Carrboro High Hosts Group from Dominican Republic

An international-CHCCS connection that’s now in its fifth year celebrated a new chapter in December as 15 students and staff from the Julian Javier High School in the Dominican Republic spent a week with families and teachers from Carrboro High. Each day was packed with activity, food and conversations in Spanish and English. Alejandra Castillo, a junior at Carrboro High said, “Not only did the students have fun, but the parents and staff also danced, sang, and laughed along with everyone. We had fun the whole time they were here, taking pictures and sharing stories. It was an amazing experience I’ll never forget.”

During the summer of 2013, several Carrboro High students traveled to the Dominican Republic with Transcending Borders of the Global Leadership Institute. One of those students was Leah Simon, who now attends UNC, and the trip ignited her passion and commitment to the culture and the people they met. When she and the other students returned to school, they began planning various projects and fundraising efforts, under the guidance - and with tireless energy - from teacher John Hite. Dr. LaVerne Mattocks, principal at the time, offered her enthusiastic support as the core group built bridges with the community of Tenares in Hermanas Mirabal Province.

So far, the collaboration-exchange between Carrboro High and Hermanas Mirabel has yielded a mural project (and two vivid murals at the school), as well as a major drive for funds and boots-on-the-ground support of a water project at La Cumbre, a small village that had no access to clean water. In recent years, Carrboro High students and their families have raised tens of thousands of dollars for La Cumbre and Tenares, and each year, new students join this ongoing endeavor. Current principal Beverly Rudolph has picked up where Dr. Mattocks left off, providing assistance to ensure that each undertaking runs as smoothly as possible. John Hite led nine Carrboro students on the most recent trip to the Dominican Republic during the summer of 2016.   

The December exchange that brought 15 Dominicans here had been in the works for some time, but plans were scrambled by the succession of powerful hurricanes in 2017. Throughout the months of delays and complications, Hite stayed focused on making sure the exchange could take place. “There were so many moving parts, I had to make sure it all fit together.” 

Teachers Angela McChesney and Nathalie Gaut also pitched in with a group of students. The hundreds of collective hours paid off in an enriching and entertaining experience for both the Dominicans and the Carrboro High community alike.    

Students and their parents hosted visitors, as did McChesney and Gaut. The itinerary was packed between the group’s arrival and departure from RDU: a UNC basketball game, bowling, trips to the Ackland Museum, the Bennett Place and the Planetarium. Karl Naomi, a Carrboro High senior, said, “They loved Chapel Hill and saw a lot of different things than what they have in their country. Just something as simple as leaves falling off the trees and even a little snow was really cool for them to see.”     

The Dominican group, with their student hosts, also toured the campuses of UNC and Duke, courtesy of former Jaguars who’d been involved in earlier exchanges and fundraising: Leah Abrams at Duke, and Leah Simon and Kristen Lee at UNC.      

But the Dominicans also spent plenty of time at Carrboro High during the week, going to classes and other in-school events, as well as attending both a breakfast and lunch hosted by Youth Leadership Institute students. Senior Stephanie Lopez of YLI said, “I learned new things from their culture and what the education system is like in the Dominican Republic and it was a great experience!” On the final day of the exchange, most of the Carrboro High student body gathered during lunch in the Cafe Commons to share songs and dances from both cultures. The Dominican students performed a traditional dance, in full regalia, and a number of Carrboro High students offered their talents as well.           

The parents of the visiting students expressed their gratitude in emails to Hite after their children had returned home. One father wrote, “More than grateful for that great experience my son has lived. You who welcomed them and treated them so well from North Carolina-- thanks to you, students, teachers, professors and high school director. Thank you very much, it was unforgettable for our children.”


“I am from Peru, but I grew up here and so I felt like I wasn't really connected to my Latino side,” said Alejandra Castillo. “I feel like being with them has awakened (that). Having them here not only brought me closer to people from a different culture, but also to other people from the Carrboro High School community. I can hardly wait for future exchanges between Carrboro High School and Liceo Julian Javier!”

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MSAN Kickoff

During the first week of the school year, 26 high school students gathered at Phoenix Academy for an evening kickoff meeting of the Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN). In little more than two hours, the young people shared introductions, ate dinner, reflected on the past year’s accomplishments and began looking ahead to the many activities already planned for 2017-2018. Representing newcomers and veterans, the three larger high schools and all four grade levels, the students laughed and joked together, even as they worked steadily through a full agenda.

Niya Fearrington, student body president at Carrboro High School, is a passionate advocate for MSAN. “It’s truly been a catalyst for my life… learning how to advocate for student voice.” She says her friends in different Triangle school districts ask how they can develop MSAN groups, too, but for now, CHCCS has the lone chapter in North Carolina.

      

The national MSAN mission, embraced by the district’s chapter, is “to understand and change school practices and structures that keep racial achievement gaps in place.” MSAN school districts tend to share a tradition of high academic achievement with connections to university communities: Madison, Cambridge, Evanston -- and Chapel Hill-Carrboro.

      

One of the national goals of MSAN is to create and share professional development activities for teachers and administrators, with a clear equity lens. Last year the CHCCS group developed a workshop for teachers and staff called “Classroom in Color,” which they rolled out in June at the Summer Institute for Professional Learning. Plans for this year’s activities include new venues and audiences for “Classroom in Color;” one version will be delivered in Spanish during the Dignity in Schools National Week of Action.

     

Niya says that she and her fellow scholars are excited about finding bigger stages for sharing the workshop. As a CHCCS “lifer,” kindergarten through senior year, Niya says she and other presenters found it especially rewarding to recognize former teachers, assistant principals and principals in their audiences. “It was exciting to show off our progress over the years.”

      

Last fall this student organization hosted the national three-day conference at the Chapel Hill Sheraton. The high school participants from 19 districts nation-wide evaluated last year’s conference as highly successful and inclusive.  This October, a dozen scholars will travel to Cleveland, Ohio to attend the annual conference and to reconnect with friends in the network, as they hone their action plans for the coming year. The theme is F.O.C.U.S. - Fighting Our Cause Unified in the Struggle.

Advisor Lorie Clark says, “Our students understand the concepts of systems but have learned to use their voice to fight for equity and a quality education for all students.”

      
Lorie Clark and Marlow Artis of Blue Ribbon Mentor Advocates supervise the district MSAN group, under the direction of Equity department’s Dr. Sheldon Lanier. To find out more about MSAN, visit http://msan.wceruw.org/index.html.

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MSAN Presentation: “A Classroom in Color”

The week after classes ended for students, many CHCCS teachers went right back to school - at the Summer Institute for Professional Learning. Among the many workshops teachers could choose from, one stood out as the only option led by students: “A Classroom in Color” from our district’s Minority Student Achievement Network (MSAN). The nine MSAN members, eight of them from our high schools, and one Chapel Hill High graduate who’s UNC-bound, led four sessions of their group-designed workshop. The reviews from those who attended were full of enthusiastic and reflective praise. The feedback was so positive, in fact, that superintendent Dr. Baldwin asked the students to present the workshop once more, this time to dozens of district administrators during Leadership Week. That session closed with a standing ovation from participants.

     

The content of the Classroom in Color workshop draws from discussions and brainstorming the students engaged in during their annual MSAN retreat in the mountains last winter. Throughout the year, they analyzed the CHCCS Student Code of Conduct, and they shared their experiences with microaggressions in various school contexts. With support from members of the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate staff Marlow Artis and Lorie Clark and Director of Equity Sheldon Lanier, MSAN presenters addressed strategies to provide more equitable solutions to the disparities in instruction and discipline that students of color encounter. As Artis tweeted after the initial sessions, “Our #MSAN students are not afraid to ask the tough questions at the @CHCCS Summer Institute.”

     

Not only did they tackle the tough questions, but they designed a workshop that kept district staff engaged, starting with three essential questions:

      

“In what ways will you examine and analyze challenges that impact minority students?”

“In what ways will you change your approach to instruction and discipline to eliminate disparities and predictability based on race?”

“How will you collaborate with students and stakeholders to acknowledge and embrace their voices?”

     

Participants jotted down answers on Post-It notes and students led a brief discussion before moving on to a Prison to Pipeline PowerPoint and then a competitive game to check for understanding. Though the pace was fast-moving, it’s likely that teachers will revisit those essential questions, perhaps again and again, when they return to classrooms in August.

     

The workshop closed with a student-led restorative justice circle. Nearly everyone shared at least one observation or realization. Students described the challenges that shape their experiences as the sole student of color in Advanced Placement classes - or being told that an A.P. or honors class “isn’t a good choice for you.” One young woman noted how often she feels called upon to “speak for a whole race” when she’s the only African-American student in a class. Several presenters spoke about their priorities as MSAN members, to advocate for other students who believe their voices aren’t heard - and to make classrooms more welcoming and fair.

     

Tiffany Newsome, who has just completed her principal internship at Smith Middle School said, “I was very moved by the experiences that the MSAN students shared. They reminded me of the call to action that every educator has to do whatever it takes to see all of our children succeed. I learned from this session that we can have the best of intentions, but if our students don't feel supported, then we have missed the mark!”

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Blue Ribbon Mentor Advocate Graduation

Photo courtesy of Trevor Holman

Eleven Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate seniors celebrated their upcoming CHCCS graduations, and their completion of eight years in the program, on Sunday afternoon, June 4 at Carrboro High School. They had all attended previous celebrations, watching older siblings and friends deliver remarks and thanks, and finally their turns had arrived. They thanked their families, coaches, and Blue Ribbon staff, and they thanked their mentors. Each student left the stage with an oversized replica of a scholarship check, ready to move on toward a wide range of post-graduate goals; mentors and family members received bouquets of flowers.

      

The ceremony marked the 15th graduation celebration, although Blue Ribbon Mentor Advocate has served CHCCS students of color since 1995. The program integrates mentoring, advocacy, leadership development, tutoring, social and cultural enrichment and postsecondary scholarships and has been internationally acclaimed for its intervention model based in social work and educational theories. Above all, BRMA is a strengths-based program, one that celebrates the limitless potential of its children and young people. Currently 138 students participate in Blue Ribbon. Over 95% of program graduates enroll in some form of postsecondary education.

      

Photo courtesy of Trevor Holman

This year’s graduates are Joanna Salazar-Martinez, Priscah Oluoch, Akin Dunston, Kareem Patillo, Ana “Gabby” Dimate, Isiah Edwards, Marcus Edwards, Kenneth Motley, Jr., Tia Wade, Brian Kendall and Mujahid Turner; they’ve earned nearly $30,000 in scholarships. Each student received a Sponsor-A-Scholar award that applies to all kinds of postsecondary education, and represents donations from more than 200 community supporters. Funding for university or college is provided by the Haidt Family Foundation Scholarships. Haidt Scholars are required to attend a four-year college or university.         

      

The ceremony also honored the first Caroline Lindsay Student Advocate Scholar, Hsar Ree Ree Wei, given to a Blue Ribbon Youth Leadership Institute student who is committed to fostering human rights. The late Caroline Lindsay was a former mentor and long time friend of BRMA who “was not afraid to use her voice for the advancement of others.” The scholarship was created by her family as a tribute to her lifelong dedication to civils rights, especially those of children and women.

      

Mehki Dallas-Johnson, a 7th grader at Phillips Middle School, gave the opening welcome for the event. Each participant spoke from the stage, before their families and mentors joined them under the spotlights. Gabby Dimate, in her speech thanked her mother “for being an immense light in my life…” and her Papi, “for blessing me with an American education.” She, like others, offered advice to the younger BRMA students in the audience, “Don’t fixate on a number. There’s no better way to silence the haters than to succeed.”

       

Marcus Edwards told the younger students, “Be unique, be yourself, someone who stands out.” He acknowledged that “life can be stressful. Once I learned about taxes, Whew!” But even in the face of challenges, he counseled, “Be and do something that changes lives. Be that rock for somebody else.”

      

Mujahid Turner said, “I have discovered a passion to be a leader, whether in the classroom, on the football field or taking care of my three sisters. Never stop dreaming. Find whatever it is that makes you come alive.”

     

After the seniors were honored, nearly 90 students from 4th to 12th grade received certificates for academic achievement this year. Granvel Johnson, New Match Support Specialist, teamed with his 9th grade mentee, Kyrin Dallas and fellow East student, Mauricio Nunez-Jimenez to make a lively pitch for the benefits of mentoring. Granvel noted that each year between 20 and 30 students are unable to join Blue Ribbon because there are never enough mentors to match with the students who are nominated.

     

Over the years, these eleven seniors of 2017 have joined in countless service projects, summer enrichment camps, and alternative spring break trips to New Orleans and Washington, DC as well as to Spain and France. The current high school BRMA and Youth Leadership Institute students have already begun fundraising for a trip to Italy during spring break 2018.

     

Paul Lindsay, who organized the scholarship in his late wife’s honor, wrote in an email to Blue Ribbon, “To listen to the seniors who spoke is to realize how much you have accomplished in the lives of these young people, and how much they will take with them into the future.  It was an honor and privilege to be part of this celebration of so many good things with so many good people.”

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Literacy, Learning and Leadership

The Blue Ribbon Youth Leadership Institute students at Carrboro High and Chapel Hill High became pen pals with students in the Mary Scroggs After School Adventures Program. After School Adventures was created by a Public School Foundation grant awarded to Shelby White and Susan Jullian, designed to assist second grade students with literacy, math and writing.

The pen pal partnership was initiated by After School Adventures to help students with their writing. Second-grade students wrote letters to Blue Ribbon Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) students. The first letter was an introduction in which elementary students shared basic information and their hobbies. The high school students responded to the letters. The exchange experience was a real motivator for the second-graders. One After School Adventurer was quoted as saying ​“I wish I could meet my pen pal Gan.”

The pen pal project concluded, Tuesday, April 18, with a surprise visit from the high school pen pals. The after school celebration provided students an opportunity to meet their pen pals, play games and enjoy pizza. The students were enthusiastic about meeting their pen pals.

The Blue Ribbon Youth Leadership Institute(YLI) seeks to provide high school students with leadership skills in their community and to be advocates for change. This was a great opportunity for students to implement their leadership skills with integrity and compassion. YLI students at all three high schools meet twice a month during lunch, and participate monthly in a local service-learning project.

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YLI Students on MLK National Day of Service

Blue Ribbon Youth Leadership Institute (YLI) students served with the United Way of the Greater Triangle as part of the MLK National Day of service. The purpose of the "Community Reads" program is to increase childhood literacy (K-3) through reading. YLI students participated in group readings and skill enhancing activities through the Scrap Exchange. Sixteen students dedicated their morning of service and education for youth in our community. In the afternoon, students volunteered in Durham for Book Harvest. Students organized a book drive for communities that do not have access to high quality books.

Thank you to our students and their leaders for setting a great example of service. 

"Everyone can be great because everyone can serve." - MLK

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National MSAN Conference Hosted in Chapel Hill

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools hosted the national MSAN (Minority Student Achievement Network) Conference at the Sheraton Hotel, October 12-15, 2016. This year’s theme, “Every Step Leaves a Trail,” focused on student equity, advocacy and voice. Thirteen students worked for more than a year planning logistics, selecting speakers, selecting articles/videos for discussion, designing t-shirts and deciding on a tasty, southern teenage friendly menu.

Three wonderful days were dedicated to meeting students who represented 19 public school districts from around the United States. These visiting students engage in equity work in their respective districts. The conference focus, in addition to the achievement/opportunity gap, was looking at the disproportionate discipline for students of color. During the conference, students discussed and reflected on several essential questions: - What are your core beliefs about who you are? - What is your truth? - How do you define student advocacy? - In what ways can student advocacy create opportunities to achieve equity and excellence for all students in your district? - How can student voice influence student policies, practices and procedures in your school district? The outstanding slate of speakers included Dr. Dana Thompson-Dorsey, Professor at UNC-CH, Retired Lieutenant Conseulo Castillo Kickbush, and Robert Stephens, Assistant to Representative John Lewis. Students who are interested in getting involved in equity work should attend the monthly meeting on Wednesday, November 16 at 5:30 p.m. at Phoenix High School (behind Lincoln Center on Merritt Mill Road). Congratulations and thank you to our Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate team for organizing and administering this successful and memorable conference...a job well done!

 

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Pen Pals!

Literacy, Learning and Leadership
Carrboro High School Youth Leadership and Mary Scroggs After School Adventures Program

The Blue Ribbon Youth Leadership Institute students at Carrboro High School became pen pals with Mary Scroggs After School Adventures Program students.  After School Adventures is the result of a Public School Foundation grant awarded to Shelby White and Susan Jullian, designed to assist second grade students with literacy, math and writing.  The pen pal program was initiated by After School Adventures to help students with writing.  Fifteen second grade students wrote letters to 15 Blue Ribbon Youth Leadership (YLI) Carrboro High School students.  The first letter was an introduction in which students shared basic information and hobbies.  The high school students responded to the letters.  There were three exchanges of letters during the spring semester.  The exchange experience was a real motivator for the second graders. Susan Jullian reported that a shy student wrote three sentences in his introductory letter.  The last letter he wrote was an entire page!  

The pen pal project concluded recently with a surprise visit from the high school pen pals.  An after school celebration provided students an opportunity to meet their pen pals, play games and have refreshments. The students were elated to meet the pen pals!

The Blue Ribbon Youth Leadership (YLI) seeks to provide high school students with leadership skills in their community to be advocates for change.  This was a great opportunity for students to implement their leadership skills with integrity and compassion.  YLI students at Carrboro High School meet twice a month during lunch and participate in a local service-learning project.

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Newbery Award Winning Author Worked with BRMA Students

The most prestigious prizes in American children's books were recently awarded, including the John Newbery Medal for literature.

Matt de la Peña became the first Hispanic author to win the Newbery, for his book Last Stop on Market Street, illustrated by Christian Robinson. It's the story of a young boy riding the city bus with his grandmother, and wondering why their family doesn't have a car. Last Stop was also awarded a 2016 Caldecott Honor and a 2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book.

Matt has been a guest of the CHCCS Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocates’ Summer Writing Institute twice in recent years – 2012 and 2014. He shared with students his amazing literary skills along with his passion for writing. We are fortunate to have great guests like Matt investing our students.

"Working with Matt de la Peña opened my creative horizons to an extent that has even impacted my scholar writing,” said Gabby Dimate. “Matt remind me once again why I love writing.”

A native Californian, Matt attended college on a basketball scholarship and now resides in Brooklyn. He teaches creative writing courses at New York University.

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BRMA Honors Mentors During National Mentoring Month

 Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate (BRMA) recently celebrated National Mentoring Month with a Mentor Appreciation Event. More than 60 participants, including mentors, mentees and their families, participated in the Thank You Dinner.

BRMA is a Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools support program designed to improve the achievement of students of color. The program provides students with the adult support they need in the form of a mentor-advocate to attain their personal and academic potential. The mentor-advocate plays a dual role, establishing a meaningful relationship with the young person as well as promoting the child’s success in school by working as an advocate in conjunction with the child’s family and school personnel.

The Mentor Appreciation Event was a way to thank these mentor-advocates for all their hard work and dedication to the students in the program. A BRMA sixth-grader from McDougle Middle School played "Ode to Joy" on her violin, while three Phillips Middle School students read poems honoring all BRMA mentors.

Mentors were overwhelmed with the outpouring of love from the families they have bonded with over the years. Mentor Mike Nowicki said his wife was brought to tears when she read a card he received from his mentee.

National Mentoring Month celebrates and honors the importance of quality mentoring programs such as BRMA and the role that mentors fill.

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Week of Action

Students representing MSAN (Multicultural Student Achievement Network) and CORe (Changing Our Reality every day) recently
joined Dignity In School's Week of Action with the goal of bringing awareness to the national issue of school pushout.

Students at Carrboro High School participated in a student survey about bullying, student code of conduct and positive ways to reduce suspensions.

Suggested strategies include:

  * Use positive interventions instead of suspensions, expulsions or arrest and end racial disparities in discipline;
  * Fully implement positive alternatives such as SWPBIS (School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) and Restorative Practice;
  * Engage students and parents in decision-making about discipline policies.

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Community Book Read

Parent University and the Community-Parent Advocacy Network are sponsoring a community book read. They will utilize "It's The Little Things" by Lena Williams to examine equity and the impact of microagressions within the CHCCS district and surrounding communities. This is a great way to engage in the discussion of equity with parents. Refreshments will be served and childcare available upon request! FREE copies of the book will be provided.

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District Announces New Administrators

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools has hired a new Chief Technology Officer.  Dr. Daniel Curry-Corcoran was approved by the Board of Education at its March 10 meeting.

Curry-Corcoran is currently the executive director of technology and accountability for the Newport News Public Schools (NNPS) in Newport News, VA and has spent two years in this position.  Prior to that for NNPS , Curry-Corcoran served as the executive director of accountability and the director of accountability.  He also worked for the Montgomery County Schools in Rockville, MD, where he was the coordinator of student assessment and the evaluation specialist.

Curry-Corcoran holds a bachelor of arts degree in English Education from Old Dominion University, and both a master of education degree in Educational Research and a doctor of philosophy degree in Educational Research from the University of Virginia.

Curry-Corcoran will join CHCCS in June.

Daniel Curry-Corcoran
incoming Chief Technology Officer

Dr. Amatullah Stanback was approved as the district's Blue Ribbon Mentor Advocate (BRMA) Coordinator at the Board's December 18, 2014 meeting.

Before joining the district, Stanback was the assistant principal at Holly Shelter Middle School in New Hanover County Schools for four years.  Prior to that, Stanback worked for Wake County Schools as a middle school assistant principal and a math teacher.

Stanback holds a bachelor of science degree in Mass Communications from Shaw University, certification in Middle Grades Mathematics from East Carolina University, a masters of administration in School Administration from the UNC-Chapel Hill, and a doctor of education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from UNC-Wilmington.

At their December 18 meeting, the Board also approved transferring Kevin Kay as an assistant principal at Chapel Hill High to an assistant principal at Smith Middle effective January 20.

Kay had been an assistant principal at CHHS since 2010.  Before joining CHCCS, Kay was an assistant principal at a middle school and a high school English teacher in Massachusetts and a middle school English/Language Arts teacher in New York.  Kay has also coached boys' lacrosse and freshmen football at the high school level.

Kay holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from Siena College in Loudonville, NY and a masters of education degree in Education from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, MA.

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Meyer Visits White House

Graig Meyer, director of student equity and volunteer services, spent Thursday morning, November 29, at the White House.

Meyer was invited by the White House to join a delegation of community leaders from across North Carolina to discuss the fiscal cliff.

Meyer  also met with staff from the White House Internship Office and the White House Mentoring Initiative to seek partnerships that might benefit CHCCS students.

Graig Meyer

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Local Businesses Team with BRMA to Raise Money

Thrill City, Sacrificial Poets and the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate (BRMA) program are teaming up to reinvent the classic back-to-school accessory: the notebook.  They have turned it from something ordinary and unoriginal into something aesthetically different and ethically purposeful, called the Thrill City Book.

Chapel Hill-based clothing and accessories brand Thrill City is producing and selling the books, with spoken word group Sacrificial Poets promoting the release and BRMA representing the cause.  For every notebook sale, Thrill City will donate $1 to the Blue Ribbon scholarship fund; however, the purpose of the campaign reaches far beyond that.

The Thrill City Book campaign also wants to make local university students and residents aware of the underserved public school population in Chapel Hill, as well as encourage and spark a more collaborative, consistent conversation between the University and the community while contributing to BRMA's scholarship fund and providing a useful, durable product.

The 8x10-inch notebook is made from 100 percent recycled sheets of paper with a cardboard outer cover and bound spine and costs $5 each.  The Thrill City logo is screened on the front and inside is an informational insert that elaborates on education and race in Chapel Hill.  To purchase a Thrill City Book, visit http://thrillcitybook.com.

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BRMA Receives Second Oak Foundation Grant

The Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate (BRMA) program has been awarded a $250,000 grant by The Oak Foundation. The grant is the second provided to BRMA by The Oak Foundation. It is divided over two years and provides support for BRMA's academic support programming.  BRMA will use the funds to operate tutorials and provide specialized academic assistance to students who face persistent struggles in school. The program will also hire a new staff member to support mentoring relationships as the program expands to serve more students.

Over the last two years, The Oak Foundation has supported BRMA's ongoing academic support work and a project from the UNC School of Education to evaluate the impact of BRMA on the social mobility of its student participants. A full copy of the UNC report will be released in August.

The Oak Foundation is an international organization based in Geneva, Switzerland with their office focused on Learning Differences located here in Chapel Hill.

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Meyer takes on new role for CHCCS

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools have appointed Graig Meyer to the new position of Director of Student Equity and Volunteer Services. Meyer has been the coordinator of the district’s Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate (BRMA) program since 1998. In this new role, he will continue to oversee BRMA and the district’s new Parent University program.  Upon the retirement of veteran administrator Mary Bushnell later this fall, Meyer will oversee the Office of Volunteers and Partners for Education.  The position also formalizes Meyer’s leadership responsibilities for the district’s racial equity initiative.

As part of the equity leadership, Meyer will develop, implement and monitor district programs and processes that promote and sustain diversity and equity throughout the district.  He will also supervise the implementation of district diversity and equity workshops, presentations, learning opportunities and other strategies to help promote diversity.  Meyer will provide coaching and help design and deliver workshops.  He will also work with school personnel and outside agencies to assess the effectiveness of district equity programs.

"The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools are pleased and excited about promoting Graig Meyer to a leadership position where he will be able to optimize his expertise and skills in the areas of equity and volunteerism," said Superintendent Thomas A. Forcella.  "It is our hope if we are able to forge strong relationships in the areas of equity, volunteerism and our current focus on classroom instruction, then we will be able to realize significant gains in reducing the achievement gap."

Under Meyer's leadership, the BRMA program has been acknowledged for excellence at local, state and national levels. The BRMA program has grown to serve over 200 students each year through its mentoring program, the Youth Leadership Institute (YLI), and tutorial programming at the Hargraves Community Center.  Meyer has worked to generate over $1 million in grant and donor-based funding for the BRMA mentoring programs and over $400,000 for student scholarship funds.  BRMA has a 95 percent high school graduation rate and has sent 100 percent of its high school graduates on to post-secondary education.

Meyer is also a national presenter on mentoring and racial identity.  Earlier this summer, he was a keynote speaker at the 2012 School Innovation Improvement Summit, where he also received an Education Innovation Award by the School Improvement Network.  Meyer and BRMA are also featured in a new edition of Bonnie Davis’ groundbreaking book, How to Teach Students Who Don’t Look Like You.

Meyer holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology and Anthropology from the College of Wooster in Wooster, OH, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa.  He also holds a master's degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago.  Meyer also received a William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations through the Wildacres Leadership Initiative.

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