South Knox Shopper-News 012716

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NEWS

[email protected] Clark | Betsy Pickle

ADVERTISING [email protected]

Patty Fecco | Tony CranmoreBeverly Holland | Amy Lutheran

‘True to my calling’School board member Patti

Bounds ex-plains why she quit the job she loved to run for the school board:

“My heart would no longer allow me to damage fi ve

and six year olds in the name of ‘best practices’ and ‘rigor.’ I could no longer conduct my classroom knowing I was dam-aging children emotionally and academically and remain true to my calling.”

➤ Read Betty Bean on page 5

To page 3

VOL. 2 NO. 1 July 29, 2013www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNowVOL. 4 NO. 4 January 27, 2016www.ShopperNewsNow.com | www.facebook.com/ShopperNewsNow

SOUTH KNOX

BUZZ

By Sandra ClarkKnox County Commission was

expected to approve contracts Monday with two local companies to build middle schools. Rouse Construction got the nod for Gibbs Middle, to design and build a school for 800 kids at a cost not to exceed $23.631 million. Denark Construc-tion was chosen to build Hardin Valley Middle for 1,200 kids at a cost not to exceed $34.8 million.

Despite a complaint fi led with the Offi ce of Civil Rights, alleging a pattern of new school construc-tion on the periphery of Knox County, the commission raced ahead with both projects.

Despite an outside study which indicated no need for middle school capacity, the commission approved debt of $58.4 million for new construction to serve 2,000 students.

And despite Knox County’s decision to build these schools without oversight by the Public Building Authority or the school

What’s the rush to build middle schools?forbids a school board from using this technique.

That’s why we have a convolut-ed Memorandum of Understand-ing negotiated in secret by Mayor Tim Burchett and Superintendent Jim McIntyre and subsequently ratifi ed by the commission and the school board.

Karen Carson got to the point when Holt said after the com-mission’s January vote he would return to the school board in Feb-ruary. “What is the board voting on?” asked Carson.

We’re coming “as a matter of professional courtesy,” said Holt.

“It’s my understanding of the MOU that the county will build these schools for us, but the board must approve,” said McIntyre.

When Carson pushed Holt on the school board’s role, he deferred to the law director. David Buuck, representing the law department,

By Betsy PickleThomas Cates, Lydia McCurdy,

Mary Beth Nehls and Charles We-ber weren’t sure they could count on a good January snow in Knox-ville, so they traveled to Denver to get a dose of the cold stuff.

Actually, the 4-H members went to Denver to participate in the 96th annual 4-H/FFA Western National Roundup, a program of competi-tions for teenage students. The foursome – two of whom live in South Knoxville – placed fi fth in the nation in the FCS Bowl, a con-test that tests students’ knowledge on family and consumer sciences.

Nehls also participated in the public-speaking contest and placed second, what’s called “re-serve champion,” in impromptu (aka extemporaneous).

They did get to see snow before the rest of their friends did back home, but they were much more ex-cited about getting to meet some of the 1,000 representatives from 38 states plus Canada and Puerto Rico.

“It’s awesome to be able to say that I have friends from Hawaii, for instance,” says Mary Beth, a junior at Christian Academy of Knoxville who lives in Farragut. “The differ-ent relationships you make in 4-H are the best part of what the pro-gram stands for. It was really cool to me to meet with people from all over the country and see what their lifestyles are like.”

Like the others, Mary Beth joined 4-H in fourth grade, and she started in the public-speaking program early on. She won over-

Knox County 4-H’ers Charles Weber, Mary Beth Nehls, Lydia McCurdy and Thomas Cates at the 96th annual 4-H/FFA Western National Roundup in Denver. Photo submitted

4-H ‘gamers’ all (prepared and extemporane-ous) in the regional and was fi rst in extemporaneous and second in prepared at the state competition, so she was chosen to go to the na-tional event.

The four students on the Fam-ily and Consumer Science Quiz Bowl team had participated in the regional and state versions of the consumer decision-making com-petition last year. Thomas, a ju-nior at South-Doyle High School, says they lost the state by going 10 seconds overtime, but then they were invited to participate in the Quiz Bowl team.

“They said, ‘Do you want to switch your fi eld and compete in this?’” recalls Thomas. “And we were like, ‘Sure.’”

“They’re gamers,” says Carlene Welch, the University of Tennes-see extension agent who accompa-nied the team on the Denver trip.

The decision-making and bowl competitions overlap in subject matter but have different formats, and the study guide for the bowl was about three inches thick, so the students had to hunker down to learn the material.

The Quiz Bowl in Denver used questions based on all the FCS topics.

“That was a lot more material to cover and was, I would say, a little more diffi cult to keep track of all that,” says Charles Weber, a du-al-enrollment student at Berean Christian School and UT who lives in Northwest Knoxville.

compete in Denver

To page 3

PSCC to host workshops for students with disabilitiesPellissippi State Community

College invites local high school students with disabilities and their parents to attend college ca-reer readiness workshops.

The one-hour workshop will inform students and parents about how to take and request ac-commodations for the ACT test, including when to take the ACT, general testing tips and the types of accommodations you can re-quest. The workshop is totally

free, but participants must regis-ter. Reserve a spot at www.pstcc.edu/upep

The workshops are provided by the college’s Universal Pathways to Employment Project on this schedule:

Blount County: 6-7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 4, 2731 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway, room 147

Division Street: 6-7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 1, 3435 Division Street, room 100

Magnolia Avenue: 6-7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 2, 1610 E. Magnolia Avenue, room 100

Strawberry Plains: 6-7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 1, 7201 Strawberry Plains Pike, room 2053

Info: pstcc.edu or 865-694-6400

PSCC plans alumni awardPellissippi State seeks nomina-

tions for its annual Distinguished Alumni Award at www.pstcc.edu/

alumni/award. Anyone can nomi-nate a Pellissippi State alumnus with the deadline March 1.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is given to an individual in recognition of signifi cant profes-sional achievement, service to the community and support of the col-lege and the Pellissippi State Foun-dation.

Info: Angela Pugh at 865-539-7275 or [email protected]

Calling all8th graders

School will be in session at Fulton High School from 9-1 Saturday, Jan. 30, for a demonstration of FulCom, the Fulton High Magnet School of Communications.

Any Knox County eighth grade student can request a transfer to Fulton to be a part of the magnet program. On Jan. 30, students can meet the FulCom faculty and learn about the opportunities offered. Students will then participate in mini-projects created by FulCom’s fi ve Ca-reer and Technical Education teachers.

The projects include graphic design/photography, web de-sign, television and WKCS-FM 91.1 Radio.

As a souvenir of their FulCom experience, students will take home digital copies of their projects on an offi cial FulCom fl ash drive. Lunch will be provided. Info or to register: Bevin Gresham, 594-1240 or [email protected]

Analysis

board, there is no guarantee that taxpayers won’t be gouged. Why? Because the process used by the county’s purchasing department to award these contracts did not even consider the proposed cost of half of the vendors.

When purchasing director Hugh Holt met with the school board last week, board chair Doug Harris asked, “What was the low bid?”

“Design-build is not about the low bid,” answered Holt. “It’s about the best value.” He said cost was just 20 percent of the selec-tion criteria as “we were looking for a more qualitative approach in selecting a contractor.”

Holt said eight fi rms submit-ted proposals and his selection team brought four in for inter-views. “Those four, we opened their cost,” he said. “From that we

made the determination on some of the things we needed and didn’t need.”

Old process: school board se-lects architect who designs school; board approves design; contrac-tors bid on project; low bid gets the contract.

New process: county pur-chasing requests proposals with cost in sealed envelope, reviews proposals over the Christmas holi-days and picks four vendors to in-terview; opens cost envelopes only of those four.

The commission moved the contracts at January’s workshop without debate. This Monday’s vote had little more. How could we award contracts without even opening the cost component of all the bids?

Design-build works best in pri-vate business where companies are spending their own money. Holt told the school board that 46 percent of commercial construc-tion is design-build. But state law

Ed and Bob reset monthly meeting

At-large county commis-sioners Bob Thomas and Ed Brantley have rescheduled their community meeting in Powell following last week’s snow. The commissioners will meet 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, at Half Time Pizza on Emory Road, just west of Powell High School.

Everyone is invited.

All about herbsSusan Fidler, registered

herbalist of Riverdell Herbs in Maryville, talked with mem-bers of the Chapman Highway Garden Club, giving insight into the world of herbal medi-cine and more.

➤ Read Betsy Pickle on page 3

2 • JANUARY 27, 2016 • Shopper news

health & lifestyles

Excellence!The Fort Sanders Center for Bariatric Surgery is now a designated Center of Excellence!

If you are struggling to lose weight, please attend our free seminar to learn about the

benefits of bariatric surgery that go beyond weight loss.

Visit www.fsregional.com/bariatrics for more information and seminar dates.

Daniel and Stacey Rorie have lost a combined 250 pounds after coming to the Bariatric Center of Excellence at Fort Sanders Re-gional. “It’s just a whole new world, really,” Daniel says. “I did not realize how much the weight had slowed me down.”

Husband and wife fi nd the answer

It takes a lot of energy to be the parent of teenagers, and that en-ergy is harder t o come by if you’re morbidly obese. When Daniel and Stacey Rorie began having trouble keeping up with their kids, they decided it was time to do some-thing about it.

The Rories, who live in Blaine, Tenn., have lost a combined total of about 250 pounds with the help of Fort Sanders Center for Bariat-ric Surgery. Life has changed.

Married since 1993, the Rories have two teenagers, ages 16 and 18. Before bariatric surgery, the simple task of getting the kids where they needed to go on time was exhausting.

“We couldn’t do a lot of the things we wanted to do with them, anymore,” Daniel says. “Between trying to keep up with both of them, we were just worn out.”

They tried a series of diets, but nothing worked. “We did low fat, we did low calorie, we did vegeta-ble soup,” Daniel says. “Anything you can think of, we did it.”

The results were always the same. They would lose several pounds, but then gain the weight back. Sometimes, they gained more than they had lost.

The turning point came in the summer of 2014 when Daniel had what he calls “a heart scare.” After being rushed to a hospital at 339 pounds, he decided it was time to go to the next level. “As a last resort, I started researching sur-gery,” he says.

Stacey, at 267 pounds, was still a little reluctant. “I’ve been an ER nurse for a long time,” she says, “and as an ER nurse, all you see are the patients who have compli-cations.”

She hadn’t yet become ac-quainted with the high standards and success rates at the Bariatric Center of Excellence at Fort Sand-ers Regional Medical Center. “I needed to really spend some time in the literature, and see what was out there,” Stacey says.

Their research led them to the offi ces of Drs. Mark Colquitt and

Jonathan Ray. “I looked around all over the country, and a lot of the weight loss surgeries were done by clinics,” Daniel says. “It was impor-tant to both of us to have the surgery at a hospital, where the doctors were local, and you could actually get in touch with the surgeons.”

Stacey felt good about going to Fort Sanders Regional Medi-cal Center. “We learned that Dr. Colquitt and Dr. Ray have a good reputation,” says Stacey, “and that they provide a lot of support out-side of just the surgery.”

Research had also told the Ro-ries that if they wanted surgery to be successful long term, they were going to need plenty of that support. Fort Sanders Center for Bariatric Surgery offers support groups, and membership agree-ments with Fort Sanders Health and Fitness Center, among other efforts, to ensure patients’ success after checking out of the hospital.

“It’s more about focusing on that whole life change,” Stacey says.

After reviewing all the options, the Rories made a decision to undergo the gastric sleeve proce-dure, which reduces the size of the stomach. The procedure has a high success rate and low incidence of complications.

Deciding that they would do it together or not at all, Daniel and Stacey Rorie underwent the proce-dure on the same day in 2014. To-day, Daniel is 150 pounds lighter, and Stacey has lost more than 100 pounds.

“It was fantastic,” Stacey says of her experience with Fort Sand-ers Center for Bariatric Surgery. “I can’t brag on it enough.”

“I can honestly say it’s much more than I expected,” Daniel agrees. “I cannot believe how much support there is, and how involved they still are in our lives.”

Stacey is smaller now than she was in high school. Daniel says he feels 20 years younger.

“It’s just a whole new world, re-ally,” Daniel says. “I did not realize how much the weight had slowed

me down.”Stacey agrees, saying this pro-

cess has made them aware of just how much morbid obesity had taken from them. Weight loss sur-gery has been as much about what they’ve gained as it has been about what they’ve lost.

“I don’t think we realized the things we gave up,” Stacey says. “For example, when we fi rst got married we used to do a lot of hiking and a lot of camp-ing, and then we realized we hadn’t done any of that in a really long time.”

“We’re now able to go out and do things that we have not been able to do in years, and we just have much more fun together,” Daniel says. “It’s defi nitely changed us, it’s changed the way we ap-proach other people, and it’s made a huge difference in our lives.”

What you should know …

Daniel and Stacey Rorie did their homework before choosing bariatric surgery. If it’s something you’re con-sidering, here’s how they say you can make sure you have the best possible expe-rience.

Have the surgery in a facility that is an accredited center with the Metabolic and Bariatric Sur-gery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MB-SAQIP).

Find a surgeon who has experience and a good reputa-tion.

Make sure extensive sup-port will be available after the surgery.

Be ready to change your way of thinking about food.

To learn more about the weight loss options avail-able at Fort Sanders Center for Bariatric Surgery, visit fsregional.com/bariatrics, or call 865-673-FORT (3678).

The ‘how?’ and ‘why?’ of bariatric surgeryObesity has become

a signifi cant national health issue. Our society is overweight. The foods we eat are often poor choices and can lead to obesity.

Morbid obesity, de-fi ned as having a BMI over 35 and being at risk for obesity-related health issues, is closely corre-lated with serious medi-cal conditions including heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

The Fort Sanders Cen-ter for Bariatric Surgery is the an-swer to the prayers of many who battle obesity and its accompany-ing issues. Bariatric surgeons Dr. Mark Colquitt and Dr. Jonathan Ray have helped more than 2,200 patients lose close to 200,000 pounds through a combination of surgical, spiritual and emotional support.

The atmosphere at the Center for Bariatric Surgery is one of sup-port and encouragement. Many of

Drs. Jonathan Ray and Mark Colquitt

our staff members have undergone bariatric surgery and use their ex-perience to help others be success-ful on their journey.

The surgeons offer two main options for their patients: lapa-roscopic gastric bypass (usually done as a robotic procedure), in which a smaller stomach pouch is created and a portion of the small intestine is rerouted to the pouch; and sleeve gastrectomy, which re-moves a portion of the stomach

and creates a narrowerdigestive tube.

“The safety of bariat-ric surgery has improvedgreatly,” Dr. Colquittsaid. “Today, the surgi-cal risk of the procedureis comparable to havinga gallbladder removed.”He said in most in-stances, the patient goes home within 24 hoursafter surgery.

“But in order forbariatric surgery to succeed, people have

to commit to making the lifestyle changes to support the choice,” Dr. Colquitt said.

Dr. Ray added, “Our team will be there for the patient before andafter the procedure. We can get them to the door, but they have to walk through it.”

“Our goal is to promote health and wellness and support an obe-sity-free lifestyle,” they say, “andto help our patients become moreproductive – and fully engaged inlife.”

to their battle with weight loss

Not only were they on the menu in a number of delicious hot beverages, but they were also the subject of guest speaker Susan Fidler.

Fidler, registered herb-alist of Riverdell Herbs in Maryville, gave the garden club members insights into the world of herbal medi-cine and talked about herbs they could grow themselves.

Fidler, who is from Eng-land originally, says she started gardening when she was “very small” and began gardening organically “even before it was fashionable.”

“Many of the herbs that

SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JANUARY 27, 2016 • 3 community

Betsy Pickle

Build middle schools From page 1

said: “If you have any objec-tions (to the process) I can pass that along.”

Holt said the board al-ready had approved the MOU which included the request for proposals and the contract. “There is no change.”

Carson shrugged. There is no need for a board vote on either the design or the cost. The only role for the school board will be to re-zone middle schools to fi nd a couple of thousand kids to fi ll the two new ones.

COMMUNITY ■ Colonial Village Neighbor-

hood Association. Info: Terry Caruthers, 579-5702, [email protected].

■ Knoxville Tri-County Lions

Club meets 7 p.m. each second and fourth Monday, Connie’s

Kitchen, 10231 Chapman High-way, Seymour. Info: facebook.com/TriCountyLions/info.

■ Lake Forest Neighborhood

Association. Info: Molly Gilbert, 209-1820 or [email protected].

■ Lindbergh Forest Neighbor-

hood Association meets 6:30

p.m. each third Wednesday, Graystone Presbyterian Church, 139 Woodlawn Pike. Info: Kelley DeLuca, 660-4728, [email protected].

■ Old Sevier Community

Group meets 7 p.m. each third Thursday, South Knoxville Elementary School library, 801 Sevier Ave. Info:

Gary E. Deitsch, 573-7355 or [email protected].

■ South Haven Neighborhood

Association meets 10 a.m. each third Saturday, Hillcrest UMC, 1615 Price Ave. Info: Pat Harmon, 591-3958.

■ South Knox Republican Club meets 7 p.m. each third Thurs-

Herbs were everywhere at the Chapman Highway Garden Club’s holiday tea.

Talking herbs at garden club

Molly Gilbert, Marcia Doyle, Susan Martin, Jo Ann Sexton and Susan Fidler prepare at the Chapman Highway Garden Club’s holiday tea. Photos by Betsy Pickle

Susan Fidler of Riverdell Herbs

I learned about in the UK were native to Appalachia,”

said Fidler, who has lived here about 20 years.

“One of our questions was how does an abrasive cleaner work,” says Lydia McCurdy, a home-schooled junior who lives in South Knoxville.

The four-person teams were seeded and competed in brackets. Each team’s players were numbered one through four, and the ques-tions were meted out to the

corresponding numbers on each team. After 20 ques-tions, any member of the team could ring in.

“The second round was a free-for-all,” describes Charles.

Going to the Roundup was a great experience, the 4-H’ers say.

“That was my fi rst time

4-H ‘gamers’ From page 1

She trained in molecular biology and worked in that fi eld until she “felt a call-ing from God to become an herbalist.” She went back to school and studied how herbs can be used in health care. She earned her doctorate in naturopathy from Trinity University in Indiana.

She approaches herbs as a scientist. Herbal remedies have been used for “thou-sands of years” though she says that not all of them have necessarily been proven.

Valerian, for example, was used by Roman soldiers and was used to treat PTSD in World War I soldiers. “It’s still very useful,” she said.

The theory behind herb-al medicine is “to get your body to heal itself and en-hance what the body knows to do.”

As an herbalist, she looks at the big picture – a pa-tient’s whole life. She often has people come to her com-

plaining of colds that turn out to be mold infections. Stress can have many ad-verse effects on the body and can be treated with herbs.

She also takes lifestyles and living situations into account.

Fidler says she uses a number of herbs to treat digestive issues. Even skin problems such as eczema can be eliminated using herbs.

Her tool chest includes herbs both familiar and un-familiar – slippery elm, net-tles, calendula, plantains, raspberry leaf, hot peppers, horseradish root, yarrow, fennel, Echinacea, elderber-ry, chamomile.

“I make about 260 tinc-tures of different herbs,” she says. “Teas are also effective.”

Fidler teaches a course at Pellissippi State Community College sometimes, but “nev-er during gardening season.”

Info: www.riverdellherbs.com

going to any sort of national event,” says Lydia. “It was a bit overwhelming. I was ter-rifi ed at fi rst, but it was re-ally fun.”

When they weren’t com-peting, they could attend workshops or watch other competitions. They also had a day for sightseeing.

“I wanted to watch more competitions, but I was ex-hausted from studying the night before,” Lydia says.

All of the Knoxvillians

enjoyed getting to know students from around the country. Charles and Mary Beth are both on the state 4-H Council and have had many opportunities to meet counterparts from other states, as has Thomas at the Southern Region Teen Leadership Conference.

“Talking to them, you get to see how other states do 4-H,” says Thomas. “East Tennessee does it best, so it’s all good.”

day, South Knox Optimist Club, 6135 Moore Road. Kevin Teeters, [email protected].

■ South of the River Demo-

crats (9th District) meet 6:30 p.m. each third Monday, South Knoxville Community Center, 522 Maryville Pike. Info: Debbie Helsley, 789-8875, or Brandon Hamilton, 809-3685.

■ South Woodlawn Neigh-

borhood Association. Info: Shelley Conklin, 686-6789.

■ South-Doyle Neighborhood

Association meets 7 p.m. each fi rst Tuesday, Stock Creek Baptist Church fellowship hall, 8106 Martin Mill Pike. Info: Mark Mugford, 609-9226 or [email protected].

■ Vestal Community Orga-

nization meets 6 p.m. each second Monday, South Knox-ville Community Center, 522 Maryville Pike. Info: Katherine Johnson, 566-1198.

Gentry Griff ey Funeral Chapel & Crematory

5301 Fountain Road

Off Broadway above Fountain City Lake(865)689-4481 • www.GentryGriff ey.com

Planning Ahead ...the Ultimate Peace of Mind

Knox County’s Only On-Site Crematory

Funeral pre-planning popular with Baby Boomers

By Eric Botts

Handling the fi nal services for a parent is of-ten the trigger for someone realizing just how many decisions are made in a very short time and during a period of grieving. Many Baby Boomers have found themselves in this situa-tion with their aging parents and it has led to a trend in pre-planning.

We fi nd that after someone has personally experienced the stress of planning a funeral, often for a parent, they are much more inclined to make their own wishes known so that their family will not be faced with that same stress in the future.

In recent years, there has been somewhat of a shift in the tone of funerals. Traditionally, funerals have always been a somber occasion, but more and more families are opting to in-corporate elements that celebrate the life of the deceased. In part, this is due to pre-planning funeral arrangements because it allows the wishes of the person who has passed away to be carried out and really let his or her personality, hobbies and life passions be celebrated in the way that he or she wished.

There are numerous options with end of life services. These include direct cremation, which means the body is cremated without any em-balming or casket and with no formal service or gathering arranged by the funeral home. About half of the cremations Gentry Griffey performs have no service.

Some people don’t want a service, but if you don’t let your family know this – or conduct pre-

planning – your wishes may not be carried out. This is one reason why pre-planning is so impor-tant, accompanied by pre-funding so your fam-ily is not worried about planning or funding. It allows any insurance you may have to go to sup-port your family and not go toward an expen-sive, and sometimes unwanted, funeral service.

But many other options exist and custom op-tions are always carefully planned and accom-modated.

For example, a cremation may be preceded by a traditional funeral service before the body is cremated, including an open casket option. Or a memorial service may be conducted after the body is cremated, with or without the pres-ence of the decedent’s ashes.

We have literally brought in motorcycles for a service for someone with a passion for riding. We have had golf themes for the consummate golfer. We love creating the perfect celebration of life and taking care of those details for the family so that they have the best experience possible, given the circumstances.

Gentry Griffey has been offering families a source of comfort and peace of mind for more than 60 years. If you are interested in planning a special memorial or Celebration of Life cer-emony or learning more about pre-planning funeral services, contact Bethany Fields, pre-Planning Funeral Specialist, at 865-689-4481 or bethany.fi [email protected]

Eric Botts is managing partner and licensed funeral director at Gentry Griffey Funeral Chapel and Crematory.

Bethany Fields*, Pre-Planning Funeral Specialist, and Eric Botts, Managing Partner and Licensed Funeral Director.

*Non licensed personnel


Football recruiting is a blood sport – as in lifeblood and blood on the fl oor.

Scholarships mean ev-erything to high school su-perstars – pay in advance, validation of what they have been told, you are the great-est, on your way to the NFL.

High school superstars mean everything to college coaches – continued em-ployment, promotions, bowl bonuses, even bronze stat-ues and legendary status.

Recruiting is, by far, the most important element of coaching success. Motiva-tion and fundamentals are on down the line.

Recruiting is complex. Talent evaluation is tricky.

Marvin West

Recruiting is a blood sport

What will an 18 year old be at 19 or 20? Will he still listen? Will he be tough enough? Will he give his all?

Salesmanship is tricky. What does he want to hear? What are his goals? Who has his ear? Grandmother or girlfriend?

Does geography matter? Alternate uniforms? Rap in the dressing room? How critical is the depth chart,

the opportunity for imme-diate playing time?

Alas, we now know tra-dition doesn’t mean much. History for many high schoolers goes back to last September.

Commitments are fl ex-ible. Coaches press for pledges and keep looking for somebody better. Play-ers accept scholarship of-fers as money in the bank, a place to go just in case nei-ther Alabama nor Clemson calls.

Coaches and prospects sometimes tell each other things that are not exactly 100 per cent true. There are occasional misunderstand-ings. Dreams might get re-

directed. A few hearts are broken.

NCAA laws demand rela-tive recruiting honesty. It is illegal to purchase high school players or give them cars. It is not illegal to break promises. But, there are ethics, you say.

Yes, and both sides, coaches and players, prob-ably start out thinking they are telling the rock-solid truth until something changes.

Tennessee recruiting is changing as we speak. A few days ago, the Vols had three available scholarships. A Memphis player who com-mitted six months ago felt the earth was tilting. His

In case you haven’t heard, there’s an election for Knox County law director coming up. With no democrat run-ning, the race will be all but decided in the republican primary where incumbent Richard “Bud” Armstrong will take on local lawyer Na-than Rowell.

Early voting begins Feb. 10. Election Day is March 1.

So far, it’s been an un-glamorous race for an un-g lamorous offi ce.

Much of the controversy – if there’s been any – has surrounded Armstrong’s supposed lack of qualifi ca-tions and whether his legal experience is enough to do the job. Some say Arm-strong didn’t go to a good enough law school (Nash-ville School of Law). Oth-ers say Armstrong hasn’t practiced law long enough (licensed only since 2008).

Nathan Rowell is support-ed by all the blue blood law-yers in town. Rowell, they

Scott Frith

Qualifi cations matter (only when your candidate is most qualifi ed)Armstrong defeated incum-bent Joe Jarret who tried to win with the “Bud is dumb” argument.

Jarret lost.The downtown legal

community was surprised.

Long-time Republicans ac-tivists were not.

Bottom line, Rowell can emphasize his qualifi ca-tions all he wants, but it will take more than criticism of Armstrong’s pedigree to

win. Armstrong is an effec-tive politician. It will take a strong campaign by Rowell to defeat him.Scott Frith is a local attorney. You can contact him through his website at www.pleadthefrith.com

say, went to the right law school (University of Ten-nessee), has been practicing for 20 years (since 1995), and works at the right law fi rm (Watson, Roach, Bat-son, Rowell & Lauderback). To supporters, Rowell is the only qualifi ed candidate in the race. Even further, some Rowell supporters will tell you that being the most qualifi ed candidate is the only issue that matters.

That’s just not true.In politics, qualifi cations

matter only when your can-didate is the most qualifi ed. If your candidate isn’t the most qualifi ed, then quali-fi cations don’t matter at all.

In 2008, Barack Obama

was far less qualifi ed to be president than his primary opponent, Hillary Clinton. Obama was a fi rst-term sen-ator. Clinton had overseen a proposed health care over-haul, had an offi ce in the West Wing, and served eight years in the senate.

It didn’t matter. Hope and change prevailed over quali-fi cations.

In 2016, on the republican side, the leading candidates (so far) have been Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Trump has never held elective offi ce. Cruz has as little experience as candidate Obama did eight years ago.

To supporters of Trump and Cruz, traditional quali-fi cations for offi ce don’t matter. Politics does.

In the law director’s race, Bud Armstrong won’t win or lose because of the law school he attended or the number of years he’s been practicing law.

In fact, four years ago,

friends o n the coaching staff had stopped calling. Notes no longer landed in the mailbox.

No, Tennessee did not ac-tually withdraw the schol-arship but the player yelled foul. Tennessee was made to appear cruel. Tennessee suddenly had four scholar-ships to grant.

Coaches are currently in touch with 24 more highly regarded prospects, some committed elsewhere. Coaches are scrambling for late upgrades. Securing the best leads to survival.

Be reminded that noth-ing has really happened un-til papers are signed.

One story to substanti-ate that truth: Back when Phillip Fulmer and Steve Spurrier were blood rivals, a defensive end named Der-

rick Chambers was a special recruiting prize. He visited Florida, then Tennessee. He decided he wanted to be a Volunteer.

Back home in North Car-olina, he wore orange shirts and caps to school. For most of a month he said don’t tell anybody but he was hooked on the Big Orange.

The night before sign-ing day, Derrick told UT coaches to relax, that all was well. The next morning, he signed with the Gators. Spurrier laughed. Fulmer shrugged. So it goes some-times in recruiting.

Chambers spent four years in Gainesville, mostly on the bench. Fulmer laughed. Spurrier shrugged. Recruit-ing is tricky business.Marvin West invites reader reaction. His address is [email protected]

The League of Women Voters will host three candidate forums before early voting begins Feb. 10. Only those candidates in the eight contested primary races have been invited to par-ticipate. Info: lwvknox-ville.org.

■ County Com-mission candidates in Districts 1, 2, 4 and 6: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28, the Emporium, 100 S. Gay St. Co-sponsored with the Arts and Cul-

ture Alliance of Greater Knoxville and the National Association for the Advancement of Col-ored People (NAACP).

■ Board of Education candidates in Districts 2 and 5: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, Pellis-sippi State Community College, 1610 E. Magno-lia Ave.

■ Law Director and Property Assessor: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4, Lincoln Memorial Uni-versity Duncan School of

Law, 601 W. Summit Hill Drive. Moderator: Matt Shafer Powell, WUOT Radio director of news content.

Rynn Dupes heads the local LWV, assisted by fi rst vice president Judy Barnette, second vice president Lance McCold, treasurer Joyce Feld, communications chair Maggie Carini, secretary Candice Gil-reath, membership Judy Poulson, and Citizens Academy Jamey Dobbs.

League of Women Voters to host candidate forums

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It’s all about the children.That phrase was re-

peated like a mantra at the special called school board meeting to decide whether to give James McIntyre $227,000, plus perks in-cluding a lump sum payout for unused vacation days that could pay a new teach-er’s salary with money left over, to go away.

The argument that Knox County should pay McIntyre for his voluntary resigna-tion – something that is not in his contract – is based on the supposition that it will be good for the children of Knox County. Seven of nine board members agreed.

That supposition is based on another supposition – that the fi rst order of busi-ness when the new board is sworn in Sept. 1 will be to give McIntyre the boot, leaving a leadership void that would be bad for the children.

The foundation for the argument is that the inevi-table fi ring at the earliest possible opportunity would leave the county on the hook to pay off the three-plus years of his contract. That’s 3 x $227,000 no matter what kind of math you use. Remarkably, this theory was promoted with-out a trace of irony by the

Alan Mealka, longtime superintendent of Tennes-see School for the Deaf, is retiring this week after leading the school for 20 years. He is third longest-serving superintendent in the history of TSD, which is 172 years old and has always been in Knoxville.

Mealka, 67, has spent most of his professional life working with youth who are deaf. He was once superintendent of the North Dakota School for the Deaf in Devils Lake, N.D. Born and raised in Lafayette, Ind., he graduat-ed from Ball State Univer-sity in 1978 with a master’s in special education for the deaf after receiving his undergraduate degree from Indiana State University in Terre Haute.

He started his career working 15 years at the In-diana School for the Deaf, becoming dean of students and assistant superinten-dent.

He is fl uent in sign language. He came to Knoxville from the staff of Indiana Gov. Evan Bayh (later U.S. senator) as special director of special institutions for the deaf and blind. He was employed by a special search commit-tee appointed by the state Department of Education under then-Gov. Don Sun-dquist.

Mealka will vacate the superintendent’s home, which was built in 1884, this week. It is one of the oldest residences in Knox-ville having been a summer residence for prominent businessman Perez Dick-inson.

TSD was founded in 1844 and had its home in the building that later became Knoxville’s city hall and is now the home of the Duncan School of Law for Lincoln Memorial Univer-sity. The school moved to South Knoxville in 1924.

The school has 200 students, which has been a steady enrollment for many years. Fifty are day students and all come from across Tennessee. It covers pre-school through high school.

TSD falls under the state Department of Educa-tion which has launched a search for a new superin-tendent. In all l ikelihood, it will be summer before a permanent replacement for Mealka is named. Hopeful-ly, it will be someone who adapts well to Knoxville and East Tennessee. In the meanwhile Elaine Alex-ander, director of instruc-

VictorAshe

Betty Bean

Alan Mealka to retire

tion, will become interim superintendent until the new superintendent comes to work. She has been at TSD for 45 years.

Mealka feels his major achievements for two de-cades include a transition program for all graduat-ing students for life after TSD, construction of the new high school (currently in the design stage) and redoing several buildings such as the gym and the Ward Administration Building. The annual bud-get is $10 million.

In addition to retiring, Mealka got married to Elsbeth Freeman on Dec. 5. He and Dr. Freeman will live in Knoxville but look forward to sailing, traveling, possibly buying a RV to tour the U.S. while visiting his daughter and two grandchildren in Indiana.

“Tennessee is fortunate to have a School for the Deaf of the caliber of TSD with excellent faculty, staff and students,” he said.

■ State Rep. Joe Armstrong, who faces a federal trial for tax eva-sion on Aug. 2, says he plans on running for re-election this year although he has not formally an-nounced his candidacy. If the trial is actually held Aug. 2, that falls two days prior to the Democratic and Republican primaries on Aug. 4. The trial has been postponed once.

■ Former President George W. Bush will visit Nashville on Feb. 29 to speak at Lipscomb Col-lege for major donors and also meet with delegate candidates pledged to Jeb Bush in the Tennes-see GOP Primary which occurs the next day on March 1. Last week Sen. Marco Rubio campaigned in Memphis with a major fundraiser.

■ Federal Judge Thomas Varlan is recover-ing well from surgery last week.

■ Bennett Galleries, which is 40 years old, cel-ebrates 20 years in its cur-rent location on Kingston Pike in the building which 40 years ago was the Pike Theater. Congratulations to Rick Bennett.

Patti Bounds

It’s all about the children

fi ve board members who voted on Nov. 30 to extend the contract for another two years.

So what happened be-tween then and now, other than the qualifying dead-line for candidates for the 2016 county elections?

Tony Norman.Running unopposed.Whatever else happens

in the other races, McIntyre is going to lose his 5-4-ma-jority coalition. And board chair Doug Harris, who’s as lo yal to McIntyre as Old Yeller to little Arliss, will give up his District 3 seat to former County Commission chair Norman, who makes no secret of his distaste for McIntyre’s Broad Academy, corporate education reform credentials.

Cue the “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” theme song.

The board approved Mc-Intyre’s severance package 7-1-1. Retired kindergarten teacher Patti Bounds cast the no vote, undeterred by pro-McIntyre speakers who said dissident teachers hate

their jobs and are affl icted with a condition called “moral leprosy.”

Bounds, who has been described by parents of for-mer students as a remark-ably dedicated and effective teacher, saw fi rst-hand the effects of McIntyre’s poli-

cies on the kids in her class, no-tably the high-stakes, s t a n d a r d -ized SAT-10 exam, which was a d m i n i s -tered to

the youngest students even though it was not required by the state.

Here’s what she said about her decision to take early retirement and run for school board in the blog she writes to keep her constitu-ents informed:

“My heart would no lon-ger allow me to damage fi ve and six year olds in the name of ‘best practices’ and ‘rigor.’ I could no longer con-duct my classroom knowing I was damaging children emotionally and academi-cally and remain true to my calling.

“For example, I was re-quired to sit a child down prior to or on the fi rst day of

school and ask them to spell fi ve words or read a list of sight words. Those children are left feeling dumb – or at best – believing they know so little and have so far to go. Teachers like myself try their best to make assess-ments a game and convince the young child that they have done their best.

“Children should walk away from that fi rst week of school thinking this is the best and safest place in their whole world ... this teacher loves me.

“They should want to learn; not hate school after two weeks. Teachers are loving, unselfi sh people that chose the most noble profes-sion – not because of wealth or status – but because they love children and want to help them. This teacher did! This BOE member did!

“So when I hear people make disparaging com-ments about teachers while saying ‘it’s all about chil-dren,’ I must question (and have been questioning) his/her expertise or motive. ‘It’s all about children’ should be more than a sound bite for the media – more than words. It is not believable if the actions do not accom-pany the message.”

Info: pattibounds.com/blog

Marching for MartinMarlene Davis, candidate for County Commission from District 4 (Bearden), and Cameron Brooks, chair of the Knox County Democratic Party, begin to walk in 20-degree weather for the Martin Luther King Parade. The party give out 1,475 American fl ags, 1,000 Demo-cratic Primary ballots and voter registration forms along the parade route and set up two tables for voter registration. Kim Dukes made navy and blue scarves for marchers.

Reid promoted

Avice Reid

Mayor Rogero has named Dr. Avice E. Reid as the city’s senior director of community relations to replace “Tank” Strickland who retired.

She will supervise com-munity engagement efforts including the city’s Save Our Sons initiative, the Police Advisory and Review Committee (PARC) and the Equal Business Opportu-nity Program.

A Knox native and graduate of Knoxville Col-lege, Reid joined the city in 2007 as executive director of PARC, which provides in-dependent review of police actions in response to citi-zen complaints. She spent 34 years at TVA in roles including senior project manager and manager of information technology.

GOSSIP AND LIES ■ Knox County’s Board of

Education voted to pay Dr. Jim McIntyre one year’s pay, some $227,000, to leave.

■ Nobody rushed to take our suggestion that the BOE look at directors of schools in sur-rounding counties. Guess that idea is too parochial?

■ It was mind-boggling to hear three board members who voted in November to give McIntyre a 4-year contract argue in January that paying him one year’s salary actually saves Knox County from paying him for three years if he’s fi red.

■ If that sounds familiar, it should. It’s what the four board members who voted against the contract exten-sion said when voting no – just two months ago.

■ Candidates for property assessor were on Inside Ten-nessee on Sunday, looking

like late-night patrons of a neighborhood bar.

■ Please explain why this is an elective offi ce? And why does it need 40-plus employees?

■ Put it under Burchett and we could slice that staff by half – maybe more.

– S. Clark

6 • JANUARY 27, 2016 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

SENIOR NOTES ■ South Knox Senior

Center

6729 Martel Lane573-5843knoxcounty.org/seniorsMonday-Friday7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Off erings include: dulcimer and guitar lessons; arts and crafts classes; dance classes; exercise programs; Tai Chi; card games; Joymakers practice; free swim 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; Senior Meals program noon each Wednesday and Friday. AARP Taxaide free income tax preparation and electronic fi ling available Mondays, Feb. 1-April 14; call 521-5569 for appoint-ment.

Register for: Valentine’s Day Party, 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 11.

■ South Knox Commu-

nity Center

522 Old Maryville Pike573-3575Monday-FridayHours vary

■ John T. O’Connor

Senior Center

611 Winona St.523-1135knoxseniors.org/oconnor.

htmlMonday-Friday8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Off erings include: Card games, billiards, senior fi tness, computer classes, bingo, blood pressure checks 10:30-11:30 a.m. Monday-Friday. Hearing Aids checked and cleaned by Beltone, noon Tuesday, Feb. 2.

Register for: Living Well with Diabetes, six-week workshop, begins 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2. Toenail clipping by appointment, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 4; $12.

■ CAC Offi ce on Aging

2247 Western Ave.524-2786knoxooa@knoxseniors.

org

Open enrollment for tax freeze

Knox County Trustee Ed Shouse says open enrollment for property tax relief and tax freeze is underway through April 5. “I am asking the area media and community groups to help spread the word about these important, money-sav-ing programs. Income limits increased this year, and we can include more homeowners. My offi ce is here to assist.”

Tamara Ownby, who works on state programs for the trustee’s offi ce, listed these bullet points:

■ Eligible categories are those age 65 and older, totaland permanent disabled, and disabled veterans and their surviving spouse.

■ Applications are available at any Knox County Trust-ee location. Documentation including proof of age, income and/or disability is required.

■ With the two programs, taxes can be frozen and reliefamounts range between $129 and $559. Relief is available for city property taxpayers as well.

■ Tax Freeze 2014 income limit is $38,550. Tax Relief2014 income limit is $28,690. Income limit applies to all owners of the property and includes Social Security in-come, after the Medicare deduction.

To see if you qualify, call the county trustee’s offi ce at 865-215-8554 or visit the county website at knoxcounty.org/trustee/taxrelief.php

Knox County Trustee Ed Shouse

Mobile Meals receive $21,000 Provision grant

Members of the L5 Foundation and its board have presented a check for $21,000 to the Provision CARES Foundation’s Car-ing Plate program. This gift will allow The Caring Plate to deliver 3,500 meals to the homes of local cancer patients in active treatment.

The check recipient, Provision CARES Foun-dation, began partnering with the Community Action Committee (CAC) Mobile Meals program in 2014 to sponsor a pilot program called The Caring Plate to ensure that cancer patients currently receiving treat-ment have access to health-ful, nutritious meals.

Often, when undergoing treatment, patients or their families may not be able to prepare healthful or nutri-tious meals. Nutrition plays an important role during treatment and recovery by providing the physical and mental strength that pa-tients need.

Since its inception, The Caring Plate has provided more than 5,613 meals to

cancer patients and their families. The number of meals served grew by more than 600 meals a month during the fi rst quarter of 2015 in large part because of the expansion of the program to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. This fall The Caring Plate ex-panded to include patients of the UT Medical Center.

The L5 Foundation was established by oncologist Dr. Susan Newman, after caring for thousands of can-cer patients over the last 10 years, who inspired her and helped her to realize that her practice had a unique set of values that enabled her, her staff and their patients to fi ght cancer together.

Not only is fi ve years a milestone for cancer patients (if you remain in remission for fi ve years, you are most likely cured of your cancer), but there are fi ve values that often enable cancer patients to endure and to triumph over their cancers.

The 5 unique values of Dr. Newman’s patients are

■ Faith to believe

■ Hope to endure ■ Determination to over-

come ■ Strength to survive ■ Passion to win

“Working with The Caring Plate just seemed like a natu-ral fi t,” said Offi ce on Aging Director Susan Long. “Our Mobile Meals program al-ready has an excellent kitch-en, outstanding volunteers and the organizational ca-pacity to make this happen.

“It has always been our goal to grow the Mobile Meals program to serve more people of all ages and needs in our community who need nutritious meals to stay healthy and indepen-dent in their homes. Prepar-ing meals for and delivering them to the homes of cancer patients just seemed like an obvious next step, and we were thrilled when Provi-sion CARES brought the idea to us.

“We are happy to see the program taking off like it has and serving more peo-ple throughout Knox and surrounding counties who are fi ghting this disease.”

Senior Companion Snowfl ake Ball rescheduled ... because of snow!

The Senior Companion Snowfl ake Ball has been re-scheduled to 6-9 p.m. Saturday, March 5. The location will remain the Kerbela Temple, 315 Mimosa Avenue.

Those who have bought a ticket dated for the Jan. 23 dance should hold it for the rescheduled dance. Info: Dei-sha Finley, deisha.fi [email protected] or 865-524-2786.

“We look forward to a fun-fi lled night of music, dancing, delicious food, silent auction and King and Queen of the Ball,” said Finley.

WellPark opens at ShannondaleIn late 2015, WellPark

at Shannondale opened as a facility to accommodate physical, occupational and speech therapy. Planning for the facility began four years ago with the idea of expanding services current-ly provided in the Shannon-dale Health Care Center.

“Services will be provid-ed in a non-clinical, hospi-tality-driven environment that cannot be found in any other facility,” said presi-dent Bill Thomas.

WellPark at Shannondale is open to anyone that may

require physical rehabilitative services. Referrals to the facil-ity will primarily be made by physicians and case workers who work with patients upon hospital discharge.

Presbyterian Homes of Tennessee Inc. (doing busi-ness as Shannondale) was founded in 1962 as a non-profi t organization. The fi rst facility opened in 1967 as an independent living retire-ment community located in the West Hills area of West Knoxville. WellPark will op-erate under the umbrella of the Shannondale facilities.

Thomas said many in-dividuals helped to get the new facility opened, but he had special thanks for his board of directors under the leadership of Dr. Mike Dal-ton; the Shannondale staff; state Sen. Doug Overbey, le-gal counsel and board mem-ber; Sandy Martin, who provided interior design; Randy Cooper, architect; Dr. Reuben and Barbara Pelot, of the West Hills As-sociation of Homeowners; and Doug Kennedy and Jon Lawler of Johnson and Galyon Construction.

Shopper news • JANUARY 27, 2016 • 7

CrossCurrents

LynnPitts

I have lived with moun-tains most of my life.

My fi rst years were spent in the shadow of House Mountain, that after-thought of Clinch Mountain. I thought of it as “my moun-tain.” It looks like a woman’s shoulders, and my most viv-id memory of it (other than hiking to its crest) was the night the mountain burned. I remember watching the golden fi re line across the mountain. It was beautiful and heart-breaking.

Mother Nature has a way of healing such hurts. The mountain healed, and by the time my Girl Scout troop hiked to its top it looked normal again.

When I was in the fi rst grade, we moved to the house my parents built. From there, we could see House Mountain only from the upstairs windows. Lat-er, in Mother’s next move, she lamented the fact that she could no longer see the mountain, being on slightly lower ground with a ridge in the way! From my house

Mountains I have lovedI lift up my eyes to the hills – from where will my

help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

(Psalm 121: 1-2 NRSV)

next door to hers, my view – even from the upstairs – is blocked by that ridge. So I can’t see it, but I have faith that it is there!

When I lived in Get-tysburg, people would talk about a mountain, and I would say, laughingly, “Where?” There are a few ridges there, I will admit, but precious few “moun-tains” anywhere in South-eastern Pennsylvania, at least by my standards.

Lewis and I also have a home in the mountains of North Carolina. I am hap-py to report that we have a terrifi c view of Mount Pis-gah out our front door, and Newfound Mountain looms large beside our kitchen window. I’m happy!

faith

January is always an ex-citing time of year for youth groups that are a part of the Knox County Association of Baptists.

Zach Wishart

Youth gather at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church for Merge Disciple Now.

January is ‘merge’ monthfor Baptist youth

Merge Disciple Now is an annual weekend ev ent that is full of worship, friends, fun, lots of food and mis-sions projects. This year C.H. Qualls of Corryton Church brought the Word at the yearly event. Worship took place like years past at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church.

For those of you who don’t know how Disciple Now works, basically stu-dents are divided up by grade levels to stay at “host homes” (brave families that take on a bunch a middle or high school kids for the weekend).

With their small group leaders, they spend time in

the bible together and then meet at Wallace with the other churches for a nightly worship time.

The mission projects vary from serving the needs of the Western Heights Baptist Center to painting a children’s area like the students from Sharon and

Salem Baptist did at Lincoln Park.

These students make a big impact and shine a light for Christ every year in their mission projects. There is nothing better than seeing students from all over Knox County come together to worship.

For more information on Merge or the Knox County Association of Baptists, check out kcab.org

Tennessee

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Independent Senior HousingIndependent Senior Housing4452 Maud Booth Way • Knoxville, TN 37917

Call (865)546-7090 for application

One-bedroom apartments • Rent based on income62 years or older

By Sherri Gardner HowellWhen Christian singer-

songwriter Babbie Mason steps in front of a Knoxville audience on Sunday, Feb. 7, she won’t be sharing any snow or frigid cold weather stories from last week. The award-winning performer and teacher was cruising the Caribbean as a perform-er and teacher while her Georgia home and Tennes-see neighbors were dealing with both real and hyped snow conditions.

Mason will be ready to warm hearts, however, as she brings her inspirational melodies to First Baptist Church, 510 W. Main Street, as part of the church’s open-to-all concert series. Mason’s playlist will show-

Babbie Mason will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7, at First Baptist Church. Photo submitted

‘All Rise:’ Babbie Mason

to bring musical message

case the versatility that has earned her two Dove Awards, nominations for the Grammy and the Stellar awards and propelled the

60-year-old into the Chris-tian Music Hall of Fame in 2010. She writes and sings in almost every genre of Christian music, from con-temporary gospel to tradi-tional to urban. Some of her hits have become modern-day church classics. Recog-nizable songs include “With All My Heart,” “Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here,” “Each One, Reach One” and “All Rise,” one of the most-recorded contempo-rary Christian songs of the 1990s.

Mason, who now lives with her husband in Car-roll County, Ga., was born in Michigan. Her father was a Baptist preacher. Mason was the full-time pianist and choir director at her

church by the time she was 9 years old and often ac-companied her father, the late Rev. George W. Wade, as he preached at home and at churches across the states.

Author of two books which are also now avail-able with DVD study guides, Mason teaches women’s Bible studies and is a fre-quent conference speaker. Her newest book, “This I Know For Sure,” looks at character and faith-fi lled promises as they relate to women today.

The Concert Series at First Baptist Church fea-tures several musical and community events during the year. There is no admis-sion charge.

Lemuel “Lem” Keith Jr. passed away Jan. 20 at age

88. He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Hil-da Coulter Keith. He is survived by his son and d a u g h t e r -in-law, Da-

vid and Nancy Keith; two grandchildren, Presley and Coulter, all of Knoxville; and daughter, Deborah Keith of New York, N.Y.

Lem Keith loved sing-

ing. He and Hilda met when he sang in the James King Chorus. They performed together on several radio shows including the Midday Merry-Go-Round.

A member of the Knox-ville Choral Society in his early years, Mr. Keith al-ways sang with his home church choir, Vestal UMC, until 1996. He continued to sing through the years with Knoxville’s Nativity Pageant, the Billy Graham Crusade Choir and later with groups in the Shan-nondale Retirement com-munity.

Lem Keith

Lem Keith passes

Delivering more … reaching homes

Goodwill tooff er free classes

Goodwill Industries-Knoxville Inc. is offering classes and workshops aimed at helping individu-als develop skills, grow ca-reers and manage fi nances. All sessions are free, open to the public and will be held at the Employment, Training and Rehabilitation Center, 5307 Kingston Pike. No registration is required. Info: goodwillknoxville.org.

■ Customer Service Training, 9:30-11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27.

■ First Time Managerial Skills Workshop, 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27.

■ Networking with LinkedIn, 1-3 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28.

■ Financial Literacy Part 2, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28.

■ Introduction to Computers, 1-3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29.

■ Resume Workshop, 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 30. Bring cur-rent resume or employment history information.

HEALTH NOTES ■ Peninsula Lighthouse

Group of Families Anony-mous meetings, 6:15-7:15 p.m. each Tuesday, 1451 Dow-ell Springs Blvd. Newcomers welcome; no dues/fees; no sign-up; fi rst names only. Info: Barbara L., 696-6606 or [email protected].

■ UT Hospice Adult Grief Sup-port Group meeting, 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2, UT Hos-pice offi ce, 2270 Sutherland Ave. A light supper is served. Info/reservation: Brenda Fletcher, 544-6277.

8 • JANUARY 27, 2016 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news kids

Betsy Pickle

History comes alive at SKES

By Betsy PickleA timely project educated

participants and their audi-ence at South Knoxville El-ementary School’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Ser-vice living wax museum.

Fourth- and fi fth-graders at the school started pre-paring for the event in De-cember with the guidance of librarian Viktoria Hen-derson. Working in pairs, they researched key fi gures in U.S. history who contrib-uted to eliminating racism and working for equality for African-Americans.

About half the students ended up portraying the fi gures for schoolmates and family and community members who attended the wax museum in the school gym, while the oth-ers worked in the back-ground. The fi gures would stand, frozen, until visitors

Ra’Tyler Lee portrays Martin Luther King Jr. at the wax museum.

As Coretta Scott King, Quintaia King talks to schoolmates about her fi ght for civil rights during South Knoxville Elemen-tary’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service wax museum. Photos by Betsy Pickle

Natalie Washam talks about the short, dramatic life of Nat Turner.

stopped in front of them, and then they would speak and share their biographies.

The “characters” spanned a broad spectrum of history: from Nat Turner, William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tub-man to Booker T. Wash-ington, Jackie Robinson, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr. and Ruby Bridges. There were several duplicates, and guests could sense a little bit of competition among kids playing the same fi gures.

The students were loyal to their own characters, but they also learned about the others during the process and became interested in them. Quintaia King called Coretta Scott King “fasci-nating.” Arminta Ross said she enjoyed hearing about Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr.

Fourth-grader Ra’Tyler Lee, who played Martin Lu-ther King Jr., liked his sub-ject “because he helped our country and stuff.”

“He said it was wrong be-cause the black people and the white people were sepa-rated. He wrote a speech about it, and that was the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.”

Ra’Tyler said he was in-spired by King. His goals are to “just get my education, be good in school and stuff and

be an athletic little boy.”Fifth-grader Kaylee Galy-

on played Jackie Robinson, but she admitted she doesn’t like baseball. “I like basket-ball and soccer,” she said.

Overall, she thought the project “was pretty fun. It’s kind of hard because you have to remember a speech.” Fortunately, the kids were allowed to use crib notes.

Henderson said she out-lined the basics that the students would need to in-clude in their spiels, and she edited the speeches slightly, “but they did all the heavy lifting.”

“Some of them, like if you think of Ruby Bridges, they didn’t understand that white people and black people did not go to school together. That was a foreign concept to them. So we had to talk about what segre-gation meant and what it meant for them to come to-gether. There were a lot of good lessons.”

Each visitor received a parting gift: a nonfi ction book about MLK Jr. Prin-cipal Tanna Nicely said the school received a grant that made it possible to put on the event.

Cool times in Lake ForestLast week’s snowfall created per-

fect sledding conditions in Lake Forest, where tall, established trees block sun-

light from reaching the hilly streets. Kids and adults alike enjoyed playing on the midweek snow days.

The cold doesn’t bother Asher Seaton-Canfi eld, 8, who turns himself into an Abominable Snow Monster by rolling in last week’s snow.

Audrey Gil-bert, 11, sleds

down Lake Forest Drive.

The “black diamond slopes” of Lake Forest neighborhood draw a crowd of kids for sled-ding. Photos submitted

Shopper news • JANUARY 27, 2016 • 9 weekenderBy Carol Shane

In case you haven’t heard, the Year of the Mon-key is upon us. And every-one’s invited to help usher it in at the East Tennessee Chinese New Year Festival, sponsored by the University of Tennessee Chinese Stu-dents and Scholars Associa-tion and the UTK Confucius Institute.

The spectacular all-age variety show is the largest celebration of its kind in the region, and features danc-ing, singing, music, mar-tial arts, $200 cash in door prizes, and surprises from local performers and pro-fessional guests.

“We’re really hoping to sell out the show,” says Mi-chael Smith, producer of the event. He’s particularly excited that “we’ve got a tre-mendous professional per-former coming down from New York by way of China.”

Professor Linghui Tu is director of the Confucius Institute of Chinese Opera at New York’s Binghamton University, and is also af-fi liated with the National

Professor Linghui Tu of the National

Academy of Chi-nese Theatre Arts

will perform at the East Tennes-

see Chinese New Year Festival. Photo

submitted

Welcome to Chinese New Year events

Celebrating an event?

Share your family’s milestones with us!Send announcements to [email protected]

Academy of Chinese The-atre Arts in Beijing. Her performance will include fi ve acts of music, dancing, singing, combat and more.

“We’ve never had an ac-tual Beijing Opera player,” says Smith. “Her voice is just so powerful. We tried to get her last year and the dates didn’t work out.”

All the major Chinese organizations in Knoxville and surrounding areas will be represented in a show of-fering much excitement and pageantry.

Unlike its Western as-trological counterpart, the 12 signs of which are based roughly month-to-month, the Chinese zodiac is based on 12-year cycles. Each sign corresponds to an animal – the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Those born under each sign are said to share the characteristics of the animal.

The Monkey person is said to be smart, clever, lively, fl exible, quick-witted and versatile. Famous Mon-keys include Leonardo da

Vinci, Charles Dickens, Ce-line Dion, Tom Hanks and Elizabeth Taylor.

And me. But before I get too swell-headed about be-ing included among those illustrious names, it’s im-portant to note that my fortune for the Year of the Monkey 2016, according to travelchinaguide.com, says “People born in your year have a large room to im-prove themselves.”

Tell me something I don’t know.

The East Tennessee Chinese New Year Festival takes place from 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 7, at Cox Auditorium in the Alumni Memorial Building, 1408 Middle Drive, on the campus of the University of Tennessee. Ticket prices for reserved seating are $5, $8.50, and $12.50, and, according to its website, the Festival sells out every year. Tickets can only be bought online. Visit knoxvillechineseculture.org/FESTIVALS/cny.htmlSend story suggestions to [email protected].

Ip Man is used to being outnumbered in “Ip Man 3,” playing at Downtown West.

‘Ip Man 3’ off ers amazing, artistic fi ghtsBy Betsy Pickle

In sequel terms, third time is rarely the charm, but “Ip Man 3” is an excep-tion to that rule.

Director Wilson Yip and star Donnie Yen team for the apparently fi nal chapter in the series about the man who popularized the Wing Chun style of martial arts throughout the world. One of his most famous students was Bruce Lee, a fact that seems to be mentioned in every story about Ip Man (and every review written about a movie based on his life).

Yip and Yen’s fi rst “Ip Man” collaboration launched a barrage of fi lms about the

grandmaster, but the origi-nal is most defi nitely the best, and in this case that in-cludes the entire series. “Ip Man 3” takes the franchise to a new dramatic high.

The story picks up in 1959 Hong Kong, where Ip Man (Yen) is leading a quiet life with his wife, Cheung Wing-Sing (Lynn Hung). When their young son’s elemen-tary school is harassed by thugs trying to get the prin-cipal to sell the real estate to their boss, Ip Man neglects his martial arts school and his wife to protect the son’s school and its students.

He also ignores a chal-lenge from another stu-dent’s father, Cheung Tin-

Kung fu capersHollywood is all about timing, and with the Chinese New Year less than two weeks away, it’s no surprise that Chi-nese-related fi lms are getting a bump at movie theaters this week. Get ready for the Year of the Monkey with the animated sequel “Kung Fu Panda 3,” opening in theaters Friday. In his third adventure on the big screen, Po must train a village full of fun-loving pandas to fi ght a villain who is defeating all the kung fu masters in China. The vo-cal cast includes Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoff -man, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, James Hong and J.K. Simmons. The fi lm is rated PG for martial-arts action and some mild rude humor.

Chi (Zhang Jin), a rickshaw driver who is itching to prove that he is the superior practitioner of Wing Chun.

The plot allows for nu-merous mesmerizing fi ght scenes choreographed by action director Yuen Woo Ping, noted for his work on such fi lms as “Kill Bill, Vol. 2,” “Drunken Master” and “Iron Monkey.” The artistry

of the fi ghts is much more creative than the plot twists that elicit them.

The script, credited to Leung Lai-Yen, Chan Tai-Li and Edmond Wong, pres-ents a strange combina-tion of beautifully textured heroes and antiheroes and thinly developed bad guys caught up in a cartoonish plot. At least, that’s one half.

The other has to do with Ip Man deciding that his priorities are focusing on his ailing wife and protect-ing his son. This is where the fi lm truly excels. While some may complain that it takes away from time that could be devoted to more fi ght scenes, having a rea-son to care about the char-acters is far more important

than squeezing in one more amazing fi ght.

There are plenty of those, including one at a shipyard that is simply wondrous. And then there’s this truly weird moment when Ip Man takes on a slimy for-eign businessman played by Mike Tyson – yes, Mike Tyson.

Bruce Lee (Chan Kwok-Kwan) shows up again, but he’s on board primarily for comic relief, not as the leg-end he would become.

The fi rst two fi lms made it clear that the protagonist of the series bears only a su-perfi cial resemblance to the historical Ip Man, and the third continues in the same vein. But even if it doesn’t stick to the facts, it does ad-here to the philosophy of the real man and to Wing Chun, and that’s a worthy ambi-tion.

Rated PG-13 for sequenc-es of martial arts violence and brief strong language. Now playing at Downtown West.

‘Titus Andronicus’ coming to CBTWilliam Shakespeare’s

“Titus Andronicus” will play on the CBT mainstage Feb. 10-28 with 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. performances.

Believed to be Shake-speare’s first tragedy and most graphically violent, “Titus Andronicus” was created as a crowd-pleas-ing shocker, full of mur-der, intrigue, betrayal and revenge. Returning victo-rious from war, Titus has

lost many sons in battle. And he has no idea that his worst nightmare is yet to come.

His prisoner of war, Tamora, Queen of the Goths, is bent on getting revenge for the loss of her son at Titus’ hands. The t wo become tangled in a cruel cycle of revenge in which they lose more than either one could ever imag-ine.

“The central idea in the play is that when justice and rule of law is subverted by man’s pursuit of revenge, man is capable of unspeak-able violence. Even the most principled and civilized man (like Titus) can be-come barbaric,” said direc-tor John Sipes.

Guest actor Carol Hal-stead (Tamora) lives in New York City and teaches yoga and meditation for

emerging artists with the Chautauqua Theatre Com-pany. She has performed on Broadway and in regional theatres.

Kurt Rhoads (Titus An-dronicus) has acted and di-rected at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival for 17 seasons. On Broadway he appeared in Julius Caesar with Denzel Washington. He also has worked at many regional theaters.

Ticket info: 865-974-5161, 865-656-4444 orclarencebrowntheatre.com

10 • JANUARY 27, 2016 • SOUTH KNOX Shopper news

THROUGH SUNDAY, FEB. 7

“Sara Crewe: A Little Princess,” Knoxville Chil-dren’s Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Ave. Performances: 7 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 1 and 5 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Info/tickets: 208-3677; knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com; [email protected].

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27

Computer Workshops: Internet and Email Basics, 2 p.m., East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Requires “Introducing the Computer” or equiva-lent skills. Info/registration: 215-8700.

Guster in concert, 8 p.m., Bijou Theater, 803 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: knoxbijou.com.

“Is It Alzheimer’s?,” 1 p.m., Humana Guidance Center, 640 Plaza, 4438 Western Ave. learn about the early signs of Alzheimer’s. A lecture on “Managing Worries and Fears” will follow. Free, open to the public. Info: 329-8892, TTY: 711.

Knoxville Writers’ Group meeting, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Naples Italian Restaurant, 5500 Kingston Pike. Speaker: Dr. Lin Stepp, author of “The Smoky Mountain Books.” Info: Mary Mckinnon, 983-3740.

THURSDAY, JAN. 28

KSO Very Young People’s Concerts: “Let’s tell a

story!” 11 a.m., Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: tennesseetheatre.com.

FRIDAY, JAN. 29

Alive after Five: “Tribute to the R&B Classic Hits, Part 3” featuring Evelyn Jack & Donald Brown, 6-8:30 p.m., Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Drive. Tickets: $15; $10 for members/students. Info: 934-2039.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY, JAN. 29-30

WaveTransform Festival, Bijou Theater, 803 S. Gay St. Tickets: knoxbijou.com. Info/schedule: wavetransformfestival.com.

SATURDAY, JAN. 30

Auditions for the musical “Big River,” to be produced by The WordPlayers at the Bijou Theatre in July. Info/ap-pointments: wordplayers.org/auditions or 539-2490.

Beginning Genealogy, 1-4 p.m., East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay St. Registration begins Jan. 19. Info/registration: 215-8809.

Chocolatefest Knoxville, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Knox-ville Expo Center, 5441 Clinton Highway. Admission

free; tasting pass, $15; VIP pass, $30. A portion of the proceeds will benefi t Knoxville’s Ronald McDonald House. Info: chocolatefestknoxville.com.

Covenant Kids Run one-mile fun run kickoff event, noon, Knoxville Zoo. Cost: $15; includes Covenant Kids Run on April 2. Open to children in eighth grade and younger. Info/registration: knoxvillemarathon.com or 684-4294.

Dale Ann Bradley in concert, 8 p.m., Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave. Tickets: $14, some discounts available. Info/tickets: www.jubileearts.org.

Deadline for early bird registration for Song-writer Opportunities at the fi fth annual Smoky Moun-tains Songwriters Festival, to be held Aug. 24-28. Info/registration: smswf.com.

The Del McCoury Band with Sierra Hull, part of WDVX’s World Class Bluegrass concert series, 7 p.m., Clayton Center for the Arts, 502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville. Info/tickets: 981-8590; Clayton-ArtsCenter.com; Clayton Center box offi ce.

Financial Education Series: Debt Free, 1 p.m., Cedar Bluff Branch Library, 9045 Cross Park Drive. Info: 470-7033.

Ijams Seed Swap, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave. Free event. Everyone welcome, with or without seeds. Info: 577-4717, ext. 110.

Kitten and cat adoption fair, noon-6 p.m., West Town PetSmart adoption center, 214 Morrell Road. Sponsored by Feral Feline Friends of East Tennessee. Info: www.feralfelinefriends.org.

For more information, visit Provision online at www.ProvisionCares.org or call 1-865-321-4589

Renowned Christian entertainer Michael W. Smith will perform a live concert on February 20 at the Knoxville Coliseum for “Scott Hamilton and Friends on Ice.”

Michael W. Smith to headline Feb. 20 ice showThis year’s “Scott Hamilton and

Friends on Ice” is set for 5 p.m., Feb. 20, at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. This year’s featured performers will be renowned skaters of both long-time and more recent fame including Katia Gordeeva, 1988 and 1994 Olympic gold winner with late husband Sergei Grinkov, 1992 Olympic silver medalist Paul Wylie, 2014 Olympic medalist Jeremy Abbott, world champion fi gure skaters Yuka Sato and Steven Cousins, U.S. national fi gure skating champions Alissa Czisny, Ryan Bradley, Michael Weiss and ice dancing champions Kimberly Navarro and Brent Bommentre, 1990s British National Champion

Steven Cousins and ice dancers Sinead Kerr and John Kerr.

The show will be choreographed to the live music of Michael W. Smith, an acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician who has sold more than 15 million albums, achieved 28 No. 1 songs, and earned three GRAMMY® Awards, one American Music Award, and more than 40 Dove Awards.

Most recently, in honor of ASCAP’s 100th Anniversary, Smith, along with Amy Grant, was honored as “a cornerstone of Christian music,” for his groundbreaking career and signifi cant infl uence on the genre.

Also in 2014, Smith was named “Philanthropist of the Year” by the Nashville Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and honored by the Nashville Association of Talent Directors (NATD) for his impact on the

Nashville entertainment industry.Smith will release his latest

album, “Hymns II: Shine on Us,” at the end of this month.

“Scott Hamilton and Friends on Ice,” will kick off with an ice show at 5 p.m. at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. A celebration benefi t dinner follows at 7:30 p.m. at the Knoxville Convention Center, 701 Henley St.

Tickets for the ice show are on sale now and start at $23. Dinner tickets are available to individuals or groups for $150. Tickets to the ice show and concert are available online through the Knoxville Coliseum box offi ce at KnoxvilleColiseum.com, or by calling 865-215-8999.

For information on attending the celebration dinner and becoming a sponsor, see ProvisionCares.org

Paul Wylie, 1992 Olympic

Silver Medalist, will perform in Knoxville

on February 20 at the third annual “Scott Hamilton and

Friends on Ice.”

Scott Hamilton and Friends return to KnoxvilleOlympic medalist Wylie skates for cancer Feb. 20

Paul Wylie has known Scott Hamilton since he was 10 years old, and while the enduring friendship may not be surprising, Wylie’s a little amazed the two are still strapping on skates to perform together.

“We have longevity – I don’t think I would have thought of that as a child,” says Wylie. “It is a lifelong sport now.”

Wylie will join Hamilton and an impressive list of fi gure skating champions at 5 p.m., Friday, Feb. 20, at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum for “Scott Hamilton and Friends on Ice.” The event will raise money for both the Provision CARES and the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundations, which fund cancer research and supports cancer patients and their families.

This will be the third Knoxville fundraiser in which Wylie has participated. Both his father and mother are cancer survivors, and he watched Hamilton go through his own bout with testicular cancer and subsequent brain tumors. He has toured the Provision Center for Proton Therapy and says he considers himself an advocate for the cancer treatment.

“I’ve been doing benefi ts for cancer research since I was a teenager,” he says. “Cancer is absolutely something I had close by.”

Although he has never had

cancer, within the past year, Wylie experienced his own brush with a life-threatening illness. One morning during a workout with friends, he collapsed, and his heart stopped beating.

Two men took turns doing CPR until fi rst responders arrived and rushed him to the hospital. After two days in an induced coma, Wylie woke up and learned he had been the victim of a cardiac arrest. After a battery of tests in which doctors could not determine the cause, he received an ICD – which functions both as a defi brillator and pacemaker – and set on the road to recovery.

He kept skating and says the experience gave him a new appreciation for life.

“I think when you have experienced closeness to death, it tends to put things in perspective, and you realize how fragile lives are,” he says.

Wylie says he still loves to perform, something that’s kept him doing shows like Scott Hamilton and Friends On Ice far past his retirement as, fi rst, an amateur and then professional fi gure skater.

He burst onto the world scene as a relative unknown at the 1992 Olympic Games, reaping a silver medal and launching a highly successful professional career. He also toured

with Stars on Ice and has served as a television commentator.

“For me, the music and performing have really always been front and center,” he says. “That’s where I derive the pleasure of skating. The way the edge feels against the ice, it’s a lovely feeling, a very free feeling.”

And, for the record, he’s still landing those double jumps.

The nice thing about events like “Scott Hamilton and Friends,” Wylie

says, is it gives skaters a chance to truly enjoy themselves and put on a show – with the unique aspect of performing to live music.

“There will be great skating, great music and it’s a great cause,” he says. “We’re there to entertain the audience. There’s just something about it, where the artists and the athletes work together to create something entertaining. It’s going to be a great show.”

NEWS FROM PROVISION CARES FOUNDATIONCARES FOUNDATION

SOUTH KNOX Shopper news • JANUARY 27, 2016 • 11

South Knox Shopper-News 012716

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