VOL. 9 NO. 7
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Kids rally for Officer Mulberry
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Karns clean-up Keep Knoxville Beautiful is joining with the Knox County Education Association (KCEA) to enhance the beauty of Knox County’s public schools. A community cleanup at Karns Elementary School (one of four) will be 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 21. Weather date is Saturday, Feb. 28. Litter pickers, trash bags and safety vests will be supplied. Info: 865-521-6957.
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
By Sara By Sar ara a Barrett Barret Barr Ba ett tt
Knox County Schools’ Student Resource Officer Michael Mulberry has been assigned to Karns Middle School since 2013. His tall stature and solid build may seem intimidating to some, but he has become quite a hit with students. “I look forward to talking to them in the cafeteria during lunch,” said Mulberry of his preteen and teenage fans. “It’s amazing to see the changes in these kids in one year’s time.” Mulberry is currently on medical leave while undergoing treatment for liver cancer. He has received about 500 cards from students since his diagnosis in November. “I always thought I was just doing my job,” he said of the overwhelming encouragement he’s received from the school and surrounding community. “You don’t realize how much you enjoy doing something until you don’t have it.” PTSA president Beth Rhodes said Mulberry’s absence has really dampened spirits throughout the school, and the students wanted to do something proactive for him. “Change Wars” will be held throughout the school during the last week of February, and each grade will participate as a team.
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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By Sandra Clark It’s rare to see such a smooth acceptance of 250 apartments, but perhaps it’s a reflection of recent tough economic times. The proposal by TDK Construction Company to build up to 250 apartments on 14.6 acres on Emory Road southwest of Central Avenue Pike was approved on the consent agenda by the Metropolitan Planning Commission last week.
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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Spare change will be collected, with all proceeds given to Mulberry. “Pennies, nickels and dimes count towards your grade’s total, and quarters count against your total, thus the ‘war’ aspect,” said Rhodes. “As a nurse, I know that oftentimes when a patient receives an acute diagnosis, there is an immediate outpouring of love and gratitude in the beginning, but as time goes by, people tend to forget,”
said Rhodes. “That is the very reason that as PTSA president, I opted to wait until now to have our unit act. In this case, to say that officer Mulberry has been forgotten couldn’t be further from the truth. Every day that I am in the school, there are students asking about his return. There simply are no words to describe the positive impact that man has had on our student body.” Chick-fil-A on Clinton Highway,
Texas Roadhouse in Turkey Creek and the Wendy’s Corporation have donated food vouchers for students who participate “because I know the best incentive for middle school students is food,” said Rhodes. “The goal is not a large monetary gain. It is multi-faceted: To allow our students an opportunity to give back and feel as though To page A-3
Items on consent are approved as a batch without discussion. MPC chair Rebecca Longmire gave an opportunity for opposition, but none emerged. The rezoning from commercial to planned residential now goes to Knox County Commission. Commissioner Charles Busler said Sunday that it looks like the project will be closer to 221 apartments than 250. He’s requesting
the developer to dedicate land along Beaver Creek for a greenway, and said the developer has agreed. The site is less than one mile from the I-75 interchange at Emory Road and is 2/10 of a mile from the Powell Branch Library. MPC staff recommended up to 19 dwelling units per acre for the buildable portion of the property, resulting in 250 units.
“Planned residential is a preferable zone for this site because it allows clustering of units in the less-constrained portions of the site and requires development plan approval by MPC prior to construction,” the recommendation reads. Planners estimated 66 public and private school kids, ages 5-18, and 2,175 average daily vehicle trips.
The pros and cons of a balanced school calendar
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Karns Middle School students Nicholas Rhodes and Jacob Mincke hang out with Student Resource Officer Michael Mulberry. Photo by S. Barrett
Apartment project gets MPC approval
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.
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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