COMPLIMENTARYCAC AuditedAUGUST 15 – 21, 2013

Anniversary of MarchTwo buses will depart for D.C. from NorthSt. Louis County on Friday, August 23.

Page A3

stlamerican.comVol. 84 No. 20

Treven Lawrence, 2, takes in the view at the Missouri Black Expo onSaturday during the expo’s first year at the Chaifetz Arena.

On Daddy’s shoulders

By Wendy ToddFor The St. Louis American

Bishop LutherJames Blackwell,pastor of the SanFranciscoTemple ChristianAssembly inNorth St. LouisCounty, was ledto his vocationby a powerfuldream.

“I felt anangelic call tothe ministry andran to my grand-mother to ask herwhat I shoulddo,” saidBlackwell, anOhio native whohas been in min-istry for 47years. “She tookme to the pastor,who made spacefor me to preachat the House ofPrayer UnitedHoly Church inthe city ofWarren, Ohio.”

From thatmoment,

Blackwell set out on a journey thatled him to found his own church in1991, Mega Church in Cleveland,with his wife Pastor Lois Blackwell.The church now has about 1,200members.

Lois Blackwell grew up as a pas-tor’s daughter in St. Louis, where herfather, Bishop Dwight Daniels, wasthe leader of San Francisco Temple

GentlybringingchangeBishop LutherJames Blackwelladvances Gospelat San FranciscoTemple

By Bridjes O’NeilOf The St. Louis American

Teachers at Vogt Elementary Schoolin the Ferguson-Florissant SchoolDistrict say they would choose to edu-cate their own children at their school.

“That’s the ultimate testimony that Ican give,” said Doug Ahlers, a fifth-grade teacher at school, “if I’m sendingmy own children here.” Ahlers’ two chil-dren are Vogt alumni.

Leslie Thomas-Washington, principal of Vogt ElementarySchool in the Ferguson-Florissant School District, the St.Louis American Foundation’s 2013 Monsanto School ofExcellence.

Data-driven instructionleads to improvementVogt Elementary is 2013 Monsanto School of Excellence

� “Twitter,Instagramand all thesethings can betools that canadvance theGospel.”

– BishopLuther JamesBlackwell

By American Staff

The National Newspaper Association announced last weekthat The St. Louis American has won its coveted 2013 firstplace award, among all non-daily newspapers in the UnitedStates, for its Newspaper In Education (NIE) program.

The award coincides with this week’s launch of the secondacademic year of The American’s NIE program, which will beexpanded dramatically to include a new page, more schools,more classrooms and additional districts.

The American’s award was part of the National NewspaperAssociation’s (NNA’s) annual Newspaper And Education con-

SLAM’s NIE namedbest innationExpands program toinclude ‘HealthyKids,’ more schools

See NIE, A7

See BLACKWELL, A7

Photo by Wiley Price

On Friday, September 13, VogtElementary will receive the St. LouisAmerican Foundation’s 2013 MonsantoSchool of Excellence Award at theSalute to Excellence in EducationScholarship and Awards Gala, held at theAmerica’s Center Ballroom.

Ferguson-Florissant superintendentArt McCoy Jr., Ph.D., highly recom-mended the school for the award.

“Under the leadership of PrincipalLeslie Thomas-Washington, Vogt stu-

dents, staff and stakeholders exhibitexcellence and equity in educationevery day,” said McCoy, who willreceive the 2013 Stellar Performer inEducation award at the Salute toExcellence in Education gala.

Thomas-Washington oversees rough-ly 40 teachers and staff members whoshe considers to be like extended fami-ly.

See VOGT, A6

By Andrew FowlerFor The St. Louis American

Better Family Life estimates that about 14,000 people partic-ipated in this year’s amnesty project for misdemeanor warrants,including – for the first time – warrants for child support viola-tions.

The event was held three days at three different St. Louis

Photo by Wiley Price

‘Win-win’ onamnesty projectBFL helps 14,000 nonviolent offendersclear warrants, municipalities collect fines

See AMNESTY, A6