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Bay Area teacher empowers students
Dr. Cody Clark takes pride in the accomplishments of his students.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A man who rose from the segregated south and saw his family struggle for rights, channeled those life lessons into teaching, empowering his students to realize their full potential.
Dr. Cody Clark dedicated 35 years of his life to serving as the Gibbs High School performing arts program counselor.
"My emphasis at the Center of the Arts was to showcase African American students in positions of leadership, meaning leading roles, whether it was dance, acting," Dr. Clark shared.
He was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1958, but moved to Titusville, Fla. during his childhood years.
Dr. Cody Clark watched his relatives fight for their rights.
"I lived in the house with three matriarchs. Great-grandmother, grandmother and mother," said Dr. Clark. "All in one house."
The women in his life played a pivotal role in shaping Dr. Clark's work ethic.
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"Our parents did a lot of the fighting for rights at the time. You can imagine in the 60s," explained Dr. Clark. "I had relatives that did some marches. I had relatives that certainly were in churches and pastor, pastoral positions and things like that."
Dr. Cody Clark went on to earn at doctorate degree.
After graduating high school, Dr. Clark attended Andrew College in Georgia, where he earned a degree in music. He then pursued his master's in psychology from USF.
"And then my doctoral came about ten years later when I went to Fort Lauderdale, from Nova Southeastern University," he stated.
He started at Gibbs in 1986.
"They were looking for a counselor who also had art background. I had that. I had, though, I majored in music. I also did a lot of theater. So, the combination caused them to actually seek me out," Dr. Clark said.
Dr. Cody Clark takes great pride in his student's accomplishments.
Now, looking back, Dr. Clark takes great pride in the accomplishments of his students.
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"They're on Broadway. They're on television. They are writers now, some of them," he explained.
Beaming with pride and so thankful for the fulfilling career he’s had.
"The career has been, a blessing in that if I had tried, I couldn't have found a job like this," Dr. Clark said.
Dr. Clark has a showcase of his prized Aunt Jemima figurines collection, consisting of over 200 pieces, at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American History Museum in St. Pete. He invites everyone to come and check out the exhibit.
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