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Meta Kenan Fellows aim to strengthen ties between local workforce and schools in Western…

Professional Development

Photo by Ashanda Grissett who explored the oyster industry for her fellowship.

Oct 5, 2023

Brunswick County Farm Bureau Kenan Fellow dives into North Carolina’s oyster industry

BOLIVIA, N.C.⸺On a sweltering summer day in mid-July, high school earth environmental science teacher Ashanda Grissett boarded an oyster boat off the North Carolina coast. Grissett’s mission was to immerse herself in the intricacies of North Carolina’s $14 million oyster industry and distill her newfound knowledge into an educational Ag Mag for North Carolina Farm…
Students plant a school garden.

Aug 22, 2023

Alum fosters cultural heritage and agricultural awareness at Cherokee Elementary School

CHEROKEE, N.C.—In collaboration with ASAP, a leading advocate for sustainable agriculture in western North Carolina, Nichole Efird is connecting her students at Cherokee Elementary School to their Cherokee heritage and raising their awareness of local agriculture. Efird’s fellowship was made possible through the support of the Dogwood Health Trust and the Kenan Fellows Program for…
Weather Map of the US

Aug 15, 2023

Integrating Climate Science into Montessori Classrooms: Kenan Fellow Takes the Lead

DURHAM, N.C.—Joy Mason, a 2023-24 Kenan Fellow, is leading an initiative that integrates complex concepts of climate science and meteorology into first through third-grade curricula in her classroom at George Watts Montessori School in Durham Public Schools. Drawing inspiration from her immersive summer internship with the State Climate Office of North Carolina, Mason is crafting…

Oct 3, 2022

Meta Kenan Fellows aim to strengthen ties between local workforce and schools in Western NC

Beverly Owens, 2021-22 Kenan Fellow FOREST CITY, N.C.⸺Western North Carolina teachers Courtney Najdek and Jennifer Taylor put themselves in their students’ shoes this summer when they spent three weeks learning the ins and outs of two local industries. Najdek and Taylor are 2022-23 Kenan Fellows. Meta (formerly known as Facebook) supported their fellowships with the…