VOL. 8 NO. 2
IN THIS ISSUE
New fair prez
Rodney Pointer, a newcomer to the Karns community, has jumped into community service with both feet. Pointer, a veteran who was wounded in Afghanistan, has agreed to be the president of the Karns Community Fair board. State Rep. Roger Kane confirmed that during the monthly meeting of the Northwest Knox Business and Professional Association.
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Read Nancy Anderson on A-3
Larger class sizes ahead for state? Every Tennessee governor in living memory has wanted to be remembered as the Education Governor. Bill Haslam is no exception. He staked his claim to the title by ending 2013 with a victory lap around the state celebrating the National Assessment of Education ranking Tennessee the fastest-improving state in academic growth in 4th grade math and reading scores over the past two years.
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Read Betty Bean on A-4
Complex recruiting Careful now, what happens next is critical. The main event in Tennessee’s level of football is the remainder of the recruiting race that peaks in early February. Recruiting is a high-tech combination of science and art. Evaluation is step one. If it is erroneous, nothing else matters.
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Read Marvin West on A-5
Having fun A new column of outtakes and general shop talk has launched in Section B. Shopper publisher Sandra Clark talks this week, but you’ll hear from others as the year wears on.
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Check it out on B-2
Warm thought on a winter day It’s 7 degrees outside and the ground is crusted in a white mantle. Brrr! Perhaps that’s what turns this silvered-haired noggin to daydreams about turning over the spring soil and watching the garden blossom into summer’s green bounty ... tomatoes, squash, peppers, string beans, spinach, fragrant herbs ... basil, don’t you just love its bright, complex aroma? Ahh!
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Read Nicky D on A-11
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Embracing Blume Young performer aims to make audiences happy
afraid he may be too convincing in his portrayal of Ralph, and he doesn’t want people thinking he’s a pig, too. Yes, at age 11, Michael has grasped the power and magic of acting. It has driven him through five productions at Knoxville Children’s Theatre along with plays at school (Ball Camp Elementary) and with the WordPlayers. He enjoys every aspect of acting. “I really like getting up on stage,” he says. “I love all of my parts. I like getting to work with other people.” But the experience goes beyond the mere motions of acting. To page A-3
By Betsy Pickle When Michael Blevins says he’s excited about being in “Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing,” he’s not just trying to peddle tickets. He spiritedly discusses the two characters he plays in the stage adaptation of Judy Blume’s classic novel: Ralph, a boy who never stops eating, and Mr. Vincent, a bossy businessman. “He’s like, ‘If I can’t have it, I’ll blow my top,’ ” Michael says with relish. “He’s my favorite character that I play.” He rattles off the Knoxville Children’s Theatre’s rehearsal and performance schedule with the polish of a consummate actor. (The play opens this Friday at KCT, 109 E. Churchwell Ave.) Most significantly, he worries about the effect of his acting – he’s
Michael Blevins (at right) menaces Eliza Abernathy during a rehearsal for “Tales of a Fourth-Grade Nothing.”
Giving in to the music By Wendy Smith Like many of her classmates, West High School senior Carolyn Craig is preparing for the transition from high school to college. For her, the challenge won’t be increased academic rigor. As a student in the international baccalaureate program, she’s already academically disciplined. Instead, she will face a reordering of priorities. “School has always been more important than music,” she says. “Now there will be a shift, and music will be school.” In February, Carolyn has pipe organ auditions at the University of Rochester, Rice University and Indiana University. After a stellar academic career, she has chosen to concentrate on music, and is currently interested in becoming a church musician. Her father, Christopher Craig, is a classics professor at UT. His parents were both doctors, and Carolyn considered that path. She attended Governor’s School for Carolyn Craig with her organ teacher, John Brock, at the Quimby Regional To page A-3 Competition for Young Organists in Columbia, S.C. Photo submitted
the Sciences in 2012 and participated in the Medical Explorations program at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine last year. But the musical influence of her mother’s family won out. Five of Ann Robinson-Craig’s six siblings have taught or performed professionally, and the family often plays together at gatherings, Carolyn says. “Music is a very present part of our family.” Music may have taken a back seat to academics, but it’s been an important part of Carolyn’s life, and schedule, for several years. She began piano lessons at age 7 and realized she had a knack for the organ during a piano camp she attended as a middle school student. Her interest was ignited by two Pipe Organ Encounters – one at Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and one at Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. The annual program is sponsored by the American Guild of Organists. “When you come home, you just know – I want to be an organist,” she says. Her talent on piano and organ has been confirmed by numerous competitions. On Jan. 20, she will represent Tennessee for the fourth time at the Southern Division of the
Knox students’ criticism of Common Core … has national reach By Betty Bean Another Farragut High School senior is becoming an Internet sensation. In December, Kenneth Ye, who has a 4.696 GPA, told members of the Knox County Board of Education that excessive reliance on the Common Core State Standards’ high stakes testing is taking a toll on students. Ye has spent summers attending school in his parents’ native country,
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China, and is alarmed to see American schools emulating the high-stress, data-driven Chinese school systems where desperate students have hooked themselves up to IV amino acid drips while studying for the notorious gaokao college entrance exams. Ye also criticized the role that for-profit businesses like publisher Pearson PLC have been allowed to play in formulating
Kenneth Ye
Common Core standards. “As a student who has scored fives on AP calculus and AP statistics exams and who plans to take Calculus 3 at a local college next semester, I can honestly tell you that I am unable to answer or justify your first grade Pearson math question, ‘What is a related subtraction sentence?’” Ye’s speech has been viewed some 30,000 times on YouTube, has been reposted on websites like the Huffington Post and the
Daily Caller and is drawing responses like, “Holy Crap. Does this kid have a speechwriter? Impressive.” Ye’s friend and classmate Ethan Young addressed the school board about Common Core’s effects on teachers in November. Young’s video has garnered nearly 2 million hits. If the details can be worked out, Ye and Young will be going to Nashville to speak to members of the To page A-3
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