A Durham Self-Portrait, WISER, Sports Psych, Coaches, Oaxacan Weavers, Nativity School Links, and a School Without Classes

Think you know Durham? Come see the film!

The Southern Documentary Fund presents a Video Dialog Inc. production of the highly-anticipated documentary Durham: A Self-Portrait.

Sensationalized in national media and misunderstood regionally. Finally, it is Durham's turn to tell its own story.

We began three years ago with the vision of creating a television and educational film about the unique history of race and class in the Bull City. Along the way we've interviewed dozens of folks from all walks of life, and found a lot of exciting old footage and surprising new stories.

Check out the website for Durham: A Self-Portrait at http://www.portraitofdurham.com

Join us for the premiere screening! 7:30 p.m., Friday, November 16, 2007 at The Carolina Theatre
Tickets are free, available in advance at the Carolina Theatre

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In Monday's Morning Meeting, we'll hear from Duke Senior and DA alumna Kelly Teagarden, who has spent much of the last two years working on Women's Education and Secondary Education and Research (WISER), building the first boarding school for girls in Muhuru Bay, Kenya, with the aim of reducing sexual abuse and guaranteeing their right to safe and effective education.

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In Friday's Assembly, we'll hear from Dr. Greg Dale, Duke sports psychologist/ethicist. Click here for a recent article on Greg in Duke magazine

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Thanks to our fabulous fivesome of fall coaches (Julian Cochran, Dennis Cullen, Thomas Phu, Dan Kimberg and Eric Teagarden, for the hundreds of hours they invested in our students since early August.

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Remember Eric and Janet Chavez, the Oaxacan weavers who visited DA last year and captured the attention of our students on the quad? Their North Carolina host has invited all interested DA students and faculty to an open house for the Chavez family on Sunday, November 4. We're currently considering a student travel-study program in Oaxaca. Interested? Or just want to see some beautiful images and artwork? Go to http://www.oaxacaculture.com


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This morning, seventeen DA teachers (including Owen Bryant, Anthony Clay, Liz Coleman, Bobbie Hardaker, Torsie Judkins, and me) spent the early morning at Durham Nativity School (DNS). The visit offered an overview of DNS's inspiring mission and operation. It also represented a continuing effort to strengthen the ties between DA and DNS. Among the new links:

• In September Alex Nozick began hosting DNS's sixth graders for a weekly after-school photography class. Feedback so far (from both teacher and students) has been enthusiastically positive.
• On Thursday four 8th graders from DNS visited the Upper School for their day of shadowing and admissions interviews. We'll be competing against Cary Academy, Cardinal Gibbons, and several boarding schools for the best of these students, but hope we can convince them that the best school in the region is right here in Durham.
• This month several DA Middle School teachers (led by Robert Wilson) began a peer-to-peer professional development program with DNS teachers.
• In December our MS will host the DNS students for our holiday dance and Kenan Auditorium will host the first annual DNS Musical Revue (December 16 at 3 pm - open to the public).

If you have an idea about a possible collaboration (on this campus, theirs, or somewhere else in the Triangle) please see me or contact DA parent of alumni and DNS super-volunteer Barbara Potter (383-7109). Like Student U., Durham Nativity School is a logical place for us to live out our mission of creating happy, moral, productive servant-leaders. As Barbara put it this morning, "This place has completely grabbed my heart. I love these boys."

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Food for thought - A friend recently sent me this story from NPR. I forwarded it to Mr. Lineberger, one of many teachers serving on our PK-12 Experiential Education Task Force. Great teaching will always remain at the core of Durham Academy, but our Task Forces are thinking big about senior projects, service-learning, independent studies, and other innovations. The school described in the story offers another model for consideration.
Experimental School Gets Rid of Classes and Teachers