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Public reception welcomes Hathorn
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
Rhonda Burt has raised money for a playground so that many youngsters on the city’s East Side have more activities, but she’s doing more than giving them another place to play ball and hang out.
Her efforts also reflect the same type of determination many people hope will help turn the Youngstown city schools around.
“I want to see our kids do better,” Burt said after Friday’s public reception for Superintendent Dr. Connie Hathorn. “Kids need something beyond high school to develop a better outlook.”
She said she is committed to helping the superintendent achieve his goals. Burt, who’s working with the Lincoln Knolls Community Block Watch on the playground project, said she has no children in the city schools.
Having an improved outlook on their lives makes it more likely students will succeed academically — something many school officials feel is crucial to improving the district.
That, along with a strong emphasis on accountability, was a central theme of the presentation Hathorn gave during the 90-minute gathering at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, 2725 Gibson St., on Youngstown’s South Side.
Hathorn spoke to several hundred parents, students, school personnel, elected officials and others about placing a heavier emphasis on making decisions based on data and doing away with what’s not working.
Too many students have left the district because of charter schools and open enrollment, so programs must be implemented to bring students back and retain those still in the schools, Hathorn noted.
Turning the district around will require accountability on the part of parents, students and school officials and having them work with one another, the former professional football player, coach and educator stressed.
“Victories can be small, but they must be often,” Hathorn said, adding that a poor educational system will deter many businesses from coming here.
Students are a lot different today than decades ago, so it’s imperative that antiquated teaching methods be replaced with strategies more in line with their needs, he continued, adding that the district also intends to closely follow its dress code.
“We’re going to work together; we’re going to make this happen,” he added.
Calling Hathorn “a breath of fresh air,” Laura Sullivan, a literacy facilitator at Taft Elementary School and 29-year teacher in the district, said she’s confident the superintendent has a solid plan to improve the district academically.
The curriculum must be diverse enough to fit each student’s needs and individual learning styles, Sullivan said.
Accountability starts with parents, but must also include the community and students in all grades, she explained.
“The children have to step up to the plate and hit a home run on these tests,” Sullivan said, referring to the Ohio Achievement Assessment that’s administered to those in grades three to eight.
Event sponsors were the Youngstown Area Association of Black Educators, the Youngstown unit of the NAACP, the Greater Warren/Youngstown Urban League, the Youngstown Chapter of the National Council of Negro Women, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the Youngstown Coalition of Black Women and the Community Mobilization Committee.