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LOCAL
THE CHAMPION, THURSDAY, MARCH 23 - 29, 2023 • PAGE 8
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A newly placed marker, located in front of Greater Mount Carmel AME Church in Doraville, celebrates
and honors the historically Black neighborhood of Carver Hills. Photos courtesy of Joseph Geierman
New marker in Doraville commemorates historic Black neighborhood
BY CHRISTINE FONVILLE
CHRISTINE@DEKALBCHAMP.COM
A unique aspect of Doraville's
history is now explained on a
newly installed plaque telling the
story of the historic Carver Hills
neighborhood.
In February, officials were joined
by members of the Greater Mount
Carmel AME Church and Zion Full
Gospel World Ministries, along with
Doraville residents, to celebrate
the completion of the project that
has been more than a year in the
making.
The plaque, located in front
of Greater Mount Carmel AME
Church, celebrates and honors the
historically Black neighborhood of
Carver Hills, which was established
in 1947 and included a thriving
community complete with churches,
a school, stores, and was home to
dozens of families, stated officials.
"The neighborhood was
established when Black landowners
at the site of what is now Assembly
Atlanta were given new homes
by General Motors (GM) as an
incentive to move, making way for
the factory," said Doraville Mayor
Joseph Geierman. "The Carver
Hills neighborhood was born and
remained a thriving community for
many decades."
The plaque states that the
neighborhood was named after Dr.
George Washington Carver, one of
the most prominent Black scientists
of the early 20th century.
"Unfortunately, when 1-285
was built, it destroyed much of
the neighborhood and split the
remaining portions in half," said
Geierman. "The closure of the GM
plant in 2008 dealt another blow.
But, through all of the changes, the
people behind this community have
endured."
Doraville's 2022 Celebration
Committee raised money last year
through fundraisers, including a 5K
run, to create and install the plaque.
"None of this would have
happened without the leadership
of the Doraville Celebration
Committee," said Geierman.
"We thank them for providing
this recognition for an important
Doraville community."
The plaque is located at 4078
Carver Drive in Doraville.
SCHOOL
Continued From Page 3
"We haven't had a strategic plan
for CSD in many years," Fehrman
said. "This new plan is community-
inspired and encompasses
everyone. It will bring out the best
in our students, teachers, parents,
and community."
The plan, titled "All In Decatur,"
was developed through a yearlong
process led by school and district
leadership, stated officials.
According to Fehrman's
presentation, "The plan is focused
on four strategic accelerators
that leverage the strengths
of the community to improve
CSD's areas of growth while also
taking advantage of the many
opportunities in the community."
They are:
• Building and sustaining an
engaging and inclusive culture
• Organizational effectiveness and
excellence
• Cultivating and retaining quality
professionals
• Success for students in all areas
Fehrman also stated that "equity
will be woven into the fabric of
everything across the district and is
no longer an isolated initiative."
"We are reimagining what school
looks like to meet the needs of all
students," said Fehrman. "Inclusion
for all students is central to these
efforts. We are creating a space
where every student, regardless of
grade level, race, gender identity,
ability level, or interests, will feel
included and feel like they belong."
According to district officials,
"All In Decatur was developed
with intentional inclusion of all
stakeholder groups while centering
historically marginalized voices
throughout the process."
During the development
process, the Georgia School Boards
Association and Georgia Leadership
Institute for School Improvement
facilitated community engagement
meetings and a community
survey to collect information
from all stakeholders regarding
CSD's strengths, opportunities,
weaknesses, and threats. A planning
team convened to review the
data and build a strategy. Then,
an action team began developing
performance measures, initiatives,
and action steps. Fehrman said she
also met with a student advisory
group throughout the process to
review the plan and ensure the
student perspective was at the
forefront of the plan.
"To achieve priority student
outcomes, CSD will cultivate
scholars to become leaders in
their community who live healthy,
self-sufficient lives, become
life-long learners, participate in
productive civic engagement,
and feel fulfilled in their careers,"
stated officials. "Additionally, CSD
will improve opportunities, access,
and classroom environments so all
scholars can achieve high academic
results, equitable representation
in advanced classes, and equitable
discipline outcomes."
Regular updates on the
progress being made toward the
implementation of the strategic
plan will occur during regularly
scheduled board meetings or work
sessions in November and next year
in February, May, and August, stated
officials.
Visit https://www.csdecatur.net/
strategicplan for more information.