KATHRYN REED

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Schools spokeswoman to retire

By KATHRYN REED | April 27

Kim Hoke, spokeswoman for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, has seen the district grow from nine total schools to nine elementary schools alone. And after 23 years with city schools, Hoke will retire at the end of this school year. “I still have trouble using the ‘R’ word,” she said. “I’m far too young.” In addition to serving as the district’s spokeswoman, Hoke supervises the Volunteer and Partner Program, the elementary and middle after-school programs and the parent involvement office.

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Policy may limit school flier distribution

By KATHRYN REED | April 25

Students in city schools soon might have fewer papers to carry home from school. The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Board of Education will conduct a work session tonight to examine changing its policy on the kinds of materials that can be distributed in schools. Under the policy, students only could receive school-approved materials from the district, parent-teacher associations or school-sponsored booster groups, and all levels of government.

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Local schools celebrate Earth Day in the sun

By KATHRYN REED | April 22

Kindergartners at Cameron Park Elementary School enjoyed a picnic lunch Thursday at the school’s butterfly garden during one of the many activities that constituted an annual schoolwide celebration of Earth Day. The events began first thing in the morning, as many students walked or carpooled to school to save resources and cut down on pollution. Once at school, students received a lesson in recycling from Orange High School students. “We get to do fun things like go outside and do fun activities,” kindergartner Tyresha Baine said.

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Board to eye new ?ier policy

By KATHRYN REED | April 21

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Community debates dreams

By KATHRYN REED | April 20

With a slide show of diverse community artwork flashing behind them, panel members from varied backgrounds discussed with area residents Tuesday the impact and success of this year’s community art project. Attendees seemed enthusiastic about the project, but other members of the community have recently called art-themed initiatives into question. The Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission’s 2005 community art project allowed community members to create art in response to this year’s theme: artists’ dreams.

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Board OKs satellite campus

By KATHRYN REED | April 13

After months of legal conflict threatened to spoil the deal, Durham Technical Community College soon will acquire the land it needs to build a satellite campus in Orange County. The Orange County Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of the land, off N.C. 86 in Hillsborough, at its Tuesday meeting in a motion that lacked the friction of previous efforts to secure the site. The commissioners received no public comment and unanimously approved an amendment for the purchase contract.

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Teens paint mural for hangout

By KATHRYN REED | March 30

Under the guidance of a University senior, a group of area teens are spending their spring break creating a mural for their Carrboro after-school hangout. The yet-to-be-named teen center, which opened in January at 110 W. Main St., is the result of a collaboration between Pa’lante and Youth Creating Change, area youth programs that serve Latino and black teens, respectively. The artists hope the mural will brighten the center’s narrow hallway with its large picture of Earth surrounded by the flags of Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico and the United States.

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Eatery to add Southern taste

By KATHRYN REED | March 29

Barbecue fans in Chapel Hill will have reason to celebrate Tuesday. The new, locally owned Jim’s Famous BBQ will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. Jim Groot, former owner of Red Hot & Blue of Chapel Hill, is replacing the barbecue chain’s long-vacant location at 115 S. Elliott Road with his independently owned franchise. “I just wanted to focus more on barbecue,” Groot said.

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Mosaic adds warmth to IFC shelter

By KATHRYN REED | March 23

The buzz of drills filled the dining room of the Inter-Faith Council’s community shelter Tuesday morning as workers installed the room’s much-anticipated new artwork. The noise momentarily subsided when they stepped back to admire the first section of the colorful, broken-tile mosaic they had successfully affixed to the wall. “Oh my goodness, first try! Wow!” said Kate Flory, executive administrator for the Chapel Hill Public Arts Commission, the group that sponsored the project.

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Students stand in spotlight

By KATHRYN REED | March 11

Local student actors will have an opportunity today to compare their skills with theater students from across the state in the hopes of sealing an invitation to a national theater festival. Guy B. Phillips Middle School is one of the hosts of this year’s Middle School Play Festival, an afternoon-long competition of one-act performances by middle school students, sponsored by the N.C. Theatre Conference. Phillips’ eighth-grade advanced drama students will compete against about 400 students from 16 other state middle schools.