Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
LOCAL The Champion, Thursday, Feb. 26 - March 4, 2015
Rotarians light up Stone Mountain to end polio
by Andrew Cauthen
andrew@dekalb champ, com
The Stone Mountain Ro
tary Club lit up the moun
tain with images from Rota
ry International’s “End Polio
Now” campaign Feb. 23.
Other Atlanta metro
Rotary clubs joined the
Stone Mountain club to
promote the organizations
fight against polio. Rotary
International officials say
the organizations efforts are
on track to achieve full polio
eradication by 2018.
“It is an amazing effort
from a service organization
to work together around the
world,” said Chris Brand,
president of the Rotary Club
of Stone Mountain.
“What is amazing to me
is just how much effort I see
happening in that realm,”
Rotarians from the Stone Mountain, Carrollton Dawn Breakers, Buck-
head, Sandy Springs, Northlake and Gwinnett Mosaic Rotary clubs met
at Stone Mountain Park to bring attention to Rotary’s “End Polio Now”
campaign. Photo provided
Brand said. Approximately
“$34 million were just re
leased a few months ago
from the Rotary Foundation
to really ramp up stamping
out polio in places like Nige
ria... and Pakistan.”
The fight against polio
“hits home,” Brand said, “be
cause if you just ask a crowd
of people, anyone who’s in
their 40s, 50s or 60s, how
many of you know some
one. . .who’s been affected
Local school responds
to failing schools plan
by Ashley Oglesby
ashley@dekalbchamp.com
Ivy Preparatory Young
Men’s Feadership Academy
School is one of two charter
schools on Gov. Nathan
Deal’s list of 141 perennially
failing schools that could
be at risk of takeover if law
makers and voters approve
his plan for an Opportunity
School District.
The governor’s proposal
would create a new school
district, which would re
quire voters to approve a
change to the Georgia Con
stitution.
The state would have
total authority over the
schools put into the special
district, and it could remove
principals and teachers,
change what students are
being taught and control the
schools’ budgets.
Executive Director of
Ivy Preparatory Academies
Victoria Wiley said, “A lot
of our students unfortu
nately come from under-
performing schools. Out of
the schools that are on that
list, 27 of those schools are
DeKalb County schools,”
Wiley said. She added, “A
majority of those DeKalb
County schools are elemen
tary schools where our stu
dents come from.”
In the governor’s pro
posal, persistently failing
schools are defined as those
scoring below 60 on the
Georgia Department of
Education’s accountability
measure, the College and
Career Performance Index
(CCRPI), for three consecu
tive years.
Wiley said, “We are not
happy about our score that
we received from CCRPI. It
was no surprise to us, but we
are definitely making sure
that we can work with our
See School on page 16A
Have you heard any of these
statements lately when you tried
to rent or buy housing?
You may have been Ibe victim of housing discrimination
and not know it.
HOUSING DISCRIMINATION IS AO AINST BOTH
FEDERAL AND GEORGIA LAW!
Mi inn
im
Mclro
Fait
Sarvkviv
Inc,
f=r
Gail Metro Fair Housing Services, Inc. at
Atlanta; 404.524,0000
Gwinnett; 770.936.5300
or email us at i nfo@m e tr of ai rh ou sing .com
Our services are always free.
Funded in part by The U,3. Dept, of
Housing and Urban Development
by polio, it’s amazing how
many people you would find
raising their hands.
“There’s a member in
our club who had polio
when he was young. And
his dad had polio,” Brand
said. “We forget about it
but around the world, with
air travel and the pandemic
ability of it to spread, it is
always there.”
Brand said, “Personally,
I’ve known of [polio] and
how much people are still
dealing with the effects of
that as adults. They’re living
long lives with polio effects
and it is very, very difficult.
It has different levels of how
it affects people but it can
be completely physically in
capacitating to having small
remnants of effects on the
body.
“The work being done
around the world to end
polio is impressive,” Brand
said. “I don’t think people
understand that... [health
care workers] are being told
in communities that ‘we’re
going to kill you,’ and they’re
still immunizing the chil
dren” in areas of political
unrest.
“People are working
hard at great risk to their
lives to immunize,” Brand
said.
The Decatur Rotary
Club joined the internation
al commemoration by light
ing up the Old Courthouse
on the square in Decatur on
Feb. 23.
2. STONECREST
PRIMARY CARE
8225 MALL PARKWAY
SUITE 100
LITHONIA, GA 30038
770.981.2100
1. SOUTH DEKALB
PRIMARY CARE
1290 COLUMBIA DRIVE
DECATUR, GA 30032
404.289.1952
Where doctor
meets neighbor
A doctor who is familiar with your medical history
brings peace of mind. We have more than 100
physicians in 30 locations specializing in internal and
family medicine and multiple specialties such as ENT,
OB/GYN and orthopedics. Our physicians are able to
seamlessly utilize the resources and consultations that
our three hospital network provides to give you the
best care.
Our physicians groups are in your neighborhood to
provide you a personal healthcare experience. Call
today to find a physician near you or to schedule an
appointment.
DeKalb Medical
Physicians Group
TO FIND A PHYSICIAN IN
YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
www.dmpg.org
404.501.MYDR