Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 3 May 2002 — Page 8

PAGE A8

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, MAY 3,2002

Local church school becomes independent

By OSEYE T. BOYD Staff Writer A lot has happened to Charity Church Christian Academy within the last year, and Patty Franklin, school administrator, believes there’s more to come. Next fall Charity Church Christian Academy plans to open in a new location and with a new name — Manna«fest Christian Academy says Franklin. The independent school will house approximately 300 students in grades K-6. “(10 you get more than that, you lose the personal touch,” Franklin said. “1 want to know students’ names.” The decision to close the academy was a business decision made by Charity Church pastor Jeffery TTiomas. While the pastor is committed to improving the education of local Haughville students, the cost of running the school proved to be too much Franklin said. Thomas could not be reached for comment.

Although enrollment at the school grew this year to 44 students from last year’s 32 students, the school was still struggling to make ends meet. As Franklin’s daughter Shahn puts it, the staff is “committed to the child” and they had worked too hard and had come too far to throw in the towel, so with much prayer and supplication, they decided to open an independent Christian school in the Haughville neighborhood — in a yet to be determined location. “I’m not worried about getting space,” Franklin says, although “I do want to have my space secured in the next 30 days,” she said. Not having a location is not stopping Franklin from moving ahead with her plans. She is putting together a school board, and letters were sent to parents notifying them of the change. Franklin will also host a dinner where parents can come and ask questions. She wants . to ease parents’ educational concerns and ^assure them that the new school will continue to pro-

vide the same level of quality they are used to receiving. She is even more determined to have degreed teachers at the school. “Designing children’s lives” will be the mantra of Manna»fest Christian Academy. Education is first and foremost at the school, but Franklin realizes many Christian schools lack outlets for kids to enjoy the arts. So in an effort to make sure her students receive a wellrounded education, Franklin is establishing relationships with several community groups to teach the arts to her students. Learning field trips will continue to be an integral part of the curriculum at the new school. “I don’t want them to learn just a bunch of facts and figures, but to be able to transfer those skills to everyday things. They need to have fun in their lives. I want to make learning fun,” said Franklin. For more information on Manna*fest Christian Academy, call 634-0180.

FIND OUT FIRST.

On the net or in the book, a few minutes in here can save you hours out there.

Find Your Yollow Pages Online At www.SMARTpages.com

Johnetta B. Cole to lead Bennett College

(Special to the NNPA) — Johnetta B. Cole, president emerita of Spelman College, has been chosen as the 14th president of Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C. The college’s board of trustees voted to offer the position to Cole, who will lead the 500-student, fouryear liberal arts college, an affiliate of the United Methodist Church. “The board agreed that Dr. Johnetta B. Cole is an ideal choice to help Bennett face our current challenges and fulfill our potential as a leading women’s college,” says

Marian B. Tasco, board chairwoman and a Philadelphia city councilwoman. Cole, who retired from Spelman in 1977, was nicknamed America’s Sister President after becoming the first woman to lead the all-female college in 1987. The school became the first historically Black college or university to receive the top ranking by U S. News and World Report magazine when the college was named the No. I liberal arts college in the South. Bennett ranks fourth among all

historically Black colleges and universities in the percentage of alumnae earning doctoral degrees. “I have long admired this fine institution, which is one of two historically Black institutions of higher learning for women in the United States,” says Cole, 65. “Bennett College must be treasured and we all have the responsibility to nurture, invest in and protect her.”

<Affiefitech.

Stay on top of the issues Call to subscribe to - MW)! ■..}Ktohute-jiiMvihRB r

-fM

LADY LUCK BRINGS DOLLAR % FOR SCHOLARS STUDENT FELLOWSHIP FOR BLACKS! INC. presenting CASINO NIGHT

Teacher of the Week j

SATURDAY MAY 11,2002 HISTORICAL MADAME WALKER CASINO RALLROOM 617 INDIANA AVE. 9P.M. - 2A.M. TICKETS $5.00 (BUjyiNE GET ONE FREE) DOOR $10.00 r “ CASH BAR, FREE FOtff CASINO GAMBLING, DANCING TO TUNES PLAYED BY D.J. MADDOX CASINO LIC. 96353 RAFFLE LIC. 96668 FOR TICKET INFO. CALL (317) 5493166 / WALKER BOX OFFICE (317 236-2099 ONCE A YEAH, I WILL DONATE $5.00 AND OR OTHER

Name: Getsy Peeler Hometown: Indianapolis College Attended: IUPUI (currently working on master’s degree at Butler) Degree obtained: Bachelor in education Began teaching in: 1993 School currently teaching at: John Strange Elementary How long: Since 1997 Subject: General education Grade level: Fourth Why did you have the desire to teach? I was the only child for 10 years, so I entertained myself by reading. I loved to read, so teaching was a natural thing to do. What has been the most rewarding thing you’ve experienced as a teacher? I get the most joy when the students come back to see me or send me a letter saying hello and thank you. When you’re teaching sometimes you feel as if you’re not making an impression, so when they come back over the years, it’s really nice. What is the most challenging aspect of teaching? More than a school problem, there’s a society problem v here kids are coming unprepared, but someone always wants to blame someone else. I think we really need to get past the blame and let the community, schools and parents work together to get the problem fixed. Discipline is really getting to be a problem — that used to not be, so we need to work together to help the kids. In the future, what changes would you like to see in schools? I would like to see us focus a lot more on values and character. Those really need to be more in the plan. I’m not sure that all kids really know what’s right or wrong, so I think it’s up to (teachers) to teach character building, just as much as we teach reading, writing and arithmetic.