October 11, 2004
Uganda Teachers Visit Carolina International School
HARRISBURG – Two Ugandan educators will visit Carolina International School, Cabarrus County’s new public charter school, Oct. 18-20 as part of an educational and cultural exchange program developed by the North Carolina Zoo.
Stella Kajumba, a first-grade teacher from Bigodi, and Edvine Kyosaba, a fifth-grade teacher from Fort Portal, will observe classes at all levels of the K-7 school and will share information with students and teachers about their country’s culture and conservation efforts, said CIS Assistant Director Deanna Duncan.
The two teachers will be in the state through Nov. 8 as part of the North Carolina Zoo’s UNITE project (Uganda and North Carolina’s International Teaching for the Environment). As a continuation of the partnership, five North Carolina teachers, including CIS’s Juliette Jones, will travel to Uganda in January to experience life in that African country’s classrooms and communities.
Duncan, who has been associated with the UNITE project since its inception in 2001 and has visited Uganda twice, sees the project as “an incredible gift” for the charter school.
“It focuses on two pillars of our school – international community and environmental awareness,” she said. “Through this project, we have a wonderful opportunity to learn about, share and embrace the people and cultures of another country.”
Jones, who teaches fourth grade at CIS, will be the fourth Cabarrus County educator to participate in the program. In addition to Duncan, Laura Bost and Saretha Lavarnway, also teachers at CIS, have visited Uganda with UNITE.
The program is aimed at establishing scholastic partnerships between Ugandan and North Carolina schools to advance the well-being of both people and the planet. The project strives to motivate teachers and students to think globally, act responsibly and feel rewarded by personal interaction with each other.
* * *
Carolina International School is a new North Carolina public charter school offering grades K-7 and adding a grade each year to offer a full K-12 education. The school’s mission is to nurture students’ natural curiosity and joy of learning while they achieve academic excellence through a challenging, interdisciplinary, international curriculum. For more information, visit the Carolina International School Web site at http://www.carolinainternationalschool.org.
