VOL. 9 NO. 7
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NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Kiwanis event
Northside Kiwanis Club will host a Pancake Jamboree and Bake Sale from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 544 N. Broadway. Tickets at $4 ($10 per family, up to four) are available from Northside Kiwanis members or at the door. All proceeds go to support the service activities of the Northside Kiwanis Club. Info: Tom Mattingly, 414-6218.
GOP reorganization The Knox County Republican Party will hold its biannual reorganization with precinct meetings at the polling places at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, unless otherwise scheduled by the precinct chair. Delegates elected at the precincts will meet for the county convention at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 7, at The Crown College in Powell. Info: Ruthie Kuhlman, chair.
IN THIS ISSUE Snow mode
Shopper-News was composed a bit earlier than usual this week because of the potential for snow. We skipped our final proof-reading, so if you see errors, please call or email and we will correct. Also check for updates on our website, ShopperNewsNow.com
Marvin West
Sports columnist Marvin West looks at Tennessee’s new offensive coordinator, Mike DeBord, and his fit in maintaining “the best staff in America.” That’s what Butch promised when he was hired. No reason for him to back down, writes West. His column is on page A-4.
Betsy Pickle
Read Knoxville’s best movie critic’s take on this year’s Oscars, and match wits with a professtional. Check out Weekender, inside.
Betty Bean
Tyler Harber: Ace political reporter Betty Bean was writing about this youthful politico some 14 years ago and she’s kept up with him ever since. Now he’s probably heading to jail after last week’s guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Virginia. Bean looks back and ahead with “The Rise and Fall of Tyler Harber.” Inside.
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West High student directs By Wendy Smith A.J. Tierney was in third grade when she saw a production of “Peter Pan” and said, “I want to do that.” Her parents immediately began sending her on auditions, and over the next couple of years, she appeared in plays at the Black Box Theater in Bearden and the Bijou Theatre. Looking back, A.J. thinks “Peter Pan” made her want to fly, not act. But after appearing in 12 different productions and now directing at the Knoxville Children’s Theatre, it’s clear that she’s capable of doing both. Whether or not it was what she intended, acting came naturally to her. “I was that loud kid no one knew what to do with. No one ever told me to go bigger.” The West High School junior directs “Alice’s Rumpus in Wonderland,” which opens Friday, Feb. 20. She was given the opportunity after interning for a year with the children’s theater, located at 109 E. Churchwell Avenue. As an intern, she experienced every aspect of backstage work, from props to stage management. She also choreographed several wordless sequences when she codirected last fall’s production of “Hound of the Baskervilles.” She was initially nervous about directing the young cast because some of them are almost like siblings. She’s known some since the fourth grade, and was concerned that they wouldn’t see her as an authority figure. But they’ve behaved so professionally that it hasn’t been an issue, she says. The leadership skills A.J. learned as an intern have helped. One of her responsibilities as stage manager was discipline, and she learned how to correct gently with phrases like, “I’m disappointed in you.”
By Wendy Smith Bearden High School students and parents didn’t lament the possible loss of long, leisurely summers during principal John Bartlett’s discussion of Knox County Schools’ proposed balanced calendar. There was little reaction, aside from a few questions about specifics, to the idea that the 20162017 school calendar could have two-week fall, winter and spring breaks and an eight-week summer break. There would still be 180 instructional days. Bartlett began the discussion by reminding students and parents, who attended the evening meeting to discuss scheduling as well as a balanced calendar, that nothing is set in stone. “This is a conversation that is just starting and nobody has decided anything yet.” Other local school systems, like Maryville, Alcoa and Oak Ridge, are already on balanced calendars. The school calendar should be structured around needs of
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‘Alice’
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A.J. Tierney gives feedback to the cast of “Alice’s Rumpus in Wonderland.” The Knoxville Children’s Theatre production opens this Friday. Photo by Wendy Smith
She loves having the opportunity to direct. “I’ve always sat in the audience during shows and thought, ‘This is what I’d do.’ So it’s cool to have the power to do that.” She compares directing with being an artist, or painter. As an artist, she has numerous tools, or geniuses, at her disposal, she says. In addition to 18 hardworking actors, her work is supported by a talented crew of costumers and set designers. She’s also backed up by the theater’s executive director,
Zack Allen. He wrote the adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” and “Alice Through the Looking-Glass,” but it was A.J.’s idea to set the play in New York City during the Roaring 1920s. “Think of the parallels of the craziness of New York and Wonderland,” she says. The play begins at the WaldorfAstoria Hotel in 1925 when Alice loses Harry Houdini’s white rabbit. While chasing the rabbit, she finds herself in the hotel elevator, which
takes her down to Wonderland. As much as she’s enjoyed directing, acting is A.J.’s first love. She plans to pursue acting in college, and since she expects to spend much of her senior year auditioning, “Alice’s Rumpus in Wonderland” may be the end of an era for her. “I wanted to put a stamp on something before I left,” she says. Performances are Feb. 20, 21, 22, 26, 27 and 28, and March 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Info: 208-3677 or knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com
The pros and cons of a balanced school calendar
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February 18, 2015
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students, and the current calendar, with a 53-day summer break, was set up to meet the needs of an agrarian society. Not many students are hauling hay anymore, Bartlett said. The balanced calendar is intended to provide more continuous learning. Remediation would be offered during the first week of fall and spring breaks, which would give struggling students the opportunity to catch up. A shorter summer break would also reduce summer learning loss, which most affects students who spend summers at home watching television and playing video games. Less time spent reading and interacting with adults results in learning loss, which leaves teachers playing catch-up for the first two weeks of fall semester, he said. But studies comparing the academic success of students on traditional and balanced calendars have been inconclusive, especially for students who are engaged during the summer months. Another challenge would be changing the
mindset of parents who grew up with long summer breaks and want their kids to have the same experience. A balanced calendar wouldn’t affect school athletics programs, and teams would continue to practice during fall John Bartlett and spring breaks. Bartlett conjectured that childcare centers would adjust to meet the needs of a balanced calendar. He emphasized that Bearden’s block scheduling wouldn’t necessarily change due to conversion to a balanced calendar. Bearden has four classes each semester, and students receive a full credit for each one, as opposed to six or seven classes each day for a full year. But a balanced calendar could cost more than a traditional calendar due to the expense of transporting students during the remediation periods built into fall and spring breaks. If funds currently
spent on transporting students for summer remediation can be shifted, there may be no added expense, he said. Block scheduling also costs more than traditional scheduling, and since school budgets are fi xed, it might be reconsidered at some point. Bartlett emphasized that block scheduling will continue at Bearden for the foreseeable future. If the county switches to a balanced calendar, students would be allowed to miss a few days of school in order to attend Governor’s school, he said. School would start a week early, and graduation would be bumped back a week. Mark Wilkerson, whose daughter is a rising sophomore, said that he needed more information before he could form an opinion about a balanced calendar, but that it was presented positively. He’s strongly in favor of block scheduling, which he thinks helps students understand the rigor of a college course load. “That part has got to stay.”
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