ALACHUA ‒ Children naturally gravitate toward dancing almost as early as they can walk.  And benefits of dance for children are widely accepted.  From physical fitness to coordination, to balance, strength and posture, dance provides a variety of benefits in early childhood development.  

The City of Alachua has teamed up with the Dance Alive National Ballet (DANB) to bring their dance program for children directly to area youth.  Danceabout is a Dance Alive program for elementary and middle school children that brings dance to the community through experience and education in a fun and uplifting way. According to Outreach Director of Dance Alive Emily Pozek, the concept is “Educate, Entertain, Inspire.” Classes are designed to expose children to the art of dance as both a way to express themselves and a possible future career. 

DANB isn’t new to Alachua as the dance company has performed their annual Christmas Nutcracker performance in Alachua for the past four years as well as other dance performances.  The Gainesville based DANB has been performing over 56 years and has become an internationally recognized ballet company. Education and community outreach have always remained a priority to DANB, and in addition to their established professional school, the company has several programs to bring dance to the community and provide exposure of the arts to people and children that might not otherwise have the opportunity. 

Classes are designed to be fun for the students so they enjoy dancing, all with friendly encouragement from the teacher, Emily Pozek.  Pozek has been providing art based outreach programs to children and hospitals throughout her career. She graduated from the University of Florida with a BFA in dance and was the first graduate to earn a Masters in Arts in Medicine. For over five years, Pozek was the Dancer in Residence for UF Center for Arts In Medicine, as the lead instructor for their Parkinson’s dance program. 

Pozek also taught as an adjunct dance professor in the University of Florida School of  Theater and Dance. In Virginia, she served as outreach manager for Charlottesville Ballet overseeing multiple community programs including Chance to Dance, which provided over 250 elementary students free weekly dance classes.

Now the classes are being offered in Alachua as a joint collaboration between Dance Alive and Alachua’s City's Parks and Recreation Department.  Each Tuesday through March 1, Pozek will be offering free classes and dance experience for children in 1st through 8th grades at the Legacy Multipurpose Center from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 

About the decision to offer the classes in Alachua, Interim City Manager Mike DaRoza said, “We heard about the school programs Dance Alive has conducted and that these classes made a positive difference in student performance and focus.” To register to attend, DaRoza said parents should call the Alachua Recreation and Culture Department at 386-462-0145.

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Cont: Free classes offered by Dance Alive National Ballet

ALACHUA ‒ The City of Alachua is losing its police chief while the Alachua County Sheriff's Office (ASO) is gaining a police commander with 32 years of experience. At the Jan. 24 Alachua City Commission meeting, Alachua Police Chief Chad Scott announced his resignation to accept a job with the ASO as the Chief of Operations with the rank of Major.

“Law enforcement was my passion ever since I was a teenager,” Scott said. Growing up in Newberry, Scott described himself as a kid who always talked with local law enforcement and asked a lot of questions, learning about the career by listening to officers’ stories. After high school Scott played on the football team at Bethel College, graduating in 1988 with a Bachelor’s Degree focused in Social Sciences.

Two years later he began his career in law enforcement when he was hired by the ASO. Over the next 16 years he served in a variety of capacities, including Patrol Deputy, School Resource Deputy, Detective, Special Operations, and SWAT. As he advanced through the ranks, he further developed his professional skills through classes and coursework.

Scott’s tenure with ASO would ultimately come to an end, when in 2007, an internal investigation alleged that he had incorrectly filled out timesheets over a year’s time, resulting in overpayments totaling $900. While the investigation was underway, Scott was placed on probation. Although the investigation ultimately failed to find evidence, as well as a second investigation by the State Attorney’s Office, then Sherriff Sadie Darnell kept Scott on probation.

After the dustup with the sheriff, Scott realized that further advancement with the department would be limited, and he resigned. Scott says that at the time he considered changing careers. “However, what I thought was my worst day, turned out to be my best day ever.”

Scott had come to know many people during his time with ASO, and some became friends. One of those individuals was current Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson, Jr. Watson had served as the Deputy Chief of Police with the City of Alachua Police Department and later became City Manager. “Although we had been friends for a long time, he was also my mentor, giving me advice and support in my law enforcement career,” said Scott. “When I told him about my thoughts of changing careers, he told me ‘Chad, you are a cop and nothing else will make you happy,’” Scott said.

Scott was hired by the City of Alachua Police Department (APD) in 2008 as a reserve police officer. Over the next 13-plus years he would be hired full time and rise through the ranks. He was first assigned to the Patrol Division until his appointment to the Traffic Safety Unit. In March 2010, he was promoted to the rank of Detective and assigned to the Criminal Investigations Division where he investigated multiple high-profile cases.

In May 2011, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and assigned to the Patrol Division as a supervisor. Scott also supervised the Traffic Safety Unit until his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant in November 2011. As a Lieutenant, Scott was responsible for the oversight of Police Operations and Administration. In August 2014, he assumed the position of Deputy Chief of Police and was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Police Department.

In 2015, APD Police Chief Joel DeCoursey, Jr., retired and then Alachua City Manager Traci Cain appointed Scott to replace him. “My work ethic has always spoken for itself,” Scott said. “I just think the City of Alachua recognized it as an asset to the ‘Good Life Community.’”

During his tenure as Police Chief Scott saw the department grow and become more involved with the community. He stressed that officers must always be professional and treat people fair. “You have to be engaged in your community,” he said. “That consists of, at times, of being a big brother or a big sister, a mentor, a counselor, a teacher. Sometimes you have to be a minister or a deacon. And my most favorite is being a coach.”

Scott believes he is leaving APD in good hands and that his move to ASO will benefit Alachua by establishing a stronger bond and communication between the city and the county. “I may be moving on to a new position with the ASO, but my heart stays with Alachua.”

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ALACHUA ‒ Almost every community in America honors the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. King inspired millions of people in his lifetime, and he changed the face of American society by bringing awareness about equal rights. During the 1950s and 1960s he rose to national prominence, and his death on April 4, 1968 at the hands of an assassin shocked and angered the nation. But his legacy and accomplishments live on.

King was one of many people who became involved in the Civil Rights movement, but his speaking ability and organization of non-violent protests, large marches and economic boycotts made him the most visible leader of the movement. He helped organize the 1963 March on Washington where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech to a crowd of over 250,000 people. On Oct. 14, 1964, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to fight racial inequality through nonviolent protests. King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.

Martin Luther King Day was enacted as a federal holiday through legislation signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. Now each year, on the third Monday in January, Martin Luther King Day is celebrated to mark his birth on Jan. 15, 1929.

In High Springs, Reverend and current Mayor Byran Williams has led a memorial march down West U.S. Highway 27 from City Hall to Catherine Taylor Park for the past 10 years.

“My church, Mount Carmel United Methodist Church, has been holding remembrance services for MLK day for over 20 years,” said Williams. “About 10 years ago it was decided to open the services to the whole community by creating a walk that all could participate in, similar to the marches that King organized, to honor the day and unify the community.”

This year, on a cold Monday morning, about 50 people gathered at High Springs City Hall to make the almost mile walk accompanied by a police escort. Once at the park, there was singing by Spiritual Excellence followed by Noah Brock describing Dr. King's life and achievements and keynote speaker Reverend Jon Ingraham.

For the past 16 years the City of Alachua has hosted a celebration of Martin Luther King Day with an event at the Cleather Hathcock Community Center. The City provides a catered lunch, equipment, law enforcement and some of the entertainment for the event. City employees from the parks and recreation department and the city manager's office volunteer their time and services for the event. Volunteers from churches and community organizations also offer their time to serve the food, prepare desserts and provide entertainment and information.

This year’s event started at 11 a.m. with an opening prayer by Pastor Gregory Pelham and the National Anthem sung by Antionette Hunt. Master of Ceremony Carol Richardson introduced speakers Alachua Mayor Gib Coerper, State Representative Yvonne Hinson and Florida State Senator Keith Perry. Entertainment from the Smooth Flava Dance group followed. Inside the Hathcock Center, Alachua born artist Kenneth Kith displayed his artwork while caterers set up lunch outside on the porch.

Speakers included Dr. Micha Johnson who spoke of his early life of homelessness and poverty and the childhood trauma that many minority children face. Born and initially raised in South Florida, Johnson was uprooted at a young age to Brooklyn, New York. Living in impoverished conditions, often homeless in a volatile family situation, Johnson's neighborhood was a dangerous place with gangs, drugs and poverty.

Many of the New York kids called him a farmer or hick due to his accent and background in the south. Johnson had low self-esteem and fear of not being accepted, especially due to his homeless situation. “I was afraid that once my friends found out about living in homeless shelters I would be shunned,” he said. But the opposite happened. “They all accepted that I was in a hard situation and never once mentioned or joked about my situation.”

Sleeping in cars and homeless shelters, Johnson graduated from high school and was accepted at the University of Florida where he pursed three degrees, including his doctorate in Sociology. He now teaches at the University of South Florida about childhood trauma and its effects on self-worth and ability to achieve.

Events held throughout the country not only honor King and his legacy, but they also memorialize the changes in society that King helped bring about.

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