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A great community newspaper
VOL. 6 NO. 10
IN THIS ISSUE
March 5, 2012
Rogero tours STEM Academy
Shatner’s World!
New York and back, driving, in 50 hours? That was no problem for Jake Mabe and his buddy Matt Shelton, who pulled off a whirlwind trip to Manhattan to see William Shatner on Broadway.
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See Jake’s story on page A-6
Coffee break Of course, you have to ask: Do you play? “No musical ability at all,” says Greg Scribner, manager of the American Piano Gallery in Turkey Creek. “What I do Scribner have is experience in business management and sales, an appreciation for the science and art that goes into making Steinway pianos, and a product that pretty much sells itself.”
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Assistant principal Rob Speas, center, shows off workout facilities at the L&N STEM Academy to Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre and Mayor Madeline Rogero. Photos by Wendy Smith
By Wendy Smith She may be leader of the state’s third largest city, but Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero’s love of technology rivals that of the teenagers she encountered during a tour of the L&N STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Academy last week. She spent the morning at the school while participating in Knox County’s Principal for a Day program. She and 18 other government, community and business leaders toured classrooms and spent time with administrators in schools across the county. Her interest in iPads, iPhones and “apps” would have made her an ideal candidate for the magnet school, which Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre lovingly refers to as “Nerd Nation.” (Becky Ashe, the school’s real principal, says the students wear the title proudly.) Rogero even asked for a consultation with Mark Smith, the school’s technology teacher, for help with a favorite new application. “I love this stuff,” she says. She’s in good company. While
See Coffee Break on page A-2
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Concert for Channon, Chris Southbound Band will play a benefit concert in memory of Chris Newsom and Channon Christian on Friday, March 9, at The Shed at Smoky Mountain Harley Davidson in Maryville. Cost is $10 per person and all proceeds go to the Channon and Chris Memorial Fund, which benefits the Newsom and Christian families. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the concert is from 8-10.
Index Coffee Break Wendy Smith Government/Politics Marvin West Jake Mabe’s feature Faith Schools Business Health/Lifestyles
cell phones were once an anathema to teachers and administrators, the technology has been embraced at the L&N STEM Academy. Classroom doors are adorned with QR (Quick Response) codes that allow students to access the day’s work via phones or iPads before class begins. Students are encouraged to use the devices as they would in a business setting, says Ashe. That means using them to learn or take notes during class, and waiting until class is over to check FaceBook and Twitter. This was Rogero’s first visit to the school since a ribbon-cutting ceremony last August. McIntyre joined the mayor on part of the tour, which included stops at a high-tech workout room and the physics lab where a basketballshooting robot was under construction. A team from the school competed in the FIRST Smoky Mountain Regional Robotics Competition, which was held last weekend at the Knoxville Convention Center. Ashe told Rogero that 280 rising freshmen have applied for
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By Suzanne Foree Neal
news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Sandra Clark sclark426@aol.com ADVERTISING SALES Darlene Hacker hackerd@ShopperNewsNow.com Debbie Moss mossd@ShopperNewsNow.com
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Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 10512 Lexington Drive, Suite 500, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 24,267 homes in Bearden.
Patti Smith, Dr. Catherine Gilreath and Phyllis Duggan following a lunch last Thursday at which journalist Lisa Ling spoke. The Women’s Fund of East Tennessee is administered by the East Tennessee Foundation. Photo by S. Clark
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computers in the hands of all Knox County high school students. Before she left the school, Rogero considered using her shortterm administrative power to extend lunch hour for the students, but decided against it. “That might be seen as pandering,” she said with a smile.
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The board approved a resolution of condemnation submitted by Robert Burnett involving a dispute over property easement with Andrew and Leigh Cheung, 9912 Westland Drive, to replace and relocate a water line. Easement is needed for the Ten Mile Force Main project. If agreement can’t be reached with the homeowners, the utility will begin condemnation action. “They just don’t want us there,” Burnett told the board. “They want us to go someplace else but we can’t.” He said neighbors are “on board” with the needed easements, but the Cheungs want $85,000. Burnett said that figure was “unreasonable.” The board’s next meeting will be 2 p.m. Thursday, March 29, at FUD’s office.
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First Utility District continues to make progress on two major projects. Work by Cannon & Cannon Inc. is 65 percent complete on the Knox County portion of the Outlet Drive extension for water and sanitary sewer relocations, managers reported at last week’s meeting. Design work and easement documents are completed and acquisitions have begun on the Old Stage Road/Watt Road water and sewer utilities relocation and extension. Budget expenditures for January were $2,178,019.24. While collections were up, water usage was down. Plenty of rain this winter has cut the need to water landscaping.
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170 seats that will be available in the fall. Given the success of the STEM high school, a future goal is a STEM middle school, says McIntyre. There has been discussion of housing the school at the former convention center, which is adjacent to the high school. He’d also like to find a way to put tablet
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Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero scans a QR code posted on the door of a math classroom with some help from L&N STEM Academy principal Becky Ashe. Rogero toured the school while participating in the Knox County Schools’ Principal for a Day program.
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