GOVERNMENT/POLITICS A4 | OUR COLUMNISTS A6-7 | YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS A10-11 | HEALTH & LIFESTYLES SECTION B | BUSINESS SECTION C
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VOL. 5, NO. 15
APRIL 11, 2011
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To Russia with love Locals are helping establish an English library in Russia See page A-2
FEATURED COLUMNIST BETTY BEAN
Rafting the rapids with Ned Betty Bean remembers Ned McWherter See page AA-44
It pays to preserve Knox Heritage Executive Director Kim Trent explains the benefits of historic renovation See Wendy’s story on page A-3
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Open to inspiration By Wendy Smith It may seem strange that NIMBioS (the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis) would have a songwriterin-residence. But Tim Sellers of the Los Angeles-based band Artichoke has been writing songs about science, and scientists, for years. So it will be a natural extension of his talents to spend April in Knoxville finding musical inspiration at the institute. NIMBioS brings together scientists and mathematicians to find solutions to problems in the field of life science. It was established in 2008 and is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Its technology-laden office space is located on the UT campus at 1534 White Ave. The goal of the songwriter-inresidence program is to encourage artists to produce songs that focus on biologists and the work they do. Sellers is the fifth of eight musicians to receive a stipend to spend four weeks interacting with scientists and writing at least two songs about their work. It won’t be a difficult task for him. He arrived in Knoxville on April 1, and by the following Monday he had written his first song. Sellers’ experience with writing music about science is extensive. Artichoke’s discography includes “26 Scientists, Vol. One: AnningMalthus,” “26 Scientists, Vol. Two: Newton-Zeno,” “Bees” and a new album for children, “26 Animals.” New York Times science reporter Michael Erard, who wrote an article about Sellers, referred him to the Knoxville program because
frame house his parents built in New York state. It had no electricity, and the family grew much of their own food. The experience made him environmentally conscious, and he shares his beliefs through his music. “It’s a non-preachy way to get people thinking about their place in the world.” Sellers and his wife eventually landed in California, where she designs costumes for the Los Angeles Opera. His day job is designing theater sets. But he’s happy to take a break from the West Coast to spend a few weeks reveling in Knoxville’s music scene. As the storms rolled in last Monday, he was playing his guitar on the sidewalk in the Old City. He got a few honks, he says. For those who missed that performance, Sellers is scheduled as a guest on Knox Ivi’s “Eleven O’Clock Rock” on April 20, and will perform at WDVX’s Blue Plate Special at the Knoxville Visitors Center on April 25. He’s also enjoying other kinds of scenery. On his first full day in Tennessee, he participated in a wildflower identification hike in the Smokies with NIMBioS director Louis Gross and other staff members. He enjoys interacting with scientists, whom he characterizes as being laid-back, freethinking and having interesting things to say. Los Angeles musician Tim Sellers plans to immerse himself in the Knoxville art They’re not the only ones. The and music scene during his month-long stay as the NIMBioS songwriter-in-res- scientific community, and the idence. Photo by Wendy Smith world at large, will benefit from this indie-rocker’s take on the role His interest in science comes that science plays in our lives. it seemed like a perfect fit. “I thought I invented the genre,” from a childhood spent in the “I’m open to inspiration,” he woods. He was raised in an A- says. laughs Sellers.
An international honor for West High By Betty Bean
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It’s official. When school opens in the fall, West High School will house Knox County’s first International Baccalaureate Program, which prepares juniors and seniors for university studies and international competition. The nearest IB school is located in Signal Mountain. Sixty students have been accepted into West’s IB Program, including 55 sophomores and five rising junior transfers. The educators at West believe the IB Program will benefit the school as a whole. “IB is not for just the top of the top,” said Shannon Siebe, who will coordinate the IB Program. She explained that students who are not full IB diploma candidates may choose to take selected IB classes. “Just one IB class on their transcript will go really far toward getting them into college,” she said. Principal Greg Roach said he and his staff looked at the program from many different angles before they decided to go to the considerable work and expense necessary to qualify to become an IB school. “One of the first questions we had when we started discussing this was ‘Why this IB thing?’ This goes back four years when we were trying to look at what resources
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West High School academic programs coordinator Shannon Siebe and principal Greg Roach are excited about starting the IB Program. Photo by Betty Bean were out there that would give us a chance to do more for and with students,” said Roach. “The IB Program is going to provide our teachers with connections to other educators worldwide,” Siebe said. West has already garnered considerable recognition for its strong Advanced Placement program, and Roach said the IB Program, which covers six subject areas including English, foreign languages, Indi-
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viduals and Societies (composed of history, psychology and geography), mathematics, experimental sciences and the arts, will make an enriched academic experience accessible to even more students. “The IB Program opens it up a little. It’s about that well-roundedness in all six subject areas, public service and theory of knowledge happening concurrently,” Roach said. “The one course that will be specific to these students is Theory of
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Knowledge. Full Diploma students will be required to take one course from each of the six groups plus Theory of Knowledge, where they will ask questions like ‘Why do we learn?’ How do we learn? How can we use this to grow as a person?’ ” The cost to students is a $135 one-time registration fee. The annual cost to the school system will be about $20,000, which will include a yearly fee to the international organization and continuing professional development for the staff. Start-up costs have been funded out of West High School’s portion of federal stimulus money. “Every teacher has to be trained by the IB Association, and the closest place available to us is in Atlanta at the CASIE Center (Center for the Advancement and Study of International Education),” Siebe said. “Several of our teachers went down to participate in that, so it cuts down on costs.” All of the training costs have been paid for by stimulus funding, Roach said. “We have spent close to $80,000 to become authorized and the district hasn’t paid for anything yet. This includes application fees and teacher training.”
SEE RELATED STORY ‘IB STUDENTS’ ON PAGE A-10.
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