Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 9-20-16 Online Edition

Page Seven
New Principal At St. Pete School Aims To Bring About Change
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
With the parents, faculty and staff, Principal Johnnie Craw- ford, III said he plans to accentu- ate the positives.
St. Petersburg’s Lakewood Elemen- tary School has been deemed, along with several others, as one of the low- scoring schools with discipline issues in Pinellas County.
The school’s new principal, John- nie Crawford, III, said he, along with the faculty and staff, will accentu- ate the positive happenings at the school.
Crawford is a product of Pinellas County Schools. He earned his Bache- lor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Florida. He earned a Master’s degree in Public Administra- tion and certification in Educational Leadership from the University of South Florida.
He has worked in the district since 1998, starting his teaching profession at Osceola High School. He was an as- sistant principal at Tarpon Springs Middle and Northwest Elementary Schools before becoming principal of Lynch Elementary. Crawford is in his 5th year as principal.
In a recent telephone interview, Mr. Crawford said, “there’s more to Lakewood than discipline. My goal is to get more information out about our school and show the positives; have more community events that the par- ents and community can attend. We have community partners who come in and mentor. We have to get out a dif- ferent message and let everyone see a different side of Lakewood.”
Part of that message will be to rec- ognize those students who are doing well, which he estimates at more than 90%. “We’ll encourage them, recognize them – sometimes publicly – and that goes a long ways in addressing the other 5-10%.”
Example: there will be “Tiger Bucks” that the faculty and staff will randomly give to students who they see exemplifying positive characteristics. Then, on Friday, the tokens can be re-
JOHNNIE CRAWFORD, III. ...Principal, Lakewood Elementary School, St. Petersburg
deemed at the “Tiger Store” for a vari- ety of items.
The school also has a new logo, designed for this school term. And, a web-based program the teachers are now using where they
can real-time communicate with par- ents.
However, there are students who make bad choices. Teachers have a be- havior matrix that will spell out various strategies that can be used to help with behavior concerns.
For example, if a student uses a curse word, a parent can be called, an in-school consequence can occur or some other support service can be used. “We don’t want our students overly referred,” he said. “We support all of our students and some need some additional support,” he explained.
Included among the staff are: full- time social worker, guidance coun- selor, mental health specialist, psychologist and navigator.
“An effective academic lesson plan is the best classroom discipline plan. When we insure academic needs are met, we’ll have fewer discipline con- cerns in the classroom,” Crawford said.
The school year is “doing well” so far. “Our referrals are down and we ex- pect to reach our goal of referrals down by 25%.”
FAMU Board Of Trustees Names Larry Robinson Interim President
TALLAHASSEE --- The Florida A & M University Board of Trustees last week named distinguished professor and researcher Larry Robinson, Ph.D., interim president.
“Dr. Larry Robinson has a proven record of success when it comes to leading the University during tran- sitional periods. He is respected among the higher education community as a leader, researcher, and educator, is well known and cared for by our alumni, and he has been embraced by students he has worked with in his pre- vious interim roles,” Board Chairman Kelvin Lawson said .
The move comes after the Board voted to enter into an immediate sepa- ration agreement with former Presi- dent Elmira Mangum, Ph.D.
“The Board of Trustees looks for- ward to working with Dr. Robinson in paving the way forward for FAMU. We thank Dr. Mangum for her serv- ice and contributions and wish her well in her future endeavors,” Lawson said.
Dr. Robinson most recently chaired the University’s Strategic Plan- ning Task Force, and previously served the University as Interim President from July 2012 to March 2014 and as Chief Operating Officer in 2007.
After the announcement of his ap- pointment, Dr. Robinson said that he would immediately embark on lis- tening and information sessions with staff, faculty, students, alumni, and supporters as the University prepares for its next era.
“I am excited about the opportunity to, once again, serve in the capacity of Interim President for Florida A & M University,” Dr. Robinson, who serves as the Director of the newly es- tablished, FAMU-led National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Coastal and Marine Ecosystems said.
He added, “FAMU has a long tradi- tion of excellence, and I am committed to ensuring that, that tradition contin- ues as we focus on the future. I am thankful for the confidence the Board of Trustees has in my ability to advance the mission of this great institution and build upon its legacy.”
Dr. Robinson’s previous work at
DR. LARRY ROBINSON ... FAMU Interim President
the University represents a diverse range of leadership. He served as provost and vice president for Aca- demic Affairs from 2003-2005 and Vice President for Research from 2009-2010.
In May 2010, Dr. Robinson took a leave of absence from the University to serve as assistant secretary for Com- merce for Conservation and Manage- ment at NOAA.
Dr. Robinson returned to FAMU as special assistant to the president and professor in November 2011 to coordi- nate administrative and eminent scholar searches and integrate Gradu- ate Studies and Title III Programs within the Division of Sponsored Re- search. He was later asked to chair the University’s Crisis Management Team, which addressed a number of issues, including anti-hazing efforts.
Prior to his executive roles at the University, Robinson was the director of FAMU’s Environmental Sciences In- stitute (recently elevated to the School of the Environment) from 1997-2003.
Before joining FAMU as a director and professor in 1997, Dr. Robinson was a research scientist and group leader of a neutron activation analysis facility at Oak Ridge National Labora- tory. His research responsibilities in- cluded trace element analysis in environmental science, epidemiology, forensics, material science and paleon- tology. His expertise also includes en- vironmental radiochemistry, and nuclear safeguards and non-prolifera- tion.
Meeting
General Meeting Of Democratic Executive Committee Planned
Members of the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee will host their General Meeting on Monday, September 19th. It will be held at the Children’s Board of Hills- borough County, 1002 E. Palm Avenue.
The meeting will begin with registration at 6 p.m. in conjunction with a Meet and Greet. The Business Meeting will take place from 6:30 p.m. until 8 p.m.
Contact Alex Ayala Credentials Chair, at malexandra23@yahoo.com; or Karen Clay at mikesmom31@mac.com for additional information.
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