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NARRATIVE <br /> SCHOOL PROFILE <br /> Founded in 1958, Estes Hills Elementary School is one of the oldest schools in the <br /> Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district. Estes Hills is a neighborhood school in the <br /> truest sense, with many students from the surrounding homes walking to school. This <br /> proximity to the neighborhood also results in a high level of parental involvement in the <br /> school. In the current academic year (2012-2013), Estes Hills Elementary serves 566 <br /> children from kindergarten through fifth grade. The school has 25 traditional classrooms, <br /> and offers programs in Exceptional Education, Gifted Education, and English as a <br /> Second Language. Estes Hills also provides "specials" instruction in French, Art, Music, <br /> and Physical Education. This year a Head Start pre-school program, serving 13 children, <br /> was added to the campus. Our student body is fairly evenly divided along gender lines <br /> (300 Male / 266 Female), and has a diverse racial composition: White (54%), Hispanic <br /> (15%), Black (14%), Asian (8%), Multi-Racial (7%), and American Indian (2%). <br /> For the 2013-2014 academic year, we anticipate a similarly structured study body with a <br /> slight reduction in class size. The opening of the new Northside Elementary School in <br /> August will alleviate overcrowding at Estes Hills, resulting in a projected enrollment of <br /> approximately 480-490 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. The 2013-2014 <br /> school year also brings us a new principal, Mr. Drew Ware, and a new assistant <br /> principal, Ms. Katie Caggia. Both administrators are currently in place and have quickly <br /> become familiar with our school and its students. Mr. Ware takes special pride in <br /> knowing each of his 566 students by name. <br /> SCHOOL ARTS PROGRAMS <br /> • Estes Hills offers Art and Music instruction in accordance with the North Carolina <br /> Standard Course of Study for elementary school students,, with a full-time <br /> professional in each "specials" discipline: Art, Music, and Physical Education (which <br /> incorporates Dance). <br /> • The volunteers leading the PTA's Cultural Enrichment Committee promote the <br /> cultural arts in education by bringing professional artists to perform at our school. <br /> During 2012-2013, the following performers visited Estes Hills Elementary School: <br /> Bright Star performed for the K-2nd grade students, bringing the stories of Johnny <br /> Appleseed, Daniel Boone, and Paul Bunyan to life by combining traditional American <br /> Tall Tales with toe-tapping, old fashioned, southern style bluegrass music for an <br /> upbeat production that had our students fully engaged. <br /> Hobey Ford performed his "Migration" story twice, once for our K-2nd grades and <br /> once for our 3`d-5th grades. In his original story, Mr. Ford told about a Mexican girl <br /> named Beatriz ("traveler") and her family's migration from their home near Mexico <br /> City to the United States interwoven with lessons about migration from the animal <br /> world. Mr. Ford utilized realistic puppets while performing behind a thin circular <br /> theatrical scrim onto which scenes were projected. In this way, the puppets appeared <br /> to be performing within the projected video scenes. Mr. Ford's "Migration" story truly <br /> came to life for our students. <br /> Donna Washington — Ms. Washington performed one show for our 3rd-5th graders. <br /> A vibrant, dynamic storyteller, Ms. Washington used her incredible vocal <br />