TERRENCE N. THOMAS SPECIAL WKND FOCUS
SCHOLARSHIP FUND
VOL. XXXIII NO. 9 AUGUST 14, 2015 50 CENTS BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN PERMIT 4668
KIMBERLY’S
JOURNEY
M
Letter from TNT Scholarship Recipient Kimberly (Jones) Clayton exemplifies the signifance and impact of the schoarship fund in shaping the lives of its recipients
y name is Kimberly (Jones) Clayton and I am 1999 – 2003 Dr. Terence Scholarship recipient and an O-Bee Scholarship recipient from 2003 to 2005. This was the only scholarship that followed me from college through graduate school years.
I made it a priority to keep Mrs. O’flynn-Pattillo and the Milwaukee Community Journal staff upKimberly dated on my progress (Jones) Clayton’s through Alverno College scholarship photo and Keller Graduate School of Management. Their love and support made a difference in my academic journey. I looked forward to the annual banquets each year. My first year I was seated at Dr. Jeanette Mitchell’s table, who was also an honoree that year and she has been one of my best mentors since then. Mrs. O’flynn-Pattillo has been a solid pillar in the Milwaukee community with a banquet that really shows some of the best professional people from various occupations and educational backgrounds. She really has shown me and so many other young people what a mother’s love can do not just for her son, Terence but for any child in Milwaukee who has a dream and a pursuit of higher education.
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A GOOD EDUCATION BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY!
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By Kevin P.. Chavous Contributing Writer, Urban News Services Executive Counsel, American Federation for Children
When Mical attended kindergarten in Milwaukee’s inner city, he spent the majority of time being kicked out of class for behavioral issues and violent outbursts.
His great-aunt and legal guardian, Martha Presley said she was worried sick about her six-year-old nephew. At such a young age, he seemed destined for failure and even worse, prison some day. “He would go to school on Monday and get suspended, and then he would go to school on Wednesday and get suspended again,” Presley told Urban News Service. By second grade, he couldn’t even read. Presley had taken custody of Mical after his grandmother passed away. His grandmother was all he had. Mical’s father was never in
the picture, and his mother had relinquished custody because she wasn’t capable of properly caring for him. “There were domestic violence issues, numerous times when she couldn’t feed him, and they moved from house to house,” Presley said. She said she was overwhelmed and at her wits end. She kept switching Mical’s school, but trouble always found him. He hated school and wasn’t learning anything. While families like Presley and Mical live in the daily, inner-city life struggle, federal lawmakers have been debating the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), an act that determines how and under what guidelines the federal government can help fund America's schools. The last reauthorization of ESEA occurred in 2002 under former President George Bush and was called No Child Left Behind. During the most recent reauthorization debates, various members of Congress have offered an array of proposals and amendments relating to ESEA, such as creating a clear definition of the concept of “bullying.” However, none of these suggestions would help parents and
WKND FOCUS
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guardians, like Presley, who are desperate to find high-quality educational alternatives for their atrisk kids forced to go to schools where they just aren’t performing well, whatever the reason may be. Congress has the luxury of debating ideas that don't work for real people - a luxury Martha Presley and others like her do not have. Each passing day, each passing week, each passing year, Mical’s future was becoming bleaker and bleaker. Fortunately for Presley and Mical, Milwaukee offers school choice options for them beyond the designated neighborhood school. One of those options is the Milwaukee Parental Choice program. This scholarship opportunity was created in 1990 and is the first voucher program in the nation. The program offers scholarships for low-income students to attend one of the participating private schools - at no cost to the student's family. It began 25 years ago with 300 students and has now grown to 27,000 kids. "I heard all about that scholarship program and said we’ve tried everything else, let’s give this a try,” Pressley said. Mical
became a scholarship recipient, and she was able to enroll him in Milwaukee’s HOPE Christian School. Life changed for the better from that day on. “I sent him there, and they worked with him,” Presley tearfully remembers Mical’s first days at HOPE. “He wasn’t getting sent home anymore. Mical had to buckle down and work hard with his teachers to get caught up, but now his favorite subject is reading.” “I pay attention, I listen to my teachers, and I don’t get suspended anymore,” Mical proudly said. “I read, I’m really good at reading!” Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, Congress continues to debate ESEA, and no one knows for sure what the final bill will look like. Since its passage in 2002, the debate around ESEA has become a political cesspool. Some Democrats seem dead set on making sure that relaxing the Department of Education’s involvement in punishing state systems for failing to meet standards curtailing the use of standardized testing in evaluating whether a school is “good” or “bad.” On the other side of the aisle, some Republicans want to completely remove the federal gov-
ernment from the process by eliminating the “Common Core” standards altogether and reducing the Department of Education’s ability to punish failing schools. Keep in mind that each side needs to be able to claim some legislative victory when the bill ultimately passes, often times determined by semantics. Maybe, however, as the political posturing over ESEA escalates, lawmakers could benefit from conversations with working class families like Presley’s family. These families are not tied to the political party caucus platforms, legislative wins and losses or grandiose policy proposals that promise change in the far distant future. Nor do they care about how they are viewed by others as they fight to find a good school for their kids. Without the options provided through the Milwaukee Parental Choice program, young Mical would be trapped in a failing school. In reauthorizing ESEA, Congress needs to create an environment where similar school choice options will be made available for other kids as well. For these kids, being on the right school dictates whether they thrive, flourish and develop the love of learning that will serve them for life. As Presley said, "I wanted to know why Mical was suddenly enjoying school, so I started sitting in on his classes and just saw so much love there. They let the kids know that they are important, that they are somebody and that they have the ability to accomplish great things. Mical is now in the third grade and has grown leaps and bounds. I’m really grateful for this school.” While the debate over ESEA continues, let's hope that the members of Congress grasp the immediate benefit of school choice for families, like Presley‘s, who just want their kids to succeed - by any means necessary. Mical's Story by the Alliance for School, c3 non-profit advocating for educational choice. Urban News Service A Division of American Media Institute www.UrbanNewsService.com
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The Staff and Management of YOUR Milwaukee Community Journal THANKS YOU, our Community, for helping make our 39th anniversary and TNT Scholarship Brunch a smashing success! We look forward to celebrating our 40th year with YOU!
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Photos on these pages, the front page and the back page by Yvonne Kemp
KIMBERLY’S JO
(continued from cover page) I was able to travel abroad to London and attend London University the spring 2002 semester. It was really one of the best experiences in my life. Mrs. O’flynn-Pattillo and the scholarship sponsors helped to make that possible. That was the only semester that I did not work a job at all. I could focus on my studies, travel to other countries, go on a Hot Air Balloon ride, horseback ride, visit the Anne Frank museum, go to Disneyland Paris and more. Life has its ups and downs. After the loss of my mom I really was going through some difficult times. Mrs. O’flynn-Pattillo was there for me, and allowed me the opportunity to volunteer for the scholarship fund. I got to put my accounting degree to really good use and I volunteered through the Verizon Foundation that would write a check on my behalf for $750 after 50 volunteer hours were completed. I obtained three checks of $750 for the Dr. Terence Scholarship fund. Mrs. O’flynn-Pattillo encouraged and helped me to remember that I have solid work ethic and more than capable of completing any task set before me.
I share that to encourage anyone who doesn’t feel appreciated or validated in their current profession, to volunteer your time and talents where you will be appreciated. Who knows it could open doors to an even better opportunity for yourself and others. When the opportunity presented itself to be a Library Assistant at my daughter’s elementary school I tried it out. I really enjoyed helping the students and staff. I was told how much I would be missed once I returned to work. I’ve worked for Brown-Beasley Accounting, Marshall & Ilsley, Milwaukee Athletic Club, Verizon and now somewhere TOP SECRET! I’m still working here in the city of the Milwaukee. It’s good to know that not all young minority professionals leave and go elsewhere. I am living proof of why people should continue to support the Dr. Terence Scholarship fund. I am not only living Dr. Terence’s dream but I am also living Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s dream every day of my life, especially when I go to work as an Internal Auditor. I have been the youngest and sometimes the only person of color on my team. It would have been easier to abandon the Internal Audit profession but
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OURNEY
I am glad that I have stuck with it, I have a solid career in the Internal Audit field that I am happy about. I have experienced my season of loss, but because of Christ that’s in me I will overcome. I was able to work in some very difficult situations and I must say my relationship with Christ, my mom and dad’s sound advice, and the ability to focus on the larger picture has helped me to prevail. So, Mrs. O’flynn-Pattillo I want to thank you for your living legacy that shines forth in my life and all of the scholarship recipients that you have helped over the years. I am so grateful for your commitment and the scholarship sponsors commitment to my success as well. Milwaukee is going through a lot of changes right now so please remember when you help a young person you never know who you are investing in. My daughter and I were also a part of the first International Prayer walk on Saturday May 16th, 2015. I want my daughter to see that her mother cares about Milwaukee and wants this to be a place that she can live and have a progressive impact on too. I share that to say we can all make a positive difference on Milwaukee and there are so many ways to do it.
“I am living proof of why people should continue to support the Dr. Terence Scholarship fund. I am not only living Dr. Terence’s dream but I am also living Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s dream every day of my life...”
“Education is not preparation for life; Education is life itself!”
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--Author unknown
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2015 TNT SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS AND HONOREES
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