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WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPER.COM FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2012 VOL. 14, NO. 39 FREE

FREEPRESS A PUBLICATION OF ACE III C OMMUNICATIONS

by Nigel Roberts

They arrive in DeKalb from different cor-ners of the world. Many come from refugeecamps in South Asia and others from the chaos

and brutality of civil wars in Africa. State andnonprofit agencies in DeKalb help these familieso resettle and become self-sufficient members

of the community.In December, Gov. Nathan Deal and Geor-

gia Department of Human Services Commis-ionerClyde Reese signed contracts totaling

$4.1 million that will enable the agencies to con-inue to provide services to the roughly 3,000

new refugees who arrive annually. Six publicand private agencies in DeKalb received morehan $2.5 million of the federal funds.

According to a DHS spokesperson, Georgiadisburses these funds through annual contractso 12 public and private agencies. The serviceshey provide include English language instruc-

ion, health care and employment assistance,with the ultimate aim of enabling refugee fami-ies to transition successfully to life in a new

country.A refugee is someone who flees his or her

country because of persecution, war or violence.Many have a well-founded fear of persecutionfor reasons of race, religion, nationality, politi-cal opinion or membership in a particular socialgroup.

Humanitarian concerns led to passage of theRefugee Act of 1980, which among other thingsauthorizes the U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services to provide assistance to refu-gees.

Unlike with asylum seekers who arrive

without prior screening, the U.S. Department ofState reviews refugee cases and grants them le-gal entry into the United States. Federal officialsrelocate them to various places throughout thecountry with the assistance of national nonprofitrefugee agencies.

Paedia Mixon explained that the decision asto where to relocate refugees is based on severalfactors, such as whether the refugee has familyalready settled in a location and an areas lan-guage capacity. With its increasing diversity, theAtlanta metro area is now a prime destination

for refugee families.Mixon is the executive director of Refugee

Resettlement and Immigration Services of At-lanta (RRISA), located in Decatur. Her organiza-tion is a local affiliate of two national agenciesthat work directly with the State Department toresettle refugees.

RRISA is primarily a resettlement agencythat focuses on providing immediate services tohelp newcomers. Mixon said her organizationpicks up refugees from the airport and providesimmediate food, shelter, medical and other

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See Hardeman on Page 11A

See Refugees on Page 11A

by Daniel [email protected]

Gloria Hardemandecorated her diningroom with balloons,cards, posters and oth-

er things to celebrate her sonsbirthday on Saturday, Dec. 17,even though he had been killedtwo months earlier.

Matthew Hardeman was shotand killed Oct. 15 in his sistersfront yard off Lakewood Terrace

in southwest Atlanta. He was 19.Even though I put my son in

the ground, I still cant under-standThey shot him like he

was a dog in the street. He didntdeserve thata dog doesnt de-serve that, Gloria said.

Recently, Verlaine LaGuerrewas arrested in connection withMatthews death and an initialhearing was held Dec. 28.

Gloria said although she isstill grieving, the death of herson has motivated Matthewsfamily and friends to go out intothe world and do as much as theycan in his name.

He was somebody who al-

ways finished what he started,D.J. Tanner, Matthews brother-in-law said.

Matthew was a star football

player at Avondale High School.While there, he helped bring theschool to the playoffs for thefirst time in 23 years. Hardemanleft such an impression that sev-eral Avondale alumni dedicatedan award in his honor, whichwas passed down until the schoolclosed in 2010.

Mike Carson, who coachedHardeman at Avondale, said hehad seen him a week before theshooting.

We talked about life, doing

the right thing and staying out oftrouble. He wanted to get back inschool and finish up. I told himto be positive and keep doing

Mother remembers slain sons

accomplishments on and off the field

DeKalb agencies receive new funding to aid refugee resettlement

Matthew Hardeman, a 2010 graduate of Avondale HighSchool, was killed in southwest Atlanta in October.Photo by Travis Hudgons

Agency Disbursement Amount Contracted Services

International Rescue Committee $1,067,263 Employment, employment

upgrade, refugee youth and social

adjustment services

DeKalb Technical College $699,823 English language instruction and

civics instruction

DeKalb County Board of Health $105,038 Social adjustment/health services

Refugee Resettlement and

Immigrations Services of Atlanta

$341,359 Information and referral,

employment, citizenship and

naturalization services

Refugee Family Services $287,670 Youth services

Somali American Community

Center

$50,000 Youth after school services

Source: Georgia Department of Human Services

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Page 2A The Champion Free Press, Friday, January 6, 2012

Syringe found in jeanspurchased from shoe store

Congregants at DeKalbsynagogue egged on Sabbath

A Stone Mountain womansaid she found a syringe in

jeans she purchased for herdaughter on Christmas Eve.

Ashley King, of Stone

Mountain, told DeKalbCounty Police that she pur-chased the jeans from TheAthletes Foot, located at2545 Wesley Chapel Road atapproximately 2:30 p.m. Thesyringe was discovered onDec. 27 in one of the pocketsof the jeans which the 4-year-old girl was wearing at thetime.

Neither King nor her

daughter was injured by thesyringe which still had a capcovering the needle.

This case appears to bean isolated incident, said Lt.

A. B. Catlin of the DeKalbCounty Police Department.However we are aware ofthe other cases outside of our

jurisdiction and take this casevery seriously.

In recent weeks, severalsyringes have been foundin clothing at a CartersvilleWalmart store. In two cases,the needles have pierced theskin of victims.

by Daniel [email protected]

DeKalb County Policeare investigating severalncidents involving congre-

gants of the Beth Jacob Syn-agogue that have occurredover the past weeks.

Weve been gettingcomplaints where unknownsuspects have been throwingeggs and bagels at syna-gogue members, DeKalbPolice spokesman Lt. Anto-nion Catlin said.

The incidents have beenoccurring on Friday nights.The Jewish Sabbath beginsat sundown Friday and endsat sundown on Saturday.Because of this, many con-gregants leave their cars inBeth Jacobs parking lot

overnight and walk home.According to Catlin, a

vehicle was also stolen fromthe 1800 block of LavistaRoad and recovered in At-lanta. Catlin said the depart-ment had not yet identiedany suspects involved in theincidents.

The synagogue is locatedat 1855 Lavista Road andCatlin said the incidents,have caused the departmentto increase patrols in thearea.

Catlin said DeKalbCounty Police have metwith local rabbis and syna-gogues to discuss securityconcerns.

At this time we havenot qualied this as a hatecrime, Catlin said.

Tucker womanarrested in Clarkstonfor identity theft

Clarkston Police madea Christmas Day arrest of awoman on a warrant for fail-ure to appear in court in Feb-ruary on a trafc violation.

When the woman toldpolice she did not have apending trafc violation, apolice investigation revealedthat the womans driverslicense had been used byanother woman in February.Vehicle information and a

phone number given duringthe February trafc stop led

police to Torrie Dorsey of

Summerwalk Drive in Tuck-er, according to Detective K.W. Hasan.

Dorsey, charged with

identity theft, had a rstcourt appearance on Dec. 28

Vacant Clarkston

duplex burglarized

Someone broke into a du-plex unit on 990 Smith Streetin Clarkston early on Dec.27. The suspect kicked openthe back door to the unit,activating the motion-sensorlight.

Nothing was stolen fromthe duplex, which was a va-cant rental unit, according toClarkston Police ChiefTonyScipio. A resident in the ad-

joining unit told ClarkstonPolice that she heard a loud

noise at approximately 2a.m. The resident did notcall police, thinking it was a

branch hitting the roof.

DeKalb Police have increased security around the 1800 block of Lavista Road surrounding Congre-gation Beth Jacob, where a member was egged while walking home from a service.

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New ordinance requires interior apartment inspections

DeKalb Schools allow parole officers on campus

by Andrew [email protected]

A new county ordinancerequiring the interiors of allapartment buildings to beinspected by an independentstate-certied inspector goesinto effect in January.

We hope to ensure thatevery apartment complex issafe and sound for peopleto live in, said DeKalb

County CommissionerJeffRader about the ordinancepassed in December 2010.

Under the ordinance,apartment owners arerequired to have theirrental units inspected asa condition of gettingor renewing a businesslicense. During the rstyear of complying withthe ordinance, all units in a

complex must be inspectedand in subsequent years20 percent of the units arerequired to be inspected.Complexes that are less thanve years old are exemptand the ordinance does notapply to condominiums,duplexes or extended stayhotels.

The inspections will beperformed by third-partyinspectors who will ensurethat the interior of rental

units meet state minimumstandard codes, theordinance states.

Letters about the newordinance will be sentin January with businesslicense renewal notices.

Apartment complexeswill be allowed to renewtheir licenses for 2012without the interiorinspections but all units

must be inspected byOctober, according toAndrew Baker, thecountys interim director forplanning and sustainability.

This gives them threemonths to get themselvesup to standard if they fail aninspection, Baker said.

Following a checklistdeveloped by the countysplanning and developmentdepartment, inspectors willcheck whether:

The ooring is imperviousin kitchen and bath areas.

Heating facilities are inworking condition withno unvented heatingappliances in sleepingrooms.

Required smoke detectordevices are in place.

Plumbing facilities,including kitchen sink,

lavatory, tub or shower,and water closet, are clean,sanitary and are in goodworking order.

Electrical outlets andlight xtures are in goodworking order with propercovers and no exposedwiring.

Both interior and exteriordoors, jams and hardwareare functional.

Interior and exterior stairsare in good working order

with protective railing. There is the proper numberof residents per bedroomas required by law.

Extermination is needed. Exit requirements are met

with unobstructed meansof egress leading to safeand open space.

There is excessive trash,rubbish or similar items.

Inspectors will belooking for things that arehazardous, Baker said.

County ofcials said theybelieve that a large numberof multifamily units arenot up to standards, Bakersaid. We want to improvethe quality of life for thoseresidents.

Currently, the countyinspects the exteriors ofapartment buildings, butis not allowed to inspect

the interior unless invitedin, Baker said. Countyinspectors said there is adirect correlation betweenexterior code violations andinterior violations.

Hopefully, the majorityof people will comply,Baker said. The ones thatwe have the most problemswith are the ones with 100or more units.

y Daniel [email protected]

During the course of theast year DeKalb Countychools has added an extraecurity measure in an efforto help keep students out ofrouble, or stop trouble be-ore it starts.

School spokesman Wal-er Woods said since the

ystem began allowingDeKalb County parole of-cers into schools they have

een enormously helpful.I think weve seen a

reduction inin-school inci-dentsWereseeing sometrends that arepositive withthe [parole of-cers] reducingghts on cam-pus and thingslike that,Woods said.

Woods saidthe parole ofcers on cam-pus have ofces and differfrom armed police ofcersserving as resource ofcers,

although they worktogether at times.

They work withthe principals andresource ofcersto ensure that thestudents that areeligible for proba-tion are keeping outof trouble, Woodssaid. It also pro-vides a resource for

additional counsel-ing for students and its agood preventative measureto have additional personnelon hand.

The program was imple-mented by Desiree SuttonPeagler, DeKalb Countychief juvenile judge, andTheodore Carter Jr.,former DeKalb Countychief probation ofcer, inconjunction with school of-cials.

According to reports,approximately 15 parole of-cers visit DeKalbs middle

and high schools three daysa week, on average. Paroleofcers monitored nearly400 students who have beento juvenile court for crimes

ranging from truancy tomore serious offenses suchas assault or drug posses-sion.

In every forum we havehad people whosaid weneed to focus on school dis-cipline, Woods said. Werecently hired a new head ofdiscipline that will begin inJanuary.

Woods said school dis-

cipline is a big priorityfor Superintendent CherylAtkinsons new administra-tion.

All apartment buildings in unincorporated DeKalb County, like Austin Oaks on Glenwood Road, must get an interior inspection under a new ordinance that goes into effect inJanuary. Apartment owners will not be issued 2013 business licenses until the inspections are completed. Photos by Andrew Cauthen

Atkinson

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DeKalb Commission Presid-ng OfficerLarry Johnson and

CEO Burrell Ellis get an Agrade for their collaborative efforthat resulted in the county getting

an A plus for its long-term waterand sewer revenue bonds and adouble-A minus long-term ratingo the countys existing water and

sewer bonds.This action follows the lead of

Moodys Investors Service, whichreaffirmed the countys Aa3 rating

this summer. While this happenedin 2011, the effort is worth notingand commending and hopefully isa harbinger of the kind of coop-

eration we can expect in this newyear.

Said CEO Ellis, Standard andPoors has recognized our effortsto reorganize government, reducestaff and cut expenses, as well asraise revenue. They recognize thatDeKalb is serious about fiscal re-sponsibility. This restored ratingallows us to move forward withthe important work of upgradingour water and sewer systems andcreate thousands of jobs.

Commissioner Johnson said,DeKalb County has demonstrateda willingness to do what it takesto preserve its financial integrity.Now we must continue to demon-strate good financial stewardship

by maintaining a healthy reservefor posterity.

While the recent water andsewer rate increases that take ef-

fect this month were not to ourliking, the increases apparentlymade the difference in our abil-ity to negotiate choppy financialwaters. The chief credit analystfor Standard and Poors said thatour outlook appears stable basedon the expectation that the systemwill maintain solid operations andpreserve its healthy financial posi-tion aided by the countys timelyimplementation of rate increasesas it addresses its significant capi-tal investment program.

CEO Ellis and CommissionerJohnson made a presentation torepresentatives from S&P andMoodys Investors Service Inc.last summer. Moodys reaffirmed

DeKalbs Aa3 credit rating forgeneral obligation debt in August.

Johnson and Ellis put asideany political differences they

might have for the greater good ofDeKalb County. This is how gov-ernment should work. These twoleaders deserve our gratitude andappreciation for demonstratingthat they can work beyond theirown agendas to create financialstability for the county and createjobs in this struggling economy.Big ups guys. Its called states-manship.

Steen Miles, The Newslady,is a retired journalist and former

Georgia state senator. ContactSteen Milies at [email protected].

The Newslady

Grade A cooperation

The Champion Free Press, Friday January 6, 2012 Page 4AOpinion

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I am blood, and blood is me,Dr.Charles Drew(1904-1950), famedBlack surgeon, physician and sci-entist credited with developing themodern blood bank, which savedhe lives of thousands during World

War II, and millions since.

Dr. Charles Drew, a name per-

haps unfamiliar to most of you, hasone medical school, and 11 elemen-ary and high schools named in his

honor, as well as a dormitory at hisalma mater, Howard University.Drew died all too young followinga severe auto accident en route toa medical conference at Tuskegeenstitute (now University) in 1950.

His work in the science of bloodplasma, transfusion and blood stor-age led to the creation of the mod-ern blood bank, and has since savedor extended the lives of millionsduring surgery or after facing thewounds of war.

Catalyst for community re-devel-opment

East Lake Meadows was one of

the most violent and crime riddenpublic housing projects in America,with crime rates 18 times higherthan the national average. In 1993,Atlanta developerTom Cousinsbought East Lake Country Club andthe golf course and later formedEast Lake Foundation. He began re-developing that housing project intoa thriving mixed-income communi-ty, the Villages of East Lake. Areacrime rates have since declined by95 percent, and the number of areafamilies reliant on welfare (TANF)dropped from 59 percent to 5 per-cent. A large measure of the creditfor this community transformationis connected to the Charles R. DrewCharter School, established in 2000,and replacing the former Drew El-

ementary School in the Atlanta Pub-lic School system.Drew Charter opened its doors

with 240 kindergarten through fifthgrade students, since expanding itsenrollment and mission to 850 stu-dents from age 3 through the eighthgrade. In 1995 only 5 percent offifth graders at Drew Elementarywere reading at grade level. By2010, after a decade of operation ofDrew Charter School, 99 percent ofDrew fifth graders met or exceededstate standards for reading, languagearts and math.

We are focusing now on notjust meeting standards, but exceed-ing standards, said Cynthia Kuhl-man, chair of the Drew CharterBoard of Directors.

From the worst of times to thebest of times

From the crack-infested crimeden of East Lake Meadows, DrewCharter is now also attached to agleaming YMCA facility that is thearea center for too many commu-nity uses and healthful purposes tomention in this column. The schoolalso has free use and access to the Yfacilities.

Drew Charter remains a tuition-free public school, serving the samearea and local residents once servedby Drew Elementary, and thoughDrew Charter is in an amazing facil-ity rented back to the Atlanta Pub-lic Schools for a pittance, it is runon the same funding formula and

per pupil expenditure as any otherAPS school. At Drew Charter, thefaculty, volunteers, parents and cer-tainly its students, simply learn anddeliver astoundingly more benefitfrom those same resources.

Drew parents sign a contract withthe school agreeing to rules of be-havior and conduct, including schooluniforms, and as is the case with allcharter schools, transportation is notprovided by the school or APS.

No school buses = More parentalinvolvement

As Drew was metro Atlantasfirst public charter school, a surpriseoutcome of requiring students andfamilies to supply their own trans-portation is that a parent or family

member is as a result often at leastbriefly at the school twice a day. Ina neighborhood once dominated bysingle parents and the working poor,parents and siblings have as a resultnow become a part of the extendedDrew Charter family.

The differences are most notablein Drew Charter graduates, the firstof whom (a decade later) are enter-ing college with many planningcareers in education, and a return toDrew to teach. Drew, through theEast Lake Foundation, also offers aunique program called CREW (Cre-ating Responsible, Educated andWorking) to its graduates helpingthose teen navigate high school andcollege through academic and guid-ance counseling.

Im willing to bet that Drewstudents home for the holidays arealready getting antsy about get-ting back to their school, due to theculture of yearning for learning somuch in evidence there. As ourpublic schools face so many chal-lenges across Georgia, there aremany lessons to be learned by pay-ing a closer look and attention to themiracles at Drew Charter, proudlyhonoring the memory of its name-sake, Dr. Charles Drew.

Bill Crane is a DeKalb Countynative and business owner, living inScottdale. He also serves as chiefpolitical analyst and commentatorfor 11Alive News and WSB Radio,News/Talk 750. Contact Bill Craneat [email protected].

One Mans Opinion

The Drew Charter School miracle

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FREEPRESS

The Champion Free Press, Friday, January 6, 2012 Page 5AOpinion

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, January 6, 2012 Page 6AOpinion

Losing my coolObama seems to have confused the "bullypulpit" with a "bully suggestion box."

Grand jury says DeKalb school boardshould be investigated

Am I the only one who believes that three of ourcurrent School Board members are QUACKS or

LUNATICS ? Just asking.

The SnoopyDog posted this on 12/31/11 at 10 a.m.

I hope they will also investigate the conicts ofinterest and violations of the Open Records Act andOpen Meetings Law that took place regarding the cell

tower vote. There were many school board rules thatwere broken and its quite possible that kickbacksand personal favors were the real reason why thesetowers were approved. I hope they will contactgetthecelloutatl.org organizers or at least read their

blog site.

getthecelloutatl.com posted this on 12/30/11 at 7:08 p.m.

The whole point of this is to get rid o0f as much deadwood and corruption as possible so we can actually

focus resources of money and quality educators oneducating children. This is anything but a distraction

Dont be cute Ernie posted this on 12/30/11 at 4:40 p.m.

I wonder how far back will they go with investigatingfriends and family? It is a know fact that friends andfamily from former superintendents, board members,and other high ranking ofcials used friends andfamily like most municipalities around the country.How much time do we want to spend on this as thistakes the focus away from educating children.

-- ErnestB posted this on 12/30/11 at 2:06 p.m.

The following comments are pulled straight from our website and are notedited for content or grammar.

Ask anyone. I pride myself on be-ng seldom surprised, shocked almost

never.2011, however, called my cool into

question. I was nothing but shock-ngly surprised all year.

Take Barack Obama, particularlysince the 2010 Congressional electionor, as I like to call it, The Invasion of

he Body Snatchers. I thought hed bebetter.Not that I didnt have certain

reservations about him from the be-ginning his inexperience, for onehing. Hed never really run anything,et alone a government. But I thought

he was smart as a whip and could fig-ure it out.

I was also given pause by thesheer number of Harvard and Yalegraduates in his administration. Har-vard and Yale alums tend to have ananswer for everything. Sometimes itseven the right answer.

Still, I expected great things fromhim. He was obviously bright and

eloquent and able to inspire people,all qualities that his immediate prede-cessor was innocent of. Yet his presi-dency has revealed too few of thosequalities, instead erring on the sideof caution. He has invested a greatdeal of energy in trying to make com-mon cause with his sworn enemy, aRepublican Party whose leader in theSenate has said his No. 1 goal is tomake Obama a one-term president.

Thus Obama has engaged in talkafter talk, negotiation after negotia-ion with Republican leaders in an ef-

fort to find a bipartisan solution to thenations problems, only to be stone-

walled. This has left him vulnerableo the criticism that his presidency isa failure, that he hasnt done what hesaid hed do.

He can say, with some justice, Iried to do those things, but the Re-

publicans wouldnt let me.But what kind of answer is that

for a president? Are those the wordsof a leader? Can you imagine HarryTruman saying that? OrFranklin D.Roosevelt? Surrounded by avowedpolitical enemies, they welcomed thehatred they inspired and wore it as a

badge of honor.I was kind of hoping for more of

that from him. You know, malefac-tors of great wealth, that sort ofthing. Instead we get What we havehere is a failure to communicate.

He seems to have confused thebully pulpit with a bully sugges-tion box. Hes been channeling hisinnerTeddy Roosevelt lately, but hehas a ways to go. Lets hope he getsthere before we wake up with NewtGingrich as president.

Talk about surprises. Gingrichsrise from the dead during this electionwas nothing short of astonishing.

I thought he was washed up 20years ago when his colleagues inCongress turned on him. Even whenhe turned up this year running for theGOP nomination, I didnt take himseriously. Nor did he, apparently. Thefirst thing he did as a candidate wasrun off to the Greek Isles with hiswife. Then he surprised everybody bycoming back with the same wife.

But lo and behold, suddenly whenHerman Cains improbably strongcandidacy imploded, there he was,right at the top. At least for a while.

Not since the heyday ofRichardNixon had we seen such a comeback,unless you count Dracula.

And I suppose if I were listing po-litical surprises of the year Id haveto include Cain. Never in my mostbaroque dreams did I imagine thatthe first Republican pizza executiveto run for president would be AfricanAmerican.

Cain suspended his campaign acouple of weeks ago because womenkept showing up on a more or lessdaily basis, accusing him of lovingnot wisely but too often.

Historically, that has been a deal-breaker with the American public.You have to be Bill Clinton to getaway with it. And I have no idea how

he did it.Apparently Newt does, though.In December, he solemnly vowedto uphold the institution of mar-riage through personal fidelity to myspouse and respect for the maritalbonds of others. The fact that he wasnot immediately struck by lightningleads one to the conclusion that God,if not actually dead, is certainly sleep-ing.

OtherWords columnist DonaldKaul lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.otherwords.org

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, January 6, 2012 Page 7ALocal News

If you would like to nominate someone to

be considered as a future Champion of the

Week, please contactKathy Mitchellat

[email protected] or at

404-373-7779, ext. 104.

Champion ofthe WeekBonnie Flynt

Bonnie Flynt is easy tospot in her Doraville neigh-borhood.

Whether she is recruit-ing volunteers during herroutine jogs through thecommunity, planting treesor helping to clean up alocal school, Flynt is theface of the NorthwoodsArea Homeowners Asso-ciation. She started on theboard in 2007 as secretaryand was elected president

in September of 2010.Flynt has helped theassociation grow in mem-bership and in volunteerparticipation. Northwoodsencompasses severalneighborhoods and 750homes. Nearly 90 house-holds are members of theassociation.

When I became secre-tary, there were 22 house-holds (in the association),Flynt said. That was justnot acceptable to me. Itook it as a personal chal-lenge. Im a runner, and

when I would jog throughthe neighborhood, I wouldencourage people to join.

The association doesa lot of cleaning up in thecommunity, including aquarterly cleanup of Se-quoyah Middle School.

There also are trashand recycling days, andFlynt is active in a se-nior assistance programwhere volunteers clean upyards, cut grass and pickup leaves. The associa-tion also has an ongoingcurb appeal project. Thevolunteers provide thelabor while the homeown-ers provide materials. Theprojects include plantingtrees, flowers and shrubs

around homes.The neighborhoodholds an annual springfling, which raises moneyfor multiple sclerosis andthe association has donefundraisers for Handson Atlanta. The associa-tion also raised money todonate to the family ofDoraville Police Det.Shane Wilson, who waskilled recently in the line ofduty.

When people volun-teer together, it creates alarge warm-fuzzy, Flyntsaid. When you see oth-ers doing it, it spreads likewildfire. Its good for thecommunity as a whole; itcreates a sense of pride. Itmakes everyone feel goodabout it and everybodywins.

Flynt combines herpassion for running withher volunteer work by run-ning in charity races. Shehelps organize a run inNorthwoods that benefitsChildrens Healthcare ofAtlanta. A contractor by

trade, Flynt volunteersfor Habitat for Humanitywhen shes not helping herneighborhood.

I inherited [my interestin volunteering] from mymother, Flynt said. Shewas big into volunteerismand I witnessed all of that.

Thieves Christmas Everobbery caught on videoby Andrew [email protected]

A group of grinchesrobbed the home of a Deca-ur family early on Christ-

mas Eve, taking gifts out thefront door in broad daylight.And the crime was caughton a surveillance camera.

Kevin Kinley, who liveson Fayetteville Road in theOakhurst community ofDecatur, said thieves tookeverything that was underhe tree and wrapped.

The gifts included cloth-ng, shoes, gifts for the

couples parents and foreach other. Other stolentems included the familysMac computer, a at screenelevision, iPad and digital

camera.Fortunately, most to the

gifts from Santa to the twoKinley children, ages 2 and4, were hidden and not un-der the Christmas tree, Kin-ey said.

In all, Kinley estimatedhat approximately $5,000o $8,000 in belongings

were stolen from the house.Repairing the front door,

which was kicked in by theburglars, will cost the Kin-eys another $1,500.

A recording from Kin-eys surveillance camera,nstalled above the front

door, shows a silver sedan,

possibly a 2002-09 DodgeIntrepid, backing into the

homes driveway. A coupleof minutes later, after threerunners go by, a Black maleis seen approaching thefront door, presumably toensure that no one was inthe home. Seconds later,three other Black males joinhim at the door and kick itopen.

The video then showsthe males taking variousitems from the home.

Kinley said a neighborsaw the vehicle in theirdriveway but thought it wasa family member.

Kinley, who works inthe technology eld, saidhe installed the homemadesurveillance system moreas a hobby until now. Thevideo was stored on a DVRseparate from the computer.

To try to catch thethieves, Kinley has turned

to social media. He postedthe video on Youtube and

shared the link with hiscommunitys Yahoo grouppage. Kinley also started aTwitter account, @Decatur-Grinch, to provide updatesin the case.

As of Jan. 3, the videohad topped 16,600 views.The story has even gottennational media attention.

Kinley said the familydid not let the crime ruin itsChristmas.

At rst we didnt wantit to interrupt the kidsChristmas, Kinley said.We acted as if it didnthappen.

But now the Kinleys justwant peace in their home.

It doesnt feel likeour home is peaceful rightnow, Kinley said. Theonly way that will happen isif these guys are caught.

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Grand jury says DeKalb schoolboard should be investigated

The Dunwoody PoliceDepartment has arrested

two men for the Dec. 26killing of a Dunwoodyman.

Kevin Stallworth,30, of College Park, wascharged with murdering32-year-old Ivan Perezat the Pointe at PerimeterApartments located at 100Ashford Gables Drive.Stallworth was arrested inJonesboro.

Perez was allegedlyshot several times atapproximately 3:43 p.m.outside of Building 8 ofthe apartment complex

after being confrontedby Stallworth. He wastransported to GradyMemorial Hospital wherehe was pronounced dead.

According to a pressrelease, police said thePerez was not the intendedtarget.

Dunwoody Policealso charged 33-year-old Antiwan Lane, ofNorcross, with murder forhire.

Both suspects are beingheld at the DeKalb County

Jail.


Describing the countysschool board as being inturmoil, the DeKalbCounty Grand Jury is callingfor an investigation into theactions of the group.

One problem cited wasthe hiring process of countyschool superintendent Cher-yl Atkinson. The schoolboard delayed and compro-mised the Superintendenthiring process for over 18

months, stated the grandjury in a presentment re-leased on Dec. 29. The panelis requesting that a specialgrand jury be convened tolook into the school board.

In its presentment, thegrand jury stated that leaksto the media about certainaspects of the selection pro-cess came from a very lim-ited number of persons whowere mostly DeKalb CountySchool Board members.

This leads to suspicionthat certain board memberswere on purpose working tocompromise the selectionprocess to the detriment ofthe DeKalb School Systemand the citizens of DeKalbCounty, the grand juryspresentment stated.

The grand jury also ex-pressed concerns about theschool boards inuencein the hiring and personnelevaluation process, statingthat it appears that there has

been a long-term culture ofactive or perceived inuenceof DeKalb County SchoolBoard members on the hir-ing and retention of friendsand family.

The grand jury specical-ly mentioned the positionsof parent centers and familyservice coordinators whichappear to have salaries outof line with other roles with-

in the School System.While policies and

procedures need to be putin place immediately toprevent issues in this area,we believe an investigationshould be made to determineif past actions to hire and re-tain (protect) school systememployees have taken placeto the signicant detrimentto the citizens of DeKalbCounty, the grand jury pre-sentment stated.

Other issues the grandjury wants investigated in-

clude whether senior person-nel are employed in outsidework that would impedetheir ability to perform theirrequired duties; whetherDeKalb County Schoolfunds were used to promotethe recent SPLOST refer-endum; and whether properprocedures were followedin hiring attorneys, decidingto le a lawsuit and man-agement of the lawsuit bythe DeKalb County SchoolBoard in its case againstHeery Internationals mis-management of projects.

In a statement, DeKalbCounty District AttorneyRobert James said, Wetake the recommendations ofthe grand jury very seriouslyand will review the informa-tion pertaining to the con-cerns regarding the DeKalbCounty School System anddetermine a proper course ofaction.

Two menarrested inDunwoodymurder case

Lane

Stallworth

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Lithonia again lookingfor a police chief

Send your comments and/or concerns regarding Comcasts current performance underthe current franchise agreement and/or the future cable-related needs and interests ofyour community to www.dekalbcountyga.gov.

DeKalb County Wants to Hear From YouRegarding the Proposed Franchise Agreement Renewal

with Comcast Cable Communications


After just a year on theob, Lithonias police chief

Kennis Harrell has re-signed.

Its just another resigna-ion, Harrell said on Dec.

30 as he was leaving his of-ce.

Harrell, a former deputychief of the DeKalb CountyPolice Department, saidhere was no controversyhat led to his resignation.

The 25-year law enforce-ment veteran said he plans

o do nothing, which laterhe described as hunting,shing and hanging out withhis grandchildren.

With the DeKalb policedepartment, Harrell workedas a lieutenant, captain,sergeant, homicide detec-ive and academy instructorbefore becoming a deputychief overseeing operationsof the departments southand east precincts.

In November 2010, Har-rell took over the chiefs po-sition in Lithonia, which hadbeen vacant for nine monthsafter the then-chiefWillieRosser resigned.

Mayor elect DeborahJackson, who learned of thechiefs resignation on Dec.29, said she hopes the chiefwould reconsider and stayon as the chief.

Its been a tumultuousyear for Lithonia, Jacksonsaid.

Last March, the Lithonia

City Council red its city

clerk over the objections ofthen-mayorTonya PetersonAnderson. The clerk, Mis-sye Varner, was terminatedafter she allegedly violatedcity policy by accepting ser-vice of a lawsuit delivered bya DeKalb County Sheriffsdeputy.

Lithonia begins the year

with a recently hired cityadministrator and clerk, and,after having problems get-ting a recent special electioncleared by the U.S. JusticeDepartment, the city has anew council and mayor.

My nameis Emily,and in seven yearsIll be an alcoholic.

START TALKINGBEFORE THEY

START DRINKING

Kids whodrinkbefore age15are 5 times more likely to have

alcohol problems when theyre adults.

To learn more, go towww.stopalcoholabuse.gov

or call 1.800.729.6686

Full

1/9

New

1/23

The Northeast will see mostly clear to partly cloudy skies with isolated snow

today through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 53 in Quincy, Ill.

The Southeast will see mostly clear skies today and Friday, isolated thunder-

storms Saturday, with the highest temperature of 71 in Opa Locka, Fla. The Northwest will

see isolated rain today, mostly clear to partly cloudy skies Friday and Saturday, with the

highest temperature of 62 in Buffalo, Wyo. The Southwest will see mo stly clear skies today

through Saturday, with the highest temperature of 83 in Los Angeles, Calif.

THURSDAY

Sunny

High: 54 Low: 34

Last

1/16

The Champion Weather Jan. 5, 2012Seven Day Forecast

Local UV Index

WEDNESDAY

Sunny

High: 54 Low: 31

TUESDAY

Sunny

High: 49 Low: 28

MONDAYMostly Sunny

High: 53 Low: 35

SUNDAYPartly Cloudy

High: 60 Low: 39

SATURDAY

Few Showers

High: 63 Low: 47

FRIDAY

Sunny

High: 62 Low: 46

In-Depth Local Forecast Today's Regional Map

Sunrise

7:42 a.m.

7:42 a.m.

7:42 a.m.

7:42 a.m.

7:42 a.m.

7:42 a.m.

7:42 a.m.

Sunset

5:43 p.m.

5:44 p.m.

5:44 p.m.

5:45 p.m.

5:46 p.m.

5:47 p.m.

5:48 p.m.

Moonset

4:27 a.m.

5:21 a.m.

6:13 a.m.

7:01 a.m.

7:45 a.m.

8:26 a.m.

9:03 a.m.

Moonrise

2:45 p.m.

3:34 p.m.

4:28 p.m.

5:27 p.m.

6:28 p.m.

7:31 p.m.

8:34 p.m.

First

1/30

www.WhatsOurWeather.com

Weather History

Jan. 5, 1982 - A three-day

rainstorm in the San

Francisco area finally came

to an end. Marin County and

Cruz County were drenched

with up to 25 inches of rain

and the Sierra Nevada Range

was buried under four to

eight feet of snow.

Weather Trivia

Tonight's Planets

How many hurricanes

develop in the Atlantic

per year?

Answer: On average, six.

?

Day

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

National Weather Summary This Week

Local Sun/Moon Chart This Week

StarWatch By Gary Becker - Fastest, Closest in January

Today we will see sunny skies with a high

temperature of 54, humidity of 53%. West wind

10 to 15 mph. The record high temperature for

today is 73 set in 1950. Expect mostly clear

skies tonight with an overnight low of 34. The

record low for tonight is 9 set in 1959.

Jan. 6, 1989 - A blizzard

ripped through south centraland southeastern Idaho.

Strong winds, gusting to 60

mph at the Fort Hall Indian

Reservation, whipped the

snow into drifts five feet

high and produced wind chill

readings as cold as 35

degrees below zero.

H a p p y N e w Y e a r ! The Holiday rush may be behind us, but for the Earth, the fi rst week in January means that it s moving at its fastest pace. In fac t on January 5 at 7

p.m. EST, the Earth reaches this location called perihelion which is also its closest position to the sun. That may seem strange, especially since we are approaching the cold-

est time of the year, but for the Earth the seasons have nothing to do with distance and everything to do with the change in the suns angle or its altitude in the sky. This

changes because the Earths axis is tilted. The variation in Earths distance from the sun causes its orbital velocity to change. When the Earth reaches perihelion, the gravi-

tational attraction between it and the sun are at a maximum, and the Earth responds by moving fastest. This has a curious effect on the seasons because it makes the period of time from

fall through winter about a week shorter than from spring through summer. A week may not seem like much time, but a little more summer is always preferable over winter. Because its

orbital speed is always changing, Earth cannot revolve around the sun in a circular path. Its orbital shape is oval in contour, an ellipse to be precise. Two points of interest called the foci,connect to the boundary of the ellipse in such a way that the distance from focus one to a boundary point, plus the distance from the same boundary position to focus two, are always the

same for any point along the ellipse. At one focus the sun is found; at the other focus, only an empty point in space exists. Opposite Earths perihelion position and along the longest axis

of the ellipse, called the major axis, lies Earths farthest position from the sun, identified as aphelion. Earthlings wont have to consider being there until July 4, 2012 at 11 p.m. EDT.,

around the time that most fireworks extravaganzas will be ending along the East Coast. www.astronomy.org

Rise Set

Mercury 6:25 a.m. 4:19 p.m.

Venus 9:52 a .m. 8:26 p.m.

Mars 10:50 p.m.11:31 a.m.

Jupiter 1:02 p.m. 2:07 a.m.

Saturn 1:50 a .m. 1:07 p.m.

Uranus 11:41 a.m.11:43 p.m.

3 50 - 2 4 6 8 107 9 11+

UV Index

0-2: Low, 3-5: Moderate,

6-7: High, 8-10: Very High

11+: Extreme Exposure

Atlanta

54/34

Decatur

54/34

Doraville

53/34

Dunwoody

52/33 Lilburn

53/34

Snellville

54/34

Lithonia

55/34

Morrow

55/34

Smyrna

53/34

Hampton

56/35

Union City

55/34

College Park

55/34

*Last Weeks Almanac

Date Hi Lo Normals Precip

Tuesday 52 41 52/34 1.27"

Wednesday 50 31 52/34 0.00"

Thursday 55 27 52/34 0.00"

Friday 63 33 52/34 0.01"

Saturday 63 40 52/34 0.00"

Sunday 66 37 52/34 0.00"

Monday 45 29 52/34 0.00"Rainfall . . . . . . .1.28" Average temp . .45.1

Normal rainfall . .0.94" Average normal 43.0

Departure . . . . .+0.34" Departure . . . . .+2.1*Data as reported from De Kalb-Peachtree Airport

Harrell

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AROUND DEKALB

AVONDALEChristmas tree recycling day set

Residents can bring their Christmas treesto Avondale lake to be recycled on Jan. 7, 9a.m. to 4 p.m. Trees can be placed on the curbthrough Jan. 6. The recycling day is part of theBring One for the Chipper program, where themulch from the trees is used for playgrounds,

local government beautification projects andprivate landscaping. Trees should be broughtto the old compost area near Wiltshire andBerkeley. For more information, call city hall at(404) 294-5400.

DECATUR

Youth make nursing home visit

Ruby Wright is surrounded Dec. 18by young visitors at the UPAC NursingHome on Panthersville Road in Decatur.The youngsters participated in an AnnieW. Thomas Foundation event during whichmore than 135 lap blankets were givenas Christmas gifts to the nursing home

residents. The children, who presented aplay, sang Christmas carols and passed outblankets, were overwhelmed with emotionsthat left some of them in tears. They wantedto spend more time with the senior citizens,said foundation Director Buffie McCoy,who noted, Ms. Patricia Roberson, theassistant activity coordinator was extremelyhospitable to us. It was truly a wonderfulexperience.

Author to share writing tips

Wayne South Smith, a published authorand writing coach, will conduct a seminar, TheWriters Essentials for Success, Saturday,Jan. 7, 10:30 a.m. noon at the Toco Hill-AvisG. Williams Library. The seminar will coverhow to develop the commitment, awarenessand creative balance needed to become a

successful writer. The power of the deadline,as well as the positive use of writers groupsand personal coaching, will also be shared.Funding is provided by the Friends of the TocoHill-Avis G. Williams Library. Toco Hill-Avis G.Williams Library is located at 1282 McCon-nell Drive, Decatur. For more information, call,(404) 679-4404.

Writer to present second novel

Ellis Avery will be at the Decatur Library

Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 7:15 p.m. Averys sec-ond novel, The Last Nude, is a story of love,sexual obsession, treachery and tragedy. Ayoung woman agrees to model for the Art Decopainter Tamara de Lempicka, and the twobecome lovers as the young woman becomesthe artists most iconic Jazz Age image. Buttheir idyll is threatened by historical forces andthe strains of a passionate relationship. Drawnfrom real-life events, The Last Nudeis a daz-zling work of historical imagination. Avery stud-ied Japanese for five years in New York andKyoto, Japan, and now teaches creative writingat Columbia University. Her first novel was TheTeahouse Fire. The Decatur Library is locatedat 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. For more infor-mation, call (404) 370-3070.

DUNWOODY

Kids offered story and cupcake

Piece of Cake in Dunwoody will host aChildrens Storytime on Tuesday, Jan.10, 10-10:30 a.m. Children who are brought to theDunwoody Piece of Cake location to hearthe story of Tina Cocalina: Queen of theCupcakeswill receive a free small cupcake.The store is located at 1155 Mount VernonHighway, Suite 450, Dunwoody. For moreinformation, call (770) 643-4997.

LITHONIA

Foreclosure seminar offered

The Stonecrest Library will present aspecial program, Stopping Foreclosure, Sat-urday, Jan 7, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Dr. DeborahSaunders, author of Stop Illegal PredatoryLending! A Self-Help Guide, will facilitate thisforeclosure information session. Saunderswill provide tips on how to stop and/or slowthe foreclosure process and offer strate-gies on how not to become a victim of fore-closure. Call or visit the branch to register.Stonecrest Library is located at 3123 Klond-ike Road, Lithonia. The phone number is(770) 482-3828.

Lithonia holds swearing inceremony

Lithonias mayor-elect Deborah Jacksonand recently elected city council membersDarold Honore and Shameka Reynoldswill take their oaths of office on Jan. 9.

Carol W. Hunstein, chief justice of theGeorgia Supreme Court, will administer theoath during the ceremony at Lithonia MiddleSchool, 2451 Randall Ave. in Lithonia.

For more information, contact LithoniaCity Clerk Leah Rodriguez at 770-482-8136.

Lithonia revitalization plansposted on YouTube

After months of planning, the first phaseof the Lithonia Blueprints for SuccessfulCommunities is now complete. The final re-port of Blueprints, a program of the GeorgiaConservancy that helps communities pro-mote growth, is expected to be released inFebruary and will outline the various recom-mendations for the city in detail.

Until then, residents can see a video ofsome of the recommended short-term initia-tives recommended by Georgia Tech stu-dents assisting with the project.

To view the video, go to www.YouTube.com and search for Lithonia Urban Projec-tion.

STONE MOUNTAIN

MLK Day parade and rallyneeds volunteers

Volunteers are needed to help with the an-nual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade andRally sponsored by the DeKalb Branch ofthe NAACP.

The event is set for Monday, Jan. 16, at12:30 p.m. and the parade will begin at 922Main Street in downtown Stone Mountain.Following the parade, the Peace Rally willbe in the Champion Theme Middle Schoolgymnasium, located at 5265 Mimosa Drive,Stone Mountain.

Volunteers are needed to work with theplanning committee, make donations andassist parade participants. Parade partici-pants should arrive no later than 11:30 am atthe downtown Stone Mountain MARTA park-ing lot on Fourth Street.

From more information contact SarahCopelin-Wood at (404) 371-1490 or [email protected]

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Hardeman Continued From Page 1A

Refugees Continued From Page 1A

Matthew Hardeman was a member ofThe Champions 2009 all-county football team. Photo by TravisHudgons

what he was doing, Carson said.After graduating from

Avondale, Hardeman attendedFullerton Community College inCalifornia on a football scholar-ship. In spring, an injury forcedhim to return home for surgery.He had planned to enroll in Geor-gia State University and try outfor the football team next fall.

In the meantime, Hardeman hadbeen playing on a semi-pro footballteam in Clayton County called theGeorgia Jets and moved in with hissister in southwest Atlanta.

Carson has spoken to Mat-thews mother since the shootingand said, Its still hard for her,knowing hes not here. The factthat someone can take a life overa disagreement, its tough.

Matthew had moved in to hissisters house to help with her

baby and had begun seeing one ofthe girls across the street. Accord-ing to Gloria, an argument esca-lated over the girl and Matthewended up in a fight with someoneover it.

He didnt know anythingabout that neighborhood overthere, Gloria said. I didnt likethe neighborhood, it was a badneighborhood and I think his sis-ter was having problems with herneighbor.

Gloria said after Matthew gotinto the fight, he thought thatwould be the end of it. However,later that night he was killed byfour suspects whom she said mostlikely had ties to the neighborMatthew fought with earlier thatday.

Theyve caught two of them,Gloria said. We wont get Mat-thew back but at least well getsome justice from it. We want allof them caught though, not justhalf of them.

Gloria said she hasnt beenable to cook a full meal since her

son diedshe finds herself wan-dering around the house as if lostsometimes, and still has troubleputting into words how shefeelsbut the thing that keepsher going every day is remember-ing how many people Matthewtouched during his short life. Hewas important to everyone whoknew him, Gloria said.

Tanner remembered a timewhen Matthew was made to sitout of a football game because hewas falling behind in his school-work. Shortly into the first quaterfans began to chant his name.

Everybody said put him in thegame and sure enough they did.Ive never seen that before, Tan-ner said. Everything he accom-plished though he made sure youknew about. He wouldnt let youforget it.

Gloria remembered a timewhen Matthew was 16 years oldand his cousin, who was severalyears older than him, after sur-gery and drug problems caused heto suffer a mental breakdown andstop talking.

He would come over here andMatthew would say, Cmon manyouve got to talk, youve got toget yourself together. Then, all ofa sudden as time passed he startedtalking again, but he would talk tonobody but Matthew, she said.

Gloria said things will never bethe same without her son but shehas faith that justice will be doneand some good will come out ofhis death. Gloria said Matthewwas the type of person who woulddo anything he was asked and ifyou didnt ask him hed ask youand say, Can I help?

With Matthew it was never adull moment, she said, everyonewould be hanging on his everyword if he was in the room, wait-ing for him to make them laugh.

The only boring moment is

now. The only sad moment isnow, she said. But, he was im-portant to everybody who knewhimhe was special. Like Coach

Carson said, all the years hesbeen coaching, Matthew was theonly guy who touched him like hedid.

essential services for the first 90days.While RRISA focuses on

esettlement, other organizationsprovide an array of social serviceshat refugees need to become self-ufficient. For example, Refugee

Family Services (RFS), locatedn Stone Mountain, specializes inervices to women and youth.

The various organizationscoordinate their efforts. We havea sense of working together, saidEmily Pelton, RFS executivedirector. She said agency directorsmeet regularly to discuss concernsand often speak with one voice on

ssues. They also refer clients toeach other based on each agencystrengths, with the aim of best as-isting the refugees. Atlanta area

agencies are a model of collabora-

tion, Mixon added.Currently, the largest share ofnew refugees to DeKalb comesfrom Bhutan (from camps inNepal) and Burma (from camps inThailand), according to Pelton andMixon. DeKalb also has an influxof refugees from Afghanistan andIraqmany of whom collaboratedwith the United States as interpret-ers during the two wars and nowfear retaliation from extremists intheir home country. Those escapingethnic violence in Sudan, Ethiopiaand Eritrea also represent a signifi-cant, though smaller, population ofnew refugees into the community.

This coordinated effort includescounty agencies. For example,when the refugees arrive, theDeKalb County Board of Healthprovides medical screening through

its Refugee Health Program. Itsmission is twofold: to eliminatehealth-related barriers to success-ful resettlement and to protect thehealth of the general public. Thehealth services include immuniza-tions and tuberculosis assessment,as well as mental health and torturescreenings.

Pelton said there is an unfortu-nate political discourse that paints anegative picture of the refugees. Infact, many of them quickly becomecontributors to the community oncethey are settled and gain employ-ment.

Mixon agrees: Refugees bring

a lot to the community. Their re-silience is amazing. Many of themassimilate quickly, start new busi-nesses and purchase homes. Andthey are grateful to be here.

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, January 6, 2012 Page 12AEducation

Cross Keys graduate finds the good in DeKalb Schools

This is an excerpt froman essay written by MpazaS. Kapembwa, a student atWilliams College, in Mas-achusetts. Kapembwa is a

2011 Cross Keys graduate,Gates Millennium Scholar,Coca Cola Scholar, DellScholar and Bank of AmericaStudent Leader. His essay waswritten on his rst trip homen response to what he saw

as a tumultuous year forDeKalb Schools.

It is heartbreaking to seeall the negative news sur-ounding the DeKalb County

School system over the pastyear but we shouldnt end the

year on a negative note. Theres a lot of good in our schools

beneath everything we hear. Iant speak for every school

or student but I will speak ofmy experience at one schoolhat has changed my life.

Im a 2011 Cross KeysHigh School alumnus cur-ently attending Williams Col-ege in Massachusetts. I know

what most of you are thinking.Williams? Never heard of it.

Thats OK because I hadntither until senior year of

high school. Williams is a lib-ral arts college that has beenanked the No. 1 college in

America for the past two yearsbyForbes magazine.

Almost everyone at Wil-iams who comes from Atlanta

attended private school. Whenmet other students from

DeKalb public schools, I washrilled. One Friday night, I

was in the student center andwo former DeKalb studentsoined me. We talked about

the schools we came from,and one of the students saidshe was proud of me because Icame from the worst school inthe county.

Ive heard this many timesbut it never bothers me. Iwanted to be mad at her butI couldnt. I live by a simplesaying: I wont let other

peoples ignorance dene whoI am. I know she is not alonein thinking Cross Keys is theworst school in DeKalb. Some

parents may think if they sendtheir kids to Cross Keys orany of its feeder schools theyare doing them a disservice.

Its no secret, parental in-

volvement at Cross Keys isvery low. My mother workstwo jobs and I barely seeher, and thats the case withmany of the parents. Unlikemany schools, we dont havea strong Parent Teacher As-sociation or a Booster Clubfor any of our sports teamsand yes, we dont have a lotof things that your school orchilds school may have.

Despite all this, I have nev-er felt like a victim. I went toschool with some of the mostcourageous people I have everknown. In To Kill A Mocking-bird, Atticus Finch says, Iwanted you to see what realcourage is, instead of gettingthe idea that courage is a manwith a gun in his hand. Itswhen you know youre licked

before you begin but youbegin anyway and you see itthrough no matter what. Werarely got all the resources wewanted; we had a hard timeraising money to pay for our

robotics team to compete orget the new track we wanted

but we never stopped ghting.However, after ghting foryears we nally saw some ofthe renovations we neededthat was a rare victory.

I am proud to be a CrossKeys Indian, and I representthat everywhere I go. At theCoca-Cola Scholarship Ban-quet in April, I was the onlystudent from Atlanta being

honored; therefore, I had theprivilege to sit with MayorKasim Reed, the First Ladyof Georgia Mrs. Sandra Dealand The Coca-Cola CompanyCEO Mr. Muhtar Kent. Italked to Mr. Kent and hetold me he was from an im-migrant family, like most ofus at Cross Keys, and that hestarted out as a truck driverat Coca-Cola in 1978. Now,he is heading the company

worldwide.When I hear people say-

ing Cross Keys only producesstudents who attend technicalschools, I just smile becauseI know some of the worldsgreat leaders started out fromhumble beginnings.

I consider myself veryblessed for the three years Ispent at Cross Keys. I helpedcaptain the soccer team to itsrst ever nal-four appear-

ance, and I am hopeful theteam will go further this year.I was there to witness LeonelAyala, a good friend, win

back-to-back cross countrystate championships and towatch our track team competein the state championships ev-ery year. I am very fortunateto have been on the footballteam that broke a 40-gamelosing streak and went on towin two in a row and was

honored as FOX 5 Team ofthe Week and to have playedfor a soccer coach who gar-nered 50 wins in four years.

I do realize that a lot ofproblems exist in DeKalb andwithin individual schools butthe negativity of the past yearhas not been very construc-tive. As I continue to embarkon a remarkable journey atWilliams I will keep ghtingfor Cross Keys by represent-

ing it in my actions. I hopehearing from a Cross Keysalumnus will change the wayyou look at Cross Keys andinspire you to start lookingdeeper into other schools thatsome might be disparaging.What you focus on, you willmagnify.

Kapembwas full essayis available at www.dekalb-schoolwatch.blogspot.com.

A former student speaks about hisexperience in DeKalb public schools

E D U C A T I O N B R I E F

New Birth ChristianAcademy closes

According to reports, New BirthChristian Academy announced in aetter sent home to parents on Dec.

22, it will be closing and will noteopen at the beginning of the new

year.The closing of the school, which

serves more than 200 students,means parents whose childrenattended New Birth ChristianAcademy have little time to nd anew school for their child.

Tuition for the K-12 schoolranged from $5 to $7,000 ayear for each child, with non-members paying more than NewBirth Missionary Baptist Church

members.

The schools vice-chair ofthe board of directors CarltonDonald cited nancial strain as thereason for the schools closure butalso stated the closure would betemporary.

In May, 2011, New BirthsBishop Eddie Long settled a sexualcoercion suit led against him byfour former New Birth members.

Most recently, his wife of 21 years,

Vanessa, led for divorce and thebishop announced he would takesome time off from his pastoralduties to tend to family business.

Long said he will remain as NewBirths senior pastor.

Mpaza Kapembwa, a 2011 graduate of Cross Keys High School, is currently attending Williams Col-lege in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Photo provided

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, January 6, 2012 Page 13ABusiness

Rosenfeld Jewelry sparklesamong Tucker businesses

Two Decatur Town Center, 125 Clairemont Ave., Suite 235, Decatur, GA 30030

404-378-8000 www.DeKalbChamber.org

The Voice of Business in DeKalb CountyDeKalb Chamber of Commerce

y Kathy [email protected]

Bill Rosenfeld attributes

he success of his business,Rosenfeld Jewelry, in parto relationships he has builtn the community. People

know us, they trust us andhey refer their friends to us.ts a slow way to build a

business, but a good reputa-ion is the best marketing tool

you can have, he said.Rosenfelds commitment

o stay active in and be gen-erous to the community alsos among the reasons his busi-

ness was chosen as this yearsTucker Business of the Yeary the Tucker Business As-

ociation and that he was thisyears Rotarian of the Year. Inaddition to being a past presi-dent of the Stone MountainRotary Club, he is active inhe DeKalb County Chamber

of Commerce, the Small Busi-ness Development Center andother organizations.

A former reghter andaramedic, Rosenfeld be-

came interested in the jewelrybusiness after a close friendwho was in the business sug-gested that he would be goodat it. He learned more about

t through jobs at such placesas the now defunct ServiceMerchandise. Then he went togemology school.

The basics of the jewelryusiness havent changed inhousands of years, Rosenfeldaid. Once you learn them,ts a matter of whether one

has talent in the area. Appar-ently, I have talent, he said.This has worked out well forme.

In 1982, Rosenfeld openedhis own store on MemorialDrive. When the building inTucker that now houses his

business became available in2004, he bought it.

He said that maintain-ng a staff that not only is

professional but pleasant towork with is another key tohe business success. Most

are Gemological Institute ofAmerica certied. Amongus, we have more than 100years of experience in theewelry business, Rosenfeldaid.

Rosenfeld said that hishowroom on Lavista Road

is a friendly place where cus-tomers and staff often sharea laugh. I dont rememberthe last time we had an un-

happy customer, he said.Of course, you cant pleaseeveryone, but if we nd wecant provide a customer withwhat he or she needs, werehappy to refer them to some-one else. We want everyone tohave a good experience here.

The trust and goodwill ofcustomers is more importantthan the opportunity to makea few extra dollars, he said.A customer might bring a

piece in for a repair that hesprepared to pay for, but ifwe nd that its still underwarranty, we can delight the

person by telling him that thepiece will be repaired at nocharge. His policy, he said, ishonest customer care rst.

While Rosenfeld said thatlike nearly every business,his has been affected by thestruggling economy, it helpsthat Rosenfeld Jewelry isdiversied. About half the

business is retail, but the otherhalf involves repairing jewel-ry and creating custom piecesfor individuals and other re-tailers, some outside the state.

While basics of the busi-

ness go back thousands ofyears, jewelry design andrepair as it is done at Rosen-felds is state of the art, usinga sophisticated computer pro-gram. Repairs, pearl string-ing, appraisals, engravingand castings are done on the

premises. Essentially anythingthe customer envisions can bedesigned and built through amulti-step process that allowsthe customer at every stage toconrm that the piece being

built is indeed what he had inmind.

The piece is built around

the stones, whether they arestones the customer owns orones he buys from us, ex-

plained Rosenfeld, who takesfrequent trips to Antwerp,Belgium, the diamond capitalof the world, to personally se-lect gems for his customers.

Rosenfeld acknowledgedthat there are many good jew-elers in the Atlanta area butadded that hes not afraid ofcompetition. Competition isgood. It keeps you on yourtoes, he said.

Above and below,Bill Rosenfeldshows areas of hisshop for designing,making and repair-ing jewelry. Pearls,gems, watches andother fine piecesare featured in theshowroom on Lav-ista Road. Photosby Kathy Mitchell

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The Champion Free Press, Friday, January 6, 2012 Page 15ASports

y Robert [email protected]

Varsity basket-ball players

from SouthwestDeKalb and Co-umbia were among morehan 160 players who gotn early Christmas presentecentlyparticipation in aree basketball clinic hosted

by WNBA Rookie of theYearMaya Moore.

Moore is the hottestommodity in womensrofessional basketball,

but she hasnt forgotten heroots. Moore, who attended

Collins Hill High Schooln Gwinnett County but

played AAU basketball in

outh DeKalb, set records athe University of Connecti-ut and led the Minnesota

Lynx to the WNBA cham-ionship last fall in her rstro season.

She visited SouthwestDeKalb High School onDec. 20 for Mayas MerryChristmas Clinic. Middlechool and high schoollayers from as far away as

Florida and South Carolinattended the free camp.

Its been a great expe-ience; Im very fortunate

o be here, said SouthwestDeKalb varsity playerNekia Sockwell. Im crazynd fun, and shes crazy andun so we got some great

pictures. She knows wheno be serious and when to

have fun.

The camp staff includedseveral DeKalb ties, includ-ing Southwest DeKalb girlsvarsity coach Kathy Wal-ton, and former St. Pius and

Tennessee standout KellyCain.This is about more

than basketball, Mooresaid. Its about leadership,work ethic and what itslike to be a great teammate.I always like to get outthere and help kids.

Each participant re-ceived a Nike Michael Jor-dan bag, a camp T-shirt andhad the opportunity to gether picture taken with theWNBA superstar. Moorewas the WNBA rookie ofthe year last season and

earlier this year became therst female player signedby the Michael Jordanbrand.

Organizers brought in aphoto booth where Mooretook pictures with twocampers at a time duringthe eight-hour event.

In addition to takingphotos, Moore participatedin drills with the campers.

Theres a lot of his-tory here for me and I knowa lot of the players andcoaches, said Moore, who

was coached by Walton onthe AAU level. Both boysand girls teams are so com-petitive here. You can nddifferent players to help youdevelop.

Moore played with theGeorgia Metros Girls Bas-

by Robert Naddra

[email protected]

Rafael Kellys headgear and singlethang in the Southwest DeKalb lockerroom. His photo is next to the wrestlinggear.

Southwest DeKalb wrestlers are leftto draw on those keepsakes for inspirationand motivation, instead of hearing encour-aging words from Kelly this season.

The Panthers are dedicating the seasonto Kelly, who was shot and killed last sum-mer in Clayton County. Kelly, the Region6-AAAA champion in 2011 at 189 pounds,was considered among the favorites againthis season as the Panthers work towarddefending their rst region championship

since 2006.We were close; he was like a brother

to me, said seniorGabe Echols. Its hardyou know, just trying to stay focused.

Kelly and Echols met on the wrestlingteam as ninth graders and quickly formeda bond through the sport. Echols won theregion at 285 pounds in 2010 and placedsecond in the Class AAAA state meet. Heis considered one of the top wrestlers in thenation in his weight class.

Echols, who admits it has been dif-cult coming to practice knowing his friendwont be there, is drawing from Kellyspersonality to lead his team.

He always had a good attitude and al-

ways gave it his all, Echols said. Rafaelhad great character and was always lookingto help somebody. He was a great guy, weall miss him. We loved him.

Although some of the younger wres-

tlers did not know Kelly, his death has

brought the team closer together, coachKeith Johnson said.The kids are very dedicated, Johnson

said. Of course they miss him. Some ofthe new kids dont know him but theyveheard about him. It brought the kids togeth-er as far as doing the right thing and beingwhere youre supposed to be. Its a lessonfor the kids about guns and how unsafethey are.

The team had a moment of silence inhonor of Kelly at its rst home meet, andJohnson said there likely will be anothersuch remembrance at the county champi-onships at the end of the month.

Southwest is wearing new black uni-forms this season with the number 189,

Kellys weight class, on the back.Johnson said he stays in touch with

Kellys mother, but she has not come toany of Southwests home matches.

I talk to her often to make sure shesdoing OK, he said. I can understand thatit would be hard for her to come back.

The Panthers face one of their rst bigtests of the season Jan. 5-6 in the Region6-AAAA team duals championships atMarist.

[His death] has brought the teamtogether, Echols said. This season is inmemory of him. It was going to be me, himand another wrestler to lead the team. WithRafael gone, well try to lead the team to a

state championship.Whatever happens, its important tokeep it on a positive level. Weve got tostay humble. Thats what [Kelly] did. Stayhumble, thats what I take from it.

Death of teammate a creates bondfor Southwest DeKalb wrestlers

Christmas comes early for basketball campers

ketball Club, which wasfounded in south DeKalbCounty 28 years ago. TheAAU program has sent

nearly 400 female playersto college on basketballscholarships.

I want to continue to

be involved in some way,Moore said. I always enjoygetting out on the court andteaching. Its in my blood.

WNBA player and former Atlanta resident Maya Moore addresses campers at her free Mayas MerryChristmas Clinic held recently at Southwest DeKalb High School. Photos by Robert Naddra

Former St. Pius graduate and Tennessee Volunteer basketball play-er Kelly Cain helps out by working with a camper on a drill.

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to save here.

DeKalb kids carry on the blues traditionby Daniel [email protected]

Alec Reinhardt still remembershis rst stage performancehe was 10years old and had just begun to play

guitar. He perfomed T-Bone Shufeby blues legend T-Bone Walker.

Alec, a student at Henderson Mid-dle School, is now 12 and he and hisbrotherConner, a 14-year-old Lake-ide High School student,are founding

members of the band Frets on Fire.Ive always loved music and when

was 8 I got a guitar for a Christmaspresent and I just kept playing it.Eventually I got hooked up with Chi-cago JoeJones and took guitar les-ons with him, Alec said.

Jones is a prominent Atlanta musi-cian and teacher who runs a Rock nBlues camp each year and teachesprivately.

Conner got a bass for Christmas theame year Alec got his guitar. After afew months of watching his brotherake lessons and improve, Conner said

he began taking lessons from Jones onbass.

I said, Hey, I need to get in onhis tooJoe is mainly a guitareacher but he teaches beginner bass,

Conner said.Soon, both Alec and Conner were

well past the beginners stage and theirfatherEric Reinhardtbegan helpinghem lug their gear back and forth to

jam sessions.You know, some of those amps

and things weigh like 100 pounds, buttheyve learned a lot from some of the

jam sessions that these teachers andpros holdthats been their primaryarea for learning, Eric said.

Alec said after he and his brother

began playing jam sessions on a regu-lar basis, they decided in 2009 it wastime to form a band. Tucker HighSchool student Kevin Frazer, whosat next to Conner in sixth grade, wasasked to play guitar and saxophone.

Ive been playing sax since I wasin fourth grade and I met Conner insixth grade when a teacher made us sitnext to each other. Soon, Frazer wasalso taking lessons from Jones.

Several months later Frazers bestfriend Jacob Rogers, who also attends

Lakeside, joined the band on drumsand Frets on Fires current lineup wasformed. The band started playing cov-ers of old blues and R&B tunes butsoon began writing their own songs.

Since the bands inception in 2009it has released an album and performsseveral times a month. The band also

won the Atlanta Blues Challenge in2011 and 2009, played in the Interna-tional Blues Challenge in Memphis in2010 and will do so again in February2012. Most recently, they performed atUnderground Atlantas famous PeachDrop New Years Eve Celebration.

Eric, the boys dad, has becomethe bands manager, booking shows,acting as a roadie and facilitating andscheduling practices. He said his roleis to help gain exposure to their musicand help them any way he can.

Well, its a major commitmentto be in a band, especially if theyregigging a lot. They need to rehearseand work on new material constantly.That takes a lot of time, so most ofthat is just coordination and I can kind

of help with that, Eric said. He alsopointed out that even with all the timespent rehearsing all the members are Aand B students.

All of the band members say theyowe part of their success to Jones, whotaught them as beginners and encour-aged them to go out and play musicwith other people. Jones said he isntsurprised at the bands success.

I could tell the two brothers arerather driven and their parents arereally supportive, and their dad hasdone an incredible job in doing whatI taught them. The dad is just as im-

portant in their success as I have been.Hes really helped a lot, Jones said.

For Jones, Frets on Fire and eachof its members are carrying on part ofthe blues tradition. He began teach-ing Alec, Conner and Kevin old bluesstandards but said the boys evolvedinto something entirely their own.

Some people will dene the bluesas this way or that way but its a toughthing to do to dene it. Its neverstayed the same since it started, Jonessaid. Basically these kids are playingthe blues the way they play it. It might

be different but thats part of the deal,its the 21st century.

Members of the DeKalb blues band Frets on Fire performed on New Years Eve atthe Peach Drop in Atlanta. Pictured from left to right: Kevin Frazer (guitar, saxo-phone), Jacob Rogers (drums), Alec Reinhardt (vocals, guitar) and Conner Rein-hardt (vocals, bass). Photo provided

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