Morning Minute: Wednesday, July 10, 2019

News About Town: At Monday's council meeting, Dr. Clayton Wilcox, Superintendent for CMS, spoke to the board about the mobile units at Elizabeth Lane Elementary. Usually, the sunset clause is renewed annually. This year interim planning director Jay Camp suggested the board extend the provision for three or four years with hopes that in four years the Lansdowne relief school should be complete. The conversation switched quickly and amicably to traffic patterns around the school during the afternoon let out. Tensions arose when Commissioner Kress Query brought up adding video cameras to the modules, a suggestion he’s made in the past. Dr. Wilcox explained the redundancies of adding a system by the town but conceded CMS would cooperate if doing so would please the board.

News Around Town: On July 5 Animal Control was called to Novant Matthews (1500 Matthews Township Pkwy) regarding an aggressive cat. The grey, medium-sized six months old kitten, had, in fact, bitten two people. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Animal Care & Control apprehended the cat and took it for testing. The tests came back positive for rabies. If you’ve been in contact with any cats in the hospital area, the Matthews Police Department urges you to contact the Mecklenburg County Health Department immediately at 704-614-6512 or 704-589-3242.

One Good Thing: Pro Active Chiropractic (300 East John St. Suite 130) is hosting a blood drive with the American Red Cross this Friday, July 12, from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm. Register online at redcrossblood.org and enter the Sponsor code “ProActive.”

Morning Minute: Friday, May 3, 2019

News About Town: The Town of Matthews offers many opportunities for residents to get involved on a committee level. For those interested in the arts (and sciences), Arts and Science Council has a spot open for a Matthews voice starting Fiscal Year 2020. The first meeting will be held October 2019.  The deadline to apply is May 31; appointments will be announced mid-August.

News Around Town: The Loyalist Market recently received a 3 Crown rating (the highest honor) as a Charlotte Green Crown award winner from Charlotte’s Office of Sustainability. The Office of Sustainability created the awards to encourage implementation and reduction of the use of natural resources in the restaurant industry. The Loyalist’s initiatives, such as replacing plastic straws with hollow pasta noodles, compostable carry out containers, and a bike rack at the door, have made The Loyalist a leader in sustainability in Matthews.

One Fun Thing: First through fifth grade Crown Point Elementary artists will have their works on display at McDowell Art Gallery (123 East McDowell St., Matthews) from  May 4 to May 31. Sandy Wilkinson, Show Chairperson, and Paige Brown, Crown Point Art Teacher, have curated over 100 projects over the course of the school year to display in the show.

Morning Minute: Tuesday, April 23, 2019

News About Town: Now that Alta Planning and Design, the consultant for the Downtown Mobility Study, has started work, Alta is seeking insight. The Town has posted a Survey and a Map, two methods to better understand design needs from citizens’ vantage point. The Map is a visual method to provide input while the survey consists of a few quick questions; both ask about pedestrian, bicyclist, and transit needs in the downtown area.

Perhaps the perfect spot for a selfie? Where’s that bench?

News Around Town:  With CMS schools closed on May 1, various Mecklenburg County Park and Rec centers have special day-long camps planned. Typically camps are priced between $10 and $25. There are no county rec centers in Matthews (Crews Road is Town-run), but perhaps there is a location near your place of work. Find the closest center and call to see what they have planned.

One Fun Thing: Join Habitat and Wildlife Keepers (HAWK) this Saturday (April 27) for an Earth Day Celebration at Squirrel Lake Park. The festivities run from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Plenty of vendors will have activities for the whole family, Coca Cola will have free rain barrels, and Ranger Rick will be standing by for photo ops. This one, without a doubt, tops the Crunchy Feely-Meter in all the best ways possible.

Rezoning: Bainbridge Matthews (Matthews-Mint Hill Road)

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Land clearing has begun for Bainbridge Matthews, a future development located on Matthews-Mint Hill Road near Butler High School. This land was formerly the Oakhaven Mobile Home Park, Overcash homestead, and Query Homestead.

On December 11, 2017, the Board of Commissioners approved Rezoning Request 2017-663 with Higdon, Miller, Ross, Whitley and Urban in favor and Taylor and Melton opposed. The property, totaling 30.752 acres, was rezoned from R-12, O(CD), R-MH, RU, and BH to R-12MF(CD).

(What do those zoning codes mean? There’s a chart for that.)

Now demolished, the Overcash home, built in 1921, had significant remodeling and was therefore not a good candidate for historic preservation or relocation. The barn was in fair condition, but the Town had little need for it after repurposing the Idlewild Road barn. A log cabin on the site is likely over 100 years old was offered to the town for historic preservation. The cabin will need some reconditioning.

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The multifamily Bainbridge Matthews complex consists of 350 rental units, including both apartments and townhomes. Two pocket parks will flank the entrance at Northeast Parkway and will be available for public use daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The developer will construct the portion on Northeast Parkway that will run through their property, as well as a multi-use path on one side and a sidewalk on the other. The developer has accounted for 18 bike parking spots throughout the complex.

Though not noted on the original staff report, in October 2017 the Planning Department added the following information:

• CMS indicates this project will generate 128 new students for Crown Point Elementary, Mint Hill Middle, and Butler High School. by this project.

• The trip generation report indicates a total of 2,245 cars per day.

Bainbridge will preserve at least 15% of the existing tree canopy (a minimum tree save of 4.79 acres) as directed by R12-MF zoning. The majority of tree save is along property boundaries.

In the process of approving any new development the board discusses the affect on town services, the tax base, and projected tax revenue from the project. Prior to development the tax revenue was $16,700 (total for both parcels), the anticipated tax revenue (after construction) is an estimated $128,000.

If you’re looking for the Cliff Notes version, here’s a handy dandy summary:

#ThrowbackThursday: February 22, 2007

With permission, The Beacon is archiving past issues of Matthews Record (also called Matthews News and Record and The Matthews Record) articles online. Throwback Thursday articles will include relevant content still facing Matthews today. This story was originally published February 22, 2007 and was written by Janet Denk.

CMS Learning Communities, construction discussed

Former Butler principal Joel Ritchie, who was named the first area superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools last month, was back on his old stomping grounds last Monday.

Not in the Butler Bulldog pen, but rather at Town Hall, delivering information about the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ decentralization plan. He was joined by CMS executive director of Facilities Planning and Real Estate, Mike Raible, who talked about construction.

Decentralization

CMS will decentralize into six geographic areas based on growth projections and municipal and neighborhood boundaries. Each area ranges from 17,000 to 25,000 students. The initial cost estimate for the decentralization and establishment of area offices is about $8 million. The goal is to help each school become more closely aligned with the community it serves, and it will put resources and administration closer to parents and other members of the public. An area superintendent will lead each of the six areas, dubbed learning communities. A seventh area, called the Achievement Zone, contains 10 schools with low test scores and high needs.

Construction

The school system needs $2.5 billion for construction over the next decade to keep up with explosive growth and enrollment, according to CMS officials.

The two main proposals are where to spend the money and how to build the schools. Superintendent Peter Gorman is calling for building more suburban schools and fewer renovations closer to the center city. A panel that included educators, designers, and contractors recommended about 75 ways to save money. Some of the cuts are sore spots for different areas - for instance - having high schools share football stadiums and auditoriums.

Olympics STEM Excitement for Matthews Students

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

On Thursday afternoons at the Matthews Elementary School, 18 fourth- and fifth-grade students meet to learn new techniques, gain knowledge, foster teamwork, and work together.

By the excitement, alone, one might believe they are gearing up for an upcoming traditional sports event. However, in this case, sports uniforms are nowhere to be found. Instead, this group is employing preparation, commitment, speed, dexterity, knowledge, fortitude, passion, application and focus in the hope that they may place in next year’s (May) North Carolina Science Olympiad (NCSO) competition. They are the only elementary school in Matthews participating in this sport.  

Make no mistake - the whoops, hollers, excitement level and words of encouragement emanating from this classroom would belie the best of a Friday night football game; this group is clearly here to win. And, like all sports, the emphasis remains on the overall team effort - to work through a series of competitions consisting of different hands-on, interactive, challenging and inquiry-based team events involving biology, earth science, environmental science, chemistry, physics, mechanical engineering and technology toward an end-goal.

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

“They already have a natural love of science,” says fifth-grade Elementary Math and Science teacher, Jamie Worth, who is also the group’s “coach.” Now in her sixth year of running a group, she adds, “my job is to (also help them) have the most fun.”

To be included here, fourth and fifth graders must submit an essay and receive a recommendation by their homeroom teacher. The best essays and recommendations result in being chosen for the group. This year, the team is primarily girls - 14 of 18 participants. While Jamie can’t quite explain this phenomenon, the opportunity is not lost on her as a “female teacher getting more female involvement,” fostering “more girl scientists…This is the year of the girls,” she adds. “I am excited to lead a team with a way different dynamic than ever before!”

For Hadley, now in her third year of NCSO, she’s here “because I like science. My mom is a biology teacher. I like being part of a team and trying new things…I hope to shape my career out of it.”

Addie, also in her third year of participation, said being given a challenge and participating in the events provides excitement and a sense of camaraderie.

And, Amelia added, besides the requisite essay and recommendations, she believes the teacher picks the participants who are the greatest “team players.”

It is an approach which offers education, competition, and opportunities for working together. “Those kids who give the best effort, are willing to work hard, and stay positive,” said Jamie, “are picked. It’s not (necessarily) the smartest children.”

On this particular day, the second week of the session, the “Duct Tape – Build a Boat” challenge required students to “design and float a boat that holds the most marbles.” Within seconds, each student began excitedly creating their structure. One by one, they placed their boats in the water. The majority sank, with an overflow of design “holes.” But, the overall intent was to teach buoyancy and surface area - a valuable lesson which clearly showed that intention and creativity, alone, do not necessarily equate to success.

“Who cares if you fail the first (time),” said Jamie. “Make a plan, make it better. Do better. I think most were more than willing to update their designs based on what they saw worked and didn’t.  The students are natural observers so they could easily figure out a new and better approach,” she said.

In the end, most participants realize that patience, diligence, and perseverance will go a long way to achieving the end goal.

Photo by Cyma Shapiro

“These kids don’t realize how hard this is,” said Jamie, referencing the fact that the younger 4th graders are often disappointed with not learning all the concepts and/or losing during final competition, compelling them to return the following year with a greater hunger and passion to win.

To train for the final event, students attend the weekly classes and are required to study for approximately one hour per week. Within the group, students may choose three of 18 competitions offered with such categories as “ProGamers,” “Weather Permitting” and “Pasta Tower.”  In many instances, the questions and categories reflect classroom work already being mandated (and taught) by the North Carolina Course of Study (grades 2-6).

In addition, parents often volunteer their time to coach for one event and are involved in supporting their students outside of practice, as well.

To help participants prepare, Jamie creates a different study guide for each student. This will be the basis of their year-long study.  The work demands logical and critical-thinking skills, retention and a greater understanding of all the basic concepts. “I remember how difficult it was,” Jamie said. “It’s not an easy thing to do!”

This past May, at the finals, some Matthews children placed in events and others medaled; the group also won the NCSO’s (regional) Spirit Award given for the best sportsmanship, collaboration, and teamsmanship – an award Jamie says she’ll take “any day.”  She hopes to again win this award in 2019. “We spend more time building a team than teaching,” said Jamie.”

Having participated in NCSO during eigth grade, at Northeast Middle School in Charlotte, Jamie sees this as an extension of her own life and her own passion. She has a fervent her desire to foster more interest in these fields.  “It doesn’t look like I’m in the science field, but here I am analyzing data and doing things scientists do!” she said. “I want students to realize that science doesn’t just mean a person with a lab coat. It can be anyone.”

NCSO is a nonprofit organization with a mission to attract and retain K-12 students entering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees and careers in North Carolina. In 2018, more than 980 K-12 teams representing over 18,000 students and 85 counties in North Carolina participated in NCSO activities.