gary Freeman, James Whitley and Michael Geerts install a slide in the refurbished playground at Carl Cowan Park. Photo by T. Edwards

lege of Law in Washington, D.C. He practiced law in Knoxville from 1934 until 1980 and was appointed the first African American assistant district attorney

Keep Your Me Memories emo SAFE!

for Knox County in 1953. Cowan is remembered for his volunteer work, community activism, and for encouraging peaceful integration in Knoxville. A

monument on site explains more about the park’s history and features one of Knox County’s quilt blocks titled The Lawyer’s Puzzle. – S. Clark

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