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AUSTIN WEEKLY news ■
Vol. 31 No. 38 ■ Sepyember 20, 2017
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Austin students get a fatherly sendoff Austin’s Catalyst Circle Rock students got a special start to the school day on Sept. 13 By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter
The students at Austin’s Catalyst Circle Rock elementary charter school, 5608 W. Washington Blvd., got a special treat on the morning of Sept. 13. As they walked toward the building, a large group of men stood on the doorsteps, greeting every child with thunderous applause. They were fathers, uncles, grandfathers and guardians of many of the current students. Gordon Hannon, the Catalyst Schools charter school network CEO, said that this has been a regular event for the past three to four years and started because school officials wanted to do something positive for students, their families and the wide Austin community. “I think what this means for the students is that they look up and see the amazing power and inspiration in their fathers,” Hannon said. “They recognize [that] their fathers are leaders, their fathers are awesome and their fathers have their backs.” The event is also one of the ways Circle Rock tries to give back to the community, Hannon said. “We’re here to serve this community, and the more this community steps into the role of power, the role of ownership, the role of See CATALYST on page 7
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
DON’T FORGET: Rev. Ira Acree sits for a photo on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, at the Greater St. John Church in Chicago’s Austin neigh-
Austin pastor’s trip to Israel has him thinking of Kaepernick
Rev. Acree says NFL player’s stance will force country to ‘stop sugarcoating’ history By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Rev. Ira Acree, the prominent pastor of Greater St. John Bible Church, 1256 N. Waller Ave. in Austin, said he returned from a recent trip to Israel something of a new man — with a much more profound sense of history.
Acree said that before he took his trip to Israel over the summer, most of what he knew about the nation’s conflict with its Palestinian neighbors was framed by Western media. “The papers can put a real European spin on the conflict and to get there firsthand and talk to people who have boots on the ground was eye-opening,” he said. “I’m
more sensitive to the Palestinian perspective and I now realize that it’s more complex than I really knew.” During the overseas trip, Acree accompanied numerous clergymen of varying denominations, many of them from the West Side and western suburbs, including
Austin Chamber of Commerce on the move... 773.854.5848 • www.austinchicagochamber.com
See ACREE on page 4