Thursday, September 28, 2017

Off to a Flying Start

It’s been exactly a month since our students took their seats in their new classrooms and started the 2017-18 year. Seems like a lot longer, doesn’t it? I spent the first two days visiting each of the 20 schools in our district, and the energy level was inspiring. In every school, on the athletic fields, in the hallways, in learning labs and media centers, you can find examples of those three challenges I raised to the CHCCS community at Convocation: make school fun, take risks, and always encourage everyone.

Already this year, I’ve listened to student voices in focus groups, hallways, classrooms and in school cafeterias. What they tell us is remarkable...very profound.

Plenty of exciting new ideas are being implemented. We’re piloting new courses, new academic support initiatives, and expanding opportunities in CTE, Arts Education and other areas.

State accountability data has already been released. Our schools continue to make progress. Additionally, thirty nine current seniors were recently named National Merit Semi-finalists from our district!
    
Although it would be impossible to publicize even a fraction of the exciting and creative activities happening every day in our schools, we plan to shine a brighter light on a variety of subjects. We’ll be posting more in-depth stories about students, partnerships and teachers, like the recent articles on the Solar Panel Project students at East Chapel Hill High, Phillips Middle School’s cafeteria manager Ann Morgan’s national award or the upcoming articles on the Hope for Houston fundraising efforts at Carrboro High. Our employee video newsletter "60 Seconds” has roared back out of the video mothballs, and soon we’ll be premiering the first episode of “Five with the Soup”.
              
Stay tuned! We’ll try to share as much of the good work of our students and staff as possible. Send story ideas our way!