Community Rallies Behind Carver/Century In Effort To Keep School Open
June 11, 2008
About 70 Century residents rallied behind Carver/Century K-8 School at a public forum Tuesday night.
Escambia School Superintendent Jim Paul has discussed the possibility of closing the school to shave about $680,000 from the district’s budget, perhaps as early as this next school year.
But those that stood together in support of keeping their school open Tuesday night are hoping for at least one more year to continue to improve the failing school.
“We are going to go over the mountaintop with this thing,” Century Mayor Freddie McCall said of the community coming together to support the school. “All we need is another year from Mr. Paul.”
“No one in the history of the school district has ever written a position paper as to why their school should not be closed,” Rev. Irvin Stallworth, a member of the town’s blue ribbon committee to save the school, said. “But that is what we are going to do.”
He said that ideas collected by the committee at Tuesday night’s meeting will be considered when the blue ribbon committee meets over the weekend to draft a position paper in support of the school. That position paper is expected to be backed by the town council at their Monday night meeting, and then it will be presented to Paul.
“We are going to keep the school open, but we are going to make some changes,” Stallworth said. Those changes, he said, will include more community involvement in the school.
That was a common sentiment among those that spoke during the meeting in the Carver/Century cafeteria.
“I love this school,” former principal Mary Watson (pictured left) said. “This school has put out some really outstanding students.”
“Some of our problem is that the parents are not as involved as they should be,” she said. She said that when she was principal at the school, she tried providing rides, door prizes and refreshments to lure parents to meetings, but most would not attend.
“The problem here is directly related to race. There is a division there,” Watson said. “It’s not just here (at Carver/Century), it’s all over the United States.”
But the biggest problem at Carver/Century, Watson said, has been the mass exodus of student leaving the F-rated Carver/Century for higher rated schools. If all those students returned, she said the school would be “busting at the seams”.
“I see the community as angry; they are not happy,” Jessie McCants (pictured left) said. She said she hears a “loud cry” in the community about its discipline problems and cultural differences.
“You are part of the solution to this problem, and I ask you today to take a stand,” McCants told the crowd.
Sharon Scott, a town council member and member of the blue ribbon committee, asked current principal Jeff Garthwaite if the school had a PTA. He replied that it does not.
“That’s the first thing we need to hop on,” Scott said. “We need a PTA.” She also said the school needs some type of incentive for parents to bring their students back to Carver/Century from other schools in the area such as Bratt and Molino Park elementaries.
Annie Savage agreed that a PTA is needed at the school. She said she has served as PTA or PTO president at least eight times during the school’s history, and she would be willing to serve again even though she no longer has children in the school. “Once a parent, always a parent,” she said.
“This came about because somebody could not balance their budget. Closing a school to balance a budget is ludicrous. The picked us because they thing we are uneducated, poor and most are black,” resident Terri Sanders said.
“Until we can put aside prejudice, as long as we are divided,” she said, “they can conquer us.”
“I will stand with Century to keep the school open,” Myra Simmons, a candidate for school superintendent said. “I believe children should stay in their neighborhood, close to their families.”
“We have to have something in Century to make people want to live here,” said John Hartman, a candidate for the District 5 seat on the Escambia County Commission. “One of the core things you’ve got to have for economic development is a school.”
“Go home and talk to your neighbors and get them involved,” McCall said.
“For me it is irrelevant why they want to close it,” Stallworth said. “We are going to work to keep it open.”
Pictured above: The community gathered at Carver/Century K-8 School Tueday night to support keeping the school open. Pictured below: Carver/Century Principal Jeff Garthwaite addresses the crowd. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino VFD Responds To Two House Fires Tuesday Night
June 11, 2008
The Molino Volunteer Fire Department responded to two separate house fire calls Tuesday night.
The Molino, Cantonment and McDavid volunteer fire departments were called to a three story home n the 4400 block of Molino Meadows Road about 7:40. The first units arriving on the scene reported light smoke showing from the structure, but the fire was quickly reported to be out.
The Molino, McDavid and Walnut Hill volunteer fire departments were dispatched to the 6600 block of North Highway 95A near Bet Raines Road about 8:45. That call turned out to be a grease fire in the kitchen.
Some Carver/Century Middle FCAT Results Show Improvement
June 11, 2008
Carver/Century K-8 School’s middle school Reading and Science FCAT results were not the worst in the county, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Education.
At Carver/Century, 57 percent of the sixth graders taking the Reading FCAT scored a 3.0 or above, a level that is considered to be on grade level by the state. That compares to 26 percent of Carver/Century sixth graders last year.
“Our sixth graders had the highest increase in the county,” Principal Jeff Garthwaite said. “I am very proud of that.”
Of the Carver/Century seventh graders taking the Reading FCAT, 26 percent scored at grade level this year, compared to 22 percent last year.
Of the Carver/Century eighth graders taking the Reading FCAT, 18 percent scored at grade level this year, compared to 36 percent last year.
And on the Science FCAT, just 12 percent of the eighth grade students at Carver/Century Elementary scored a 3.0 or above. That is down from 29 percent last year.
Of the 23 sixth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Carver/Century, nine percent scored a 5.0 or greater, nine percent scored a 4.0, 39 percent scored a 3.0, 13 percent scored a 2.0 and 30 percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 34 seventh graders taking the Reading FCAT at Carver/Century, none scored a 4.0 or greater, 26 percent scored a 3.0, 59 percent scored a 2.0 and 15 percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 17 eighth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Carver/Century, none scored a 5.0 or greater, six percent scored a 4.0, 12 percent scored a 3.0, 18 percent scored a 2.0 and 65 percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 17 eighth graders taking the Science FCAT at Carver/Century, none scored greater than 4.0, 12 percent scored a 3.0, 35 percent scored a 2.0 and 15 percent scored a 1.0.
Carver/Century’s Elementary FCAT Results Low, But Show Large Improvement
June 11, 2008
Carver/Century K-8 School’s elementary Reading and Science FCAT results were not the worst in the county, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Education.
At Carver/Century Elementary, 35 percent of the fourth graders taking the Reading FCAT scored a 3.0 or above, a level that is considered to be on grade level by the state. That compares to 33 percent of Carver/Century fourth graders last year.
Of the Carver/Century fifth graders taking the Reading FCAT, 41 percent scored at grade level this year, compared to 29 percent last year.
“We improved more than any other school in fifth grade reading,” Principal Jeff Garthwaite said.
And on the Science FCAT, 22 percent of the fifth grade students at Carver/Century Elementary scored a 3.0 or above. That is up from 18 percent last year.
Of the 17 fourth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Carver/Century, none scored a 5.0 or greater, 12 percent scored a 4.0, 24 percent scored a 3.0, 12 percent scored a 2.0 and 53 percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 27 fifth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Carver/Century, four percent scored a 5.0 or greater, 15 percent scored a 4.0, 22 percent scored a 3.0, 11 percent scored a 2.0 and 48 percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 27 fifth graders taking the Science FCAT at Carver/Century, none scored a 5.0 or greater, four percent scored a 4.0, 19 percent scored a 3.0, 26 percent scored a 2.0 and 52 percent scored a 1.0.
Bratt Elementary FCAT Scores Some Of The County’s Best
June 11, 2008
Bratt Elementary School was among the county’s top elementary schools on the Science and Reading FCAT tests, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Education.
At Bratt Elementary, 84 percent of the fourth graders taking the Reading FCAT scored a 3.0 or above, a level that is considered to be on grade level by the state. That is compared to 89 percent of Bratt fourth graders last year.
Of the Bratt fifth graders taking the Reading FCAT, 78 percent scored at grade level this year, compared to 77 percent last year.
And on the Science FCAT, 60 percent of the fifth grade students at Bratt Elementary scored a 3.0 or above. That is up from 51 percent last year.
Of the 69 fourth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Bratt, 10 percent scored a 5.0 or greater, 42 percent scored a 4.0, 32 percent scored a 3.0, nine percent scored a 2.0 and seven percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 82 fifth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Bratt, 11 percent scored a 5.0 or greater, 22 percent scored a 4.0, 48 percent scored a 3.0, 13 percent scored a 2.0 and nine percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 82 fifth graders taking the Science FCAT at Bratt, two percent scored a 5.0 or greater, 11 percent scored a 4.0, 46 percent scored a 3.0, 30 percent scored a 2.0 and 10 percent scored a 1.0.
Molino Park Does Poorly On Science FCAT, Reading OK
June 11, 2008
Molino Park Elementary School did poorly on the Science FCAT, but scores were moderate on the Reading FCAT, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Education.
At Molino Park Elementary, 79 percent of the fourth graders taking the Reading FCAT scored a 3.0 or above, a level that is considered to be on grade level by the state. That is compared to 74 percent of Molino Park fourth graders last year.
Of the Molino Park fifth graders taking the Reading FCAT, 64 percent scored at grade level this year, compared to 78 percent last year.
And on the Science FCAT, just 35 percent of the fifth grade students at Molino Park Elementary scored a 3.0 or above. That was down from 48 percent last year.
Of the 86 fourth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Molino Park, 12 percent scored a 5.0 or greater, 37 percent scored a 4.0, 30 percent scored a 3.0, 12 percent scored a 2.0 and nine percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 74 fifth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Molino Park, five percent scored a 5.0 or greater, 27 percent scored a 4.0, 31 percent scored a 3.0, 18 percent scored a 2.0 and 19 percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 74 fifth graders taking the Science FCAT at Molino Park four percent scored a 5.0 or greater, seven percent scored a 4.0, 24 percent scored a 3.0, 39 percent scored a 2.0 and 26 percent scored a 1.0.
Northview Improves Slightly On Reading And Science FCAT
June 11, 2008
Northview High School’s Reading and Science FCAT results improved over last year, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Education.
At Northview , 52 percent of the ningth graders taking the Reading FCAT scored a 3.0 or above, a level that is considered to be on grade level by the state. That is an improvement over 38 percent of Northview ninth graders last year.
Of the Northview tenth graders taking the Reading FCAT, 35 percent scored at grade level this year, compared to 34 percent last year.
And on the Science FCAT, 40 percent of the eleventh grade students at Northview scored a 3.0 or above. That is up from 34 percent last year.
Of the 149 ninth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Northview, six percent scored a 5.0 or greater, 10 percent scored a 4.0, 36 percent scored a 3.0, 28 percent scored a 2.0 and 20 percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 140 tenth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Northview, 12 percent scored a 5.0 or greater, five percent scored a 4.0, 18 percent scored a 3.0, 31 percent scored a 2.0 and 34 percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 117 eleventh graders taking the Science FCAT at Northview, none scored a 5.0 or greater, two percent scored a 4.0, 38 percent scored a 3.0, 35 percent scored a 2.0 and 25 percent scored a 1.0.
Ernest Ward Posts Reading FCAT Gains
June 11, 2008
Ernest Ward Middle School’s Reading FCAT results showed improvement over last year, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Education.
At Ernest Ward , 68 percent of the sixth graders taking the Reading FCAT scored a 3.0 or above, a level that is considered to be on grade level by the state. That compares to 54 percent of Ernest Ward sixth graders last year.
Of the Ernest Ward seventh graders taking the Reading FCAT, 66 percent scored at grade level this year, compared to 58 percent last year.
Of the Ernest Ward eighth graders taking the Reading FCAT, 51 percent scored at grade level this year, compared to 53 percent last year.
And on the Science FCAT, 49 percent of the eighth grade students at Ernest Ward scored a 3.0 or above. That is up from 44 percent last year.
Of the 167 sixth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Ernest Ward, eight percent scored a 5.0 or greater, 20 percent scored a 4.0, 40 percent scored a 3.0, 15 percent scored a 2.0 and 17 percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 149 seventh graders taking the Reading FCAT at Ernest Ward, four percent scored a 5.0 or greater, 24 percent scored a 4.0, 38 percent scored a 3.0, 23 percent scored a 2.0 and 11 percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 128 eighth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Ernest Ward, two percent scored a 5.0 or greater, 14 percent scored a 4.0, 34 percent scored a 3.0, 36 percent scored a 2.0 and 13 percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 127 eighth graders taking the Science FCAT at Ernest Ward, one percent scored a 5.0 or greater, seven percent scored a 4.0, 41 percent scored a 3.0, 31 percent scored a 2.0 and 20 percent scored a 1.0.
Aztec Dancer Visits Library
June 11, 2008
Aztec dancer John Jaramillo kicked off the Century Branch Library’s summer reading program Tuesday afternoon. He performed traditional Aztec dances from Mexico.
Jaramillo has performed regionally, nationally and internationally since 1983. His Pueblo Indian Native American heritage inspired his concept for Old Man Kokopeli – a masked theatre and puppetry production that was featured as part of the famed NYC International Fringe Festival in 1997.
Jaramillo has performed at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in New York City, Popejoy Center for the Arts at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, The Circle (theatre) at the American Indian Community House in New York City, Historic Christ Church in Philadelphia, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque and the Institute of American Indian Art Museum in Santa Fe.
For a complete photo gallery, click here.
Byrneville Reading FCAT Scores Among County’s Best
June 11, 2008
Byrneville Elementary School Reading FCAT scores were among the best in the county, according to numbers released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Education.
At Byrneville Elementary, 86 percent of the fourth graders taking the Reading FCAT scored a 3.0 or above, a level that is considered to be on grade level by the state. That compares to 74 percent of Byrneville fourth graders last year.
Of the Byrneville fifth graders taking the Reading FCAT, 73 percent scored at grade level this year, compared to 78 percent last year.
And on the Science FCAT, 53 percent of the fifth grade students at Byrneville Elementary scored a 3.0 or above. That is up from 45 percent last year.
Of the 28 fourth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Byrneville, 11 percent scored a 5.0 or greater, 39 percent scored a 4.0, 36 percent scored a 3.0, four percent scored a 2.0 and 11 percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 15 fifth graders taking the Reading FCAT at Byrneville, seven percent scored a 5.0 or greater, 20 percent scored a 4.0, 47 percent scored a 3.0, 20 percent scored a 2.0 and seven percent scored a 1.0.
Of the 15 fifth graders taking the Science FCAT at Byrneville, none scored a 4.0 or greater, 53 percent scored a 3.0, 33 percent scored a 2.0 and 13 percent scored a 1.0.