PEORIA, IL -- The Peoria District 150 School Board heard a moving talk on Oct. 26 about a former Manual High School student who is now a successful adult, a publisher and Grammy award nominee.
The talk came from Sharon Crews, his former teacher, during the public comments. Her written comments are below.
Critic Terry Knapp questioned why a school attorney handled his routine Freedom of Information Act request, generating costs for the school district. Lawyers for other government bodies rarely handle these requests.
He also questioned the enrollment figures at the Quest, the charter high school. It has only 36 seniors and 53 juniors, and the figures he received may have been padded, he said.
He noted that Woodruff High School had 900 students when the district closed it five years ago, disrupting students and condemning them to long bus rides, to make way for Quest. The results should be studied, he said.
Knapp said he was told 'it's done and can't be undone.' He rejected that. "Everything can be undone," he said.
Former board member Jon Bateman commented to question personnel issues and the budget, then called for the evaluation criteria for the interim superintendent to be made public.
Here is a recording of the comments:
-- Elaine Hopkins
Here are the comments of Sharon Crews:
I recently told you about a 1983 Manual grad. Now I want to tell you about 1993 grad, Shaine Freeman. I want you to know how well our grads have done in life.
Please do not view Shaine’s quotes as my desire to pat myself on the back. It is Manual grads whom I wish to celebrate.
I hope you will find a way to draw attention to the accomplishments of 150 grads. Many Manual grads are connected to current 150 students and have insights as to issues affecting this district. Shaine credits the English curriculum for inspiring him. On Facebook he wrote:
“We all appreciate the impact you had on our lives. My wife even knows about you, and how we had to learn Beowulf in your class. That was the beginning of my love for creative writing and is a big reason that I am a journalist today. So thank you.”
My response was “Shaine, I am so happy to hear that Beowulf did that for you. I think there are those who believe that the old literature has no place in schools today. I disagree--it is history.”
Shaine responded, “I completely agree with you and can testify to the fact that I became fascinated by historic literature because of Beowulf. It led to my interest in Shakespeare and theater, which led to my career in songwriting as well as a broadcast journalism career. So, thank you for maintaining your stance...it made a difference.
Shane earned a degree at ICC in Architectural Construction Technology and went to Bradley for a year. He is the co-founder of an online magazine entitled “I Am Entertainment” in Atlanta, Georgia, where he works as a sports and entertainment journalist and magazine publisher. Take a look at it—it’s quite impressive.
In 2005, he was nominated for a Grammy, and in 2013 and 2014 was named “Magazine Publisher of the Year,” the best of Atlanta awards. Shaine had worked as a Sr. Civil Engineering CAD Designer at Greenhorne & O’Mara in Atlanta. He has been the host of The Miews Podcast and a cohost and sportscaster for Pass the Rock Podcast.
Also, he is a VP at Frontline Compassion, a non-profit organization teaching sustainable living to the poor in the USA and in African communities and is a basketball skills coach at Atlanta Hawks summer camp for children 8-17.
Shaine and his wife home school their three children. Shaine writes, “The inflation of grades and falsified test scores have hurt the public’s trust in Atlanta's Public Schools system so much that many families have turned to either homeschooling or just moving to a different part of town just to get out of harm’s way. Inflating grades is definitely a problem, not to mention the behavioral issues teachers must deal with.”
Please let’s work to see to it that those comments don’t apply to District 150, also. - 30 -
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