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Lee Allen
Lee Allen transferred to the district in fourth grade from a Catholic School and attended Pinkerton Elementary School, where a Latin Grammar theme was implemented in 1987; the start of the magnet themes to attract white students back to the district. Yet the two years he attended Pinkerton, it was the school was attended predominantly by African American students. He described the teachers as having high academic expectations and challenging students. Lee’s memories of school desegregation were of taxi rides and magnet themes. He later attended Lincoln College Preparatory School in 1989 in sixth grade and described several white students who took taxi rides to school. One student came as far as Odessa, Missouri with a forty-minute taxi ride, others from Lee Summit and surrounding suburban schools to take advantage of Classical Greek and Computers at Central with fencing, wrestling, and diving and the performance arts at Paseo High School.
Catina K. Taylor
Catina K. Taylor was a student in the Kansas City, Missouri School District during 1971 to 1997; she attended Blenheim Elementary School and graduated from Southeast High School. The change she experienced at this time was in the teaching staff from black teachers to white teachers. However, the education did not change – all teachers appeared invested in their education. She said that while we legally segregated schools in the past, dismantling the system caused families to take flight. “The profound statement that I do not want my children to go to school with you, as a child you wonder why?”