SCHOOLS & EDUCATION
BACK to CLASS The latest news from our local schools
PHOTO COURTESY OF TONY CUNNINGHAM
CO M P I L E D B Y KAT IE MAC KINNO N
The final beam at the new Northern High School at 4266 N. Roxboro Rd. was put in place on July 27. Durham Public Schools plans to welcome students to the building – which replaces the campus at 117 Tom Wilkinson Rd. – in fall 2023. “The Northern High School community[’s] … support of the bond and patience in finding the right location cannot be appreciated enough,” says Northern High School Principal Danny Gilfort. The Brent Clark Arts and Engineering
Building, which was
completed earlier this year, offers Trinity School of
Durham and Chapel Hill students a
space to create and collaborate. The building includes a STEM lab and new visual and performing arts spaces for music, theater, sculpting and visual arts. Pictured above are Renna Clark, Ben Clark, Cindy Clark, Head of School Chip Denton, David Spence and Director of Advancement Niesha Campbell. 86
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The Durham Public Schools Board of Education 2022-23 board members were sworn in in early July. Bettina Umstead was unanimously elected to continue serving as board chair, with Matt Sears serving as vicechair. New board members Emily Chávez and Millicent Rogers were sworn in alongside returning member Natalie Beyer. The new board’s first action was to approve campus maintenance to address the exterior appearance of all public school sites. The DPS Board of Education also unanimously voted to adopt new elementary school boundaries to support the district’s Growing Together Plan, which prioritizes supporting vulnerable students, equitable access to programs and school boundary adjustments in response to a growing community. The accepted recommendations include five areas of Durham County with equitable academic programs, transportation efficiency, yearround schools, dual-language immersion programs and International Baccalaureate programs, with all elementary schools in the district offering arts, music and global languages at least once a week, with enhanced STEM education daily. The Durham Public Schools BOE approved three new leaders on July 8. Albert Royster
october/november 2022
was named executive director of research and accountability. Karen Thompson is the new interim director of early education following the departure of Suzanne Cotterman, and Kendell L. Dorsey will serve as the interim principal of W.G. Pearson Elementary School following the departure of Caroline Linker. Hill Learning Center’s library received a major
upgrade this summer. Faculty members Audrey Tancini (below left) and Addie Healy (below right) organized more than 1,100 books, made the libraries more culturally relevant and implemented a digital check-out system.
Montessori School of Durham will offer an
infant program beginning in the 2023-24 school year that encompasses all-day, yearround care for children ages 3-15 months old. Durham Academy began another phase in the
renovation of its middle school campus on Academy Road with its 48,000-square-foot Gateway Center. The new building, estimated for completion in 2023, will house a STEMthemed learning environment with 14 state-ofthe-art classrooms and labs, a makerspace, and a variety of collaboration spaces. Future plans include a regulation-size gym and renovated extended day center, expected in 2025.