High school senior talks about dance, how she avoids burnout, and the experience of performing in the Distinguished Young Women program. (Public speaking is hard.)
Tips for cultivating early readers
Reversing a decline in reading levels requires multi-pronged approach from parents, libraries and schools.
Kids stuff: Buy-in and trust
David Bird, a language arts and Spanish teacher at The Learning Community School, discusses the challenges middle school students face, the patience that goes into teaching and misconceptions teachers deal with.
‘Smart bus’ system coming to Buncombe County Schools
The new technology will include GPS tracking of school buses, onboard cameras and an accompanying parent app.
Q&A: Region’s top principal discusses her life’s devotion to education
“Everyone works together to make sure our students are educated, that their emotional needs are taken care of,” says Ruafika Cobb, principal of Ira B. Jones Elementary School. “People here just do it.”
Home-based child care may help with Buncombe needs
One potential way to close the child care gap, according to a recent report commissioned by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, would be to boost the number of home-based care providers. In Buncombe County, those facilities have decreased from 48 in 2006 to only 11 in 2022.
Green in brief: Duke Energy completes Hot Springs microgrid
The microgrid includes 2 megawatts of solar panel capacity and 4.4 MW of battery storage. Those resources are enough to power the entire town for an extended period if its connection to the main grid is disrupted.
AVL school board selects firm to lead superintendent search
Summit Search Solutions described itself in its proposal as a “boutique” search firm that specializes in education.
Buncombe commissioners reckon with racial disparities in education
Just 11% of Black students in grades 3-8 at Asheville City Schools scored as proficient in math, with 13% proficient in reading. Rates were somewhat better in the county system, with 21% of Black pupils proficient in both subjects, but still fell well below those of white, Hispanic and Asian students.
‘Blended learning’ here to stay in Buncombe County Schools
Janet Frazier, the school system’s media technology specialist, explained that even prior to the pandemic, BCS had begun incorporating more technology for both staff and students.
Bill and Alice Hart Collection bolsters UNCA’s historical holdings
The expansive personal library has deepened the Harts’ connection to Western North Carolina, and will now do the same for scholars and the general public.
Health checkup: Working with and for the community
Ameena Batada, co-director of the University of North Carolina – Asheville – UNC – Gillings Master of Public Health program, discusses community support, her work to address health inequities and the power of friendship.
Public Montessori school to open in August
Mountain City Public Montessori is projected to open for kindergarten through 6th grade in August.
Deadline to submit writing & art for Xpress Kids Issues approaching
The deadline for local students to share work for possible publication in Mountain Xpress’ 2023 Kids Issues is Friday, Jan. 27.
Buncombe school board supports control over academic calendar
During their meeting of Jan. 12, members of the Buncombe County Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution that supports amending the state’s school calendar law. The document blasts the current law for a range of woes, from learning loss to difficulty in providing teacher training.
Green in brief: Conserving Carolina to expand Bracken Mountain Preserve
On Dec. 30, the nonprofit completed the purchase of 34 acres in Brevard to expand the preserve. The new land will bolster the existing 395-acre park, owned by the city of Brevard, which connects to the Pisgah National Forest.
From Asheville Watchdog: Enrollment, retention plunge at UNCA as leaders depart
The declines are the worst of the 16 public universities in the UNC system, an Asheville Watchdog analysis finds.
City school board OKs Asheville Primary shelter plan
The Winter Safe Shelter program at Asheville Primary School, as explained by Counterflow Asheville, will prioritize families, LGBTQ people and residents who are Black, Indigenous or people of color. The shelter plans to operate nightly through the end of March, housing up to 10 people per night with space for another 10 support staff on site.
The rise of Indigenous land acknowledgments
Indigenous activists offer their thoughts on a trend that’s recently gathered local momentum.
Culture war comes to Asheville school board
Two people speaking during public comment revealed brewing tensions around critical race theory and sexuality education in the Asheville City Schools district.
Green in brief: WNC Nature Center opens new exhibit
In partnership with the WNC Farmers Market, the Asheville zoo launches its Educational Farmers Market Garden starting Wednesday, Nov. 16. The new exhibit focuses on sustainable relationships between agriculture and nature.