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WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2012 VOL. 14, NO. 45 FREE

FREEPRESS A PUBLICATION OF ACE III C OMMUNICATIONS

by Daniel [email protected]

The stands in theMiller Grove HighSchool gymnasiumwere packed withcheering fans on

an. 28, but it wasnt a basket-ball game that drew the largecrowd.

Students, teachers and par-ents had gathered in the gymo recognize the winners ofhe 13th annual Helen Ruffin

Reading Bowl.Gwen Green, a media spe-

cialist at Stephenson MiddleSchool, has been volunteeringfor the reading bowl every yearince it began.

The teams are split up likea basketball team; there are fivetarters, five alternates, Greenaid.

This year 84 DeKalb Coun-y schools participated in the

eading bowl: 52 elementary,8 middle and 14 high schools.Green said the students aregiven a list of 20 books to readover the summer and through-out the year, which they areested on in different rounds

during the bowl.There are only 10 ques-

ions in a round and they dontknow which ones theyre goingo be asked about. Either you

know it or you dont, Greenaid.

Green said the bowl, begunby Helen Ruffin, started outmallat first there were only

one or two schools participat-ng. Ruffin, a retired mediapecialist from Sky Haven El-

ementary School, soon caughthe interest of many of her col-eagues and the reading bowlpread county-wide. Now,imilar events take place acrosshe state.

The winners of this com-petition go on to compete downn Clayton [County] for the re-

gionals. Then, after that, thereshe division and state competi-ions, Green said.

Annual reading event brings thousands to Miller Grove HighHelen Ruffin Reading Bowl

Elementary School:

First place:Montgomery

Second place:Ashford Park

Third place:Avondale

Shadowrock

Middle School:

First place:Henderson

Second place:Champion Theme

Third place:Tucker

High School:

First place:Chamblee Charter

Second place:Arabia Mountain

Third place:Tucker

The results of the 13th annual Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl:

www.championnewspaper.com

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www.twitter.com/championnews

Follow us.

Serving East Atlanta, Avondale Estates, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur, Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake, Tucker and Stone Mountain.

See Reading on Page 15A

The 13th Annual DeKalb Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl was held at Miller Grove High School on Jan. 28. The students participating in the compe-tition were tested on their knowledge of 20 books, which they were supposed to have read throughout the year. Photos by Daniel Beauregard

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Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday, February 3,

School board appeals in hope to avoid another lengthy lawsuity Daniel [email protected]

The DeKalb CountyBoard of Education is tryingo dismiss a lawsuit that, if itoes to trial, could cost the

DeKalb County School Sys-em millions of dollars.

In 2011, two DeKalbCounty teachers led aawsuit against the boardlleging it owes them, andhousands of other teachers,

money that has been with-eld from a tax-shelterednnuity (TSA) fund since009.

Plaintiffs Elaine Goldnd Amy Shaye, both teach-rs in the DeKalb Countychool System, led theomplaint on March 16,

011.When they made this

ecision they were trying tolug a hole in the budget andheir estimation for this linetem was $26 million for the009-10 school year, attor-ey John Salter said of theoards decision to stop con-ributing to the fund. Itsur belief that the termina-ion and suspension is in-alid and they should catchp and continue to pay. Now

were getting into the secondnd third year of those ben-ts not being paid.

In 1979, the DeKalb

County School Board be-gan seeking alternatives toSocial Security and accord-ing to the lawsuit, passeda resolution authorizing analternative plan and alsorequiring, the board of edu-cation shall give a two-yearnotice to employees beforereducing the funding provi-sions of the alternative planto Social Security.

However, in 2009 theschool board, facing budgetcuts and nancial strain,

voted to freeze contributionsto the TSA plan.

The view of the board isthat they acted appropriatelygiven the economic condi-tions of the time, schoolsspokesman Walter Woodssaid.

Late in 2011, DeKalbCounty Judge ClarenceSeeliger rejected a motionmade by school board law-yers to have the case dis-missed. The school systemappealed that decision and

oral arguments are sched-uled to begin in April.

The plaintiffs led thesuit on behalf of them-selves and all others simi-larly situated. They areseeking to have the suit el-evated to a class-action suitbut before a judge can makethat decision the case mustrst make its way out of theappellate court.

This motion and thisappeal need to be resolvedbefore we can turn it into

a class-action suit, Saltersaid.

The lawsuit also allegesthe board realized the mis-take and tried to paperover it by waiving the pol-icy that required two-yearnotication.

This suit comes on theheels of another lengthylawsuit the board is involvedin against construction rmHeery/Mitchell, which hasalready cost it more than$15 million in legal fees.

GEORGIAPOWER.COM

A hand like this.

It took a skillful hand like this to draft the plans of our nations capital city.

It was a visionary hand like this which pointed out the moral superiority

of a way based on character and not color. It was a thorough, good hand

like this that championed our rights before the U.S. Supreme Court. It took

millions of laboring hands like this to build the wealth and infrastructure

of this mighty country. And it was a raised hand like this that was sworn

in and gave kids of all complexions and cultures the legitimacy to believe

they can achieve anything.

During Black History Month, Georgia Power takes pride in celebrating the

countless hands like this which have worked to uplift us all. Weve got to

hand it to you.

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Page 3A The Champion Free Press, Friday, February 3,

Youth summit to be heldat Sanford Center

Commissioners want controlof countys auditorsby Andrew [email protected]

CommissionerLee Mays recommending that the

ve auditors in the countysnance department be put

under thedirection

of theBoard ofCommis-sioners.

Itswithin ourduties andrespon-sibilitieswithin

DeKalb Countys organiza-ional act for the Board of

Commissioners to providehe auditing function, Mayaid. Historically, its been

done under the administra-

ion.Currently, all external andnternal audits are performed

or overseen by the adminis-ration.

Thats asking the ad-ministration to handle theday-to-day operations of thecounty, to also audit its ownoperations, to disclose thendings of those audits andhen implement the changeshat need to occur, May said.

Thats a lot to ask of anyorganization and there are nochecks and balances.

Mays proposal was madeduring a Jan. 26 meeting ofhe Board of Commission-

ers nance, audit and budgetcommittee, which is meetingweekly to review DeKalb

CEO Burrell Ellis proposed2012 budget of $547.3 mil-lion.

The proposal, which is1.2 percent higher than the2011 budget and contains notax increase and no county

employeefurlough

days, alsoincludesfunding forall countyholidays, alower-costhealthcareoption forcountyemploy-

ees and implementation of arecently announced home-buying initiative and jobsstimulus program tied to abillion-dollar water-sewerimprovement plan.

The Board of Commis-sioners is set to adopt a bud-get in its Feb. 28 meeting.

May said he made theproposal during the budgetprocess so that we can beresponsible for the auditingfunction.

When you deal with au-diting it needs to be as openand free and unfettered aspossible, May said. Sincewe dont handle the day-to-day operations of this gov-ernment, we should be under-taking those functions.

County Finance DirectorJoel Gottlieb said movingthe auditors would eliminatehis entire audit staff, but itdoes not eliminate the func-tions that [they] have to per-

form.The auditors do various

nancial audits and someoperational audits that are re-quired by our annual audit,Gottlieb said.

The county should be aug-mentingthe staff,

not reduc-ing it, Got-tlieb said.

Gottliebsaid thatabout 25percent ofthe audi-tors timeis spent onthe coun-

tys annual audit.During the meeting, the

commissioners and the rep-resentatives from the admin-istration agreed to come up

with a feasible plan for put-ting auditors under the Boardof Commissioners.

Well work it out, saidRichard Stogner, the coun-tys chief operating ofcer.

The commissioners -nance committee will bemeeting with county depart-ment heads during two all-day sessions on Feb. 2 andFeb. 9. Department headsare being asked to presentalternatives to their proposedbudgets, which have cuts ofve and 10 percent.

Stogner said commission-ers should expect the coun-tys constitutional ofcers toask for additional funds in the2012 budget.

The 100 Black Men of DeKalb Countyincollaboration with seminar promotions andprofessional speaking companyCS Inspires Inc.

will host the Seventh Annual Youth Summit onSaturday, Feb. 18, 9 a.m. 3 p.m.

Under the themeSo You Want to be Rich,this years event will be at the Porter SanfordPerforming ArtsCenter in Decatur. It will behosted by WSB-TV 2 anchorMonica Pearsonand will include a theatrical productionFaces ofAmerican Justice, featuring youth dancers fromBerean Christian Church.

Invitations have been extended to BurrellEllis, CEO of DeKalb County, and CherylAtkinson, superintendent of DeKalb CountySchools.The keynote speaker will be John HopeBryant, founder/CEO of Operation Hope.

The goal of this years summit is to inspireand empower the 500 students expected to attend

by talking honestly and candidly about becomingrich, including dispelling many of the commonmyths. The focus will be on improving nancialliteracy within the minority community. Whilemany of todays youth aspire to wealth, mostlack positive role models and a sound plan forachieving their goals. The objective of thesummit will be to arm students with practicalinsights and proven strategies that will empowerthem to make better nancial decisions,states an announcement from the sponsoringorganizations.

This year we want to use the summit togive special recognition to young leaders.Especially, those who have exhibited academicexcellence, communityservice and the spiritof entrepreneurship, said Cornelius Stafford,

chairman of the Youth Summit. In addition,he said, it will also recognize an adult leader/organization that has contributed signicantly toyouth causes and programs.

The honorees, who will receive aWilliamC. Brown Award in honor of the foundingchapter president, will include 13-year-oldStephen Stafford, who will be recognized forhis academic achievements. He is a junior atMorehouse College pursuing a double majorin math and science. The second honoree,14-year-old Marypat Hector, will be recognizedfor community service. She organized asupport team that aided the tornado victimsin Alabama and recently launched the Shake-Off the Violence town hall meetings in Fulton,

Clayton and DeKalb counties. The third youthhonoree is Tony Betton (aka T-REP) 15-year-old entrepreneur who is an actor, model, host,speaker, columnist and 2012 Stellar Awardnominee.

E. Lamont Houston, president of the 100Black Men of DeKalb County, said, Weare very proud of all of the recipients of theWilliam C. Brown Awards. He added that theorganization is especially proud of an awardto Porter Sanford III, which will be awardedposthumously to his widow Bobbie Sanford forthe many things he did to advance the causes foryouth.

The 100 Black Men of DeKalb providesan after-school leadership and developmentalprogram called The Leadership Academy for

students enrolled in the sixth through 12th gradesof the DeKalb County Schools.

Ellis StognerMay

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Carter G. Woodson and otherprominent African Americans startedNegro History Week in 1926 to rec-ognize the key role African Ameri-cans played in shaping this greatnation of ours. Fifty years later in1976, Republican President GeraldFord designated the month of Feb-ruary as Black History Month andevery United States president sincehas followed suit.

Little known is the fact thatother countries around the world,ncluding Canada and the United

Kingdom, also devote a month tocelebrating Black history. The con-tributions of African Americans herein the United States run the gamutfrom jazz music to traffic signals,

shoe soles and the first open heartsurgery. They are simply too numer-ous to mention in this space. Butthere are many African Americanhistory makers right here in DeKalbCounty. Here are a few of them:

First Black state senator fromDeKalb,Dr. Eugene Walker, nowChairman of the DeKalbCountySchool Board; youngest and firstBlack fire chief and public safetydirector, Tom Brown, now DeKalbCounty sheriff;first Black SuperiorCourt and Recorders Court judge,Michael Hancock; first Black

Superior Court clerk, JeanetteRozier; first Black mayor of thecity ofDecatur, Elizabeth Wilson;

first Black mayor of Lithonia,Allison Venable; first Black mayorof Stone Mountain, the late ChuckBurris; first Black DeKalb Countycommissioner, John Evans, now

president of the DeKalb NAACP;first Black auto dealership owners,Greg and Juanita Baranco, nowowners of Buckhead Mercedes; firstBlack Georgia attorney general,Thurbert Baker; first BlackGeorgia labor commissioner, MikeThurmond; first Black countyCEO, Vernon Jones; first Blackschool superintendent, JohnnyBrown; first Black SchoolBoardmember, Phil McGregor.

These historic firsts ought tobe taught in every DeKalb Countysocial studies and or civics class.

Their stories are fascinating and in-spiring. Many of these individualsare still around and no doubt would

readily accept an invitation to sharewith students.

While some Gwinnett Countyteachers are reportedly illustratinga very dark period in our nations

history by having students play therole of slaves being chased by slavecatchers, or teaching math by count-ing slaves, we in DeKalb could dem-onstrate the correct way to integratethe contributions of African Ameri-cans into the curriculum and not de-base and embarrass students. Blackhistory is the history of this country.It should be taught the other 11months of the year in every subjectmatter. Then, Black history monthwould becomehistory.

Steen Miles, The Newslady, is a

retired journalist and former Geor-gia state senator. Contact Steen Mi-lies at [email protected].

The Newslady

DeKalb Black history

The Champion Free Press, Friday, February 3, 2012 Page 4AOpinion

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Im all for progress. Its thedamn change Im against! hu-morist Mark Twain.

Lets start from a positionhat we can most all agree. Our

DeKalb School System has beenon a downward trajectory ofeveral years, with significant

change and improvement needed

o restore the system to its formereputation of glory.

However, before we start as-essing performance and handing

out letter grades, we need to al-ow our new system leadershipeam a full semester or even thechool year to complete their

work. Given the mess we were in,we cannot expect the cleanup tobe without some pains and a fewticky spots. The DeKalb Board

of Education, through some faultof their own, as well as some cir-cumstances beyond their control,ook too long in the eyes of many

n selecting our new superin-endent. As tempers flared, andpatience was lost, many familiesand even system employees be-gan hoping for a Messiah.

I am not here simply to de-fend our DeKalb BOE or newsystem superintendent, but I amwilling and able to say, much ofwhat has been happening of lateis positive. The top to bottomaudit and review of central of-fice personnel, job descriptionsand salaries unearthed what manyhave believed for years to be fact.DeKalbs administrative head-quarters are bloated. Salaries, jobdescriptions and titles are often ajumble, with a secretary makingnear six figures and a manager ofmany making a salary half thatsize. As often happens in the pub-lic and private sectors, personalconnections have on occasion

been a faster path to advance-ment. Correcting these systemicchallenges wont happen over-night.

Morale may be low, as re-ported. A little bit of fear at themammoth headquarters campusout on Mountain Industrial Bou-levard isnt exactly a bad thing.Competition and the possibilityof job irrelevance can also im-prove performance, work ethicand end product...if the fears aremitigated and the period of doubtis not sustained indefinitely. Forall the embrace of hope andchange during the election of2008, we have to remember thatchange and progress are not onlygood when applied to a presidentor bureaucrats in Washington,

D.C.but also closer to home toa school system doing a disser-vice to many of our children, andstill in jeopardy of losing its ac-creditation.

To turn around a ship as largeas the DeKalb Schools, and notend up running up on a reeflike that Italian cruise ship, willalso require a knowledgeableand proven captain surrounded,supported and enabled by aseasoned-crew. Another annoy-ing reality of change is that newleaders generally bring in theirown trusted team, to save time,as well as to know what the teamcan accomplish in a fixed timeframe, and the kind of resultswhich can be expected. This is

not new, nor is it rocket science,and as we see with every changein White House administrations,this changing of the guard unfor-tunately may often devalue thecontributions of the prior team.

If our child came home earlyin the spring semester strugglingwith a single class or teacher,we would most likely offer sup-port, encouragement and try todetermine how else we might beable to be of assistancebeforewe would transfer the child toanother class, another school orsuggest to him or her that theyare a failure.

Im suggesting that beforeour new superintendent has beenon the ground for six months, weinvest hope, support in word and

deed and give the benefit of thedoubt. DeKalb voters will holdour Board of Education account-able. The BOE will hold thesuperintendent accountable forperformance as well as results.If we took nearly two years toselect and hire a Superintendent,we should spend at least a schoolyear to determine how solid a de-cision was made.

With an annual system bud-get exceeding $1 billion, andhundreds of millions more to beinvested in new construction andfacility renovation as well as thefuture of nearly 100,000 schoolchildren in the balance. There issimply too much at stake to rushto judgment to declare whether or

not an individual or single newhire is making the grade. Whenspring arrives and the school yearis drawing to an end, we shouldbe much better able to determineif we are making real progress, orsimply change, for changes sake.

Bill Crane also serves as apolitical analyst and commenta-tor for Channel 2s Action News,WSB-AM News/Talk 750 and now95.5 FM, as well as a columnistforThe Champion, ChampionFree Press and Georgia Trend.Crane is a DeKalb native andbusiness owner, living in Scott-dale. You can reach him or com-ment on a column at [email protected].

One Mans Opinion

Making the grade

Let Us Know What You Think!

THE CHAMPION FREE PRESSencourages opinionsfrom its readers. Please write to us and express yourviews. Letters should be brief, typewritten and containthe writers name, address and telephone number forverification. All letters will be considered for publication.

Send Letters To Editor, The Champion Free Press, P. O. Box 1347,Decatur, GA 30031-1347; Send E-Mail to [email protected]

FAX To: (404) 370-3903 Phone: (404) 373-7779Deadline for news releases and advertising: Thursday, one week prior

to publication date.

EDITORS NOTE: The opinions written by columnists and contributingeditors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor or publishers.The Publisher reserves the right to reject or cancel any advertisement atany time. The Publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

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FREEPRESS


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Destroy our futureI'm forming my very own Super PAC.

Audit states DeKalb Schools has toomany central ofce personnel

The 2006 Ernst & Young study referred to showed a bloatof $15 million per year. Lots of friends and family employed atbloated salaries. But the study has been lost and has neverseen the light of day. Some citizens have requested it by anopen records request and the DCSS refuses to produce it.Read the DeKalb County School Watch blog.

Like the county, DCSS is nothing more than a job machine.County taxpayers get taken from all sides.

Dundevil posted this on 1/25/12 At 9:10 p.m.

And you wonder why our TAXES went up 26 % ???Now what about the CEO and BOC Staffs and the rest ofthis Bloated and Dumb-Downed DeKalb County !

Read the : Georgia State Study on DeKalb County !

JerryMyer Jackson Jr posted this on 1/25/12 at 5:52 p.m.

Decatur school tries new take on parent/teacher conference

I think this is an excellent idea and should be implementedasap. This program will give the parent an opportunity towitness the behavior and proformence of the child and thespecial close peer(s). The program will also keep the kids on

task sherry land posted this on 1/24/12 at 1:13 p.m

Cross Keys graduate nds the good inDeKalb Schools

Thank you for reprinting Mpazas wonderful essay. He is ane example of conquering life even in difcult situations. Wehope that all of our DeKalb students can nd success in lifelike Mpaza.

I hope you will all click over to our new, improvedWordpress blog, where we will be able to cross-referencepostings and store documents, videos and other media.http://dekalbschoolwatch.wordpress.com/

Cere posted this on 1/30/12 at 8:19 a.m.

The following comments are pulled straight from our website and arenot edited for content or grammar.

Newt Gingrich has a Super PACcalled Winning Our Future. MittRomneys is called Restore Our Fu-ure.

I know, technically Super PACsdont belong to candidates. But onlynnocents like Boy Scouts and the

Supreme Court believe that. In thereal world, this new kind of politicalaction committee, created in the wakeof a 2010 Supreme Court ruling, is apowerful campaign weapon.

Super PACs may raise unlimitedsums of money from corporations,unions, associations and individuals.They then may spend unlimited sumso overtly advocate for or against spe-

cific political candidates as they wish.Unlike traditional PACs, Super

PACs are technically prohibited fromdonating money directly to politicalcandidates. In practice, they serve aspecific candidate, who directs themwith winks and nudges.

Gingrichs Super PAC apparentlyhinks the way to win the future is to

say nasty things about Mitt Romney.

Romneys Super PAC, meanwhile,s attempting to restore the future bysaying nasty things about Gingrich.

Its called free speech. If you dontbelieve me, ask the aforementionedSupreme Court justices, a majorityof whom dont seem drunk. But theysure vote that way.

As a long-time practitioner ofspeech, free and otherwise, I see noreason for Gingrich and Romney tohave all the fun. My new motto is leta thousand Super PACs bloom.

To that end, Im announcing theformation of my very own SuperPAC. Its dedicated to good govern-ment, free speech and saying nastyhings about practically everybody.

Im calling it Destroy Our Fu-ure.

Its main beneficiaries will, ofcourse, be our grandchildren. Youcant be a credible candidate thesedays without voicing concern abouteaving future generations a better

world than the one we live in now or just one with lower taxes for therich.

Destroy Our Future will assist can-didates who are dedicated to loweringaxes by doing away with schools,

roads, bridges, scientific research, air-

ports, high-speed rail, low-speed rail,public television and libraries.How will that help our grandchil-

dren? They wont have to pay upkeepon any of those things, which will belucky because they probably wontbe making much money. What decentjob needs a worker who went to alousy school with a lousy library?

Decent jobs arent the only thingwell lack. Unions wont be aroundeither. Wages will be low enough forour workers to compete with China,India and even countries where shoesare a luxury item.

Health care? Dont worry. Youllbe taken care of by our world-famous

health care industry, so long as youdont get sick. If you do, however,Im afraid youll just have to sella kidney or something. Just dontwhine and expect government tosolve all of your problems. That is so20th-century.

With Social Security just a mem-ory, youll have to live your goldenyears with your kids of course, whichis only fair since they lived with youuntil they were 35 years old.

Who among the remaining Repub-lican presidential candidates shouldmy Super PAC support to accomplishthese lofty goals?

Looking over the cast of char-acters, I find an embarrassment ofriches. Nearly all of them have en-dorsed most, if not all, of DestroyOur Futures agenda.

Romney brings the zeal of a recentconvert to the battle. Gingrich wieldsthe well-honed skill of a politicalknife-fighter. No one could be moresincere than former Sen. Rick Santo-rum, whose views on procreation aresomewhat to the right of Pope Bene-dict XVI, while Rep. Ron Paul is tobig government what the atom bombwas to Hiroshima.

You can hardly go wrong with anyof them. I urge you to send in your

donations to Destroy Our Future soI can make this country safe for the18th century.

Naturally, my lovely wife and Iwill expect a small fee for administer-ing the fund. Dont worry, it wontexceed the $1.6 million Newt got forthose history lessons he gave Fred-die Mac. Oh, and Ill need to pay mygrown kids to manage this patrioticinitiative. Kids dont come cheap.

OtherWords columnist DonaldKaul lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.otherwords.org

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, February 3, 2012 Page 7ALocal News


In 1981, EmoryUniversity acquired aollection of Irish poet

William Butler Yeatsmanuscripts. Since then,he university has nevertopped collecting liter-

ary manuscripts.That was our real

foray into poetry, Gin-ger Smith, directorof external affairs forEmory Libraries, said.Smith is also the interimdirector of EmorysManuscript, Archivesand Rare Book Library

MARBL).Smith said after theuniversity acquired theYeats collection, Em-orys interest in poetrygrew and the universityegan intentionally col-ecting literary manu-cripts and tailoring

events around them.In 2005, MARBL ac-

quired the Raymond Dan-owski Poetry Library, whichs a 75,000-volume collec-ion of rare and rst editions

of modern and contemporarypoetry, in addition to literaryournals, broadsides, manu-cripts, audiovisual materials

and related objects. UntilEmory received the Danows-ki Library, it was thought tobe the largest privately heldollection of 20th century

English language poetry inexistence.

The collection grew andhe opportunities grew and areative writing program isart of the university now,

Smith said of MARBL.Emory has since hosted

uch famous writers as

Salmon Rushdie, SeamusHeaney and others. Re-ently, the university addedhe manuscripts and letters

of poets D.A. Powell andEamon Grennan.

On Jan. 29, hundredspacked the Glenn MemorialAuditorium to hear formerU.S. Poet Laureate Billy

Collins read for an hour.Collins adds his name to along list of poets and writ-ers who have read, taught or

been involved in events atthe university.

As the collections grewand the opportunities to

study poetry grew we reallyhad a unique experience tooffer a major writer, Smithsaid. When poets come toread they also have the op-

portunity to go to class andengage with students, andthe opportunity to exploreour collection.

Smith said each poet in-vited to the university hasthe opportunity to visit withKevin Young, the curatorof the Raymond DanowskiPoetry Library and also anaward-winning poet, and

have a hands-on tour of theitems in the collection.Its neat because Billy

Collins will get to sit withKevin and ip through asigned rst edition ofWaltWhitmansLeaves ofGrass, Smith said, usingWhitmans book as an ex-ample. In fact, that specic

book, printed by Whitman

himself on July 4,1855, is the earliestsigned copy known.The Danowski Li-

brary also containsone of 11 knowncopies ofWilliamCarlos Williamsrst book,Poems,which was neverreprinted, and asigned-rst editionofT. S. EliotsPru-

frock and Other Ob-servations.

It is really oneof the things thatmakes a poet comingto Emory a distinctexperience, Smithsaid. Theyre sur-

rounded by raremanuscripts. WhenEamon Grennan rsthoused his manu-scripts, he said hewas happy to leavehis work in the IrishVillage at Emory.

Smith said eachyear Young also

teaches a class where his stu-dents use items in the Dan-owski collection as their textfor the class, which givesthem a hands-on view of thelibrary very few get to see.

One of the things thatI observe is that poetry, inmany ways, is literary com-mon ground so it bringstogether an interesting cross-section of people. They re-ally come together aroundtheir love of poetry, Smithsaid.

The Emory Bookstorealso hosts a monthly readingseries called Whats New inPoetry?that brings togethercontemporary poets. All ofthe literary events at Emorycoexist and build off eachother with everybody hav-

ing a piece of the action,Smith said.One of the things the

library can contribute onthe campus is creating com-munity, and I think poetry isone of the things that does.In many ways people wholove poetry cut across all thedisciplines, Smith said.

Champion ofthe WeekDavid Sibley

If you would like to nominate someone to

be considered as a future Champion of the

Week, please contactKathy [email protected] or at

404-373-7779, ext. 104.

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins gave aone hour reading at Emory University on Jan.29. Collins, who was laureate from 2001-2003,is a distinguished American poet who has pub-lished more than 13 poetry collections. Photoby Steven Kovich

Emory offers rare glimpse into 20th centurypoetry for poets and readers alike

David Sibley foundhis calling while in re-covery for alcohol ad-diction in 1998. He wasleading a 12-step recov-ery program when a for-mer CEO of the DeKalbCommunity ServiceBoard approached himabout joining the boardof directors.

Sibley, a residentof DeKalb County, is acommercial real estateappraiser but earned amasters degree in so-cial work from the Uni-versity of Georgia morethan two decades ago.

This gives me anopportunity to use myskills, said Sibley, whohas been sober since1992. He earned dualundergraduate degreesin Christianity and so-ciology from MercerUniversity in Macon. Anative of Miami, Sibleymoved to Atlanta aftergraduating from Mercer.

The non-profit CSB,which has more than500 employees withrevenue in 2011 of $31million, provides com-munity based behavioralhealth care, offeringa full range of mentalhealth services, sub-stance abuse treatmentand developmental dis-

abilities programs.When Sibley joined

the board of directors in1998 the CSB had reve-nue of $42.3 million andhad 750 employees.The agency in 2011 hadrevenue of $31.6 mil-lion and served 11,000clients at more than 20locations.

As a member of theagencys board of direc-tors, Sibley is an advo-cate for the CSB andthe people it assists.

My passion cen-ters around substanceabuse, but first andforemost [the board ofdirectors] representsthe agency as a whole,said Sibley, who nowleads two 12-step recov-ery groups. The Com-munity Service Board isa safety net provider; ifnot for us, people withthese disabilities wouldget little or no funding.

Sibley has represent-ed the CSB at nationaland state conferences,and has attended theCarl Vinson Institute atthe University of Geor-gia.

His passion for help-ing others, especiallythose with strugglessimilar to his own, stemsfrom his experience inrecovery programs.

A major compo-nent of 12-step recov-ery is service work,Sibley said. I place avery strong value onservice work. By tell-ing your story you cancarry a message tostill-suffering adults. Itsabout doing for otherswithout any expectationof return. The return forme is that it keeps mesober.

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City Schools of Decatur adaptsto growing enrollment

Police Alliance fundraiserset for Feb. 11

The DeKalb Police Alliance (DPA) willcelebrate the service of the countys lawenforcement ofcers at the Hearts for Heroes Ball

on Feb. 11.Proceeds from the event will be used to

underwrite a supplemental $100,000 life insurancepolicy for the beneciaries of DeKalb-based lawenforcement ofcers whose lives are lost in theline of duty. The event will be held at the HellenicCenter in Decatur.

We appreciate the unselsh dedication of oursheriffs ofce, police ofcers and marshals somuch, said Carolyn Rehling, chairwoman ofthe DPA board. This expression of our supportmay help them feel more secure about riskingtheir lives to protect us. However, a broad baseof community support is critical to our missionto fund our life insurance program, which isunprecedented in the metropolitan area.

The DPA, a non-prot organization foundedin 2005, is made up of businesses and concernedresidents in DeKalb County.

Dining, dancing and a live auction will befeatured at the Hearts for Heroes Ball. Amongthe items to be auctioned include a weeks stayat a private mountain and island villas. Also, therst Hero Among Heroes Award will be presentedto an outstanding law enforcement ofcer, andmunicipal police departments will recognize otherofcers for their extraordinary services.

The DPA insurance policy covers full-timesworn ofcers and marshals from the DeKalbCounty Sheriffs Ofce, the DeKalb CountyPolice Department and the police departments ofAvondale Estates, Chamblee, Clarkston, Decatur,Doraville, Dunwoody, Lithonia, Pine Lake and

Stone Mountain.For information on tax-deductible donations,

sponsorship opportunities or tickets to the Heartsfor Heroes Ball, visit the DPA website at www.dekalbpolicealliance.org or call (678) 362-0392.


City Schools of DecatursCSD) enrollment jumped2 percent this year andchool ofcials cited several

factors for the signicantncrease.

We do feel like wevecreated a quality schoolystem and people have

a condence in [it],Superintendent Phyllis A.Edwards said.

At rst, Edwards saidhey were concerned abouthe unpredicted increase in

enrollment. It was becauseof these concerns theenrollment committee wasestablished.

Weve had growth thathas come from outsideand the inside; weve hadome folks coming back

n from private schools toave money, Edwards said.

She also said AssociateSuperintendent ThomasVan Soelen did someesearch and found thatome of the new students

had come from out of state,or in some cases, out of thecountry.

The enrollmentcommittee was chargedwith calculating the growthhe school system mightee over the next several

years and nding ways to

deal with the populationncrease. The committeehen presented its ndings at

a board meeting on Jan. 10.Currently, CSD has 3,246

students and is the smallestschool system in the state ofGeorgia.

One of the pieces thecommittee helped us withwas dening the censusinformation and lookingat how things changed inDecatur, Edwards said.

Traditionally, Edwardssaid, a lot of Decatursgrowth had been in thenorth but now the city isseeing areas farther south,such as the neighborhoodof Oakhurst, increase inpopulation.

Recently, CSD openedthe 4/5 Academy, the rstnew school the system hadbuilt in nearly 50 years.Edwards said since Decaturis so small, there arentmany opportunities to buyland and build new schools.The 4/5 Academy replaced

Fifth Avenue ElementarySchool, which sat vacant atthe same location for years.

Its always an issue fora small school system,Edwards said. Wevedone a lot of work with ourfacilities, some which werebuilt in 1919.

Edwards said CSDdoesnt have any bottom-line specic projectsoutlined yet but one ideaproposed to deal withprojected student populationincreases is to convert the

old Westchester Elementarybuilding, which now housesall of the systems centralofce staff, into a newschool.

If we do open upWestchester we have tobe [aware] of the fact thatmany more children maybe sitting in the south sidethan the north side. But webelieve we can structureit in a way where peoplecan have a school choice

option, Edwards said,stating students not locatedin the attendance zone couldattend the school.

People think that beingin a small system is easysomehow but its notina lot of different waysbecause kids dont comein nice neat bundles of25, but we have to be ableto accommodate them,Edwards said.

Van Soelensaid CSDsenrollment has increased31 percent since 2007.Van Soelen, a member of

the enrollment committeethat reports to the DecaturBoard of Education, saidCSD originally predicted a6 percent increase for thisyear.

CSD, which became acharter system four yearsago, also allows studentsfrom outside its four-mileradius to attend its schoolsfor $6,000 a year. VanSoelen said CSD also sawa 2 percent increase intuition students enrolling,but that was planned for.

Currently the system hasapproximately 150 tuitionstudents enrolled.

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Members of DeKalbs legislative delegation meet to discuss issues facing the county in 2012. Photo by Andrew Cauthen

DeKalb legislatures set to take onforeclosures, Brookhaven cityhood, ethics

y Andrew [email protected]

A Georgia state represen-ative wants to make it a littleougher for lenders to fore-

lose on homes.Darshun Kendrick(D-4) will attempt to tackle theoreclosure problem with aroposed bill that would in-titute a judicial foreclosurerocess. The bill would re-

quire personal service for alloreclosure notices.

This bill, called theHomeowners Fairness Act,would also require nancialnstitutions to prove to audge what amount the

homeowner owes to makeure lenders are givingccurate amounts out,

Kendrick said.

A public hearing on thebill is scheduled for Feb.15 and a rally following thehearing is being planned.

This is just one of themany issues being addressed

by DeKalbs legislative del-egation, which is meetingweekly during the GeneralAssembly session.

Kendrick is also sponsor-ing a bill that would restrictemployers from checkingthe credit histories of poten-tial employees unless it isdirectly related to the role ofthe job.

Theres no reason a vet-erinarian or a dog keeperwould need a credit check,Kendrick said.

Because the legislatureis Republican-led, Kendrick

said, she does not expect her

foreclosure and credit checkbills to garner much support.

Rep. Stephanie StuckyBenfeld (D-85) said she will

be reintroducing her farm toschool initiative, an effort to

improve the quality of schoollunches.Thats been a passion of

mine since I have two chil-dren in public school, Ben-eld said.

The bill would createGeorgia Grown Week, toencourage schools, duringthat week, to serve healthynutritious local products inthe schools, Beneld said.

Regardless of whetherthat bill passes, theres a lotof energy around this issue,Beneld said. At the stateDepartment of Education and

the Department of Agricul-

ture, theres a lot of effort toimprove access to local mar-kets.

Rep. Rahn Mayo (D-91)also has a bill that deals withhome ownership. Mayo said

his No. 1 priority is a billthat would help prevent thefree-fall on home assessmentvalues.

The bill would changethe law to require that tax as-sessors consider distressedsales when assessing valuesof homes but not require thatthey use the distressed pricesas the predominant factor forhome assessments, Mayosaid.

Mayo is also sponsoring abill that would require hands-free cell phone technologyfor drivers.

Rep. Elena Parent (D-81)

is working with Rep. MaryMargaret Oliver (D-83)on a bill to improve theGeneral Assemblys current

procedures on incorporatinga new city, Parent said.

Observing the discus-sion in my district with in-corporating this new city ofBrookhaven, while alreadyrepresenting Chamblee,Doraville and a very small

part of Dunwoody, I see thatthe procedures are a little bitout of whack, Parent said.

Currently, the proceduresare favoring the wishesof the new city and not re-ally taking into account theresidents who remain in theunincorporated area or thewishes of the existing mu-nicipalities, Parent said.

The proposed procedures

See Brookhaven on Page 11A

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DeKalb County

Department of Watershed Management

Public Advisory

Superior Avenue Sanitary Sewer

Improvements Project

This advisory is issued to inform the public of a receipt

of an application for a variance submitted pursuant to a

State environmental law. The public is invited to comment

during a 30 day period on the proposed activity. Since

the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) has

no authority to zone property or determine land use, only

those comments addressing environmental issues related

to air, water, and land protection will be considered in the

application review process. Written comments should

be submitted to: Program Manager, Non Point Source

Program, Erosion and Sedimentation Control, 4220

International Parkway, Suite 101, Atlanta, Georgia 30354.

Type of Permit Application: Variance to encroach within

the 25-foot State waters buffer.

Applicable Law: Georgia Erosion and Sedimentation Act

O.C.G.A. 12-7-1 et seq.

Applicable Rules: Erosion and Sedimentation Control

Chapter 391-3-7

Basis under which variance shall be considered {391-3-

7.05(2)(A-J)}: d

Description and Location of Proposed Activity: Applicant

proposes to impact 300 linear feet of buffer along a tributary

of South Fork Peachtree Creek to conduct sanitary sewer

improvements along Superior Avenue near the intersection

with North Decatur Road. Map of the project worksiteand location can be seen on the DeKalb County Watershed

Management website at http://dekalbwatershed.com.

February 19, 2012

Advisory Close Date

January 19, 2012

Advisory Issue Date

by Nigel Roberts

Nearly everywhere oneooks, prescription drug

abuse cases are escalating.Last November, DeKalb wasentangled in a long-termnvestigation of so-called

pill mills that are fuelinghe crisis. These facilities are

unafliated with local hospi-als, pain treatment centers or

hospices yet dispense addic-ive prescription medications

with little patient screenings.As neighboring states,

uch as Florida, close pillmills, many are concernedhat the metro area is becom-ng a hub for obtaining pre-cription drugs illegitimately.

Dr. NZinga A. Harrison, anaddiction psychiatrist, saidhe has observed an increasen prescription drug abuse

cases in DeKalb.The former director of the

DeKalb Addiction Clinic,who now heads Anka Be-havioral Health, added that its unclear whether more pa-ients are coming to DeKalb

drug rehabilitation facilitiesbecause of increased use oras a result of increased atten-ion from law enforcement

agencies and the courts.Although reports indicate

hat prescription drug abuses on the rise, it difcult to

qualify. Melanie Storrusten,executive director of ActionMinistries Breakthru Housen Decatur, said prescription

drug abuse often overlapswith most other drugs ofchoice.

Breakthru House, a treat-ment facility for women,makes services available tohose who do not otherwise

have access to treatment.Storrusten stated that Break-hru House asks its clients to

cite their drug of choice. Inmost cases, the clients indi-cate alcohol and cocaine.

But we usually see alco-hol and drug use in combina-ion with other substances

of abuse including pre-cription medications, she

explained. I would say thata large number of alcoholand drug abusers are abus-ng prescription medications

because they are so readilyavailable.

According to Harrison,he research literature revealshat in most cases addictiono prescription drugs stems

from recreational usenotfrom gradual use by peopleegitimately prescribed medi-

cation by a physician. Often

it is kids who say, grandmahas prescription medication;lets try it, she said.

A National Survey onDrug Use and Health foundthat more than half of thenonmedical users of pain re-lievers, tranquilizers, stimu-lants and sedatives olderthan 12 obtained prescrip-tion drugs from a friend orrelative for free. And three-quarters of those friends orrelatives obtained the pre-scription medications from adoctor.

Increasingly, though,the source of prescriptionmedications are pill mills thatfront as legitimate pain clin-ics. Many of them advertise

their services on billboardsand on roadside signs.The people that are part

of this scheme are drug deal-ers, DeKalb District Attor-ney Robert James told TheChampion in an earlier inter-view. Theyre dope dealersand theyre dealing in os-tensibly legitimate items, sothey hide in plain sight. Headded, Theyre no differentthan crack dealers. Theyre

pushing poison.Erik H. Burton, a

spokesman for the districtattorneys ofce, said the de-

partment established a PublicIntegrity Unit that takes thelead on pill mill cases.

The key to the rise in pre-scription drug abuse, accord-ing to most experts, is easyaccessibility and the lack ofa stigma attached to prescrip-tion drugs. According to Har-rison, prescription drugs can

be a gateway to illicit nar-cotics, such as cocaine andheroin. She said prescriptiondrug abusers often developa tolerance for the euphoriathey get and ultimately turn

to illicit narcotics to achievethe same high.Harrison, who is also

on the board of BreakthruHouse, said rehabilitation fa-cilities typically use the same

paradigms to treat prescrip-

tion drug addiction as theydo with illicit narcotics andalcohol.

However, as with cases ofalcoholism, treating prescrip-tion drug addiction is oftenmore challenging than treat-ing addiction to illegal drugs.Pain pills, sedatives andstimulants are everywhereand have no stigma attachedto them. Consequently, treat-ment often involves contact-ing pharmacies and doctorsto shut down supply sources

before the cravings start.It can be easy to slip into

addiction, even under a doc-tors care, said Harrison.He stressed that physiciansshould get a thorough his-tory of a patients drug abuse

before giving a prescription.At the same time, patientsshould ask a few importantquestions to their doctors be-fore taking medications, suchas whether a particular drugis addictive.

Harrison said physiciansshould watch for signs ofearly addiction. These in-clude running out of pillssooner than the prescriptioncalls for, returning to the doc-tor to get more or a higherdosage before a prescriptionis nished, and substitutingother drugs when a prescrip-tion runs out.

Prescription drug abuse on the rise

8/3/2019 Free Press 2-3-12

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Brookhaven Continued From Page 9A


With the 2012 legislativesession under way, severalDeKalb County legislators

have in-troducededucation-related billsthat wouldaffect boththe stateand county.

Rep.MaryMargaretOliver has

ntroduced HB 22, whichshe said is an effort to easehe transition of the DeKalb

CountySchoolBoardfrom nineto sevenmem-bers. Thebill pig-gybacksSB 79,which waspassed last

year and states that any newschool board must have nomore than seven members,

and any existing schoolboard must be reduced toseven members by 2013.

Oliver is also backing a

bill that would target par-ents, and possibly schoolemployees, with criminal

charges for the truancy of astudent. HB 821, sponsoredby fellow Decatur Democrat

Rep. RahnMayo, re-quires newresidentsin a localschool sys-tem to en-roll a childwithin 15days.

Mayosbill also

states that violations of man-datory attendance require-ments must be reported and

a localschool sys-tem ofcialwho fails tomake cer-tain reportsis guilty of amisdemean-or as wellas a personwho failsto enroll a

child.Legislators also are de-

ciding whether to amend

Georgias constitution toallow state-funding of lo-cal charter schools. In 2011,the Georgia Supreme Court

ruled the creation of theGeorgia Charter SchoolCommission unconstitu-

tional because it gave localtax dollars to charter schoolswithout the approval of localschool boards.

If the vote passes with atwo-thirds majority in boththe House and Senate, theamendment would go beforeGeorgia voters.

The issue is not so muchwhether we support charterschools, its how we are go-ing to fund charter schoolsin a way thats equitable andfair to all children in publicschools, Rep. StephanieStuckey Beneld (D-Atlan-ta) said. Im watching thatbill very closely. I haventdecided if Im supportingit or not. At this point, Imveering toward no.

Sen. Fran Millar (R-Atlanta), chairman of theeducation and youth com-mittee, said there would alsobe a lot of bills dealing withthe education funding com-mission.

The only other thingwould be redistricting, Mil-lar said. Weve got to re-draw the lines for the county

commission as well as theschool board and that willstart over in the House.

would require the proponentsof the new city to engage ina conversation with existingcities that are adjacent [and]lay out the nancial rami-cations of the incorporationof the new city on the coun-

ty and on existing cities inthe county, Parent said.It would be a different

way of moving a bill for anew city through the leg-islative process here at theGeneral Assembly, Parentsaid.

Rep. Howard Mosby(D-90) said the proponentsand opponents of the pro-

posed city are evenly split.The people arent say-

ing they dont want a city,Mosby said. Theyre say-ing, Lets postpone [it] and

lets do a further study. Thelegislature may be willingto hear that argument.

Mosby said state legisla-tors are tired of listeningto DeKalb County ght itslocal issues out on the oor

of the house.Sen. Steve Henson, theDemocratic leader in theSenate, said he is sponsor-ing an ethics bill that wouldcap gifts to politicians at$100 and one that wouldrequire workers in the gov-ernors ofce and otherexecutive ofces to wait ayear before working as alobbyist.

Were trying to restorefaith in government and im-

prove ethics, Henson said.

Several education bills beingbatted around in House, Senate

Millar

Stuckey Benfield

Mayo

Oliver

Presents

THE 7TH ANNUAL YOUTH SUMMIT

Saturday, February 18Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center

9:00 am to 3:00 pm.So You Want to be Rich.

hosted byWSB-TV 2 Anchor Monica Pearson

And including a theatrical production,Faces of American Justicefeaturing youth dancers from Berean Christian Church.

The honorees will include

Stephen Stafford (age 13)

a junior at Morehouse College pursuing a double major in math and science.

Marypat Hector (age 14)

who organized a support team that aided the tornado victims in Alabama and recently launched theShake-Off the Violence town hall meetings in Fulton, Clayton and DeKalb counties.

Tony Betton (aka T-REP)

a 15-year-old actor, model, host, speaker, columnist and 2012 Stellar Award Nominee.

The 100 Black Men of DeKalb provides an after-school leadership and developmental programcalled The Leadership Academy for students enrolled in the sixth through twelfth grades of the

DeKalb County Schools.

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Soap box derby track stalled at the starting lineby Andrew [email protected]

It was mentioned in DeKalb CEOBurrell Ellis State of the Countyspeech last month and its beginningto raise some eyebrows: a proposed$1 million soap box derby track nearLithonia.

The track would be built at 1253Rock Chapel Road adjacent to theBransby YMCA on 10.9 acres pur-chased last year with approximately$600,000 from a parks bond ap-proved by taxpayers in 2001.

Plans call for an 890-foot, two-lane track with a separate servicelane. Included in the plans are amulti-use building for supplies andcars, a classroom, concession standand a pavilion at the nish line. Agrandstand on the banked sides ofthe track is planned.

This facility will expand thediversity of recreational programsin DeKalb County, and will providethe rst dedicated track in Georgia,said Roy Wilson, director of thecountys Department of Recreation,Parks and Cultural Affairs. It will

provide the county and the newSports DeKalb association an oppor-tunity to foster new partnerships byattracting non-traditional sponsors.

It also promotes an environmentin which families, clubs, scoutingassociations, church groups and oth-ers will work together to completethe soap box car from start to nishand teaches youth skills, sportsman-ship and a healthy spirit of competi-tion, Wilson said.

Ellis administration has recom-mended a contract for the projectto Astra Group Inc. of Woodstockbut the plan has been held up. TheBoard of Commissioners nancecommittee has asked for an opera-tional plan for the track.

CommissionerElaine Boyersaid, if given the choice, she wouldabsolutely use the money for the

track somewhere else because soapbox racing is a limited sport wherenot a lot of kids can participate.

Its extremely limited and $1million can go a long way to dosomething else at another park,Boyer said. No constituent grouphas ever called us about that. A mil-lion dollarsweve still got thingsthat havent been done. HendersonPark could really use another mil-lion [dollars] to nish out that mas-ter plan that was adopted 10 yearsago.

The [countys] CEO has not putforward any business plan, saidCommissionerLee May, chairmanof the nance committee. Whatkind of revenue would it generate?

When the county built librariesusing bond funds, some of the li-braries remained closed because thecounty did not have funds to openthe buildings, May said.

We built libraries but didnt givethought to operating them, Maysaid. We didnt plan forward. Wehave to begin to operate differently.

May said he slowed down theprogress of the soap box derby track

to get some questions answered bythe Ellis administration.We dont even know who the

target audience is, May said. Weneed a good business plan. It might

be good. It sounds wonderful, but wehave to operate efciently.

The proposed soap box derbytrack was part of a March 2010agreement in which the Board ofCommissioners approved a partner-ship with the YMCA to acquire,construct and operate recreationalfacilities in the county.

County parks are not intended tobe businesses or prot centers, thusthere are no business plans for any

parks property, Wilson said. Thereare some users and organizationsthat do pay a fee to defray expenses(such as swimming and golf), butthe entire cost of the operation is not

supported by this. Having said that,at the boards request, we are formu-lating a business plan for this facilityand will submit it to them withinthree weeks.

County ofcials estimate that thederby will generate approximately$125,000 annually from sponsoredevents, association rentals and gen-eral public usage, Wilson said.

This amount would be sufcientto cover the operating expenses and

periodic maintenance and repairs ofthe derby.

The larger impact of the facil-ity will be the ability to promote thetrack regionally, and to generate eco-nomic benets to DeKalb as a des-tination for regional competitions,Wilson said. It is anticipated thatsince DeKalb Countys facility will

be a dedicated track, the facility willbe ideal for sanctioned events, testruns for new derby cars and the pre-mier track to qualify for the champi-onship race in Akron, Ohio.

Wilson said the countys parksand recreation department has haddiscussions with representatives ofthe soap box derby in the Atlanta

area to establish a partnership withthem similar to the youth athleticassociations that the department hasfor baseball, softball, football, soc-cer or swimming.

In addition to sponsored events,the recreation department will rentthe facility to associations on ahalf-day or one-day basis and willprovide at least one day per weekof open hours for the general publicto practice running derby cars for aminimal fee, Wilson said.

Michael Rabern, president ofthe Dunwoody Northeast GeorgiaSoap Box Derby Association, oneof two such associations in the At-lanta area, said, If youre lookingat a business plan, entry fees arentgoing to offset the cost of the opera-tions of a facility.

A booster club has the ability to

sell sponsorships and a weekendrace or world championship wouldbring in money to the community,but the real benet is the countygiving back to itself, Rabern said.

Rabern, who said his Dunwoodygroup is uniquely placed to helpto manage a program, if asked,described the proposed track as anatural for DeKalb County.

Itll make DeKalb County andthat track a national focal point forsoap box derby racing, Rabern said.To be able to have one in a temper-ate climate in a city as great as At-lantawill be very advantageous.

The Dunwoody soap box asso-ciation, which represents Gwinnett,DeKalb, Clayton, Henry and Rock-dale counties and part of Fulton,held two races last year and is plan-ning up to three in 2012. Currently,the races are held on the property ofthe First Baptist Church of Atlantain Dunwoody.

We have to t into other peo-ples schedules, said Rabern, aboutnot having access to a race site fulltime.

Rabern, who rst raced at age

9 in front of the old Decatur HighSchool, said the proposed trackcould help DeKalb County to beknown nationwide as the mecca inthe Southeast for soap box racing.

Rabern, who has talked withcounty ofcials about DeKalbs planto construct the track, said the trackcould also have an educational com-ponent.

Theres a lot of physics and en-gineering in the construction of soapbox cars, Rabern said. At the facil-ity, students could be taught thosesubjects, along with the skill ofusing tools, while assembling soapderby cars, whose prices start at ap-proximately $450.

Its more than a bunch of elitepeople buying expensive cars andracing them, Rabern said.

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Send your comments and/or concerns regarding Comcasts current performance underthe current franchise agreement and/or the future cable-related needs and interests ofyour community to www.dekalbcountyga.gov.

DeKalb County Wants to Hear From YouRegarding the Proposed Franchise Agreement Renewal

with Comcast Cable Communications

Tax provides decadeof park developmentby Andrew [email protected]

Ten years ago, there wasno Browns Mills AquaticsCenter and Arabia MountainNature Preserve was non-existent.

CommissionerLee Mayaid the parks bond has re-

ally been a denite bonus forDeKalb County.

It has allowed us toacquire more park space toimit the amount of develop-

ment, May said. It protect-ed some of the assets of ourgreenspace.

Without the park bond,he county would have

some real voids in termsof recreational activities,May said. We would nothave Arabia Mountain Park,which is just a beautifulasset. It would not be a na-ional heritage area.

Instead of parks and rec-eation centers, there we

would have possibly had aot of development in those

areas, May said. Youwould see a lot of trees cutdown and asphalt put down.

May said there is a les-on the county needs to learn

n how it implemented theparks bond projects.We used the funds to

acquire greenspace and tobuild park facilities, Mayaid. What we didnt do is

allocate appropriate amountof funding for operations andmaintenance.

In 2001, a voter-approvedparks bond went to into ef-fect that has allowed thecounty to divide nearly$40 million between thecountys seven districts. Ofhat amount, $2.68 million

have not been allocated to aproject.

Some of the projects themoney has paid for includeHenderson Park, DunwoodyNature Center, Mason MillPark, Exchange Park, BrookRun Park, and the continu-ng Wade Walker Recreation

center project. Several otherprojects are under way or aren the planning stages.

CommissionerElaineBoyer said a highlight in herdistrict is the walking trailsn the Smokerise community.

Before the trails were de-

veloped, we had nowhere togo, Boyer said. We had toget in our cars and drive overo Stone Mountain Park, but

now we can walk around on

the trails.Because of the park

bonds, theres a little morefor people to do, Boyersaid. A few key parks havereally been improved. Butwe still lack. In my districtwe could still use more.

Boyer said she is pleasedwith how well the imple-mentation of the park bond

projects has gone.Overall people got

implemented what theywere promised, Boyer said.I havent really seen anywaste.

Full

2/7

New

2/21

The Northeast will see scattered rain and snow today, mostly clear to partly cloudy

skies Friday, scattered rain and snow Saturday, with the highest temperature of 58

in Stockton, Md. The Southeast will see scattered showers and thunderstorms

today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 82 in Ft. Myers, Fla. The Northwest will

see isolated snow today, mostly clear to partly cloudy skies Friday and Saturday, with the

highest temperature of 59 in Medford, Ore. The Southwest will see mostly clear skies today

through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 83 in Los Angeles, Calif.

THURSDAY

Partly Cloudy

High: 66 Low: 43

Last

2/14

The Champion Weather Feb. 2, 2012Seven Day Forecast

Local UV Index

WEDNESDAYMostly SunnyHigh: 57 Low: 35

TUESDAY

Partly Cloudy

High: 51 Low: 32

MONDAY

Mostly Sunny

High: 55 Low: 34

SUNDAY

Few Showers

High: 60 Low: 41

SATURDAY

Showers Likely

High: 61 Low: 45

FRIDAY

Mostly SunnyHigh: 65 Low: 46

In-Depth Local Forecast Today's Regional Map

Sunrise

7:33 a.m.

7:32 a.m.

7:32 a.m.

7:31 a.m.7:30 a.m.

7:29 a.m.

7:28 a.m.

Sunset

6:09 p.m.

6:10 p.m.

6:11 p.m.

6:12 p.m.6:13 p.m.

6:14 p.m.

6:15 p.m.

Moonset

3:10 a.m.

4:02 a.m.

4:51 a.m.

5:37 a.m.6:20 a.m.

7:00 a.m.

7:37 a.m.

Moonrise

1:25 p.m.

2:16 p.m.

3:12 p.m.

4:12 p.m.5:15 p.m.

6:20 p.m.

7:26 p.m.

First

2/29

www.WhatsOurWeather.com

Weather History

Feb. 2, 1952 - The only

tropical storm of record to hit

the United States in February

moved out of the Gulf of

Mexico and across southern

Florida. It produced 60 mph

winds and two to four inchesof rain.

Weather Trivia

Tonight's Planets

Can there be lightning

during a snowstorm?

Answer: Yes. Lightning and thunder

are common during snowstorms.

?

Day

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

SundayMonday

Tuesday

Wednesday

National Weather Summary This Week

Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week

StarWatch By Gary Becker - The Analemma Dilemma

Today we will see partly cloudy skies with a

slight chance of showers, high temperature of

66, humidity of 55%. Northwest wind 5 to 10

mph. The record high temperature for today is

73 set in 1974. Expect partly cloudy skies

tonight with an overnight low of 43.

Feb. 3, 1988 - Arctic air

continued to invade the central

United States. The temperature

at Midland, Texas plunged from

a record high of 80 degrees to

37 degrees in just three hours.

Morning lows in the higher

elevations of Wyoming were as

cold as 38 degrees below zero.

Have you ever seen that elongated figure eight on a globe? Usually placed in the Pacific Ocean far away from any land masses, it is called the analemma. If you would

observe the sun each day of the year, at noon, and start with the sun due south (June 12), you would see several effects. First, because the Earths axis is tilted, you would

notice the height of the sun changing above the horizon. The sun would appear highest at summer solstice and lowest six months later at winter solstice, but another more

subtle motion would also be viewed. As the sun was changing its altitude, it would appear to move to the right and left of the due south position. In other words, as the days

passed, your watch would say 12 noon, but the sun might be to the left or to the right of due south. The combination of the change in the height of the sun and its motion to the right or left

of south would create the analemma in the sky. Our clocks beat to an average rhythm called mean solar time which has been standardized into time zones and then further modified to day-light saving time during the warmer months. Each day at noon, one p.m. for daylight saving time, an imaginary or fictitious sun is due south by this convention. As the Earth revolves

around the sun, it shifts the sun about one degree to the east each day. We correct for this by adding an extra four minutes to the Earths spin period to create the mean solar day. But the

eastward shift of the sun is not uniform. This results from Earths speed varying due to its elliptical orbit. Another change in the suns eastward motion results because the sun moves north-

ward and southward with respect to the celestial equator. This is created by Earths axial tilt. This combination of motions may put the real sun ahead of our clocks by 16 minutes and

behind by just over 14 minutes. A detailed analemma is online at www.astronomy.org

Rise Set

Mercury 7:32 a.m. 5:48 p.m.

Venus 9:32 a .m. 9:20 p.m.

Mars 9:04 p.m. 9:47 a.m.

Jupiter 11:18 a.m.12:28 a.m.Saturn 12:05 a.m.11:20 a.m.

Uranus 9:53 a.m. 9:57 p.m.

3 50 - 2 4 6 8 107 9 11+

UV Index

0-2: Low, 3-5: Moderate,

6-7: High, 8-10: Very High

11+: Extreme Exposure

Atlanta

66/43

Decatur

66/43

Doraville

65/43

Dunwoody

64/42 Lilburn

65/43

Snellville66/43

Lithonia

67/43

Morrow

67/43

Smyrna

65/43

Hampton

68/44

Union City

67/43

College Park

67/43

*Last Weeks Almanac

Date Hi Lo Normals Precip

Tuesday 62 43 52/34 0.00"

Wednesday 65 34 52/34 0.00"

Thursday 69 53 53/34 0.00"

Friday 61 38 53/34 0.00"

Saturday 61 32 53/34 0.00"

Sunday 53 27 53/34 0.00"

Monday 60 27 53/34 0.00"Rainfall . . . . . . .0.00" Average temp . .48.9

Normal rainfall . .1.19" Average normal 43.4

Departure . . . . .-1.19" Departure . . . . .+5.5*Data as reported from De Kalb-Peachtree Airport

Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve. File photo

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, February 3, 2012 Page 14AHealth

by Mike Stobbe

ATLANTA (AP) College-age drinkers average ninedrinks when they get drunk,government health ofcialssaid Jan. 17.

That surprising statistics part of a new report

highlighting the dangersof binge drinking, whichusually means four to vedrinks at a time.

Overall, about one in sixU.S. adults surveyed saidhey had binged on alcohol

at least once in the previousmonth, though it was morehan one in four for those

ages 18 to 34.And thats likely an

underestimate: Alcohol salesgures suggest people arebuying a lot more alcoholhan they say they are

consuming. Health ofcialsestimate that about half ofthe beer, wine and liquorconsumed in the UnitedStates by adults each yearis downed during bingedrinking.

I know this soundsastounding, but I think thenumbers were reporting arereally an underestimate,said Dr. Robert Brewer,who leads the alcoholprogram at the Centersfor Disease Control andPrevention.

The CDC report is basedon telephone surveys lastyear of more than 450,000adults. They were askedabout their alcohol drinkingin the past month, includingthe largest number of drinksthey had at one time.

Binge drinking is

generally dened as fourdrinks for women and vefor men in a period of afew hours. Binge drinkersages 18 to 24 reported ninedrinks, or one more than thenational average of eightdrinks.

But those numbersare likely averages for allepisodes of binge drinking,Brewer said, citing otherstudies.

The number of drinksper binge went down withage, to less than six for thoseages 65 and older.

Binge drinking maybe considered sociallyacceptableto many, afun night out at the bar.And many dont see it as asign of a serious drinkingproblem. Indeed, expertssay fewer than 20 percent

of binge drinkers wouldbe medically diagnosed asalcoholics.

But health ofcials saybinge drinking accounts formore than 40,000 deathseach year. It contributes toproblems like violence anddrunk-driving accidentsand longer-term issues likecancer, heart disease andliver failure.

It is possible that a roundof binge drinking could leadto acute alcohol poisoning.But how many drinks atone sitting could kill youdepends on many factors,including how big you are,what you consumed andhow quickly you did it.

Other ndings of the report: Binge drinking continues

to be most common in

men, people who havebeen to college, and thosewith incomes of $75,000or more.

Only about 4 percent ofpeople 65 and older bingedrink, far fewer than adultsin other age groups. Butthey do it more oftenfivetimes a month, on average.Younger adults averagecloser to four episodes permonth.

The upper Midwestcontinues to report thehighest prevalence ofbinge drinking. Wisconsintopped the list in 2010 withnearly 26 percent of adultssaying they had at least onebinge drinking episode inthe previous month. WestVirginia, at just less than11 percent, was at the otherend of the spectrum.

CDC: Young adults down nine drinks when they binge

Printed on 100%post-consumer recycled paper

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Underneath one of thebasketball hoops in the MillerGrove gym stood a tablewith trophies for each schoolhat participated in the bowl,ncluding trophies for the

winners. Green and others

nvolved in the reading bowlhelp raise money each year topay for the trophies by sell-ng T-shirts, which are always

designed by a student.We have at least 170

volunteers, Green said.We get volunteers from thechool and we have teachers,

administrators, paraprofes-ionalsthe whole gamut.

David Schutten, presi-dent of the Organizationof DeKalb Educators, an-nounced each winningchool. The winners were

presented a trophy by Ruf-fin and, as each school wasannounced, the excitementgrewcheers erupted andechoed throughout the gym.

Chamblee Charter HighSchool was awarded first

prize for its division andcoaches Christine Hollandand Shelby Failing said pre-paring for the bowl beganwith each student reading asmany books as possible oversummer break.

We have a smaller teambut we do pick our five stron-gest and a captain, Hollandsaid. We read 20 books andwe write questions and wemeet once a week, sometimestwice a week, after school.

Green said parental in-volvement was importantbecause, in most cases, stu-dents stayed after school topractice and their parentshad to pack them a snack andpick them up. She also said ithelped to have parents rein-force what the students werereading.

The kids demandedthat we start one at the highschool levelthat wasnt inthe plans. It started out justas elementary school but thekids wanted it, Green said.

Audit states DeKalbSchools has too manycentral ofce personnelby Daniel [email protected]

A recent audit of centralofce positions at the DeKalbCounty School System foundt has approximately 300 jobsoo many.

School spokesman Wal-ter Woods said it would takehe recommendations from

Virginia-based ManagementAdvisory Group (MAG) todo the work needed to orga-nize and run an efcient schoolsystem.

The school system hasapproximately 15,000 em-ployees1,499 in the centralofce. According to the report,he system has 15.5 central

ofce positions per 1,000 stu-dents and should have closer to12 per 1,000.

Superintendent CherylAtkinson ordered the auditand said she will use the nd-ngs and recommendations to

develop a new organizationalstructure for each departmentwithin the school system.

Woods said the system

hasnt done a full audit similaro the one performed by MAGn several years. An Ernst and

Young study in 2005 is themost recent.

Basically, we have a lotof work to do and its going totake some time to sift througheverything, Woods said. Weneed alignment on job titlesand job descriptions that areaccurate descriptions for jobs

performed.Woods said in some cases

at the central ofce level, theaudit found there was confu-sion as to who should be doingspecic jobs and how muchthey should be getting paid.

There are people whohave a title but are doing a

completely different job,Woods said.

The results of the auditreleased on Jan. 18 are part ofa two-phase project to auditeach position within the schoolsystem. According to Woods,

phase two of the audit is sched-uled to be complete in March.

Woods said each year therewere jobs phased out due toattrition for various reasons.He wouldnt say when, or if, asignicant amount of positionswould be cut from the centralofce.

The realignment processis under way and we wontknow the number of positionsuntil that process is complete,Woods said.

Reading Continued From Page 1A


Helen Rufn, right, sits with Gwen Green, a media specialist at Stephenson Middle School whohas been volunteering with the reading bowl since it began.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, February 3, 2012 Page 16AEducation

Baby boomers reflect on school during Civil Rights Era

Recently, more than 18 former students of Wesley Avenue Elementary met to celebrate their accomplishments, and how their kindergarten class in 1956 taught them les-sons they held dear for years to come. Photo by Walter Martin


In 1956, Dwight D. Eisenhowerwas president and America wasengaged in the Cold War. Schoolsn Atlanta were segregated and a

group of 5-year-olds was beginningkindergarten at Wesley AvenueElementary.

Debra Moore said she and herclassmates, who grew up in theEdgewood community in DeKalb,were the rst generation of childrento benet from the Civil RightsMovement. She said many of themwere also the rst members of theirfamilies to attend college.

We believe that despite anyreal or imagined circumstances thatbeset this group of kindergarteners,for the most part, we became andived the American dream, Moore

said.

Moore, a retired DeKalb Countyteacher, said several members of herkindergarten class maintained closerelationships with one another thatbegan in 1956.

After [we reected] upon thesustained relationships, the ideafor a celebration was born, Mooresaid.

On Dec. 20, 2011, more than 18former students from the WesleyAvenue kindergarten class of 1956attended a dinner and dance tocelebrate their accomplishments.It was also a chance for them toreminisce on how the lessonsthey learned at such a young agenuenced them and helped shape

their lives.Geri Thomas, now Atlanta

Market President for Bank ofAmerica Georgia, said she was

living in a different world whenshe entered Anna Rogers class 55years ago. She said she lived in aworld where failureregardless ofsocial or economic backgroundwas not an option.

I dont know if we so muchsaw it as a struggle, it was ourreality. The expectations were veryclear. We were in a segregatedschool environment and there was

no thought that we wouldnt besuccessful, Thomas said.

Thomas said most of the studentswent to church with each other,walked to and from school togetherand attended the same middleschool and high school; there was avery strong sense of community.

At the time that we came upAtlanta was, and still is, the placeto be for opportunities for AfricanAmericans, so even if you wentaway to school you came back,Thomas said.

Moore explained that althoughclass reunions typically serve asmile-markers highlighting thenumber of years since a speciceducation level, kindergarten is

almost never included.Having traveled through

most of the remaining elementarygrades together, the social changesunder way in the early 1960s alsoimpacted the elementary yearsand beginning high school years,Moore said.

Throughout their lives,the students of Rogers classexperienced some of the most

important moments in history:They were seventh graders whenPresident John F. Kennedywas assassinated; they were therst group of students to enterdesegregated high school as eighthgraders in Atlanta; they were juniorsin high school when Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr. was assassinated.

It was about all of us turning 60but it was also about us serving as abeacon to others, Moore said.

Nelson Martin, a retired GeneralMotors employee who worked atthe plant in Doraville,told a storyat the reunion about when he wasasked to read something aloud to theteacher. When he was nished, sheasked him if he comprehended it.

I had to get to understandingwhat comprehend meant at thattime, and it challenged me tocontinue to move forward and totake those school books home andstudy, Martin said.

Many students in the class,including Thomas, Moore andFrida Patillo, said communityinvolvement played a large role intheir education, something they saidis lacking in the lives of childrentoday.

Regardless of what yourparents background was, andregardless of what people thoughtof you, home was very important,Patillo said. I knew that it was notacceptable for me to failthat wasnot even an issue in my house. Myparents expected me to succeedtherefore I expected to succeed, andI tried to pass it off to my children.

Moore said those life lessons,

community involvement and greatexpectations were all they neededto go out into the world to besuccessful. The reunion gave thema chance to come together and seewhat each had accomplished sincesuch a tumultuous era.

Without the foundation laid inRogers classroom, Moore said thestudents would have never beenable to become successful membersof society such as educators,doctors, business owners and civicleaders.

From ve years old to 55 yearslater, everything we wanted to knowwe learned in kindergartenthatwas our theme for the reunion. Thecommon thread was and remains thekindergarten, Moore said.

From fi ve years old to 55 years later,

everything we wanted to know we

learned in kindergarten Debra Moore

fi

v

De

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, February 3, 2012 Page 17A

DeKalb County School System appoints new chief operating officer

HM named topemployee

Immaculate Heart of MaryIHM) middle school teacher

Haydee Vader was recentlynamed the schools employeeof the year.

Vader has worked at IHM

for 20 years and has taughtphysical education, fthgrade and middle school sci-ence, religion and math. Shealso is the advisor to the year-book staff and the Nationalunior Honor Society.

Currently, Vader is themiddle school coordinatorand was instrumental in facil-tating the Eighth Grade iPad/

NetText program at IHM,which replaces textbookswith iPads.

Vader will be honored athe Atlanta Archdiocesan Ed-

ucation Banquet this month.

Decatur hostsours for parents

City Schools of Decaturwill be hosting tours for pro-pective parents and students

over the next months.

The schools participating are:College Heights Early Child-hood Learning Centerinfants - preK)

404) 370-4480Pre-K program tours are of-fered the rst and third Fridayof every month beginning at9:30 a.m.

Clairemont ElementaryK-3)404) 370-4450

Tour begins at 8 a.m.Feb. 10March 9April 13

Glennwood ElementaryK-3)

404) 370-4435Tour begins at 8:30Feb. 3March 16April 27

Oakhurst Elementary(K-3)(404) 370-44708 - 9 a.m.Feb. 27March 26April 23

Winnona Park Elementary

(K-3)(404) 370-44901:15-2:30 p.m.Feb. 10March 9

4/5 Academy at Fifth Avenue(4-5)(404) 371-66809:30-10:30 a.m.Feb. 8Feb.22March 14

Renfroe Middle School(6-8)

(404) 370-4440Every Thursday in Februaryand March at 9 a.m.

Vanderbiltprofessor tolecture at AgnesScott

Amy-Jill Levine will de-liver Agnes Scott Colleges2012 James Ross McCainFaith and Learning Lecturetitled Agreeing to Disagree:How Jews and ChristiansRead Scripture Differently.

This event is free and opento the public and takes placeFeb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in AgnesScotts Gaines Chapel.

Levine is the E. Rhodesand Leona Be CarpenterProfessor of New TestamentStudies and professor of Jew-ish studies at Vanderbilt Uni-versity Divinity School. Hernewest book, The Jewish An-notated New Testament, was

published in December 2011.A book signing and recep-

tion will follow in the Katha-rine Woltz Reception Roomof Rebekah Scott Hall.

Roboticschampionshipheld at Cross Keys

The DeKalb CountySchool System will host therst VEX Robotics DeKalbCounty League Champion-ship and will have a technol-

ogy education open house onFeb. 11.

The events, which are freeand open to the public, will

be held at Cross Keys HighSchool located at 1626 NorthDruid Hills Road.

The robotics champion-ship will start at 7:30 a.m.with inspection and open

practice in the school gymna-sium. From 8:30-11:30 a.m.,the teams will participate in

practice matches and skills

challenges. From 10-11:30a.m., the teams will competein elimination matches tocrown a county champion.

The matches will be followedby an awards ceremony andconclude at noon.

The open house will runfrom 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. It willshowcase Cross Keys techni-cal and agricultural programsincluding health science,dental science, manufacturingand information technology.

The programs are available tostudents from a seven-high-school area serving more than10,000 students.

The DeKalb CountyBoard of Education voted

nanimously on Jan. 26, topprove the appointment oftephen Wilkins as Chief

Operating Ofcer (COO)

or the DeKalb Countychool System.The appointment was

ased on the recommen-

dation of SuperintendentCheryl Atkinson after theboard hired search rm Rayand Associates to nd a re-placement for former COOBarbara Colman.

Wilkins was most re-cently chief of human capi-tal initiatives for the Alex-andria City Public Schools

in Alexandria, Va. He waspreviously facilities direc-tor for the Chicago PublicSchools.

Wilkins is a retired U.S.Army colonel and served

in key leadership positionsover a 27-year military ca-reer. He holds a mastersdegree in public administra-

tion from Harvard Univer-sity and is a graduate of theU.S. Military Academy atWest Point, where he alsoserved as an assistant pro-fessor.

As COO, Wilkins willbe in charge of all opera-tional aspects of the SchoolSystem, including facilities

and maintenance, transpor-tation, school nutrition andconstruction.

Mr. Wilkins is an expe-rienced leader who will bean asset to the School Sys-

tem as we work to improveour efciency and effec-tiveness, Atkinson said.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, February 3, 2012 Page 18ABusiness

BUSINESS BRIEFS

More than a marketSevananda NaturalFoods seeks to be a community resource

Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite 235, Decatur, GA 30030

404-378-8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org

The Voice of Business in DeKalb CountyDeKalb Chamber of Commerce

Homesmart to open in Avondale/Decatur area

Homesmart, a retailer specializing in rental purchase op-tions for furniture, appliances, computers and electronics,

will hold the grand opening of its Avondale location on Sat-urday, Feb. 4. The event will feature prizes, entertainmentand refreshments for the family.

Latinisha Jackson, general manager of the new store,said, Economic struggles have restricted many incomes,but the need for these everyday necessities still exists. WithHomesmarts low weekly rental rates and no credit checks,we can help our customers achieve ownership faster withsuperior customer service.

Launched late in 2010, Homesmart now has 74 stores in10 states with plans to open more in 2012.

The grand opening will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 3570 Me-morial Drive, Suite 101.

New business comes to Dunwoody

A ribbon cutting marking the ofcial grand opening ofH&R Block Tax & Business Services in Dunwoodywas held Jan. 21. The business now occupies a newlyremodeled space in the Ashford Place strip shopping center.

Bibiano Lopez, owner, s

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