DPS Advanced Academics

Two wonderful days as a team from DPS attended the NC AP Partnership Colloquium working with other educators from across North Carolina on increasing access and supporting success for ALL students!! Big shout out to Dorcas Gyekye, AP teacher at Jordan High School, for successfully leading a session on AP African American Studies! Laura Parrott, Director of Advanced Academics, was part of a panel presentation & discussion to share the positive impacts of the work DPS has done.

Congratulations to our incredible students who scored a perfect 36 on the ACT this past spring! 🎉 Your hard work and dedication have truly paid off. We are so proud of your achievement! 🌟

More SPARK Camp pictures, with even more to be posted…
For a glimpse into all classes, visit our last Daily Communication sent to families https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-QR8ELc2-REDVv2UdQn3ScPfeoaixWjJ/view?usp=sharing

Another outstanding day of SPARK Camp complete! Thank you to all of the teachers who have worked diligently to create sessions that promote active engagement and collaborative problem solving!

Day 1 of SPARK Camp was a blast!! Twenty-five classes this year include such topics as “Willie Wonka Goes to Trial”, “Small Spaces, Huge Dreams”, “Engineering 101”, “Roller Coaster Craze”, and “Exploring Activism in Durham”. About 200 rising 4th - 8th grade DPS students are participating in this incredible week! ”

View all children as “at-potential” versus “at-risk”~ Actions towards achieving Equity and Excellence was the focus of the last TAP (Teachers Advancing Potential) PD series sponsored by the Office of Advanced Academics. Another group of outstanding K-12 educators have completed the program!

DPS Director of Advanced Academics, Laura Parrott, lead two sessions at the first College & Career Readiness Conference hosted by the NC AP Partnership! “AP for All: One District’s Journey” focused on the collective work done by DPS to increase access and opportunity for ALL students in AP courses.

SPARK Camp - June 24-27 for rising 4th - 8th graders.
Registration is open until April 4th for the lottery enrollment.
To register, visit https://bit.ly/2024SPARK
For more information, visit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tQ3SL3nL2n9XLAX_8ZoS4uxwR8W16cxg/view?usp=drivesdk

The 49th annual North Carolina Association for Gifted and Talented Conference, Building the Future, was held March 14-15 in Greensboro. DPS was selected to present two sessions during the conference. "Disengaged Students... or Disengaged Lessons?" was led by Laura Parrott, Director of Advanced Academics, and AIG Specialists Brittany Cruz (Parkwood Elementary) and Calethea Vinson (Morehead Montessori). "Equity in Mathematics" was led by AIG Specialists Denise Baynham (Club Boulevard Elementary), Danielle Cunningham (Club Boulevard Elementary), and Felisha deBlaquire (George Watts Montessori). Both sessions were at maximum capacity and engaged participants in ways to increase cognitive engagement for ALL students.

“Reverse”, “Brick Wall”, “Combination”, and “Perspectives” were only four of the 20 “Thinking Keys” Elementary AIG Specialists explored during today’s professional learning day. Such great thinking by an extraordinary group of educators!