"Academy of Excellence" Charter School

To the community of Fitzgerald and Ben Hill County. We, the Holsey Chapel Academy of Excellence invite you to come out and hear different professionals, educators, parents, and students speak and answer questions about the petitioned charter school in Ben Hill County. We believe that it is time for a new adventure in our city.

Charter schools are public schools (not private or church schools) funded with public tax dollars. States grant charter schools the right to operate with greater independence and flexibility than most public schools in exchange for assuming greater responsibility for student achievement. Charter schools agree to meet certain educational achievement goals within a fixed period of time. These goals and timeframes become part of the written "charter" that is created when a proposal for a new school is approved. The Academy of Excellence is developing the charter at present. We are soliciting your feedback as we attempt to meet the community’s need.
Admission to the Academy of Excellence will be open to all. Contrary to a popular belief, charter schools cannot "select out" the best and brightest; nor are they "alternative schools" with students assigned from the traditional school. They are an option for parents seeking a different educational track for their children. Typically, each charter school emphasizes a particular theme or approach, and works with a specific range of ages or grades. We have petitioned the Georgia Department of Education and the Ben Hill County Board of Education to address the needs of kindergarten through eighth grade (K - 8).

Charter schools are new, innovative public schools that are accountable for student results. They are designed to deliver programs tailored to educational excellence and the needs of the communities they serve. Charter schools are one of the fastest and most successful growing reforms in the country. The first charter school opened its doors in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1992 and now, a decade and a half later, more than 4,500 charter schools are serving over 1.3 million children across 40 states and the District of Columbia. Based on the belief that America’s public schools should meet standards of excellence and be held accountable, parents are lining up to choose these innovative public schools that are able to meet the individual needs of their children. Our President Barack Obama ran his campaign on a platform that supported charter schools. In his words, "we will double funding for the Federal Charter School Program to support the creation of more successful charter schools."

The Holsey Chapel Academy of Excellence will operate on three basic principles: (1) CHOICE: We plan to give families an opportunity to pick the best environment most suitable for their child’s educational well-being. Our teachers will create and work at directly shaping the best working and learning environment for their students and themselves. We are hopeful that the Ben Hill County Board of Education will authorize our school to best serve the specific needs of the students in a our community. (2) ACCOUNTABILITY: The Academy will be judged on how well it meets the student achievement goals established by our charter contract. We will show that we can perform according to operational standards as defined by the Ben Hill County Board of Education. (3) FREEDOM: While charter schools must adhere to the same major laws and regulations as all other public schools, they are freed from the red tape that often diverts a school’s energy and resources away from educational excellence. Instead of constantly jumping through procedural hoops, charter school leaders can focus on setting and reaching high academic standards for their students. Some charter school programs focus on the basics, reading, writing and the traditional school subjects that some children struggle with. Other schools have special arts or music programs. Some charters look just like other public schools. There can be dropout prevention programs, adult education programs, charters that serve Head Start and day care needs, or charters that work with children who want to go to college.

As a charter school in Ben Hill County, we want to empower each child to become the best that he or she can be. We believe that a child is not a vessel to be filled, but a lamp to be lit. In support, we will commit to the personal success of each child that walks through our doors. If you will like to hear more, please meet us on Saturday, March 7th at 4:00 p.m. at the Monitor Community Center. Join the challenge towards a better educational future for the children of Ben Hill County. Yes, We Can!

More information is available on the Holsey Chapel website, www.cmefitzgerald.org .

Mrs. Elizabeth Graham - Missionary Love Award Recipient

Members and others from the community came together at Holsey Chapel C.M.E. Church for the Annual Women in Red Celebration. This event was sponsored by the Women’s Missionary Society and focused on the religious contributions and realities of women. The 2009 Theme was "The Awesome P’s" as communicated by four guest speakers. They were PRAYER by Minister Lynnice Graham of Lithonia, Georgia; PERSERVERANCE by Mrs. Brenda Calloway of Fitzgerald, Ga.; POWER by Mrs. Catina Lumpkin of Brunswick, Ga.; and PRAISE by Mrs. Ola McClain of Fitzgerald, Ga. Music was provided by The Ensemblettes and The Women’s Chorale. As a special treat, The Angelic Angels Praise Team astounded the audience with their rendition of "Order My Steps." This was a perfect transition to the announcement of the recipient of the First Annual Missionary Love Award, Mrs. Elizabeth Graham. Amidst standing ovations, flowers, and a plaque, this quiet figure of grace and elegance, came down front to humbly receive appreciation for her impact to the church and community.

Mrs. Elizabeth Graham (affectionally known as Aunt Nibby) who was born in Ben Hill County on March 1, 1914. Her parents were Mr. Willie & Georgia Ann Coffee. She had two brothers and two sisters. One sister, Julia Hunter, is 101 years of age. She attended Joy Chapel C.M.E. Church school in Ben Hill County. This was one of the oldest black church schools in the county. Later, she attended and graduated from Queensland High School. She married Marion Graham in 1933. She raised her nephew Clifford (Chip) Martin as her own child. Mrs. Graham lived in Florida and Los Angeles, California for many years. After coming back home, she attended Queensland Chapel C.M.E. Church and later united with us here at The Chapel. She is a very dedicated member of the Ben Hill County Senior Citizens and takes great delight in this. After joining Holsey Chapel, she served on the Stewardess Board and the Missionary Society. We are blessed to have this young lady who serves as an inspiration to us. We hope that we are blessed to be as strong, fashionably dressed, and high stepping as Mrs. Graham when we are her age.

More pictures and information is available on the Holsey Chapel website, www.cmefitzgerald.org .

"Lessons of Service for Holsey Chapel Youth"

All around the world during this time of global concern, youth are rising to meet the needs of their community and working to strengthen the development of their countries through volunteer service. Millions of these young people also planned service projects and celebration events during the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, President Obama Inauguration, and Super Bowl Sunday. The Youth at Holsey Chapel C.M.E. Church have rallied and are seeking to offer contributions to the development of our community through voluntary service.
At the beginning of the year, the Christian Youth Fellowship (CYF) at the church met to plan their activities for the next months. High on the list was service as a compliment to the lessons of leadership they were learning. During the previous months, the youth were engaged in a series outlined in the text, Everyday Leadership: Attitudes and Actions for Respect and Success, a guidebook for teens. This resource was part of a programmatic thrust by the Connectional Director of Christian Education, Dr. Carmichael Crutchfield in Memphis, Tenn. Two events became key for service projects: Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and Super Bowl Sunday. As such, the youth with the assistance of their directors, Alice Blount and Sally Wilcox tracked a plan towards Super Bowl Sunday.

During his lifetime, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sought to forge common ground on which people from all walks of life could join together as equals to address important community issues. Service, he realized, was the great equalizer. As he oncesaid, "Everybody can be great,
because everybody can serve." The holiday was a "day on, not a day off" for the group. The young people assisted with the Annual Community Feast sponsored by the Fitzgerald Community Club as their service project. The Fitzgerald Community Club hosted the Martin Luther King Celebration beginning Saturday, January 17th. As part of Souper Bowl Sunday, the youth collected donations through the congregation each Sunday towards a full 100% donation to a local charity of their choice. Unanimously, theyelected to make the Monitor Enrichment Program their charity. As a culmination, on February 1st, they proudly presented to the Executive Director of the Monitor Enrichment Program, Iris Vanessa Melton a check for $300. An enlarged check was created which was signed by each CYF member as a hallmark of their accomplishment. Pastor Rev. Marvin Howard remarks, "We are proud of our youth and the difference they are making in our community on a daily basis. Our future lies in the tremendous energy, enthusiasm, and commitment of these young people. I have often said that every individual counts, every individual has a role to play, and every individual makes a difference. The recent actions of our youth proves it. We celebrate the indomitable spirit of these youth."
Further, the Director of Christian Education Charles Coney comments, "These events have been a catalyst for helping our youth mobilize a new generation of young leaders. We also know from research that young people involved in volunteer service do better in school, and are more likely to vote, volunteer and give philanthropically as adults. Likewise, they are also 50% less likely to get involved in drug and alcohol abuse, and teen delinquency. Youth service is one of the most effective youth development methodologies."
The fine works of these youth people are document on the National Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service website www.my.mlkday.gov/s/cmefitzgerald/index.aspx and on the Holsey Chapel website, www.cmefitzgerald.org .