Tuesday, April 13, 2010

“Starwood Studios would offer place for musical recitals, academic tutoring” plus 3 more

“Starwood Studios would offer place for musical recitals, academic tutoring” plus 3 more

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Starwood Studios would offer place for musical recitals, academic tutoring

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 10:48 PM PDT

Bill Conrad, bconrad@acnpapers.com

Starwood Studios, located at the Offices at Byron Nelson, may soon be open to the public if a zoning change request is approved by planning and zoning and the Southlake City Council.

The offices, located at 630 E. Southlake Blvd, mainly consist of office suites, according to Debra Edmondson, general counsel for the buildings owners, Thomas Steven and Company, who spoke at a SPIN No. 7 meeting March 22.

Starwood Studios was formed when a former tenant, the Southlake Training Center, moved out last summer. The 4,300-square-foot space was converted to Starwood Studios and is currently used by the buildings tenants for parties and recitals. If the zoning change is approved, the studio could be rented to the general public.

Edmondson was clear that the only changes to the building would be in its usage.

No changes will be made to the outside of the building or to the building's parking, said Edmondson. The only changes will be made to what is going on inside.

Starwood Studios would only operate after regular business hours and would have several uses such as after-school tutoring, seminars, office parties and receptions. The room features couches, big screen televisions and a DJ booth.

This would be a unique little space that Southlake really doesn't have, said Edmondson. We have been using this for our tenants, but this will allow us to offer it during the evening and weekend hours to the general public.

Edmondson said she believes the studios would have a capacity of 100-125 people, but that number could be adjusted in order to keep within the parking regulations.

Another tenant already in the building, Hall Music Productions, would also put the studio to good use.

David Hall, a Carroll High School graduate and owner of Hall Music Productions, said the studios would be a great addition to Southlake.

There are so many kids in Southlake that write songs and create music and they don't have any outlet for that whatsoever, said Hall. Having a night each week where the kids can get together and perform for the public would be really great for the community. The only outlet they have now is all the way in Dallas in places such as Deep Ellum. We need to give them a venue for their creativity.

Hall has been teaching music lessons for 10 years in Southlake and said he offers lessons in all musical areas, including guitar, drums, singing and songwriting.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Extra teacher pay cut by panel

Posted: 12 Apr 2010 11:29 PM PDT


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Charter school on Pfeiffer campus

Posted: 13 Apr 2010 08:36 AM PDT

Groundbreaking is scheduled Wednesday morning in northern Stanly County on a new building that will allow students at a fast-growing charter school to study on a university campus, occasionally learning from university faculty.

Gray Stone Day School, a charter school with about 300 students from Mecklenburg and seven other counties, is building a $7.2 million facility on 18 acres donated by Pfeiffer University in the town of Misenheimer.

Gray Stone's building will be on university property, within walking distance of other Pfeiffer buildings. The university donated the property to the school – a gift with an estimated value of $400,000. Gray Stone currently is housed in facilities about a quarter-mile northwest of the center of Pfeiffer's campus.

The groundbreaking adds Gray Stone to the growing number of Charlotte-area charter schools with big expansion plans.

Queens Grant Preparatory School recently received permission from Mint Hill town officials to build an $8.75 million high school facility on Idlewild Road, to handle that school's fast-growing enrollment.

And KIPP Charlotte, a charter school in northeast Charlotte, landed a $300,000 grant from the Leon Levine Foundation and a smaller gift from the Staples Foundation to help add an eighth grade program in August.

State officials say Pfeiffer's gift of land was vital to Gray Stone. Jack Moyer, director of charter schools for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, said state law prohibits charter schools from using state money to buy land or build facilities. It means charter schools must raise the money themselves or land grants and gifts.

"This is really exciting and is an example of what can be done through a public-private partnership, when the focus is to provide quality education for students, rather than individual interests," Moyer said.

Among the advantages cited by Pfeiffer and Gray Stone officials to the partnership:

Gray Stone students and their families can experience life on a college campus.

Pfeiffer's students training for careers as teachers can observe high school classes and conduct student teaching.

Pfeiffer students can develop tutoring and mentoring relationships with Gray Stone students.

Gray Stone students can take classes in Pfeiffer classrooms under college faculty. They also can use Pfeiffer facilities, such as the library and dining hall.

"Having Gray Stone on our campus helps our surrounding school districts address the high demand for quality secondary education," Pfeiffer President Chuck Ambrose said. "Ultimately, when you have parents who are willing to drive 45 minutes to bring their children to school in Misenheimer, the provision of both secondary and higher education in one community is ... a unique asset to a rural community."

Gray Stone, which opened in 2002, grew from 80 students the first year and had its first graduating class in 2005.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

April 13th Declared "Coach Vincent Day"

Posted: 13 Apr 2010 10:03 AM PDT

(WHAS11) - A Bullitt East football player who nearly died on the field last year is alive today -- in part because of one of his coaches.  Now, Jesse Bratcher is back in school and giving his coach a very big thank you.

"Alot of people don't know [about the injury]," says Jesse Bratcher, a junior at Bullitt East High School.  "The only way you can tell is the scar... it's the only thing."

Jesse suffered not one, but two devastating blows on the football field last year within days of each other. He says he doesn't remember much about when it happened.  But his coach who watched it all from the sidelines says he will never forget.

"It was different.  He was standing.  And before he left here, he couldn't stand," says Darrell Vincent, assistant coach of the Bullitt East football team.  "I just remember driving to the hospital.  I got a call that he was being diverted to university hospital.  Right then, I knew it was serious."

It was serious.  Jesse was soon in a coma with a potentially life-threatening brain injury. 

Now, nearly a year later, Jesse is back in school with a normal class load.  He says it was the man he calls "Coach V" who worked tirelessly on his own time to get him back on track in class.

"He didn't have to do anything if he didn't want to. It was all his choice," says Bratcher.  "He did so much for me... and I just wanted to do something for him."

And so Jesse and his family spearheaded an effort for April 13th to be officially "Coach Vincent Day" in Bullitt County.  The Bullitt County Judge Executive made it official in a surprise ceremony in the school library today.

The entire football team attended and cheered for the coach, who had sacrificed countless hours of tutoring and planning periods to help Jesse get up to speed after he had missed so much school.

"It's kind of a shock," says Vincent.  "I was just doing what I felt I needed to do during that whole situation.  But really it's Jesse who has been an inspiration to us."

Coach Vincent was allowed to take the rest of the day off in honor of "Coach Vincent Day."  The students, of course, had to stay in class.

Jesse continues to get chemistry tutoring from Coach Vincent, but he's on track to begin his senior year next year right on time.  He hopes to attend Lindsay Wilson college to study to be a game warden.

 

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
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