VOL. 9 NO. 8
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February 25, 2015
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IN THIS ISSUE
George Perry guided decades of middle schoolers
Fitness craze
The latest fitness craze from California hit Knoxville last year and, judging by the size of the Thursday class at Friendship Baptist Church at 8307 Ball Camp Pike in Karns, Piloxing is now the “it” exercise to build core strength and work the whole body from top to bottom – especially the bottom.
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See Nancy Anderson on page A-3
Rockin’ docs This Friday, some local physicians will be throwin’ down for a good cause at two Old City venues, and they won’t be using their usual medical instruments. They’ll be part of the annual fundraiser “Doc Rock for Health,” a fun, rowdy event that benefits area medical charities.
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See Carol Shane on page B-2
What’s in a name? Last November, the UT Athletics Department announced the “One Tennessee” initiative, which will abolish the use of the name “Lady Vols” in all sports except basketball. Athletics director Dave Hart said this change was driven primarily by past and present student athletes and secondarily by Nike, which is UT’s new “apparel partner,” replacing Adidas.
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See Betty Bean on page A-4
Ice and snow can’t stop Mobile Meals People all over Knox County struggled with weather woes during last week’s ice and snow extravaganza, but a few pressed pause on their own hardships to help folks who were worse off. Mobile Meals’ volunteer coordinator Shelly Woodrick said the program welcomed more than 40 new volunteers within 48 hours when the weather was at its worst.
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See Sara Barrett on page A-5
By Sherri Gardner Howell “Mel Gibson has left the building …” For hundreds in West and North Knoxville, that phrase will always bring a smile, and now, a sense of loss. George M. Perry, age 80, died on Feb. 14 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease. The Gibson quip was one of Mr. Perry’s signature lines during his life at Cedar Bluff Middle School, where he served as principal for 32 years. Mr. Perry’s career as an educator showed where his heart was. He received an associate’s degree from Mars Hill College, N.C., earned a bachelor’s in sociology at CarsonNewman College and a master’s in administration supervision from the University of Tennessee. After teaching at Morristown City Schools, he was principal at Clinton Senior High School and then led Cedar Bluff Middle as principal for 32 years. Mr. Perry was one of the founders and served as president of the East Tennessee Association of Middle Schools and George Perry, center, is surrounded by friends and fans at a dedication at received the Don Rhodes DistinCedar Bluff Middle School in November 2013, when the gym was named for guished Service Award for his sercoach John Melnick. Front row, from left, are Susan Hutsell and Mr. Perry; vice to young people through the back row, Sonya Winstead, Amy Melendy, Betsy Jones and Melnick. Photo Tennessee Association of Middle Schools organization. courtesy of Amy Melendy
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Read Marvin West on page A-4
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By Betsy Pickle South High School alumni, South Knoxville residents and historic preservationists are happy about action that City Council has taken to save the 78-year-old school building. Council voted unanimously at last week’s meeting to acquire the property from the current owner, by eminent domain if necessary. “I could not be more elated that Council approved, on first reading, the purchase of South High School,” said Nick Pavlis, vice-mayor and First District City Council member. “It will take care of a blighted piece of property in the middle of a nice neighborhood,” said Pavlis, who lives in South Knoxville.
“It will preserve a building that means a lot to the graduates of South High. And it will add to the many positive things happening in South Knoxville.” Designed by renowned architect Charles Barber, South High has been on the preservation group Knox Heritage’s Fragile 15 list for many years. “We’ve been working to save South High since 2001,” says Kim Trent, executive director of Knox Heritage. “It went off course with the last person to purchase it, so we’re really glad to see the city getting it back on track for redevelopment with a new owner.” Bahman Kasraei purchased the dilapidated school at auction for $117,700 in June 2008. He
has made no improvements, and the building has sat boarded up, with the roof leaking and the lawn growing wild. City crews have had to mow the lawn. The property, at 953 E. Moody Ave., has been cited for 19 code violations. The city paid to stabilize the building, resulting in a $30,000 lien being placed against the property. Kasraei also owes back taxes to the city and the county. Past-due taxes and liens will be deducted from any sales proceeds he receives. The Abandoned, Blighted and Vacant Properties Committee recommended acquiring the building, which was recently valued at $189,000 in an independent appraisal.
“It was unfortunate that an irresponsible owner got his hands on it for so long and allowed it to deteriorate even more,” said Trent. “It’s good that the city stepped in, or it could have been lost.” In a press release, Becky Wade, the city’s director of Community Development, said the city will hold a public meeting to solicit suggestions for the best use of the building before putting out a request for proposals from developers. “This is a treasured community asset with immense potential for quality redevelopment,” said Wade. “This school is historically significant, it’s iconic, and all of Knoxville is hoping the building will be rehabilitated for the right use in the near future.”
State of the schools, errr super By Betty Bean Knox Schools Superintendent James McIntyre got some unexpected love lately, and not from the usual suspects. Not for his recent presentation before the U.S. Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, nor for his State of the Schools address Jim McIntyre nor his appearance on WBIR TV’s “Inside Tennessee.” The gusher of gratitude erupting from students who were thrilled about the school-free week occasioned by last week’s bad weather exploded on Twitter, where McIntyre’s face got Photoshopped onto Mt. Rushmore and an “American Sniper” poster. One kid put him in an NBA uniform sinking a Pistol Pete-level trey. Teachers were pretty happy, too. McIntyre’s trip to Washington
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To page A-3
City Council comes to South High’s rescue
West says: Don’t forget Doug Atkins Having lived a relatively sheltered life, I did not know Wall St. Cheat Sheet dabbled in sports. A treasured reader told me it listed the 10 greatest NFL defensive linemen of all time and that ex-Vol Reggie White is No. 1. I said great. And where is Doug Atkins? There was a long pause. “He didn’t make it.” Do what?
“George was a major force in implementing the middle school concept into Knox County Schools and ultimately across the state,” says colleague and friend Shirley Underwood, a retired educator and former Knox County Schools middle schools coordinator. George Perry “As an active member of TAMS, he impacted innumerable educators and helped shape the learning of multitudes of students. He was a strong advocate for ensuring that young adolescents were provided opportunities to explore a wide range of subjects and interest areas.” Underwood says the stories at his memorial service were of his big heart, love of life and sense of humor. She says he once described middle-schoolers as “scared to death that everyone was looking at them and just as scared that nobody was.” “He had a joy of language and a love of puns,” says Underwood,
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got some play, and his fourth annual State of the Schools – a slick, heavily scripted event larded with fulsome praise from teachers and students for the superintendent – went off without a hitch under the watchful eye of his PR guru Melissa Ogden, who sat front and center and interrupted her Twitter updates only when she needed both hands to join in the applause lines.
Analysis He wasn’t treated as gently on “Inside Tennessee,” where he declined the opportunity to appear jointly with Lauren Hopson, president-elect of the Knox County Education Association, opting instead to have his own segment after the Hopson interview was done. When grilled about teacher morale by panelists Mike Donila and Don Bosch, he said he doesn’t know how to measure that (apparently forgetting his 2013 survey
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that found 70 percent of teachers registering some level of dissatisfaction with his administration). Moderator John Becker attempted to pin him down, as well. Becker: “You were in the wings and heard Ms. Hopson’s concerns, especially about teachers and the workload and testing that continues. What do you make of what she said?” McIntyre: “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear much of what the interview was.” McIntyre concluded his SoS address with seven new “stakeholder conversations” to be held as part of the new five-year strategic plan. He will double down on APEX (the controversial “strategic” compensation plan for teacher raises and bonuses), the “balanced calendar” concept (year-round school) and the Teachers Advisory Committee (which teachers have criticized for being top-heavy with administrators). His seventh new initiative will
PAIN PILLS?
be to assess the “inventory” of tests administered to children with the help of a $40,000 grant from Achieve Incorporated, the only such grant awarded in Tennessee. And what is Achieve Inc.? Here’s the short answer from an Atlanta Journal Constitution story called “Common Core as a brand name: Who is making money off the new standards?” “Achieve Inc., a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit group that has been heavily involved in writing the (Common Core State) standards, receives funding from corporate titans such as Microsoft, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Chevron and DuPont. Prediction: When it comes time for the school board to discuss the Achieve Inc. grant, count on someone (my money’s on Amber Rountree) to remind McIntyre of the advice of another titan of industry – Warren Buffett: “Never ask a barber if you need a haircut.”
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