May 2014 - The East Mecklenburg High School Foundation

EAST MECKLENBURG TODAY!
EAST MECKLENBURG
HIGH SCHOOL FOUNDATION
The East Mecklenburg high school
foundation exists to enhance the
educational program at East
Mecklenburg high school by
d eve l o p i n g a n d s u p p o r t i n g
initiatives, projects, and programs
t h a t p ro m o t e p ro f e s s i o n a l
development, provide resources,
improve the educational
environment and otherwise support
a n d e n c o u r a g e t e a c h e rs,
administrators, students and
parents.
Board of Directors
President
Linda Peak
Vice President
Barry Woolsey
Treasurer
Suzanne Mecum ‘65
Justine Busto ‘79
Richard Carter ‘85
Marcia Chumas ‘84
Ron Davis
Teresa Arim Fesmire ‘73
Mark Goldsmith ‘73
Ken Gray ‘76
George Johnson
Jimmy Lee ‘85
Russell Mansfield ‘81
Libby
Whitescarver Privette ‘59
Sue Sams
Ken Willis
John Woodcock
Laura Yaeger ‘70
Nancy
Abernathy Young ‘59
Principal
Rick Parker
Assistant Principal
Billie Little
Honorary Directors
Robert Silver ‘73
Mark Nixon
Frank Reed
Director
Robin Freeman
April 2014
EAST MECKLENBURG HIGH SCHOOL FOUNDATION
East Meck Loses a Legend
Leroy “Pop” Miller
1920-2014
East Mecklenburg
High School Principal
1973-1983
“Pop Miller was a one-of-a-kind leader. He had the ability to bring the best out
of his students and he had the ability to build his school's success around a strong
and caring faculty, accompanied by outstanding leadership, joined by willing
and thoughtful parents and fulfilled by motivated students. He created an
atmosphere where students wanted to go to school for all the right reasons and
to not just attend, but to excel.”
—John Miller ‘76
Leroy "Pop" Miller, of Charlotte, passed on March 1, 2014, in Kansas City, Missouri.
East Mecklenburg High School has a legacy of excellence that has spanned decades.
From 1973-1983, our halls were graced with Principal Leroy “Pop” Miller. During a
tumultuous time of racial tensions, Pop was steadfast, fair and incredibly successful
at East. He is highly regarded and loved by the East Alumni who were fortunate
enough to interact with him daily. Many alumni attribute their successes to lessons
learned from Pop. He believed in his students. He expected the best from them. So
many have said that they live their lives based on the standards he set.
East Meck would like to honor Pop Miller and continue his legacy of excellence by
naming a campus building after him. By giving Pop and his family a permanent
token of our gratitude, we can thank them for the tremendous impact he has had on
our community. We are incredibly grateful for our rich history and the important
role that Pop has played at East Meck. Pop Miller is the very essence of Eagle Pride
and his legacy needs to be carried on for generations to come.
In lieu of flowers, the Miller family requests that donations be made to the: East
Mecklenburg High School Foundation, Attn: East Foundation - Pop Miller, 6800
Monroe Road, Charlotte, NC 28212.
Director’s Notes
Greetings from the East Mecklenburg
High School Foundation!
Having
started at the Foundation in the middle
of January, I was greeted so warmly by
the East Family. The faculty, staff,
students, parents and alumni have been
extremely helpful, welcoming and
enthusiastic. I am thrilled to be part of
the team! East Meck is an integral part
of our community and I look forward to
contributing to its continued success.
The All Star Teacher Initiative (ASTI) is a
teacher-focused, teacher-run grant
making entity funded by the
Foundation. With the first hand
knowledge of what East truly needs,
teachers apply for grants that will
improve their ability to teach and serve.
Whether it be a Professional
Conference or Seminar, supplies for an
innovative teaching concept or even a
group trip to Classroom Central to stock
up on supplies, ASTI evaluates and
approves all the funding. In addition to
grants, every teacher gets a stipend at
the beginning of the school year to help
offset the cost of classroom supplies.
Looking back on our own educational
careers, we can always find that one
teacher who made a distinct impact on
our lives. The Foundation was
established to honor those teachers
and to support the teachers currently
inspiring the students at East Meck.
The Foundation has done some truly
amazing work for the East community
and, with your help, we will continue to
support teachers who work tirelessly to
educate our students. Go Eagles!!!!
Sincerely,
Robin E.C. Freeman
Executive Director
Barry Shuford Named Coach of
East Meck Eagle Football
Barry Shuford is proud to take
the reins of the East
Mecklenburg High School
Football program. Coach
Shuford completed his 7th
season as head football coach
at Olympic High School with a
53-32 record with the Trojans
earning a conference
championship in 2009. He is the winningest coach in Olympic's 47
year history. Shuford came to Olympic from Parkwood High after
stints at Butler High School where his 2002 team finished 12-3 and
Western 4A Runner-up, Independence, Garinger, Bessemer City
High, Maiden High and Lenoir-Rhyne College. Shuford was selected
as Conference Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2009 and was the NC
delegate to the NFL Youth Football Summit in Canton, Ohio in 2002.
Shuford was chosen as the Carolina Panther Coach of the Week in
1997. Shuford played at Lenoir-Rhyne College earning All-SAC-8 and
NAIA District 26 at Defensive Tackle and served as captain in
1983.He served as an assistant coach to the NC Shrine Bowl team in
2011.
Shuford is proud to have coached over 100 student-athletes that
have gone on to play college football. He may be the only high
school coach in NC that has a former player with a Super Bowl Ring
(Troy Pelshak with the St. Louis Rams), World Series Ring (Kevin
Millwood with the Atlanta Braves) and a NCAA National
Championship Ring (Cason Beatty with Florida State University).
East Mecklenburg is thrilled to have Coach Shuford on board. We
are looking forward to seeing the Eagles back on the field next fall
and showing our Eagle Pride!!
East Meck Alum Honored
Charles W. Thomas, Jr. ‘91
Charles Thomas, Executive Director of
Queen City Forward, won the Non-Profit
of Distinction Award by Pride Magazine
at the Lowe’s Pride Awards on January
18th. Queen City Forward
(www.QueenCityForward.org) provides
a hub for entrepreneurs with business
ideas that address social needs and work
to balance a triple-bottom-line of
people, planet and profit.
Charles is an artist-photographer, educator and entrepreneur. He
is a graduate of East Mecklenburg High School and Duke
University. He came to Queen City Forward from The Light Factory
Contemporary Museum of Photography and Film where he served
as Director of Education since 2003. Charles recently co-published
a book of photography and stories with author Valaida Fullwood
called GIVING BACK: A Tribute to Generations of African American
Philanthropists. He owns Sankofa Photography.
Unsung Heroes: Women in the Civil Rights Movement
Two Day Program Educates Students and Teachers Alike
On March 12-13, East Mecklenburg High School was visited
by three members of the Civil Rights movement. Shirley
Cherry, Barbara Cross and Dorothy Counts-Scoggins
engaged the students and faculty in a program entitled:
“Unsung Heroes: Women in the Civil Rights Movement”.
The program, developed by East Meck History Teacher,
Larry Bosc, stemmed from an annual field trip to
Birmingham, AL. Bosc, seeing how the trip has impacted
his students and the faculty chaperones, sought to bring a
similar experience to a much larger audience at East
Mecklenburg. Program funding came from the East
Mecklenburg High School Foundation’s All-Star Teacher Initiative.
Shirley Cherry grew up in the racially segregated South and was banned from attending school or walking
into a library. She recently retired as the Tour Director of the Dexter Parsonage Museum on Centennial Hill
in Montgomery and has won numerous awards and honors for promoting racial and social harmony.
Barbara Cross, a survivor of the 1963 bombing of Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, is a
speaker, historian and civil rights advocate. Cross shares her historical perspective with audiences
nationwide, including past interviews on the Montel Williams Show and the Oprah Show, as well as the
Oscar-nominated documentary, “Four Little Girls” directed by Spike Lee.
Dorothy Counts-Scoggins was one of the first four African-American students to attempt to integrate
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. In 1957, Counts-Scoggins attended the previously all-white Harding High
School. Counts-Scoggins used her experience with desegregation to fuel her work in the education field.
On March 12th, East Meck teachers had the opportunity to learn from our distinguished guests at a
Professional Development seminar. Cherry started them off with laughter and high energy as she listed
and explained the numerous women who made an impact on the Civil Rights Movement. Barbara Cross
was fiery and passionate as she spoke about being in the basement of the Sixteenth Street Church when
the Ku Klux Klan bombed the building, killing 4 of her friends. Dorothy Counts-Scoggins depicted the day
she walked down the sidewalk on her way to Harding High School, holding her head high despite crowd’s
jeering and spitting.
That evening, students presented a collection of short plays, poems and songs relating to Civil and Human
Rights. East Meck has an amazing pool of talented artists and performers.
Our three speakers presented to more
than 500 students the following day.
Students were riveted by the speakers’
words and offered standing ovations for
each woman. The program ended with a
moving rendition of “We Shall
Overcome” lead by the Women’s
Chamber Choir.
Eagle Flight
Soars
Eagle Flight is a program designed to
identify, seek and reach first-time
ninth grade students who are at risk
of failing academically and socially at
East Meck.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
THANK YOU!
Your support funds the All Star Teacher Initiative (ASTI). Over
the last year ASTI has approved a myriad of grants for East
Mecklenburg Teachers including:
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350 scientific calculators
Posters and frames for the new auditorium
Class sets of books
Professional books
Audio/Visual equipment for the Media Center
Culinary equipment for the Culinary Arts Department
Software programs for Math, Science & Social
Studies
· Occupational Course of Standard job equipment
· Substitute pay for teacher chaperones
· Registration fees for numerous Professional
Development Conferences
· Civil Rights trip fees for chaperones
· Technical set up for newly renovated Auditorium
· Team Building and Group Activities for Teachers
and. . .
· $200 stipends for every teacher at the beginning of
the school year
The ASTI program provides much needed supplies and support
that would otherwise come out of the teachers’ pockets or not
be made available at all. Donations from alumni and friends
allow the Foundation to continue this important program.
Thank you so much for your continued support of the East
Mecklenburg High School Foundation, the All Star Teacher
Initiative and the teachers, staff and students at East
Mecklenburg.
The success of this program is the
result of the collaboration of
parents, administration, teachers,
students and counselors; with an
emphasis on mentoring being the
key component in making an impact
on our youth. Mentors hold students
accountable by encouraging them
and serving as a bridge of
communication and support
between the school and the family.
The curriculum used for Eagle Flight
is aligned with the NC Standards and
is based on building foundational
skills in English and Algebra 1.
Students meet one Saturday a month
to take literacy and math sessions
taught by state certified teachers.
Students are also provided with time
to work on writing activities while
their parents attend sessions led by
teachers and guidance counselors.
This school year, the Eagle Flight
program has 58 participants. Since
its creation in 2010, the program has
reached 159 students. This summer,
a new group of identified ninth
graders will benefit from the
academic and social skills imparted
by the one-on-one mentoring and
summer camp experience. With this
new skill set, students will remain
enrolled at East Meck and graduate.
The Eagle Flight program is partially
funded by the East Mecklenburg
Foundation.
Overheard in the Hall
What East Meck Teachers are saying about the
Foundation, the All Star Teacher Initiative and the
funding you’ve provided
“I have taught in many different schools and
States and have never had a program like the
Foundation. The money at the beginning of
the year, after school activities, and the Professional Development opportunities make
you feel appreciated as a teacher.”
“I got a high speed camera that my students use to
take data for experiments every year. The slow motion makes for great experimental results and some
great images. Use of a camera like this
makes teaching science exciting for
students and me as a teacher.“
“For me, I have found that the work of the Foundation helps keep the staff at East to be more of a
family. Two of the most signif cant events that are funded by the Foundation bookend our year.
The f rst, is a welcome luncheon. This gathering gives us a chance to meet the new members of
the staff and reconnect. It isn't about content, or initiatives, or more paperwork. The event is
about people. About sitting together for a meal and forming true connections. At this event there
aren't barriers based on experience or department. It starts the year with the right tone. At the
other end of the school year, is the retirement lunch. Because we are a family, and are so close,
when someone leaves it needs to be acknowledged, and the staff needs to say goodbye. Through
these two events, I have been able to forge connections with peers in a way that other schools do
not. We communicate more and are more supportive. Classroom innovations are shared more
freely because we are familiar with each other and are invested in each others' success.”
“It has impacted the ability to do more in the classroom. Freeing up personal money on supplies for activities to enhance the common core since we do not
have textbooks. I was able to do more rigorous activities with the students that I normally would not have
been able to do.“
“Having ASTI makes it
more than just a job. We
are supported here.”
“ASTI partially funding our trip to Birmingham this past fall in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the bombing of the 16th
Street Baptist Church was a tremendous experience for all the 19
teachers who went.”
CE
N
HA R!!!
C
ST RDE
A
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O
TO
Please fill out the form
below to have your
name and year of graduation permanently engraved in a brick and
placed in the courtyard
at East.
The Eagle
Walkway
Customer Name
Name
Address
City, State Zip
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E-Mail
# of Bricks
X $60
$
Amount
Please make check made payable to: East Mecklenburg High School Foundation
Brick 1:
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Brick 2:
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Brick 3:
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Mail to:
East Mecklenburg High School Foundation
6800 Monroe Road
Charlotte, NC 28212
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East Mecklenburg High School Foundation
6800 Monroe Road
Charlotte, NC 28212
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Charlotte, NC
Permit No. 1017
Current Resident or
East Mecklenburg High School Annual Giving Campaign All Star Teacher Initiative