SPARK
MODERN CLASSROOMS PROJECT TAKES A STUDENTCENTERED APPROACH
MAGNET PROGRAMMING RECEIVES AN $11.4 MILLION GRANT
ALL DPS STUDENTS TO RECEIVE FREE LUNCH AND BREAKFAST
MESSAGE FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
Greetings, families and community members! I am deeply honored to address you for the first time as superintendent of Durham Public Schools through this publication.
It has been a little more than three months since I began my journey with this district, and already, I have experienced the energy, dedication, and passion that make DPS truly exceptional. Our students, staff, families, and community members have shown me that this is not only a great community but also a place where opportunities abound for all.
In the past several weeks, I’ve focused on listening and learning as part of my entry plan. This process has allowed me to visit schools; speak with students, families, educators, and community leaders; gain a deeper understanding of what makes DPS such a unique and special district; and hear your thoughts about the things we’re doing well and where we need to improve.
Anthony S. Lewis, Ph.D., Superintendent
I have seen firsthand the incredible potential in our classrooms, the innovative programs we offer, and the deep commitment to equity that drives our work. Our schools are diverse, vibrant, and full of promise. We are fortunate to serve a community that is as invested in the success of our students as we are.
As we look to the future, my vision is clear: we will continue to ignite the limitless potential of every student in DPS. My role is to ensure that every student, regardless of background, has the support, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
While we have much to celebrate, important work lies ahead. We must tackle challenges head-on, from ensuring equitable access to resources and closing achievement gaps to providing a safe, supportive environment for every child and creating systems that allow our employees to perform at their best. This work will take all of us, and I am committed to partnering with our educators, families, and community as we move forward together.
I am excited to embark on this journey with you and confident that, together, we will continue to make DPS a model of excellence, innovation, and inclusivity. I look forward to meeting more of you in the coming months and learning how we can best serve our students, families, and staff. Thank you for your warm welcome and your unwavering support of our schools. The best is yet to come for Durham Public Schools.
STUDENT SOUND OFF
SOUND OFF STUDENT
DPS students share their thoughts on the new superintendent’s work
We asked three students, “What do you think our superintendent’s priority should be?”
...to ensure teachers are getting paid and treated fairly and students are getting their education.
Zaire Bullock 5th Grade Spring Valley Elementary
His priorities should be the students’, parents’, and teachers’ well-being, and to make sure the schools are funded evenly and fairly.
Natalie Sullins 8th Grade Lucas Middle School
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Spark Insider Winter 2024
Volume 4 Issue 1
Sheena Cooper
Crystal Roberts
Maria Bajgain
Michael Yarbrough
Dr. Lewis should continue to prioritize ensuring that students in middle and high school are pushed to think about the future. This would help students to make the most of the opportunities available to them in high school and beyond.
Matthias Mathieu 10th Grade
Northern High School
Tony Cunningham, Jr.
Kevin Brown
Harrison Brackett
A MODERN APPROACH
Partnership helps teachers use new approaches to meet students’ individual learning needs
hat if teachers were provided with the tools, training, and time needed to give extra support to students who need it, while also ensuring that students who excel continue to be challenged, leaving no one behind until all have mastered a unit of learning?
This is happening right now in Durham Public Schools. The Modern Classrooms Project (MCP) is an innovative, student-centered approach to teaching and learning. Through its partnership with Durham Public Schools, MCP has already supported more than 300 DPS teachers in meeting their students’ individual learning needs—and that number is climbing.
STUDENT-CENTERED LEARNING
The MCP concept is simple but effective. Teachers are equipped to meet the needs of every student in their classroom through:
• Mastery-based learning. Students advance to the next instructional unit after demonstrating mastery of the content.
• Self-paced learning. Students control the pace of their learning rather than struggling to keep up with set deadlines.
• Blended instruction. Students can access content through teacher-created videos, one-on-one time with teachers, and collaboration with peers.
“Nearly everyone shares a belief that teaching all students the same way is not the way we should be teaching,” said Matt Hickson, MCP head of partner transformation and a former DPS teacher and administrator. “The Modern Classrooms Project is the first practical, tangible way to shift away from that to more student-centered, equitable learning. It really gives concrete strategies.”
A RESEARCH-BASED MODEL
Teachers receive MCP training over the summer. After two days of in-person sessions, they are assigned mentors and continue that relationship online throughout their training. All mentors are full-time teachers who are compensated for their work as trainers. Mentors can be paired with teachers in different states or even other parts of the world.
MCP training focuses on empowering teachers to encourage students to take charge of their learning. Students who fall behind in a unit receive more one-onone time with the teacher, while those who progress more quickly can participate in activities that deepen and enrich their understanding of the content.
This approach includes teacher-created videos that students can view and refer back to as needed, though that’s only a small part of the method. The core lies in teachers identifying where individual students need one-on-one support and in students collaborating with one another. There’s also built-in flexibility for teachers to use the resources and techniques that have worked for them in the past.
“Our model includes a lot of research-based strategies and practices,” Hickson said. “Teachers can use all or part of it. A teacher can now feel that, ‘I know how to support [students], and I know how to give feedback to them so they don’t have to feel stuck.’”
Dacia Guffey teaches social studies at Ignite! Online Academy and has served as an MCP mentor since 2020. She has seen a significant, positive shift in the mindsets of students who in the past might have been more easily discouraged.
“Having a self-paced learning model allows students who struggle, fall behind, and feel like they’re never going to catch up to have that breathing space they need to feel like they can do it,” she said. “I look at students and say, ‘No one is going to have bad grades this year. If you didn’t get it, we’re going to stop. We’re going to try to figure out why you didn’t get it. We’re going to do what it takes so you can feel confident and gain understanding of the content of your work.’”
That doesn’t mean, however, that students who move faster have to slow down. For example, Guffey recently had students who had mastered a World War II unit read letters written by teenage soldiers from the front lines while she worked closely with those who had not yet reached mastery. This allowed students who had mastered the unit to gain a more personal perspective while those still working on it received the support needed to achieve mastery.
MEASURING IMPACT
MCP has reached more than 300 teachers in 35 schools, benefiting more than 9,000 students, according to a recent report issued by the organization. The report also found that 93 percent of teachers surveyed post-training felt they could successfully plan a self-paced learning unit; 95 percent reported having a clear vision for how their students would learn; and 88 percent said they now know how to motivate all of their students.
Fred Pfeiffer, who teaches math and science at Lakewood Montessori Middle School and serves as an MCP mentor, sees the impact in his ability to connect with other teachers and exchange ideas. However, the core of MCP’s success in his classroom is the time it gives him to work more closely with his students.
“When people ask me, ‘Why do you use this?’ I tell them it gives me more time working with kids,” Pfeiffer said. “I’m working with kids on the things that they need rather than the more traditional model where I’m doing my best to meet all kids’ needs at the same time. It’s a more peaceful, more collaborative process.”
STRENGTHENING PROGRAMS
Department of Education grant provides $11.4 million for magnet programs
urham Public Schools has been awarded a Department of Education grant that will provide $11.4 million over five years to support some of the most significant budgetary items for the Growing Together Plan. The grant proposal was developed in collaboration with the Growing Together planning team, leaders from funded schools, and district leaders across multiple departments, including Career and Technical Education (CTE), Arts, Curriculum and Instruction, and Operations.
Specifically, the plan includes funding for:
• Strengthening the sustainability theme at Southern School of Energy and Sustainability to improve academic outcomes and increase enrollment. “One exciting part of the plan is converting the automotive program to electrical and allowing students to take courses focused on electric vehicles,” said Dr. Rita Rathbone, magnet schools coordinator and the author of the grant application.
• Revising the magnet theme at The School for Creative Studies to create a program comparable to RogersHerr Middle School as a regional year-round option.
The goal is to improve academic outcomes and increase enrollment at SCS, while also reducing overcrowding at Neal Middle School.
• Strategic efforts to increase racial diversity among students and staff at all DPS Montessori schools.
• Additional specialized training for Exceptional Children’s (EC) teachers to expand access to Montessori instruction for EC students in all Montessori schools.
• Completing training and securing materials needed to fully furnish all classrooms at Little River Elementary as Montessori-designed spaces.
• Supporting the transition of Lucas Middle School to a Montessori school and fostering collaboration with Lakewood Montessori Middle School, including staff training, instructional materials, and outdoor learning spaces.
“This grant is quite a boost to our overall efforts to promote and increase diversity and access across our district,” said Dr. Anthony Lewis, DPS superintendent. “With equity as our core value, it is crucial not only that we design and administer quality programming but also ensure that all students, regardless of their residency, have access to the great schools that their parents and families choose for them.”
DPS has also been invited to apply to the 2025 grant cycle to secure funding to enhance the International Baccalaureate (IB) program at both Shepard Middle School and Hillside High School and to support the district’s Dual Language Immersion magnet programs.
In awarding the grant, the DOE noted, “Especially in this auspicious year in which we are acknowledging the 70th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education, we appreciate the effort it took to complete your application for the fiscal year 2024 MSAP grant competition, your patience in awaiting the completion of our full application review, and most importantly, your work to come on behalf of the students and families of Durham Public Schools.”
STRENGTHENING PROGRAMS
It continued, “Seventy years ago, our country made a promise that this would be a nation where students of all races and backgrounds could learn together in the same classrooms and the same schools and acknowledged that education is ‘a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.’ We know that in many parts of this country, there is still much work needed to meet Brown’s full promise. Your application demonstrates commitment to taking some of these key steps, implementing innovative methods and practices that both attract a diverse student body, and provide all students with equitable access to engaging and rigorous learning opportunities. We are so pleased to be working with you to achieve these goals.”
“With equity as our core value, it is crucial not only that we design and administer quality programming but also ensure that all students, regardless of their residency, have access to the great schools that their parents and families choose for them.
— Dr. Anthony Lewis, DPS superintendent
LUNCH IS ON
All students receive free meals with improved selection and fresh ingredients
ll students in Durham Public Schools now have guaranteed access to free meals, regardless of family income or zip code, with healthier options available this year thanks to DPS student ingenuity and innovation. This is possible through an expanded U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service program known as the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). So far, DPS is the largest district in North Carolina to implement CEP districtwide. Using a formula based on the minimum percentage of students who qualify for meal cost breaks, CEP provides reimbursements that not only cover free meals for all students, but also create a $400,000 surplus for DPS School Nutrition Services (SNS), providing additional support for district staff and families. Under previous regulations, the district was only reimbursed for free meals, not all meals. The district was required to pay back negative balances to the federal government – to the tune of $300,000 last year.
MORE THAN FREE LUNCH
The obvious benefit for families under this program is free meals. Families no longer have to worry about paying for school meals or packing meals at home. But SNS Director Jim Keaten says there are many more benefits, including elimination of student meal accounts and lengthy free and reduced-price meal applications that include complicated family legal and financial information.
Meals also will be healthier and more nutritious than ever, thanks to additional federal funding and input from students. The funding allows for purchasing higher-quality foods and better pay for school nutrition staff.
“Not only will the nutrition be better, but the quality will be better,” Keaten said. “We are meeting federal nutrition standards, and we are also implementing new menus with more ‘scratch’ cooking and using more local products from local vendors.”
School nutrition professionals will be doing more “home cooking” than in years past, using fewer pre-prepared foods. Ingredients such as fresher and healthier fruits and vegetables will come from local sources, including Farmer Foodshare, Firsthand Foods, and Dawnbreaker Farms.
High schools are also getting “build-your-own” bar options this year.
“One week it will be a build-your-own burrito bar; another week it might be an Asian bar, or Italian bar, or taco bar,”
Keaten said. These experiences will encourage more students to participate and support the program’s stability, he said.
A la carte options, such as juices and snacks available for purchase in the past, will continue to be offered, Keaten said.
INCORPORATING STUDENT FEEDBACK
The availability of additional federal funding came at the perfect time for the DPS student advisory group, Unbox, which met regularly during the 2023-24 school year to make recommendations for SNS to improve students’ dining experiences.
More nutritious meals, fewer prepackaged items, and build-your-own bars were among the group’s suggestions.
“We are defying gravity,” said Dr. Linden Thayer, DPS assistant director of food systems planning. “All of the historical contexts were set up against this shift, and we’re still doing it. The kids provided a lot of insight into what they are looking for.”
Thayer said that the Unbox group, comprising students from middle and high schools districtwide, has been invigorated by knowing that their recommendations were heard and seriously considered by the administration, with some now being implemented.
“I hope what they feel is a sense of excitement,” said Thayer, adding that the group will continue its work with several new members to replace those who graduated last year.
Alex West, a sophomore at Riverside High School, just started his second year as an Unbox member. He said he’s excited to see the recommendations that he and his peers made coming to fruition.
“Overall [being part of Unbox] was a really rewarding experience. Part of that was because we felt like we were making a change,” West said. “This is really cool to have students have a direct opportunity to voice what they want, and it’s really cool that it was a student-led group.”
West added that he is especially proud that the students recommended a wider array of meals representing different cultures.
“A lot of people don’t get a lot of opportunities to try different types of food from around the world,” West said. “If they’re getting the opportunity, maybe they can bring that knowledge home and say, ‘Hey, let’s try this.’”
FAMILY AFFAIR
DPS Family Academy provides resources for parents and community members to support children’s learning
amilies who need extra support with their children’s learning have a place to go in Durham, and those supports are now expanding. The Durham Public Schools Family Academy, which has been in operation for 12 years, has significantly increased its capacity to provide resources to students and families over the past year.
Much of this is due to the efforts of Dr. Ernetta Cagle, Family Academy project manager, and her team.
“Last year, we served over 200 families. Our hope is that as we continue to build and grow the program and reshape what family engagement looks like in our district, we can reach more,” Cagle said.
A FOCUS ON SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL WELLNESS
Addressing students’ social-emotional needs is paramount to their success in the classroom, Cagle said. In addition to language barriers and economic challenges that can impact social-emotional health, lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic still affect many students.
“A lot of what we’ve found is that after COVID, the socialemotional well-being of students was definitely a priority,” Cagle said. “I’m a former assistant principal, and I always told my teachers we have to focus on social-emotional aspects first so that we can then focus on academics.”
While federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding provided mental health services during and immediately following the pandemic, most of that funding has ended. However, a strong support
network within DPS and through community services has been bolstered to help students and families find the resources they need.
“The biggest service [we provide] is family counseling, based on the needs of the family. We have so many resources here in Durham that a lot of our families don’t really know how to start that process,” Cagle said. “Family Academy is a way to provide those resources so that families don’t have to go out and try to find them.”
CLASS OFFERINGS AND OTHER RESOURCES
Additional resources from Family Academy include:
• Classes at school sites that offer resources and support for families to help their children improve academically. These classes give families an opportunity to connect, share experiences, and build their capacity to support their children’s learning.
• A College Prep series offering information on financial aid, scholarships, course requirements, career pathways, college applications, and writing college entrance essays.
• Attendance Matters sessions that reinforce the importance of consistent school attendance to help students stay on track academically and establish good habits for college, work, and life after high school.
• A partnership with World Relief to support refugee families. (In addition to Spanish, the major languages spoken in DPS are Arabic, French, Pashto, and Dari. Families who speak these as their first language often need extra support.)
Family Academy classes have been refined over the past year to ensure genuine family engagement and more effective outcomes for students.
“We had parents leaving [a recent] session just in awe because they got information that they needed to support their child and because the class was built around ‘How to Help my Child Develop a Growth Mindset,’ but the parents’ mindset also needed to be shifted,” Cagle said. “That’s always good when adults can leave feeling empowered and take that info and apply it to their everyday walk.”
The second annual DPS Family and Community Engagement Summit will be held on April 26, 2025. Workshops will cover topics such as boosting outcomes for students of color; transportation options and how to access them; arts opportunities; navigating ESL services; and parent advocacy for their children. There will also be a Student Support Services presentation on Multi-Tier Systems of Support that targets academic and socialemotional interventions.
“This year, our plan is to make [the Summit] bigger and better. Our hope is that we can reach between 300 and 500 families,” Cagle said.
MEETING THE NEEDS OF FAMILIES
The Family Academy continues to survey the families it serves to fine-tune its services. For example, the academy plans to offer more weekend events and activities to accommodate parents who work during the week.
The program will also be evaluated to identify what is working and where improvements are needed. Cagle is working with DPS communications professionals to market these services to reach more families. Her vision is to continuously refine services to reach as many families as possible.
“The biggest thing for me has been getting the greatness of Family Academy out into the community so our families know we are not just here to provide classes. We are so much more than that,” she said.
Where the Spark Starts
Murray-Massenburg celebrated its official ribbon cutting in October, but students have been in the building and learning since August. We’re excited to see how teachers ignite their students’ potential in this new school.
PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS
Durham Early College of Health Sciences will prepare students for careers in health care
n abundance of top-notch health care facilities within a stone’s throw is one of the many advantages of living in Durham. However, the region’s wealth of health care providers also presents a unique challenge for health care institutions in the Triangle area: finding qualified professionals to fill critical positions.
Durham Public Schools boasts excellent programs that prepare students for many of these positions. In fall 2025, this effort will receive a major boost, with the opening of the Durham Early College of Health Sciences, created in partnership with Duke Health and Durham Technical Community College. Graduates will be eligible for positions at Duke Health immediately upon completion.
A NEW WAY OF DESIGNING HIGH SCHOOLS
“This is a new way of looking at high schools,” said Dr. Oluwunmi Ariyo, Durham Tech director of college recruitment and high school partnerships. “When we’re framing and creating high schools now, we are looking at industry. We’re … giving people the opportunity to change their lives.”
“We wanted to create something that obviously addressed the significant nursing shortage in our region, but some of the other professions, as well,” said Melissa Ockert, Durham Tech’s dean of health and wellness. “We definitely want to set these students up for success.”
The $29.5 million project will be funded by a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, which initially approached Duke Health officials. Duke Health then partnered with DPS and Durham Tech to determine the best use for the funding. The decision was to expand the existing Middle College High School at Durham Tech, which currently serves juniors and seniors, into a full early college high school for grades 9-13, focused on preparing students for health care careers. (The 13th grade will be required for certain pathways and will serve as a transitional year, including paid internships and apprenticeships in real health care settings.)
In many cases, students could graduate not only with a high school diploma, but also with a license or certification in a specific health care area and/or an associate degree, depending on the program. Completing the program could mean a direct pathway to employment in the health sciences at Duke Health or other health care agencies in the region.
PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS
MULTIPLE CAREER-PREP OPTIONS
Success for Durham Early College of Health Sciences students is certainly on the horizon, as the partnership has developed four pathways to equip students with skills in the following areas:
• Nursing. The early college will offer two nursing pathways. Students may pursue a Practical Nursing diploma or an Associate Degree in Nursing, which leads to the registered nurse credential. The associate degree in nursing requires a 13th grade.
• Surgical Technology. This pathway prepares individuals to function as members of a surgical team, preparing supplies, instruments, and equipment and maintaining an aseptic environment in the operating room. The Associate Degree in Surgical Technology requires a 13th grade.
• Allied Health. This pathway covers a broad array of roles assisting medical professionals, such as certified medical assistants, EKG technicians, and phlebotomists.
• Clinical Research. Students in this pathway can be trained and certified in conducting clinical trials. The associate degree in clinical research requires a 13th grade. Regardless of their plans after graduation, all students who complete required coursework will receive a high school diploma, as well as a credential in one of the pathways above. Students may then choose to pursue employment or a four-year degree.
The Durham Early College of Health Sciences will also offer paid internships and apprenticeships with Duke Health, potentially leading to well-paying jobs with excellent benefits for dozens of program graduates.
Educators and health care professionals from all three partners have been meeting over the past year to discuss curriculum development, paid internships and apprenticeships, and job placement for graduates.
A PHILANTHROPIC FOUNDATION
Bloomberg Philanthropies reached out to Duke Health in early 2023 after identifying Durham and surrounding areas as high-need regions for job development in health care. The foundation has a longstanding relationship with Duke University and its hospitals.
“[Bloomberg’s] interest was born out of their recognition that communities are facing very critical workforce shortages in key sectors including health care,” said Debra Clark Jones, associate vice president for community health at Duke Health. “The Triangle region is expected to be one of the hardest impacted when it comes to nursing and allied health shortages because of the large number of health care organizations we are fortunate to have in this region.”
Clark Jones reached out to DPS and Durham Tech partners, who had previously collaborated to serve students, to explore how they could address the need and receive support from Bloomberg.
“All three of us coherently make a beautiful family. This will be an amazing journey for students who don’t leave trying to find a good job but leave going into a good job.
Dr. Oluwunmi Ariyo, Durham Tech director of college recruitment and high school partnerships
“All three of us coherently make a beautiful family,” Ariyo said. “This will be an amazing journey for students who don’t leave trying to find a good job but leave going into a good job.”
“I reached out to our partners at DPS and Durham Tech for whom I have extreme respect and suggested we put our heads together around developing a proposal for these funds. Everybody was on board,” Clark Jones said. “We had multiple discussions about the possibilities, and our educational leaders decided we should launch a new early college focused on the health sciences with direct pathways to employment or to college. This early college will help address shortages in health care, but more importantly, will offer enhanced economic stability opportunities for our communities’ high school graduates.”
The result of this collaboration was the $29.5 million grant, much of which will be used to upfit the current middle college and transform it into a full early college serving grades 9-12, with a 13th grade available for pathways in nursing, surgical technology, and clinical research.
Dr. Nicholas King, the deputy superintendent of Durham Public Schools, said the partnership has been beneficial in
PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS
having educators and health care professionals collaborate on preparing young people for careers.
“Our Curriculum and Instruction department, along with professionals in Career and Technical Education (CTE), have worked very closely with the folks from Duke Health and Durham Tech to think about how we would structure the curriculum to prepare students to take on these specific jobs in the community,” he said. “That’s where the real work has been, with Duke Health saying to us, ‘These are the skill sets we need to have to fill these positions.’”
King previously served as principal of the district’s first early college, J.D. Clement Early College at N.C. Central University, in the 2000s.
“When we first did our early college work, we were thinking about a generalized need to serve students who didn’t traditionally have access to college,” King said. He added that the Durham Early College of Health Sciences could serve as a model for addressing the health of its citizens and the local economy.
“The most exciting part about the [Durham] Early College of Health Sciences is the fact that it provides this community with a glowing example of what can happen when organizations from within the community go a step beyond talking about their mutual interests and endeavor to create programming to specifically address the interests of the community,” he said.
King clarified the distinction between the Durham Early College of Health Sciences and the DPS City of Medicine Academy, which operates on the Duke Regional Hospital campus. “Both schools are intended to provide opportunities for students who have an interest in working in medical fields eventually with a leg up towards those careers,” he said. “The difference with the Durham Early College of Health Sciences is that we have identified several very specific pathways for students who go through that school to be offered the opportunity to pursue and to be immediately employed in those specific fields.”
THE POWER OF PRESCHOOL
Expanding early education options gets children ready for academic and social success
ou don’t have to have lived in Durham to recognize this community’s strong investment in its future. You see it everywhere— arts, food, culture, entertainment, infrastructure. You name it; it’s happening.
Equally important is our community’s commitment to providing outstanding educational opportunities for our children. More than three decades of research shows that engaging young children in learning during those precious early years provides a strong foundation for future success in school and beyond.
Durham leaders know this, and as a result, our community leads North Carolina in providing resources to ensure that children across Durham County have equitable access to preschool experiences – a commitment critical for preparing children from kindergarten through higher education and beyond.
“What I would say to parents is, ‘Apply.’ We have a variety of programs to serve students,” said Karen Thompson, Durham Public Schools director of early education. “Being in preschool is the foundation for your school years. Setting our students up for success is so important.”
DPS currently offers preschool at 30 of its 32 elementary schools, several of which are programs for students with special needs only. DPS preschool programs are a crucial component of a broader network of preschool services offered through a partnership among DPS, Families and Communities Rising, Head Start, Durham’s Partnership for Children, and the Child Care Services Association, which officially renamed itself Early Years on Nov. 1. Early Years is the managing agency for this partnership, known as Durham PreK.
A FOUNDATION FOR SUCCESS
The DPS Board of Education and the Durham County Commissioners provide more than $10 million each year for preschool programs. New DPS elementary schools now include space for at least two PreK classrooms, with the new Murray-Massenburg Elementary School, which opened in August 2024, housing three. The DPS long-term plan is to offer some type of PreK in every school.
Dr. LaToya McCrimmon is the preschool coordinator for the Whitted School in Durham, which operates eight preschool classrooms. She said that preschool is a time for children to learn basic skills and build confidence in going to school and making friends. The concept of learning through play is woven throughout all programs.
“We explain to them that there are teachers who care for them and to help them be safe,” said McCrimmon, who added that punctuality and attendance are very important. “Most [DPS preschool programs] start at 7:45 a.m., which is earlier than most daycares they might have been used to. If you are late, you have missed a piece of the instructional day.”
THE POWER
Educational and social-emotional development activities include:
• Writing skills, letter formation, and sounds;
• Reading skills;
• Social skills, including how to behave, share, and take turns;
• Putting on clothes, shoes, and jackets;
• Managing bathroom routines with minimal assistance;
• Math skills, such as counting and number recognition;
• Beginning science activities, such as exploring basic facts about nature;
• Sensory, music and movement skills.
There is also ample time for recess, where students can play indoors or outdoors, along with special offerings such as arts and music activities and computer skills.
Dr. Rita Rathbone, DPS magnet specialist, said the Montessori preschool programs are based on holistic concepts, including practical life skills, sensorial learning, math, language, and cultural studies.
“We provide loving, safe, and caring environments,” Rathbone said. “It can be very stressful for a first-time parent to drop their kids off at PreK. They should feel very comfortable leaving their precious child in our hands.”
DURHAM PREK PARTNERSHIP
No matter your family income or where you live, there is a Durham PreK program to suit your family’s needs. These organizations work together to ensure the right fit for 4-year-old children whose parents want them to experience programming that nurtures and prepares them for future success. A “one-stop” universal application process helps match students with the best fit. Parents are asked to list their top three preferences, which include DPS schools and private preschool programs.
“We try to do placement based not just on the student’s address, but on what type of seat is offered, as well,” Thompson said.
Dr. Linda Chappel, senior vice president of Triangle Area Child Care Resource and Referral Services at Early Years, says the Durham PreK program is a statewide model for how a community can support its children. Durham PreK goes above and beyond the NC Pre-K program, which supports preschool in Durham. Additional county funding provides many more seats for children whose families desire preschool experiences.
“What we believed in Durham was that all children could benefit from preschool,” said Chappel, a member of the initial planning committee comprising more than 50 educators
and community leaders who met weekly for a year. “Starting with 4-year-olds, we saw this as a way to really bring forth an investment for Durham’s children, to set them up for a lifetime of success.”
Families who fall below 400 percent of the poverty level qualify for a free seat, funded by the federal Title I program, the state NC Pre-K program, or Durham PreK, which funds 653 seats throughout the county. For non-Title I or EC programs, those whose incomes are above that threshold pay on a sliding-scale basis.
can apply through Durham Public Schools online or receive in-person assistance if needed. Support for non-English speakers is also provided.
PLANNING FOR GROWTH
More than 40 percent of Durham County’s 4-year-olds are enrolled in a Durham PreK program, whether in DPS, Head Start, Durham’s Partnership for Children, or a private setting. While some parents may prefer to have their 4-year-olds at home or in alternative care like with a grandparent or nanny, the program aims to serve as many families as possible who wish to take advantage of preschool programs.
Durham PreK applications will be available in February 2025 for students who will be 4 years old by Aug. 31, 2025. This includes DPS preschool programs, except at Watts Montessori, Morehead Montessori, and Little River Montessori schools. These magnet schools offer programs for 4-year-olds, but acceptance at those schools is based on the district’s lottery system, which opens opens on Jan. 6, 2025.
A separate sliding-scale fee applies to these schools. Families
Durham PreK has set a long-term goal of serving 75 percent of eligible students in Durham County. With the ongoing commitment from county and city leaders, along with the Durham PreK partnership, there’s little doubt it can be done.
Chappel said that quality programs are readily available, if families want them for their children.
“A family is going to make a choice that will affect their child’s whole academic trajectory,” Chappel said. “Preschool matters. What you do to get your child ready for their formal education could really impact their success. The investment in structural strategies is strong. It’s not just about equitable access, it’s about investing in quality.”
For more information and to apply to a Durham PreK program (including all DPS programs except Montessori), visit https:// www.dpsnc.net/Page/214 or https://durhamprek.org. For DPS Montessori preschool options, contact the Office of Student Assignment at (919) 560-2059 for more information and applications, available Jan. 6-31, 2025. Due to limited space, those interested in Montessori programming should also apply to Durham PreK in case they are not selected in the lottery. The Montessori lottery is not accessible through the PreK application.
DURHAM VISIONARY
Jordan High alumna Lilyn Hester leads Google’s community impact in Durham and beyond
ordan High School graduate Lilyn Hester is a Durham legacy whose work at Google as head of external affairs and government relations and a lobbyist for the company’s Southeast cohort covers a wide range of responsibilities. During her 12-year tenure with Google, Hester has highlighted Google’s presence in North Carolina; collaborated with several nonprofits to showcase Google’s products, services, and grants; and educated legislators on bills that may impact Google’s business. She is also the driving force behind Google’s presence in downtown Durham.
MAKING A FOOTPRINT IN DURHAM
Hester graduated from Jordan High School in 1989 after her father moved the family from Fort Knox, Ky., back to his hometown of Durham in the summer of 1988. Her father is a Hillside High School graduate who played in the renowned Marching Hornets band, which was featured in a movie and often invited to perform and compete nationwide.
Hester and her brother, Jarwin, attended a Department of Defense school at Fort Knox. She said that changing schools late in her high school career was tough, but that she and her brother were embraced as newcomers.
“I think the school made it easier,” she said. “What I liked
about Jordan High School was that you had teachers who were available and they listened, and you had a sense of camaraderie between the teachers.”
At Jordan, teachers had career-inspiring conversations with Hester and offered insights on ways to reach her goals. She remembers being asked to work at the front desk of the school, which allowed her to meet more people during her first – and last – year at the school.
Durham Public Schools is rich in resources, Hester said, but how students, staff, and families take advantage of the resources makes the difference.
“If you don’t use them, it doesn’t matter. I think the school system did a good job of explaining its resources and how they could help students experience success. But you have to make the first step. You just can’t have someone feed it to you. If you’re interested in something, you have to speak up, open your mouth, and ask. And I think that’s something that the Durham school system had.”
A VISION FOR GOOGLE
Hester left Durham after graduating from Jordan to attend UNC Charlotte, where she earned a degree in political science with a concentration in international relations. She started her career as a journalist, worked for the global public relations firm Capstrat, and joined Google in an executive role in 2012.
Through her role, Hester was instrumental in bringing Google to Durham. For 10 years, she pitched Durham as the perfect site for a larger engineering presence, highlighting its diversity, innovation, and strong history to company leadership. Thanks to a partnership with Duke University, Google established a location on Morris Street in downtown Durham, where Hester is based. She also worked with representatives from the Durham Arts Council and the Nasher Museum of Art to select Durham artist David Wilson for the mural on the Google building.
Today, thanks to Hester’s persistence, several hundred Googlers walk downtown for food, coffee, and to enjoy the urban environment. “We do make friends along the way,” she said, referencing a recent “Build with Google” event for Durham Public Schools middle school students. “It’s been a good relationship.… This is an awesome city and an awesome school district.”
DREAMERS WHO DO
It’s not surprising that since joining Google, the DPS graduate has created multiple campaigns focused on addressing community needs and fostering collaboration with local partners.
She piloted the Rolling Study Halls program to address the “homework gap,” as a significant barrier hindering the academic progress of many students, especially those from low-income, minority, and rural backgrounds who lack reliable internet access at home. The award-winning program was piloted in Lenoir, N.C., home to a Google data center, before expanding to South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Later, Rolling Hotspots were created to address the widening gap caused by COVID-19, when students worked
remotely from home but were without Internet access. School buses used for Rolling Study Halls were upgraded with mesh network packs, allowing them to be strategically parked to “light up” a community. Google has upgraded 30 Rolling Study Halls buses in North Carolina. In South Carolina, Google upgraded buses and provided broadband internet access to 300 homes with school-aged children. Google also outfitted 30 Douglas County Schools buses in Georgia with Wi-Fi.
Hester serves as the appointed chairwoman of the N.C. Business Committee for Education’s Remote Learning Working Group. Since March 2024, she has advanced the committee’s mission to provide “innovative broadband connectivity solutions for the more than 190,000 K-12 students who are without internet access and/or devices.” Working with business leaders and educators, the group coordinates with local, state, and national leaders to address these challenges through pilot programs that will begin launching statewide by May 15, 2025.
The SPARK Insider is sponsored by
Durham Public Schools Board of Education
Millicent Rogers, Chair
Jessica Carda-Auten, Vice Chair
Natalie Beyer
Emily Chávez
On the Cover
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A BOUT THESPARKINSIDER
The DPS Spark Insider is a publication produced by Durham Public Schools in partnership with Durham Magazine. The Spark Insider shares the stories of DPS students, teachers, and staff with the larger Durham community.
Joy Harrell Goff
Wendell Tabb
Bettina Umstead
Anthony S. Lewis, Ph.D., Superintendent