The question is whether a multi-million dollar investment should be made to locate a neighborhood school at Pontiac Street near Anthony Blvd. Imagine Schools is launching a major survey blitz in the area to find out whether residents are interested in having a new public charter school in their neighborhood. If the community says yes, school organizers will ask Ball State University, which oversees public charter schools in Fort Wayne and throughout Indiana, for permission to locate Imagine Bridge Academy at 2001 E. Pontiac Street. Currently, Imagine operates two schools in Fort Wayne, Imagine MASTer Academy at 2000 N. Wells St., and Imagine on Broadway, 2320 Broadway.

“The process has already started,” says Ra’Chelle Spearman of Imagine Schools (pictured right). “We have people who have been distributing survey cards and letters to different organizations. I’ve personally taken information to my church and to people I know, and we’ve already gotten quite a few responses. We want to be able to present this information to Ball State as soon as possible.”

“So far, the responses I’ve gotten have been very positive. This is an opportunity to bring more life to the community.”

The property at 2001 E. Pontiac Street is the former Fruehauf Building which has been vacant for about two decades. If people living nearby agree that a school would be a positive addition to the neighborhood, and Ball State University gives final approval, Imagine would invest more than $4-million to renovate the building. The new school, consisting of three levels with eight classrooms per floor, could accommodate as many as 600 students. Initially, the school would serve students K-through 5th grade. Each year, the school would add one additional grade until it becomes a K-through 8th grade school.

However, while the prospect of putting a long-vacant building to a positive use might appear to be an obvious choice, a lack of understanding about charter schools in general, and questions about Imagine Schools in particular, might cause some residents concern.

Undoubtedly, one of the challenges facing organizers of the survey will be making sure people can sort fact from fiction when it comes to public charter schools.

Although some people mistakenly believe that charter schools are private schools, charter schools are actually public schools. Because they are funded by public tax dollars, students don’t pay tuition. Also important is the fact that public charter school enrollment is open to all children. There are no district boundaries. All Imagine public charter schools are tuition-free and offer transportation from locations throughout the city.

Additionally, charter schools are schools of choice. The choice of whether to send their children to a public charter school is 100% up to parents.

“Choice is so important because parents know their children best,” Spearman says. “Parents are able to choose the environment where they feel their child is best suited and will be able to grow in all areas.”

Like all public schools, charter schools are held to high academic standards. They are required to participate in state testing programs, hire certified teachers, and publish annual reports to the public. However, there is also a high expectation of accountability.

“One of the biggest questions I’m asked is whether charter schools are accountable,” Spearman says. “We are held accountable, not only by the Indiana Department of Education but by Ball State and also by Imagine Schools.” (Imagine Schools operates more than 70 schools in 11 states and the District of Columbia)

“A lot of people just don’t know much about charter schools so they stray away from them,” Spearman adds. “We’re in a position where we have an opportunity to not only share the great things that we’re doing but to also share information about the people who hold us accountable.”

According to the state’s charter law, an authorizer must oversee a public charter school in Indiana. That authorizer and the actual operator of the school sign a performance contract (the “charter” in charter schools) that spells out what the school will be expected to achieve in terms of academics, student enrollment, financial management and several other measures. The authorizer can shut down a charter school that fails to meet accountability standards for school operations, academic achievement and/or financial stability and sustainability.

Local examples of charter school accountability are not hard to find. In the most extreme outcome, by revoking or declining to renew a charter, an authorizer can effectively close a school. That’s what happened in 2004 when charter authorizer Ball State University pulled its sponsorship of Urban Brightest Community Academy citing lower than projected enrollment and financial problems.

A more recent local example of an authorizer holding a school’s feet to the fire happened earlier this year when questions were raised about the actions of the board of directors governing Imagine MASTer Academy. Ball State ordered the board to take immediate steps to ensure that its procedures and practices were transparent and open to the public. The board was also required to undergo intensive board governance training for current and prospective members, and to develop a policy manual clearly spelling out the expectations of board members. Taking the mandate seriously, the school board completed all of the required steps months ahead of schedule. (Editor’s note: INK editor Vince Robinson is an Imagine MASTer Academy board member and a past member of the organizing board of Imagine Bridge Academy)

While rigorous, the demands of increased accountability have their rewards for public charter schools and their students. In exchange for more rigorous accountability measures, public charter schools have more freedom to offer innovative approaches to teaching that can be tailored to the specific needs of individual students. According to Imagine Schools, that approach to meeting students at their individual level is what draws most parents to Imagine.

Ra’Chelle Spearman is uniquely qualified to help people better understand public charter schools in Fort Wayne. Her resume includes teaching at Timothy L. Johnson Academy, the city’s first public charter school. She also taught at Urban Brightest Community Academy during its year of operation. Spearman has been with Imagine Schools since starting on the ground floor with Imagine on Broadway, which recently completed its second school year. Spearman spent her first year at Imagine on Broadway as a third-grade teacher but by her second year she grew into the role of assistant school leader.

“At first I thought, ‘I’m leaving my babies in the classroom!’ That was my first thought,” Spearman says. “I didn’t want to leave them because you develop a relationship with your students. But (as assistant school leader), I’m now able to impact and have relationships with more students. It was scary at first, but it was a good transition for me. It’s a lot of fun.”

Spearman flatly rejects the notion that the growth of charter school signals a problem with traditional public schools. A Fort Wayne native, Spearman says proudly that she is a product of Fort Wayne Community Schools and she applauds the great things happening in FWCS under Superintendent Dr. Wendy Robinson. However Spearman explains that just as children (and adults) have different learning styles, there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to education.

“That’s why choice is so important, not just for the Bridge Academy but for all of our Imagine campuses,” Spearman explains. “We allow parents another option so that they can determine what is best for their child.”

“We create a safe learning environment where children can grow and blossom,” she adds. “When they come through our doors, it’s all about learning.”
“The promise of our school is that we’re going to meet your child where they are academically. We’re going to meet them at their level. Not only are we going to grow them academically but socially as well. We’re going to help them make good decisions. We want to grow good decision-makers. That’s what Imagine is all about.”

The Imagine Bridge Academy survey is being made available to families via a mailing of survey response cards, neighborhood canvassing, publication in newspapers and posting online at www.imagineschoolsindiana.com

For more information about Imagine Bridge Academy, contact Dianne Tulley at (260) 745-8395 or Dianne.tulley@imagineschools.com

On Saturday, July 10, 2010, joined by dozens of area churches, businesses and organizations, Unity Barbershop will be the gathering point for a Community Healing Time. The event will take place from 2:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Unity Barbershop co-owner Foundation One says he was inspired to spearhead the Community Healing Time effort after attending a recent candlelight vigil in remembrance of victims of crime and violence in Fort Wayne.   He says the realization that he knew more than 100 of the people being memorialized drove him to tears. He says at that point, God sent him on a mission.

That mission has brought together literally dozens of area churches, ministries, businesses and organizations for a day of healing through fellowship, prayer, music and more. Jimmy Fincher will serve as the event’s master of ceremonies.

In 17 years as a barber, Foundation One has not only cut hair, he has also  mentored people who come into his shop. He has committed himself to helping individuals deal with issues ranging from drug and alcohol abuse, to crime and violence, to mental illness – too often a taboo subject in the Black community. Foundation often refers to those issues as “demons” plaguing the community. The Community Healing Time is an effort to begin to “cast out” those demons.

During the Community Healing Time, participants are urged to bring photos of loved ones who have been lost to crime, violence and the other demons.

The July 10th event is not the first time Foundation has called the community together for a restorative event. In November of 2008, he led dozens of bicyclists on a 20-mile Spirituality Ride through Fort Wayne on the River Greenway. The goal was not only to promote the physical and ecological benefits of bike riding but to also help clear the mind.

“We need to get our minds right so that we can do the correct things,” Foundation told INK regarding the ride. “If your mind gets weak, then you’re subject to do anything. You need to stay mentally and physically fit.”

For more information on the Community Healing Time, call Foundation One at (260) 247-1019.

“I’ve wanted to write this book for a long time… I wrote it from the heart.”

Literally decades in the making, John P. Dortch’s first book, In My Father’s House These Were The Rules, describes ten basic principles that lay the foundation for productive, thoughtful and spiritual living. Dortch says they are principles his parents instilled in him while growing up in the South. The new book is the product of the important lessons Dortch learned as a child as well as his later experiences that were shaped by those formative teachings.

“I would not be where I am today had I not grown up under those kinds of rules and principles,” Dortch says.

Raised in rural Alabama, Dortch was the youngest boy among 11 children. He considers himself blessed to have grown up in a home where he was loved and made to feel that he was somebody. He credits that nurturing of his self-esteem with keeping him away from crime and other negative behaviors. Although his parents, Clarence and Alice (James) Dortch, Sr. had limited schooling themselves, they made sure that all 11 children were well educated and spiritually grounded.

The principles outlined in the book are nothing new – keeping your word, being responsible and working hard are principles familiar to many adults, especially those of us beyond a certain age.

“We grew up in an environment where our parents and grandparents instilled those principles in us. Sometimes they didn’t have to say anything. With just a look that they gave you, you knew.”
However, Dortch believes that many of the problems people face in their lives today stem from the absence of those principles and the loss of that family support system to help reinforce the rules.

Dortch cites today’s rising rates of incarceration, low academic attainment and under-achievement as clear evidence that adherence to these important principles has eroded in too many homes. In a nutshell, we’ve become too lax as a community.

“I think we’re all guilty to a degree, and I put myself in that same boat,” Dortch explains. “What I see happening, primarily with young males – especially African American males – we’re losing them.”

Short of the more grave statistics of crime and violence, some of Dortch’s concerns about the state of young men comes from his experience raising his two daughters. He recalls the young males who knocked on his door when his daughters were dating.

“There was little understanding of what it meant to be responsible,” Dortch recalls. “Your word is your bond, but I often saw my daughters wait on guys who said they were going to come by at a certain time.

Dortch says the need to reintroduce and reinforce these age-old values is what inspired him to write his first book. He plans to follow it up with workshops aimed particularly to young boys and teens.
Not surprisingly, Dortch dedicates his new book to his father, Clarence Dortch, Sr., who passed away in 1983.  Dortch calls his father his “teacher, mentor, friend, confidante, and hero.” He credits his dad with teaching him everything he needed to live a spiritual, quality life. Dortch also dedicates the book to both his oldest brother, Clarence Dortch, Jr., whom John Dortch says he shared many conversations about their father’s teachings; and Kelly Eddins, Dortch’s friend of 40-years. Both Clarence Dortch, Jr. and Kelly Eddins passed away in 2008.

In the book, Clarence Dortch, Sr. is described as a disciplined, upright man who worked from sun up to sundown. Working as an inspector at a lumber plant, the elder Dortch labored hard to provide for his wife and 11 children while also looking toward the future. He managed to purchase a home and acquire dozens of acres of land for farming and livestock – property that remains in the family’s possession today. In fact, the family’s home is pictured on the cover of the book.

Although John P. Dortch achieved considerable success in corporate America and currently maintains several successful private business ventures, he laughingly describes himself as a “small town Alabama country boy.” While he might still be a country boy at heart, Dortch is also a self-described “type-A” personality – driven and always on the move. True to the rule Work Hard Every Day – Get Up Running, Dortch maintains a pace that would exhaust most people. He is owner and president of the Fort Wayne-based human relations firm The Preston Joan Group, LLC. Drawing upon Dortch’s extensive corporate HR experience, the company offers a wide range of services to help businesses large or small better manage their employees. Another business venture is Unique Touch Salon, an upscale barber and beauty salon. With its elegant appearance and professional atmosphere, the salon, which recently celebrated its first anniversary, attracts a diverse clientele from throughout the area. The energetic entrepreneur is also a partner in D.K.J. Holdings, LLC and The Pontiac Group, LLC.

In addition to serving on several local boards and commissions, Dortch’s business savvy prompted Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry to appoint him as an advisor. Dortch serves as co-chair of the Southtown Area Advisory Committee (along with Southtown McDonald’s restaurant owner Ted Williams), a group of business and community leaders looking for ways to jumpstart commercial and economic development near Southtown Centre.

In the midst of Dortch’s numerous business and civic endeavors, he still finds time for his church. Mindful of the rule Being Spiritual Keeps You Grounded, Dortch is a longtime member of Turner Chapel A.M.E. where he serves as president of the Sons of Allen, vice-chair of the Trustee Board, and teaches Sunday school.

While In My Father’s House These Were The Rules is his first book, Dortch is no stranger to writing. In addition to writing poetry, Dortch has written extensively for newspapers and business magazines in the region, and created and delivered presentations for companies and civic groups. Even so, he says the discipline required for  successfully writing and publishing a book along with editing, layout, graphics and other technical considerations took things to another level. So far, the response has been gratifying.

“Anyone reading this book will have a stronger foundation in all the important areas of life,” Win Moses comments about the book. The current Indiana State Representative and former Fort Wayne mayor calls Dortch “a careful observer of how discipline and hard work and thoughtfulness determine the paths of our lives.”

“I am getting outstanding comments about the book,” Dortch says. “I’ve been surprised.”

Currently Dortch is busily promoting the book through personal appearances and book signings.

In My Father’s House These Were the Rules by John P. Dortch is available for $9.95 at Community Care Pharmacy, 2700 Lafayette St., and Mitchell Books, 6360 W. Jefferson Blvd. in the Covington Plaza in southwest Fort Wayne. You can also order the book online at www.johndortchbooks.com

“A lot of kids think it’s just about working a summer job but it’s so much more than that,” says April Charlton,  S.T.E.P.S. Lead Case Manager.

While Urban Youth S.T.E.P.S. does provide paid, summer employment and internship opportunities, S.T.E.P.S. is not strictly a job placement service nor is it simply a summer program.  Instead, S.T.E.P.S., which stands for Self-sufficiency Training Education Placement Services, is a comprehensive yearlong program of training and services designed to help teens successfully transition to adulthood. Urban Youth S.T.E.P.S. is specifically designed to help at-risk, low-income youth between the ages of 16 to 21 who are challenged with significant barriers to employment and/or educational opportunities. Those challenges might include low reading or math skills, pregnancy or being a teen parent, or having dropped out of school. Charlton says S.T.E.P.S. offers a comprehensive approach to helping at-risk teens step into self-sufficiency.

“We’re trying to make them self-sufficient, so we’re doing everything we can to help them stay on the straight and narrow,” Charlton says.

The program offers a wide range of services including free tutoring and remediation for students seeking to earn their diploma or GED; job placement opportunities; internships and job shadowing; self-improvement and self-esteem classes; college enrollment and preparation; and much more.

“We have money for each student for scholarships for when they’re ready to go to school,” Charlton says. “We offer bus passes for them to get around if they need to get to jobs. Once they’re in the program, we pay for that. We have a housing program if they’re homeless.”

For eligible youth, the process starts with an application. Next, Charlton does what she calls an “interest interview.”

“I want to lay eyes on the student,” Charlton explains. “I want to see how they interact with me. I also ask them their expectations and goals. Not everyone is called back.”

Ervin Upshaw, 20, was one of the young people who was called back. Since graduating high school in 2008, he has been unsure about what to do next with his life. A family member referred Upshaw to the program, and after meeting with Charlton, Upshaw enrolled in the Urban Youth S.T.E.P.S. Program with the goal of deciding on a career and continuing his education.

“April has really been helping me decide what field I want to go into. That’s really what the program is all about,” Upshaw explains. “I’ve already referred some friends to the program.”

Once Charlton decides a young person is serious and ready for the program, he or she undergoes an assessment and orientation. While some learning takes place in a group setting, the real strength of the program comes from the one-on-one guidance that addresses each young person’s personal strengths and challenges. With the help of a case manager, youth develop an Individual Service Plan that outlines their personal goals and their strategies to achieve those goals. To stay in the program and in order to be successful, students are required to complete all of the personalized goals designated in their Individual Service Plan. They must also complete their assigned hours of training, tutoring, assessments and job shadowing or mentoring. Equally important is each student’s communication with their case manager to report their progress or concerns.

“Every month, I want to hear from them,” Charlton explains. “Either they’ll contact me by telephone or I’ll call them in for an interview. We talk about whether they’re meeting their goals. I also ask if there’s anything going on at home, because I am a case manager. Someone might say, ‘Oh, my car broke down’ or ‘There’s nobody to watch my kids.’ I’ll then find out all the resources that we have here at the Fort Wayne Urban League and throughout the community to help them.”

In addition to skills training, classes and tutoring, participants are matched with a paid summer internship or employment opportunity. Students are rigorously trained and prepared before entering the workplace and Charlton personally matches students with job/internship opportunities based on their skills, interests and talents.

Makendra Mobley, 19, was referred to Urban Youth S.T.E.P.S. by her roommate who had been through the program previously. Mobley, a sophomore at IPFW, is pursuing a career in nursing. While her primary motivation was to find a summer job, she soon learned that the S.T.E.P.S. program could also help her develop her communication skills as well as provide experience working with young children.

“The program helps you keep your mind focused on the right things,” Mobley says. “It helps you gain a lot of skills. It’s just a great program overall.”

The program even touches on personal finances. Before participants cash their first employment check, they learn beginning money management including opening a bank account and basic budgeting.
“This is an opportunity for them to learn about things they might not hear about in school or at home,” Charlton says.

Even as the program grows, mostly through referrals, Charlton says S.T.E.P.S. sees far more young women then young men.

“We have double the number of girls than guys,” Charlton notes.

Charlton hopes to attract more at-risk young men to the program by getting out the word that S.T.E.P.S. is staffed by people who have a genuine interest in helping them succeed in life.

“Not only is it a place where you can learn job skills and finish your education, but there are people here that you can talk to who care about the issues that you’re dealing with in today’s world,” Charlton says.

For more information about S.T.E.P.S., call April Charlton at (260) 745-3100 ext. 34.

“This is the biggest experience we have been in and we’re looking forward to bringing back the gold,” says Daven Johnson, 15.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the World Choir Games,” says Aaryn Eady, 17. “The community needs to come together to help support this effort.”

So far, the community is responding. A public rally held Saturday, April 24th at Pilgrim Baptist Church brought together families, politicians, business people, pastors, and people from throughout the community to rally and help these young people ages seven-years-old to 18-years-old realize their dreams of gold. The 81-member choir needs to raise approximately $400,000 to go to China to compete in the World Choir Games from July 10 through July 26. They will compete against 400 choirs from 90 different countries in what is considered to be the Olympic games for choirs. Based on its skill and reputation the Voices of Unity Youth Choir was invited to participate in these games and will represent not just the state of Indiana but our country as well. The children are seeing and hearing how the community of Fort Wayne stands proudly behind them.

“The gifts people are making on the web site – even at just $10 or $20 at a time – are adding up,” says choir director Marshall White.

Youth in the choir are also working to make this trip possible. Each members of the choir must raise $1,000. Some of the members have already raised more than the requirement.
During the rally at Pilgrim Baptist Church, many dignitaries spoke of how important it is to invest in children. They said that when you have such disciplined children with a positive mindset, it is worth the time and money. (See video below for more on the Dreams of Gold campaign. Story continues below)

What goes on behind the scenes of the Voices of Unity Youth Choir is truly amazing. White says these talented young people are enrolled in classes to prepare them not only for singing but for life. In addition to vocal and music training, youth are offered classes in leadership, computer training, public speaking, graphic design, digital recording, video editing and much more.
White also monitors the academic performance of choir members.

“If a student is not doing well in a certain class, other students who know the subject will offer help to that individual,” White explains.

Under White’s direction, Unity Performing Arts Foundation is planting seeds of greatness in each and every member of the choir. The children all have a positive outlook not just on the choir games but life itself.

The slogan Dreams of Gold fits this choir well. Each child has the dream of bringing home the gold from July’s competition in China, and their enthusiasm is infectious. Everyone who spoke at the community rally stands behind these young people and expressed excitement about what these youth are about to do and beamed with pride at the prospect of having such a group of positive, well disciplined, intelligent young people represent the United States to the rest of the world.

To date, $104,000 has been raised for the trip to China – most of that raised by choir members. Another $81,000 has been pledged, including a $50,000 gift from the Steel Dynamics Foundation announced earlier this week. That leaves about $215,000 to be raised in the next month in order to ensure that all travel arrangements for the choir can be made on time. White hopes that the community will continue to make contributions and that other corporations will follow Steel Dynamics’ generous lead.

“We need other companies to have the same great vision and to join Steel Dynamics Foundation in supporting this opportunity,” White explains. “In a time when the headlines sadly tell us about kids who’ve made mistakes, we are hoping the corporate community rallies to support kids who are making responsible choices and have a dream of representing their country on the world stage. That’s the kind of headline that northeast Indiana needs for a great future.”

To that end, a Dreams of Gold Corporate Rally is scheduled for Wednesday, May 26, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Sweetwater Sound corporate headquarters located at 5501 US 30 West at Kroemer Road. Company representatives will see the choir perform and learn more about the World Choir Games and how participating in this world-wide event will enhance northeast Indiana’s global profile. This is a good opportunity for corporate donors to offer their support and bring a donation check to the rally.

Anyone can go to the website, www.dreamsofgold.org, to make a donation by credit card or to volunteer on a planning committees. Corporate donors can also contact the UPAF office at (260) 481-6719 for more information about donating to this worthy cause.