Knowledge is power
Black Heritage M O N T H
BY LELAND ACKER
Karen Lavergne offers youth opportunity through education

Karen Lavergne stands outside the Inez Reeder Conley Learning Center, which she opened in 2003 to help local youth with reading skills and school work. Ms. Lavergne said she wants to bridge the gap between school and home.

It is said that one can either be a part of the problem, or a part of the solution. When Karen Lavergne of Rusk saw the educational disparity in the African American community, she decided to become part of the solution.

"I started the Inez Reeder Conley Learning Center in 2003," Ms. Lavergne said. The center was named after Mrs. Conley, who donated the building, formerly known as "The Village" to the center.

Ms. Lavergne said the center was the idea of her brother, Phal Carter, minister of Pleasant Holly Presbyterian Church.

"We worked one-on-one together," she said. "The center was his idea and I bought into his idea."

While the initial focus of the center was on reading skills, Ms. Lavergne expressed that they would like to assist in whatever subject is the problem.

"In the African American community, our kids are consistently not doing well in the Math portion of the TAKS test," she said.

In 2006, Rusk High School was given an academically unacceptable rating, which school officials said was the result of poor math scores in the African American sub-group.

"Our reading skills have to improve," Ms. Lavergne said. "Once we have a grasp of reading, we will do better in mathematics."

Ms. Lavergne said the goal of the center was to bridge the gap between school and home. They wanted to help parents help their children with schoolwork and assist parents in the education process of their children.

"I would like to see a stronger educational base for our youth," Ms. Lavergne said. "In the African American Community, the socioeconomic need is sometimes greater."

Ideas such as the learning center often have to overcome hurdles to finding funding and volunteers. Such was not the case with the Inez Reeder Conley Learning Center.

"We had the volunteers, but we couldn't get the children to come," Ms. Lavergne said.

Ms. Lavergne said despite the fact that things have appeared dormant at the center lately, she has not given up.

"We never cut the lights and services to the center," she said. "It's still on and we still desire to go back. Right now we are back to step one, how to meet the need."

Ms. Lavergne said the center is still looking for ways to bridge the gap between school and home.

"I would like to thank Dr. Largent and Rusk ISD for their support," she said. "I think we all need to go back to the table and try again."

Currently, Ms. Lavergne is volunteering her time with the Band Boosters and the Senior Finale project. She says her ultimate goal is to work with the community and the school.

Ms. Lavergne grew up in Rusk, graduating from Rusk High School in 1973. From there, she attended Texas Southern University, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. She now works as the facility automation director at Rusk State Hospital.