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Chapter 6: A Model Emerges, City-wide Movement Expands

Citywide Micah

LISTEN NOW: The Rev. Ben Campbell on Micah Intiative

The city-wide movement to involve more faith communities in Micah-like relationships grows to 22 participants.

This group further organized, under the leadership of the Reverend Ben Campbell, as the Micah Initiative

Micah On-the-Road

Woody the Woodville Bear travels across country with sponsor Overnite Trucking

SEPTEMBER 2003-AUGUST 2004

The school year kicked-off with a meeting and optional Prayer Service at St. Paul’s. Anticipations were high as our new principal, Rosalind Taylor, took the helm and led a very successful opening of the 2003/2004 year. We began the year with a new Micah partner—Overnite Transportation. Through Lisa McKnight, a parishioner, Overnite brought 20 new volunteers and on-going financial support to our efforts. Other Micah partners included Good Shepherd Baptist Church and Alpha Beta Boule Fraternity. An October Pot-luck was held for all partners, volunteers, teachers and administration at St. Paul’s to celebrate our successes together.  

Along with Ms. Taylor as principal, Betsy Carr served as Micah Outreach Coordinator and Phyllis Moyer as On-site Coordinator. Buford Scott continued to lead the St. Paul’s Micah Ministry Committee.

The Micah Ministry received wonderful news in November that Woodville had received a “fully accredited” rating from the Standards of Learning test results, the State’s highest rating. A Richmond Times-Dispatch article on November 13 reported the news and added the praise of Governor Warner to “Woodville students, as well as parents, teachers, administrators and PASS partners” who all worked together for this achievement. Past principal, Alberta Person, also credited the Micah Initiative as a contributing factor to this success. Mrs. Taylor pledged to continue the hard work to keep Woodville on top.

The year got off to a great start also because Phyllis Moyer was on duty again as CIS/Micah Coordinator and responsible for keeping 70 volunteers from St. Paul’s actively involved. Through Phyllis’s efforts, volunteers were successfully placed and in-service training sessions were held. She also coordinated volunteer background checks and provided volunteers with necessary tools for success. Phyllis was also responsible for coordinating donations given to Woodville.

The Reverend Holly Antolini volunteered to serve as Micah chaplain, since the Micah Ministry was one factor that drew her to St. Paul’s. She conducted spiritual formation sessions for volunteers throughout the year.

The city-wide movement to involve more faith communities in Micah-like relationships had grown to 22 participants. This group further organized, under the leadership of the Reverend Ben Campbell and chose the name, Micah Initiative: Richmond Faith Community School Partnership. Betsy Carr, St. Paul’s Micah Coordinator, devoted time to facilitate the formation of this group and helped to connect participating faith communities and city elementary schools. Betsy and others also traveled to Portsmouth and Norfolk to speak with churches.

By mid-year, volunteers were already reporting an improved environment at Woodville and an enhanced atmosphere for learning. Over 70 volunteers, including 14 non-members, served as mentors, tutors, classroom assistants, taught piano, worked on landscaping, and photographed special events. Mrs. Taylor’s first year proved an extremely positive one, with marked improvements on many fronts. Our partnership was strong. Any doubts as to the success of its continuation because of a new principal had been quelled. Her appreciation for our efforts, unflagging enthusiasm and “can do” attitude bolstered our morale. What’s more, being a deeply spiritual woman herself, she resonated with the depth of our commitment and understood where we were coming from. She was truly a Godsend to Woodville and to Micah.

The entire Woodville School enjoyed following the travels of Woody the Woodville Bear, the school mascot, who rode 20,000 miles cross country with Overnite truck drivers. Woody wrote letters and sent pictures to Woodville students from different stops across America. The project, sponsored and coordinated by our Overnite partners, emphasized geography, math, history and the ability to communicate with people across the nation. Woody returned to Woodville after his 98-day journey and was met with a cake, balloons, posters and cheers of “Woody, Woody!” from the whole school. Woody brought back pictures Overnite drivers took of him in many places across the country and souvenirs for the students. 

SUMMER 2004

We moved from the Early Learners’ Academy model held at Woodville School in previous summers out into the community for Summer Camp 2004. With CIS providing transportation, 20 Woodville students attended camp this summer at Henricus Historic Site, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Maymont. Three Ruby Martin Award winners attended Shrine Mont’s Music and Drama Camp. Fifteen St. Paul’s volunteers helped at Henricus or provided transportation. This was the beginning of what would grow into a large summer camping program for Woodville.

OTHER HIGHTLIGHTS:

  •  Ms. Taylor asked Micah volunteers to assist with opening day of school, welcoming students and parents.
  •  Virginia Mentoring Partnership (VMP) began working with Micah to orient volunteers. This was the beginning of a very successful on-going relationship with this group. All new volunteers at Woodville were encouraged to attend one of the VMP’s workshops.
  • Our 14-minute Micah video, The Micah Initiative, had many showings and was important in introducing other faith communities to the Micah story and model. One-hundred videos were distributed locally, regionally and nationally.
  • Micah was featured in an article in Richmond Magazine on how to improve schools.
  • Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Jewell-Sherman presented a program focusing on the impact of the Micah Initiative at a national educational conference and showed our video.
  • The Micah Committee worked to fulfill Principal Rosalind Taylor’s requests for volunteer and monetary help. We agreed to fund leadership consultant, Tammy Jackson, to work with Ms. Taylor and the faculty.
  • Jane Reeves lead a landscaping effort at the school, planting bulbs and better caring for existing landscaping around the building.
  • St. Paul’s volunteers were trained and participated in the Voyager Reading program in the early grades and in Math Buddies—two new programs at Woodville.
  • St. Paul’s again sponsored and served at the Holiday Dinner at Christmas, which 460 Woodville family members attended. This became a “one-time” volunteer opportunity for parishioners who could not come to the school during the day. Micah also sponsored several informal suppers for teachers and parents throughout the year.
  • The Martin Luther King, Jr. I Have a Dream celebration continued to be a galvanizing experience for both communities.
  • Volunteers read to classes as part of Read Across America Day.
  • In February, the Micah Initiative was awarded a special citation and certificate of recognition at City Council. Vice-mayor Delores McQuinn complimented the work of St. Paul’s and mentioned the well attended Martin Luther King, Jr. service. The certificate read:
    “For outstanding service to Richmond’s children and youth in expanding education opportunities for those in distressed neighborhoods, and for building capacity in the community that transcends economic, social and racial lines to care for children and youth in a manner that embraces their current circumstances, their outlooks and, even existing obstacles to create a passage through which light does illuminate bright futures and opportunities to develop full potentials. And to commend the many volunteers, lay leaders, and persons of faith who have opened the doors of their churches by expanding their hearts to reach the understanding that within “community” there is a “family” that nurtures those who need it most, in the interest of partnership, and in the love of humanity that ultimately provides the true basis of growth and progress.”
  • The Micah Committee led adult forums at St. Paul’s in March and May, bringing in volunteers, teachers and administrators to share Micah with those not yet involved.
  • Philip Brooks’s company donated 20 PCs to Woodville.
  • The PTA was reorganized. Rosalind Taylor worked hard with parents, meeting regularly with them at her “Chat and Chews” and at other events.
  • Enrichment opportunities for our students were growing, thanks to several private enrichment grants. Page Luxmoore organized these efforts.
  • The end of the year celebration at Betsy Carr’s home with volunteers, teachers and administration has become a beloved tradition for all.

OTHER CHALLENGES:

  • A large grant we had hoped to receive fell through, putting the Micah Ministry in challenging financial times. Micah asked for and received further Church support for our efforts.
  • The Prayer Partner Committee, under the leadership of Page Luxmoore, explored matching prayer partners with students/classrooms to involve parishioners who could not come to school.
  • The St. Paul’s Micah Committee continued to affirm the goal of creating ties with parents and adults in the Woodville community as a major focus, as well as working to increase volunteer numbers and support for Micah among St. Paul’s members. We also advocated for Woodville with the Richmond Public Schools to have a full-time social worker on staff, in light of students’ needs we witnessed each day.
  • Concern centered around the media center/library and how it could become more accessible to students as well as become a calmer place for mentors/tutors to meet with students.
  • Conflict still existed at St. Paul’s as the Outreach Task Force sought to integrate all outreach efforts at St. Paul’s and to find the proper place for the Micah Ministry.
  • Delays in matching students and mentors/tutors in the fall.
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