SALISBURY — Brielle Long is the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College nominee for the North Carolina Community College System’s Dr. Dallas Herring Achievement Award. Herring believed that community colleges were most effective by meeting people where they were and taking them as far as they could go. RCCC is helping Long achieve a better life for herself and her family.

Long has not had the kind of life where success was a given. She has been surrounded by drug addiction and gang activity, lived in homeless shelters, experienced hunger, and worked multiple jobs to pay her family’s bills. Today, she is pursuing an Associate in Engineering degree at RCCC and hopes to continue her education and become a biomedical engineer.

She selected Rowan-Cabarrus over other colleges because she believed it was a place where she could get the support she needed to thrive. The College is affordable and offers her the flexibility to continue living with her family and working several jobs to support them, giving her more peace of mind as she pursues her education.

“We are not destined to stay in the trenches,” Long said. “I am a believer in creating your own future.”

EC Advocacy week

Rowan-Salisbury Schools is participating in Exceptional Children (EC) Advocacy Week. On Monday, students at Granite Quarry wore red to recognize Physical Disabilities Day.

In celebration of EC Advocacy Week, the school system is recognizing the educators who serve the students who receive EC services, like Brandy Danovski at Jesse C. Carson High School.

She provides educational, vocational and daily-living skills instruction for the students in her class.

“I start off working with students where they are at and work on building up skills by offering support, understanding, and developing relationships,” Danovski said.

Meanwhile, Chase Burris is the EC inclusion teacher at East Rowan High School.
He co-teaches regular education courses and provides resources and accommodations to students who receive EC services in his classes.

“I build relationships with all students by asking them questions and goofing around with them,” Burris said.

Students were encouraged to participate in the event throughout the week, with different themes each day. Tuesday was Down Syndrome Day. On Wednesday, students dressed as their favorite book characters for Autism Day. Today’s theme was Learning and Communications Disabilities Day; the students wore green. Friday is Pledge Day, and the students were encouraged to wear tie-dye.

Culture Day at Morgan Elementary

GOLD HILL — Level-3 students at Morgan Elementary recently celebrated cultures found in their local and regional communities. Teachers, students, and parents filled the gymnasium to celebrate the third annual Culture Day.

The celebration was the culminating activity for their study of cultures. Each student was assigned a country to research and present. In class, students researched their country’s traditional clothing, food, language, and holidays using a variety of print and digital texts. Students created a doll that reflected their country and a digital presentation with the information they researched.

Level-3 teachers Rhonda Miller, Britt Hatcher, and Ruth Haynes worked with students for several weeks to prepare for their celebration. Students created artwork and learned songs, dances, and drum pieces from various cultures to perform for their visitors. Students brought in traditional foods from each country that was represented. A lot of the food was purchased from local restaurants like Mykonos Grill and Yummi Banh Mi. After the presentations, parents and students enjoyed food and fellowship.

Rhonda Miller helped create the first Culture Day at Morgan Elementary four years ago.

“For our school, it’s an opportunity to celebrate the diversity that exists within our community,” Miller said. “It also offers a great experience to deepen social awareness and understanding by celebrating the incredible culture of the world beyond their immediate community.”