Issue 3.1, Spring 2008
Creative Coworking in the works
Shared space for freelancers will
blend typical office, coffee shop
By Katie Spencer
Staff writer
Freelancer Brian Russell’s vision
to create a shared workplace for
freelancers and other creative
types is moving toward a concrete
Carrboro reality. The idea to open
what he called a shared office space
with a coffee shop atmosphere was
first mentioned publicly nearly a
year ago. Russell said James Harris,
director of economic and community development in Carrboro,
encouraged him to make it happen.
The concept lies somewhere
between a wireless-equipped coffee
shop and the generic, cubicle-clad
office. Russell said the need for this
type of space is generated by people
who have been driven away from
the typical office environment but
who are unhappy working alone at
home.
“There is a productivity and creativity boost that comes from going
to a different place,” he said.
The place will be called Carrboro
Creative Coworking and will consist
of workstations, conference rooms
and, of course, a coffee bar. Russell
said he is close to nailing down a
location but wouldn’t say where.
“I can tell you it’s in the heart of
downtown Carrboro and it has a
good parking situation,” he said.
Russell said the large number of
freelancers in the area and the walkable environment made Carrboro a
good area for the venture.
The concept is not completely
new. Russell said these types of
spaces started in the San Francisco
Bay area and have been popping up
all over.
Cody Marx Bailey, a software
developer helped found one of
these places in the Bryan-College
Station area of Texas. It is called the
The Creative Space and opened in
August. Bailey said founding members were surprised by its success,
given its location in what he called a
conservative college town that was
not rich in culture.
“I think if it could work here, it
could work most anywhere.”
Russell is going to give Carrboro
a try, and so far he has seen a good
deal of interest in the project. He is
keeping about 40 people updated
on the project via an e-mail list.
About 60 people have responded
to an online survey that asks what
they would want in a co-working
venue. Among those interested are
Raleigh and Durham professionals,
and Russell said he hopes to eventually open franchises in the Triangle.
Russell’s marketing research,
conducted through surveys and
interviews, has shown that most
people just want a comfortable
work space, a reliable Internet connection and some good coffee. He
has developed a multitiered system
to accommodate full-time, parttime and walk-in users. Full-time
members will have permanent desk
space and automatic use of conference rooms, as well as tech support
and some administrative services.
Russell said he hopes to fund the
project through the town’s revolving loan program, which has been
loaning money to small-business
startups since the 1980s. As of
October 2007, 58 percent of those
startups have stayed in business,
according to a post by Carrboro
Alderman Jacquelyn Gist on the
blog OrangePolitics.org. Some
businesses, such as Weaver Street
Market, Cat’s Cradle and Milltown,
have since become Carrboro landmarks.
The next steps are finalizing the
lease and completing the application process with the Board of
Aldermen, Russell said. He said it’s
hard to say exactly how long the
process will take.
Bailey said his work space in
Bryan has been a success that not
only facilitated independent creative work, but also stimulated new
ventures by connecting like-minded
people.
“The creative space provided the
kindling and some fires got started,”
he said.
Staff photo by Katie Spencer
Brian Russell is keeping the potential location of
Carrboro Creative Coworking a secret but says that it’s
in the “heart of Carrboro” and that it has good parking.
Courtesy of CarrboroCoworking.com
Carrboro Creative Coworking is designed to include
workstations, conference rooms and a coffee bar. Fulltime members will be granted permanent desk space.
The Carrboro Commons
Stories edited by Jabeen Ahmad/Erin Littrell
By Ann Ansley
wear, abuse of roads and crossing bridges,” Mayo
said.
The town’s search for a new fire truck began
when the current truck was scheduled to be
replaced. The town keeps a schedule for equipment and vehicle replacement, said Carrboro
Alderman Dan Coleman. Each department evaluates its vehicles, and the town manager proposes what should be replaced.
The truck will be paid for with town taxes,
but the cost of the truck will remain within town
budget estimates.
Aerial fire trucks typically have higher costs
because they are able to perform more complex
functions, Mayo said. In addition, these trucks
are individually hand-built by metal fabricators,
which adds to the cost.
The price, however, is cheaper than the market price because Carrboro was able to “piggyback,” or the new aerial on a truck built for
the Freehold Township Fire Department in New
Jersey.
Thus, the Carrboro was able to waive the cost
of bidding and “lock-in” the current price of the
truck.
“Essentially, we were able to buy a 2009 model
aerial for a 2007 price,” Mayo said.
The truck should arrive in roughly 16
months.
Although the purchase was approved for
replacement purposes, the growth of Carrboro’s
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 2
Carrboro to get a red-hot addition
Staff Writer
What do Porsches, Lamborghinis, and Aston
Martins all have in common?
They are all high-end luxury performance
vehicles — that each cost a fraction of the
amount of an aerial fire truck.
On January 15, the Carrboro Board of
Aldermen approved a resolution authorizing the
purchase of a $911,854 aerial fire truck for the
Carrboro Fire Department.
The purchase replaces the Fire-Rescue
Department’s current aerial fire truck — but
with significant improvements.
In an e-mail interview, Carrboro fire Deputy
Chief Trey Mayo said that the new aerial, built by
the Sutphen Corporation, has the ability to pump
2,000 gallons of water per minute.
In addition, the aerial has an elevated platform
that allows for quicker evacuation. The aerial’s
platform can evacuate people from the upper
floors of a building three times faster than a
straight climbing ladder.
The new truck’s size and weight are also an
asset, Mayo said. It is larger than a fire engine
but weighs less. Most fire trucks weigh around
80,000 pounds. The new aerial, however, will
weigh around 60,000 pounds.
“That 20,000 pound difference means a lot
when you think about fuel consumption, tire
Features of the new truck
• Pumps 2,000 gallons per minute
• Evacuates three times faster using
elevated platform
• Weighs 20,000 pounds less
• Fuel efficient
• Low maintenance
population since the 1990s has warranted citizens’ demands for better equipment, services,
and expansion.
“The Fire Department is growing so that is
definitely part of it,” Coleman said.
The growth has even culminated the need for
a second station in Carrboro.
Carrboro Fire Station 2 is expected to begin
operations in the summer of 2009. Blueprints for
the building have already been finished, and will
follow the town’s eco-friendly philosophy.
“The new station will be a green building
and very well may be LEED [Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design] certified,”
Mayo said.
Impeachment of Bush debated in Carrboro
By Kate Searcy
Staff writer
On January 15th, dozens convened at the
Carrboro Century Center to witness a debate
about impeachment between Republican
Bruce Fein and Democrat Michael Tomasky.
The response from most
of the audience, as well as
the two speakers, was overwhelmingly in agreement:
President Bush and Vice
President Cheney should be
impeached. But the debaters
disagreed on the logistics of
the impeachment.
The debate attracted a
large crowd with most of
Bruce Fein
the seats in the meeting hall
gone before 6:30 p.m., 30
minutes before the debate
was scheduled to begin.
Those who arrived later sat
in the aisles or stood at the
back of the room.
The St. Joseph AME Zion
Church male chorus sang
traditional Methodist gospel songs before the debate
began.
Michael Tomasky
Each debater was given
12 minutes to plead his case.
After both men had spoken, they were each
given 15 minutes for a rebuttal.
Bruce Fein, a constitutional lawyer, began
the debate. Fein, who currently writes col-
What is impeachment?
Article II, Section 4 of the U.S.
Constitution says:
The President, Vice President and all
civil officers of the United States, shall be
removed from office on impeachment for,
and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other
high crimes and misdemeanors.
Webster’s New World Dictionary (3rd
Ed.) says:
To challenge the practices or honesty of;
accuse or bring a public official before the
proper tribunal on charges of wrongdoing
umns for The Washington Times, has worked
for the Department of Justice and the Federal
Communications Commission.
Fein argued that President Bush and his
Cabinet have abused their rights by working
under their own “theories of power.” He said that
the president sees America in a state of perpetual
warfare and chooses to act in a way that violates
the Constitution in order to save the liberties of
Americans.
“These cowboy tactics are making us less safe
because we are reducing the amount of international help we have,” Fein said.
Tomasky, a journalist, spoke next. He is
currently the editor of GuardianAmerica.com,
the online version of England’s The Guardian
newspaper. He has been the editor of The
American Prospect, a liberal opinion journal,
and has contributed to The New York Review
of Books.
Although Tomasky agreed that Bush should
be impeached, he argued against actually doing
it because he said that it would not be able to
be done so late in President Bush’s final term in
office.
Tomasky argued that there are two standards
the public needs to judge a democracy by: if it’s
living up to the basic stated principles of liberty
and if it’s doing anything for the people.
Impeachment, he went on to argue, would not
help the American people, but it would serve to
make a statement.
“The more important thing is to think about
the balance of the country more broadly,”
Tomasky said.
According to Wes Hare, a member of the
Orange County Peace Coalition and one of the
many vendors lining the halls of the Century
Center, the debate is the first that Carrboro has
ever had.
“This is a new deal,” he said. The Orange
County Board of Commissioners, the Chapel
Hill Town Council and the Carrboro Board of
Aldermen only agreed to let this event happen a
year ago, Hare said.
When asked why the debate was being held
so close to the 2008 presidential election, Hare
responded, “We are still hopeful. Some people
say it’s too late, but we’ve got to keep after it.”
“This is what democracy looks like,” said
Rebecca Cerese, an audience member. “We need
an involved and active democracy. It starts in the
community.”
The Carrboro Commons
Story edited by Elizabeth Barrett
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 3
Tyler’s serves up special treat for Tar Heel fans
The taproom is home to head coach Hatchell’s radio show during women’s basketball season
Staff Photo by Lindsay Ash
Tyler’s Restaurant and Taproom is situated on Main Street, in the heart of historic downtown Carrboro.
By Lindsay Ash
Staff writer
Every Monday night there is evidence that the UNC-Chapel Hill basketball season is in full swing in Carrboro. In the corner of Tyler’s Restaurant
and Taproom, Tar Heel fans listen intently to women’s head coach Sylvia
Hatchell’s live radio broadcast.
About 15 fans crowded into the couch-filled nook of Tyler’s to take in all
the details of the game. But they are more than fans, they are regulars.
During commercial breaks, Hatchell takes off her headphones, relaxes
in her loveseat-sized chair and talks to the fans. The show at Tyler’s is
a chance for these fans to hear Hatchell’s thought on the previous and
upcoming games. All listen closely to the coach’s responses, nodding and
smiling in agreement.
The Sylvia Hatchell show has been broadcast for many seasons now, but
Tyler’s has been the host for the last two seasons. Each season the crowd of
regulars at Tyler’s grows larger. Because they are busting at the seams, one
fan suggested the need for more space.
“Last night we had a viewing party at Time-Out Sports Bar & Restaurant
at the Holiday Inn Chapel Hill and had about 50 fans come out to watch
the women play,” said Joan Danaher, a Sylvia Hatchell show regular. “With
that kind of a crowd, I think even more people would come out to watch
the show if there was more space.”
WCHL 1360 AM broadcasts the half-hour Sylvia Hatchell show each
week. WCHL airs radio shows by Roy Williams and Butch Davis, as well.
“We haven’t missed it yet,” said Gloria Keller, explaining her and her husband’s love for the broadcasts. They discovered the broadcasts after leaving
the church across the street, and now they are hooked.
“I enjoy meeting the fans. They come, they eat and then they watch the
show,” said Hatchell. “It has become a weekly fellowship.”
Hatchell has been the women’s basketball coach at UNC-CH since 1986.
For the last 22 seasons, Hatchell’s Tar Heels have produced a winning formula. The women’s team lights up at Carmichael Auditorium weekly, with
fans of all shapes and sizes.
In addition to Hatchell, assistant head coach Andrew Calder and assistant coach Charlotte Smith appear on the radio show. The two coaches
bring another point of view to the fans and help convey the amount of work
that goes into each game throughout the season.
The 2008 women’s basketball team, with the current record
of 18-2, bring an ecstatic energy to the game and their fans.
Join fans at Tyler’s (102 E. Main
Street) at 8 p.m. on the dates listed
below to relax and have a
conversation with the UNC-CH
women’s basketball coaches.
Tuesday, February 5
Monday, February 11
Monday, February 18
Tuesday, February 26
Monday, March 3
Tuesday, March 18
The Carrboro Commons
Story edited by Robin Burk
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 4
Education beyond the classroom
Carrboro High School
students help community
through service learning
By Shannon David
Staff writer
Across North Carolina, public high schools
are becoming more and more aware of the
importance of service learning as a tool for character development and career orientation. North
Carolina wants to increase the practice of service
learning in public schools, and Carrboro High
School leads the way by example.
In Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, all high
school students are required to fulfill 50 hours
of service learning in order to graduate. As an
incentive to actively complete the requirement,
students must fulfill a certain number of hours in
order to qualify for parking. Rising juniors must
complete 30 hours of service learning to qualify,
while rising seniors must earn 40 hours.
Carrboro High School principal Jeffrey
Thomas said about the requirement, “We have
an obligation to teach our students service to
others, to be other-centered rather than selfcentered, to be altruistic.”
According to the Corporation for National
and Community Service, “service learning has a
positive impact on students by fostering a sense
of care and concern for others, extending the
boundaries of the classroom to the community
as the learning lab,” helping students gain leadership skills and providing career awareness and
orientation.
Initiatives such as service-learning requirements at public schools can have a large impact.
Between 2002 and 2007, North Carolina ranked
fifth nationally for an increased volunteer rate.
As more N.C. youth are taught the importance
of volunteer work, more individuals statewide
actively participate in community service.
Despite the numerous benefits of service
learning, the Carrboro community was not
always welcoming to the idea.
Thomas said the requirement was controver-
Photo by Shannon David
Carrboro High School students Emily and Amanda Honey each must perform 50
hours of service learning to graduate. Amanda completed her volunteer work last
year, when she was a freshman.
sial when it was first set in place.
“Back in the early ’90s when this requirement
came into existence, there were some complaints
and objections,” Thomas said. “Carrboro-Chapel
Hill is a community like no other in the state. It
is pretty liberal, and people felt that their constitutional rights were being violated.”
Years later, students, teachers and parents
embrace the program, and Thomas said students
frequently exceed the 50-hour requirement.
Emily Honey, a freshman at Carrboro High
School, said, “I think it is a lot, but I also think it
is important to get involved.”
Amanda Honey, Emily’s sister and a sophomore at Carrboro High School, completed all of
her service learning hours in the second half of
her freshman year, while Emily has yet to start.
Students are encouraged to pursue service
learning activities that relate to their passions
and interests in order to make the service more
meaningful and relevant to their lives and future
careers. There are no restrictions on what programs students work with, as long as the projects
are approved by the school and the service learning coordinator.
The initiative and appreciation for service
learning reflects the Carrboro community, which
Thomas describes as friendly, affirming, nonjudgmental, supportive of public education and
very involved.
“We have an obligation to teach our students service to others, to be other-centered rather
than self-centered, to be altruistic.” — Carrboro High School Principal Jeffrey Thomas
The Carrboro Commons
Story edited by: Artie Howson
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 5
Coach Write used at Carrboro Elementary School
as a way to improve students’ writing abilities
By Allie Maupin
Staff writer
Fourth graders at Carrboro
Elementary School may have an
advantage over students from other
school districts thanks to Coach
Write, a volunteer-based writing
program operating in Chapel HillCarrboro City Schools. With the
addition of a writing section to the
SAT and the recent trend of schools
implementing writing across the
curriculum, students today must
develop strong writing skills in
order to succeed.
The goal of Coach Write is to do
just that for CHCCS students.
Coach Write is designed to
improve student performance on
the North Carolina General Writing
Assessment, given to all fourth,
seventh, and tenth graders in the
state. Scores from these tests are
used in calculating a school’s performance rating, thus strong testing
is very important.
At the fourth grade level students must write extended narrative
responses, which, depending on the
prompt, can be imaginative or from
personal experiences. Throughout
the school year, teachers give their
students practice prompts to prepare for the test in March.
Coach Write pairs each student
with a volunteer to look over the
practice responses.
Through a three-hour training
process, writing coaches learn how
to interact with students in ways
that facilitate discussion without
being too critical. Volunteers are
taught to look for six components
in student writing: ideas and development, organization, voice, word
choice, sentence fluency and conventions. Once training is completed, volunteers are assigned to
At Carrboro Elementary School, volunteers help students review their own writing
as part of the district-wide Coach Write program. Staff Photo By Allie Maupin.
a classroom and must commit to
coaching at least one hour every
week.
Writing coaches are not meant
to simply edit student work. In a
typical coaching session, the student chooses a response to discuss.
The student reads his or her story
aloud and then works with the
coach to identify the areas that need
improving. Coaches are instructed
to ask questions in order to help
the student edit his or her writing
independently.
“Students will become better writers if they can think about
their work critically,” said Lauren
DeMille, 20, of Chapel Hill, a volunteer that works with different
schools within the CHCCS system.
“Just marking up a kid’s paper with
red ink won’t turn them into better
writers.”
Volunteers in the program consist
of a range of people, from parents of fourth graders to students
at UNC-Chapel Hill. Previously,
parents were the most common
volunteers, but this year university student involvement increased
sharply.
Stuart Phillips, coordinator of
CHCCS volunteer programs, oversees the operation of Coach Write,
which started in 2003. Phillips
said the growth is extremely positive, but getting all those interested
trained and placed into classrooms
has presented some issues.
“I think I’ve had a 200% increase
in UNC students training, which is
both wonderful and anxiety-producing, in terms of making all the
pieces fit,” said Phillips in a recent
e-mail.
DeMille, a communications studies major at UNC-CH, can see why
Coach Write appeals to young people who would like to get involved
in the university’s surrounding
community.
“If writing is something that you
love to do,” said DeMille, “then
what better way is there to give
back than to help someone else discover that too.”
The Carrboro Commons
Story edited by Megan LaPlaca
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 6
BOLD struggles to stand out
Tutoring organization hopes to spread awareness
By Allison McNeill
Staff writer
A local organization led by UNC students
hopes to assist Carrboro and Chapel Hill
Spanish-speaking men but has faced obstacles
while trying to achieve its mission. Co-President
Derek Paylor has hope for BOLD, and if others
believe in his “When you find a good thing, you
don’t want to keep it to yourself ” outlook, BOLD
will have no problem reaching its goals.
BOLD, Building Opportunities through
Language Development, began in 2005. It followed in the footsteps of MANO, which is a
female-only Spanish-speaking tutoring program.
BOLD holds classes Monday and Wednesday
nights from 7 to 8:30 at Carrboro Elementary
School. Because MANO is already established
at the school, it made it easier for BOLD to hold
its classes there.
The school’s location also makes it more
convenient for students. The elementary school
is easily accessible by bus. Because both of the
organizations’ classes are held at the same place
and time, it makes it possible for couples and
families to attend classes.
The idea of BOLD is to provide one-on-one
tutoring for students, no matter their current
skill level. Tutors and students are matched
according to their level of need.
The tutors are UNC students, but Paylor
hopes to soon open up the volunteer pool to
those in the community as well.
Although BOLD typically serves established
Spanish-speaking adults, it does not turn anyone
away. One student was a native of South Korea
who wanted to fine-tune his English. In another
instance, a BOLD tutor worked with a couple
who did not want to be separated.
BOLD hopes to expand and increase the number of students it serves, but it is currently facing
many obstacles.
The biggest obstacle for the organization
is keeping a consistent tutor-to-student ratio.
Because the tutors are UNC students, there is
typically a large turnout at the beginning of the
semester. As the semester progresses, however,
students become busier and attend BOLD less
frequently.
The number of students attending fluctuates
because of work schedules or immigration status, as well as a growing discouragement with the
inconsistency of the tutors.
Paylor said there is rarely a consistent turnout
for either group.
He also said that there have been problems
with publicizing BOLD this semester, which has
resulted in very low attendance at the classes.
Although BOLD has a Web site, it has not been
updated in more than a year because those currently in charge lack the expertise to do so.
An e-mail was sent out to UNC students and
fliers have been posted, but little has been done
to educate people about what BOLD is and how
one can get involved.
However, Paylor has contacted APPLES, a
Staff photo by Eve Greene
UNC student J.D. Brannock, who has been tutoring with
BOLD for a year, tutors Enrique Cadena (left) and Jose Aryza (right)
at a BOLD class on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at Carrboro Elementary
School. Cadena was attending his second class, while Aryza has
been a frequent student of BOLD for two years.
Learning:
service-learning program, and the romance languages department at UNC in the hopes that
these affiliates will help raise awareness of the
organization.
Other obstacles include building stronger
tutor-student relationships, as is usual in MANO,
holding the tutor and student accountable to one
another and educating people about why MANO
is not the only language development organization available.
BOLD has enjoyed some success since its
creation. While students report different results,
overall they have been very receptive to the service and have provided useful feedback for what
could be improved.
For example, Jose, a student of three years, has
shown much improvement in speaking English.
In the beginning, Paylor described him as shy
with little confidence because he spoke “understandable but not conversational English.” Now
he speaks more freely and his confidence appears
to have grown because he has learned how to
speak even if he is unsure of the exact word he
is seeking.
BOLD is free and beneficial for both students
and tutors. Paylor said the program helps to
demystify social stereotypes. Working with other
cultures leads to an understanding that promotes
not only a tolerance of another culture, but an
accepting nature of one another.
The number of students
attending fluctuates because
of work schedules or immigration status, as well as a growing discouragement with the
inconsistency of the tutors.
The Carrboro Commons
Story edited by Andy McNulty
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 7
School board denies course credit
for student government participation
Cites lack of previous
approval, resources
By Morgan Siem
Staff writer
Student government members of Chapel Hill
High and Carrboro High experienced firsthand
Jan. 17 how a real government body works.
But they were not enthused. The Chapel HillCarrboro School Board voted unanimously to
remove student government from the list of
credit courses.
“Student government is going to die,” Molly
Acuff, secretary of Carrboro High’s student government, muttered under her breath in a discussion about the board meeting.
BJ Berent, student government advisor for
Carrboro High, explained that student government “has always been a course for elective
credit.” Before transferring to Carrboro, Berent
spent three years as student government advisor
at Chapel Hill High, where student government
was treated as a course.
Jeffrey Thomas, principal of Carrboro High,
said the issue went before the board because,
“any course for which a student receives course
credit must be an approved course, and it was
not.”
Board member Mike Kelley said he based his
decision on the fact that, “the board had never
approved it in the first place.” Therefore, he said,
it was “not something that was a change, but a
first decision.”
“Student government is important to the
school culture, and I think they should have
time to do it,” Kelley said. “But I don’t think that
because they need time, they should have course
credit.”
The allocation of resources seemed to concern board members most. They discussed the
4-1 ratio of students to advisor and advisors’
stipends. In an interview, Kelley pointed out
that the type of student who joins student government is a “self-starter,” not in need of much
supervision.
“Student government is going
to die.”
Molly Acuff, secretary,
Carrboro High School
student government
Thomas said in an e-mail to the faculty after
the board’s Jan. 17 decision that since the activity
was treated as one of the five courses a teacher
in the district is required to teach, the advisors
were being paid a stipend as well as one-fifth of
a teacher’s salary to supervise student government.
Berent said that, “it involves so many extra
Staff photo by Morgan Siem
Members of Carrboro High’s student government met to discuss the Chapel
Hill-Carrboro School Board’s decision to remove student government from
the list of credited courses. From left: MacKenzie Price, vice president,
17; Daniel Matchar, co-president, 16; Kristina Witcher, treasurer,16; Molly
Superfine, co-president, 16; and Molly Acuff, secretary, 17.
hours beyond the period, including dances, rallies, etc. that the stipend should be compensation for those extra hours.”
Board member Jamezetta Bedford opposed
awarding course credit because she could not
“imagine a quality curriculum and educational
component.”
Molly Superfine, co-president of Carrboro
High, 16, disagreed with Bedford’s sentiment in a
later meeting of the student government.
“The leadership and experience we have
gained in this course is far beyond what we could
have learned in some other course with an AP
exam at the end of the year,” she said.
The other co-president, Daniel Matchar, 16,
said he felt “betrayed and, in a sense, used.”
He said he and Molly Superfine had felt honored when the board asked them to speak at
commencement and cut the ribbon, officially
opening the doors to their new school.
“Jamezetta Bedford made a big deal about
meeting Molly and me,” he said. “But I now
believe that was just a big show.”
Michael Sasscer, student government advisor and math teacher at Chapel Hill High,
said he wished the board had made a better
example of government operations for the
students.
“The School Board members are elected
officials, no different from the students here,”
he said.
“The board on that particular night should
have acted as a role model and demonstrated
for the students how a real government body
works. If it’s supposed to be for the people, by
the people, they should listen to the people.”
Sasscer told the students to learn from this
experience. This is a huge life lesson, he said. He
told them that if they ever chose to run for the
same elected positions, they could “sit back on
this and value the importance of communication.”
“In a large part, our voice has been silenced,”
Matchar said.
“We would not have this frustration if we felt
like we had been allowed to present our case,”
Sasscer said. “Nowhere in this process was this
group afforded the opportunity to rebut” the
concerns of the board.
Berent, Sasscer and the student government
members at Chapel Hill High and Carrboro High
continue their efforts to convince the board’to
change its decision.
Board member Kelley said that they still have
the opportunity to speak their part.
“Every person has an opportunity to talk at
any board meeting, and we all have phone numbers and e-mails,” he said.
But Sasscer worries that it is too late. “What
should have happened months before that meeting is now going to be a desperate attempt that’s
going to fall on deaf ears,” he said.
The Carrboro Commons
Story edited by William Harrison
By Alexandra Mansbach
“We need to stop things that say it’s OK to
forego education, go into the streets and
become pimps and ‘gangstas’ and ‘wankstas’ and all these other ‘thangstas’.”
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 8
Local King service highlights
problems in black community
Staff writer
Although it has made noticeable progress
since the days of Martin Luther King Jr., the black
community still faces many obstacles, said community leaders at the annual tribute to King held
at First Baptist Church in Chapel Hill on Jan. 21.
Rev. Curtis Gatewood, second vice president of the N.C. National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, was the keynote speaker at the service, which was attended
by hundreds, and pushed the community to
continue civil rights efforts.
“We can do better,” Gatewood said. “We are
not satisfied.”
The morning’s rally, scheduled for before the
service, was canceled due to freezing temperatures, but Camellia Lee, a junior at East Chapel
Hill High School, was at the Franklin Street Post
Office inviting passers-by to join her for mingling and treats.
“I really want our community to become more
one in its concerns,” Lee said. “I thought muffins
and hot chocolate were a good incentive.”
Lee was one of many in attendance later in the
morning to hear Gatewood and others discuss
issues concerning the community.
Gatewood began his speech with a rap duet
with his daughter, Desmera. The rap touched on
aspects of King’s life and combined lyrics from
the gospel song “We Shall Overcome.”
He continued by covering a wide variety of
topics, including race-biased death penalty convictions, the presidential race, the importance
of voting, unreasonable school suspensions and
family life within the community.
Gatewood emphasized the startling number
of primary and middle school children who are
— Rev. Curtis Gatewood, keynote speaker
Staff Photo by Alexandra Mansbach
Dr. Yonni Chapman (right) shakes
hands with Rev. Curtis Gatewood
upon receiving the Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. Community Service Award.
being suspended from school. These suspensions, Gatewood said, remove kids from a learning environment and leave them at home alone
when parents are at work.
Gatewood also spent time encouraging parents to get more involved in their children’s lives,
telling them to pay more attention to the music
their kids listen to.
“We must pull the plug on music that portrays
to our youth that they can become criminals and
be successful,” Gatewood said.
“We need to stop things that say it’s OK to
forego education, go into the streets and become
pimps and ‘gangstas’ and ‘wankstas’ and all these
other ‘thangstas’,” Gatewood said. This type of
music, he said, is “sending the wrong message to
our beautiful children.”
The service also honored two members of
the community for their work in the civil rights
movement.
Civil rights activist Harold Foster received the
Rebecca Clark Award for his participation in the
Chapel Hill civil rights movement in the 1960s.
Dan Pollit, a retired professor at the UNC
School of Law, spoke of a time when the area’s
stores, restaurants and movie theaters were segregated. Foster participated in pickets and sit-ins
that led to the elimination of segregation in the
community.
Foster “had a little light and he let it shine,”
Pollit said. “And we are all better off because of
that.”
UNC-Chapel Hill graduate, Dr. Yonni
Chapman, received the Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. Community Service Award for his research
and documentation of racism and civil rights in
the community.
“This struggle for justice has given meaning to
my life and to my family,” Chapman said.
Though big challenges still face the black
community decades after King’s death,
Gatewood made it clear that change is still
very possible.
As he said to the crowded sanctuary, “The
impossible is possible with faith.”
The Carrboro Commons
Story edited by Sam Wineka
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 9
Wounds from fires still healing
Carrboro residents
recover from blazes
that engulfed two
apartment buildings
By Tracey Theret
Staff writer
Almost two months after a fire destroyed
her Ashbrook Apartment Homes unit, former
Carrboro resident Joey Watkins is living life as
normally as possible.
“There’s not a lot you can do but recover from
it,” Watkins said. “There’s not a lot you can do
except pick up and go on.”
Carrboro was reminded of the importance of
fire safety and sprinkler systems after two major
apartment fires displaced dozens of its residents
during the last half of 2007.
Watkins unit was one of 14 burnt units in
Ashbrook’s J building on Jones Ferry Road. The
Nov. 28 fire displaced more than 20 residents,
though none were injured.
Carrboro Fire-Rescue Chief Travis Crabtree
said the department now knows the fire began
on a balcony of the building and how it started,
but does not have proof from a witness.
Watkins was in her apartment cooking when
the fire started.
“The fire alarm went off and, because I was
having problems previously with my smoke
detectors going off with no reason, I thought
it might have been the pizza I was cooking,”
she said.
Watkins opened the sliding glass door of
her apartment and was engulfed in a plume of
smoke. Though someone rescued the cat she
had to leave behind, Watkins had to put it down
from smoke inhalation days later.
On Sept. 30, a fire damaged the majority of
the 14-unit G building of the Colonial Village
at Highland Hills on BPW Club Road, displacing about 20 residents and killing 55-year-old
resident Gloria Ines Suarez.
The building was aflame for about 28 minutes
before the fire department was dispatched, and
Crabtree said there was enough damage that
they could not find the cause of the blaze.
Neither of the buildings involved in the fires
was fitted with an indoor sprinkler system. A
1997 amendment to the town code requires that
all apartment buildings in Carrboro with three
or more units be equipped with sprinklers, but
exempts buildings that were constructed before
the amendment like Ashbrook and Highland
Hills.
Crabtree said that sprinklers “absolutely”
would have made a difference in the outcome
of the fires.
“There are no records of fatalities from per-
Staff Photo by Tracey Theret
About two months after a fire ripped through the Ashbrook Apartments’ J unit,
the area is fenced off with “No Trespassing” signs. The fire displaced more than
20 residents.
sons in a sprinkler building in North Carolina,”
Crabtree said. “It’s the best mode of prevention
you can have.”
According to documents provided by the
Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department, there were
six apartment fires in 2007. None of the buildings were equipped with sprinklers. Crabtree
estimated that out of about 100 three-story or
taller apartment buildings in Carrboro, 15 are
equipped with sprinklers in individual units.
Crabtree said the cost and inconvenience of
displacing residents while installing the systems
is too great to require that complexes retrofit
their units.
“It’s never been done anywhere in the nation,”
he said, adding that Carrboro has one of the
strongest sprinkler laws in the state.
The Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department has
DVDs to educate residents on residential sprinkler systems and especially encourages any new
home builders to contact the station for information on installation.
“Sprinklers are probably the only thing in your
home that will pay for themselves,” Crabtree
said.
Since the fire, Highland Hills has installed
sprinkler systems in some of its apartments.
Erica St. Lawrence, a junior at UNC-Chapel
Hill, recently signed a lease with the complex.
“When we went to go tour the facility weeks
ago, we asked about improvements they made,”
St. Lawrence said. “All the apartments that we
looked (in) had brand new fire detectors and
sprinklers in them.”
She added that she and her two future roommates “definitely” plan to get renters’ insurance,
something that Watkins said is a point she
stresses to everyone after her experience.
“I had to deplete all my savings and had to
repurchase everything I owned because I didn’t
have insurance,” Watkins said.
Fortunately for Megan Dean, a UNC graduate student who was living in Highland Hills’ G
unit, she was covered by her parents’ homeowners’ insurance.
“I had to make a list of everything I lost in my
apartment with the date I purchased the item
and how much it cost when I bought it.”
Dean’s estimate amounted to about $30,000,
not all of which the insurance money covered.
Neither Dean nor Watkins leased a unit in
their former apartment complexes. Dean said
that it was because the complex would be a daily
reminder of the loss of her possessions.
“It helped that I moved to a new complex
and a different side of town because it is like just
starting a fresh new life and I can’t be reminded
of what happened.”
The Carrboro Commons
Story edited by Seth Peavey
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 10
Drought breaks language barrier
OWASA educates
Carrboro’s Latino
community about
water conservation
By Leah Szarek
Staff writer
As the exceptional drought continues to
parch much of North Carolina, the Orange
Water and Sewer Authority has ramped up its
efforts to educate Carrboro and Chapel Hill
residents about conservation through public
forums, informational mailings and online
resources. That means reaching out to the
Spanish-speaking community as well.
Greg Feller, OWASA’s public affairs administrator, said the utility has taken steps to
increase accessibility to Spanish-language
resources.
“We have been working with a native
Spanish-speaking translator,” he said. But he
added, “we certainly can do better.”
The OWASA Web site offers links to some
information and forms in Spanish, but until
recently the Spanish-language page contained information on Level One water use
restrictions. The OWASA service area, which
includes Carrboro and Chapel Hill, has been
under Level Two restrictions since November
2007.
“Certainly we should be updating the
Spanish information whenever we change the
parallel English information,” Feller said. He
had the Web site updated as soon as the
Carrboro Commons brought the lapse to his
attention.
OWASA initiated a partnership with El
Centro Latino to better serve the Latino community of Carrboro, Feller said. He sends all
OWASA news releases to the community
center’s executive director, Ben Balderas, who
can then address any questions from Spanishspeaking residents.
Feller added that when Spanish-speakers
have more complicated concerns, OWASA
and El Centro Latino can set up a conference
call with the client. “About a year ago, we started working with
them,” Balderas said. “Greg approached us
because they were experiencing an increased
Hispanic clientele, and at that time they didn’t
have the appropriate staff to handle it.”
Feller said OWASA’s office staff can sometimes answer basic questions with their limited Spanish vocabulary, but El Centro Latino
is a “good local resource.”
El Centro Latino has not been fielding very
many questions from Carrboro’s Latino residents about water-related concerns, Balderas
said.
“If folks have problems with their water bill
being higher than average, they can come to
us,” he said, noting that the center is developing ways to reach out to the Spanish-speaking
community and inform them about such available resources.
Staff photo by Leah Szarek
Carrboro Laundromat proprietor Sport Campbell keeps a watchful eye on
her customers. Rising water bills and competition from other local businesses have her “just trying to make it.”
“We are starting a local Latino leadership
committee,” he said. “We can contact them
to assist with circulating information to the
community.”
Carrboro residents have not needed to look
beyond their monthly water bill for an update
on the drought.
Sport Campbell, proprietor of the Carrboro
Laundromat on Jones Ferry Road, said she has
noticed a spike in her water-dependent business’s bill from OWASA.
“Oh yeah, it sure has gone up,” she said.
But for Campbell, competition is her biggest
worry.
“There are three or four other Laundromats
around here,” she said. “I’m just trying to make
it.”
Carrboro Laundromat adjoins the Tienda,
Taquería y Carnizería Toledo’s and attracts
a large Latino clientele. Jerry Vargas said he
stops in regularly with two loads of laundry.
“It’s only $2.00,” he said, pointing out that he
saves on his own utility bills by making use of
the Laundromat’s machines and water.
OWASA estimates that 20 percent of residential water is used in washing machines, a
figure that could soon prompt more Carrboro
residents to join Vargas at the Laundromat.
Staff photo by Leah Szarek
Carrboro resident Jerry Vargas
waits for his laundry at the Carrboro
Laundromat. The persistent drought’s
effect on local water bills may drive
other residents to join him.
Poet laureate finds inspiration
in both his town and its citizens
The Carrboro Commons
Writes about the
history and people
of his ‘true home’
By Stephanie Kane
Staff Writer
Since receiving the award of Carrboro poet laureate last October, Neal McTighe has connected
deeply with the history of Carrboro and become
an active promoter of the arts in the community.
The New Jersey native now calls Carrboro his
true home. He has spent the last several months
exploring the community’s past and developing
poems that chronicle both the places and people
unique to the area.
One of McTighe’s goals in this position includes
compiling a collection of poems about Carrboro’s
history. One of his poems has appeared in the
Carrboro Citizen once a month since November.
His first published poem, “Black and White,” was
the piece that won him the award.
“I look for little pieces of hidden Carrboro
history and try to bring them out,” he said.
Further inspiration comes from Carrboro landmarks as well as from the three years McTighe
spent in Italy.
One poem, “Gone to Sleep,” is about the life
and death of renowned Carrboro artist, Elizabeth
Cotten. She was a traditional blues and folk singer
who started performing in the 1950s. Cotten
played the guitar with a signature alternating
bass style now known as “Cotten Picking.” In
McTighe’s piece, he references her most famous
work, “Freight Train,” a piece about the trains that
passed by her Carrboro bedroom at night.
Story edited by Kerry Cannity
McTighe’s most recent poem, ““Blind Man’s
Song” is inspired by one of the Durham’s most
famous blues singers, Blind Boy Fuller. The
poem profiles Fuller’s loss of sight during his
twenties and his career as a blind musician.
McTighe said he aims to write more Carrborofocused poetry in order to connect residents with
their community’s history, making it a personal,
but shared experience.
The poet laureate’s other academic pursuits
include his recent graduation from the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a doctorate in
Italian. He wrote his dissertation on 16th-century
Italian philosopher and poet, Giordano Bruno.
However, McTighe says he most enjoys writing fiction — particularly poetry — to which he
has been dedicated from an early age.
“I was brought up in an environment where
my parents and teachers made me feel comfortable about experiencing and talking about art,”
he said, adding that he wants other kids to feel
the same way.
McTighe wants to coordinate with the
Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department to
plan public poetry readings to generate interest
among young people.
Ideally, he said, he would organize a public
poetry contest with submissions from different age groups and announce the winners at
Carrboro Day or next year’s poet laureate ceremony. He said he loves Carrboro’s established
appreciation of the arts and wants an interactive
program to provide an outlet for children to
express themselves.
In April, McTighe will be doing poetry readings at the “Poetry on Your Plate” series at the
Century Center, which celebrates local artists
over an afternoon of lunch and coffee. A poetry
open-mic night is held at the Open Eye Café one
Tuesday night a month, starting February 5.
McTighe is an academic at heart and said
he sees himself potentially ending up in teach-
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 11
Photo courtesy of Neal McTighe
Before moving to the Chapel HillCarrboro area, McTighe lived in
Bologna, Italy, for three years. He
graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with
an advanced degree in Italian.
ing. For now, he wants to use his position as
Carrboro’s poet laureate to foster the love of the
arts already present in the town.
“To have something like the poet laureate of
a town — wow,” McTighe said. “It embodies so
much of what the town respects and appreciates ... I am a part of that.”
The Carrboro Commons
Story edited by Jessica Brickell
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 12
Carrboro alderman Lavelle gaining
knowledge, support in first months
By Colin Campbell
Staff writer
New Carrboro Board of Aldermen member Lydia Lavelle is spending
her first two months in office learning more about the intricacies of town
government.
Lavelle was sworn in Dec. 4 to fill the seat left by departing board member Alex Zaffron. She went to Wilmington last week to attend a conference for newly elected officials sponsored by UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of
Government and the N.C. League of Municipalities. She also has met with
the directors of each of the town’s departments.
“She’s in a learning mode,” said board member Jacquie Gist. “I really like
her approach to this. She’s taking her time, she’s listening and she’s establishing relationships.”
Lavelle attended a conference for newly elected officials from Jan. 23-25
in Wilmington entitled “The Essential of Municipal Government.” Taught
by UNC-CH faculty members and government officials from around the
state, it served as an introduction to the challenges that municipal government officials face.
“It’s basically a three-day primer for newly elected officials,” Lavelle said.
“I found it very informative and eye-opening.”
Mayor Pro Tem John Herrera said he recommends the conference to all
new board members.
“They teach the cutting edge of governance issues,” Herrera said. “It
hooks you up to a network of contacts.”
In addition to the conference, Lavelle said her meetings with department
heads helped her expand upon the knowledge she already had from working for the city of Durham.
“It was an opportunity to spend some in-depth time with each of them,”
Lavelle said. “Our work force is the backbone. It’s so important for us to
understand what their jobs are.”
Gist said that while most new board members attend the conference
and familiarize themselves with the workings of the town, Lavelle has been
particularly committed to the process.
“It’s standard procedure, and some people take it more seriously than
others,” Gist said.
While only two board meetings have been held since Lavelle was sworn
in, Herrera said he is impressed with what she has brought to the board.
“She’s terrific,” Herrera said. “She matches the values and progressive
vision of the current Board of Aldermen.”
Lavelle said she knew the other board members before she was elected,
which has eased her adjustment to the post.
“I think I have a very good relationship with all of them,” she said. “I look
forward to working with them.”
Lavelle adds her perspective as a resident of the northern area of
Carrboro that was annexed by the town in 2006, Gist said. She led the New
Staff Photo by Colin Campbell
Colleagues call Lydia Lavelle “terrific” and
compliment her intelligence and perspective.
Horizons Task Force, which aimed to integrate residents of the annexed
area with the rest of the town.
“Her intelligence and perspective are going to be great additions,” Gist
said.
Lavelle is the assistant dean of student affairs at North Carolina Central
University School of Law and the former law partner of Chapel Hill Mayor
Kevin Foy. She also brings experience with recreation, parks and greenways.
Lavelle said the biggest issue she has tackled so far on the board is the
review of plans for the Roberson Square development, which is a proposed complex of homes, stores and restaurants on South Greensboro
Street. She has not yet formed any definitive position on the issue, she
said.
“We’re all hearing from the public, and we’re looking forward to hearing
a report from staff,” Lavelle said. “Now the time’s here to really discuss it
and make some decisions.”
The Carrboro Commons
Story edited by Amy Bugno
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 13
Fluctuating temperatures this season have caused unpredictable sales
at Carrboro’s Weaver Street Market.
Warm days typically find visitors relaxing on the lawn with few purchases (left) while colder weather leaves
benches empty as patrons gather
inside for warm beverages and soups.
Sales waver in wacky winter weather
Staff photos by Kennedy Carruthers
Crowds on the Weaver Street
lawn may feign booming
sales, but records show profits
are down this season.
By Kennedy Carruthers
Staff writer
It’s a pleasant Sunday afternoon in Carrboro.
The air is crisp but not too cold. The sun is out­,
and so are the people at Weaver Street Market.
The unusually warm weather this winter season brought crowds to Weaver Street Market’s
lawn, seemingly indicating that the cooperative’s
sales were thriving. But, according to Windy
Willer, a 15-year employee at Weaver Street
Market, crowds do not always equal dollars.
In fact, weekly business records plotted since
2003 indicate that sales are significantly and
consistently higher during colder months. Profits
for 2007 peaked at over $350,000 in November
and were steadily lower in the warmer months of
July through September, only rising when UNCChapel Hill students returned to school.
“Warm weather means people don’t cook
and bake as much,” Willer said. Besides scarcer
grocery sales, the coffee and soup bars also lose
business in warmer weather.
“I feel like I eat more in the winter,” said Debra
Pearson-Moyers, who has shopped at Weaver
Street for 15 years. “Plus, I think there is this
feeling of getting frozen over in an ice storm – I
live in the country.”
On any given spring day, the lawn at WSM is
packed with people. It is during warmer months
when promotional events – “vibrancy” as Willer
describes them – start to increase, and sales
begin to fall.
“Clearly, what the community wants
to do is hang out on the lawn – hang
out and listen to music,” Willer said.
“It’s when people hang out on the lawn that we
have our lowest sales.”
There were 77 events between April and
September 2007, whereas Weaver Street Market
only hosted 33 events from the previous October
to March. According to Willer, it is hard for customers to find parking places and shop through
the crowds during promotional events.
Lizzie Stephens, a 21-year-old student at
UNC-CH and loyal WSM shopper, agreed.
“Because WSM is also such a hang-out place,
it does make it a lot harder to find a parking
place and do my shopping efficiently, especially
in the warmer weather when there are triple the
amount of people there,” she said. “But it’s worth
it for the great food, people, and atmosphere.”
The market must keep its employees and
customers happy for more than just benevolent reasoning. As a legally classified cooperative, customers and workers share in its ownership. There are currently 92 worker-owners and
13,729 consumer-owners.
Pearson-Moyers is a consumer-owner who
said she does most of her grocery shopping at
Weaver Street, only picking up hot sauce and
some snacks for her children from Harris Teeter.
She said a senior discount and a consumerowner discount keep her a dedicated Weaver
Street shopper.
Besides maintaining financial stability, there
is an underlying understanding that the company gives back to the community as much as
consumers give to the company, Willer said.
Consumer-owners get financial discounts as well
as incentives, such as gift cards that contribute 5
percent of the total sale to a community school
of choice.
“I got a recent e-mail from WSM that said
they would no longer put any products on their
shelves containing trans-fat or high-fructose
corn syrup,” Stephens said. “I think that’s amazing and an example of why WSM will always
have loyal customers.”
Perhaps it is this fundamental responsibility
that has developed Weaver Street Market into
the community hub that it is today. As Willer
put it, “We’re not just a grocery store, we’re a
gathering place.”
“Clearly, what the community wants to do is hang out on the lawn – hang
out and listen to music. It’s when people hang out on the lawn that we
have our lowest sales.”
Windy Willer, Weaver Street Market
The Carrboro Commons
Story edited by Nick Butler
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 14
Losing sight, gaining experience
Carrboro man’s love of photography endures despite visual impairment
By Evelyn Greene
Staff writer
Georg Gordon’s personal goal is to photograph every home basketball game this season
at Carrboro High School. This may not seem
like a remarkably ambitious goal — except that
Gordon is legally blind.
After multiple surgeries to correct developing
macular holes, cataracts and the loss of pigment
in his retinas, Gordon’s impairment forced him
to retire from his career as writer, photographer
and editor. Fortunately for the town of Carrboro,
even the loss of his sight couldn’t stop him from
doing what he loves.
“Digital [photography] has saved my life,” said
Gordon. He knows the range of his camera and
with help from the bold lines running the length
of the court, he knows where to expect action.
Kirk Ross, editor of the Carrboro Citizen,
where Gordon works, said “the joy of auto focus”
has kept Gordon in the field. “He really gets
some great shots,” said Ross.
In August of last year, Gordon moved to
Carrboro, just down the street from Carrboro
High School. Needing something to fill his free
time, he began to attend the home basketball games and take pictures. That’s when the
Carrboro Citizen entered the picture.
Ross said Gordon just wanted to help, and
offered his services to the Carrboro Citizen for
free.
Journalism isn’t about the money, Gordon
explained. “When I have a kid come up to me,
just totally overjoyed that his picture is in the
paper, I mean that just warms my heart.”
After years of building his portfolio by writing and photographing as a freelancer — “with
emphasis on the free,” said Gordon — he his
services to a small newspaper in Thomasville,
Alabama in 1996, beginning his third career.
Born in Canada, Gordon was an office machine
mechanic and a truck driver before he was drawn
to journalism.
Soon, he was providing 90 percent of the
material for the weekly newspaper. After four
months, the editor left and Gordon was offered
the vacant position. The Thomasville News
quickly consumed Gordon’s life.
Gordon successfully ran the paper for more
than nine years and became so involved that he
was often forced to spend the night on a cot in
the office. “My address where I was registered to
vote was the newspaper office,” Gordon said.
Throughout the years he spent editing stories
for the paper, he developed a few intriguing stories of his own. He was once threatened with jail
time for requesting public records, and engaged
in a political campaign, challenging the incumbent mayor.
In competing with The Thomasville Times, the
established paper in the area, Gordon proved his
determination by covering not only Thomasville
Staff Photos by Evelyn Greene
Georg Gordon photographs the men’s basketball game between Carrboro High
School and Hugh M. Cummings High School. Despite the loss of his sight,
Gordon has resolved to photograph every home game this season.
but the surrounding counties as well. When
funding dried up within the town because of
pressure from the mayor, The Thomasville News
found advertisers from outside the town.
“I knew nobody else was going to do what I
could do,” said Gordon of his paper’s coverage of
the broad area.
Even now, with the perpetual decline of his
eyesight, Gordon continues to write for three
newspapers in Alabama. He writes on anything
and everything, remaining hard-hitting and dedicated to the improvement of the towns his articles reach. “A fellow newsman told me,” Gordon
said, “the duty of a newspaper man is to comfort
the afflicted and to afflict the comforted.”
Gordon says he is even using this experience
to help those at home. He hopes to take his work
back and prove to the state of Alabama that even
blindness can’t keep him from his photography
and reporting. Gordon will be using his pictures
and articles to push for improvements in vocational rehabilitation programs.
When Gordon does return to Alabama in
February, it’s not just the pictures that the
town will miss. It’s the khaki vested gentleman
moving along the baseline with his camera and
press pass, providing engaging conversation and
showing incredible determination that Carrboro
will lose when Georg Gordon makes his way
back home.
Sports bring students together
The Carrboro Commons
Story edited by Johanna Yueh
Issue 3.1/Spring 2008 • Page 15
High school community
begins on the field and
in the stands
By Sean Umstead
Staff writer
Sports can connect people on a level that few
things can. One shot can make two people who
have never spoken embrace and be forever bound
by that shared moment. This type of connection
is especially evident in new high schools across
America, where students can find initial identity
and friendship around their athletic teams.
Carrboro High School is that new school, and
so far its athletic program has reflected its immaturity. The football team won only once last fall
and gave up over 70 points four times. The varsity volleyball team notched only three victories
and did not win a game in 17 matches.
Carrboro High has been competing with
only freshmen, sophomores and juniors in the
school’s inaugural year, making sports mean
something different to the Jaguars than simply
wins and losses.
“We are trying to establish a tradition for others to follow,” said Robert Kenny, a junior and
men’s soccer co-captain. “The school is small and
brand new, so it makes it hard.”
The school is full of diversity. Numerous distinct groups of students sit around the common
area before school begins. Although students
from different background make up the school,
sports have created a common outlet around
which they can all rally.
The team’s record really does not matter on
Friday nights, according to John Beck, a junior
football player. He cited the support they got
throughout the season from the school and
Sean Umstead
Carrboro High School opened in the fall of 2007, but its sports teams will
need time to catch up with the academia.
community.
Juniors have had to play a big role in developing the pride the school takes in the Jaguar
athletic program.
“Younger players are more accountable,” said
Nick Swartzwelde, a junior lacrosse player said.
“[We] had to step up to fill leadership roles that
aren’t filled” by seniors.
Many players believed this year’s leadership
experience will help to make next season that
much more successful.
“We all have the goal to have a winning record
as soon as possible,” Swartzwelde said.
The school is likely to have a tough time finding that winning stride, but that is not to say
there is no precedent for quick progress. It took
Green Hope High School of Cary only three
years to reach the state semifinals in football
after it graduated its first class.
“Carrboro High School is in very much the
same position I was in at Green Hope,” said
Dustin Prusik, a former Green Hope High School
quarterback and UNC junior.
“It just takes time and effort. The key is to
keep from getting discouraged, and the results in
the school can be amazing.”