Michael Kyrlakoudes (left) receives guitar pointers from Little Big Horns’ guitarist Russell Welch during Youth Music Workshop at Tipitina’s in January (UptownMessenger.com file photo by Zach Brien).
Feb 282014
Feb 252014
The John A. Shaw Elementary School building in the St. Roch neighborhood. (via latterblum.com)
“It is a fast timeline, but we’ve done it before,” said Karl Jentoft, a consultant associated with the Charter School Development Corp. working with ENCORE on the project. Continue reading »
Feb 252014
Independent auditors have raised questions about thousands of dollars of credit card spending at Sophie B. Wright Charter School; Bricolage Academy will spend a second year at its temporary home at Touro Infirmary; and the International School of Louisiana drew the most early applications of any school under the city’s new OneApp admissions process, according to recent reports. Continue reading »
Feb 242014
A Krewe of Morpheus parader passes out throws from the top of a float. (Sabree Hill, UptownMessenger.com)
St. Katherine Drexel Prep school (the former Xavier University Prep) will offer Mardi Gras stands, parking, food and drinks this year so friends and supporters can enjoy the Magazine Street parades in comfort while supporting the school’s growth. Continue reading »
Feb 212014
An Irish man looks over the Atlantic Ocean just south of Dublin (photo by Jessica DeBold, UptownMessenger.com)
University College of Dublin emblem (via www.ucd.ie)
High school juniors can take a virtually free trip to the emerald Isle this summer to study for two weeks at the University College of Dublin. The winners of the Irish Network-NOLA scholarship competition will receive free return flights, tuition, accommodation and food in the historic city, but the application is due Monday. Continue reading »
Feb 192014
The Orleans Parish Education Network is hosting an informational session with a state Department of Education official Thursday at Xavier University about changes planned for Louisiana high-school diplomas. Continue reading »
Feb 152014
Lusher’s operations director Frank Israel leads school board members in taking the state’s newest standardized test. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
In a scene reminiscent of the game show “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”, the Lusher Charter School governing board sat down Saturday morning and took the new standardized tests that students will face this spring. The stakes were much higher, however, as the exercise helped the board members understand the concerns educators have with the new tests.
In a separate issue, school officials discussed the upcoming renovations of the Lusher High School building, and the need for modular classrooms on campus to accommodate students during the project. Continue reading »
Feb 142014
The Jesuit Tampa Schola and Chamber Orchestra, a touring group from Jesuit High School in Tampa, will perform Gregorian Chant and polyphony, promoting Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI’s “vision of the liturgy”, during the 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Stephen Church on Sunday (Feb. 16). Continue reading »
Feb 132014
Eat bacon and listen to mouth-watering “pig tales” with your children at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum on O.C. Haley Boulevard with Nancy Wilson, a culinary expert and former teacher, on Saturday morning (Feb. 15). Continue reading »
Feb 132014
LaToya Cantrell
“We have a lot of work to do on transportation safety, we know that, as long as kids are waiting on the bus in busy intersections, crossing four-lane highways and walking on roads with speed limits up to 40 miles per hour,” said City Councilwoman LaToya Cantrell, who called the special meeting. “We have a real problem here, and we need to do everything we possibly can to provide real solutions.”
Feb 122014
Share your viewpoint on public-school education policy-making and reform at a community breakfast with the Orleans Public Education Network at 7:30 a.m. Thursday (Feb. 13) at Mahalia Jackson Elementary School. Continue reading »
Feb 082014
Teacher Elena Countiss helps Austyn Millet, 8, and Aidan Sierra, 8, in a 2nd grade Spanish immersion classroom at the The International School of Louisiana in 2010. (Sabree Hill, UptownMessenger.com)
The International School of Louisiana has been designated as one of the first state-certified World Language Immersion Schools, officials announced. The school will be given the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education seal of excellence for the quality and methods of teaching language immersion classes to children in New Orleans and Jefferson parish. Continue reading »
Feb 032014
As Lycée Français de la Nouvelle Orléans seeks to rebuild after last year’s controversies, one crucial goal for its new leadership has been the creation of a long-term plan to guide the school’s development.
When a first draft of that plan was presented for board approval Monday night, however, the conversation quickly turned to a question that speaks to the broader transformation of New Orleans’s educational system: Do charter schools rely too heavily on fundraising efforts that can burden the families the schools are intended to serve? Continue reading »
Jan 312014
Wilson Charter School will host a Masquerade Gala to benefit a project designed to send inner-city kids to Washington, D.C., according to a release shared by the school.
The gala, to be held on at Propeller Incubator at 4305 Washington Avenue on Feb. 8 at 8 p.m., will feature music, entertainment and a silent auction. Continue reading »
Jan 292014
Most public direct-run and charter schools in New Orleans — and all private Catholic schools — will reopen as normally on Thursday, and all city services will resume, officials said. Continue reading »
Jan 282014
With expectations that freezing weather will create impassable roads, all New Orleans charter and direct-run public schools will remain closed Wednesday, officials announced. Continue reading »
Jan 272014
All public schools in New Orleans — including charter and direct-run schools through the Orleans Parish School Board and Recovery School District — will be closed Tuesday and “very likely” Wednesday as well because of the winter storm approaching Tuesday morning and the unsafe driving conditions it could create, officials said. Continue reading »
Jan 262014
OPSB President Nolan Marshall Jr. (left) and Superintendent Stan Smith speak to Audubon educators and parents on Saturday morning. (Robert Morris, UptownMessenger.com)
Problems with the steel frame of the new addition to Audubon Charter School’s Broadway campus will require what officials are calling “selective demolition,” and could delay students’ return by as much as a full year, Orleans Parish School Board officials told families on Saturday.
“We’ve got a structural issue at the Broadway campus that’s going to impact the delivery of that school and the completion of it in the timeframe we had planned on,” said OPSB Superintendent Stan Smith. “It’s certainly unfortunate, but it’s an issue that ultimately involves the safety and security of the building.”
Continue reading »
Jan 232014
Allan Katz and Danae Columbus
While several of the candidates for mayor are talking what we think is the truth about the economic inequities that still divide New Orleans, it’s a fact that the New Orleans economy is in better shape today than it has been in years and that New Orleans has sprung back quicker after Katrina than many cities have since the financial markets’ collapse. But that does not mean our economic picture is rosy across the board.
The maritime industry is on an upswing under the capable leadership of Gary LaGrange. The tourism industry under Greg Rusovich, Mark Romig, Mavis Early, Bob Johnson and others is working hard to compete with glitzier marketing budgets and state-of-the-art convention centers across the country. Too many of our tourism industry jobs are low-paying and the opportunities for advancement – especially by undereducated and unskilled African-Americans workers stuck in minimum wage jobs – are minimal. Continue reading »
Jan 162014
An Alumni mixer called “See – Reflect – Inspire” will be held Friday at The Drexel Center of St. Katharine Drexel Prep (formerly Xavier Prep) according to a press release. Continue reading »