Kleyn-Kennedy: Community, connections abundant

During this past year we've all been overwhelmingly involved in doing our absolute educational best for our students and staff. One crucial element we've come to appreciate is the importance of community. Working together as educators, students, families, and other community members as we've made our way through this past year's valleys, we've deeply felt the reality of community.

Community is nurtured through traditions established and carried through the years, knitting us together as family, friends, and members of the community. I had the privilege of witnessing a poignant example just the other day.

Jon Nagel, history teacher at CHS Freshman Academy, wanted to highlight his Civil Rights unit by providing first-hand experience of tumultuous times and injustices of former days. He invited special guest Norvil Howell to come to CHSFA to speak to his students about experiencing firsthand the days when Civil Rights legislation was evolving.

Nagel began by sharing a powerful article written by Seattle Times award-winning columnist, Jerry Large back in 2004.The article focused on the genuine humanity of Howell, legendary leader of the CHS bands and music programs.

While Howell is perhaps best known for fostering impeccable standards of the CMS music program for almost half a century, he's also lauded as an individual with strong personal ethics and sense of justice. Large wrote about the impact he felt seeing Howell, back in the 1960s, demonstrating a passage of music “ -- not because of the way he (Howell) played, but because a white man had put my mouthpiece to his lips.”

Large went on to describe other demonstrations of Howell. For example, on a student band trip during the days of segregation, stopping at a restaurant to eat, only to be told that some of his students would have to eat in the kitchen; Howell marched out, insisting he would not tolerate mistreatment of any of his students.

With multiple classes of CHSFA freshmen gathered in the school library to listen to Howell's stories in that living history lesson, there was pin-drop silence, with rapt students' faces, listening, asking questions.

What an example of community and tradition in action: columnist Jerry Large is a product of Clovis schools; Howell is married to long-time CHS teacher Elaine Howell whose son is CHSFA Principal John Howell who is married to Mesa Principal Julie Howell and … well, you get the idea.

We are all intertwined; we are family; we are the community of Clovis.

Cindy Kleyn-Kennedy is the instructional technology coordinator for the Clovis Municipal Schools and can be reached at: [email protected]