D9 Connection

On Wednesday, I attended the Virtual Public Information Session for the Board of Education Redistricting (voting districts). On Friday, I visited Apex Elementary and participated in their 3rd Annual African-American Read-In Event. I enjoyed reading to Ms. Bornes' wonderful 5th grade class. Later on Friday, I attended Middle Creek High School's awesome Big Fish Performance. What a fantastic job by the students, volunteers, and director-Ms. Garrett. This week as a Board, we had two meetings: Policy Committee and Special Called Meeting. At the Tuesday, February 22nd Policy Committee Meeting: Paul Koh, Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services, presented Board Policy 4125: Students Experiencing Homelessness (Students in Transition) as a revised policy. Revisions reflect updates made by the North Carolina School Boards Association and by the WCPSS attorney review. This revised policy will be presented for first reading at a future Board Meeting. To review the revised pol

On Sunday, I hosted a D9 Connection Meeting. On Wednesday, I attended the NCDHHS COVID-19 Fireside Chat & Tele-town Hall: Vaccines, Boosters, Health Equity and more with Dr. Brian Shackleford, Victor Armstrong, NCDHHS; Dr. Dawn Gibson, Peletah Ministries; and Secretary Kody Kinsley, NCDHHS. On Thursday, I attended the first round of the 4A NCHSAA Wrestling State Championships in Greensboro. Congratulations to all the wrestlers for qualifying for the event. This week as a Board, we had two meetings: Work Session and Board Meeting. At the Tuesday, February 15th Work Session: Dr. Lloyd Gardner, Chief of Staff and Strategic Planning; Michael Martin, Educational Consultant, RTI Education Services; and Fredrica Nash, Educational Consultant, RTI Education Services; led the Board in small group and whole group discussions related to the strategic plan (mission statement, vision, core beliefs) and next steps. To view the presentation, click here . Drew Cook, Assistant Superintendent, Academ

On Thursday, I visited Cary Elementary School and was able to observe students participating in an United Arts Artists in Schools Event-Mosaic Math Workshop led by Artist Jeannette Brossart . The students learned and shared information about mosaics, arrays, tesserae, tessellation, fractions, area, perimeter and more! They were able to create their own mosaics on a computer. A huge thank you to Mrs. Schmitt for providing such a welcoming classroom environment. Later on Thursday, I attended the Finals of the 4A NCHSAA States Swim Meet. It was exciting to see all the fast swimming, cheering, and swimmers breaking records. Congratulations to the 4A Runner-Ups for Women's Swimming and Diving-Green Hope High School and the 4A State Champions for Men's Swimming and Diving-Green Hope High School! On Saturday, I will be attending the Kingswood Elementary School Beautification Day. This week as a Board, we had one meeting: Facilities Committee Meeting. At the Wednesday, February 9th Fac

On Sunday, I canceled the D9 Connection Meeting due to a family emergency. On Wednesday, I attended the Green Hope High School Midyear Graduation. The Green Hope Brass Quintet did a fabulous job performing "Largo," "Rondeau," "The Star-Spangled Banner," and "Toreador Song." A huge congratulations to the graduates and their families. Best wishes on your next steps! On Saturday, I will be attending the WCPSS Cheer Competition at Green Hope High School. This week as a Board, we had two meetings: Work Session and Board Meeting. At the Tuesday, February 1st Work Session: Adam Mitchell, Tharrington Smith, LLP, redistricting consultant; and Blake Esselstyn, Mapfigure Consulting, redistricting consultant; presented three alternative redistricting draft plans of the Board Election Districts. To view the presentation of the three options, use this link . Click here to access the interactive online map of the plans. The next steps are public meetings to r