Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 4-14-17

Feature
Clergy Coalition Adopts Potter Elementary School
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
The Tampa Bay Coalition of Clergy is inviting the community to its Good Friday
Service and asking that school supplies and children’s books be donated for
Potter Elementary
When the list of failing schools in the Hillsborough County School District was released, some 40+ schools were identified as failing. One of the schools listed as low performing was Potter Elementary School in East Tampa.
When the call went out for support needed for the school, the Tampa Bay Coali- tion of Clergy (TBCC), with Bishop Thomas Scott as its Chairman, was among those who answered the call.
“During the month of March, we were out there 3 times,” he said.
The Coalition has adopted Potter to “undergird and work with the parents, students and faculty,” he said.
TAMARA SHAMBURGER ...School Board Member
Seven members of the Coalition met with Superin- tendent Jeff Eakins a cou- ple of weeks ago to talk about Potter Elementary and the 40+ failing schools. During the meeting they suggested to him that he “meet with the stakeholders in the commu- nity, pull together an advi- sory committee/board – a diverse committee, and the coalition wants to be a part of that committee,” Bishop Scott said. This committee would meet with the Super- intendent on a quarterly basis.
Last week, Rev. Dr. Glenn Dames and Bishop Scott spoke to the School
Rev. Glenn Dames, Jr., left, Pastor of Allen Temple AME Church, Donnell Underdue, Area IV Superintendent, Hillsborough County Public Schools, and Bishop Thomas Scott, Pastor of 34th Street Church of God, at the School Board Meeting. (Photograph by Lomax McIntyre)
rection,” she concluded.
The Coalition of Clergy is hosting its Good Friday Serv- ice at Macedonia Missionary Baptist, 3410 E. Wilder Ave., Tampa 33610. Pastor Joseph Sykes is the host pastor and 1st Vice Chair of the TBCC. The 7 p. m. service is dedicated to the needs of
Potter Elementary School.
Bishop Scott said the Coalition is asking those who attend the service – churches or individuals – to bring school sup- plies and new or gently used children’s books to support Potter.
Their support of the school on Friday is not just a one-time event. Thus far, they’ve hosted 2 luncheons with the parents and were pleased with the turnout; they met with the teachers, who suggested some hands- on activities to interact with the students; an end-of-year carnival is planned for the students and an appreciation luncheon for the teachers. The TBCC will sponsor these events.
With the end of the school year being near, Bishop Scott said the Coalition is gearing up for next school term as they are in the process of developing a schedule for regular visits.
Board. “We wanted to go on record as having reached out to support Potter and that we adopted the school,” Bishop Scott stated.
School Board member
Tamara Shambureger
said, “Potter, and all of our low performing schools, are the priority of the District and are certainly my main focus. We are training our Principals and teachers on effective turnaround prac- tices and continue to work
with all of our community partners on providing the most effective support for our schools and students.”
She added however, “From a community perspec- tive, we need more parental engagement and investment in their child's education. Parents, community part- ners, and the School District working together is the only way to successfully turn- around these schools. I think we're moving in the right di-
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