Chccs.org Website Review

Vanessa Brantley-Newton, acclaimed author and illustrator, presented “Diversity Designed by Adversity” for the community and then the students and staff at NES on the evening of November 29 and the morning of November 30, discussing the importance of diverse and inclusive representation in children’s literature. Her animated speaking style and the stories she told to convey her creative goals were richly detailed and intimate. She kept her Northside audiences spellbound. Since December 3, Hour of Code sessions have taken place in elementary clas*rooms across the district: children gathered in circles on the carpet, watching as teachers and technology facilitators modeled coding activities. Once the demonstrations were finished, children practiced new steps in programming with devices like Cubettos, Bee-Bots and Spheros. The level of joy and energy was high, and very few of the students even realized they were learning, instead of “just” having fun. By the beginning of fifth period on Tuesday, November 27, dozens of energized, intensely focused students filled the stage of Hanes Theater at Chapel Hill High School, all eyes on Tyler McKenzie, their guest instructor from the Broadway play, Hamilton. A favorite tradition among students at Frank Porter Graham Elementary is Mix It Up Day, a lunch time celebration of inclusion and new friendships. On Wednesday, November 28, students across the grade levels “mixed it up” for the fifth year in a row, and the cafeteria was a lively and colorful showcase for making connections. Guy Solie, a Durham artist, says that his creative objective is simply to “make you smile.” A new 15 foot sculpture in front of Estes Hills Elementary School has already brought smiles to hundreds of students, parents and staff, and the joyous impact will continue to be yet another celebration of the sixty years of the school and its community.