Your Family Magazine 2018-19

magazine

yourfamily magazine 2018/19

including our Navigating Schools guide

Home Team

The Berrys – Lena, 16, Erica, Sophia, 12, and John – spend a summer evening at a Durham Bulls game.

YEAR-ROUND FAMILY FUN 6 WHERE TO EAT WITH KIDS 10 LOCAL AUTHORS AND STORY HOURS 30 SCHOOL DIRECTORY 58

FAV O R I T E N E I G H B O R H O O D

THREE YEARS IN A ROW!

Find your sanctuary.

Discover your home base, choose from two neighborhood schools and enjoy our parks, pools and miles of trails — all right outside your front door.

Award-winning green homes, custom homes, and 55+ homes from the $230,000s to the $900,000s.

Model Homes open daily 10 am – 6 pm, Sunday 12 – 6 pm. Brokers welcome. BriarChapelNC.com / 888.240.4755 David Weekley Homes • Encore by David Weekley Homes • Fresh Paint by Garman Homes • Garman Homes Homes By Dickerson • Saussy Burbank • Terramor Homes

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY • NNP-Briar Chapel, LLC (“Fee Owner”) is the owner and developer of the Briar Chapel Community (“Community”). Certain homebuilders unafliated with the Fee Owner or its related entities are building homes in the Community (“Builder(s)”). Fee Owner has retained Newland Communities solely as the property manager for the Community. NorthAmerica Sekisui House has an interest in one of the members in Fee Owner. See briarchapelnc.com for full terms of use. Actual development may vary from developer’s vision. No guarantee can be made that development will proceed as described. 2018 © Briar Chapel. All Rights Reserved.

Igniting Passion and Curiosity for Lifelong Learning Since 1977

MONTESSORI SCHOOL OF DURHAM

formerly Montessori Children’s House of Durham Montessori School of Durham is accredited by the American Montessori Society and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

2800 PICKETT RD • DURHAM 919-489-9045 • MSDURHAM.ORG

Be who you are...

EXECUTIVE MANAGING EDITOR Amanda MacLaren amanda@durhammag.com MANAGING EDITOR, YOUR FAMILY Matt White matt@chathammagazinenc.com

EDITORIAL

Discover who you can be.

EDITOR, CHAPEL HILL MAGAZINE Jessica Stringer EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Hannah Lee EDITORIAL INTERNS Ashley Applewhite, Cara Siliakus, Jacquelyn Melinek, Jishnu Nair, Kensey Katz, Madison Clark, Nick Motta, Rachel Sauls, Riley Shaner, Sam BermasDawes, Santul Nerkar, Sara Heilman and Taylor Mabrey CONTRIBUTORS Holly West and Briana Brough

ART

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kevin Brown SENIOR ART DIRECTOR & PRODUCTION MANAGER Jean Carlos Rosario-Montalvo GRAPHIC DESIGNER Keith Warther PHOTOGRAPHER Beth Mann

An independent school in Durham serving students from Transitional Kindergarten through 8th grade

Come see us in action!

Drop in on a Tuesday morning, September through January

Schedule a tour 919-383-8800

triangledayschool.org

Advertising Zina Craft zina@durhammag.com Melissa Crane melissa@chapelhillmagazine.com Chris Elkins chris@chathammagazinenc.com Kem Johnson kem@durhammag.com AD TRAFFIC Lizzie Jones

Corporate COO Rory Kelly Gillis rory@durhammag.com CHAIRMAN Dan Shannon danshannon@durhammag.com VICE PRESIDENT OF PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT Ellen Shannon VICE PRESIDENT/ADMINISTRATION Amy Bell ADMINISTRATIVE & EVENT ASSISTANT Caroline Kornegay DISTRIBUTION Elitegroup

Your Family Magazine is published by Shannon Media Inc., the parent company of Chapel Hill Magazine, Durham Magazine and Chatham Magazine.

919.933.1551 chapelhillmagazine.com durhammag.com chathammagazinenc.com

SCHOLARSHIP | CHARACTER | COMMUNITY magazine

2 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9

What takes them further: the answer or the question?

What takes them further: the answer or the question?

Coming up with their own ideas helps children develop bright and curious minds. Our Balanced Learning® approach sparks these lightbulb moments, helping children to thrive in life.

Coming up with their own ideas helps children develop bright and curious minds. Our Balanced Learning® approach sparks these lightbulb moments, helping children to thrive in life.

The Leader in Early Education and Care® Infants – Private Pre-Kindergarten and After School See Balanced Learning® in action. Call for a tour today!

The Leader in Early Education and Care® Infants – Private Pre-Kindergarten and After School See Balanced Learning® in action. Call for a tour today!

Primrose School at Hope Valley Farms Primrose School of Chapel Hill at Briar Chapel 702 Juliette 81 Falling SpringsDrive Drive Durham, NC27516 27713 Chapel Hill, NC 919.441.0441 919.484.8884 PrimroseChapelHill.com PrimroseHopeValleyFarms.com

PrimroseSchool School of of Chapel Chapel Hill Primrose Hill at at Briar BriarChapel Chapel FallingSprings SpringsDrive Drive 8181Falling Chapel ChapelHill, Hill,NC NC27516 27516 919.441.0441 919.441.0441 PrimroseChapelHill.com PrimroseChapelHill.com

® rose Schools®, Balanced Each Primrose Learning School , and is aThe privately Leaderowned in Early and Education operated and franchise.

Care® Primrose Schools®, Balanced Learning®, and The Leader in Early Education and Care® 018 Primrose School are registered Franchising trademarks Company.ofAll Primrose rights reserved.

School Franchising Company. ©2018 Primrose School Franchising Company. All rights reserved.

Katarina Rosario-Soto, 7, digs into a slice at Pizzeria Toro with her dad, Jean Carlos Rosario-Montalvo.

6

FOUR SEASONS OF FUN Mark your family’s 2018-19 calendar with these annual events

10

WHERE TO EAT With kids big and small

12

ACTIVE KIDS, HAPPY KIDS Dancer? Artist? Animal lover? No matter your kiddos’ interests, our community has you covered.

20

A WEEK OF MEALS How a local teacher cuts dinner drama with five easy pre-planned dishes

24

ORGANIZED SPACES Keep your home clutter-free and functional with your growing family

30

LOCAL LIT Books for young readers, from toddlers to teens, by authors in our community

34

READ WITH ME Stop by a story hour at your local library, bookstores, coffee shops and more

36

SHAPING CHILDREN’S FUTURES These leaders teach and inspire our kids both in and outside the classroom

44

GET INVOLVED Chapel Hill Magazine Editor Jessica Stringer reflects on her time volunteering with Food for the Summer, plus a list of other ways to give back

46

POTENTIAL, REALIZED The Hill Center started in a little yellow house 40 years ago. It continues to serve families whose children need a different path.

49

REACHING OUT A list of organizations and businesses in our area that serve as educational resources to students and parents

52

TAKE NOTE What’s new in local schools

54

FACTS AND FIGURES About our public school systems, plus an education glossary and kindergarten facts

58

DIRECTORY OF PRIVATE, REGIONAL, BOARDING, CHARTER AND MAGNET SCHOOLS

Our Cover

Photo by Beth Mann

The Berry family lives in Briar Chapel.

Erica is a fitness instructor and owns Jammin Baby, an early childhood music education program. John owns YouthHoops, a year-round basketball instructional academy for players and coaches. Daughters Lena, 16, and Sophia, 12, are 11th and seventh graders at Woods Charter School. Both are active in the Bouncing Bulldogs jump rope team.

Jump in on the Fun

BOUNCING BULLDOGS FUN + FOCUS + FRIENDS

Jump rope classes & camps for all ages Register Now!

ONLINE | PHONE | IN-PERSON

For more information, go to:

bouncingbulldogs.org | 919.493.7992

Catch the Spark We are a vibrant, inclusive learning community empowering students to think critically, creatively, & independently. Inspired by Quaker values, we teach our children that it is possible to change the world!

A Purposeful Program Our students are empowered to choose among our rich curricular and co-curricular opportunities as they realize their highest potential in the classroom, community, and wider world.

Carolina Friends School

a pre-K to grade 12 independent Quaker day school serving the greater Durham-Chapel Hill area www.cfsnc.org | 919.383.6602 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE   5

of Fun

SOME OF OUR FAVORITE ANNUAL EVENTS FOR FAMILIES

FALL PHOTO BY JULIA BAKER

CENTERFEST ARTS FESTIVAL September Presented by the Durham Arts Council, this signature arts event (pictured above) celebrates its 45th year in central downtown Durham with live music, dancing, a kids zone and more than 100 visual artists. centerfest.durhamarts.org PEPPERFEST September Spicy, flavorful food, beer and fun at Abundance NC’s 12th annual festival. Dozens of local chefs prepare peppercentric dishes and beverages, plus plenty of fun for kids. pepperfestnc.org SHAKORI HILLS GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL OF MUSIC & DANCE October 4-7, 2018 The annual folk and rock festival features four days of music on multiple stages, dozens of vendors and fun for every age. Funk band Lettuce will headline. Camp or commute. shakorihillsgrassroots.org

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FESTIFALL October 7, 2018 The 45th edition of the handmade art market in downtown Chapel Hill features live performances and children’s activities aplenty. chapelhillfestifall.com

PUMPKIN PATCH Weekends in October Pick a pumpkin off the vine, explore a sunflower maze and play area, and go on a tractor ride around Smith’s Family Fun Farm in Hillsborough.

PUMPKIN PATCH EXPRESS Weekends in October Hop aboard the Museum of Life and Science’s railway to its on-site pumpkin patch, where visitors are invited to pick out the perfect pumpkin, run through the hay maze, dive into the corn crib, make crafts and more! lifeandscience.org XTREME HAUNT October At Xtreme Park Adventures in Durham, thrill-seeking young adults and teens can take a ride on one of the 40-foot military trucks for a real-life zombie hunting experience, try an extraspooky zip line in the dark, face a challenge in the mini escape rooms on-site and much more across the 50-acre park. xtremeparkadventures.com

PHOTO BY MICHAEL ZIRKLE PHOTOGRAPHY

FOUR SEASONS

HILLSBOROUGH HANDMADE PARADE ‘MAGICAL MENAGERIE ON THE ENO’ October 14, 2018 Join the Hillsborough Arts Council in downtown Hillsborough for a Mardi Gras-style street parade with costumes, puppets, stilt-walkers, marching bands and more.

The seventh bi-annual parade begins at Orange and Churton Streets, and will finish at Cameron Park with drums, dancing, food and drinks. hillsboroughartscouncil.org

SWEET BEE THEATER November-December Pittsboro Youth Theater company has productions for kids from kindergarten to high schoolers. Sign up your budding stars of the stage for the cast or come see a show. Winter season: The Little Mermaid, November 16-18; Robin Hood, December 1-2; Annie Jr. The Musical, December 8-9 and 15-16. pittsboroyouththeater.com

HALLOWEEN PHANTASMAGORIA October 26, 2018 Experience Duke Homestead with surprises lurking around every corner during this Halloween-themed event for all ages. dukehomestead.org

WINTER

BOOTANICAL: PUMPKINS IN THE GARDEN October 26, 2018 Get creative with the little ones at North Carolina Botanical Gardens’ pumpkin-carving contest, plus crafts, critters, treats and more. ncbg.unc.edu PITTSBORO FALL STREET FAIR October 27, 2018 Rain or shine, expect plenty of arts, crafts, carnival foods, live music and more! pittsboronc.gov

PHOTO BY HILARY GRAVES

BYNUM BRIDGE PUMPKIN CARVING Halloween Local artists carve more than 100 pumpkins for a unique, glowing, once-a-year display over the Bynum pedestrian bridge in Chatham County. Bring the kids before or after trickor-treating.

NC COMICON: BULL CITY November 9-11, 2018 Comic book lovers gather at Durham Convention Center to participate in all new exhibits, panels and workshops at this three-day show. Kids ages 9 and younger are free. nccomicon.com

HOLIDAY PARADES December, various dates Durham, Pittsboro, Hillsborough and Chapel Hill-Carrboro each offer their own community parade with widespread holiday fun for all ages. Plus, check out tree lighting schedules and other seasonal events on each community’s website. durhamnc.gov; townofchapelhill.org; townofcarrboro.org; hillsboroughnc.gov; pittsboronc.gov

THE NUTCRACKER December, various dates Leap into the holidays with this classic tale. Triangle Youth Ballet performs at Chapel Hill High School December 1 and 2, and The Carolina Theatre December 8. Carolina Ballet’s version is at DPAC December 14-30 and Memorial Hall on December 1 and 2 while the Moscow Ballet will grace The Carolina Theatre’s stage December 11-13. triangleyouthballet.org; carolinaperformingarts.org; carolinatheatre.org IRA DAVID WOOD III’S A CHRISTMAS CAROL December 5-9 and 12-16 Kids will adore Theatre in the Park’s musical comedy that’s been a Triangle tradition since 1974! And plan a day trip to Raleigh for Theatre in the Park’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” November 30-December 9, 2018 (includes a sensory-friendly performance on December 8 at 11 a.m.). dpacnc.com; theatreinthepark.com SOLSTICE CELEBRATION LANTERN WALK December Craft with your kiddos beforehand and take handmade paper lanterns to Hillsborough Arts Council’s evening gathering along the Riverwalk. hillsboroughartscouncil.org KWANZAAFEST January 1. 2019 The African American Dance Ensemble’s fest includes a children’s village featuring arts and crafts, as well as dance and drumming classes. aade-inc.org 

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CALENDAR

SPRING CARRBORO KITE FLY March Welcome spring and Carolina blue skies with this annual family event at Hank Anderson III Community Park. townofcarrboro.org

CARRBORO OPEN STREETS April Experience Carrboro’s streets car-free, as they are closed down for biking, dancing, walking, yoga and more – all to encourage community building. townofcarrboro.org DURHAM BULLS BASEBALL April-September Take the family out to a ball game, where there’s always something for the kiddos: climb around Wool E. World’s playground, dress up for Star Wars Night, bring your pup to Bark in the Park, catch some Friday night fireworks or simply savor a hot dog (or two!). durhambulls.com ROBOT DANCE PARTY May 4-5 Kids are invited to build a cardboard robot costume and then hit the dance floor as Kid Koala drops kid-friendly beats, all held at CURRENT ArtSpace + Studio. carolinaperformingarts.org WALK FOR THE ANIMALS May Grab a leash and your pup, and join hundreds of people and furry friends for the Animal Protection Society of Durham’s annual fundraising walk.

Meet animal vendors and compete in contests with your pooch like Best Kisser, Best Trick and Best Look-A-Like. apsofdurham.org BIMBÉ CULTURAL ARTS FESTIVAL May Celebrate African and African-American culture at this free, family-friendly, 50-year-old festival.

Entertainment includes the African American Dance Ensemble, along with arts and crafts, traditional African fare and a family fun zone. durhamnc.gov

BARK AT NOAH’S ARK April At Indian Creek K9 Aquatics in Goldston, see championship-level DockDogs competitors in events like longest splashdown, where pooches compete for distance as they jump as far as they can into a specially built pool. The three-day fundraiser includes camping and dog fun.

TOUCH A TRUCK April 7, 2019 The annual fundraiser for N.C. Children’s Hospital and local Boy Scouts at The Friday Center. Check out emergency, construction, military and landscaping vehicles. touchatruckchapelhill.com NC SCIENCE FESTIVAL April 1-30 Awaken your child’s inner scientist with this series of science events taking place all over the Triangle, including a major science street fair that boasts more than 100 STEM activities at UNC. ncsciencefestival.org

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SUMMER JUNETEENTH FESTIVAL Mid-June Celebrate the historical date of final African-American emancipation at this family-friendly, decades-old festival in Durham. Entertainment includes the African American Dance Ensemble, along with arts and crafts, traditional African fare and a family fun zone. durhamnc.gov AMERICAN DANCE FESTIVAL’S CHILDREN’S SATURDAY MATINEES June-July Dance performances specially curated to spark the interest and imagination of children, this series of three one-hour shows is held at the Durham Performing Arts Center and followed by free kids parties. americandancefestival.org

CALENDAR

OUTDOOR MOVIES June-August Durham Parks and Recreation puts on the Rock the Park free movies and concert series. Southern Village regularly offers Movies on Market, and Town of Chapel Hill’s Movies Under the Stars series occurs a few times a month. dprplaymore.org; southernvillage.com; townofchapelhill.org

Adopt A shelter

pet And sAve

A life.

PITTSBORO SUMMERFEST Early July Historic downtown Pittsboro comes alive with delicious food, games, contests, a bicycle parade and live music. The fun lasts well into the evening. pittsboronc.gov FIREWORKS & FESTIVITIES July 4 Hit the Weaver Street Market‘s festival in Carrboro, then Kenan Memorial Stadium at UNC, the Bynum Bridge or the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for fireworks. The Bulls’ show goes on even if the team is on the road.

FESTIVAL FOR THE ENO July One of the region’s premier Fourth of July celebrations, enjoy live music, a beer garden and food trucks while little ones play on the banks and in the water of the beautiful Eno River. enofest.org PAPERHAND PUPPET INTERVENTION August-September Arrive early at UNC’s Forest Theatre for a good seat at this incredible display of puppet storytelling. paperhand.org LATINO FIESTA AND SOCCER CHALLENGE July-August A multiweek soccer tournament through Durham Parks and Recreation culminates at Rock Quarry Park. Enjoy authentic food, music and a family fun zone! durhamnc.gov YF

Buddy hAs found his

forever home.

visit Aps to see more!

AnimAl protection society of durhAm 2117 E. Club blvd., durham, NC 27704 | 919.560.0640

www.ApsofdurhAm.org photo By AlycAt photogrAphy.

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 9

Where to Eat …

WITH KIDS BIG AND SMALL

BY MATT WHITE / PHOTO BY BETH MANN

A

t our office, members of our staff have children who range from months old (Chief Operating Officer Rory Gillis’ son, Lennox, turns 1 in November 2018) to their 30s (our company’s owners Dan and Ellen Shannon’s eldest daughter, Emma, is 34). We also live all over, from north Durham to Chapel Hill to Pittsboro, so we know a little about dining out with kids of all ages. Our Chapel Hill Magazine, Durham Magazine and Chatham Magazine parents share their fave restaurants to head to with kids:

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VENABLE ROTISSERIE BISTRO, CARRBORO

“Venable has an excellent kids’ menu that delivers hidden vegetables in their food. Makes you feel good about ordering off the kiddie menu as compared to the bread, meat and pasta menus that exist almost everywhere!”

– Rory , chief operating officer, mom to Lennox, 11 months, and Rowan, 3 THE MAD HATTER’S CAFÉ & BAKESHOP, DURHAM

“I like meeting friends with kids at The Mad Hatter's Café & Bakeshop. It's bright and sunny inside with

flexible seating so everyone can move around easily and share dishes. The staff is always accommodating if something needs to be left off of a sandwich. Plus, they have adorable cakes and cookies that kids (and I) love.” – Caroline Elizabeth Kornegay, administrative and event assistant

PITTSBORO ROADHOUSE, PITTSBORO

PIZZERIA TORO AND THE PARLOUR, DURHAM

AL’S BURGER SHACK, SOUTHERN VILLAGE

“In the heart of downtown, good food for everybody in the family. They just put in a pool table and darts in the Garage – the large backroom – which my kids love to play before and after meals. Thursday is Game Night, with board games and contests.”– Matt White, Chatham Magazine executive editor, dad to Tatum, 9, and Jude, 11

“Grab early dinner inside or outside before seeing an “When we moved here two years ago from south outdoor movie during the summer months. Lunch any Florida, we looked for a place that could satisfy day of the week. Voted ‘Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant’ by everyone. Katarina, 7, and Carlos Andrés, 5, are Chapel Hill Magazine readers in both pizza connoisseurs 2018.” – Melissa Crane, senior but my wife, Mirty, is a account executive healthy foodie. We found Pizzeria Toro hit the BABALU TACOS & TAPAS, spot with high-quality CHAPEL HILL ingredients, an assortment •• Jack Tar + the Colonel’s “The food is creative, and Taco Daughter, weekend brunch of unique pizzas (I love Tuesdays are always a hoot. It’s and kid-friendly juice machine anything with good also extremely comfortable and •• County Fare, food trucks, prosciutto di parma) adult beverages, space for your informal.” and its child-friendly kids to run and outdoor games – Dan Shannon, chairman, dad to atmosphere. It also helps •• Chubby’s Tacos, big Emma, Becca, and Drew. that they are within portions, even on kids’ meals walking distance of our THE HONEYSUCKLE TEA HOUSE, •• Monuts, doughnuts and family’s favorite dessert spot in CHAPEL HILL a kids’ corner Durham, The Parlour, where we “Honeysuckle Tea House •• Breakaway Cafe, board can find dairy-free options to games and kids’ books, tasty is the best for kids! There and healthy menu avoid tummy aches.” are Locopops, games, a •• Elmo’s Diner, pancakes – Jean Carlos Rosario-Montalvo, playground, kid books and senior art director and production several educational opportunities. manager My daughter, Rowan, enjoyed the slide, walking among the CAROLINA INN, FEARRINGTON HOUSE, THE UMSTEAD growing mint and verbena and swinging in the hammock AND WASHINGTON DUKE INN, CHAPEL HILL, CHATHAM, CARY, DURHAM while the adults sipped on an iced Lemon Hibiscus tea!”

“I used to take my two daughters to The Carolina Inn – Rory for a mother-daughter tea, probably for Mother’s Day VIRLIE’S GRILL AND S&T’S SODA SHOPPE, PITTSBORO or during the holidays. Their menu includes a Little “My kids love Virlie's because they have Mickey Mouse Prince and Princess Tea. These include tea sandwiches, pancakes, and they get a few quarters from the old-timers tiny desserts and pastries that are great for really special to play the claw machine! My kids race to S&T’s on occasions or special treats. It’s one of the few food Fridays as soon as school gets out. If they aren't wearing things that I did with my now-adult daughters that tennis shoes that day, they bring them with them so they they still remember really fondly. The Carolina Inn, the can run! It's their favorite ice cream place because of the Washington Duke, Fearrington House and The Umstead variety.” – Heather Johnson, Chatham Magazine associate all have fantastic teas.” publisher, mom to Trevor, 20, Ole, 14, Emily, 12, and – Ellen, vice president of planning and development, mom to Sophie, 11 YF Emma, Becca, 28, and Drew, 26.

Our Other Favorites

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ACTIVE KIDS,

Happy Kids

Kids of all ages can show off their roller skating moves at Wheels Fun Park in Durham.

PHOTO BY BETH MANN

DANCER? ARTIST? ANIMAL LOVER? NO MATTER YOUR KIDS’ INTERESTS, OUR COMMUNITY HAS YOU COVERED.

SPORTS

W

e are fortunate to have many specialized sports complexes and team leagues to help kids expend some energy and learn leadership discipline and skills along the way.

Complexes like Baseball Rebellion in Durham, Bull City Gymnastics, OC Gymnastics in Hillsborough and Chapel Hill Gymnastics offer coaching and space to help your child improve on their skills. And few communities have a place like the Orange County Sportsplex in Hillsborough, which features a skating rink, hockey leagues for young’uns and a huge pool complex.

There are few better ways to get outside, get your kids active and make friends (both kids and parents!) than a low-pressure, local sports league. All local parks and 12 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9

recreation departments run leagues in various sports, as do most YMCA branches. For more competition, check out Rainbow Soccer, Triangle United Soccer, Chatham Soccer League or i9 Sports. For lacrosse players, Rivals Lacrosse, Blast Lacrosse and Chatham Cardinals run leagues for boys and girls. Or for kids who like to throw a disc, contact Triangle Ultimate (ultimate Frisbee)!

Want to try rock climbing? Try the many routes to the top at the Chapel Hill Community Center climbing wall (certified belayer required) or solve some bouldering problems at Progression Climbing.

For future track stars, there’s the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Pacers Youth Running Club or Circle City Stars in Pittsboro for boys and girls. For jump ropers, try the Bouncing Bulldogs and Skipsations.

And young basketball fans, it’s time to choose: What color blue are you? Do some research at the Carolina

and performing arts. The ArtsCenter also welcomes art-loving kindergarteners through fifth-graders in an arts-based after-school immersion program. And check in with the Chatham Arts Council for their Artists-InSchools program.

Once you’ve made your choice, sign up for the Don’t miss the Family Saturday Series once a month at Carolina Kids Club or the Young or Junior Iron The Carolina Theatre in Durham, featuring a variety of Dukes – all are low-cost options that include family-friendly entertainment from science demonstrations free entry to Olympic sports on campus and tons (December 15, 2018) and storytellers ( January 19, 2019) to of exclusive benefits, including chances to meet Indian classical dance (March 2, 2019). basketball stars.

Nonprofit creative reuse center The Scrap Exchange Maybe it’s not a competitive sport, but from in Durham challenges roller-skating to youngsters to use their go-karts to a batting Ebony Grissett-Delgado welcomes dancers of all imagination in the Make cage and three-story ages and skills to Chatham Dance Connection in N Take Room and Design playground, few places Pittsboro.

Center, which are regularly offer the activity and offered as open studios for family fun of Wheels a small fee. Workshops Fun Park in Durham. and seasonal programming are also available for more directed fun.

Businesses like Carrboro’s There’s so many Glazed Expectations, options for young Durham Arts Council’s dancers. Dance Clay Studio at Northgate studios in Durham Mall and HappymessART include the American Studios in Durham provide Dance Festival’s Samuel the tools for your kids to H. Scripps Studios (bring create with new mediums. your little ones to watch And, for ever-changing professional dancers perform exhibitions and a selection of during Saturday children’s regular kids’ art programming, matinees at the festival in the Nasher Museum of Art summer), Barriskill Dance at Duke University and Theatre School, Bellan Ackland Art Museum are Contemporary Dance great places for your young Theatre, Dance Theatre PHOTO BY BRIANA BROUGH artist to find inspiration.

South, Encore Academy of Dance, Nina’s School of Dance and Ninth Street Dance. And in Chapel Hill, check out Ballet School of Chapel Hill, Studio A DanceArts and Triangle Youth If your little one is a budding zoologist, our area has Ballet. In Chatham, try the 7 Dance Centre, Chatham plenty of opportunities for him or her to see animals up Dance Connection or Renner Dance Company. close. The largest and most diverse collection of lemurs live right in our backyard at the Duke Lemur Center in Durham, which offers Little Lemur tours for children younger than 8 years old, a Keeper for A Day program The ArtsCenter in Carrboro and Durham Arts Council and even Painting with Lemurs. Book your tour or event both offer a wide range of arts opportunities, including ahead of time, as they tend to fill up fast.  photography, jewelry, fiber arts, ceramics, dance, design Basketball Museum on UNC’s campus, next to the Dean E. Smith Center. In Durham, check out the Duke Basketball Museum & Sports Hall of Fame adjacent to Cameron Indoor Stadium.

DANCE

ANIMALS

ARTS & CRAFTS

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 13

ACTIVITIES & CAMPS

STARS

If big cats are more your thing, look no further than Pittsboro’s Carolina Tiger Rescue, where you can witness lions, servals, cougars, caracals, ocelots and, of Morehead Planetarium and Science Center is a course, tigers. They offer a reading hour/book tour every must for the space-savvy little ones in your life. Exhibits month (check out page 35 for more info), as well as a introduce kids to the purpose of the planetarium, and a range of public tours, private tours and camp options. host of planetarium shows revolve around themes from Museum of Life and Science brings the excitement black holes to Galileo to Science LIVE! Programs that of space, sound, science, insects and dinosaurs to the level demonstrate experiments right before your very eyes. For of youngsters of every age. Check out Hideaway Woods, a special look at the stars, check out one of the center’s Magic Wings Butterfly House, the dinosaur trail and off-site skywatching adventures. the Explore the Wild exhibit with black bears, lemurs and the museum’s endangered red wolves, which had a litter of pups in April 2018.

Barnyard friends like the Beltie Cows – actually Belted Wander through gorgeous landscapes at the North Galloways – at Fearrington Village in Pittsboro can Carolina Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill and the also be found at 1870 Farm in Chapel Hill, Hux Family Sarah P. Duke Gardens Farm (goats galore) in Durham, which both and Blue Whistler Along with being a great place for walks offer a chance to walk Farm in Bahama, in nature, the Sarah P. Duke Gardens has alone or take part in a number of story time activities.

Elodie Farms in any of their educational Rougemont and Funny programming throughout Girl Farm in Durham. the year. The Botanical And if you’re looking Garden features a to bring home a furry Children’s Wonder family pet, there are Garden with hands-on plenty of local animal activities, while Duke shelters – including Gardens offers gardening Orange County open hours, nature Animal Services navigator programs, story Center and Animal times and other activities Protection Society to engage your little ones. of Durham (APS) – Kidzu Children’s Museum in Chapel Hill features an as well as rescues from Independent Animal Rescue interactive wooden beehive outside its University Place in Durham to Chatham Animal Rescue & Education location, plus plenty of opportunities to create, think, (CARE) in Pittsboro to Paws4ever in Orange County. solve problems and get your hands dirty.

Many hold adoption events at shops like Phydeaux, Other neat spots to take your nature-loving explorers The Regulator Bookshop, Barnes Supply Co. and include the Coker Arboretum on UNC’s campus, Eno Oliver’s Collar. Those ages 16 and older can volunteer River, Jordan Lake and Triangle Land Conservancy’s after orientation and training at Orange County Animal long list of Orange, Durham, Chatham and Wake County Services while volunteers ages 13 to 15 need to have nature preserves. And don’t pass up a chance to walk or parent or adult supervision. APS volunteers must be 16 or paddle along the Haw River outside of Pittsboro. older to walk dogs without adult supervision, 15 or older Schoolhouse of Wonder in Durham offers camps to volunteer with the cats without adult supervision, and during the summer, daylong field trips for groups, 10 or older may volunteer with parent or guardian. They preschool nature-based exploration programs and need early morning dog walkers and cat volunteers most weekend family adventures based on various themes. of all!

Every April, the Piedmont Farm Tour invites families

NATURE

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ACTIVITIES & CAMPS

to the countryside to meet farmers and try stellar local grub. Their guide, available online, will point you to the sites with the greatest child appeal.

And, finally, visit Maple View Farm in Hillsborough and treat yourself to farm-fresh ice cream. Follow the farm on social media for the latest on their familyfriendly and educational events.

CULINARY Southern Season’s Cooking School and Midway Community Kitchen, both in Chapel Hill, regularly offer kid-focused cooking classes throughout the year. C’est si Bon! Cooking School in Chapel Hill features foodie teen

getaways to Europe and within North Carolina. Farmers markets like Durham Farmers Market, Carrboro Farmers Market and Chapel Hill Farmers Market regularly supply kid-geared educational programming, along with local food fests like Abundance NC’s Pepper Festival in September. Older teens would find a wealth of culinary knowledge by attending the classes held at TerraVita Food & Drink Festival in October, too.

MUSIC On rainy days or days too hot to be outside (we have many here), Notasium in Durham offers a great interactive, music-based play space designed to interest kids of all ages. It’s an awesome area for siblings to utilize while brothers and sisters take part in music lessons – from banjo to bassoon, voice to drums and beyond – at Notasium’s music school. Other programs where the musically inclined can hone their craft include Chapel Hill School of Musical Arts, High Strung Violins & Guitars in Durham (check out an Instrument Petting Zoo), Girls Rock NC in Durham, Russell Lacy Music in Durham, School of Rock in Chapel Hill and Cary, Let There Be Rock School in Durham, Durham Children’s Choir or the Piedmont Youth and Family Orchestra.

For older brass instrument enthusiasts, the Vincent and Ethel Simonetti Historic Tuba Collection in Durham is a must-visit, with more than 300 instruments on display.

VOLUNTEER Many local nonprofits like Meals on Wheels, PORCH, Ronald McDonald House in Durham and Chapel Hill and others will allow children to volunteer alongside

their guardians. Check out The Triangle Nonprofit & Volunteer Leadership Center (formerly Volunteer Center of Durham), an organization that can connect you and your child with a nonprofit volunteer opportunity that best suits your interests.

Summer Camps AT A GLANCE

1870 FARM SUMMER CAMP 1224 Old Lystra Rd., Chapel Hill 919-590-4120; 1870farm.com Animal care, outdoor games, fishing, crafts, farm entrepreneurship, outdoor survival, cooking and more.

AMERICAN DANCE FESTIVAL 721 Broad St., Durham 919-684-6402; americandancefestival.org Six weeklong camp options include Pilobolus camp, summer dance intensives and a pre-professional dance intensive.

ARTSCAMP AT THE ARTSCENTER 300-G E. Main St., Carrboro 919-929-2787; artscenterlive.org Visual and performing art camps taught by professional artists.

BALLET SCHOOL OF CHAPEL HILL 1603 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill 919-942-1339; balletschoolofchapelhill.com Workshops in creative arts, ballet, contemporary jazz and more.

BARRISKILL DANCE THEATRE SCHOOL 3642 Shannon Rd., Durham 919-489-5100; barriskilldance.com Classes and intensives in creative movement, ballet, jazz, hiphop, contemporary, conditioning, musical theater and more.

BOUNCING BULLDOGS JUMP ROPE CAMP 101 South White Oak Dr., Chapel Hill 919-493-7992; bouncingbulldogs.org Jump rope basics and skills with National and World Champions.

BLUE MOON STABLES 1120 Whippoorwill Lane, Chapel Hill 919-943-8918; bluemoonstables.biz Enjoy riding horses, grooming, make-and-take crafts and more.

CAMP GOVERNORS CLUB 11000 Governors Dr., Chapel Hill 919-933-7500; governorsclubnc.com Children and grandchildren of members can enjoy activities such as arts and crafts, team building games, science and more.

CAMP SENECA 2089 Lamont Norwood Rd., Pittsboro 919-918-1080; oldschoolatfancygap.com Activities include archery, wood-lore, creek stomping, fossil hunting and arts and crafts. 

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 15

ACTIVITIES & CAMPS

CAROLINA DANCE & GYMNASTICS ACADEMY 114 S. Third Ave., Siler City 919-742-7232; silercitydance.com Classes and camps in gymnastics and dance.

CHAPEL HILL TENNIS CLUB 403 Westbrook Dr., Carrboro 919-929-5248; chapelhilltennisclub.com Tennis instruction along with swimming and other sports.

CAROLINA SAILING FOUNDATION JUNIOR SUMMER CAMP Crosswinds Boating Center, 565 Farrington Rd., Apex 919-604-0842; carolinasailingfoundation.org Full-day, weeklong sailing camps.

CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO YMCA (MULTIPLE LOCATIONS) 980 MLK Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill 919-442-9622; ymcatriangle.org Camps with activities including cooking, science, sports.

CAROLINA TIGER RESCUE SUMMER CAMPS 1940 Hanks Chapel Rd., Pittsboro 919-542-4684; carolinatigerrescue.org Learn about carnivores and rescue stories.

THE CLUBHOUSE @ BRIGHT HORIZONS 2500 Highstone Rd., Cary 919-380-2003; trackoutraleigh.com Field trips, 3D printers, playgrounds, art studios for all children.

CCCC EXPLORE AND LEARN CAMP 764 West St., Pittsboro 919-545-8044; cccc.edu Outdoor adventurers practice wildlife conservation and more.

COMMUNITY CHORUS PROJECT SUMMER GLEE Kenan Music Building, 125 S. Columbia St., Chapel Hill 919-428-1597; communitychorusproject.org Musical theater including voice, choreography and acting.

CHATHAM COUNTY PARKS AND RECREATION Northwest District Park, 2413 Woody Store Rd., Siler City 919-545-8553; chathamnc.org Swimming, fishing, archery, hiking and more.

COMMUNITY CHORUS PROJECT SUMMER WORKSHOP Kenan Music Building, 125 S. Columbia St., Chapel Hill 919-428-1597; communitychorusproject.org High schoolers record in studios, perform at Cat’s Cradle.

CLAPPING HANDS FARM 3348 Alston Chapel Rd., Pittsboro 919-542-5599; clappinghandsfarm.com Camps for the arts (visual art, music, theater, dance) and nature.

CRESSET CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 3707 Garrett Rd., Durham 919-354-8000; cressetchristian.org Study cultures around the world through games, crafts and more.

CAMELOT ACADEMY EDU-VENTURES 809 Proctor St., Durham 919-688-3040; camelotacademy.org Daily sessions of math and language arts, field trips.

DUKE SCHOOL 3716 Erwin Rd., Durham 919-489-1827; dukeschool.org More than 60 choices from technology to sports.

CAMELOT ACADEMY SUMMER EXPLORATIONS 809 Proctor St., Durham 919-688-3040; camelotacademy.org Experiential learning in agriscience, the arts and more.

DUKE YOUTH PROGRAMS SUMMER CAMPS 201 E. Campus Union Dr., Durham 919-684-6259; learnmore.duke.edu/youth Science, writing, engineering, math and leadership.

CAMELOT ACADEMY SUMMER SCHOOL 809 Proctor St., Durham 919-688-3040; camelotacademy.org Two-week sessions of enrichment in math and language arts.

DURHAM ARTS COUNCIL SUMMER ARTS CAMP 120 Morris St., Durham 919-560-2726; durhamarts.org Clay-making, drawing, painting, media, dance, theater, more.

CAMP RIVERLEA 8302 S. Lowell Rd., Bahama 770-633-7698 or 919-477-8739 (summer); campriverlea.com Outdoor arts programs with an appreciation of the natural world.

DURHAM PARKS AND RECREATION SUMMER CAMP 400 Cleveland St., Durham 919-560-4355; dprplaymore.org Diverse athletic and educational experiences.

CAROLINA FRIENDS SUMMER PROGRAMS 4809 Friends School Rd., Durham 919-383-9089; cfsnc.org/summer 3D animation, theater, cooking, science, sewing, sports and more.

EMERSON WALDORF SCHOOL 6211 New Jericho Rd., Chapel Hill 919-967-1858, ext. 143; emersonwaldorf.org Fort-making, the arts, outdoor explorations and more.

CARRBORO RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT 100 N. Greensboro St., Carrboro 919-918-7364; carrbororec.org Sports, arts, water fun, science, fishing camps, biking and more.

GIGI’S PLAYHOUSE 2887 Jones Franklin Rd., Raleigh 919-307-3952; gigisplayhouse.org/raleigh Programs for teens and adults with Down Syndrome.

CHAPEL HILL GYMNASTICS 7405 Rex Rd., Chapel Hill 919-942-3655; chapelhillgymnastics.com Quality instruction and fun in an energetic learning environment.

THE HILL CENTER – LOWER SCHOOL 3200 Pickett Rd., Durham 919-489-7464; hillcenter.org Individualized instruction in reading, writing and math.

CHAPEL HILL PARKS AND RECREATION 200 Plant Rd., Chapel Hill 919-968-2784; chapelhillparks.org Outdoor Adventure, Ceramic Arts, sports and more.

THE HILL CENTER – MIDDLE SCHOOL 3200 Pickett Rd., Durham 919-489-7464; hillcenter.org Reading, writing, math and executive function study skills.

16 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9

ACTIVITIES & CAMPS

IMMACULATA CATHOLIC SCHOOL 721 Burch Ave., Durham 919-682-5847; immaculataschool.org/camps Academics, language, music, religion, sports, STEM and more.

KIDZU CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 201 S. Estes Dr., Chapel Hill 919-933-1455; kidzuchildrensmuseum.org A variety of weekly themes enjoyed by 15 campers every week.

INTERNATIONAL MONTESSORI SCHOOL 3001 Academy Rd., Bldg. 300, Durham 919-401-4343; imsnc.org Engage your imagination through hands-on activities.

MID-SOUTH FENCERS CLUB 125 N. Gregson St., Durham 919-286-3100; midsouthfencersclub.org Half- and full-day fencing camps from beginner to advanced.

THE HAW RIVER CANOE & KAYAK CO. 6079 Swepsonville-Saxapahaw Rd., Graham 336-260-6465; hawrivercanoe.com Canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding and team-building activities.

MONTESSORI COMMUNITY SCHOOL 4512 Pope Rd., Durham 919-493-8541; mcsdurham.org In partnership with the Museum of Life & Science.

HAW RIVER CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 2428 Silk Hope Gum Spring Rd., Pittsboro 919-533-4139; hawriverchristian.org Morning and afternoon camps available ranging from basketball to the arts.

MONTESSORI SCHOOL OF DURHAM 2800 Pickett Rd., Durham 919-489-9045; mchdurham.org Athletics, music, visual & performing arts, cooking and science.

JORDAN LAKE BOATING CAMP 2092 Marthas Chapel Rd., Apex 919-585-1488; jordanlakeboatingcamp.com Motorboating, kayaking, fishing and sailing at Jordan Lake.

MOREHEAD PLANETARIUM SUMMER SCIENCE CAMPS 250 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill 919-843-7334; moreheadplanetarium.org/camp Encourage your child’s curiosity and intellectual growth in a fun, nurturing environment.

LILLY DEN FARM YOUNG FARMERS’ SUMMER CAMP 5260 Goldston Glendon Rd., Goldston 919-356-5330; lillydenfarm.com Milk cows, feed pigs, garden, make dairy products and more.

NATURE ADVENTURES CAMP AT SARAH P. DUKE GARDENS 420 Anderson St., Durham 919-668-1707; gardens.duke.edu/learn/camp Weekly day camps focusing on the wonders of nature. 

Emerge Believing in a Child’s Potential to Flourish

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emergeachildsplace.com | 919.928.0204 | 3905 University Drive | Durham

Your child’s successful educational and social journey begins with these important first steps!

• Communication • Handwriting • Social Skills • Self-Regulation • Reading 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 17

ACTIVITIES & CAMPS

OUR PLAYHOUSE SUMMER CAMPS 3501 Hwy. 54 W., Chapel Hill and 2400 University Dr., Durham 919-967-2700; ourplayhousepreschool.com Indoor and outdoor classrooms.

STROUDS CREEK FARM SUMMER CAMP 1600 Friendship Ln., Hillsborough 919-406-4552; stroudscreekfarm.com Focuses on each child’s interest in a nature-based experience.

PLAYMAKERS REPERTORY COMPANY THEATRE QUEST UNC, 120 Country Club Rd., Chapel Hill 919-962-7935; playmakersrep.org Middle school camps in acting, musical theater, improv and more.

THE STUDIO SCHOOL OF DURHAM 1201 W. Woodcroft Pkwy., Durham 919-967-2700; studioschoolofdurham.org Hands-on learning in art, STEM, entrepreneurship and more.

PLAYMAKERS REPERTORY COMPANY THEATRE INTENSIVE UNC, 120 Country Club Rd., Chapel Hill 919-962-7935; playmakersrep.org High schoolers train alongside professional artists.

SUMMER @ SAINT MARY’S 900 Hillsborough St., Raleigh 919-424-4000; sms.edu Explore new interests while building fundamental skills, pursuing artistic dreams and expanding academic horizons.

PLAYMAKERS REPERTORY COMPANY THEATRETECH UNC, 120 Country Club Rd., Chapel Hill 919-962-7935; playmakersrep.org High school tech theater students go behind the scenes.

PRIMROSE SCHOOL OF CHAPEL HILL AT BRIAR CHAPEL 81 Falling Springs Dr., Chapel Hill 919-441-0441; primrosechapelhill.com Weekly themes engage campers in creative and critical thinking.

RALEIGH STREET GALLERY 120 W. Raleigh Street St., Siler City 919-663-6278; raleighstreet.com Painting, drawing, clay molding, upcycling, jewelry and more.

ROBYN’S NEST CREATIVE LEARNING CENTER 69 Robyn’s Nest Lane, Pittsboro 919-542-9977; robynsnestclc.webs.com Weeklong camps include swimming, crafting and bowling.

RENNER DANCE 11312 Hwy. 15-501, Ste. 308, Chapel Hill 919-600-7646; rennerdance.com Classes in ballet, jazz, hip-hop and more.

SISTERS’ VOICES GLEE AND CANTABILE CAMPS Various locations in Chapel Hill and Pittsboro 919-619-3438; sistersvoices.org A singing camp for girls only.

SUN STAR FARM CAMP 2092 Marthas Chapel Rd., Apex 919-699-4429; sunstarfarm.com Farm animal care, pony week, crafts, gardening and more.

ST. THOMAS MORE CATHOLIC SCHOOL DAY CAMPS 920 Carmichael St., Chapel Hill 919-929-1546; stmcsnc.org Various including cooking, art, music and rhythmic gymnastics.

SCHOOLHOUSE OF WONDER West Point on the Eno, 5101-B N. Roxboro St., Durham 919-477-2116; schoolhouseofwonder.org Fort building, nature art, discovering animals and more.

SOUTHERN SEASON: KIDS IN THE KITCHEN CAMPS 201 South Estes Dr., Chapel Hill 919-929-7133; southernseason.com Each day and week will have unique themes.

SOUTHERN SEASON: TEEN BOOT CAMP 201 South Estes Dr., Chapel Hill 919-929-7133; southernseason.com Campers gain a base of culinary knowledge.

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TRIANGLE DAY SCHOOL 4911 Neal Rd., Durham 919-383-8800; triangledayschool.org Learn new hobbies, enhance skills, travel to local places, and make new friends.

TRINITY SCHOOL OF DURHAM AND CHAPEL HILL 4011 Pickett Rd., Durham 919-402-8262; trinityschoolnc.org Writing, math, sports, the arts, LEGO robotics, sewing, cooking and much more.

THEATER CAMPS BY PITTSBORO YOUTH THEATER Sweet Bee Theater, 18A East Salisbury St., Pittsboro 919-533-6997; pittsboroyouththeater.com Six all-day, Monday-Friday theater camps, each ending with a play performed on stage.

TINKERING SCHOOL NC 2092 Marthas Chapel Rd., Apex 919-585-1488; nctinkeringschool.com Building huge collaborative projects with real tools.

USA NINJA CHALLENGE 1810 Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy., Ste. A, Durham 984-219-2559; usaninjachallenge.com/durham-nc Turning kids into ninjas one obstacle at a time.

WOODS SUMMER WONDERS 160 Woodland Grove Lane, Chapel Hill 919-960-8353, Ext. 100 (office) or Ext. 402 (Camp Director); woodssummerwonders.com A variety of camps from flower arranging to wilderness survival.

XTREME PARK ADVENTURES SUMMER CAMP 7460 Hwy. 98, Durham 919-596-6100; xtremeparkadventures.com Multi-level ropes course, gem mining and two challenging escape rooms. Additional camp activities include zip lining, paintball, outdoor laser tag, airsoft, nature hikes, team building and more.

YMCA CAMP CHEERIO 1430 Camp Cheerio Rd., Glade Valley 336–869-0195 (fall, winter, spring); 336-363-2604 (summer); campcheerio.org Aquatics, sports, field games, creative arts and nature study in the Blue Ridge Mountains. YF

DISCOVERY | MASTERY | ADVENTURE

1201 W Woodcroft Pkwy, Durham, NC 27713 | 919.967.2700 | studioschooldurham.org

Tours and information available at www.hillcenter.org

The Hill Center helps struggling learners in reading, writing and math by delivering research-based, individualized instruction in our school, summer programs, and tutoring offerings!

Discover how The Hill Center can be a solution for your family.

20% OF ALL STUDENTS LEARN DIFFERENTLY. WE CAN HELP.

3200 Picket Road Durham, NC 27705 admissions@hillcenter.org (919) 489-7464

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 19

A week of

MEALS HOW A LOCAL TEACHER CUTS DINNER DRAMA WITH FIVE EASY, PRE-PLANNED DISHES

C

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIANA BROUGH

entral Park School for Children (CPSC) kindergarten teaching assistant Liz Clark

requires a course of action to get dinner on her south Durham table for her family: Jordan High School student Aidan, 15, Sherwood Githens Middle School student Avari, 12, and husband, Cary, who works at medical nonprofit International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis. Luckily, Liz worked at Weaver Street Market as a cook for more than 10 years and has plenty of tricks up her sleeve.

menu Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Baked ziti • Tossed salad with homemade vinaigrette • Bread

Roast chicken • Baked potatoes • Sautéed green beans

Leftover ziti

Beef with broccoli • Steamed rice

Burrito bar with chicken, sweet potatoes, black beans, cheddar cheese, lettuce, sour cream and blender salsa

Frogmore stew • Spinach salad

Sunday

BAKED ZITI 1 lb. box dried ziti 16 oz. ricotta cheese 1 egg

Salt and pepper 3 cup shredded mozzarella 1/ cup grated Parmesan 2 4 cups Quick Sunday Sauce 20 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9

Quick Sunday Sauce: 1/ cup olive oil 4 6 cloves garlic, squeezed through garlic press or minced 1 small onion, diced 2 Tbsp. dried basil 1 tsp. dried oregano 2 tsp. sugar 2 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes 1/ cup water 2

Liz Clark and her family prep Frogmore stew with a simple spinach salad.

For the Quick Sunday Sauce: Saute onions and garlic in oil about 5 minutes on low to medium heat, or until garlic is golden. Add all other ingredients, cover and simmer on low for at least 30 minutes.

(You can double this recipe and freeze for up to three months) For the baked ziti: Cook ziti following package directions. Drain pasta and place in large bowl. Mix ricotta, salt and pepper to taste, egg and ½ of each cheese with pasta. In a 13-by-9-inch pan, cover bottom with 2 cups of sauce then add ziti mixture. Then cover with 2 cups more sauce and the remaining cheese. Bake 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.

Serve ziti with extra sauce, fresh bread and simple tossed salad with homemade vinaigrette.

Vinaigrette: 1 cup olive oil 3 Tbsp. vinegar (whichever one you like best and have in your pantry) 3 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/ tsp. salt 2 1/ tsp. pepper 4 1 tsp. herbes de Provence Measure all ingredients into a container with a tight lid, shake and toss on salad 1 tablespoon at a time until lightly coated. (This can be used as a marinade for your Monday night chicken by adding ½ cup water.) 

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 21

A WEEK OF MEALS

Wednesday

BEEF WITH BROCCOLI Marinate: 1 lb. flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain, in: 1 egg 1 Tbsp. white wine (or 2 tsp. vinegar) 1 tsp. soy sauce 1 tsp. cornstarch 1 Tbsp. canola oil 1/ tsp. salt 4 1/ tsp. pepper 4 Avari helps prepare the veggies in the spinach salad.

Monday

ROAST CHICKEN 3- to 4-lb. whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces

(marinate 30 minutes before roasting) 4 baking potatoes 2 sweet potatoes (to reserve and serve with Thursday night’s Burrito Bar) 1 lb. fresh green beans 1 Tbsp. butter 1 Tbsp. lemon juice Salt and pepper

Roast chicken in large, deep pan on middle rack of oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour (until the internal temperature is 165 degrees). Wash potatoes. Fork a few holes in potatoes and roast on bottom rack of oven with chicken. Potatoes are done when fork tender.

Pick ends off green beans and rinse clean. In a saute pan, cover green beans with water and boil 5 minutes. Drain and cool beans in ice water, drain again and hold until chicken and potatoes are cooked. Saute beans in butter and lemon juice for 2 minutes on high heat until warmed through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Keep any leftover chicken and reserve for Thursday’s Burrito Bar!

22 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9

Mix sauce and set aside: 3 Tbsp. soy sauce 1 Tbsp. white wine 1 tsp. sesame oil 1/ tsp. sugar 2 1/ cup chicken broth 4 11/2 tsp. cornstarch Broccoli: 3 cups or 1 head of broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces.

Blanche in boiling water 3 minutes – then shock cold and lay on paper towel.

Assemble: In wok or large frying pan, add 2 tablespoons canola oil. When very hot, add beef. After 1 minute, add broccoli and stir-fry 1 minute. Add sauce and cook until thickened. Serve with steamed rice.

Thursday

BURRITO BAR Set out:

Picked chicken and chopped sweet potatoes from Monday

warmed tortillas 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed) Shredded cheddar cheese Sour cream 1/ head lettuce, thinly 2

sliced

A WEEK OF MEALS

Blender Salsa: 15 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies 1/ jalapeño 2 1/ onion 4 2 cloves garlic Juice of 1 lime 1/ bunch cilantro 2 Salt to taste Blend all ingredients, serve chilled.

Friday

FROGMORE STEW 4 cups water 1/ cup Old Bay Seasoning 4 1 onion, peeled and quartered 1 lemon, cut in half and squeezed 8 small red potatoes 4 ears corn, shucked and broken in half 1 lb. kielbasa, cut into 12 pieces 1 lb. shrimp

In a stockpot, add water, Old Bay, onion and lemon. Bring to a boil. Add whole red potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes. Add corn and kielbasa. Cook 5 more minutes. Add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. When shrimp turns pink and potatoes are fork tender, drain and serve with melted butter, lemon wedges, cocktail sauce and a simple spinach and tomato salad with vinaigrette from Sunday.

Frogmore stew is an easy, one-pot meal.

Liz keeps a long list of staples and basic ingredients in her kitchen.

••

Liz's Meal Planning Tips Have your family help decide what they would like on the menu.

••

Make a categorized grocery list of what you’ll need and shop at the beginning of the week.

••

Prep double batches of soups, stews, sauces, pasta and dressings to freeze or refrigerate to use at a later date.

••

Have all your ingredients prepped and measured before you start cooking. Prepare items for dinner that can be made ahead of time. (Make the salad, chop your vegetables, cook your sauce, etc.)

••

Clean as you go (and recruit little ones or your partner to help clean while you cook). Keep a sink full of soapy water. Have a bowl on your counter while you prep for all garbage and scraps and dump when you are done.

••

Prep a crockpot meal once a week. I sometimes prep a crockpot meal the night before, store all ingredients in the refrigerator and put it on before I leave for work the next day. YF

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 23

ORGANIZED With help from her own mom, Molly Dansby made daughter Maeve’s room into an inspiring space.

Spaces

KEEP YOUR HOME CLUTTER-FREE AND FUNCTIONAL WITH YOUR GROWING FAMILY

BY HOLLY WEST AND AMANDA MACLAREN / PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIANA BROUGH

THE MAGICAL MURAL

T

hree-year-old Maeve Dansby’s bedroom mural looks like it came straight out of “Madeline,” one of her favorite book series. The cityscape depicted in the mural is inspired by classic children’s books and downtown Chapel Hill. “I wanted the space to be inspiring and capture my daughter’s personality,” says her mom, Molly. “She’s spunky, smart, sweet, loud and loves pink.” The painting is the work of Maeve’s grandmother, Lisa Gaither, a well-known local muralist. In addition to providing a beautiful background for her bedroom, the buildings act as a setting for playtime. “The room is fun and happy, and it celebrates childhood and imagination, which I love!” Molly says.

Between the family-sourced paint job, the $20 bed found at a thrift shop and a couple other DIY projects, Molly says the room came together on a dime. 

Tips 24 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9

••

Canvas bags on hooks provide a cute and easy-to-access place to store toys.

••

Use minimal furniture to give children ample space to play.

ORGAZINED SPACES

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 25

The mudroom’s location by the kitchen helps Ashley Clarke’s two daughters stay organized, keeping items from book bags to winter coats easily accessible.

26 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9

ORGANIZED SPACES

DIY MUDROOM

W

ith two young daughters, Ashley Clarke says her family was in desperate need of a mudroom. “Backpacks, rain boots, seasonal gear and all kinds of odds and ends with nowhere to hide had me searching for solutions,” she says. With the help of easyclosets.com, the interior designer turned a utility closet off the kitchen into a place to store coats, shoes, homework and other miscellaneous items out of sight while still keeping them accessible for the girls.

Tips ••

Open shelving provides multifunctional storage that’s easy to change with your family’s needs. Use baskets or bins to keep things looking neat.

Personalized bins are a great way to keep kids’ similar items separate.

••

Use wire baskets as catchalls to store things in a hurry, but put them in their proper place later!

••

Drawers work well for clothing or smaller items like gloves, sunglasses and keys. 

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 27

ORGAZINED SPACES

Tips ••

Store infrequently used items up high and keep a step ladder nearby.

••

Storing and stacking in clear boxes takes advantage of shelf height. The clear boxes allow you to see what’s inside so you don’t lose track of what you’ve stored.

••

You can gain storage space on unused walls with the simple addition of a few inexpensive hooks. If kids are using them, be sure they are reachable.

28 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9

TAKE IT TO THE MAX

W

hen Maria Siegel redesigned her 13-year-old daughter Sydney’s bedroom, she knew there wasn’t room for a bed, a desk, a bookshelf, a chair and a dresser. “Something had to go,” says Maria, a designer and professional organizer with her own company, Goldenrod Place Interiors. “The most obvious thing that could go was the dresser, but I still had to come up with a solution for storing and organizing her clothes.”

Maria re-envisioned Sydney’s small, reach-in closet using the elfa closet system offered by The Container Store. “I came up with a design that solved the most pressing issues of the room: storage space (shelves), hanging space (coats, dresses) and a drawer space (clothes),” Maria says. “[Sydney’s] closet is a perfect example of how you can maximize space to the very last inch.” YF

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H ERSHEYAND H EYMANN.COM 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 29

Local LIT BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS, FROM TODDLERS TO TEENS, BY AUTHORS IN OUR COMMUNITY

BY SARA HEILMAN

TODDLERS AND NOT-QUITE-READERS BEARS AND BLOSSOMS

by Shirley Parenteau / illustrated by David Walker On a beautiful spring day, the little bears decide to have a picnic under the blossoming trees. After finding the perfect spot, the little bears set off to fly their kites, but the wind soon causes the bears to take flight. With illustrations by Chatham resident David Walker, this rhyming tale teaches young children about spring.

THE ADVENTURES OF THE MISSING SOCK

by Lizzie Lange

Where do missing socks go when they disappear? In this colorful book, the Chapel Hill author offers up whimsical theories on that age-old laundry question. Follow the adventures of liberated socks around the world as they follow their dreams.

30 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW

by Linda Ashman

The heartwarming story by Chapel Hill author Linda Ashman describes the different things children around the world see when they glance outside their windows.

This joyous celebration of diversity emphasizes that no matter where you’re from, there’s something we all share.

THE DRESS AND THE GIRL

by Camille Andros

A little girl and her favorite dress live on a beautiful Greek island. When the girl leaves for the U.S., she is separated from the trunk containing her dress and fears that it is lost forever. Years later, she has a chance to reunite with the dress. Beautifully illustrated, this book by Chatham author Camille Andros is about memory and the importance of the objects we hold dear.

THE CAT’S PAJAMAS

by Daniel Wallace

In this picture book, the Chapel Hill author creates a world in which cats once wore clothes, worked in cities and behaved like humans. Every cat dresses the same, except for Louis Fellini, who isn’t interested in being a copycat. This modern fable teaches children the value of individuality.  2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 31

LOCAL LIT

JERRY BARRY: LIVING HEALTHY

by Cora Darrah / illustrated by Hannah Darrah

Is your child not reaching their full potential in the classroom? Do they choose video games over healthy habits? Written by Durham author Cora Darrah and illustrated by her daughter, this playful book opens young children to conversations about the importance of an active lifestyle.

ELEMENTARY SAM THE MAN & THE DRAGON VAN PLAN

by Frances O’Roark Dowell

In the Durham author’s hilarious third installment of the “Sam the Man” series, Sam Graham is back with two plans instead of one. Sam’s family needs a new minivan, but Sam has a different idea: a monster truck! What could go wrong? Several things, it turns out. Sam must use his problem-solving skills to come up with a plan B.

HAMSTER PRINCESS: WHISKERELLA

by Ursula Vernon

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Princess Harriet Hamsterbone is not your everyday princess. She’s more interested in math, sword-fighting and cliff-diving than going to a boring ball in a boring dress. However, Harriet’s interest is piqued when a mysterious stranger arrives, leading her on a spellbinding adventure. Pittsboro-based Ursula Vernon has created a new twist on a classic fairytale for young readers.

LOCAL LIT

LOCAL LIT

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLERS THE INVENTORS AT NO. 8

by A.M. Morgen

George, an orphan and the third Lord of Devonshire, already considers himself the unluckiest boy in London.

When nefarious criminals steal his last family heirloom, he’s convinced that there’s no hope for its return.

Everything changes when Ada Byron, the future Countess of Lovelace, bursts into George’s life, determined to help him recover his goods while finding her father along the way. This adventure by the Durham author features a strong female lead with a focus on STEM.

FADEAWAY

by Maura Ellen Stokes

When 14-year-old Sam suddenly loses her best friend and basketball teammate, Reagan, to heart failure, she must learn to deal with her grief and navigate her life on and off the court without her closest friend by her side.

The Chapel Hill author uses this powerful story to teach middle school readers about friendship, loss and selfacceptance. YF

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 33

LOCAL LIT

Kids in costumes enjoy a Halloween-themed story time at the Chapel Hill Public Library.

Read WITH ME STOP BY A STORY HOUR AT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY, A BOOKSTORE, COFFEE SHOPS AND MORE, WHERE STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS PROVIDE EXCITING LITERARY PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG READERS

LIBRARY STORY TIMES CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC LIBRARY 919-968-2777 Family Story Time – Saturdays, 10:30-11:00 a.m.

Check website for additional sessions. chapelhillpubliclibrary.org CHATHAM COMMUNITY LIBRARY 919-545-8084 Toddler Story Time – Mondays and Tuesdays, 10:00-10:30 a.m.

Preschool Story Time – Tuesdays, 11:00-11:30 a.m.

Family Story Time – Saturdays, 11:00-11:30 a.m. chathamnc.org 34 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9

LOCAL LIT

DURHAM COUNTY LIBRARY Check websites for additional sessions.

PHOTO COURTESY CHAPEL HILL PUBLIC LIBRARY

North Regional 919-560-0231 Family Storytime – Tuesdays, 10:30-11:00 a.m.

Listen and Move Storytime – Wednesdays, 10:30-11:00 a.m.

Babygarten Storytime – Fridays, 11:00-11:30 a.m. durhamcountylibrary.org/location/north East Regional 919-560-0203 Baby Bookworms Storytime – Mondays, 10:30-11:00 a.m.

Preschool Playschool Storytime – Wednesdays, 10:30-11:00 a.m. durhamcountylibrary.org/location/east South Regional 919-560-7410 Toddler Rhyme Time – Mondays, 10:30-11:55 a.m.

Preschool Storytime – Tuesdays, 10:30-11:00 a.m.

Babytime Storytime – Wednesdays, 10:30-11:00 a.m.

Funtime Storytime – Thursdays, 10:30-11:00 a.m. durhamcountylibrary.org/location/south

Southwest Regional 919-560-8590 Music Makers Storytime – Mondays, 9:15-10:00 a.m.

Baby Lapsit Storytime – Mondays, 10:30-11:00 a.m., 11:15-11:45 a.m.

Pajama Storytime – Tuesdays, 6:30-7:00 p.m.

2-Year-Olds Storytime – Thursdays, 10:30-11:00 a.m.

Tiempo de Historia en Español/Spanish Storytime – Thursdays, 11:15-11:45 a.m. durhamcountylibrary.org/location/southwest

CHAPEL HILL & CARRBORO COCO BEAN COFFEE SHOP 919-883-9003 Kids’ Story + Craft Hour – Suitable for ages 2-6.

Complimentary 8 oz. hot chocolates for kids. First 15 minutes is story time with a fun book, then followed by a related craft! – Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-noon cocobeancoffeeshop.com FLYLEAF BOOKS 919-942-7373 Preschool Story Time – Thursdays, 10:30-11:30 a.m. flyleafbooks.com

HONEYSUCKLE TEA HOUSE 919-903-9131 Storytime with Tinkergarten – Third Thursdays, 9:30-10:15 a.m. honeysuckleteahouse.com JOHNNY’S GONE FISHING 919-932-5070 Kids Stories & Songs – Tuesdays, 10:45-11:30 a.m. johnnysgonefishing.com KIDZU CHILDREN’S MUSEUM 919-933-1455 Each weekly themed storytime includes an activity, craft or song. Program is included with museum admission and is great for ages 3-5 but also appropriate for 2 and younger.

Tuesdays and Fridays, 11-11:30 a.m. kidzuchildrensmuseum.org

PITTSBORO CAROLINA TIGER RESCUE 919-542-4684 Tiger Tales Tour – Story time followed by an animal-themed, take-home craft, plus the opportunity to see the resident animals up close. – Monthly, 9 a.m. carolinatigerrescue.org MCINTYRE’S BOOKS 919-542-3030 Children’s Storytime – Tuesdays and Fridays, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Check website for additional sessions. fearrington.com/mcintyres-books

DURHAM NASHER MUSEUM OF ART AT DUKE UNIVERSITY 919-684-5135 Bilingual Storytime with Durham County Library – a story read in English and Spanish followed by a short discussion about art and hands-on art making opportunities. Free for kids ages 1-5 and their adult caregivers – Monthly on Second Thursdays, 11 a.m.-noon nasher.duke.edu FUNNY GIRL FARM Themed Storytimes – Saturdays (about once a month – sign up for newsletter to stay up to date) funnygirlfarm.wixsite.com THE REGULATOR BOOKSHOP 919-286-2700 Preschool Storytime with Amy Godfrey – Wednesdays, 10:15 a.m. regulatorbookshop.com SARAH P. DUKE GARDENS 919-684-3698 Nature Storytime – Recommended for ages 3-5, enjoy the outdoors together with a nature-themed story read aloud in the gardens, followed by a related activity or garden walk. – Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. (Seasonal) gardens.duke.edu YF

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 35

Shaping

CHILDREN’S FUTURES THESE LEADERS TEACH AND INSPIRE OUR KIDS BOTH IN AND OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIANA BROUGH

ANITA WOODLEY

Health Educator, Founder of Anita Woodley Productions and Rape Prevention Coordinator at Orange County Rape Crisis Center.

A

nita produces 15 one-woman shows at various Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools that

deal with health topics ranging from breast cancer and obesity to self-esteem and conflict resolution.

She appears through The ArtsCenter’s Arts in Schools program and is a teaching artist-in-residence for the Durham Arts Council’s Creative Arts in Public & Private Schools (CAPS) program. Anita lives in Chapel Hill with her husband Wes and son Xavier, 16.

How does humor help you connect on uncomfortable health topics? “Humor opens people up. The very physics of laughter forces one to curl the corners of the mouth, stretch the lips until they open, part the teeth, revealing the inside of the mouth and during a really deep releasing laugh, exercise the throat muscles. This act releases, creates space and allows new experiences to come in.”

What was a memorable response to one of your plays?

“The most memorable response was to my show ‘Mama Juggs: The Breast Health Education Show.’ A day prior to the show, I did a meditative prayer, asking my mama what else I could add to her character’s story to benefit the audience. My mama died at 47 because of a lack of health literacy. She was too afraid to go back to the doctor’s office when they discovered she had a lump under her arm. I heard her say, ‘Teach them how I changed [the dressing on] my breast wound from the cancer.’ I went to CVS and bought all the supplies, adding this intimate and stirring ritual to my performance. I even had an audience member come up to assist with the tape, as I used to while [my mama] dressed her wound.”

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“[Afterward] a woman approached me and said, ‘Thank you for showing me what to expect. The doctors told me I would have to change my chest [dressing] when they removed my breast, but I had no idea they meant all that with draining included. I thought it meant a Band-Aid. You have no idea how you’ve helped me to go back to the doctor for this mastectomy.’ It touched me so much because I listened to my intuition and a need was served.”

– Holly West

DR. PAM BALDWIN Superintendent, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools

W

hen she was in the Army in Jacksonville, Pam would pass a high school near her base and have the same thought: “I wonder if they need a cheerleading coach.” The Virginia native had a biology degree from George Mason University and coached cheerleading and gymnastics. After an inquiry, she was promptly hired as a classroom teacher.

“When I walked into that classroom, I was in a mobile unit teaching math, physical science and earth science and just really fell in love with teaching and working with students,” Pam says. Soon, she became assistant principal, and eventually worked her way up to superintendent of Asheville City Schools. Now as superintendent of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, she’s challenged teachers and administrators to do three things: make school fun, take risks without fear of failure and encourage everyone. She acknowledges the pressures of grades, GPAs and class rank but also thinks education is more than just that. “What if [education is about fostering] a well-rounded, engaged student who works well with other people, has a great personality and thirst for knowledge, who wants to really just explore and discover and figure things out?”

– Jessica Stringer 

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE

LARA BRICKHOUSE

Adapted physical education teacher, Durham Public Schools

L

ara has been a P.E. teacher for more than a

decade and was named the 2017 National Adapted P.E. Teacher of the Year by the Society of Health and Physical Educators. Originally from Hillsborough, she moved to Durham three years ago.

How did you come to work with students with special needs? “I started with volunteering for organizations designed to support individuals with special needs. Every individual I met, no matter their level of ability, taught me how to teach. I don’t believe we can measure an educator, a professional or a human by the content of a resume, a biography or a transcript. A more accurate reflection of the content of our work can be measured by the collection of ‘cans’ in a world of ‘can’ts,’ the number of closed minds now open and a communal feeling of love and belonging.”

What’s the most challenging aspect of your job?

“Encouraging educators and administrators to embrace change. If an educator has been teaching the same lessons for over 20 years, it’s extremely difficult to implement changes.”

And the most rewarding? “I am constantly amazed by my students; they keep me on my toes! Like the time one of my students with autism, considered to be nonverbal, drew a blue square with squiggly lines on a whiteboard and said, “Pool, pool!” after the very first day of adapted aquatics. Together [my students and I] celebrate mini victories, turn failures into successes and always exhibit gratitude for the smaller things in life that are often taken for granted by those without disabilities.” – Holly West

CHRIS HART

Horticulture teacher, Chatham Central High School

C

hris’ “classroom” at Chatham Central High School doesn’t have many textbooks. Instead,

his approximately 100 students come to class to sweet peppers and squash, candytufts and rosemary and dozens of other vegetables, perennials and more. Chris oversees Chatham Central’s unique horticulture program,

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 39

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Horticulture teacher Chris Hart checks on hanging baskets. BELOW Former students Andrew Hicks and Carter Willett transfer plants ahead of a spring plant sale.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HILLARY GRAVES

where students maintain four huge greenhouses yearround.

“It’s completely student-run and studentmaintained,” says Chris, who has been involved with the horticulture program for seven years. “The kids are responsible for a crop. They see that crop all the way through the production cycle.”

Student Andrew Hicks says, “You’re not just going to be stuck in a classroom in a chair. We get to do a lot of hands-on stuff outside.”

The school’s multitude of plants include almost any plant an amateur gardener could want, from potted flowers and hanging baskets to herbs and vegetables, shrubs and other landscaping plants. The program holds public greenhouse sales in the spring and fall and near Christmas. “Even my introductory-level students, we’ll get them involved,” he says. “And their involvement gets more in-depth as they go on in the program.”

Chris participated in the program as a student himself at Chatham Central, and while most of his students don’t go on to careers in horticulture, Chris says the lessons they learn in his classes will serve them wherever they end up.

“They need to be able to hear directions one time and be able to follow them,” Chris says. “They learn to take pride in their work. Some of the stuff, it’s not that it’s not taught in a traditional classroom, but we’re set up for it. It’s expressed a little bit easier.”

– Holly West

STACEY DONOGHUE and VESHANA RAMIAH Founders of StrongHER TogetHER

V

eshana and Stacey, two Durham Academy

parents, founded a nonprofit to teach girls to stick together. Veshana credits her upbringing with inspiring her to make a difference.

“I grew up in South Africa during apartheid,” she says. “As a descendant of 18th century indentured laborers from India, the odds for success were not in my favor. And yet it would’ve been impossible for me and my siblings to fail. My family simply would not hear

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WE HAVE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE There are plenty of reasons to join the Y. • State-of-the-Art Fitness Equipment • Group Exercise Classes • Personal Training • Swim Lessons, Swim Team & Family Swim • Summer Day Camp • After School Care • Holiday & Teacher Workday Care • Youth Sports

Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA Chatham YMCA Durham YMCAs Find a Y near you at YMCATriangle.org

YMCA Camp Cheerio!!!

(for Christmas!)

YMCA CampWhat Cheerio! is

Camp Cheerio?

Located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, just a 2 1/2 hour easy drive from Chapel Hill and the Triangle area.

Cheerio is a YMCA camp located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We serve children from ages 7-15.

What is there to do?

• Rock-climbing • Canoeing • BB Shooting • Archery • Arts and Crafts • Frisbee Golf • Hiking • Have Fun!

What is Camp Cheerio?

Cheerio is an overnight YMCA camp located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We serve children from ages 7-15, with one and two week sessions.

What is there to do?

Rock climbing Canoeing BB Shooting Archery Arts and Crafts Frisbee Golf Hiking Have Fun!

www.campcheerio.org For more information: campcheerio.org CallFor ormore email Shane Brown: information:

Make Those Summer Plans Now and Give Them a Christmas Gift They’ll Never Forget!

Contact the camp office 336-869-0195 or 336-869-0195 shane@campcheerio.org director@campcheerio.org

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 41

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Stacey (front, left) and Veshana with some of the girls* in StrongHER TogetHER: Ashley Little, Melanie Rivera, Yazania McNeil, Jalima Maldonado, Stella Edwards, Syma Sheila, Giulia Laurenza, Karen Hernandez and McKenzie Graves.

*not pictured: Madison Watson, Emily Delao, Tana Carolina ManningHoffman and Beckett Moylan.

of it. ‘Education is everything!’ they said. ‘Work hard. There’s nothing you can’t do!’ Over the decades in South Africa, my family chiseled their way from a life of serving to a life of leading as doctors, politicians and entrepreneurs. It was the women in the community I remember with the most fondness. The spirit of my grandmother, who was the first woman to play tennis where we lived. The dogged determination of Aunty Surij, who ran a business out of her home seven days a week and never complained about needing a day off. The warmth of ‘Aunty Silvi, the local baker, who encouraged our efforts at school and offered a cookie to make studying sweeter. And always, always the same mantra: ‘Study and work hard and you can do anything!’ So it makes perfect sense that the universe decided to plunk one Miss Stacey down next to me at a school meeting years ago and add yet another inspiring woman to my long list.”

After an incident of bullying among the childen of friends and an act of racist vandalism at a beloved Durham restaurant, JC’s Kitchen, Veshana and Stacey felt moved to start StrongHER TogetHER. “When so many people are clamoring about how the world needs to change and doing little more, my dear friend is grabbing my hand and leading the charge. I am so proud to be on this journey with her. StrongHER TogetHER is showing Bull City girls how to become women who will change things. ‘We’ll teach the girls another way,’ Stacey likes to tell me. ‘It may take some hard work, but eventually they’ll see … together, they can do anything!’ As sure as I’m sitting here doing exactly what I dreamed I’d do, I know she’s right.” YF

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Bringing hope and healing to families, and building a healthy tomorrow for our children

Dukechildrens.org Gifts.duke.edu/dch

For the Smile of a Lifetime!

Now Accepting New Patients!

919.489.1543 DurhamPDO.com

121 W. Woodcroft Pkwy, Durham, NC 27713

Dr. Robert Christensen Pediatric Dentistry

Dr. John Christensen Pediatric Dentistry & Orthodontics

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 43

Kids

McDougle Middle School student Andrew Wolf, Chapel Hill High School student Matthew Wolf, Carrboro High School students Trixie MacNeill, Lara Moreno, Amanda Tsuetaki and Tomas Rojas.

FOR THE CHAPEL HILL MAGAZINE EDITOR JESSICA STRINGER REFLECTS ON HER TIME VOLUNTEERING WITH FOOD FOR THE SUMMER

A

s the editor of Chapel Hill Magazine, I often meet busy families who want to be involved in our community through volunteering, but who struggle to fit it into packed schedules of work, school and kids. Food for the Summer is a local program with flexible shifts that might be a good fit. A joint effort of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, local farmers markets, Inter-Faith Council for Social Service and the Town of Chapel Hill, among many others, Food for the Summer’s mission is to provide weekday lunches and fun activities for kids throughout Chapel Hill and Carrboro through volunteers who sign up for daily shifts.

On my first shift, I took boxes of bagged lunches and a bucket of chalk, toys and other items to the RENA

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Community Center. The kids retrieved everything from

my car. Easy enough. The second time, my partner was a Duke student who had been volunteering all summer. We sat at the Rainbow Heights playground. No kids showed up that day for lunch.

Then I hit a big deadline at work and had to drop off for a few weeks. But the beauty of Food for the Summer is that you can sign up for as many or as few slots as your schedule allows, and I was able to sign up just a week ahead of time.

With the college students back at school in midAugust, those last two weeks of the program meant an even greater need for volunteers. So our VP of Development and Planning Ellen Shannon joined me on

a shift at Greenfield Place near our office. I picked up supplies at Carrboro High School and then met Ellen at Greenfield’s playground. A half-dozen kids were waiting, and we passed out bagged lunches of corn dogs and carrots and helped open ketchup packets and milk cartons.

The best part of the afternoon was when a Carolina blue fire truck arrived with three firefighters from Station 2. They blew bubbles with the kids, answered questions and let the young’uns explore the fire truck.

I was glad to be a part of this outpouring of volunteerism. Discover other opportunities to get involved below.

Julie Hennis coordinates volunteers for Chapel HillCarrboro City Schools (jhennis@chccs.k12.nc.us).

Programs include classroom reading volunteers, tutors, library assistants, the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate program aimed at students of color and Advance Via Individual Determination (AVID), which promotes college readiness in teens. Chatham County Schools also hosts AVID at all its high schools.

Bull City Classrooms in Durham organizes two-hour

blitz sessions on Saturday mornings for groups of 20 volunteers to help teachers in public schools with the tasks they don’t have time for during school days: cleaning/sorting out closets and science experiment kits, making folder packets, moving desks and other labor-intensive tasks that can lighten the classroom load. bullcityclassrooms.org

Book Harvest is a Durham nonprofit that puts books in

kids’ hands. You can help by donating books, running a book drive or volunteering at events. bookharvestnc.org

Volunteer Your Time

Chatham Reads is a nonprofit formed in collaboration with Chatham County Schools and Chatham Education Foundation that promotes literacy

HUNGER RELIEF

The East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI) focuses on children and families within a 120-block area in east Durham to promote literacy and academic achievement through several programs, including: Hill Reading Achievement Program (HillRAP), in which trained tutors provide specialized reading instruction to struggling students for short periods outside of the classroom at Y.E. Smith Elementary; Books on Break, which combats summer learning loss by providing a new string backpack and 10 books to elementary school students at the start of summer; and the Reading Rangers program, providing books and volunteers to offer extra literacy assistance to Y.E. Smith students.

There are plenty of ways to help the kids in our communities.

Here are just a few ideas for organizations that often need volunteer assistance: Food for the Summer is a summer break program that delivers meals and fun activities every day to Chapel Hill and Carrboro kids in need. foodforthesummer.org

PORCH is an all-volunteer, neighborhood-based food

collection service. Volunteers collect donated food from homes, sort the collections and take them to food pantries. More than 100 local chapters need volunteers (with a valid driver’s license) to collect and sort food. porchcommunities.org

The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina‘s Durham branch is the central food distribution hub for six local counties. Volunteer at the warehouse to sort and repack bulk food items, organize a food drive, help with special events and more. foodbankcenc.org

Inter-Faith Council for Social Service runs both a

community kitchen on Rosemary Street in Chapel Hill and a food pantry in Carrboro. ifcweb.org

TABLE tackles youth hunger in Carrboro. tablenc.org CORA Food Pantry in Pittsboro is the largest food bank in Chatham. corafoodpantry.org

SCHOOLS & KIDS Most area schools offer a wide range of ways to volunteer both in and outside of classrooms. Check with your school’s administration or your school’s PTA.

growth in Chatham. Help by donating books for projects like the book baskets and ‘little libraries.’ chathameducationfoundation.org/chatham-reads

El Centro Hispano’s Durham and Carrboro-Chapel

Hill offices offer structured, preschool experience for youngsters in both Spanish & English. They also offer tutoring after school, homework help for children in grades K-12 in Spanish & English and a daily lesson in reading and math.

Boys & Girls Club of Durham and Orange Counties volunteers work one-on-one with students who are struggling in core classes. They help with homework and classroom worksheets or coordinate programs like non-competitive sports, relay races, games, chess and computer programming. The Club also welcomes new ideas for programs. bgcdoc.org.

Students Obtaining Achievements in Reading (SOAR) needs volunteers who can spend 1-3 hours on

1-3 days per week as a tutor helping second through sixth graders one-on-one to improve reading fluency.

Training takes four hours and is paid for by the Chatham Education Foundation (CEF). YF

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POTENTIAL,

Realized

A PROGRAM THAT STARTED IN A LITTLE YELLOW HOUSE 40 YEARS AGO IS NOW THE GO-TO RESOURCE FOR TRIANGLE FAMILIES WHOSE CHILDREN STRUGGLE ACADEMICALLY

BY HOLLY WEST / PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIANA BROUGH

B

raden Holdsclaw is competitive. The Governors Park sixth-grader says his favorite activity at The Hill Center is playing

Word Attack. “They have words on the iPad, and you have to read them out,” he says. “There’s a time test where you have to read as many words as you can in a minute, and I like those kind of challenges.”

The Hill Center opened in 1977 as an off-shoot of Durham Academy (DA). Today, its K-12 students come from schools around the region for specialized help with varying degrees of academic difficulties, spending half their day at the center and half at their traditional “base school.” Many are also homeschooled. The Hill Center also offers summer programs, tutoring and teacher training.

Parents John and Marcene Holdsclaw chose The Hill Center for Braden after testing revealed he was falling behind in the classroom. “We’ve seen so many students who have gone on to base schools and have excelled because of the foundation they received at The Hill Center,” John says. Both parents are happy with The Hill Center’s vibrant community. “We consider ourselves to be purpose-driven people and we really feel that Hill has that,” John says.

Since Braden started at the center, his spelling has improved from a second-grade to a fourth-grade level. His reading progress is also impressive, advancing from a first-grade level to a sixth-grade level. And his parents couldn’t be more overjoyed with the 12-year-

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John Holdsclaw tutors his son, Braden, during his fifth-grade year at The Hill Center.

old’s progress. “We’re ecstatic. We can’t say it enough,” John says. “He wrote something one day, and I was like, ‘Who wrote this?’ He said, ‘I did.’”

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

Lifelong Durham resident Louise Rollins is a proud member of the Little Yellow House Club, a small group of educators at the center who taught in the original building, a small yellow house near DA. She started as a substitute teacher in 1986, then taught in the lower school for a couple of years before leaving to raise her family. She returned as a middle school teacher

13 years ago and is now the middle school coordinator and assistant director for the summer program in addition to teaching reading and writing.

A DA graduate herself, she’s known about The Hill Center since eighth grade, when friends received help from the program, as did one of her three children decades later. Louise says the center’s tried-and-true formula is what makes it successful. “We do something by repetition until it’s mastered,” she says. “It’s very routine, it’s very predictable, and it’s very differentiated.”

Most classes have just four students. Some high school math classes have only two. The individualized attention assists students whether they struggle with ADHD,

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THE HILL CENTER

Veteran Hill Center teacher Louise Rollins has been teaching at the school since it was at its original location in a small house near Durham Academy’s campus.

dyslexia, autism or simple problems with reading comprehension. It also helps keep distractions at bay.

“I can see when the kids just slide a piece of paper in their notebook instead of putting its three holes in the binder,” Louise says. “They don’t get away with that. It’s our vigilance in keeping them organized and holding them accountable, giving them those skills to be independent and self-advocates.”

Seeing kids who have struggled “get it” is one of the most rewarding parts of Louise’s job. The other, she says, is the gratitude of parents. “For some people, they’ve tried so many things, this is kind of the last resort,” she says. “You plan for college, you put money aside for college, but all of a sudden your child gets to fourth grade, and they aren’t reading. You can’t figure it out, and you need a lot of help.”

The Hill Center provides more than $250,000 in aid each year to students with demonstrated financial need. Additionally, parents may be able to take tax deductions on tuition and fees, and some students qualify for North Carolina’s Special Education Scholarship Grants for Children with Disabilities program, which provides up to $8,000 a year for specific educational expenses.

The Hill Center is an investment. But for the families of the students who attend, it’s one they know will pay dividends in the future. YF

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E D U C AT I O N A L R E S O U R C E S

BOOKIN’ It

BY MATT WHITE

With a new book to read and a toy prize for reading 20 books over a summer, Victoria Gonzalez Sanchez, 7, is all smiles at the Chatham County Bookmobile.

V

ictoria Gonzalez Sanchez, 7, bends down over a white cardboard

poster to find her name. It’s hard to miss. Above “Victoria,” written in blue marker, is a tower of stickers, each one representing a book she read over the summer from the Chatham County Schools’ Bookmobile. Jazmin Mendoza Sosa, a dual-language student support specialist who rides with Bookmobile in the heavily Spanish-speaking neighborhoods of Siler City, hands Victoria three more stickers, each a shiny star. Victoria carefully places them on top of the other smiley faces, hearts and thumbs-up emojis.

That makes 21, the most on the board.

“She’s one of our star readers,” Jazmin says. A second-grader at Virginia Cross Elementary, Victoria is one of close to 200 Siler City kids for whom the Bookmobile is a chance to maintain reading skills during summer months. Each week, the Bookmobile makes two circuits through some of Siler City’s low income neighborhoods, stopping at trailer parks, laundromats, schools and churches. The truck visits Siler City Elementary

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E D U C AT I O N A L R E S O U R C E S

School neighborhoods on

Tuesdays, and Virginia Cross zones on Wednesdays. On those days, Virginia Cross head librarian Lindsay Shore-Wright checks books out on a school laptop. Assistant librarian Amy Cheek drives. At most stops, kids are waiting for the Bookmobile, often with parents who speak little English. Victoria’s mother, who speaks only Spanish, beams as she picks a toy car from the Bookmobile’s reward box.

The Chatham Bookmoblie is a rolling example of the growing trend of nonprofits and outside organizations partnering with area schools – or directly with parents – to help students outside of schools, from basic literacy to speech therapy to SAT prep. In the Bookmobile, Jazmin works for Communities in Schools of Chatham County, specializing in bilingual education and reaching at-risk students. The organization has branches in Durham and Orange counties that focus on retaining high school students who are at risk of dropping out.

The truck itself was provided

by Chatham Reads, a program under the umbrella of the Chatham Education Foundation, a nonprofit that raises funds and administers enrichment programs. A similar foundation, Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation, has been in place

for more than a decade and has sent $6 million into a wide range of services, from summer camps to school supplies to paying travel expenses for teachers to attend conferences.

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REACHING Out

A LIST OF ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES IN OUR AREA THAT SERVE AS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES TO STUDENTS AND PARENTS NONPROFIT/FOUNDATIONS Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation & Chatham Education Foundation – Fundraising organizations that work directly with local schools to offer literacy services and enhance classroom resources. publicschoolfoundation.org, chathameducationfoundation.org

Chatham County Partnership for Children – Coordinates pre-K services and childcare options, focused on at-risk children. chathamkids.org Communities in Schools – National organization with local affiliates focused on reducing drop-out rates and academic shortfalls. cisdurham.org, chathamcountytogether.org

East Durham Children’s Initiative, Made In Durham, Durham’s Partnership for Children – Durham-focused service providers that address wide ranges of students, from pre-K literacy to high school drop-out prevention. edci.org, madeindurham.org, dpfc.net

Family Success Alliance – Orange County public-private service provider, with pre-K readiness programs, books on break and family “navigators.” familysuccessalliance.org

YouthWorx On Main – A coworking space and community in Carrboro bringing together nonprofits focused on youth services. Check website for full list. youthworxonmain.org

Partners for Youth Opportunity – Partners with the community to provide Durham youth with opportunities to connect, develop and contribute through mentoring, employment and educational support. pyopportunity.org

Durham Public Schools and Durham County Library –

Recently launched the Bull City, NC Schools & Libraries Achieving More (SLAM) initiative, which provides all students in the schools with access to Durham County Library print and digital resources. The heart of the mission is to promote literacy, a love of books and the importance of reading as a foundation for lifelong learning. The pair also partners on many initiatives, including Read Across Durham, Durham Reads, the Battle of the Books, Summer Reading and more. durhamcountylibrary.org

E D U C AT I O N A L R E S O U R C E S

The Durham Arts Council’s Creative Arts in Public & Private Schools (CAPS) – Places teaching artists

and presenters in classrooms to integrate arts and curriculum. The Carolina Theatre’s Arts Discovery Series offers students unique film, music and dance performances designed to complement classroom curriculum, giving educators an exciting way to reinforce lesson plans. “We have made a deliberate effort to reflect the diversity of the human experience for all grade levels through the full spectrum of the arts: music, dance, theater and film,” says Noel James, director of education and community engagement for The Carolina Theatre. Educators can view detailed programing and make reservations for their classes by visiting carolinatheatre.org/education.

PARENTS’ GROUPS South Durham Parent Posse – This online community has sponsored blood drives, kindergarten Q&As and dad’s nights. soduparentsposse.com

Chapel Hill/Carrboro Mothers Club – This club was

founded in 1999 to help local families form friendships and build a support network. Members come from Chapel Hill, Carrboro and surrounding areas. Participation on its Facebook page and in open playgroups is free to all. Pay a $10 annual fee ($25 for a three-year membership) to gain access to closed playgroups, babysitter lists, special club-sponsored events like an Easter egg hunt, biannual catered cookout and more. chapelhillmothersclub.com

Briar Chapel Parents Group – With very active social

media (nearly 430 members on its Facebook group), parents in Chatham’s largest development swap advice and help.

Triangle Foster Parent Association – Resources

for foster parents and those thinking about becoming foster parents, including fundraising and social meetups. trianglefpa.wixsite.com/tfpa.

Carolina Swims Foundation - Offers free swim and pool safety classes to any child in foster care. Started by Club Kick Start founder Sara Chaires, the program specializes in those with little or no pool experience. UNC swimmers often help teach. carolinaswimsfoundation.org

F3 – Not a parents group, but a free outdoor fitness

group for men of all ages that’s heavy with dads.

Centered around a community mission, the group holds daily workouts all over Durham, Chapel Hill and Chatham.

Get advice and ideas while breaking a sweat. The women’s version goes by FIA. f3churham.com

Fit4Mom – A fitness class for moms, often outdoors that strives to build community. Connect with others as you get fit. chapelhill.fit4mom.com

Whole Mama Yoga – What began as a blog has grown

SPEECH THERAPY Emerge- A Child’s Place

3905 University Dr., Durham; 919-928-0204; emergeachildsplace.com

BD Therapy

600 Market St. Ste. 100, Chapel Hill; 512-789-3398; bdtherapy.com

Duke Speech Pathology

801 W. Barbee Chapel Rd., Chapel Hill; 919-684-3859 40 Duke Medicine Circle, Durham; 919-684-3859 Lenox Baker Children’s Hospital, 3000 Erwin Rd., Durham; 919-684-3451 Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center, 2301 Erwin Rd., 2nd Floor, Durham; 919-684-3451

TUTORING Most of these businesses cover a wide grade range of tutoring, up to and including SAT/ACT prep.

A Plus Test Prep

5501 Fortunes Ridge Dr., Durham 919-824-3912 aplushigherscores.com

Huntington Learning Centers

1834 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill, 919-932-2555 4711 Hope Valley Rd. #5B, Durham, 919-390-2225 huntingtonhelps.com

Dance with the Pen

1289 Fordham Blvd., Ste. E-1, Chapel Hill 919-928-2999 dancewiththepen.com

Mathnasium of Chapel Hill

1728 Fordham Blvd., Ste. 123, Chapel Hill 919-490-5151 mathnasium.com

Mindspire Test Prep

3622 Lyckan Pkwy., Ste. 5002, Durham 919-335-8378 mindspire.com

Sylvan Learning Center

5117 Highgate Dr., Ste. 100, Durham 919-439-0396 sylvanlearning.com

Princeton Review

149 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill 888-300-7787 princetonreview.com YF

into yoga classes, prenatal and postnatal workshops, birth classes, partner events, reunions for moms and support and community for women throughout all phases and stages of motherhood. wholemamayoga.com 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 51

TAKE NEWS FROM OUR SCHOOLS

CHAPEL-HILL CARRBORO NEW PRINCIPALS ••

Charles Blanchard at Chapel Hill High School.

••

Kenneth Proulx at East Chapel Hill High.

••

Aisha Howard at McDougle Elementary

Charles was a principal in Guilford County.

Kenneth was a principal in Raleigh.

Note •• Tristen Perlberg at Margaret B. Pollard Middle School. He was the

assistant principal for four years.

•• Dr. Carla Neal at Bennett School.

She was an assistant principal in Moore County.

•• Sarah Chicchi at Virginia Cross Elementary School. Sarah was the assistant principal at Pittsboro Elementary School.

School. Aisha was the principal at Oak Grove Elementary School in Durham.

••

Eric Taylor at Ephesus Elementary School.

Eric was a principal in Alamance County.

WHAT’S NEW

••

Chris Bowling at J.S. Waters School. Chris started

••

Kendra Fisher at Pittsboro Elementary School.

••

Amy Doty at Perry Harrison Elementary School. Amy was the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools dual- and world-language coordinator and was previously an assistant principal at Seawell Elementary School in Chapel Hill.

St. Thomas More Catholic School opened a dedicated

STEM lab, with interactive materials and activities aimed at science education.

Emerson Waldorf School

opened a new multi-level, multi-trunk treehouse. The school held a fundraising campaign to finance the structure and Fitch Lumber & Hardware donated a significant portion of the materials. The treehouse project is intended to help children broaden their perspectives, face adversity and develop resilience.

for two new campuses. Exact districting lines have not been determined for either school. The schools are: ••

Seaforth High School. Slated to open in the fall of

••

Chatham Grove Elementary School. Scheduled to open in August 2020 on Andrews Store Road, adjacent to Margaret J. Pollard Middle School in

NEW PRINCIPALS Dr. Bradford Walston at Northwood High

School . Dr. Watson was the principal at Providence

Grove High School in Randolph County.

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Kendra was an assistant principal in Raleigh since 2015.

WHAT’S NEW Chatham County Schools has approved building plans

CHATHAM ••

as Virginia Cross’ interim principal.

2021, just south of Highway 64 and a few hundred yards from the shore of Jordan Lake on Seaforth Road. The school will serve areas currently zoned for Northwood High School, including east of Jordan Lake. Northwood currently has roughly 1,400 students, up from 1,200 five years ago, with enrollment projected to be 1,550 when Seaforth opens.

Briar Chapel. Intended to ease crowding at Perry Harrison Elementary School, North Chatham Elementary School and possibly Pittsboro Elementary School.

School officials currently expect students that move into Chatham Park’s first homes – which will be under construction by the end of the 2019 – to attend Pittsboro Elementary, Horton Middle School and Northwood.

HIGHEST HONORS

Starting with the class of 2019, Chatham high schools will no longer name valedictorians and salutatorians as top graduates. Instead, graduates will earn honors based on GPA ranges. Above 4.5 will earn summa cum laude honors, 4.0 or higher will earn magna cum laude and 3.5 or above will earn cum laude.

DURHAM NEW PRINCIPALS ••

••

Karen Kellett at Glenn Elementary School, which

has received a series of “F” scores on the NC School Report Card and was nearly taken over by state authorities in 2017. Karen was principal at Mangum Elementary School, which recieved “A+” ratings in recent state reviews. Under a state-approved Restart Reform Model, Karen will have wide discretion with budgeting, hiring and decisions like extending the school day or changing calendars.

The Montessori Children’s House of Durham is now operating as the Montessori School of Durham to reflect its full student body. A Montessori “children’s house” is equivalent to preschool, teaching 3-6 year olds.

The school now welcomes students through sixth grade.

Hope Creek Academy, a nonprofit K-12 school for

children who struggle in the structure of traditional classrooms, has extended its name to all grades. The school’s younger grades previously operated as the Just Right Academy.

Charter school Voyager Academy will open a new athletic stadium in October.

Duke School will offer a new “Prime Time” afterschool

program for middle schoolers. The extended hours will allow students to engage in technology, outdoor activities, homework help and mindfulness.

Carmen Raynor and Sara Orphanides, Early School

teachers at Carolina Friends School, traveled to Reggio Emilia, Italy – a hub for early childhood educational research – to attend a study tour on different approaches to early childhood education.

ORANGE COUNTY NEW PRINCIPALS •• Intisar Hamidullah at Cedar Ridge High School. She was the assistant

principal.

Ronnie Geter at Oak Grove Elementary

•• Leslie Bryant at C.W. Stanford

School. Ronnie was an assistant principal at

Middle School. Leslie was the Orange

Burton Elementary School.

••

Gwen Dorman at Mangum Elementary

••

Jason Jowers at Eno Valley Elementary School.

County Schools Principal of the Year in 2017-18 at Grady A. Brown Elementary School.

School. She was the assistant principal.

Jason was the head of school at Global Scholars Academy, a Durham charter school.

WHAT’S NEW

Acton Academy has relaunched as The Studio School Of Durham. The school features mixed-grade classrooms and project-based learning.

••

Chris Marks at Grady A. Brown Elementary School.

••

Christine Kreider at Hillsborough Elementary

He was the assistant principal.

School. Christine was an assistant principal in the

Alamance-Burlington schools.

••

Minnie Goins at Efland-Cheeks Global Elementary School. She was the assistant principal. YF

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 53

FACTS FIGURES OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, BY THE NUMBERS

12,113 TOTAL STUDENTS

CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO CITY SCHOOLS (CHCCS)

750 S. Merritt Mill Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27516 919-967-8211 chccs.org

AVERAGE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT

507 MIDDLE

ELEMENTARY

706

927HIGH

Fast Facts •

• •

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE

KINDERGARTEN3RD : 20 4TH5TH : 21 6TH8TH : 19

•

U.S. News and World Report ranked East Chapel Hill High School, Chapel Hill High School and Carrboro High School as the No. 6, No. 9 and No. 13 high schools in North Carolina, respectively, in 2018.

Graduation rate: 91.6%.

Dual Language Programs: Carrboro Elementary School and Frank Porter Graham Elementary School, Spanish; Glenwood Elementary School, Chinese.

73% of CHCCS teachers hold advanced degrees.

Superintendent Dr. Pamela Baldwin began her tenure

as superintendent in April 2017. She has enjoyed a successful career in public education spanning over 18 years in North Carolina. Prior to joining CHCCS, she served as superintendent of Asheville City Schools, assistant superintendent of Scotland County Schools, and director of teaching and learning for Currituck County Schools.

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Along her career journey, she also served as a principal and assistant principal, high school science teacher and athletic coach. Dr. Baldwin studied biology at George Mason University, earned a master’s degree in school administration from East Carolina University and a doctorate in educational leadership and administration from UNC Wilmington.

DURHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS 511 Cleveland St., Durham, NC 27702 919-560-2000 dpsnc.net

•

• •

32,374 AVERAGE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT

589

ELEMENTARY

MIDDLE

531

525HIGH

Fast Facts • •

TOTAL STUDENTS

Graduation rate: 81.4%

J.D. Clement Early College High School and City of Medicine Academy both had 100% graduation

rates and received an A+ grade from the state. It’s J.D. Clement’s fifth year graduating 100% of the class.

Three high schools ranked on the U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools list: City of Medicine Academy, Durham School of the Arts and J.D. Clement.

City of Medicine Academy achieved the second highest level of academic growth of all schools in NC. The School for Creative Studies graduated its first class of seniors.

Superintendent Dr. Pascal Mubenga was appointed

superintendent in late November 2017. He was previously superintendent of Franklin County Schools in Louisburg, North Carolina.

Prior to that position, Dr. Mubenga served as a district transformation coach, a school transformation team leader and school transformation coach with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for four years. He has also served as a principal, assistant principal and classroom teacher in other North Carolina districts, including three years as a math teacher in Durham. Dr. Mubenga earned his Ph.D. from Capella University in 2007.

He also holds a master’s in secondary education from Liberty University and a bachelor of science in mathematics from Shaw University.

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE

KINDERGARTEN2ND : 20 3RD8TH : 21

The Basics Of Kindergarten

By Julia Baker

Under North Carolina law, kindergarten is not mandatory, but all public schools offer it. A child must be 5 years old by August 31 of that academic year to enter kindergarten.

Students entering school as 6- or 7-yearolds may be placed in kindergarten by principals. Registration for public kindergarten runs December through April of each year.

Typically, magnet and year-round calendar schools register first, followed by traditional calendar schools a week later. If you are unsure for which school you are zoned, check online or contact the school enrollment office (919-560-2059 in Durham; 919-9678211 ext. 28268 in Chapel Hill/Carrboro; 919-542-6095 in Chatham County and 919732-8126 ext. 12512 in Orange County). You will need your child’s birth certificate, proof of residency, immunization records and a health assessment form completed by your physician to complete enrollment.

Admission and enrollment for private schools begins earlier, and will be different for each school.

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 55

FACTS & FIGURES

7,413 TOTAL STUDENTS

ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOLS 200 E. King St., Hillsborough, NC 27278 919-732-8126 orangecountyfirst.com

AVERAGE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT

469 MIDDLE

ELEMENTARY

573

803HIGH AVERAGE CLASS SIZE

KINDERGARTEN3RD : 17 4TH5TH : 20 6TH8TH : 22

8,700 TOTAL STUDENTS

Fast Facts • • •

Graduation rate: 89.1% Beginning in 2018, New Hope Elementary School will offer a Dual Language and Global Leadership Program.

1:1 Technology Initiative ensures students of all grades have a Chromebook or iPad.

Superintendent Dr. Todd Wirt, the 2016-17 president

of Central Carolina RESA (Regional Education Service Alliance), came to Orange County Schools after serving as the assistant superintendent for academics in Wake County Public Schools. Before Wake County, he was in Mooresville Graded School District, where he served as executive director of secondary education as well as principal of Mooresville High School from 2007 to 2011. Prior to that, Dr. Wirt served as a middle and high school principal and assistant principal and teacher in the Alamance-Burlington School System.

AVERAGE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT

589 MIDDLE

ELEMENTARY

531

525HIGH

CHATHAM COUNTY SCHOOLS 369 West St., Pittsboro, NC 27312 919-542-3626 chatham.k12.nc.us

Fast Facts • •

AVERAGE CLASS SIZE

KINDERGARTEN2ND : 19 3RD4TH : 21 5TH6TH : 22 7TH8TH : 21 56 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9

•

Graduation rate: 87.7% Dual-language available at Siler City Elementary School, North Chatham Elementary School, Chatham Middle School, Margaret B. Pollard Middle School and Jordan-Matthews High School.

Chatham School of Science and Engineering is a high school (9-12) housed in Chatham County Community College offering early associate degrees and advanced STEM academics.

FACTS & FIGURES

Superintendent Dr. Derrick D. Jordan became interim

superintendent of Chatham County Schools on September 1, 2013, and was sworn in as permanent superintendent on March 6, 2014. Dr. Jordan joined the Chatham County Schools team in 2008 as the director of secondary education. A former middle and high school English teacher, Dr. Jordan was a high school principal in eastern North Carolina prior to arriving in Chatham. Dr. Jordan earned a bachelor’s in English from North Carolina Central University, a master’s in school administration from East Carolina University and a Doctor of Education degree in leadership and policy from UNC, where he was elected as a Jackson Scholar by the faculty. YF

••

Math III: Equivalent to Algebra II, with logarithms,

••

Reading: How students read and comprehend

••

Writing: Making logical arguments based on

••

Speaking/Listening: Evaluating and presenting

••

Language: Vocabulary and grammar.

statistics and trigonometry.

Unlike math, English common core classes – generally, English I, II and III – teach four basic skills at increasingly complex levels each year: written materials.

sound reasoning and relevant evidence.

increasingly complex information, ideas and evidence.

END-OF-GRADE (EOG) TESTING/NC SCHOOL REPORT CARD Standardized tests administered to all public school students, including those in charter schools, at the end of grades 3-8. High school students take End-of-Course (EOC) tests after Math I, Biology and English II. Scores measure students’ readiness for advancement and are compiled into the NC School Report Card system, which assigns numerical and letter grades to schools based on achievement and growth (improvement).

INDEPENDENT (PRIVATE) SCHOOLS

Education Glossary CHARTER SCHOOL

Supported by public financing and authorized by the State Board of Education, charters are exempt from many standard public school administration regulations.

Admission is via lottery rather than neighboorhood.

Charter schools set their own curriculum and hire their own instructors, of whom 50% must be licensed. Charter schools may be run by independent parent boards, nonprofit organizations or for-profit education service firms. Charter students take North Carolina standardized End of Grade/End of Course tests and participate in the NC School Report Card program.

COMMON CORE Common Core is a set of national grade-level goals for math and language arts, such as the ability to multiply two-digit numbers or write a paragraph. Common Core does not apply to science, social studies or other subjects.

State and local authorities build local curriculums to meet Common Core goals.

Generally, Common Core-based high school-level math classes compare to previous curriculums as:

••

Math I: Equivalent to Algebra I, with focus on linear

••

Math II: Equivalent to Geometry, with continued

and exponential equations.

algebra, quadratic equations and probability.

Almost 5,000 students in Durham attend independent schools, with close to 1,200 in Orange County and about 180 in Chatham. About two-thirds of North Carolina’s independent schools have a religious affiliation. Independent in finance and governance, these schools may follow any curriculum they wish, set their own standards for graduation and are not required to participate in North Carolina standardized testing (EOGs) or the NC School Report Card program.

They have the freedom to serve their distinct missions through their own philosophies, values and approaches to teaching. All must test third-, sixth-, ninth- and 11th graders using nationally recognized standardized tests.

Depending on family income, some independent school students may be eligible for state-subsidized voucher awards, known as Opportunity Scholarships.

MAGNET SCHOOL Public, lottery application-based schools that aren’t associated with any particular neighborhood and may focus on unique academic curriculms or programs, such as language immersion, Montessori, international baccalaureate, STEM or the arts. Magnet schools take EOGs and participate in the NC School Report Card service.

MONTESSORI A style of teaching named after the Italian educator Maria Montessori in which children teach themselves and have more control over their time and choice of topics they can explore. Classrooms are often composed of children of many ages and grades.

2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 57

A Comprehensive directory of

Private, Regional Boarding, Charter & Magnet

SCHOOLS

ADVERTISERS HIGHLIGHTED WITH

PRIVATE SCHOOLS DIRECTORY BETHESDA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 1914 S. Miami Blvd., Durham 919-598-0190 bcacrusaders.org Focus Partners with Christian families to help equip students academically, socially, physically and spiritually.

Grades K-8 Total Enrollment 184 Student/Faculty Ratio 15:1 Yearly Tuition Elementary $6,717; Middle $7,411 Special Requirements Student testing and parent interview.

BRIGHT HORIZONS CHILDREN’S CENTER Durham locations: 2352 So-Hi Dr.; 4 UNC-TV Dr.; 1012 Slater Rd.; 4205 Capitol St. 877-624-4532 brighthorizons.com Focus Empowering children from infancy to become confident, successful learners and secure, caring people.

Growing young readers, scientists, artists and explorers who are engaged and curious. Programs invite children to approach school and academics with skills, confidence and a drive for excellence.

Grades Infants-Pre-K Total Enrollment Varies per location.

Student/Faculty Ratio Varies per location.

Yearly Tuition Varies per location.

CAMELOT ACADEMY 809 Proctor St., Durham 919-688-3040 camelotacademy.org Focus Features individualized instruction, mastery-based learning and parental involvement.

Grades K-12 Total Enrollment 130-140 Student/Faculty Ratio 11:1 Yearly Tuition $10,900-$14,850; Merit scholarships available.

Special Requirements Reading and math assessments and two-day student visit.

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CARDINAL GIBBONS HIGH SCHOOL 1401 Edwards Mill Rd., Raleigh 919-834-1625 cghsnc.org Focus A college preparatory school of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Raleigh that aims to form men and women of faith, service and leadership in church and community.

Grades 9-12 Total Enrollment 1,530 (approx.)

Student/Faculty Ratio 14:1 Yearly Tuition $10,810-$14,810 Special Requirements Previous school records, testing, application, recommendation and an essay.

CAROLINA FRIENDS SCHOOL 4809 Friends School Rd., Durham 919-383-6602 cfsnc.org Focus A vibrant and inclusive learning community inspired

by Quaker values that empowers students to think critically, creatively and independently.

Grades Pre-K-12 Total Enrollment 500 Student/Faculty Ratio 6:1 in Early School; 9:1 in Lower, Middle and Upper Yearly Tuition See website for tuition ranges by unit; adjusted tuition available.

Special Requirements Campus visits are welcome, with both individual and group informational tours available.

Application process includes a student visit; information and materials available online. Contact admission@cfsnc.org for additional information.

CARY ACADEMY 1500 N. Harrison Ave., Cary 919-677-3873 caryacademy.org Focus A college preparatory school integrating the best of traditional education with new and emerging technologies.

Grades 6-12 Total Enrollment 755 Student/Faculty Ratio 9:1 Yearly Tuition $23,800; $2,350 new student fee Special Requirements Entrance exam, student visit/interview, transcripts, teacher recommendations.

DUKE SCHOOL 3716 Erwin Rd., Durham 919-416-9420 dukeschool.org

CHAPEL HILL COOPERATIVE PRESCHOOL Preschool: 106 Purefoy Rd., Chapel Hill 919-942-3955 chapelhillcoop.com Focus Partnering with families of children from diverse backgrounds to respect and honor childhood, celebrate independence and support children as they learn and grow through play. NAEYC Accredited with a Five Star License.

Grades Pre-K Total Enrollment 55 Student/Faculty Ratio Age 2, 6:1; age 3, 8:1; age 4-5, 8:1 Yearly Tuition Varies by age and enrollment status; Half-, three-quarter or full-day options.

Special Requirements None.

CHAPEL HILL COOPERATIVE PRESCHOOL INFANT AND TODDLER SITE 110 N. Elliott Rd., Chapel Hill 919-942-0220 chapelhillcoop.com Focus Partnering with families of children from diverse backgrounds to respect and honor childhood, celebrate independence and support children as they learn and grow through play. NAEYC Accredited with a Five Star License.

Grades Infant-2 years Total Enrollment 28 Student/Faculty Ratio Infants 3:1; Toddlers 5:1; Age 2, 6:1 Yearly Tuition Varies by age and enrollment status. Threequarter or full-day options.

Special Requirements None.

CRESSET CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 3707 Garrett Rd., Durham 919-354-8000 cressetchristian.org Focus Cultivates the heart of each student to educate, nurture and help shape their character in a Christ-centered environment grounded in the truth of God’s word.

Grades Infant-12 Total Enrollment 280 Student/Faculty Ratio Preschool 5:1; Lower School 9:1; Upper School 10:1 Yearly Tuition $8,140-$10,159 Special Requirements Student and parent interview, previous records, visit and application.

Focus Students leave Duke School with the ability to think independently and critically and prepared to take their place in the global community in which collaboration and strong communication skills are essential.

Grades Age 3 to Grade 8 Total Enrollment 485 Student/Faculty Ratio Preschool and kindergarten, 8:1; grade 1-4, 12:1; grades 5-8, 12:1 Yearly Tuition Visit dukeschool.org/page/apply/ duke-school-affordability for details.

Special Requirements Admissions application, student assessment, candidate profile, parent visit and tour.

DURHAM ACADEMY Preschool and Lower school: 3501 Ridge Rd., Durham Middle school: 3116 Academy Rd., Durham Upper school: 3601 Ridge Rd., Durham 919-493-5787 da.org Focus Strives to provide an education that will enable students to live moral, happy and productive lives.

Grades Pre-K-12 Total Enrollment 1,230 Student/Faculty Ratio 10:1 Yearly Tuition $14,965-$25,925 (not including activity fees) Special Requirements Assessment or entrance exam, which varies by grade level. Interview required for grades 9-12.

DURHAM NATIVITY SCHOOL 1004 N. Mangum St., Durham 919-680-3790 durhamnativity.org Focus Provides a learning environment for eligible boys, supporting them in their personal, social, moral and intellectual development, and positioning them to be successful at an independent college preparatory high school.

Grades 5-8 Total Enrollment 60 Student/Faculty Ratio 15:1 Yearly Tuition None.

Special Requirements Open house.

EMERSON WALDORF SCHOOL 6211 New Jericho Rd., Chapel Hill 919-967-1858 emersonwaldorf.org Focus Encourages and promotes independent thinking and social responsibility, as well as academic and artistic excellence.

Grades Pre-K-12 Total Enrollment 250 Student/Faculty Ratio Kindergarten, 8:1; grades 1-12, 10:1 Yearly Tuition $5,099-$17,891 Special Requirements Meeting with parents and child, plus classroom visit.

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SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

EMPOWERED MINDS ACADEMY 1217 Holloway St., Durham empoweredmindsacademy.com Focus A learner-driven community where children cherish freedom and take responsibility for their experiences. Africancentered content and culture are valued and practiced.

Children discover their gifts, their passions and their purpose, and are active participants in the design and execution of their education, finding joy in hard work, earning real-world apprenticeships and taking deep dives into subjects through hands-on challenges and projects.

Grades K-8 Total Enrollment 16 Student/Teacher Ratio 8:1 Yearly Tuition $5,000, $250 annual registration fee.

Special Requirements School visit, trial day and interview.

GORMAN CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 3311 E. Geer St., Durham 919-688-2567 gormanchristian.org Focus Partners with parents to provide an excellent education with a Biblical worldview while developing strong Christian character and values.

Grades K-8 Total Enrollment 100 Student/Faculty Ratio 12:1 Yearly Tuition K, $5,472; Grades 1-5, $6,567; Grades 6-8, $6,810; Early Learning Center (weekly) Age 2, $189; Age 3-4, $176 Special Requirements Administrator meets parents and child.

HAW RIVER CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 2428 Silk Hope Gum Springs Rd., Pittsboro 919-533-4139 hawriverchristian.org Focus A nonprofit, interdenominational private school providing an excellent Christian and classical education.

Grades Junior K- Grade 9 Total Enrollment 110 Student/Faculty Ratio 7:1 Yearly Tuition Phonics (JK/K), $4,500; Grammar, $5,500; Logic/Rhetoric, $6,000 Special Requirements Four-part admissions process includes tour with classroom observations, application, academic screening and family interview.

HOPE CREEK ACADEMY 4723 Erwin Rd., Durham 919-932-0360 justrightacademy.org Focus Provides structure without rigidity for special needs students who struggle in a traditional environment.

Grades K-12 Total Enrollment 60 Student/Faculty Ratio 3:1 Yearly Tuition $21,500 and $500 materials fee. Limited financial aid available.

Special Requirements School visit.

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IMMACULATA CATHOLIC SCHOOL 721 Burch Ave., Durham 919-682-5847 immaculataschool.org Focus Views learning as a lifelong endeavor to grow spiritually, intellectually, socially and physically.

Grades Age 3 to 8th grade Total Enrollment 500 Student/Faculty Ratio 10:1 Yearly Tuition $6,708-$8,031 for parishioners, otherwise $8,415-$8,905, plus $200 annual enrollment fee.

Special Requirements Entry test, copy of student’s permanent records and current teacher recommendations.

(Application and teacher recommendations are available online.) Application fee is $100.

INTERNATIONAL MONTESSORI SCHOOL 3001 Academy Rd., Bldg. 300, Durham 919-401-4343 imsnc.org Focus A nonprofit Mandarin Chinese-, Spanish- or Frenchlanguage immersion school that aims to promote bilingualism and improve communication across cultural boundaries.

Grades Age 20 months-Grade 6 Total Enrollment 100 Student/Faculty Ratio 9:1 Yearly Tuition Half-day, $10,800; Three-quarter day, $12,595; Regular day, $13,595; After-school care, $3,035.

Scholarships available.

Special Requirements Parent interview and observation.

LAKEWOOD AVENUE CHILDREN’S SCHOOL 1701 Lakewood Ave., Durham 919-493-5882 lakewoodavenue.com Focus Providing the highest-quality early childhood program with a stable, well-educated teaching staff ensuring consistent care and education for children; low teacher-child ratios, ensuring a multitude of opportunities for meaningful interaction; a rich, innovative curriculum to stimulate children’s development; and an intimate, home-like environment rich with opportunities to support children’s learning.

Grades Ages 1-5 Total Enrollment 33 Student/Faculty Ratio Ages 1-3, 4:1; Ages 3-5, 8:1 Tuition Toddlers $1,750/month; Preschool $1,650/month Special Requirements The director offers individual family tours weekday mornings at 9:30 beginning in October for the following school year.

SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

LEGACY ACADEMY 515 E. Winmore Ave., Chapel Hill 919-929-7060 lachapelhill.com

MI ESCUELITA SPANISH IMMERSION PRESCHOOL 405-B Smith Level Rd., Chapel Hill 919-969-7949 miescuelitanc.org

Focus Students are actively involved in multisensory activities inside and out, including art, music, language, math, science, brain power and physical activities. Classrooms, gardens and playgrounds are designed to be both fun and nurturing.

Five Star licensure and NAEYC accredited. Kindergarten, afterschool, summer camp for children up to 12 years old also offered.

Grades 6 weeks-Age 12 Total Enrollment 115 Student/Faculty Ratio Infants, 5:1; 13-24 months, 6:1; 25-36 months, 9:1; 37-48 months, 10:1; age 4-5, 13:1; age 6-12, 14:1 Yearly Tuition Partnerships: Duke, UNC, UNCHC. Varies by age and program.

Special Requirements Consultation required and registration fee of $150.

Focus To create an integrated community by providing high-quality educational programs that honor diversity and encourage understanding through Spanish language immersion activities for Spanish-speaking and Englishspeaking children, their families, friends and neighbors.

Grades Ages 1-5 years Total Enrollment Approximately 50 children Student/Faculty Ratio Age 1-2, 4:1; age 2-3, 13:2; age 3-4, 6:1; age 4-5, 12:1 Tuition $408-$1,478 per month; varies by class.

Special Requirements None.

THE LERNER SCHOOL 1935 W. Cornwallis Rd., Durham 919-286-5517 lernerschool.org Focus Integrating Jewish studies through an authentic academic curriculum, fostering learning of Jewish values and traditions while building a diverse and caring community – one child at a time.

Grades Age 2-Grade 5 Total Enrollment 135 Student/Faculty Ratio 9:1 Yearly Tuition Flexible tuition offered for elementary and fiveday preschool students based on schedule options (half day, full day or extended day).

Special Requirements Admissions application, parent and student visit, teacher recommendations and screening process.

LIBERTY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL 3864 Guess Rd., Durham 919-471-5522 lbcdurham.org Focus Students will acquire knowledge and wisdom with a biblical world view as demonstrated through service and leadership in worship, missions, care and growth. The core values of truth, intellectual development, potential in Christ, Christian personnel and operational integrity are woven with worship, missions, care and Christian growth, which are the core values of Liberty Baptist Church.

Grades Pre-K-12 Total Enrollment 200 Student/Faculty Ratio 18:1 Yearly Tuition $3,900; $6,350 (2 children), $8,150 (3 or more children) Special Requirements Entry test and interview.

MONTESSORI COMMUNITY SCHOOL 4512 Pope Rd., Durham 919-493-8541 mcsdurham.org Focus Students learn in a vibrant Montessori community where they are guided toward self-discovery and the realization of their unique contributions to the world.

Grades 18 months-Grade 8 Total Enrollment 220 Student/Faculty Ratio 18 months-age 3, 6:1; ages 3-6, 12:1; grades 1-3, 12:1; grades 4-6, 12:1; grades 7-8, 8:1 Yearly Tuition 18 months-age 3: half-day, $11,526, full day, $15,815; ages 3-4: half-day, $10,829, full-day, $14,613; Kindergarten, $15,118; grades 1-3, $15,273; grades 4-6, $15,850; grades 7-8, $18,547 MONTESSORI SCHOOL OF DURHAM (formerly the Montessori Children’s House of Durham) 2800 Pickett Rd., Durham 919-489-9045 mchdurham.org Focus Curriculum based on Montessori approach to education.

Grades 18 months-Grade 6 Total Enrollment 140 Student/Faculty Ratio Toddler (18 months-3 years), 6:1; Preschool, 11:1; Elementary, 12:1 Yearly Tuition $3,600-$19,990 for toddlers; $5,475-$16,900 through Grade 6. See website for details. Varies by schedule for toddlers.

Special Requirements Required visit for parents.

MONTESSORI DAY SCHOOL 1702 Legion Rd., Chapel Hill 919-929-3339 mdsch.org Focus Offers a faculty-operated school, a well-equipped learning environment and an enriched Montessori curriculum to meet the needs of children with a wide range of abilities.

On-site aftercare also available.

Grades Toddler-Grade 6 Total Enrollment 75 Student/Faculty Ratio 10:1 maximum Yearly Tuition $9,550-$10,850 Special Requirements Interview process includes general evaluation and meeting with parents. Three-day visit for elementary.

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SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

MONTESSORI FARM SCHOOL 2400 Broad St., Ste. 2, Durham 919-732-5026 montessorifarmschool.com

PRIMROSE SCHOOL OF CHAPEL HILL AT BRIAR CHAPEL 81 Falling Springs Dr., Chapel Hill 919-441-0441 primrosechapelhill.com

Focus Montessori with special emphasis on nature study and activities including gardening and animal care.

Grades Pre-K-K Total Enrollment Up to 24 Student/Faculty Ratio 8:1 Yearly Tuition Pre-K, $7,750; Kindergarten, $9,250 Special Requirements Contact the school and set up an appointment to visit.

Focus An accredited private preschool delivering an exclusive balanced learning approach. Created from top early education wisdom, it balances purposeful play with nurturing guidance from teachers to encourage curiosity, creativity, confidence and compassion.

Grades Infant-Pre-K Total Enrollment 175 Student/Faculty Ratio Infant, 4:1; Young Toddler, 5:1; Toddler, 6:1; Early Preschool, 8:1; Preschool, 10:1; Pre-Kindergarten, 12:1; afterschool program (ages 5-12), 15:1 Yearly Tuition Varies by age level. $1,165-$1,520 per month, full-time enrollment; $540-$1,065 per month, part-time enrollment Special Requirements $150 pre-registration fee.

MOUNT ZION CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 3519 Fayetteville St., Durham 919-688-4245 mzcadurham.org Focus Prepares students for college or technical school and for obtaining employment upon graduation from high school.

Total Enrollment 200 Student/Faculty Ratio 13:1 Yearly Tuition $5,000 for day school, $12,000 for room and board Special Requirements Interview with the administrators.

PINEWOODS MONTESSORI SCHOOL 109 Millstone Dr., Hillsborough 919-644-2090 pinewoodsmontessori.com Focus Children are taught traditional academics as well as basic life skills and social awareness.

Grades Pre-K-6 Total Enrollment 101 Student/Faculty Ratio Toddler, 12:2; Preschool, 11:1; Elementary, 20:2 Yearly Tuition Toddler and primary half-day, $4,500-$5,900; Extended day, $6,800; Lower elementary, $7,500; Upper elementary, $8,500 Special Requirements Scheduled observation recommended before submitting an application.

PRIMROSE SCHOOL AT HOPE VALLEY FARMS 702 Juliette Dr., Durham 919-484-8884 primrosehopevalleyfarms.com Focus An accredited private preschool that provides a premier educational child care experience. Partners with parents to help children build the right foundation for future learning and life.

Grades Infant-Pre-K Total Enrollment 158 Student/Faculty Ratio Infant, 4:1; toddler, 6:1; ages 2-3, 9:1; ages 3-4, 10:1; pre-K, 12:1; afterschool program (ages 5-12), 14:1 Tuition Varies by age level. Infants, $1,043/month; Toddlers, $1,359/month; Pre-K, $1,025/month; Preschool, $1,053/month.

Special Requirements $150 pre-registration fee, $50 supply fee. Guided tour of the facility and two weeks of nonrefundable tuition in advance for older children.

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QUALITY EDUCATION INSTITUTE 800 Elmira Ave., Durham 919-680-6544 qeidurhamnc.org Focus A student-centered learning community with a rigorous curriculum and clearly defined standards of performance and high expectations.

Grades Pre-K to 5 Total Enrollment 51 Student/Faculty Ratio 10:1 Yearly Tuition $7,500 THE SCHOOLHOUSE AT GREENWOOD 806 Christopher Rd., Chapel Hill 919-259-2520 theschoolhouseatgreenwood.com Focus To provide an intellectual education through brain development using four languages at the preschool level: ASL, English, Mandarin and Spanish. Teach and expect only what a child is able to do according to his/her developmental readiness. Organic, home-cooked meals.

Grades Preschool (birth-6 years) Total Enrollment 12 Student/Faculty Ratio 3:1 Yearly Tuition Call for information.

Special Requirements Children are accepted year-round, depending on available space.

ST. THOMAS MORE CATHOLIC SCHOOL 920 Carmichael St., Chapel Hill Lower School: 919-929-1546; Middle School: 919-942-6257 stmcsnc.org Focus Provides an education for each child in a God-centered environment.

Grades Age 3-Grade 8 Total Enrollment 325 Student/Faculty Ratio Age 3, 7:1; age 4, 10:1; grades K-4, 25:2 (teacher and assistant); grades 5-8, 25:1 Yearly Tuition Pre-K, $6,760; K-8, $7,950-$10,340 Special Requirements Application, $200 application fee, test scores, report cards, feedback from previous teachers, birth certificate, baptismal certificate, letter from Catholic parish (if parish tuition rate), health form and immunization record.

SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

THE STUDIO SCHOOL OF DURHAM (Formerly Acton Academy) 1201 W. Woodcroft Pkwy., Durham 919-967-2700 studioschoolofdurham.org Focus Multi-grade classrooms where education is rooted in discovery, academic mastery and a collaborative, projectbased approach.

Grades K-5 Total Enrollment 80 Student/Faculty Ratio 10:1 Yearly Tuition $9,750 Special Requirements None.

SOUTHPOINT ACADEMY 7415 Fayetteville Rd., Durham 919-544-5652 southpointacademy.org Focus Prepares students to become ethical, well-rounded and self-sufficient citizens by providing a world-class education in a nurturing Christian environment. Also offers a 10-week summer program.

Grades K-5 Total Enrollment Fewer than 50 Student/Faculty Ratio 10:1 Yearly Tuition $5,500 Special Requirements Tour, application, meeting with administrator and student testing.

THE HILL CENTER 3200 Pickett Rd., Durham 919-489-7464 hillcenter.org Focus Transforms students with learning differences into confident, independent learners through a half-day school year program, tutoring and summer programs.

Grades K-12 Total Enrollment 180 Student/Faculty Ratio 4:1 Yearly Tuition $19,875; grades 9-12 may choose to enroll for two hours ($15,375) or one hour ($11,365).

Special Requirements Application and interview required.

TRIANGLE DAY SCHOOL 4911 Neal Rd., Durham 919-383-8800 triangledayschool.org Focus A warm and welcoming community devoted to academic excellence that ignites intellectual curiosity, fosters compassion and integrity, and nurtures creativity, inspiring confidence in each student to lead a life of purpose.

Grades Transitional K-8 Total Enrollment 210-220 Student/Faculty Ratio 9:1 Yearly Tuition $12,775-$16,060 Special Requirements Application and interview required.

TRINITY SCHOOL OF DURHAM AND CHAPEL HILL 4011 Pickett Rd., Durham 919-402-8262 trinityschoolnc.org Focus Educates students in transitional kindergarten to grade 12 within the framework of Christian faith and conviction – teaching the classical tools of learning; providing a rich, yet unhurried curriculum; and communicating truth, goodness and beauty. Seeks to create a community in which there is delight in learning and an atmosphere that encourages the sort of intellectual, moral and aesthetic development that is fitting for those who bear the image of God. Challenges students in a way that stimulates their natural curiosity, guiding their discovery toward personal, intellectual and spiritual growth.

Grades Transitional K-12 Total Enrollment 540 Student/Faculty Ratio Lower school, 9:1; Middle school, 13:1; Upper school, 15:1 Yearly Tuition $5,680-$21,550 Special Requirements Check website for complete details, application deadlines and open house dates.

WILLOW OAK MONTESSORI CHILDREN’S HOUSE 886 Hamlet Chapel Rd., Pittsboro 919-240-7787 childrenshouse.willowoakmontessori.org Focus Strives to assist children in achieving their unique potential as responsible global citizens by nurturing selfconfidence and independent decision-making in a stimulating, creative and diverse Montessori community.

Grades Pre-school-K Total Enrollment 40 Student/Faculty Ratio 10:1 Yearly Tuition $5,980 Special Requirements $75 application fee, toilet-trained.

REGIONAL BOARDING SCHOOLS DIRECTORY ASHEVILLE SCHOOL 360 Asheville School Rd., Asheville 828-254-6345 ashevilleschool.org Focus Students live in a nurturing community where faculty and students genuinely know one another. The school offers a rigorous co-ed college preparatory program for students who represent 21 states and 14 countries.

Grades 9-12 Total Enrollment 288 Student/Faculty Ratio 4:1 Yearly Tuition $57,645 ($33,975 for day students) Special Requirements Separate interviews for both parents and child required. SSAT exam, full application, Math and English recommendations, transcript and testing also required.

For more information, email admission@ashevilleschool.org.

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SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS 1219 Broad St., Durham 919-416-2825 ncssm.edu Focus The nation’s first public residential high school focused on science, technology, engineering and math. NCSSM challenges and inspires talented students from across North Carolina through a residential campus, online program, summer STEM enrichment programs and distance offerings for schools and educators.

Grades 11-12 Total Enrollment 680 Student/Faculty Ratio 8.5:1 Yearly Tuition NCSSM is tuition free. There are no fees associated with applying or attending.

Special Requirements See ncssm.edu/apply.

SALEM ACADEMY 500 E. Salem Ave., Winston-Salem 336-721-2643 salemacademy.com Focus Fosters the intellectual, spiritual, social and physical growth of young women. Offers 16 Advanced Placement courses, competition in 11 sports, a comprehensive fine arts program and technology, advising and co-curricular programs.

Offers dual-enrollment college courses at Salem College to supplement AP curriculum.

Grades 9-12 Total Enrollment 175 Student/Faculty Ratio 7:1 Yearly Tuition $48,000 ($24,550 for day students) Special Requirements Application process includes teacher recommendations, testing, an interview and transcripts.

SAINT MARY’S SCHOOL 900 Hillsborough St., Raleigh 919-424-4000 sms.edu Focus Established in 1842, this all-girl, independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory, boarding and day high school offers an integrated, hands-on curriculum focused on developing 10 key competencies, including critical thinking, cross-cultural intelligence and new media literacy. With AP courses, electives like economics and biomedical science, world languages, an extensive arts program, 11 sports, and a seminar program providing real-life learning through partnerships with Trianglearea experts and resources, the school fulfills its mission to prepare girls for college and life.

Grades 9-12 Total Enrollment 270 Student/Faculty Ratio 8:1 Yearly Tuition $54,950 ($27,455 day students) Need- and merit-based financial aid available.

Special Requirements Application, three written recommendations, a transcript from the applicant’s current school, SSAT scores and an on-campus interview at Saint Mary’s. Contact admission@sms.edu for more information.

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ORANGE/CHATHAM COUNTY CHARTER SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

(Admission by lottery. Check with school for key dates) ENO RIVER ACADEMY 920 Corporate Dr., Hillsborough 919-644-6272 enoriveracademy.org Focus Utilizing a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math (STEAM) curriculum model to build upon a 20-year tradition of academic and artistic excellence.

Grades K-12 Total Enrollment 750 Student/Faculty Ratio 20:1 Special Requirements Application. Initial enrollment based on lottery in February; students are waitlisted once slots are filled.

THE EXPEDITION SCHOOL 437 Dimmocks Mill Rd., Hillsborough 919-245-8432 theexpeditionschool.com Focus Embraces the natural curiosity of children and empowers them to become innovative problem solvers and community builders, and to provide excellent education through an experiential, project-based, STEM-focused curriculum.

Grades K-8 Total Enrollment 30 Student/Faculty Ratio K-4, 10:1; grades 5-8, 22:1. Resource and other non-classroom staff not included in ratio.

Special Requirements Cut-off for lottery application is late February.

WILLOW OAK MONTESSORI CHARTER SCHOOL 50101 Governors Dr., Ste. 170, Chapel Hill 919-240-7787 charter.willowoakmontessori.org Focus Strives to assist children in achieving their unique potential as responsible global citizens by nurturing self confidence and independent decision making in a stimulating, creative and diverse Montessori community.

Grades 1-8 Total Enrollment 230 Student/Faculty Ratio 15:1 Special Requirements None.

WOODS CHARTER SCHOOL 160 Woodland Grove Ln., Chapel Hill 919-960-8353 woodscharter.org Focus Emphasizes academic excellence and parent and family involvement in the academic environment.

Grades K-12 Total Enrollment 512 Student/Faculty Ratio 11:1 Special Requirements Application deadline January, February lottery.

Shaping minds, hearts and souls since 1964.

Joy in Faith •

Joy in Academics •

Joy in Community #STMJOY Call today to schedule your tour.

920 Carmichael St, Chapel Hill 919-929-1546 stmcsnc.org facebook.com/stmcsnc

Give your child the gift of bilingualism while building curiosity, confidence, and independence in a diverse learning community.

Serving children 20 months old to 6th grade in your choice of French, Spanish, or Mandarin Chinese immersion tracks • Focused on your child’s academic, social, and developmental growth • Full immersion, multi-age classrooms led by Montesorritrained native and near-native speaking teachers

OPEN HOUSE 10am – 12pm on Nov. 3, Dec. 8, & Jan. 26 CALL TO SCHEDULE A VISIT

919.401.4343

www.imsnc.org

3001 Academy Rd., Bldg. 300, Durham, NC 27707 2 0 1 8 / 2 0 1 9 YOUR FAMILY MAGAZINE 65

SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

DURHAM CHARTER SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

(Admission by lottery. Check with school for key dates) CARTER COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL 1955 W. Cornwallis Rd. 919-797-2340 carterschool.org Focus Preparing children for college and other productive lifelong learning experiences, beginning in kindergarten.

Grades K-8 Total Enrollment 285 Student/Faculty Ratio 17:1 Special Requirements Lottery in February. No reported waitlist.

CENTRAL PARK SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN Elementary school: 724 Foster St. Middle school: 121 Hunt St. 919-682-1200 cpscnc.org Focus CPSC has a progressive, project-based and rigorous curriculum that integrates the arts, while encouraging curious exploration and discovering how to learn. Class communities are developed based on trusting communication, collaboration and problem solving.

Grades K-8 Total Enrollment 625 Student/Faculty Ratio 16:1 (elementary), 22:1 (middle) Special Requirements Tours are strongly encouraged and are offered October through March. Lottery in March, applications accepted October to February. Year-round for waitlist. Waitlist is roughly 300 for kindergarten.

EXCELSIOR CLASSICAL ACADEMY CFA 4100 N. Roxboro St. 919-213-8585 excelsior.teamcfa.school Focus To provide excellence and equity in education by developing a foundation of knowledge, a practice of reason, a quality of eloquence and a habit of virtue to prepare each student for a lifetime of learning and citizenship.

Grades K-7 in 2018-19. The school will add a grade each year to grow to K-12.

Total Enrollment 570 Student/Faculty Ratio 18:1 Special Requirements Open application and enrollment. If more applications are received than the allotted number of spots for each grade, random lottery for vacant spots.

HEALTHY START ACADEMY 807 W. Chapel Hill St. 919-956-5599 healthystartacademy.com Focus Strives to help its students grow, especially in math and reading. Encourages parent involvement.

Promotes a child-centered curriculum with a safe and structured academic environment.

Grades K-8 Total Enrollment More than 350 Student/Faculty Ratio 16:1 Special Requirements Application. Lottery for admission.

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KESTREL HEIGHTS SCHOOL High school: not open for 2018-2019 Elementary & Middle: 4900 Prospectus Dr. 919-484-1300 kestrelheights.org Focus The only Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Beacon school in the state that focuses on academics, culture and enrichment.

Grades K-8 Total Enrollment 820 Student/Faculty Ratio 17:1 Special Requirements Application. Lottery held first Friday in March.

KIPP DURHAM COLLEGE PREPARATORY 1107 Holloway St. 919-973-0285 kippenc.org Focus To empower students with the skills, knowledge and character necessary to succeed at the colleges of their choices, strengthen their communities and fight for social justice. Extended school day allows focus on character education, college-prep academics and extracurricular activities. Target population is students who will be firstgeneration college students.

Grades 5-8 Total Enrollment 270 Student/Faculty Ratio 23:1 Special Requirements None.

MAUREEN JOY CHARTER SCHOOL 107 S. Driver St. 919-493-6056 joycharter.org Focus Provides the academic and character skills necessary to succeed in high school, college and the competitive world beyond.

Grades K-8 Total Enrollment 640 Student/Faculty Ratio Kindergarten, 16:1; grades 1-3, 22:1; grades 4-8, 24:1 Special Requirements Application and blind lottery.

REACHING ALL MINDS ACADEMY 2703 Holloway St. 919-596-1899 reachingallminds.com Focus A S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) focus.

Grades K-7 Total Enrollment 266 Student/Faculty Ratio 18:1 Special Requirements None.

CELEBRATING

39 YEARS IN THE CHAPEL HILL COMMUNITY

Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.

- Dr. Maria Montessori

NOW ENROLLING: TODDLER • PRESCHOOL • ELEMENTARY 1702 Legion Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27517 919.929.3339 For more information please contact admin@mdsch.org or mdsch.org.

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SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

RESEARCH TRIANGLE CHARTER ACADEMY 2418 Ellis Rd. 919-957-7108 researchtrianglecharteracademy.org Focus Curriculum is built around a strong emphasis on math, reading, science and social studies – the foundation for college readiness.

Grades K-8 Total Enrollment 713 Student/Faculty Ratio Kindergarten, 20:1; grades 1-8, 26:1 Special Requirements Lottery.

VOYAGER ACADEMY Elementary: 4210 Ben Franklin Blvd.; Middle: 101 Hock Parc; High: 4302 Ben Franklin Blvd.

919-433-3301 voyageracademy.net Focus Project-based learning.

Grades K-12 Total Enrollment 1,350 Student/Faculty Ratio 20:1 Special Requirements Applications accepted online Jan. 1 Feb. 28. Lottery held in March.

DURHAM PUBLIC MAGNET SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

Special Requirements for all DPS Magnet Schools: Students who wish to attend a DPS magnet school must apply during the magnet application period January 7-31, 2019. Parents and students interested in learning more about the programs offered can go to magnet.dpsnc.net. You can also attend the annual Magnet Fair on Saturday, November 10, 2018, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Southern School of Energy and Sustainability. You can talk to school staff, parents and students, and decide which schools you’d like to tour. (Note: For student-to- faculty ratios, contact each school individually.)

BURTON ELEMENTARY 1500 Mathison St. 919-560-3908 burton.dpsnc.net

Focus The school’s International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB-PYP) is a high-quality program of international coursework developed and authorized by world-renowned International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). Students start learning a second language beginning in kindergarten, and upon completion of the high school IB education possess a high degree of second language mastery in Mandarin Chinese or Spanish. Teachers receive certified IB training.

Grades K-5 Total Enrollment 373 CITY OF MEDICINE ACADEMY 301 Crutchfield St. 919-560-2001 cma.dpsnc.net Focus Designed for highly motivated students who are ready to undertake serious academic work and career-related internships through a four-year health and life sciences curriculum. It offers 28 high school credits and professional certifications in health care or college transfer courses through the partnership with Durham Technical Community College. It also has a strong partnership with Duke Medicine

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and other community health care professionals and provides opportunities for paid and unpaid summer internships, clinical experiences, shadowing and mentoring. Instruction provided by on-site health care professionals at CMA with diverse health care backgrounds.

Grades 9-12 Total Enrollment 341 CLUB BOULEVARD ELEMENTARY 400 W. Club Blvd.

919-560-3918 clubblvd.dpsnc.net

Focus A place where students all grow as human beings.

Teachers engage students in learning through the integration of arts and culture, as well as community interaction and service. Core curriculum is complemented by specialized art, dance, music and cultural studies classes for all students.

Students are involved in service projects, performances and other enrichment opportunities.

Grades K-5 Total Enrollment 487 DURHAM SCHOOL OF THE ARTS 400 N. Duke St. 919-560-3926 dsa.dpsnc.net

Focus Specialized visual and performing arts school focused on rigorous academics and excellence in the visual and performing arts. Community partnerships with Duke University and Durham Performing Arts Center. All high school students declare one arts concentration area that they pursue throughout high school: music (chorus, band, orchestra, piano, guitar); dance; theater (acting and technical theater); visual arts (drawing, painting, clay, sculpture and photography); creative writing (writing through literature, newspaper and yearbook); digital arts (game design, digital media and film).

Grades 6-12 Total Enrollment 1,729

EASLEY ELEMENTARY

302 Lebanon Circle 919-560-3913 easley.dpsnc.net Focus Operates on a year-round calendar with three-week breaks between each nine-week instructional period and a five-week break during summer. Student camps may be available during the fall, winter and spring intersessions depending on the school.

Grades K-5 Total Enrollment 541

GEORGE WATTS MONTESSORI 700 Watts St. 919-560-3947 watts.dpsnc.net

Focus All classroom teachers are trained by certified Montessori trainers. Use of specialized Montessori materials designed for facilitating a variety of developmental levels and nurturing a level of independence for student learning.

Grades Pre-K-5 Total Enrollment 353

where bright minds and open hearts meet

Come visit us! Tour and Information Sessions from October–January 4011 Pickett Road, Durham • trinityschoolnc.org • 919-402-8262 Trinity is an independent Christian school for students in grades TK–12.

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SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

HILLSIDE HIGH 3727 Fayetteville St. 919-560-3925 hillside.dpsnc.net Focus The IB Programme is designed to help develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world. Teachers receive certified IB training. Students become proficient in a second language through the IB course of study.

Grades 9-12 Total Enrollment 1,351

NEW TECH HIGH

3727 Fayetteville St. 919-560-9183 newtech.dpsnc.net Focus A rigorous and innovative interdisciplinary (STEM) high school, in which students engage in collaborative real-world investigations (Project Based/Problem Based Learning).

Patterned after the nationally known New Tech High School model. All classes offered by New Tech are honors or AP level.

Offers 28 high school credits and professional certifications in Information Technology or college transfer courses through a partnership with Durham Technical Community College Project/Problem-Based Instructional Model. All students are required to complete 150 hours of community service.

All students are required to complete a 50-hour internship.

1:1 computer-student ratio.

Grades 9-12 Total Enrollment 331 HOLT ELEMENTARY LANGUAGE ACADEMY 4019 Holt School Rd. 919-560-3928 holt.dpsnc.net Focus All students study an additional language (Spanish or Mandarin Chinese) beginning in kindergarten with the opportunity to become conversational in that language by the end of fifth grade. Global cultures integrated into core curriculum for greater understandings of the world and its people. Operates on a year-round calendar with three-week intersessions between each nine-week instructional period and a five-week break during summer.

Grades Pre-K-5 Total Enrollment 681

Program. The school partners with Duke University, North Carolina Central University (NCCU), Biogen Pharmaceuticals and other universities and businesses.

Grades 6-8 Total Enrollment 462 JD CLEMENT EARLY COLLEGE HIGH 1801 Fayetteville St. 919-560-2696 echs.dpsnc.net

Focus Innovative high school uniquely situated on the campus of North Carolina Central University. Includes college-level courses taken at NCCU, offered at no charge to students.

Flexibility in the school day as students attend classes on the college campus. Expectation of a high degree of individual responsibility.

Grades 9-12 Total Enrollment 369 LAKEWOOD MONTESSORI MIDDLE 2119 Chapel Hill Rd. 919-560-2894 montessorimiddle.dpsnc.net Focus All core teachers have earned or are currently working towards their Montessori teaching credentials. The instruction is centered around three pillars: academics, community and self. Large uninterrupted blocks of work time allow for independent, small group and large group learning.

Strong emphasis on community building in the classroom.

Students participate in service learning as a part of their classroom experiences.

Grades 6-8 Total Enrollment 295 LOWE’S GROVE STEM MIDDLE SCHOOL OF TECHNOLOGY 4418 S. Alston Ave. 919-560-3946 lowesgrove.dpsnc.net

Focus Provides opportunities for all students to experience highly engaging coursework in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) with a special emphasis on the infusion of multiple technology tools and experiences.

Integration of multiple technologies such as 1:1 iPads to expand opportunities for learning and expose students to a variety of technology options. Students can take classes within the two STEM strands: Biotechnology and Agricultural Science and JAMES E. SHEPARD MAGNET MIDDLE Business and Entrepreneurship. Students work in collaborative 2401 Dakota St. groups and use technology to solve problems and complete 919-560-3938 projects. Partnerships with corporate and community experts shepard.dpsnc.net in the fields of technology and engineering such as: UNC Chapel Hill’s NC Biotechnology Center, Fidelity, and Durham Focus The IB Programme is designed to help develop the Soil and Conservation. intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn Grades 6-8 and work in a rapidly globalizing world. The school aims to Total Enrollment 601 develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people

who desire to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. Students select Mandarin Chinese or Spanish to study with a high level of second language instruction provided through the IB MYP. To enhance the individuals and societies area of the IB education, students may participate in the Law and Forensics

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MIDDLE COLLEGE HIGH 1616 Cooper St. 919-536-7203 mchs.dpsnc.net Focus Located on the campus of Durham Technical Community College, students take a mixed schedule of honors level high school classes and college courses. All college classes and the use of required materials are free. Students can earn a year or more of university transfer credit. Advanced students may acquire an associate degree as they graduate from high school. Students may work toward an industry certification credential (paralegal, networking, auto technology, etc.). High school classes begin at 11 a.m. Flexible college course scheduling (college classes meet twice per week).

Expectation of a high degree of individual responsibility.

Grades 11-12 Total Enrollment 196

MOREHEAD MONTESSORI ELEMENTARY 909 Cobb St. 919-560-3954 morehead.dpsnc.net Focus All classroom teachers trained by certified Montessori trainers. Use of specialized Montessori materials designed for facilitating a variety of developmental levels and nurturing a level of independence for student learning.

Grades Pre-K-5 Total Enrollment 230

NEAL MIDDLE SCHOOL STEM ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING AND DESIGN 201 Baptist Rd. 919-560-3955 nealmiddleschool.weebly.com Focus The magnet program at Neal provides opportunities for all students to experience highly engaging coursework in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) with a special emphasis on the Engineering and Design.

Multiple coursework opportunities in STEM focus areas through Project Lead the Way elective courses: Science of Technology, Green Architecture, Design and Modeling, Automation and Robotics and Medical Detectives. Integration of the Engineering and Design Process as a common problemsolving strategy in STEM curriculum areas. Partnerships with corporate and community experts in the fields of STEM including: Lenovo, Cisco and Duke University, among others.

Partnering STEM program at Southern School of Energy and Sustainability for interested students to continue their pursuit of 21st century skills and college and career preparation during their high school years.

Grades 6-8 Total Enrollment 764

immaculataschool.org

national blue ribbon school since 2012

PreK-Grade 8

advanced stem certified middle school program

Established 1909

Downtown Durham

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SCHOOLS DIRECTORY

PEARSONTOWN YEAR-ROUND ELEMENTARY 4915 Barbee Rd. 919-560-3964 pearsontown.dpsnc.net

THE SCHOOL FOR CREATIVE STUDIES 5001 Red Mill Rd. 919-560-3535 scs.dpsnc.net

Focus Operates on a year-round calendar with three-week breaks between each nine-week instructional period and a five-week break during summer. Student camps may be available during the fall, winter and spring intersessions depending on the school.

Grades K-5 Total Enrollment 797

Focus A small school that operates on a year-round calendar.

The classroom environments are collaborative in nature and designed to prepare students for a thriving creative economy.

Innovative classroom instruction that encourages the development of creativity and collaborative problem-solving skills and a variety of options for students to customize their creative education. Coursework selections that may include media and broadcasting, film making, documentary studies, writing and journalism, graphic design and marketing, digital music and audio production and other creative areas for which there is demand in the job market. Regular student interaction with creative and design experts from the community incorporated into the instructional program through opportunities including field visits, internships, classroom presentations and artists-in-residence programs.

Grades 6-12 Total Enrollment 598

R.N. HARRIS INTEGRATED ARTS/CORE KNOWLEDGE ELEMENTARY 1520 Cooper St. 919-560-3967 harris.dpsnc.net Focus R.N. Harris Elementary offers a program that is based in the belief that students learn best when they create, have opportunities to explore a variety of topics in different settings and are presented with content that sparks imagination.

Specialized arts classes offered such as: Suzuki violin, dance, African drummers, tap club, chorus. An art walk gallery displays student work from grades K-5, and 21st century classrooms. Official Core Knowledge School where content is sequenced by grade level and all students obtain a wellrounded foundational education. A+ Model School with all staff trained in arts integration.

Grades Pre-K-5 Total Enrollment 329 ROGERS-HERR YEAR-ROUND MIDDLE 911 W. Cornwallis Rd. 919-560-3970 rogersherr.dpsnc.net Focus Operates on a year-round calendar with three-week breaks between each nine-week instructional period, and a five-week break during summer. Student camps may be available during the fall, winter and spring intersessions, depending on the school.

Grades 6-8 Total Enrollment 622 SANDY RIDGE VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS 1417 Old Oxford Highway, 919-560-2695 sandyridge.dpsnc.net Focus The visual and performing arts magnet elementary school seeks to integrate the arts into a rigorous academic program. Language arts, math, science and social studies are taught within an environment that emphasizes visual and performing arts. Features include multiple integrated arts performances, art gallery walks, regularly scheduled residencies with visiting professionals and artists and artfocused field trips. Elements of art are integrated within academic standards in each classroom.

Grades Pre-K-5 Total Enrollment 547

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SOUTHERN SCHOOL OF ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY 800 Clayton Rd. 919-560-3968 southern.dpsnc.net Focus Students select one of four small schools in which to complete his or her high school requirements: The School of Biomedical Technology, The School of Business Management and Sustainability, The School of Technology and Engineering or The School of Architecture & Construction. Students focus on the integration of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in relation to energy and sustainability.

Students benefit from a smaller, more intimate school while still receiving a large comprehensive high school experience, including athletics, band and other extracurricular activities.

Certification possible in: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Computer Aided Design (CAD), National Center for Construction, Education Research in Construction, Carpentry, Computer Engineering Comp-Tia and A+, Technology and Computer Networking with certifications in: MSITA-Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Publisher, MSITAMicrosoft Excel and Access Ever-Fi. Potential for students enrolled in each academy to earn college credit through a partnership with Durham Tech.

Grades 9-12 Total Enrollment 1,401 W.G. PEARSON ELEMENTARY 3501 Fayetteville St. 919-560-3988 pearson.dpsnc.net Focus Students’ interests and talents are nurtured through engaging, active instruction in the focus areas of STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. A primary instructional strategy is project- and problem-based learning within every classroom. All learning is improved and broadened through multiple technology tools within a 1:1 iPad environment. All K-2 students participate in dance, music, media, physical education and art.

Grades K-5 Total Enrollment 472 YF

Inspiring Independence, Self-Discipline and Leadership in a Challenging, Multi-Age Environment.

18 Months - 8th Grade Call to schedule a private tour - 919.493.8541 4512 Pope Rd Durham, NC mcsdurham.org

College – without the debt.

Personalized instruction. Affordable education.

Recent Durham, Chapel Hill-Carrboro, and Orange County high school graduates can receive up to $500 per semester for two years – or four semesters – with Durham and Orange counties’ ConnectFunds Scholarships.

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