POWELL/NORWOOD VOL. 52 NO. 34
IN THIS ISSUE
A judge’s trial
On the morning of June 11, 1992, in the wee hours before dawn, Carolyn Susano awoke in time to see her husband dive through the screen of a window in their second floor bedroom. Charles Susano, a lifelong sleepwalker, woke up on the ground, Carolyn, their youngest son and a neighbor surrounding him. He didn’t know how he got there. And he couldn’t get up.
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See Betty Bean’s story on A-5
Miracle Maker There’s nothing common about the enthusiasm over the Common Core initiative at Pleasant Ridge Elementary School. It started at the top, with principal Jessica Birdsong’s gut reaction to the state’s new educational mandate.
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See Betsy Pickle’s story on A-9
Godspeed, Sam Sam Hardman has left a gaping hole in the heart of Halls, one that a hundred other people couldn’t fill if they tried. He was that special. Mr. Hardman died Aug. 16 at age 95.
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See Jake’s story on page A-7
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
PHS swim team to hold info meeting The Powell High swim team will hold a parent information and sign-up meeting 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, in the PHS library. Swimming is a club sport. Membership is open to 9th through 12th graders who have an interest in competitive swimming. Powell Middle School students may join as well, practicing as one team, but competing only against other middle school swimmers. The Knox-Area Interscholastic Swim League, which governs high school swimming, requires that swimmers meet all academic and residency requirements of their school, as for any other interscholastic sport. Swimmers will be required to have a sports physical prior to the first practice. Info: Tammy Rolen, rolen2112@frontiernet.net.
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Norwood pilot program a ‘win-win’ By Betty Bean Liz Thacker, who works for the Great Schools Partnership, is about to celebrate her first anniversary as Norwood Elementary School’s first resource coordinator for community programs. She’s happy to report that the Norwood pilot program had a successful year, serving more than 120 students with daily attendance averaging about 90 students. She’s also very happy to be able to report that test scores of the children who were regular participants showed real, measurable progress. Running a pilot program can be scary, she said. “It’s exciting and nerve-wracking all at once. You have no handbook. You’re creating the manual.” It’s the little moments that tug at her heart, like remembering the grandfather who would come and keep his granddaughter company at dinnertime. “He rarely ate, but he showed up every night and would sit with her. Pretty soon a group of children started eating with them. It was a nice thing to see,” said Thacker, who is hoping he’ll be back at the after-school sessions again this year when she gets small-group instruction going. She’s aiming for Sept. 6. She’s also hoping to see another parent she got to know last year – a mother who spoke almost no English and relied on her children to help her communicate. “This mom was leery about her kids staying after school. Through her children, I convinced the mom to let her kids stay. She worked on learning English, and I knew the day she handed me the phone and asked me if I could call CAC and schedule them to pick her up that
Liz Thacker is Norwood Elementary School’s first resource coordinator for community programs. Norwood is piloting the “community school” concept. Photo by Betty Bean we’d gained her trust. She brought me the most delicious homemade bread at the end of the year, and now she’s working on getting her citizenship. Her daughters are so proud.” Thacker, who has undergraduate degrees in psychology and Spanish from Furman and a mas-
Why a blueway? By Jake Mabe As Knox County explores the possibility of designating Beaver Creek as a blueway – basically, a greenway on water – one might ask, “Why?” For three good reasons, Knox County Watershed Coordinator Roy Arthur told the Halls Business and Professional Association at Beaver Brook Country Club last week. “One, it draws people into your community. Two, it will raise your property values. And three, it pulls businesses into the communities.” Not to mention the fact that – as Arthur stated in an earlier in-
terview with the Shopper-News – when Beaver Creek becomes navigable for small crafts such as kayaks and canoes, debris jams must be removed, which are currently causing both localized flooding and bank erosion along Beaver Creek. “When a tree falls over the creek, it catches everything flowing down the creek, including couches and cars.” Arthur said removing debris jams would also improve the creek’s water quality and create a more natural flow. While residents with property adjoining the creek own some of
the land underneath it as well as the banks, the water itself is considered “waters of the state.” Arthur said if Beaver Creek is designated as a blueway, signs would be posted at launch points and be given to property owners who want them alerting blueway users that exiting their crafts at any point along the blueway would be considered trespassing. He said that if anyone had an accident while using the blueway, Knox County would be liable, not the property owner. “People could fish out of their craft if they so desire.” If the county green-lights the blueway, the first phase would be built at Harrell Road Park in Karns. The second phase would be built at Clayton Park in Halls.
Programs (LEAPs). Last year, former principal Beth Lackey told her of the new program and encouraged her to apply for the resource coordinator position. Thacker went through the interview process, got the job and started Oct. To page A-3
Knox County Watershed Coordinator Roy Arthur speaks to the Halls Business and Professional Association on the proposed Beaver Creek Blueway. Photo by Jake Mabe
Develop and Demonstrate Loyalty. Loyalty is not unilateral. You have to give it to receive it. The family business model is a successful one because it fosters loyalty and trust. Surround yourself with people who are better than you are. Seek out quality people, acknowledge their talents and let them do their jobs. You win with people. (Number 3 of Pat Summitt’s “Definite Dozen” rules to live by)
By Betty Bean
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ter’s in cultural studies from the University of Tennessee, grew up in Honduras, where her parents served as missionaries. Her fluent Spanish is a useful skill in her work with the community school. She first came to Norwood Elementary five years ago to run the Lottery for Education Afterschool
Dismantling the house that Pat built
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Hank Peck and Jenny Moshak in Moshak’s 2008 Mercedes File photo by Betty Bean
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Gen. Robert R. Neyland required his teams to study his Seven Maxims and apply them to the game of football. Pat Summitt required her teams to study her Definite Dozen and apply them to their lives. Unlike the General’s rules, the Definite Dozen were not sport-
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specific. They were Summitt’s tested and true keys to success, and she practiced what she preached. She acted on this principle while celebrating Tennessee’s eighth national championship in 2008 by naming Jenny Moshak the season MVP. To page A-3
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