SOUTH KNOX VOL. 2 NO. O 22 1
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
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IN THIS ISSUE
Call him Al
Move over, Bill Nye. Knoxville has its own science guy, and he’s amazing. And awesome. “Amazingly Awesome Science with Dr. Al Hazari” is the name of the “act” put together by Hazari, a chemistry professor at the University of Tennessee. He’s taking his show on the road this summer, visiting Knox County’s libraries to share his passion and get kids excited about science.
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Read Betsy Pickle on page 3
Take the talent! We shall soon see the difference in football talent and experience. Beginning on the last Sunday in August and continuing for three months, Tennessee will present a case study for the comparison of superior athletic ability and jungle warfare survival.
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Last Sunday, state Rep. Gloria Johnson threw herself a multipurpose birthday/fundraiser/ ice-cream social in Edgewood Park, near the heart of North Knoxville, which is no longer the geographic heart of the 13th House District. But it’s where she lives, and it’s where the former chair of the Knox County Democratic Party must win heavily in November if she is to get a second term. Read Betty Bean on page 4
Elder Law gets new office Amelia Crotwell launched Elder Law of East Tennessee in 2010 and moved the firm into one of Knoxville’s landmark historic buildings, the William S. Caswell House at 428 E. Scott Avenue, facing Hall of Fame Boulevard, earlier this year. She says she couldn’t be more satisfied.
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July June29, 2, 2013 2014
Summer tradition
Carnival spreads excitement about VBS choices By Betsy Pickle
For churches, Vacation Bible School is about sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, especially with children. For the South Knoxville Coalition of Churches, the Vacation Bible School Carnival is about sharing the news about the choices the community has in VBS programs. The coalition’s third annual VBS Carnival will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, June 8, at Colonial Heights United Methodist Church, 6321 Chapman Highway. The five churches in the SKCC – Colonial Heights, Gloria Dei Lutheran and Graystone, Lake Forest and New Prospect Presbyterian – are all participating in the carnival. Each church will have its own booth offering information about its summer VBS program, as well as a craft or game. “The kids can go around and see what each Vacation Bible School is going to be,” says John Brewster, pastor of Colonial Heights and facilitator of the coalition. There are also organized games, bounce houses and a blow-up obstacle course during the afternoon of “free family fun.” Refreshments will be offered. The schools are a mix of nationally franchised and local programs. Graystone is doing Workshop of Wonders, while New Prospect
Children enjoy participating at Colonial Heights United Methodist Church’s 2013 Vacation Bible School. and Lake Forest are combining to present Son Treasure Island. Colonial Heights is offering Weird Animals, and Gloria Dei has a selfcreated program. The carnival is “a way to make our Vacation Bible Schools more visible,” says Brewster, noting that more than 100 children attended last year. “You can go to all of them, or you can pick and choose the dates that go best with your summer activities.” Pooling resources just makes sense, he says. “If one church wanted to do a carnival, it’s expensive, but if five
churches do it, it’s affordable.” The coalition was formed about three years ago, with both pastors and laypersons representing the churches in an informal structure. “It started with the idea of doing things together, especially to promote some of the South Knoxville churches that might not be able to do the kinds of big publicity things that other groups could do and to invite the community to come and get to know each of the churches,” says Brewster, who has been at Colonial Heights for two years. One of the first events planned
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was the VBS carnival. The SKCC has also gotten involved with the food pantry at Vestal United Methodist Church and for Mardi Gras this year held a dinner and music event that raised $1,000 for the household pantry at Montgomery Village. “We thought that that was a success and highlighted a valuable ministry in our community with the Montgomery Village ministry,” says Brewster. The group is considering joining the Family Promise program in To page 3
Read Marvin West on page 5
Expect a battle
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See Betty Bean’s story on page 8
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Educators bow out early; cite ‘attack on teachers’ By Betty Bean When Stan Kelly and Peggy Leland retired two weeks ago, 45 years of teaching experience at Central High School walked out the door with them. “I kept asking Stan, ‘Are we really old enough to be doing this?’ ” said Leland, a resident of the Island Home community in South Knxoville who taught art at Central for 20 years and directed her students in creating high-profi le projects like the huge banners hanging in the school commons. “In my mind, I just thought this was a chance to expose kids who had never had a chance to experience the visual arts to the great artists. Later, I started another project to do framed pictures in the hallways. I hope someone continues it,” Leland said. “Most of the time, you just know when it’s time,” said Kelly, who spent 25 years teaching history and was one of a dwindling handful of educators left there who were also Central High School alumni. And he says he worked at Central much longer than his teaching tenure. “While I was at UT, Mr. (Dan) Boring let me work as a janitor here, and after that Mr. (Rex) Stooksbury. Then I was a student teacher here and came here for my first and only teaching job. It all adds up to about 37 years,” Kelly said. His father, the late Cecil Kelly, spent many years as principal of Fountain City Elementary School and was later a member of the
Central High School lost 45 years of teaching experience with the early retirement of teachers Stan Kelly and Peggy Leland. Leland’s art students produced the banner behind them. Photo by Betty Bean school board. His mother, Polly, was a kindergarten teacher. “We saw a young man at church yesterday; Mama had him in kindergarten, Dad had him in elementary school and I had him at Central. It’s that community connection,” Kelly said. Leland nodded. “That’s what I have loved so much about Central,” said Leland, who grew up in Oak Ridge, where everybody was from somewhere else. “There just wasn’t that longterm connection.” Kelly is 60, Leland 62. They don’t seem tired. Kelly’s going to do a lot of hiking and kayaking this summer and enjoy the luxury of fall travel, for the first time. Leland is going to spend the summer
working in her studio and traveling to Italy and will start a parttime job in the fall. So why are they leaving early? “I do not believe in a lot of things that are being done – the overly zealous emphasis on data, on test scores – it is an outright attack on teachers,” Leland said. “I’ve always been evaluated by people who have never taught art. Teaching art cannot be compared to an academic class.” Kelly agreed: “Teaching cannot be compared to a business. We’re doing so much wrong in education. It’s bad for teachers and horrible for kids. But teachers are easy to push around. We see these cycles come and go, and we sit back and
let them happen. This time, it finally broke us.” Kelly said the emphasis on four-year graduation rates (a Race to the Top requirement) is creating grade inflation that damages academic integrity. “A couple of years ago, I was teaching an economics course that is required for graduation. I was asked to turn in the names of kids in danger of failing, and I gave them the name of one boy who never got above a 40 on a test. Two weeks later, he walked across the stage and graduated.” Surprised, Kelly learned the student had been placed in a lastminute, accelerated cram session aimed at making him graduationeligible. But as much as they disagree with today’s test-and-assess business model, they don’t regret their career choice. “I’m leaving a little earlier than I intended, but I’ve known so many great kids. I ran into a kid yesterday that I gave a scholarship to, and I was tickled to death to see him. I’ve taught kids of my kids,” Kelly said. Leland, for whom teaching high school art was the fourth career (she’d worked in planning at UT, at TVA in regional arts and at the TVA Credit Union in staff development), says she has no regrets. “I thought I’d stay longer, but I’m happy. I’m glad this was my fourth career. But staying would mean going along with these current policies, and I just can’t do that anymore.”
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