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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: · · · · · · · 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 L 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 Home Phone Mobile Phone E-Mail # of Bricks X $60 $ Amount Please make check made payable to: East Mecklenburg High School Foundation Brick 1: Text Line 1 Text Line 2 Text Line 3 Brick 2: Text Line 1 Text Line 2 Text Line 3 Brick 3: Text Line 1 Text Line 2 Text Line 3 Mail to: East Mecklenburg High School Foundation 6800 Monroe Road Charlotte, NC 28212 Authorization (Customer Signature) Date Stay Connected! Check out our website: www.eastmeckfoundation.org Join us on Facebook: East Mecklenburg High School Foundation Follow us on Twitter: @EastMeckASTI Connect on LinkedIn: East Mecklenburg High School Foundation group East Mecklenburg High School Foundation 6800 Monroe Road Charlotte, NC 28212 Non-Profit org. U.S. Postage Paid Charlotte, NC Permit No. 1017 Current Resident or East Mecklenburg High School Annual Giving Campaign All Star Teacher Initiative
