Photo* by Lay la Garms
Sharon Johnson speaks as City Council Member James Taylor sits nearby.
New coalition lays out
ambitious plan for schools
and troubled youth
BY LAYLA GARMS
THE CHRONICLE
City Council Member
James Taylor convened
the first-ever meeting of
the Winston
Salem/Forsyth County
Education Coalition
Tuesday at City Hall.
"I believe in order for
students to be successful,
it takes a community
approach," said Taylor,
who as a member of the
City Council has little
sway over school system
issues but is looking to
make a difference any
way. "It's about us all
coming together and
pulling for the best inter
ests of our students ...
My goal is to bring every
one together to provide
the most successful serv
ices we can provide for
our students."
A main thrust of the
coalition will be to
administer the Youth
Build USA program, a
federally-funded program
that puts high school
dropouts who meet cer
tain criteria to work
rebuilding their commu
nities. The coalition has
received a three-year
grant in excess of $1 mil
lion to engage 300 young
people between the ages
of 16-24 in the program.
John Davenport, vice
chair of the Board of
Education and the only
school board member on
hand at the meeting, has
high praise for the pro
gram.
"I'd like to say we're
going to put you out of
business because we
don't have any dropouts,
but we do have dropouts,"
he commented. "I think
this is wonderful that we
have a program that
addresses that."
Davenport added that
he was especially pleased
to see that youth with
criminal records being
offered a second chance
through Youth Build.
"I've always thought
by giving them the skill
sets, they can begin to
'build a future ... and we
can really start making a
dent in the problem," he
commented. "I think
you're right on target."
The Arts Council of
Winston-Salem and
Forsyth County, the
Winston-Salem Chamber
of Commerce, the
Forsyth County Public
Library and SciWorks are
among the agencies that
have signed on as mem
bers of the coalition.
Some member organiza
tions have already com
mitted to step up their
efforts to partner with
local schools.
"SciWorks up until
now has not done a good
job of fulfilling its mis
sion within the communi
ty. Our challenge as I see
it is to help students
imagine their future here
and I don't think
SciWorks has done a
good job of that," said
Paul Kortenaar, who
recently became the exec
utive director of the inno
vative science museum.
"I think we need to build
a stronger relationship
with the community and
the school system. We've
been working on how to
redevelop our programs
to be more appropriate to
the schools and to the
kids."
The Arts Council has
long been actively
engaged with schools,
according to President
and CEO Milton Rhodes,
who said the Council
reached 43,000 local
school children through
its funded programs last
year.
Rhodes said there is
room for improvement.
He hopes the coalition
?will allow the Arts
Council to reach out to
students in new and dif
ferent ways.
"We think all kids and
young adults have talent
and it's very important
for us in the adult com
munity, the older commu
nity, to recognize that tal
ent," Rhodes said. "...It is
a symbiotic relationship
that has to be developed
among our children and
our teachers around the
community."
The Chamber of
Commerce supports area
youth through initiatives
like "Graduate. It Pays.,"
a mentoring program for
students who are at risk
of not graduating from
high school in four years'
time.
"The Chamber and the
business community
totally understands the
connections between eco
nomic development and
education," commented
Rodessa Mitchell, The
Chamber's vice president
of Education and
Membership. "We have
been working for a num
ber of years to try to cre
ate a better outcome for
students."
Pot over a decade.
The Chamber has over
seen a literacy based pro
gram that places commu
nity volunteers in Title
' One schools to work with
students in kindergarten,
first and second grades. It
also hosts the Robot Run,
a program held in Con
t
I
junction with Forsyth
Technical Community
College designed to get
students interested in
STEM (science, technol
ogy, engineering and
math).
"Everything we do is
a partnership," she said.
"We believe very strongly
in partnership and the
strength of partners."
A two-decade old City
of Winston-Salem pro
gram known as Section 3
will also come under the
Coalition's umbrella,
Taylor said. The program
provides job training and
employment opportuni
ties for low income resi
dents. explained Sharon
Johnson, project supervi
sor for the city's
Community and Business
Development department.
"The program is well
known. No matter where
we go all over the city, we
see people whose lives
have been changed by
Section 3," Johnson said.
"We're doing great
things. We're looking for
ward to working with all
of you and we're excited
about taking Section 3 to
the next level."
Easton Elementary
Principal Beatriz Veto
urged the coalition mem
bers not to leave younger
students out of the equa
tion.
"Don't practice that
deferred maintenance,"
Veto implored them. "...
Don't focus on remedia
tion. Let's do it right the
first time."
Taylor thanked Veto,
who is new to Easton. for
her passion and commit
ment to creating positive
change for her students.
"That's exactly the
energy that we needed
here today," said the
father of three. "These
are things that we can
work on and that- is what
I'm committed to doing."
The Coalition is slat
ed to meet again in early
summer. For more infor
mation or to get involved,
contact Community
Liaison Vanessa Smith at
336-734-1256 or vanes
sas?cityofws .org.
SciWorks Executive Director Paul Kortenaar
addresses the group.
NBTF officials:
Myers will be missed
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
News of the death of 1
actor Lou Myers hit hard
in Winston-Salem.
"Hie show business
veteran was a frequent
presence at the biennial
National Black Theatre
Festival, endearing him
self to fans with his kind
ness and folksy nature. He
was a celebrity guest at
the most recent NBTF in
2011 and told fans to
expect his return at this
year's event, slated for
July 29-Aug. 3.
At the 2007 Festival,
he was presented with a
Living Legend Award for
his decades of work on the
stage and big and small
screens.
NBTF Director Sylvia
Sprinkle-Hamlin said
Myers' passing has left a
void.
"We are deeply sad
dened to hear of the pass
ing of one of our living
legends," she said. "Mr.
Myers was very support
ive of the National Black
Theatre Festival. We will
truly miss him."
Lawrence Evans, the
NBTF's celebrity coordi
nator, also expressed his
sorrow. He said he is tak
ing some solace in know
ing that Myers has joined
NBTF founder Larry
Leon Hamlin and other
acting legends whose sup
port and presence helped
to define the Festival.
"'He's gone on tour' is
a phrase we sometimes
use, particularly in the
world of theatre, when
actors makes their transi
tion," Evans said. "I'm
sure that Larry Leon has
already assembled a
Marvtastic cast of heaven
ly luminaries who have
attended the National
Black Theatre
Festival. Lou will contin
ue to tell it like it is as he
is welcomed by Ossie
Davis, August Wilson,
John Henry
Redwood, Esther Rolle,
Carl Gordon, Roscoe Lee
Brown, Virginia Capers,
Sherman Hemsley, Isabel
Sanford, Moses Gunn,
Ray Aranha, Lex
Monson, Beah Richards,
Dick Anthony Williams,
Jason Bernard and oth
??
ers.
Myers, who was 77,
Was born in Chesapeake,
W. Va. He died near his
hometown at the
Charleston (W. Va.)
Medical Center on Feb.
19, soon after undergoing
heart-related surgery. He
is best known for playing
Vemon Gaines on the hit
"A Different World,"
which ran on NBC from
1987 to 1993. His films
included "The Wedding
Planner," "How Stella Got
Her Groove Back," "Tin
Cup," "Bulworth" and
"The Fighting
Temptations."
Myers was also a stage
veteran, claiming an
NAACP Theatre Award
for his portrayal of Stool
Pigeon in August Wilson's
"King Heley II" and a
AUDELCO Award for his
role in the off-Broadway
hit "Fat Tuesday."
Myers is survived by
his mother and a son.
File Photo
Lou Myers shores a laugh with a fan at the 2009
National Black Theatre Festival.
The Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by Ernest
H. Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is published
every Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing
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