Help schools by joining Board of Education community group

By Kathie Russell
Posted Wednesday, March 12, 2008

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Chatham County, NC - Please consider joining one of our recently formed community focus groups. These groups are informal groups of community members who have an interest in helping our schools. They are designed to be the eyes, ears and helping hands to the BOE to launch projects that the BOE, as only five people, is unable to do alone. The groups will formulate actions that they would like to see implemented within the schools.

They will then research the issues and bring a presentation to the BOE to give us the facts, research, idea and recommended action for implementation. Each group will have a BOE member liaison and central office liaison. The groups are free to meet whenever and wherever they choose. If these groups are successful, we hope to add more in the future.

The initial groups that have been formed are:

Arts Education

Science Education

Expand Governor's Club Tutoring Program

Tutoring/Community Garden Project (initial model project in N. Chatham at Nature's Trail Subdivision, to be expanded to additional sites in the county) (will do tutoring for an hour then garden)

Tutoring/Soccer Project (similar to above but tutoring and then soccer)

Teacher Retention

Test Score Raising

ESL Project

Nutrition/Incorporate Local Produce Into School Lunches

Middle School Football Program

Incorporate Yoga/Dance/Movement into classes daily (grade school)

We have had many people sign up already. By mid-April we will contact all of the groups and provide contact information for all of the members and then the groups will begin their work. Please consider joining!

If you are interested in participating in any group or groups, please email your contact information and which group you would like to be added to to krussell@chatham.k12.nc.us.

Kathie L. Russell is chairman of the Chatham County Board of Education