July 2019 Envision Equity
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'Literacy &' Street academy March Together and<br />
more!<br />
1<br />
Photo, Getty Images
ENVISION EQUITY JULY <strong>2019</strong><br />
“Literacy &”<br />
Camps Keep Students Engaged This Summer<br />
By Abdul Sharif, Generalist—Diversity, <strong>Equity</strong>, and Poverty Department<br />
As Jefferson County Public Schools<br />
(JCPS) students return to<br />
classrooms this fall, many of them—<br />
especially those from historically<br />
disadvantaged student groups—will begin<br />
the school year with achievement levels<br />
lower than they were at the beginning of<br />
summer break. This phenomenon is known<br />
as the summer slide, and has been the<br />
subject of educational research dating<br />
back to the early 1900s.<br />
Above, JCPS student Antoni Salazar displays his certificate at the Literacy<br />
& Production closing ceremony.<br />
Photos, Abdul Sharif<br />
A May 2018 study by the United States<br />
Department of Education titled The<br />
Summer After Kindergarten: Children’s<br />
Experiences by Socioeconomic<br />
Characteristics found that during the<br />
summer after kindergarten, 83 percent of<br />
children from low-income households did<br />
not have regular care arrangements with<br />
someone other than their parents<br />
compared to 70 percent of those from nonpoor<br />
homes. Higher-income students were<br />
also more likely to attend summer camp,<br />
with 38 percent of non-poor students<br />
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ENVISION EQUITY JULY <strong>2019</strong><br />
attending a day camp, compared to 13 percent of near-poor students and 7 percent of<br />
poor students.<br />
Many studies suggest that in order to overcome the summer slide, students from lowincome<br />
households must be given opportunities to attend high-quality summer camps<br />
with access to culturally inclusive reading materials, caring adults, and engaging<br />
curriculum.<br />
Above, students attend the Literacy & Photography closing program<br />
at Engelhard Elementary School.<br />
To combat the summer<br />
slide, JCPS Chief <strong>Equity</strong><br />
Officer Dr. John Marshall<br />
created “Literacy &”<br />
camps during the<br />
summer of 2015. “Literacy<br />
&” programs connect<br />
standards-based literacy<br />
instruction to characterbuilding<br />
opportunities<br />
using grade-levelappropriate<br />
books with<br />
themes connected to<br />
each program. Program<br />
themes include confidence, competition, activism, compassion, and diversity. In all<br />
programs, students make text, self, and world connections while increasing student<br />
engagement.<br />
This summer, our “Literacy &” camp offerings have more than doubled, with such<br />
themes as production, drama, karate, chess, robotics, and more. With 21 camps to<br />
choose from, JCPS parents were able to enroll students in “Literacy &” camps located in<br />
nine schools, the JCPS Satellite Office @ Shawnee, and Burnett Avenue Baptist Church.<br />
Our newest summer camp is Literacy & Production, which took place at the JCPS<br />
Satellite Office @ Shawnee. With help from the JCPS Communications department, the<br />
“Literacy & Production” summer camp exposed JCPS students to careers in the media<br />
production industry. Students were able to work hands-on with professional news<br />
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ENVISION EQUITY JULY <strong>2019</strong><br />
broadcasters, radio hosts, and videographers. Students learned how to record and edit<br />
videos, conduct interviews, make podcasts, and write scripts, to name a few. During the<br />
literacy portion of the camp, students read the book Ms. Cuddy Is Nutty by Dan Gutman.<br />
Students worked with JCPS teachers Tonda Mack of Crosby Middle School and Jill Byrd of<br />
Luhr Elementary School.<br />
Above, parents attend the Literacy & Production closing<br />
program.<br />
During the Literacy & Production summer<br />
camp, students learned what it was like<br />
to work in front of a news camera.<br />
Bailee, a student from Lincoln<br />
Elementary School, interviewed JCPS<br />
Satellite Offices Supervisor Don Dillard<br />
for her production project. Bailee said it<br />
was “fun being in front of the camera”<br />
but it was also “scary” at the same time.<br />
Emmaline, a student at Lincoln<br />
Elementary School, spent most of her<br />
time during camp working on editing and<br />
podcasting. Aiden, who attends Luhr Elementary School, created a video called “Book<br />
Talks,” in which he gave his honest review of the camp’s required reading. Aiden stated<br />
that recording the video was fun, but also tiring.<br />
One of the lessons that teachers emphasized during the Literacy & Production camp was<br />
for students to overcome mistakes and keep going. Ms. Byrd made sure to let students<br />
know that even adults “mess up” and it is important to learn from mistakes and keep<br />
pushing on.<br />
“Literacy &” programs are one of many options JCPS students have this summer to<br />
combat the summer slide. Select “Literacy &” programs are also offered after school<br />
during the academic year and during fall and spring breaks. For more information or to<br />
register for any of the camps, contact Taylor Utley at (502) 485-6331 or<br />
taylor.utley@jefferson.kyschools.us.<br />
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ENVISION EQUITY JULY <strong>2019</strong><br />
Street Academy<br />
Students Graduate<br />
With Honor!<br />
By Charles Davis—Coordinator, <strong>Equity</strong> & Inclusion Unit<br />
Street Academy is an education enhancement program that provides<br />
academic enrichment, increased social/behavioral skills, and cultural<br />
enrichment for targeted male students of Jefferson County Public<br />
Schools. Street Academy instruction emphasizes a direct reading<br />
curriculum model with literacy enhancements. Additionally, students<br />
engage with martial arts and chess professionals to increase discipline and<br />
self-resiliency skills. Lastly, there is a parental involvement requirement with<br />
that consists of scheduled parent workshops throughout the school year.<br />
Photos, Abdul Sharif<br />
The young men in Street Academy are taught movement in unison. Learning<br />
controlled movement teaches the young men how to be connected with<br />
their “physical and mental selves” and their surrounding environment. They<br />
are also taught active listening, self- awareness, personal pride, courtesy and<br />
respect for their fellow man and woman. Finally, experiential Learning<br />
provides opportunities for Street Academy participants to connect lessons<br />
from Street Academy sessions and school to “real-world” situations.<br />
Opportunities such as visiting the Muhammad Ali Center give students<br />
insights into other cultures, perspectives and world views.<br />
This past June the Street Academy program graduated more than 20<br />
students during a ceremony held at Roosevelt-Perry Elementary School.<br />
Please enjoy some of the photos we captured during the event!<br />
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ENVISION EQUITY JULY <strong>2019</strong><br />
Above, Ballard student Conner Wilson conducting an oral history<br />
interview with Kip Mackie, retired JCPS teacher and community<br />
March Together:<br />
Understanding Kentucky’s Civil Rights History<br />
The following article documents various<br />
activities during a year-long Civil Rights<br />
Oral History Project at Ballard High<br />
School (BHS), in partnership with the Kentucky<br />
Center for African American Heritage (KCAAH),<br />
August 2018 to May <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
By Aukram Burton and Laura Younkin<br />
Ignorance remains the operative word when it<br />
comes to the Civil Rights Movement and the<br />
contributions of African Americans in American<br />
history. In a report titled, Teaching the Movement<br />
2014: The State of Civil Rights Education in the<br />
United States, prepared by the Southern Poverty<br />
Law Center under the guidance of Teaching<br />
Tolerance, documents the fact that most states<br />
demanded little instruction about the Civil Rights<br />
Movement. The report states:<br />
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In casting the movement as a regional matter, or a topic significant to African-American<br />
students only, the states failed to recognize the profound national significance of the<br />
movement. Their standards and frameworks sent the message that the movement could<br />
safely be ignored.<br />
The major aim of the Civil Rights Oral History Project is to illuminate the rich history of past<br />
struggles for civil rights and social justice in the region, yet in many ways, they remain<br />
fragmented. So the vision is to link various public projects, providing a first-stop interpretive site<br />
located at KCAAH that will inspire further exploration of historic preservation sites, driving and<br />
walking tours, digital projects, and oral history collections for local school field trips.<br />
Ballard Students on the bus participating in a field trip using “The Self-Guided Tour<br />
of Louisville’s Civil Rights History," a public history project developed by the Anne<br />
Braden Institute for Social Justice Research. (Photo by Aukram Burton)<br />
The idea for the Civil Rights Oral<br />
History Project at BHS started in a<br />
conversation between friends. Laura<br />
Younkin, librarian/teacher at Ballard<br />
High School was talking to former JCPS<br />
teacher Marsha Stone, a friend who is<br />
just a little older than Ms. Younkin,<br />
about Louisvillian’s nostalgia for<br />
Fountaine Ferry Park. Fountaine Ferry<br />
was an amusement park that was on<br />
the west end of Market Street from<br />
1905 until 1969.<br />
Ms. Younkin had never been there, but<br />
Ms. Stone talked about seeing the<br />
beautiful lights on the Ferris wheel from a distance and getting so excited. She asked her mother<br />
if they could go to the park so she could ride that glittering Ferris wheel. Her mother told her no,<br />
people who looked like they were only allowed in the park one day a year.<br />
Ms. Younkin grew up middle-class in the East End. She said it had never occurred to her that Ms.<br />
Stone wouldn’t have been allowed into Fountaine Ferry. That was so foreign to her experiences.<br />
It made Ms. Younkin wonder how many other Louisvillians were out there with stories to share<br />
about the days of Jim Crow. How many people were out there who could remind people that not<br />
everyone had the same advantages while growing up?<br />
The story led to a conversation with Teresa Hinkle-Jones, an English teacher at Ballard High<br />
School, and Eddie Fossett, who teaches social studies at Ballard. Along with Stephanie Conrad,<br />
the other librarian at the school, the adults decided to collaborate. They could expand their<br />
students’ awareness of the Civil Rights Movement in their own hometown. Ms. Hinkle-Jones and<br />
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Mr. Fossett student rosters had a combined<br />
total of 167 students between them an<br />
overlap of only 7 students.<br />
Mrs. Hinkle-Jones had her senior English<br />
classes read “March: Book One” an awardwinning<br />
graphic<br />
novel by John<br />
Lewis about his<br />
early days in the<br />
Civil Rights<br />
Movement. Mr.<br />
Fossett taught a<br />
unit on the<br />
movement in his<br />
American History<br />
and American<br />
Government<br />
classes. Students<br />
wouldn’t learn<br />
about that era in<br />
the isolation of<br />
one classroom but<br />
across the<br />
curriculum.<br />
Talking with students, the teachers realized<br />
the teenagers saw the Civil Rights Movement<br />
as something distant. It was school children in<br />
Arkansas, Rosa Parks on a bus in Birmingham,<br />
Martin Luther King Jr. marching in<br />
Washington, DC. They didn’t know there had<br />
been activists here at home.<br />
All the adults agreed that human stories are<br />
powerful. Looking someone in the eye and<br />
hearing about the discrimination they faced<br />
and what everyday life was like would make<br />
the movement more real to the students. But<br />
where would the Ballard librarians and<br />
teachers find enough people to share their<br />
stories?<br />
Ms. Younkin had been to a librarians’<br />
professional development day a few summers<br />
before at the Kentucky Center for African<br />
Above, Ballard High School students learned about the history history of the Civil Rights Movement as<br />
they listen to panelist Marshall Abstain, retired JCPS teacher; Kip Mackey, retired JCPS; Ira Grupper,<br />
former civil rights activist in Mississippi; Bill Allison, Retired Civil Rights Attorney; Bernard Minnis,<br />
retired JCPS Assistant Superintendent; and George Thornton, Senior Pastor at Magazine SDA Church.<br />
(Photo by Aukram Burton)<br />
American Heritage (KCAAH). Perhaps they<br />
could help figure out where to start. Did they<br />
ever.<br />
The Executive Director of KCAAH, Aukram<br />
Burton, listened to Ms. Younkin’s somewhat<br />
vague ideas of a lesson plan and immediately<br />
stepped in to help. He immediately made a<br />
connection with Mrs. Hinkle-Jones' and Mr.<br />
Fossett's interdisciplinary approach to<br />
teaching about the Civil Rights Movement<br />
across the curriculum. Mr. Burton shared two<br />
projects that he had been developing at<br />
KCAAH which eventually provided major<br />
resources for BHS teachers and students.<br />
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It turns out that KCAAH had recently received a grant from the National Park Service to develop a<br />
permanent exhibition on the Black Freedom Struggle in Kentucky, to be installed at KCAAH in<br />
September <strong>2019</strong>. The exhibit will examine Kentucky's distinctive role in the history of American racial<br />
justice struggles as a border state with Northern, Southern, and Midwestern influences. This<br />
exhibition highlights individual sites that are significant to the long struggle for racial justice, linking<br />
them to the larger themes of activism that took place across the country.<br />
Above, Ballard student Conner Wilson conducting an oral history interview with<br />
Kip Mackie, retired JCPS teacher and community activist. (Photo by Aukram<br />
Burton)<br />
Mr. Burton suggested that BHS organize<br />
students around topics that are<br />
consistent with the exhibition and its<br />
accompanying website with the same<br />
title. (https://<br />
kentuckyblackfreedom.org/kentuckyfreedom-struggle/index.html),<br />
developed in partnership with the<br />
Cooperative Consortium for<br />
Transdisciplinary Social Justice<br />
Research at the University of Louisville<br />
and Kentucky Center for African<br />
American Heritage. The exhibit provided<br />
BHS teachers and students a better<br />
understanding of the concepts of place-based history and topical approach for teachers and<br />
students. The exhibition’s topics include Businesses, Churches, Community Institutions, Culture,<br />
Gender, Health Care, Higher Education, Housing, Direct Action Protest, K-12 Schools, Racial Violence,<br />
and Working Life.<br />
Although there are countless possible sites of significance across the Commonwealth of Kentucky,<br />
the stories featured in the exhibition provide an introduction to some of the locations of activism<br />
across the late 19th and 20th centuries. Selected sites will comply with the National Historic<br />
Landmark theme study, “Civil Rights in America” and will be informed by the Louisville Downtown<br />
Civil Rights Movement Markers Project (http://louisville.edu/artsandsciences/idep/engagement/civilrights-markers-project),<br />
and the Self-Guided Tour of Louisville’s Civil Rights History (http://<br />
louisville.edu/braden/oral-history-tours-exhibits/civil-rights-driving-tour), two public history projects<br />
developed over the last decade which was created by the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice<br />
Research, and the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Louisville, in partnership with<br />
Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau, KCAAH and the Muhammad Ali Center. The introduction of<br />
the above historic preservation sites provided a framework designed to introduce multiple<br />
perspectives for learning about the civil rights movement by introducing students to three (3)<br />
fundamental questions:<br />
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1. What roles do individuals, groups, and institutions play in strengthening democratic<br />
ideals and practices?<br />
2. How did cultural patterns and economics decisions during the 1960s influence the<br />
environment and daily lives of African Americans living in Louisville during that time?<br />
3. How did grassroots activists work together to end Jim Crow practices in public<br />
businesses?<br />
Mr. Burton, Mr. Ira Grupper, and Mr. Kip Mackey came to Ballard to share their experiences as<br />
Civil Rights activists and assist Ms. Younkin, Mrs. Conrad, Mrs. Hinkle-Jones and Mr. Fossett in<br />
developing a plan to expose BHS students to what the Civil Rights struggle looked like in<br />
Kentucky. They<br />
developed a plan that<br />
had two components:<br />
(1) taking BHS<br />
students on a field<br />
trip using “The Self-<br />
Guided Tour of<br />
Louisville’s Civil<br />
Rights History,” and<br />
(2) teaching students<br />
how to conduct oral<br />
history interviews<br />
with people in there<br />
family and<br />
community recording<br />
Above, (from L-R) Bill Allison, Retired Civil Rights Attorney; Aukram Burton, retired JCPS<br />
Specialist; Marshall Abstain, retired JCPS teacher; Bernard Minnis, retired JCPS Assistant<br />
Superintendent; Ira Grupper, former civil rights activist in Mississippi; and Kip Mackey, retired<br />
JCPS.<br />
their memories and<br />
involvements in the<br />
the Civil Rights<br />
Movement. Mr. Burton<br />
facilitated a<br />
professional development workshop on how to conduct oral history interviews, as well as how<br />
to properly operate audio recording equipment. Examining the “A Self-Guided Tour of<br />
Louisville’s Civil Rights History,” pamphlets Mr. Burton had supplied, Mrs. Hinkle-Jones and Ms.<br />
Younkin picked out a route that would cover essentials, get some students into their own<br />
neighborhoods and fit within the time constraints of a field trip.<br />
Continue on next page<br />
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ENVISION EQUITY JULY <strong>2019</strong><br />
The students had a sheet to fill out while on the bus. They couldn’t just sit and goof off, they<br />
had information to assimilate. Also, they were encouraged to use their phones to take pictures<br />
of the various sites on the trip. Those would come in handy later.<br />
Mr. Burton and Mr. Grupper<br />
were also on the bus ride<br />
and they were able to add<br />
personal insights into the<br />
places students were<br />
seeing. Mrs. Hinkle-Jones<br />
reminded students about<br />
the sit-ins in Nashville that<br />
John Lewis wrote about<br />
then students saw the spot<br />
at 4th Street and Jefferson<br />
where local teenagers<br />
began the fight for equal<br />
access to the stores and<br />
restaurants downtown.<br />
During the tour, one<br />
student remarked, “I didn’t<br />
know all this happened in<br />
my neighborhood.”<br />
Above, Ballard Students pose for a group photo at Freedom Park on UofL's campus under a pergola<br />
displaying a photo and biographical of Charles H. Parrish, Jr., one of 9 civil rights activists memorialized<br />
at the park who advanced inclusivenes at UofL. This site is one of the 22 sites featured in “The Self-<br />
Guided Tour of Louisville’s Civil Rights History," a public history project developed by the Anne Braden<br />
Institute for Social Justice Research. (Photo by Aukram Burton)<br />
The field trip ended with a tour of the KCAAH campus before having lunch. Students toured the<br />
58,000 square foot campus and had a chance to view many of the exhibitions on display<br />
including: “Pleading the Cause Through the Black Press: Remembering Frank L. Stanley, Sr.<br />
and the Louisville Defender,” telling the story of a key civil rights figure whose contribution in<br />
Kentucky and American history should not be forgotten. They also had the opportunity to view<br />
other exhibitions on display such as: “The Gallery of Great Black Kentuckians”, an exhibition of<br />
56 posters recognizing Kentucky African Americans who have made unique accomplishments,<br />
or who have helped the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the nation by breaking racial,<br />
professional or other barriers, or whose stories have been significant in Kentucky; “Life of<br />
Inspiration: A Photographic Retrospective of Muhammad Ali,” an exhibition of memorable and<br />
iconic images of Muhammad Ali, taken over many years by award-winning photographers from<br />
the Courier-Journal newspaper; “Two Centuries of Black Louisville,” an exhibition featuring<br />
selected black & white photographs from the book of the same title tracing two hundred years<br />
of Kentucky’s African American community behind the wall of slavery and the veil of<br />
segregation, forging a remarkably vibrant community that, at times, influenced the political<br />
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and cultural history of the nation; and “Colonel Charles Young Soldier, Educator, Diplomat, & Civil<br />
Rights Advocate,” an exhibition dedicated to an unheralded military hero, Colonel Charles Young<br />
(1864–1922). This exhibition is in the shadow of the Colonel Charles Young Veterans Flag Memorial<br />
on the South<br />
Lawn on the<br />
KCAAH Campus.<br />
Above, Ira Grupper, former member of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the<br />
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party answering questions from Ballard High students during lunch at the<br />
Kentucky Center for African American Heritage after taking “The Self-Guided Tour of Louisville’s Civil Rights<br />
History," a public history project developed by the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research. (Photo by<br />
Aukram Burton)<br />
After the tour of<br />
the campus,<br />
students had an<br />
opportunity to<br />
talk individually<br />
with Mr. Burton<br />
and Mr. Grupper<br />
during lunch<br />
where many<br />
questions about<br />
the field trip<br />
were raised.<br />
Their questions<br />
revealed that<br />
many of the<br />
students had<br />
moved beyond<br />
an abstract<br />
understanding to a more realistic understanding of the Civil Rights Movement as a result of what<br />
they experienced during the bus tour and the exhibitions. The questions where aligned with the<br />
three fundamental questions discussed earlier in this article. The student’s questions were<br />
evidence that the experience was transformative for them.<br />
Those pictures students took on their field trip? They came in handy when they returned to<br />
school. Scheduling time in the library the next week, Mr. Fossett and Mrs. Hinkle-Jones had their<br />
students create their own tours of the sites they’d seen, written in their own words and using their<br />
own pictures. Ms. Conrad showed them how to use Google My Maps to create their own guides --<br />
stories that were Google Digital Backpack worthy. The students had evidence of authentic<br />
learning to add to their backpacks that can be used in their defense of learning if they want to.<br />
The last piece of this puzzle, to make it even more real to the students, was to have them meet<br />
veterans of the local Civil Rights Movement. They could ask questions, hear stories and know<br />
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ENVISION EQUITY JULY <strong>2019</strong><br />
what it felt like in the ‘60s and ‘70s in Louisville. Mr. Burton convened a gathering at BHS of<br />
seven veteran Civil<br />
Rights activist who has<br />
made significant<br />
contributions in<br />
obtaining civil rights in<br />
their community. The<br />
activist included:<br />
Marshall Abstain, retired<br />
JCPS teacher in the<br />
School to Work Program<br />
who taught African<br />
American history; Kip<br />
Mackey, retired JCPS<br />
teacher and former<br />
community activist with<br />
the Alliance for Racist<br />
and Political Repression;<br />
Above, Ballard High School student Marc Namid conducting an oral history interview with<br />
Bernard Minnis, retired JCPS Assistant Superintendent. (Photo by Aukram Burton)<br />
activist. (Photo by Aukram Burton)<br />
Ira Grupper, former member of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the<br />
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP); Bill Allison, retired Civil Rights Attorney who<br />
started his law career with the Southern Conference Educational Fund (SCEF) who has litigated<br />
many famous civil rights cases with the ACLU-KY; Bernard Minnis, retired JCPS Assistant<br />
Superintendent known for his work in school desegregation, equity, diversity and poverty<br />
issues; Aukram Burton, retired JCPS Specialist also known for his work in equity, diversity and<br />
poverty issues; and George Thornton, current Senior Pastor at Magazine SDA Church known for<br />
his works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.<br />
Many of these veteran activists greatly appreciated this undertaking and believe that the Civil<br />
Rights Oral History Project at BHS is an excellent model that needs to be replicated in other<br />
schools in JCPS. They were very impressed with the Ballard students who were very focused<br />
and engaged and they particularly praised the work of Ballard teachers and librarians. Realizing<br />
that two-plus generations have grown up knowing little about the Civil Rights struggles, and<br />
what is ‘known’ is a too-often caricature. This project allowed students to learn that the Civil<br />
Rights Movement wasn’t a faraway event. It happened right here in Louisville, too, and was<br />
carried out by people they now know personally. Ballard and KCAAH plan to do this project<br />
again, tweaking it here and there.<br />
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Against All Odds<br />
By Kelly N. Rowan Burrell<br />
For the last 14 years, Ballard High School<br />
graduate Lorenzo J. Rowan has been<br />
making his mark in Jefferson County<br />
Public Schools (JCPS). Lorenzo has<br />
participated in Academic Team, Yearbook<br />
Staff, County and State recognized Choirs, and<br />
the elite Madrigal Singers. Lorenzo is also a<br />
member of an A-capella group called The<br />
Bobbing Murphy’s. An accomplished artist,<br />
poet, dancer and actor, Lorenzo’s artwork<br />
earned him a Scholastic Gold Key. His poetry<br />
is featured in Ballard’s award-winning<br />
publication The Collage. He participated in all<br />
of Ballard’s school musicals, and to add to all<br />
of these accolades, Lorenzo has maintained<br />
his grades with purposeful rigorous study and<br />
graduated with Valedictorian honors.<br />
This article is not about Lorenzo’s<br />
accomplishments at all. It is my hope that you<br />
would be empowered to succeed. Did you<br />
know Lorenzo lost a sibling when he was 4?<br />
When you read the achievements, did you<br />
know that he is the oldest child in his<br />
household, helping with his young sisters?<br />
Can you tell that Lorenzo’s mother battles<br />
chronic illness that has to sometimes cause him to worry (he doesn’t say so, but how could it not?).<br />
Against all odds, you can make it. Everyone’s best is different. You don’t have to be like Lorenzo.<br />
Whatever your goals are, create a plan, use your resources (parents, family, friends, teachers,<br />
counselors, etc.) and step-by-step you can get there. We believe in you!<br />
Above, a JCPS student is welcomed by<br />
Flash Dads at Wheatley Elementary<br />
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ENVISION EQUITY JULY <strong>2019</strong><br />
A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks <br />
By Alice Faye Duncan<br />
Sterling Children's Books (January 1, <strong>2019</strong>)<br />
Kindergarten – 3 rd grade<br />
Books for Young Readers<br />
Warm and hazy, yet sharp illustrations combined with free verse<br />
focus on the life of poet Gwendolyn Brooks. This title would be a<br />
wonderful curriculum resource for school age and middle school<br />
students studying African American history and poetry and also a<br />
lovely book for parents to share one on one with their children.<br />
Girls with Guts: The Road to Breaking Barriers and Bashing<br />
Records <br />
By Debbie Gonzalez<br />
Charlesbridge (May 14, <strong>2019</strong>)<br />
Grades 1-4<br />
A great nonfiction title<br />
for school age children<br />
highlighting the days<br />
when girls were<br />
discouraged from<br />
participating in sports<br />
and how far we’ve<br />
come since then.<br />
Many well-known and<br />
lesser-known women<br />
athletes who broke<br />
down the gender barrier in sports are mentioned such as Althea<br />
Gibson, Gertrude Ederle and Margaret Gisolo. This title also<br />
helps explain the importance of Title IX legislation to young<br />
readers.<br />
I am Alfonso Jones<br />
By Tony Medina <br />
Tu Books (October 12, 2017)<br />
Grades 9 and up<br />
<br />
Alfonso Jones is a young man who loves to play trumpet and is<br />
excited about trying out for the class play Hamlet. On a shopping trip<br />
with his crush Danetta, Alfonso purchases a suit to wear in celebration<br />
of his father’s release from jail. An off duty cop stops Alfonso and<br />
assumes the suit hanger is a gun and shoots the teen.<br />
When Alfonso wakes up he is in the afterlife and on a ghost train led<br />
by well-known victims of police shootings. They take him on a<br />
journey and show him what he needs to know about this spiritual<br />
world. Meanwhile, Alfonso’s family and friends struggle with their<br />
grief and pursue of justice for Alfonso.<br />
Images obtained from Google Images.<br />
Books provided by Heather Lee, Louisville Free Public Library<br />
15
ENVISION EQUITY JULY <strong>2019</strong><br />
JULY Professional<br />
Development<br />
Title Session Code Date & Time Location Contact<br />
Regional Homeless<br />
Education Conference<br />
(Mandatory and Only<br />
for Homeless Liaisons)<br />
19-20103971 August 2<br />
8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.<br />
Crown Plaza –<br />
Louisville Airport (830<br />
Phillips Lane)<br />
Giselle Danger<br />
(502) 485-3650<br />
To view a complete list of DEP professional development sessions, visit https://www.jefferson.kyschools.us/node/1350<br />
Ali Center Camp Day Specials for Youth Groups<br />
Starting in June, the Muhammad Ali Center will have Camp Day<br />
Specials for all youth groups every Tuesday and Wednesday. This<br />
special includes an educational introduction from an educational<br />
programmer, the orientation film, and exploring over three floors<br />
of exhibits through a self-guided journey. This also includes<br />
admission to our brand new temporary exhibit, PICTURE ALI.<br />
This exhibit showcases the photographers of The Courier Journal<br />
that were always ever present documenting the many movements<br />
of Muhammad Ali, both in and outside the ring, giving us a<br />
glimpse of the life and legacy of the Greatest. With the Camp<br />
Day Special, students save two dollars by coming in for a price<br />
of only $4. As always, one chaperone gets in for free for every<br />
six students based off our 6:1 Student to Chaperone Ratio. The<br />
Camp Day Special goes through August 14. If you have a youth<br />
group that is interested in scheduling to come to the Muhammad<br />
Ali Center, please contact our program coordinator at (502)<br />
992-5340 or emitrani@alicenter.org.<br />
The Muhammad Ali Center is accepting applications for both<br />
high school student programs, the Muhammad Ali Center<br />
Council of Students (MACCS), and UCREW – DUE <strong>July</strong><br />
10th at 11:59 PM<br />
The Muhammad Ali Center Council of Students (MACCS) is<br />
a diverse group of young leaders, committed to improving<br />
themselves and their communities through the practice of<br />
Muhammad Ali’s six core principles: Respect, Confidence,<br />
Conviction, Dedication, Spirituality, and Giving. As a youth-led<br />
organization, these dynamic students make decisions that guide<br />
the course of their service work and leadership development.<br />
UCREW is a ground-breaking social enterprise program, that<br />
offers a unique opportunity for students to not only learn about<br />
social entrepreneurship, but to work in teams to develop an actual<br />
social enterprise. During the 2016-2017 school year, students will<br />
meet twice monthly to explore the issue of “poverty” in their<br />
communities and to reflect on ways to combat local poverty<br />
through creative business endeavors. By the end of the program,<br />
students will have conceptualized, produced, marketed,<br />
and launched a small social enterprise business.<br />
You can apply by clicking here or by copying and pasting<br />
this link into your browser:<br />
https://form.jotform.com/90975399332167<br />
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ENVISION EQUITY JULY <strong>2019</strong><br />
J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y P U B L I C S C H O O L S<br />
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND POVERTY DEPARTMENT<br />
With Dr. De'Nay Speaks & LaTonya Frazier-Goatley<br />
Please join us as we discuss the importance of including more students of<br />
color in the Gifted and Talented Program through an administrative lens.<br />
Mrs. LaTonya Frazier-Goatley is the assistant principal at<br />
the W.E.B. DuBois Academy in Jefferson County Public<br />
Schools (JCPS). Previously she was Advance<br />
Program/Gifted coordinator for JCPS. She is the author of a<br />
chapter in Telling Our Stories: Culturally Different Adults<br />
Reflect on Growling Up in Single-Parent Families (2017,<br />
Vanderbilt University). Mrs. Frazier-Goatley is a recipient of<br />
a KAGE Service & Advocacy Award.<br />
Dr. De’nay Speaks is principal of Cochran Elementary<br />
School in JCPS. Her career also includes tenure as an<br />
assistant principal, classroom teacher, Instructional coach,<br />
and as a Coach for a social-emotional learning curriculum,<br />
“CARE For Kids.” Mrs. Speaks has been featured on an<br />
Edutopia video documenting the work of “CARE For Kids”<br />
in JCPS and has facilitated many professionaldevelopment<br />
sessions focused on building relationships,<br />
routines and procedures, proactive strategies, and<br />
classroom management.<br />
<strong>July</strong> 11, <strong>2019</strong> | Louisville Urban League | 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.<br />
For more information, please contact Telva Hogan at 485-7318 or telva.hogan@jefferson.kyschools.us.<br />
Register online at http://bit.ly/julycommconvo<br />
Continued on next page<br />
17
ENVISION EQUITY JULY <strong>2019</strong><br />
T h e r e a r e o v e r 3 5 0<br />
s h o r t - t e r m t r a i n i n g<br />
p r o g r a m s o f f e r e d<br />
a c r o s s t h e s t a t e<br />
i n c l u d i n g :<br />
M e d i c a l a s s i s t a n t<br />
P a t i e n t c a r e t e c h<br />
A i r C o n d i t i o n i n g<br />
T e c h n o l o g y<br />
A u t o m o b i l e T e c h n i c i a n<br />
S u r g i c a l T e c h n i c i a n s<br />
P h y s i c a l T h e r a p y<br />
A s s i s t a n t s<br />
P i p e l i n e W e l d e r<br />
C o m p u t e r S u p p o r t<br />
T e c h n i c i a n<br />
D e n t a l A s s i s t i n g<br />
E l e c t r o n i c s<br />
M e d i a l C o d i n g<br />
E m e r g e n c y M e d i c a l<br />
T e c h n i c i a n ( E M T )<br />
R o u g h C a r p e n t e r<br />
P i p e l i n e W e l d e r<br />
I n d u s t r i a l M a i n t e n a n c e<br />
A n d m a n y m o r e !<br />
F i n d a c o m p r e h e n s i v e<br />
l i s t o f p r o g r a m s a t :<br />
h t t p s : / / w w w . k h e a a . c<br />
o m / p d f / w r k s _ a p p r o v<br />
e d _ p r o g r a m s . p d f<br />
Did you know you can get trained for a high paying,<br />
in-demand job in four months or less, tuition free!<br />
Benefits of completing a short-term technical<br />
program:<br />
Increase your earning power! Starting<br />
salaries for those with certificates can be up<br />
to $40, 000!<br />
Those with certificates can “stack” them and<br />
earn more $$$<br />
The Department for Community Based Services will<br />
provide a $250 gift card to any foster youth who<br />
earns a short-term technical certificate!<br />
For more information on available training<br />
programs at KCTCS visit:<br />
https://workreadykentucky.com/program_search<br />
To be eligible for the gift card, youth must be<br />
currently committed; Eligible programs include any<br />
short-term training program in a high-demand field,<br />
where youth can earn a certificate or diploma. The<br />
youth is eligible for the incentive after they have<br />
completed the program and passed the required<br />
industry certification test. For more information,<br />
contact: chafee.ilp@ky.gov.<br />
18
ENVISION EQUITY JULY <strong>2019</strong><br />
Editor—Catherine Collesano<br />
Editor, Photo Contributor—Abdul Sharif<br />
Credits<br />
Special thanks to all of our community partners and educators who helped make this special edition of<br />
<strong>Envision</strong> <strong>Equity</strong> possible.<br />
<strong>Envision</strong> <strong>Equity</strong> is a publication of the JCPS Department of Diversity, <strong>Equity</strong>, and Poverty Programs. All<br />
submissions should be sent to Catherine Collesano at catherine.collesano@jefferson.kyschools.us or Abdul<br />
Sharif at abdul.sharif2@jefferson.kyschools.us. If you are interested in becoming a subscriber or a<br />
contributor to <strong>Envision</strong> <strong>Equity</strong>, please contact one of the editors at the above email address.<br />
www.jefferson.kyschools.us<br />
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer Offering Equal Educational Opportunities<br />
19