Panthers, NFL Foundation Give $200K Grant to Refurbish West Charlotte H.S. Football Field

Now, for a little bit of good news involving the NFL. A press conference was held this morning at West Charlotte High School to announce that the school will receive a new synthetic turf football field, as the result of a $200,000 grant from the Carolina Panthers through the NFL Foundation Grassroots Program. The program has helped build or renovate 290 football fields in underserved neighborhoods around the country since 1998.

This is just the latest form of community, corporate, and financial support West Charlotte High has received as numerous efforts are underway to help turnaround this once-reputable school that saw its academics and student population's well-being plummet in recent years. Project L.I.F.T. (Leadership and Investment For Transformation ) has led or coordinated many of these efforts at the high school as well as its eight feeder schools (elementary and middle), all located in Charlotte's westside.

Photos by Jarvis Holliday

There was a lot of positive energy at the press conference this morning. Of course there were officials representing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the Panthers, and sponsors, including CMS' Superintendent Heath Morrison and Duke Energy Foundation president Richard "Stick" Williams, but what thrilled me the most was to see the involvement of students in the ceremony. This, after all, is who the initiative will positively impact the most, and it gives them another reason to be proud of their school and to believe that the community cares. Members of the West Charlotte High marching band played, the cheerleaders cheered, and several of the football players were there. There was also a group of student journalists conducting interviews.

West Charlotte student journalists. 

Sir Purr is excited (as always).

The refurbished football field will not only be used by the high school students but by recreational programs from the community as well.

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Back-To-School Charlotte 2014 - Community Events

It's back-to-school time in Charlotte, as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students officially say goodbye to summer, and return to learning on Monday, August 25. Below is a handful of great community initiatives (of which I know organizers personally, and commend them for giving back), that are making the start of the school year better and brighter for our youth.

Please support these causes and spread the word!

Cuttin' Class - Community Hair Cutting Day
Saturday, August 23 | 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Park West Barber College, 3120 Wilkinson Blvd.
Just as they've done each year, the owners and staff of No Grease Barbershops are converging at one location and offering free hair cuts on the Saturday before kids go back to school. The free hair cut day will also include giveaways of book bags and school supplies. Boys grades K-12 are welcomed. Presented by No Grease, Inc. and The IT Factor Media Group. nogrease.com, Facebook event.

Hair-A-Thon Community Back-to-School Event
Saturday, August 23 | Begins at 9 a.m.
Pure Body Salon & Spa, 2415 Tuckaseegee Rd.
Young girls can come get pretty in time to start school, as this salon is offering free hair services to the first 60 girls, ages 5-13. They will also be given free school supplies and other goodies. purebodysalon.com.

West Fest
Saturday, August 23 | noon-6 p.m.
West Charlotte High School, 2219 Senior Dr.
This was a popular, annual summer festival on Charlotte's west side in the 1990s, and after a long hiatus, Project L.I.F.T. brought it back last year. This year's family friendly, free event will feature an appearance and performance by ABC Family star and “Just a Kiss” recording artist Mishon, as well as performances by local and regional R&B, jazz, gospel, dance, and hip hop artists, and the West Charlotte High School band. There will also be vendors, a resource fair, health screenings by Novant Healthcare, food, games, prize giveaways, and more. projectliftcharlotte.org, facebook.com/ProjectLIFTCharlotte.

Million Father March
Monday, August 25
Your child's school
The Million Father March is a nationwide initiative to encourage more fathers, particularly African-Americans, to become more involved in their children's education. The effort is kicked off each year by a campaign to get men in local communities to escort kids to the first day of school. And for the second consecutive year, Project L.I.F.T. is organizing it for seven CMS Schools: West Charlotte High School, Allenbrook Elementary, Statesville Road Elementary, Walter G. Byers School, Bruns Academy, Druid Hills Academy, and Ranson IB Middle School. Charlotte volunteers are being asked to sign up by visiting http://bit.ly/millionfathers, and the day will also include distributing of school supplies.

Back-to-School Ice Cream Social
Saturday, August 30
Center of Hope
InSPIRE Charlotte, a nonprofit organization created by professional women who are single parents, are organizing an ice cream social to brighten the day of the 120 school-age children that reside at Center of Hope in Charlotte, an organization that houses and provides services to homeless women and children. The ladies from InSPIRE Charlotte will serve ice cream sundaes and deliver school supplies to the children. If you would like to contribute, you can send school supplies and/or monetary donations to InSPIRE Charlotte, attn: Mashea Miller, P.O. Box 1316 Davidson, NC 28036; or contact  the organization at inspirecharlotte@gmail.com. meetup.com/inspirecharlotte.

And in other back-to-school news, CMS employees received an enthusiastic boost of encouragement during their pep rally yesterday at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Post by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.

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National Volunteer Week Underway, Culminates Locally With Hands On Charlotte Day

I didn't realize this was National Volunteer Week (April 6-12) until I saw a couple of tweets last night on the topic. It's held annually in April, but the week ranges from year to year--sometimes it's near the beginning of April, sometimes at the end--so it tends to creep up (read the Presidential Proclamation for National Volunteer Week 2014). But now that I know--and you know--that it's underway, what are we going to do about it?

Fortunately, in Charlotte, we have Hands On Charlotte, a nonprofit volunteer service organization that makes it easy to get involved in the community throughout the year. HOC coordinates volunteers to help homeless families, guide at-risk youth, tutor disadvantaged children, feed the hungry, care for the environment, and more. The organization keeps a running calendar of volunteer events, in partnership with other local organizations, for which you can sign up.

Photos credit: facebook.com/handsoncharlotte

And its own signature community service event is Hands On Charlotte Day, taking place for the 22nd year, this Saturday, April 12. On HOC Day, as many as 1,000 volunteers spend the day working on projects across the city, ranging from sorting donated clothing and landscaping Charlotte schools to clearing neighborhood debris and repairing nature trails. If you want to participate, you need to register by April 10; and the sooner you register, the more likely you are to get the service project you want. Children and teenagers are allowed to participate at many of the volunteer projects, so you can make it a philanthropic outing for the whole family (pull those brats away from the Xbox).

You'll only have to spend about three hours of your time Saturday morning volunteering, and then you can spend that afternoon at VBGB Beer Hall and Garden for the "after-party" with other HOC Day volunteers.

You'll find all the details at handsoncharlotte.org.

According to Points of Light:

National Volunteer Week is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It’s about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals. National Volunteer Week is about taking action and encouraging individuals and their respective communities to be at the center of social change – discovering and actively demonstrating their collective power to make a difference.

Amen to that.

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West Fest Community Celebration Returns to Charlotte's Westside this Saturday

Charlotte natives know this city before it became what it is today, the way we transplants know it. Because of my work as a journalist, I tend to learn more about this city's history than the average person who moved here within the last decade, like myself (Charlotte had the nation's fastest growing population from 2000 to 2010, by the way). And I love talking to natives who share stories about how things used to be, like how Uptown Charlotte wasn't always the hip and attractive destination it is now, and where certain low-income housing projects used to be, long since replaced by ritzy urban living. As they wax poetic on yesteryear, most will agree that we're all better off with the Charlotte of today. But for some, they want to bring back a little of what's been lost.

That's the case with West Fest, an annual community festival that thrived in the 1990s and that showcased Charlotte’s Westside. It would take place on the football field of West Charlotte High School and feature local vendors, live musical performances, community resources, games, and more. Now, through a collaborative effort led by several local organizations, West Fest returns this Saturday, August 24, noon to 6 p.m., free and open to the public.

West Fest 2013 is being presented as the latest initiative from Project L.I.F.T., the lauded public/private partnership between community leaders, Charlotte-based corporations and foundations, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to help transform West Charlotte High and the eight elementary and middle schools that feed into it. The other major partners in West Fest are UNCC's Urban Education Collaborative, Radio One Charlotte, WBTV, and West Charlotte alum Amber May.

It's an event for the whole family. There'll be food, games, vendors, and a full afternoon of performances from about 20 musicians, poets, and dance groups. The performance lineup includes rappers Bettie Grind and Mr. 704, soul singer Nicci Canada, slam poet Bluz, the West Charlotte band and cheerleaders, and more before national gospel recording artist Zacardi Cortez closes out the stage. Click here for the complete schedule.

Each of the entertainment acts will be introduced by West Charlotte graduates from the 1970s through 2000s, including many who have gone one to become community leaders, like Charlotte City Councilman and mayoral candidate James “Smuggie” Mitchell and JCSU head basketball coach Steve Joyner. There was a time when West Charlotte was churning out future community leaders like them, as well as former-Charlotte-mayor-turned-recently-appointed-U.S.-Secretary-of-Transportation Anthony Foxx. That's the vital community West Fest is trying to showcase, and that Project L.I.F.T. is working year-round to bring back. It starts with the community, the parents, the youth--everyone.

In other Project L.I.F.T. news, the organization is asking fathers with students at any of its nine schools to personally take their kids to school on August 26. They're participating in the nationwide Million Father March, created by The Black Star Project, to increase adult male participation in schools. Research shows an increase in male involvement increases academic and social outcomes for students.

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Community Meetings April 16 and 22 to Discuss 2013-14 Budget Proposal

Last week, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Superintendent Heath Morrison presented his budget proposal for the 2013-2014 school year to the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners. Morrison's 46-page proposal, titled "Advancing The Way Forward," requests a $28.5 million, or 8 percent, increase, for a total of $365.9 million from the county (CMS has a budget of more than $1.1 billion, including money from the county, state, and federal government).

Morrison is nearing the end of his first year as CMS superintendent, after serving in that role at the school district in Reno, Nevada (he was named national superintendent of the year while there). I saw him speak at a Charlotte Chamber luncheon last August and I was impressed with his perspectives on how he would improve Charlotte schools.

Superintendent Heath Morrison. Credit: CMS

A little more than a third of the additional $28.5 million Morrison is requesting would go toward improving technology in schools: increasing wireless Internet capability, adding projection systems in all classrooms, and creating mobile tech labs. Three million dollars would be used to hire 36 facilitators or academic coaches to help teachers improve their skills; $1.2 million would fund after-school and summer programs to help about 5,000 kindergarten through third grade students improve their reading skills; $900,000 would be used to hire 10 people to coordinate community partnerships at 40 to 50 schools and a volunteer coordinator to work district-wide; along with requests for money to create six new magnet programs, as well as money to cover fees for students taking advancement placement tests (source: The Charlotte Observer).

Those all seem like important and worthwhile requests, that I could see myself supporting once I learn more about them. But $28.5 million is a lot of money, and county commissioners have said they might not have the funds to spare, and that they're already having to make cuts to other county-funded programs. Plus, some people might view this as throwing money at the educational problems, when that doesn't always work. But you know what? You, the citizens of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, need to voice your opinions.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is holding two community meetings to discuss the 2013-14 budget proposal. 

• April 16, 6-7:30 p.m. at West Charlotte High School, 2216 Senior Drive
• April 22, 6-7:30 p.m. at Rocky River High School, 10905 Clear Creek Commerce Drive

Superintendent Morrison and members of the executive staff team will present information on the budget priorities and facilitate a question-and-answer session. CMS will provide an interactive technology tool that will allow participants to ask questions and provide feedback from their mobile phones and tablets. It would be a good idea that you looked over the proposal before you attended. Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation. Click here for more info on the meetings.

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Saturday's Black History Brain Bowl Is One of Several Great Programs by Project L.I.F.T.

It was a little more than two years ago that plans for the ambitious Project L.I.F.T. philanthropic education initiative were announced to help improve some of Charlotte's lowest-performing schools. Several of the city's largest corporations and charitable foundations--Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Duke Energy, and the C.D. Spangler and the Leon Levine foundations, among others--came together to give $40.5 million to launch the program; then several other community organizations and philanthropists stepped up during the next year and a half to help the group reach its $55 million fundraising goal. Now, with Project L.I.F.T. having been officially implemented in a five-year plan with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools system, beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, we're seeing many of the efforts start to come to fruition.

You can witness one of those efforts in a fun and creative way this Saturday, February 23 during the first-ever “Lifting Our Black History” Brain Bowl at West Charlotte High School. At the crux of Project L.I.F.T. is West Charlotte High and the elementary and middle schools that feed into it. The six middle schools are competing in Saturday's Brain Bowl, and the teams have been preparing for it all month with IB students from West Charlotte tutoring them.

There will be three rounds in the bowl, consisting of true false, multiple choice, Family Feud-format, and single-elimination questions. The questions have been written by the staff at Beatties Ford Road Public Library and are derived from the book African American Firsts: Famous Little-Known and Unsung Triumphs of Blacks in America, by Joan Potter. Students received copies of this book last semester, thanks to a donation by Johnson C. Smith University. The Brain Bowl is designed by Charlotte City Councilman James “Smudgy” Mitchell, his wife and former astronaut Joan Higginbotham, and West Charlotte IB students. The event will be moderated by Mayor Anthony Foxx, Congressman Mel Watt, Councilwoman Lawana Mayfield, Councilman David Howard, and Former Mayor Harvey Gantt. This event alone embodies how much of a community effort Project L.I.F.T. is.

Parents and the community are invited to attend the “Lifting Our Black History” Brain Bowl, this Saturday, 9 a.m. at West Charlotte High School, 2219 Senior Drive, and support their favorite middle school. The school with the most school spirit will receive an award along with the first and second-place winners in the competition.

The Brain Bowl is just one of several innovative ways Project L.I.F.T. organizers are attempting to achieve 90 percent proficiency, 90 percent on grade level, and 90 percent graduation goals with its more than 7,000 students. CMS recently signed off on a plan that will allow four Project L.I.F.T. schools--Bruns Academy, Walter G. Byers School, Druid Hills Academy, and Thomasboro Academy--to begin a year-round school calendar beginning next school year. Project L.I.F.T. is also engaging in the One Laptop Per Child program and Microsoft's Shape the Future program, to provide computers and Internet access to students and families at a significantly reduced cost. 

Read more about Project L.I.F.T. and find out how you can support this great initiative, by visiting www.projectliftcharlotte.org.

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When A Community Comes Together

I'm constantly reminded of how there are so many people in Charlotte who are working, volunteering, donating, and doing many great things to help address one of the most challenging issues of our time: how to provide a quality education and learning environment for all children.

I attended a luncheon not quite three weeks ago that the Charlotte Chamber put on at Ballantyne Hotel. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' new superintendent, Dr. Heath Morrison, was the guest speaker. Of the many memorable and encouraging remarks by Dr. Morrison (click here, here, here, here, and here for some of my then-live tweets), one of the things I concur with the most is when he said: I've never seen a business community so ready to roll up its sleeves to help education the way Charlotte does.

A shining example of that was the second annual Back to School Youth EmpowHERment Summit a few weeks ago, put on by T.I.M.E. (Taking Initiative Moving Efficiently), and led by Carrie Cook. I had the privilege of dropping in for the afternoon portion of the all-day event. Carrie rounded up sponsors, presenters, volunteers, entertainment, and more to present an impactful experience to 100 Charlotte girls in grades seventh through 12th. Carrie, since 2009, has worked as a regional liaison for U.S. Senator Kay Hagan, leading the Charlotte office and 14-county area, but it's the many hours of her personal time she devotes to the community, through events like the summit, that is most impressive.

Carrie Cook.

"I already had a passion for working with young girls, but something was saying to me to do more," Carrie says, regarding why she launched the Youth EmpowHERment Summit in 2011. "They need to see that there are a lot of positive, dynamic women in the Charlotte community that they can look to as role models. Because when they look on TV, their role models are [on] Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, and Real Housewives, and Basketball Wives. They need to see that there are women in the community who are roboticists, and engineers, and authors, and professors, nurses, and everything else we had on the panel... But more important than those occupations, these women are servant leaders."

Click here to see hundreds of photos from the Youth EmpowHERment Summit.
Photos by Jon Strayhorn/Media Arts Collective. 

Here are a few upcoming back-to-school events that further exemplify the great efforts by local volunteers, community leaders, and organizations. Please show your support.

Back to School Bash—New Life 91.9
Wednesday, August 22, 6:30-8 p.m. | Stumptown Park, 120 S. Trade St., Matthews
New Life 91.9 presents this event in support of A Child's Place, featuring a performance by contemporary Christian singer Chris August. Price of admission is school supplies for ACP, and you're encouraged to bring blankets and folding chairs to enjoy an evening in the park. Vendors will be selling food, and you're allowed to bring your own food and drinks (alcohol not permitted).

Back to School Bash—Prodigal Son Foundation
Saturday, August 25, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. | Ray’s Splash Planet, 215 N. Sycamore St.
The Prodigal Son Foundation, in association with Glam23 PR & Events, is putting on this event for the third consecutive year. School supplies will be given away, while kids will also be treated to fun activities. The event will take place on the field, the gym, and inside the actual splash park. It’s free to the public, with the first 50 kids being allowed to swim for free between 10:30 a.m. and noon, and a $6 fee for anyone else inside the splash park. If you would like to sponsor or donate to this event, email lwray@prodigalsonfoundation.org or call 704-942-8381.

Cuttin' Class: Community Hair Cutting Day
Saturday, August 25, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. | No Grease! Barbershop, 1531 Central Ave.
No Grease and The It Factor Media Group present this event twice a year as kids prepare to go back to school (the other is in January after the holiday break). Boys will be given free haircuts, and boys and girls will receive book bags and school supplies. NBA players will also be present to sign autographs, and complimentary refreshments will be served. RSVP at ff@theitfactormedia.com.

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Watch this Week's Episode of '282', and Each Monday at 6:30 p.m. on WTVI

You might recall, back in December, me telling you about a new, local news roundup television show called 282 that was coming to WTVI, that I'd become a part of. At that time, we were in pilot/beta mode and over the course of a month and a half we taped four online-only episodes. On January 30, the first broadcast episode of 282 aired and the show began its weekly run, so you can now watch new episodes each Monday, 6:30 p.m. on WTVI (channel 42 on broadcast television, DirecTV, Dish Network, and AT&T U-verse; channel 5 on Time Warner Cable).

Set your DVRs to record 282 so you can watch each week as host Carlton Hargro moderates a panel of guests who discuss topics important to and prevalent in Charlotte. I have a role similar to that of Tony Reali on Pardon the Interruption, in that I moderate conversation of the show's topics in the social media world (follow @282tv on Twitter; tweet your comments using #282tv), and I chime in with (hopefully) beneficial facts and stats corresponding to what the panel is discussing.

During the first topic, when we discussed the role the Internet and social media are playing in news today, I flexed my old-school journalist muscle by rocking a trench coat and fedora--the hat was used to hold my press badge. My wardrobe--the button-down shirt, blazer, trench coat, and fedora--were provided by Revolve Upscale Men's Consignment in Dilworth, www.revolvecharlotte.com.

On this week's show, which aired this evening, the topics discussed are: the overload of news content these days thanks to websites, blogs, and social media but does that mean people are being more informed; accessing achievement and dropout rates at Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools and whether the district gets an unfairly bad rap; and the effects of people staying single longer/getting married later in life (special nod to Valentine's Day).

Adding substance and perspective to those topics are this week's guests: Bill Anderson, MeckEd executive director; Shameika R., a Charlotte-based blogger and writer; and the venerable Mark Washburn, columnist for The Charlotte Observer. You can watch the full episode below.

282 is a partnership between CLT Blog and WTVI, and you can watch a live stream of the show while it is being produced each Monday at noon at www.cltblog.com/live; then the finished product airs that evening at 6:30 p.m. on WTVI (repeats at 11 p.m.). We hope you'll interact with us on Twitter because we read some tweets/comments on the show. And if you have suggestions for topics you'd like us to cover or local people you'd like to see appear on the show, tweet those suggestions to @282tv or email to info@cltblog.com with 282 in the subject line.

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CMS Showcases 'Realities' in Powerful, New Video

Anyone who has ever criticized Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (and there are a lot of you) should watch this new video posted today on YouTube by the school district. And not just CMS, but critics of public education everywhere should watch the approximately eight-and-a-half-minute long video.

I'm not here to defend CMS, but far too often far too many people bash our local public school system that educates 138,000 students--53 percent of which are categorized as economically disadvantaged--in 159 schools throughout the county, never giving them credit for anything and pretending as if their jobs aren't challenging.

In the video, CMS starts by stating the effect the recession has had on the district: "We slashed our budget, eliminated resources, and laid off employees," reads a slide in bold print. "And through it all, student achievement increased." Teachers are then shown touting CMS's recent success, such as improving scores on state tests and the SAT, and increasing the graduation rate from 67 to 74 percent in four years.

But what's at the heart of the video--and what should undoubtedly tug at your heart strings--is the showcasing of the hardworking people who come to our schools every day to try to create a great learning environment for our kids. CMS staffers discuss the roles of bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, and teacher assistants. And then there's the profile of the most critical piece of the puzzle: the teachers.

It's pointed out in the video that CMS teachers and support staff haven't received raises since 2008. We all know that teachers, who have one of the most important jobs in the world, are grossly underpaid. In the video, several of them talk about having to work second jobs just to pay their bills. Yet, if you read the comments section of just about any news article about public schools, there's usually a large contingency of people who criticize teachers. Why don't you try doing their jobs for the salary they bring home? And I believe--and know several examples firsthand--that most teachers give 100 percent to their jobs despite not being paid well.

"Teachers are people, too... They go home to families," a CMS official says in the video. At the end of the video, this message appears: "Continuing the academic success in CMS will take the support of an entire community."

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Meet CMS School Board Candidates Monday

Three at-large seats on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Board of Education are on the ballot during next month's election. None of the incumbents are running and there are 14 candidates vying for those three positions--that's a lot of options to choose from. Come meet, hear from, and ask questions to several of those candidates at The Community's Forum, this Monday, October 17, 6 p.m., at West Charlotte High School (2219 Senior Drive).

I know a lot of you will go to the polls next month with plans to vote for mayor and city council, but you won't know a thing about a single person running for school board. Monday's event is your opportunity to get informed. These are the people who make the decisions that impact your children's future--or if you're like me and don't have any children, then you should understand the importance to the community as a whole. Remember, it was the school board that decided what forms of testing would be used in the schools; that decided which schools would close this year because of budget cuts; that makes policy decisions that affect students and teachers; that will hire the new superintendent for CMS next year.

The Community's Forum is open to the public, and being presented by the Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists (CAABJ) and the Charlotte Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. WBTV’s Brigida Mack will host.

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Back-to-School Community Events Saturday and Monday in Charlotte

If I was a kid, this would be the time of year I would dread--end of summer break and back-to-school time. But if you're an underprivileged kid, you have bigger reasons to worry about going back to school. Thankfully, there are several organizations and companies in Charlotte that are giving their time and resources to help make getting back into the classroom an easier, happier, and more exciting time for all children, fortunate or less fortunate.

Here are a few events and causes you should support by bringing your kids (or neighbors' kids) or by making donations.

 Saturday, August 20

School Tools Postal Collection Day
All month long, WSOC-TV's 9 Family Focus, in partnership with Communities In Schools and Classroom Central, has been leading a community outreach project to collect school supplies for children. And this Saturday, you can contribute and barely have to leave your house. U.S. Postal Service letter carriers will collect school supplies left at residential mail boxes on August 20. Supplies donated in your county will stay in your county and help local children succeed in school. Participating counties are: Mecklenburg, Anson, Cabarrus, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lancaster, Lincoln, Richmond, and Rowan. Click here for a full list of participating zip codes, www.wsoctv.com/school-tools/index.html.

Back-to-School Festival at Druid Hills Academy
Now expanded from a K-5 to a K-8 school, Druid Hills hosts this annual event Saturday to welcome students back by providing a fun-filled day of games, prizes, food, and more. It will also unite the school's community partners and allow them to display the many resources they provide for local families. Several community organizations, faith-based groups, and local businesses are participating, including: Altrusa International of Charlotte (primary sponsor), the Johnston YMCA, Carolinas Medical Center, Domino's Pizza, Rita's Italian Ice, Power 98 FM, Charlotte Children's Choir, Communities In Schools, A Child's Place, Smart Start, Target, CMPD, and more. If you have any questions, contact Joseph Allen, CIS site coordinator at Druid Hills Academy, 980-343-5515, joseph1.allen@cms.k12.nc.us. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Druid Hills Academy, 2801 Lucena St., www.cischarlotte.org.

Family Options Fair
This event provides a fun family atmosphere where the community can learn about organizations that are available to provide mentoring, tutoring, after-school programs, life skills, and leadership development for the youth in the Charlotte area. Participating organizations include: the City of Charlotte, Urban League, YMCA, CMPD, Girl Talk Foundation, and more. There will be free pizza from Mr. Jim’s Pizza and other refreshments. And No Grease Barber Shop will be giving out vouchers for free haircuts. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet local elected and public officials. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Stratford Richardson YMCA, 1946 West Blvd., www.facebook.com/centercityymcas.


Monday, August 22

Cuttin' Class - Community Hair Cutting and School Supply Day Presented by The IT Factor Media Group, LLC and No Grease Barber Shop, I've seen this annual event do great things for the community for about three years now. On Monday, they're giving back to the children in the community by providing free haircuts, school supplies, and 1,000 book bags to school-age children in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area. Plus, Charlotte Bobcats forward Tyrus Thomas and New Jersey Nets shooting guard Anthony Morrow will be on-site during the event to sign autographs and take pictures with the children. Complimentary refreshments will be served. For more details, contact Felisha Fletcher, The IT Factor Media Group, 919-247-5973, ff@theitfactormedia.com. 1-7 p.m. Free; RSVP requested for large organizations. No Grease Barber Shop, 1531 Central Ave. www.theitfactormedia.com, www.nogrease.com.

Charlotte Contributes: Project Classroom Come out Monday, have a drink, mix and mingle, and don't forget to bring some school supplies. This charity event for Classroom Central is asking for pencils, pens, one-subject notebooks, dry-erase markers, glue sticks, construction paper, index cards, colored pencils, magic markers, etc. Bring any of the following needed supplies and Charlotte Contributes will buy you a draft beer. Email japrilsmith@gmail.com if you have any questions. 6 p.m. Free. Top Shelf Rooftop Bar at Whiskey Warehouse, 1221 The Plaza, www.classroomcentral.org, www.whiskeycharlotte.com.

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Rick Hendrick Is a Hero

Great news today from an announcement by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. In recent months, I'd talked to several community leaders and educators who were concerned about how Charlotte youth would be negatively impacted if middle school sports were eliminated due to budget cuts. "Kids in well-to-do families will make up for it by playing in rec leagues. But kids in working class or low-income families can't afford that or their parents, many of them single parents, won't be able to shuttle them around to practices," a school representative told me one day a couple of months ago. I also had a conversation about how after-school sports help keep kids off the street. Now, thanks to the generosity of Charlotte businessman and NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, CMS' middle school sports will not be cut this school year.

Read an excerpt of the CMS news release below.

A $250,000 sponsorship agreement with Hendrick Automotive Group will allow Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to offer a complete program of middle school sports for the 2011-12 academic year.

Due to budget cuts, CMS had expected to reduce the number of middle school sports offered in previous years. The Hendrick sponsorship, combined with a contribution from an unidentified donor, provides the remaining amount necessary to fund the full lineup of 13 sports at all 32 middle schools for more than 6,500 students participating in athletics across the district.

The agreement gives the company naming rights of statistics announced during breaks at high school athletic events; recognition as a title partner in announcements at the end of high school events; and signage that will be displayed at middle and high school athletic events.

CMS will use the sponsorship money to help pay coaching stipends, fees for officials and transportation costs for middle school athletics. Students must still pay some sports-participation fees, introduced by CMS for all middle and high school student-athletes last year.

“As someone who participated in sports growing up and has kids who played, I understand the impact those experiences can have on young people,” said Rick Hendrick, chairman of Hendrick Automotive Group.

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Two Free Seminars Tuesday: Presentation Skills; Using Twitter to Find Jobs

There are two separate seminars being presented free of charge tomorrow (Tuesday, April 26) that are offering tips and skills that can benefit you professionally.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' Parent University is holding a program on Effective Presentation Skills from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Mallard Creek High School, 3825 Johnston Oehler Rd. Moira Quinn, senior vice president of communications for Charlotte Center City Partners, is presenting the program that is open to adults and high school students who want to learn more about how to make an effective presentation in public. Participants will receive tips and strategies on making presentations that are clear, concise, and engaging. Click here to register for the event. And visit www.cmsparentuniversity.org from more on Parent University.

Also taking place tomorrow is a seminar on Using Twitter In Your Job Search, 7-9 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church, 1623 Carmel Rd. The event is being hosted by the St. John’s Episcopal Church Job Hunters Support Group and will feature Rich Sauser, Gary Zukowski, and Conrad Leao. Sauser is founder of The Public You and has trained more than 1,000 people on how to use social networking sites to help build careers and land a new job. Zukowski is an expert in the area of recruiting and job sourcing, and is president of TweetMyJOBS and EasySoft Solutions. Leao is vice president for DATA Inc., where he oversees the direction of recruiting activities which includes social media marketing. Attendees will learn how to get started with Twitter and LinkedIn; how it works and who is using it; third-party tools and related websites; how to use Twitter and other tools in a job search; and a review of companies using Twitter and other social media sites for recruiting. Although this is a free event, seating is limited so a ticket is needed to attend. Go to tweet4jobs.eventsbot.com.

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A Tale of Two Stories: Fight at Butler vs. East Meck Game Friday; Announcement of Project LIFT to Aid West Charlotte Monday

If you ever wanted to understand the complexities that make up the public school system today, just look at the two largest headlines coming out of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools right now. And perhaps the way in which we share these stories says more about us than the events.

On Friday night, a fight broke out at the Butler High School versus East Mecklenburg High School basketball game. Allegedly, two parents and their daughter attacked a school resource officer, who is paid to keep the peace at events such as this. A camera crew from WCNC NewsChannel 36 (Charlotte's NBC affiliate) was at the game recording footage for the night's sports coverage, and ended up getting the entire brawl on tape. The video, which is embedded below, has gone viral, popping up on websites and newscasts across the country for the last three days.

Fast forward to Monday morning, and a group of Charlotte business and philanthropic leaders, known as the CMS Investment Study Group, unveiled a five-year, $55 million plan to help improve performance at West Charlotte High School and the seven elementary and middle schools that feed into it. West Charlotte High has a 51 percent graduation rate. Repeat: Almost half of West Charlotte's students aren't graduating. Titled Project L.I.F.T. (Leadership and Investment For Transformation), this new effort will "focus on enhanced teacher and school leadership quality, more time spent on task (including extended day, out of school time, and pre-kindergarten programs), access to technology, and policy changes that will allow school leadership more freedom." A news video of the announcement is embedded below as well. Click here to read the press release announcing Project L.I.F.T.

It's a tale of two stories. One gave Charlotte a black eye. The other gave Charlotte one more reason to be admired by other cities. I wonder if Monday's story will spread like wild fire across the Internet like Friday's did. Probably not. Instead of people not wanting to look away from the train wreck, I hope the community will soon take seriously this collision course we're on with a future filled with large, uneducated segments of the population. Like the behavior in the fight video, it starts at home.

Hats off to the Charlotte corporations and foundations that have already made hefty pledges to Project L.I.F.T., totaling $40.5 million so far:

• Belk Foundation: $1 million
• Foundation For The Carolinas: $2 million
• Wells Fargo Foundation: $2.5 million
• Duke Energy Foundation: $5 million
• Bank of America Charitable Foundation: $10 million
• C.D. Spangler Foundation: $10 million
• The Leon Levine Foundation: $10 million

Click here if you would like to contribute to the cause.

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Public Schools Coverage Is Why Newspapers Are Important...and Why You Should Read Them

I often hear people say they don't read the newspaper. Contrary to what they might think, that statement doesn't come with the same aura of sophistication as when people say "I don't watch television" (and even that's often a misguided attempt at intellectual supremacy). But most likely, when people are saying they don't read the newspaper, they mean they don't read the printed edition. Many of you are reading the stories newspapers publish--you're just reading them online, either by going directly to newspapers' websites or from being led there by a link a friend posts on Facebook or Twitter. But if you're not even reading the newspaper online, shame on you.

I haven't read a print edition of a newspaper regularly in about five years. I remember moving into my first apartment in my first city for my first job after college and buying a subscription to the local newspaper. I felt it was important for me to do as a professional journalist. Plus, I'm a news junkie so reading it was a form of information and entertainment. But when that subscription expired, I didn't renew it. It became hard to justify it when I had visions of stacked up, unread papers in my living room. As life got so busy, it became harder to find time to read the newspaper every day. I wouldn't want to crack open the paper because I didn't have the time in the evening to devote to reading it. Or I would pick it up and just scan the front page.

Since then, which was around 2002/2003, newspapers have greatly improved the quality of their websites and the quantity of stories they publish to them. Having lived in Charlotte now for the past five years, I read The Charlotte Observer every day...online. On a typical day, I'll visit CharlotteObserver.com at least five times, from morning to night. I look forward to the updates they make to the homepage, and it's how I best stay informed on what's going on around me.

Unlike some people I know, I've never doubted the importance of a quality local newspaper. Sure, it's vital to the industry I work in, but it's even more important to local residents. And The Observer is important to everyone who lives in Charlotte, whether they realize it or not (and I'm not getting paid a dime to say this). The importance of the newspaper has become abundantly clear over the last few weeks through The Observer's coverage of what's happening at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the proposed school closings. No other media outlet is covering this issue more thoroughly than The Big O.

Stories about CMS and the concerns of the community have been on the front page of the printed edition most days during the past month. And The Observer has built a newsbank of information on CMS on its website. You'll find a database that features a profile on each school, which includes demographic breakdown, number of suspensions, etc. There are databases on CMS salaries and a directory of board-certified teachers, as well as a listing of contact information for each CMS board member (should you be inclined to take this issue seriously enough to want to contact them). And all that's in addition to the day-to-day news coverage, such as recaps of school board meetings, analyses of school funding, and details on exactly which schools are on the closure list. Again, no other media outlet is providing information this extensively. Not your favorite TV station, and certainly not your favorite blogger.

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One 'Richgirl' Is From Gastonia

I attended the Teen Summit last evening, a forum for local tweens and teens put on a few times a year by Girl Talk Foundation, Inc. The nonprofit organization is led by Power 98's Janine Davis and they provide programs and outreach to young girls to help build self-esteem and educate them on how to deal with the challenges they face during this very influential time in their lives. The Teen Summit is open to both boys and girls and this edition attracted about 300 of them for a two-hour session at the Albemarle Road Recreation Center.

It was a great event and I commend Davis and her team for the excellent work they do. This is, however, Grown People Talking, so I don't talk much about teens. But the Teen Summit had something we grown people could appreciate. Even though the adults were ushered into a separate room (called CMS Parent University) so the teens could feel comfortable talking without being concerned with their parents' reactions, I managed to duck in for something worth a grown man seeing.

Up-and-coming R&B group Richgirl made an appearance, performed a couple of songs, and hung around until the end to sign autographs. I'd heard of this group and their first single "24". They were signed to a record deal and are produced by Rich Harrison, the popular songwriter who has written songs for Amerie (most of her first album and the hit "One Thing" from her second) and Beyonce ("Crazy In Love" and Destiny's Child's "Soldier"). With a talented producer behind them and the looks of supermodels, these girls are destined for stardom.

I now have a favorite girl group: Richgirl.

I was standing in the lobby talking on the phone when they walked in and I was rendered speechless. I wasn't sure who they were at the time but I knew I had to stick around. After seeing them perform, I was even more impress. They have great voices. One of them actually sounds a lot like Beyonce, largely because they sing those fast-paced R&B songs Beyonce has become known for. The four-member group consists of Audra from San Diego, Brave from Baltimore, Seven from Haines City, Florida, and Lyndriette, from Gastonia. That's right, nearby, tiny Gastonia.

You can learn more about Richgirl by visiting their Myspace page and by reading this recent Billboard article.

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High School Fights and YouTube

I was talking to a group of teenagers the other day whom I counsel, when they put me on to an alarming trend. We were standing around my laptop talking, when one of them asked me to go to YouTube and search for some crazy new dance called the "Stanky Leg" because they wanted to learn it. Unfortunately, all these ridiculous new dances that are out isn't the alarming trend I'm referring to (plus, I see that as just kids being kids). After looking up a couple of dances, one of them asked me to search for a fight. And that began them calling out different high school fights for me to look up.

So what I learned is that you can type in a number of Charlotte high schools, followed by the word "fight," and you're likely to find a video posted of students fighting. I did a quick YouTube search again just now and I found videos of fights at Independence High (a fight outside), East Meck (a fight in the classroom), and West Meck (a fight in the bathroom, which someone has posted and set to music). Each of the videos is less than a minute long, which leads me to believe the students were recording them on their camera phones, which usually only allow short videos.

This video of a fight at Independence High School was uploaded to YouTube last May and has received more than 26,000 views. (I only posted a still as opposed to the actual video because I don't condone this.)

Now before anyone jumps on the bashing-CMS bandwagon, understand that this is not a Charlotte problem. This is a societal problem. Fights have always happened and will always happen at school, and I can't say whether kids today are more violent than we were. But they have more technology at their disposal that brings these things to the forefront. Plus, these fights aren't just being captured at schools. You can find thousands of videos on YouTube of kids (and adults) duking it out in parks, parking lots, streets, backyards, and just about anywhere. If someone can sneak in a camera to capture Saddam Hussein's execution (which I refused to watch), anything can be caught on video at anytime. What we have to do, as a society, is stop lending credence to this kind of thing.

We shouldn't be enticed to run and see or hear every caught-on-tape moment. I reminded those group of teens that kids have gotten arrested over similar video postings. It may seem like something funny and entertaining until you're going to jail over it. My solution to this--and most other problems facing our kids today--is simple. Parents: Be more involved in your kids' lives. Find out what they're doing on MySpace, YouTube, and with their phone texting. Or learn about it the hard way.

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