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Only Two People Show Up For Carver/Century School Support Rally
July 25, 2008
Only two people showed up Thursday night at a community rally in support of keeping Carver/Century K-8 School open beyond this school year. The two people that attended the meeting are both members of the 10 member committee that sponsored the rally.
When NorthEscambia.com arrived at 6:20 Thursday evening at Carver/Century for the 6:30 meeting, we could find no one. The cafeteria where the meeting was to be held was locked and dark.
Century Blue Ribbon Committee members Laura Nelson and Brenda Spencer arrived a short time later, but nobody else showed up. Nelson and Spencer are just two of the 10 member committee that was formed by the town council to work toward saving the school.
Escambia School Superintendent Jim Paul had announced his intentions to call for the closure of the school back in May. That recommendation from Paul to the school board was delayed, with Paul deciding to keep the school open for the 2008-2009 school year. He is now expected to recommend closing the school for the 2009-2010 school year at the school board’s August 18 meeting. In the meantime, Carver/Century’s school grade from the Florida Department of Education soared from an “F” to a “B’.
Both Nelson and Spencer agreed Thursday night that people did not show up for the rally in support of the school because of the increased school grade and the fact that the school will be open this school year.
“We need to get the community together,” Spencer said. “It is not over yet. They are still going to try to close this school.”
“Before he (Paul) announced that the school would be open this year, it was an emergency situation and over 70 people came out in support of the school at our last meeting,” Nelson said. “People still need to get involved; it is still important.”
“We need to try to get the community to rally together and have something to lean on,” Spencer said. “It is important that people don’t forget about the school. Don’t relax; don’t let your guard down. We can’t relax.”
The Blue Ribbon Committee has other community events planned, including movie nights every Friday night at New Life Baptist Church and a Community Market Day in the Park at Roadside Park every other Saturday. The next market day will be August 2.
The members of the Blue Ribbon Committee are Mayor Freddie McCall; Principal Jeff Garthwaite, Paula Jernigan, Rev. Wiillie Carter, Laura Nelson, Brenda Spencer, Henry Hawkins; Mrs. Reginald McCants, Marilyn Robinson and Rev. Irwin Stallworth.
We did not have phone numbers immediately available for all of the Blue Ribbon Committee members, but NorthEscambia.com attempted to contact some of the eight committee members not present at the rally. As we stood outside the locked school Thursday evening, we were not able to reach anyone but Mayor Freddie McCall.
McCall said he was planning to attend the meeting. But he said he had a last minute family emergency that prevented him from attending.
Nelson and Spencer said they would attempt to reschedule the rally in the near future.
Comments
2 Responses to “Only Two People Show Up For Carver/Century School Support Rally”
NEXT TIME PUT OUT FLYERS AND TELL THE PUBLIC I DONT HAVE KIDS AT CENTURY BUT I LIVE IN CENTURY AND I WAS AT THE FIRST MEETING AT THE SCHOOL I WAS FOR THE SCHOOL TO STAY OPEN LET IT BE KNOWN AND MORE PEOPLE COULD SHOW UP GOOD WITH THE SCHOOL
Maybe more people would have been in attendents if this meeting had been announced or even in the PNJ. The only place this writer saw an announcement was at NorthEscambia.com. I know a teacher who was not even aware this meeting was to be . No North end activities or such is even in the PNJ . This could have been on channnel 3 news several times before the meeting date.
Why could it not have been advertised on the Carver activies billboard or at the Century Park entrance.
We in the North area want our school and deserve our own school. Get read of JIM Paul. We have successful persons come from North Escambia.