2013-364 Carrboro Elementary School Spring 2013 Art Grant Agreement $1,000

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Carrboro Elementary School Arts in Education Application I. School Profile Carrboro Elementary School has been serving Pre-K-5th grade students in the heart of Carrboro,N.C. for over 50 years. The school offers both traditional and Dual Language instruction and takes pride in an exceptional school community and a commitment to all children and families,particularly low- income and Latino/Burmese families. Carrboro Elementary is one of the most diverse schools in our school district with many languages being spoken, but the two primary languages other than English are Spanish and Burmese/Karen. Our Dual Language program is an English-Spanish immersion program with the goal of bilingual/biliteracy and multi-culturalism by the time students exit elementary school. The program is fully implemented with two-three classes at each grade level Pre-K-5. In most of the Dual Language classrooms,half of the students are native English speakers and half are native Spanish speakers. This results in a strong sense of culture for the Spanish speaking families and more opportunity for cultural exchange. Carrboro Elementary is committed to ensuring that all students obtain the necessary academic skills and knowledge within the context of culturally responsive classrooms. To achieve this goal, our staff examines racial issues in our school in order to remove barriers for all students. A critical part of this goal is to teach all children and adults to learn to value, appreciate and work with others who may not share the same culture or language. To this goal, students experience information about different cultures through cultural exchanges, guest experts from other cultures, and the day-to-day classroom collaboration with students and teachers from different cultures. Cultural arts performances are also an important way students learn about other cultures as they are exposed to a wide range of artists and art forms from around the world. Carrboro Elementary is strongly based in our community. Many parents report they are happy and feel welcome in our school. Latino families are involved in school functions and volunteering thanks to bilingual school personnel who can support their home language. Specific programs like the RISE (Racial Intervention to Support Education) African American family support group, and Padres Unidos (Parents United) for Spanish and English speaking families in the Dual Language program involve many families. The school celebrates African American and Hispanic heritage months and Latino and Burmese family events are successful in involving a wide variety of families within the school setting. An annual event that demonstrates both the diversity present at Carrboro Elementary and the sense of community is the "A Taste of Carrboro"dinner. In 2013 over 55 families prepared dishes, including food from Brazil, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Libya, Mexico, Peru,the Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Thailand, the UK, Vietnam and more. There was also a variety of cultural traditions including Jewish, Gay Pride, and Southern, among many others. Following the food and socializing, students performed dances from West Africa, the Philippines, and a traditional May Pole dance. This event not only raised funds for the school, but it was a great opportunity for families to get together and share their cultures. In 2012-2013, Carrboro Elementary School served approximately 632 students in Pre-K-5. The demographics are similar to the demographics as below.