Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 15 June 2000 — Page 12

The Muncie Times, June 15, 2000, page 12

Kizer continued from pg 10

Carl E. Kizer Jr. and Lemna

of the things that I can boast about, the board has to serve as a group,” he said. “You will get more done when you work as a member of a group. You can’t achieve anything on your own. You need to be able to work with other board members. “I’m happy to be able to say that during the time that I have been on the board, we have been able to get more minorities into upper management in the school district.” He said this included more minorities into the Muncie Schools central administration office and as administrators at Muncie Central High School. Garfield Elementary and Longfellow Elementary schools and at the Youth Opportunity Center and Muncie Central High School. “I’m also proud that we were able to bring Dr. Pat Brown and Dr.

Charles Payne into the community for special programs. I felt it was important to do this because we felt it was important for all our children, not just the black ones, to be brought up in a multicultural environment, because our world is changing and we have to prepare our children for that,” he said. Kizer also said he enjoyed being a role model for all children of all social, economic and racial groups. His greatest frustration, he said, during his time on the board was when he was president and he had to testify in court because parents had filed suit against the board to nullify the suspension of their son from school. The board had adopted a zero tolerance against bringing weapons to school. The judge ruled against the school board. “After that I was so

frustrated that I walked over to City Hall to talk to Sgt. Dawson. I asked him to take out all the knives and guns that had been confiscated from students over the years. I called a newspaper photographer to come over and take pictures. Only after the picture appeared in the paper did we get parents to call and show some support for our policy. We had to explain to parents and others that these weapons were being used against other students,” Kizer said. “Other frustrations were when Muncie Central was placed on academic probation, because it is a good school, or when we

started the school year and went for a year without a contract for our teachers. The teachers were very unhappy and upset with us.” His other major frustration was in failing to persuade other board members to support the idea of district board elections. Under that system, board members would support specific constituencies. Under the current system, board members are elected at-large, meaning they represent the entire city, rather than individual constituencies. “Overall, I have had a good ride, It has been a wonderful experience. It has been good

to hear from parents who wanted to know what to do and to be able to steer them in the right direction. It has been wonderful to congratulate graduating students and to see the smiling faces of their parents. It’s really a good feeling.,” he said. “It’s been good to help parents and students and to have in put in district policy and decision making. I’ll always remember those memories. It’s been nice to see parents at school board meetings, although I wish we could see more parents, especially minority parents, at board meetings. “Although I’m leaving the board, I hope to continue to be in touch with my former colleagues. I hope to contribute what I can to board decisions. I plan to continue to be involved and interested in what goes on before the board and within the school system.”

Ghana continued from pg 3 expected, they share whatever food is there with you. It is considered rude to refuse to accept the food—even when you are full you should at least take a bite. I had to get used to that because it is so different from American culture. I learned to share whatever I had,” Thompson said. “I enjoyed my stay in Africa because I was very receptive to experiencing new things. I was willing to

try new things. I had to keep an open mind and adjust to the circumstances. This was one of the most wonderful experiences I have had in my life. I can’t wait to get back to Africa.” Thompson said she found her host family very receptive to learning about the United States and about African Americans and their perceptions of Africa and the dynamics of the relations between Africans and African Americans. Thompson was in

Ghana from October 1999 to February 2000. Since her return, she has found a fulltime job as a membership and marketing specialist for the Wapehani Girl Scout Council in Daleville, Ind. During the fall she will attend Ball State University part time, seeking a master’s degree in the Center for Information and Communication Sciences. After her graduation, in about 2002, she said she hopes to find a job on the East Coast, preferably in the

Washington, D.C., area. “Since my return from Africa, I view Ghana and Africans in a very different way. I found Africans to be more giving and more willing to share, no matter how little they have. That has made me more compassionate. I have also learned to do without some creature comforts,” she said. Thompson said one of her more memorable experiences about sharing occurred just after her arrival in Ghana.

“My second day in Ghana, I ventured out to find an Internet Cafe. I asked a man for directions and he ended up walking me all the way to the place. He refused to leave me until I reached my destination. At first,” she said, “I feared that he wanted something in exchange for his help. But he honestly wanted to make sure I got there OK.” Nikki is the daughter of Muncie residents Robert Thompson and Pauline Thompson.