Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 11 August 2011 — Page 9

The Muncie Times • August 11, 2011 • Page 9

THREE ADMINISTRATORS NAMED BY MCS BOARD

Four key positions in Muncie Community Schools were filled tonight at the first regular board meeting of the 2011-2012 school year. One new board member and three administrators were unanimously approved to serve as West View Elementary principal, Northside Middle School assistant principal, and Athletic Director of Central High School. Dr. George Branam was selected a Board member, filling the vacancy left by former board member Tom Parker who resigned July 1, 2011. Dr. Branam’s term is effective through December 31, 2012. Dr. Branam and the two other finalists - Monique Armstrong and Barry Hickey - were interviewed publicly by Board members Monday, July 25, in a special board meeting that provided for a 45-minute question-and- answer interview at

which candidates were asked to share their top three attributes. “An abundant knowledge of life and teaching, passion for education in a teaching hospital and public education in particular, and 40 years of business experience,” he believed were his top three attributes. He claimed he was capable of listening well and referred to himself as a “workaholic.” Referring to the district’s consideration of a New Tech High School, he said, “You can’t get better without experimenting. I am for innovation.” As a physician, he claimed that “medicine without the patient in the center is not a good thing and education without the student in the center is not a good thing.” He also is a firm believer in a good culture and environment within a school. Bill Hall, current principal of South View Elementary, will

assume leadership at West View Elementary following the naming of former Principal Kathy Ray as Director of Elementary and High Ability Education in June. Mr. Hall is a 17-year veteran administrator at MCS, having led various Title I schools. Under his tenure at South View, Annual Yearly Progress has been achieved for two consecutive years (2010 and 2011) and the school’s 2011 PL 221 status is “Exemplary Progress,” an “A” school. Current assistant principal of Northwestern High School in Kokomo, IN, Scott Shimer has been chosen to join Northside Middle school as assistant principal. Mr. Shimer has taught grades six, seven, and eight at Anderson Community Schools and served as Dean of Students there before his move to Kokomo. He also is certified as an Indiana School

Specialist and has 20 years experience working with individuals with disabilities. He returns to Northside Middle School after doing his student teaching there and finishing part of a school year there as a substitute teacher. Michael Schuck, former assistant principal and athletic director at Wilson Middle School from 2002-2006, was named Athletic Director of Central High School. Mr. Schuck has been an administrator for the past ten years, starting at the Youth Opportunity Center in 2001 where he worked directly with teachers to improve alternative programs within the YOC. Most currently, as principal of Wapahani High School, Mr. Schuck developed an alternative program called “Pathways Program.” He has coaching experience in varsity baseball and middle school boys’ basketball, directing

tournaments, evaluating coaches, and organizing and directing athletic fundraisers and special events. In personnel business, Board members accepted the retirement resignation of Deborah Brown, ELP teacher and MCS’ candidate for 2010 Indiana Teacher of the Year, East Washington Academy, 17 years; Laura Cavera, Special Education, Grissom Elementary, five years; Kelly Sloan, interventionist, Grissom Elementary, 11 years; Bruce Stanley, resource teacher, South View Elementary, 12 years, and Aimee Williams, journalism, Central High School, 2 years. The board also appointed 13 teachers and granted Supt. Tim Heller permission to fill vacancies that might occur between tonight’s meeting and the meeting of August 9, 2011.

Byron E. Lewis, CEO of UniWorld, to kick off WDLS

Byron E. Lewis Chairman & CEO UniWorld Group Inc.

Byron Lewis, Chairman & CEO, is a pioneer in ethnic marketing and communications. Over the past 40 years, he has been responsible for many innovative communication initiatives and activities that include advertising, publishing, public relations, promotion, broadcast and entertainment. Byron Lewis began his career working for African American newspapers and magazines in Harlem, New York. Due to exclusionary industry conditions, he never worked for a mainstream advertising agency or marketing company. Uniworld was founded during a period of industry indifference to ethnic marketing and a scarcity of targeted national media. To compensate, Lewis created an internal system of integrated communication services, to reach and engage underserved African American and Hispanic consumers. Capitalizing upon lessons learned from numerous "uptown" grassroots marketing ventures, he laid the foundation for UniWorld's non-traditional business platform. Now in its 41st year of successful operation, UniWorld is one of the nation's oldest multicultural

advertising agencies with annual billings in excess of $250,000,000. Byron developed a number of unique media and marketing techniques to attract clients in major product categories and to gain a foothold in the industry. The company provides full service capabilities in the African American, Hispanic and general consumer markets with offices in New York, Atlanta and Detroit. Under his leadership, UniWorld pioneered ethnic film, broadcast and branded entertainment strategies for major sponsors. Beginning with the original "Shaft" black film series, the firm subsequently worked on the break through "Glory", Malcolm X and Boyz n the Hood film releases. For Quaker Oats, he created "Sounds of the City", a Black Family Soap Opera, which was nationally syndicated on major Black Radio stations. He also produced America's Black Forum, the nation's only syndicated television news program to reach upscale African Americans. More recently, the company has won some of the largest mainstream advertising assignments ever awarded to an ethnic agency.

This includes, Burger King's national interim creative campaign in 1994, Mars Candy's ( 3 Musketeers) general market assignment in 1995 and breakthrough creative campaigns for the Ford Division, and Lincoln Automotive brands. All remain key UniWorld clients. Other important clients include AARP, MCNY, ColgatePalmolive, The Home Depot, Time Warner Cable, CVS Pharmacy, and Western Union. Listed in Who's Who in America, Byron Lewis currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Apollo Theater Foundation, the Jackie Robinson Educational Foundation, Ad Week, American Research Foundation and a Trustee for Long Island University. He is active in the African American community and proud of his agency's contributions to that community; and values his longstanding business and personal association with nationally prominent ethnic leaders.