Bearden Shopper-News 050613

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VOL. 7 NO. 18

www.ShopperNewsNow.com |

IN THIS ISSUE

Celebrating

Kids

Looking for a safe and educational place to take your kids this summer? Want to groom them to become money-savvy entrepreneurs? Don’t miss these stories and more in My Kids.

May 6, 2013

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World Friendship Day

See the special section inside

‘Farmer’ Brown

Tyler Brown, executive chef of the Capitol Grille at the Hermitage in Nashville, couldn’t have imagined the impact of a meal he ate in California seven years ago. The integrity of the vegetables stood out, he said, and piqued his interest in biodynamics. He spoke at the Knoxville Garden Club’s open meeting held last week at the Knoxville Museum of Art.

Kay Irwin of Maryville entertains members of Friendship Force of Knoxville and guests from Canada during an international dinner held in celebration of World Friendship Day. Irwin learned to play the bagpipes 19 years ago at age 53. More on A-3.

See Wendy Smith’s story on A-3

Caravan rolls on

Contrary to reports elsewhere, Marvin West is very much alive and writes this week that “the Big Orange Caravan includes food and other refreshments but comes with a price tag – Germantown this week, Chattanooga next week, Kingsport, Atlanta and Franklin to follow. “If all those stops are standing room only, you can believe that Tennessee fans believe better days are coming.”

See Marvin’s story on page A-7

‘Uncle’ Travis

Travis Parker is 93, but he still enjoys going to school. He’s volunteered at A.L. Lotts Elementary School for 18 years, and he doesn’t plan to quit anytime soon. He has an agreement with 2nd grade teacher Rebecca Tipton that he will continue to read to students in her classroom until she retires after 40 years of teaching. He’ll fulfill his end of the bargain at age 101.

Determining the public good By Anne Hart Q: When is it OK to close a public street? A: When it serves the public good. Q: But who determines the public good? In this case, it will be City Council on May 14, when officials weigh arguments of Tony Cappiello and his neighbors over the closure of the block-long and little-used Ben

See Miracle Maker on page A-9

Kiwanians honored

Dr. Gunter Gasser had visited Memphis once before, but finally got a glimpse of East Tennessee. Gasser, who is from Austria, is the Kiwanis International president-elect. He spoke at the Kiwanis International Tennessee/Kentucky District Division 5 prayer dinner, at which West Knox Kiwanis Club member Jan Larson and husband Bill were named Laypersons of the Year.

See Jake Mabe’s story on page A-3

10512 Lexington Dr., Ste. 500 37932 (865) 218-WEST (9378) NEWS news@ShopperNewsNow.com Sandra Clark | Wendy Smith | Anne Hart ADVERTISING SALES ads@ShopperNewsNow.com Shannon Carey Jim Brannon | Tony Cranmore Brandi Davis | Patty Fecco

Atchley Street in Bearden. Cappiello’s request, denied by MPC and appealed to Council, has provoked a months-long squabble among a handful of people.

Analysis A Bearden resident whose family has owned 2,700 front feet on Kingston Pike for 53 years, Cappiello is asking that the road that

bisects the property be closed so he can make that area a part of the larger development he has planned. To date, the project includes an Anthropologie store set to open in late summer or early fall in the building which once housed Cleveland Interiors, and a pie shop opening in a building that was for-

merly a dry cleaner. The plan also calls for a onestory, L-shaped 12,000-square foot shopping center on the property where Backyard Burgers forMore on A-3

Let’s give Dream Academy a chance By Wendy Smith If someone is drowning, it’s easier to rescue them with a kayak than an ocean liner. That’s the analogy Russ Smith uses to explain why charter schools are better-equipped to rescue failing inner-city students than Knox County Schools. As the founder of SOAR Youth Ministries in Lonsdale, he knows the challenges that inner-city students face. And he knows that what works in Powell doesn’t necessarily work in Lonsdale. “The disparity between the education provided for some kids, compared to others in the same district, is inconceivable,” he says. Smith is director of Genesis Rock, a nonprofit applying to operate a charter school called the Dream Academy. The school would be part of the nonprofit New Tech Network, which currently supports 120 schools in 18 states. The New

Tech model emphasizes projectbased learning, one-to-one technology and a culture of trust, respect and responsibility. No one would say that Knox County hasn’t tried to reach inner city kids. But almost everybody would agree that it hasn’t worked. According to the state report card, only 16 percent of Vine Middle School students tested proficient or advanced in 2012. The district average is 52.10 percent. At West Valley Middle School, 78 percent of students tested proficient or advanced.

Analysis Amy Crawford, founder of “Reach Them to Teach Them” and a teacher at West Valley, has seen the needs of inner-city students firsthand. She taught at Sarah Moore Greene Elementary School for two years while

participating in the federally-funded Talent Transfer Initiative. “Generally, students in suburban schools have a head start on innercity students. Because urban students start off disadvantaged, they have to work harder to catch up, without altering their circumstances,” she says. “We can’t do one size fits all.” Crawford was part of a group that included Superintendent Dr. Jim McIntyre, Knox County School Board member Doug Harris and tnAchieves founder Randy Boyd on a tour of New Tech East High School in Cleveland, Ohio, in April. She reports seeing a culture of empowerment and meeting teachers who refuse to let kids fail. Harris, who has studied different charter school models, thinks that the project-based learning (PBL) approach supported by New Tech lends itself to better results in urban schools. PBL encourages students to

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think creatively and work collaboratively to solve problems. “They know how to change the culture, to get kids to work harder and stay focused.” Knox County needs to be shown how to run an effective school in an urban setting, Harris says. “I’m not an expert in education, but I’m good at seeing something that works and implementing it. The New Tech model works.” The Dream Academy would target underachieving students from Vine, Whittle Springs and Northwest middle schools. Knox County Schools is datsdriven, and the data show that we are failing these children. It’s a sign of strength, rather than weakness, to look for help when it’s needed, and we need help with guiding these students to a successful future. Let’s try something different to see if we can get a different outcome.

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In this architect’s rendering of the Cappiello property, 5300-5400 Kingston Pike, the new Anthropologie store will be in the building second from the right. The buildings at the left represent a new 12,000-square-foot shopping center, while the small structure in the center will house a pie shop. Southern Market, on Homberg Drive, is the third building from the left.

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