Students connect near and far, Caroline moves the Governor, and Hillary reports from Germany

Yesterday afternoon I observed Fran Wittman's Persuasive People class as they traveled to Hillside High School and joined an International Baccalaureate (IB) Theory of Knowledge class in the first of four shared discussions - this one on race, language, reality, and perception in the Jena 6 incident.

Last night nearly 200 students, teachers, families, and community members were in Kenan Auditorium for the 2nd Annual Fiesta Latina - a lively series of music and dance presentations organized by Bela Kussin. One memorable highlight: Senior Everett Wilson dancing salsa in the aisles with Student U. sixth-grader Casey Barr-Rios.

This morning I listened to Torsie Judkins lead a group of 25 pK-12 teachers in a discussion of DA's Strategic Plan goals to connect the school more actively with the broader multicultural communities of Durham, the nation, and the world.

This afternoon I got an email (below) from Hillary Rosen, who will give her final presentation for her English class on her Civil Rights Tour experience . . . to her classmates in Essingen, Germany.

This evening the Nicaragua Club (led by Jordan Adair, Tanya Khatatba and Emilia Sotolongo, in concert with ITP and the Dance Team) hosted a successful show and fundraiser for our partner school in San Ramon.

And tomorrow morning many of our seniors will take what they hope will be their last SAT.

Congratulations and thanks to our teachers and students for all they did (in a 3-day week) to connect to the world and prepare for challenges near and far.

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When she heard from her father (Dr. John Buse, President of the American Diabetes Association) about a resolution passed by the UN declaring a World Diabetes Day, 10th grader Caroline Buse petitioned the Governor's office to ask for a similar recognition in North Carolina. Yesterday Governor Easley sent a signed proclamation naming Nov 14, 2007 as World Diabetes Day for the State of North Carolina. Congratulations, Caroline!

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From Hillary Rosen on her AFS semester in Germany: "I check the Community Matters blog every time I'm online to see what's going on on campus and stuff. I also read the daily announcements. I'm glad everything is going well in North Carolina. I'm really excited because in November Little Shop of Horrors is being put on at the local theater here, but in German. It is called "Der kleine Horrorladen." My English class is going to be learning about the American South, so my friend and I are going to do a report on North Carolina for that class. It'll last an entire class period. I'm sure glad I went on the Civil Rights Tour, because that will make understanding everything in German that much easier. I'll make sure to send more pictures as soon as I collect enough to make another album.
Auf Wiedersehen!
Hillary.


Hillary's AFS friends from Thailand, USA, Brazil, Bosnia, Hungary, and Norway