Program
When I Get Inside, Kenny Carr and the Tigers
Welcoming: Bobby Donaldson, Master of Ceremonies
Bill Ayers will discuss the importance of teacher celebrations.
Corey Randle will give thanks to Mr. Tim O’Keefe from the Center for Inquiry, Richland School District Two.
Yes, Kenny Carr and the Tigers
Abigail McClam will give thanks to Mr. David Vandiver from Dreher High School, Richland School District One.
Vince Ford will give thanks to Ms. Virginia Neal, formerly of A. C. Flora High School, Richland School District One.
Yes Lord, Kenny Carr and the Tigers
Val Littlefield will give thanks to Ms. Mary Peyton Mangum and to Drs. Barrett, Anderson, and Hine from University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign.
Heaven, Kenny Carr and the Tigers
Doug Keel will give thanks to Mr. Alton McCollum from Bamberg High School.
Heidi Mills will give thanks to Dr. Jerry Harste from Indiana University and to the teachers from the Center for Inquiry, Richland School District Two.
How I got over, Kenny Carr and the Tigers
I. S. Leevy Johnson will give thanks to Ms. Catherine Davis Thomas from C. A. Johnson High School, Richland School District One.
Know I Love the Lord, Kenny Carr and the Tigers
A Carolina Shout farewell
Carolina Shout Presenters
Bobby Donaldson, our Carolina Shout master of ceremonies, serves as a professor of
History and African American Studies at USC.
Bill Ayers is a professor of education at University of Illinois-Chicago.
Vince Ford is vice president of Palmetto Health Alliance.
I. S. Leevy Johnson is a partner at the Johnson, Toal and Battiste Law Firm.
Doug Keel is host of SC Educational Radio’s Speaking of Schools.
Val Littlefield is a professor of history at USC.
Abigail McClam is a 12th grade student at Dreher High School.
Heidi Mills is a professor of education at USC.
Corey Randle is a 5th grade student at the Center for Inquiry.
Kenny Carr and the Tigers: Kenneth Carr, Doug Antley, Derrick Hill, Anthony Williams, trombones; Preston Kelly,
baritone; Corey McClure, Sousaphone; David Harper, drums.
Carolina Shout Staff
Photographer: Alan Wieder
Videographer: Matthew Sefick
Stunt Academic & Shout Historian: Bill Ayers
Directors: Bridget Faherty, Sabrina Keith, Quaneta McDaniel, Melissa Morris, Jon
Payne, Genevieve Sloan, Jamar Snow, Candace Thompson, Dan Ungerheuer
Coordinator: Craig Kridel
Reflections: Shout! 04 by Bill Ayers
“Welcome to a different kind of teacher recognition, a different kind of acknowledgement
of teaching—get ready to witness . . . get ready to testify . . . get ready to give
praise . . . It’s time for another Carolina Shout! Kenny, hit it!”
And with that Kenny Carr and the Tigers blew the roof off, and the packed auditorium
began to sway with excitement.
Testimonials started with 10-year-old Corey Randle praising his teacher, Tim O’Keefe,
as a man who “knows us” and “cares about us,” a man who loves sharing his life with
kids in the classroom, and ranged all the way to I. S. Leevy Johnson testifying that
Mrs. Catherine Davis Thomas, fifty-three years in the classroom, was always “soft
spoken but strongly worded,” a woman committed to building an environment in which
“no child was left behind.” We heard from people of every generation about teachers
who took the side of students, fought on their behalf, believed them into greater
ways of being, and made a profound difference in each of their lives. Every word was
powerfully delivered, every word filled with passion and sincerity, and before long
everyone in the room was nodding or shouting affirmations, perhaps remembering a particular
teacher who had made just such a difference in their lives.
Between presentations Kenny and the Tigers filled the room with their joyful noise:
“When I Get Inside,” “Yes,” “Yes Lord,” “Heaven.” A traditional Shout Band, a line
of trombones, a baritone and a Sousaphone backed by drums, the Tigers’ sound— part
gospel, part jazz, all joy—is an uninhibited testament to the human spirit. Their
music stretches and soars, retracts, journeys outs again and takes us all along. Carolina
Shout is a community-in-the-making, and that night we were free to sing Hallelujah
to the beauty of teaching and learning.
Teacher recognition is badly needed in these arid times. But Carolina Shout is something
different—neither earnest nor clichéd, the Shout frees us from feeling small, marginalized,
defensive, or barricaded. Here we can breathe deeply, live large and know we are not
alone. Here learning rules and teaching rocks.