Just 15 days after arriving in Charlottesville as a refugee from Colombia, Aura Gaitan began work as a housekeeper at a local hotel. She knew no English and was struggling to adapt to both the cold of January and the fast pace of American life. But to be a refugee in the United States, she […]
Author Archives: Grace Paine
Posted inUncategorized
Albemarle School Board mulls strategic priorities
The Albemarle County School Board has begun to review the first draft of a strategic planning document that stipulates where and how the division will concentrate its resources over the next two years. At a recent board meeting, five major strategic priorities were discussed. Each priority, school staff says, is designed to aid in the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Lugo-McGinness Academy ends first year on optimistic note
When Lugo-McGinness Academy opened its doors last fall, teachers and administrations weren’t only looking forward to a new facility for educating some of Charlottesville’s at-risk students. In moving to a new building complete with a gym, an outdoor space and a library collection, the staff aimed to change the way students and community members thought […]
Posted inUncategorized
Documentation, communication key to online summer PE class
Does physical education need to take place in the school gym? According to staff and students at Charlottesville High School, the answer is “no.” Charlottesville High School recently wrapped up its second year of offering students the chance to fulfill their physical education credit by taking a virtual course over the summer. The program’s goal, […]
Posted inUncategorized
Local schools reimagining student discipline model
The Charlottesville and Albemarle County school divisions are progressing in an ongoing effort to cut rates of out-of-school suspensions while ensuring the safety of their schools. School administrators say they are shifting toward using preventive measures for misbehavior like bullying prevention programs, mental health support and teacher training in lieu of out-of-school suspensions. “The bottom […]
Posted inUncategorized
Schools partner on summer ESOL program
For the hundreds of English language learners enrolled in the Charlottesville and Albemarle County school systems each year, challenges to academic success are immense. Not only must these students learn how to read, write, speak and study a new language, but they must also adapt to a new community and new social norms. To ease […]
Posted inUncategorized
Charlottesville internship program employs local youth
While many teens see the summertime as a chance to relax, a program administered by the city of Charlottesville has placed 150 youths in intensive internships across the city, with positions ranging from elderly care to custodial services to government work. The Community Attention Youth Internship Program, which runs its largest session during a six-week […]
Posted inUncategorized
Kluge-Ruhe Collection hosts festival on the intersection of race and art
The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection on Saturday invited the Charlottesville community to examine its role in local, national and international dialogues about race through the expressive power of art. The event was held in honor of National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week, an annual Australian celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander […]
Posted inUncategorized
Albemarle High intensifies effort to provide arts students with professional experience
Next year, rising junior Kieran Rundle will add a ninth course to her school day, but she won’t be spending it in a classroom. Instead, she will intern at the local nonprofit WriterHouse, helping to organize a weekly writing group for teenagers. Rundle is one of 82 freshmen and sophomores who last year enrolled in […]
Posted inUncategorized
Educational programs at regional jail offer inmates hope
“Hope is the thing with feathers,” begins a famous Emily Dickinson poem: Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soulAnd sings the tune without the words, and never stops — at all. The poem was a class favorite for the students of Margo Browning’s enrichment English class. Other popular authors, she said, […]
