Niagara Gazette
COLUMN BY KEN HAMILTON —
Scott rebounds home
Unless you are my age, or hooked on Nick at Night, you probably don’t know Gabe Kaplan nor the 1960s television series, “Welcome Back, Kotter.” For the record, it is not only the story of a school teacher returning to his New York schoolroom to teach under-achieving kids, but it is also the show that put the over-achieving thespian John Travolta (Vinny Barbarino) on the launch pad of his phenomenal career.
As often as I bash school superintendent Cynthia Bianco, I have to take a moment and compliment both the Niagara Falls Board of Education and her on the delightful “Kotter-esque” hiring of Niagara-born Eddie Scott Jr.
Scott, not quite returning to his classroom to teach, is doing one better than Kotter — he has come back to become a principal at the Niagara Falls High School.
Having a rather successful career in a more prosperous school district between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Md., Scott said he didn’t feel that he was contributing as much to those higher-income kids as he could to those in his hometown of Niagara Falls. So he packed up his young family and returned to where he thought he could make his greatest contribution to society — being a leader and an example to the kids back home.
One advantage Scott brings is that, like some 40 percent of the city’s students and more than half of its dropouts, he is an African-American. It is not to say that he will be able to better administer than his colleagues, but because of his relative youth and descriptive skin color, he does bring an improved ability to relate to many of the children and a tidal force of compassion.
Like the darker, sandier waves of that sea of knowledge that washes against the stones of the obstinate shore, Scott will help to remove another layer of excuses for failure and replace it with a bright, lighthouse of hope.
Like former school superintendent Carmen Granto, Scott is a Niagara Catholic alumnus. With Scott’s skill set, who knows? I am hoping we are looking at a future superintendent in him. If so, one of Scott’s ambitions, like that of former President Bill Clinton, should be to create a school district that looks more like its student body. It is one of the perceived advantages that virtually every suburban district already has.
Like Niagara Rising founder Frank Croisdale’s ambition, Scott’s return is bringing more former Niagarans home to become a part of the solution to our problems. Perhaps another such person may be former Niagaran, now Baltimore-area school counselor David Glover. I know Glover is chomping at the bit to help Niagarans win its educational race to the top.
I wish them both luck, and I will be following their progress.
Of oaks and Bonds
On a related school issue, but this one is of oaks and Bonds. Bloneva Bond, that is.
I recently received a call from Frances Curtis, the wife of former firefighter and friend, Nolan, asking me to see what I could do about planting a tree in honor of one of Niagara’s great ones, Bloneva Bond.
Bond was truly a unique person, with too many contributions to mention in the balance of this column. Among other things, she was a social worker, a member of the Niagara Falls School Board and one of my dear personal counselors. I will have more about her to follow. But for now, the planting ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Sept. 11 — her birthday — at Hyde Park on Robbins Drive. The community is encouraged to attend.
LSHS and NFHS are at it again
Speaking of Scott’s rebounding to Niagara Falls, Billy Barksdale’s group is putting on its second annual Labor Day NFHS/LSHS Basketball Reunion at Niagara County Community College. Last year’s phenomenally successful event took place at Niagara University. But Barksdale said this year’s event will be at NCCC. The event includes a concert at 6 p.m. Sept. 3, followed by the jump ball start of another fantastic reunion game at 1 p.m. Sept. 4.
Ken Hamilton is a Niagara Falls resident. His columns run Fridays in the Gazette. He welcomes feedback at Ken Hamilton930@aol.com.
