A salute to Detroit Scholar-A thletesClass of 2014

Volume I

Michigan chronicle

2 Scholar Athletes July 2014

United for Youth and Education, Victory Is AssuredDear Supporters of Detroit Youth,Thank you for reading a special section within the Michigan Chronicle. In the pages that follow, we recognize young men and young women that demonstrated a commitment to excellence in the classroom and on the athletic field during four years of high school.

Our objective was not to identify students with the most athletic honors or even highest grade point average. Instead, we wished to highlight students that reflected all the qualities of outstanding scholar-athletes, including high character and strong work ethic.

We are most appreciative for the principals, athletic directors, coaches and other school staff that assisted us in identifying students at their school. These dedicated educators contribute to their students success in many waysin and out of the classroom. We also are grateful for the families of our scholar-athletes for providing the needed support at home that ensures high achievement at school.

The untold story is that there are many unsung youth in our community that are deserving of our admiration and support. We feel privi-leged to share a small slice of this story and look forward to sharing more through our partnership in the future.

Sincerely,

Hiram E. Jackson Jimmy Settles Jack MartinPublisher Vice President Emergency ManagerMichigan Chronicle UAW Detroit Public Schools

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Scholar Athletes June 2014 3

Cass Tech

Students name: Ryon Walker. Parents names: Michelle Walker and Ryon Malone.Overall grade point average: 3.3.Academic highlights: Wade McCree Scholar and honor roll.Athletic highlights: Basketball team captain.College choice: United States Naval Academy.

Cass Tech

Students name: Mike Laster.Parents names: Pamela and Dennis Laster. Overall grade point average: 3.5.Academic highlights: Honor roll.Athletic highlights: Three-year varsity basketball letter winner and team captain.

Cass Tech

Students name: Charles Key.Parents names: Charles and Sonya Key.Overall grade point average: 3.2.Academic highlights: Honor roll.Athletic highlights: Four-year basketball letter winner and team captain.College choice: Wayne State University.

Cass Tech

Students name: Kenny Carpenter.Parents names: Sophia Couch and Kenneth Carpenter Overall grade point average: 3.0.Academic highlights: Honor roll.Athletic highlights: Associated Press Class A Special Mention All-State basketball, four-year basketball letter winner and team captain.College choice: Cleveland State University.

Michigan chronicle

Denby

Students name: Hakeem Weatherspoon.Parents names: Loria Rowser and Russell Weatherspoon.Overall grade point average: 3.6.Academic highlights: Co-salutatorian; National Honor Society vice president; Denby Elite Members; honor roll.Athletic highlights: State track qualifier and varsity basketball. College choice: Michigan State.

Denby Students name: Ella Shelton.Parents names: Derrick Mitchell and Rhonda Mitchell.Overall grade point average: 3.6.Academic highlights: Co-salutatorian; Detroit Public Schools Proud Strong Learner of the Week; National Honor Society; student government; teen court; forensics debate team president.Athletic highlights: Two-time Detroit Public Schools All City softball and softball team captain.College choice: University of Michigan.

Detroit Collegiate Preparatory High School at Northwestern

Students name: Jasmine Connor.Parents names: Rodney and Monique Connor.Overall grade point average: 3.85.Academic highlights: Principals List; National Honor Society; honor roll.Athletic highlights: Basketball team captain and First Team Detroit Public School League All-City.College choice: Robert Morris University.

Detroit Collegiate Preparatory High School at Northwestern

Students name: Derrick Jones.Parents names: Frank Jones and Arlanea Bowles.Overall grade point average: 3.2.Academic highlights: National Honor Society; Principals List.Athletic Highlights: Varsity basketball team captain. College choice: Lane College.

Michigan chronicle

4 Scholar Athletes July 2014

Detroit International Academy for Young Women

Students name: Brianna Jones. Parents name: Anna Booker. Overall grade point average: 3.2. Academic Highlights: Honor Roll. Athletic Highlights: Basketball team captain. College choice: Eastern Michigan.

Douglass Academy for Young Men

Students name: DeShawn Sanders Jr. Parents names: DeShawn Sanders Sr. and Serena McGaughy Overall grade point average: 3.4. Academic Highlights: Detroit Public School League Proud Strong Learner of the Week and four-year honor roll. Athletic Highlights: Honorable mention all-area basketball. College choice: Muskegon Community College.

Douglass Academy for Young Men

Students name: Daavi Bradley. Parents name: Kimberly Robinson. Overall grade point average: 3.0. Academic Highlights: Detroit Public School League Proud Strong Learner of the Week and honor roll. Athletic Highlights: Detroit News Honorable Mention All Metro Detroit basketball. College choice: Henry Ford Community College.

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Scholar Athletes June 2014 5

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Douglass Academy for Young Men

Students name: Darrell Davis Jr.Parents names: Darrell and Tanisha Davis.Overall grade point average: 4.0.Academic Highlights: Three-time Detroit Public Schools Proud Strong Learner of the Week; 2013-14 PSL Proud Strong Learner of the Year; FreepHigh.com staff writer; four-year honor roll. Athletic Highlights: Associated Press Class B Boys Basketball Player of the Year; Mr. Basketball Finalist; MLive Basketball Dream Team; Detroit News First Team All Metro Detroit basketball; all-state basketball; varsity cross country.College choice: University of Dayton.

Douglass Academy for Young Men

Students name: Terrell Hales.Overall grade point average: 3.5.Academic Highlights: Detroit Public School Proud Strong Learner of the Week; FreepHigh.com staff writer; four-year honor roll. Athletic Highlights: Detroit News Third Team All Metro Detroit basketball; Associated Press Class B Honorable Mention basketball.College choice: Cleveland State University.

Martin Luther King High School

Students name: Marta Grays.Parents names: Tara Grays, John Clawson.Overall grade point average: 3.0.Academic highlights: Honor roll; student government; mentor to underclassmen.Athletic highlights: Miss PSL basketball; basketball team co-most valuable player.College choice: DePaul University.

Martin Luther King High School

Students name: Avonte Maddox.Parents names: Melanie Jackson and Michael Maddox.Overall grade point average: 3.0.Academic highlights: Detroit Public School League Proud Strong Learner of the Week; honor roll; student government; mentor to underclassmen.Athletic highlights: Michigan-Ohio Football Border Classic All-Star; Associated Press Division 1-2 all-state football; Detroit Free Press All-State Football Dream Team; Detroit Public School League all-city baseball; varsity basketball.College choice: University of Pittsburgh.

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Michigan chronicle

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, involves leading one of Detroits most treasured high schools during a controversial transitional period.

For Detroit native Steven Elam, the mission facing him at the former Northwestern High School was indeed challenging, but not impos-sible, thanks largely to the support he received from the schools athletic department and stu-dent-athletes.

Athletics were a lynchpin in holding every-thing together and helping us in building our culture, said Elam, as he neared the end of his first full school year as director of Detroit Colle-giate Preparatory High School at Northwestern.

Our coaches really stepped up and men-tored our young men and women. At the same time, our student-athletes displayed sheer will power regardless of the obstacles and they al-ways showed great sportsmanship.

One of the biggest challenges for Elam was keeping his school and the neighboring com-munity unified. As proud Northwestern alums planned centennial celebrations for 2014, it was often bittersweet because 2014 would be the last official Detroit Northwestern graduat-ing class. Moving forward the self-governing DC Prep High School at Northwestern will be the sole occupant of the building at 2200 West Grand Boulevard, but first Elam had to success-fully navigate the 2013-14 school year.

From playing high school ball and little league, I know the football players and the bas-ketball players run the school, said Elam, a for-mer Teacher of the Year award recipient in Mis-souri, before being recruited to become Dean of Students for the Washington D.C. Public School District.

In his new Detroit assignment, Elam engaged his student-athletes, particularly upper class-men, to become leaders in all ways possible. The student-athletes responded by performing well in the classroom and on the playing field. More important than the victories accumu-lated was the togetherness that was promoted throughout the school and community.

Our kids wore their uniforms with pride and we would fill the stands on a Friday night, said Elam, who came back to Detroit because he wanted to make a difference in his home-town. I am definitely proud of our students and coaches.

Despite the name change, Elam said his students are also proud of Northwesterns his-tory, which entails an alumni list that is a virtual Whos Who in Detroit history, including names like Judge Damon Keith, Congressman John Conyers, radio and television personality Casey Kasem, singer Mary Wells, Olympic gold med-alist Henry Carr and Detroit Tigers legend Willie Horton just to name a few.

We let our students vote and they wanted to keep the school colors and our mascot, said Elam, who also has stayed connected to the Northwestern Alumni Association. Its an on-going process, but we must keep the lineage of Northwestern as we provide more opportunities for our students to go to college.

Our coaches really stepped up and men-tored our young men and young women. Steve Elam, School Director, Detroit Colle-giate Preparatory High School at Northwestern

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Educators Spotlight: Steven ElamScholar-athletes played important role for first-year school directorBy Scott TalleySpecial to the Michigan Chronicle

Osborn College Preparatory Academy

Students name: Martez Jemison.Parents names: Marteen Stenson & Marlon Chenault.Overall grade point average: 3.1.Academic highlights: Four-year honor roll.Athletic highlights: All-city and honorable mention all-metro football; three-year football and track letter winner; basketball letter. College choice: Wayne State.

Renaissance

Students name: Raymond Smith-Byrd.Parents names: T. Juana Smith and Raymond Byrd.Overall grade point average: 3.8.Academic highlights: National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society and four-year honor roll.Athletic highlights: All-city football honorable mention; football team captain and offensive player of the year. College choice: University of Michigan.

Renaissance

Students name: Essence England.Parents names: Terrell and Nicole England.Overall grade point average: 3.0.Academic highlights: Detroit Public School League Proud Strong Learner of the Week and four-year honor roll.Athletic highlights: Two-year all-city and all-district softball.College choice: Alabama A&M.

8 Scholar Athletes July 2014

Michigan chronicle

West Side Academy

Students name: Draeshawn Lundy.Parents name: Kenyetta Lundy.Overall grade point average: 3.13.Academic highlights: National Honor Society; Principals Excellence Club; honor roll.Athletic highlights: Basketball team captain.College choice: Michigan State.

West Side Academy

Students name: Tanesha McClure. Parents names: Kenya McClure and Jarrod Gilmore.Overall grade point average: 3.35.Academic highlights: National Honor Society; Principals Excellence Club; Detroit Promise scholarship; Honor roll.Athletic highlights: Varsity basketball.College choice: University of Michigan.

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Michigan chronicle

10 Scholar Athletes July 2014

In saluting todays Detroit scholar-athletes, we also must pay tribute to the trailblazers that set a standard of excellence

By Scott TalleySpecial to the Michigan Chronicle

In describing the talent pro-duced by Detroit schools, the late Will Robinson once stated, you can say these athletes were as good as any athletes in the world.

A legendary figure at Mill-er, Cass Tech and Pershing high schools, before becoming the first African American Division I bas-ketball coach at Illinois State Uni-versity in 1970, Robinson groomed some of the top high school athletes in state history, including multisport standout Sammy Gee;

and future professionals like football All-Pro Eugene Big Daddy Lipscomb, whose size and speed revolutionized the defensive lineman position in the 1950s; and basketball stars Spencer Haywood and Ralph Simpson.

Robinson later scouted for the Detroit Pistons for 28 years, and was credited with discovering Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman. He also was a part time scout with the Detroit Lions for 22 years. However, it was Robinsons impact on Detroits high school scene that has had a lasting impact.

Coaching icons like Robinson, Sam Bishop (Northwest-ern) and Leroy Dues (Miller), along with their protgs, including Winfield Henry (Northeastern and Central), Robert Taylor (Northern), Elbert Richmond (Cass Tech, Northwestern, Kettering, Mackenzie), and many others helped to set a standard of athletic excellence at Detroit high schools.

The impact that the Detroit PSL has had on the planet is profound, said historian Ken Coleman, author of On This Day: African American Life in Detroit. The citys public school sports programs have produced young men who would later win Olympic track and field gold medals. The list includes Cass Techs Eddie Tolan, Millers Lorenzo Wright and Northwesterns Henry Carr.

Additionally, legendary basketball coaches like Rob-inson and Northeastern and Cass Techs Brenda Gatlin;

and Southwesterns Perry Watson helped generations of talented boys and girls like Charlie Primas; Helen and Sheila Williams; and Jalen Rose earn memorable city and statewide titles; and equally important, develop vital life skills.

Like Coleman, Randy Henry agrees that along with producing championship teams and star athletic performers, these coaches built positive self-worth, confidence and self-es-teem among the young men and women they touched and this foundation is a gift that keeps giving today.

Respect and discipline was truly a big piece for all of those coaches, said Randy Henry, a proud 1972 graduate of Mackenzie High School, where he played three sports, including basketball under the tutelage of Coach Richmond.

Henry played basketball collegiately at Illinois State for Robinson and has enjoyed a successful 32-year career as producer/director at WDIV-TV (Channel 4).

Our coaches taught us the impor-tance of accountabilityalways be on time for practice and teamworkthe ability to work with others to get a job donethese are life lessons that translate into success on a job and in a career, said Henry, who has done his part to reach out to youth by coaching at Detroit schools in-cluding Renaissance and Bates Academy, along with conducting an annual summer basketball camp and life enrichment program for area boys and girls.

a proud legacy:

Will Robinson

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The list of prominent men and women who have accomplished outstanding feats after participating in the Detroit high school sports scene could fill reams of pages. Following is a tiny sampling from A to Z.

Markita Aldridge, King/University of N.C. at Charlotte, WNBA, financial services

Makiba Batten, Renaissance/Fla. St., Field Events All America, entrepreneur, coach

Dr. Kenneth Burnley, Mumford H.S./U-M, track standout, former DPS Superintendent

Henry Carr, Northwestern/Arizona State, Olympic Gold Medalist, pro football player

Johnny Davis, Murray Wright/Dayton, NBA world champion, basketball coach

Dana Davidson, Cass Tech/U-M, track standout, DPS educator and author

Howard Eisley, Southwestern/Boston College, 12-year NBA career, basketball coach

Larry Foote, Pershing/U-M, NFL world champion, Best Foote Forward Foundation founder

George Gervin, King/E. Mich./NBA Hall of Famer, founder of George Gervin Youth Center

Willie Horton, Northwestern, All-Star outfielder, Detroit Tigers Alumni Association

Pepper Johnson, Mackenzie/Ohio State, NFL Pro Bowler, NFL assistant coach

Dr. John Kline, Northeastern/Wayne St., WSU Athletics Hall of Fame, Human Spirit Award

Nikita Lowry, Cass Tech/Ohio State, OSU Athletics Hall of Fame, womens basketball coach

John Mayberry, Northwestern, All-Star first baseman, baseball coach

Charlie North, Northwestern/UDM, UDM Sports Hall of Fame, police officer

James OHara, Cody/Wayne State, Wayne State Athletics Hall of Fame, Detroit Edison

Charlie Primas, Miller/Wayne St., Mich. Sports Hall of Fame, educator/community leader

Jalen Rose, Southwestern/U-M, 14-year NBA career, sports broadcaster

Steve Smith, Pershing/Michigan State, NBA All-Star, sports broadcaster

Eddie Tolan, Cass Tech/U-M, Olympic Gold Medalist, DPS educator

Bob VanDeventer, Cooley/Central Michigan, Detroit Parks and Recreation Department

Lorenzo Wright, Miller H.S./Wayne State, Olympic Gold Medalist, DPS coach & educator

Arvis Young, Henry Ford/South Dakota State, DPS educator and basketball coach

Vertis Dollar Bill Ziegler, Northern, Harlem Globetrotters, sports trailblazer

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