Diversity & Equity in the News — Archive


Cultural Diversity Series Kicked Off with Bhutanese Presentation

October 14, 2009

Madhu Neupone, Burlington School District Home School Liaison, explored the historical and cultural background, education, and other experiences of the Bhutanese experience in Burlington. This event kicked off the 2009-2010 cultural diversity series in partnership with the Fletcher Free Library. Read more

Watch the webcast on CCTV

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Equity Education Specialist Joins Burlington Schools

August 18, 2009

The Burlington School District is thrilled to announce that Mercedes Mack has joined staff as a new AmeriCorps*VISTA member, serving as Equity Education Specialist for the Diversity & Equity Office. Mercedes began her position in August 2009. Read more

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Inaugural “Champions of Diversity & Equity” Honored

June 3, 2009

The Diversity & Equity Office of the Burlington School District, in partnership with the Social Investment Equity Project and the City of Burlington, honored our inaugural class of Champions of Diversity & Equity. Students, colleagues, family members, community members, and agencies that have represented the ideals of our district’s Commitment to Diversity & Equity and reflected the very best of our diverse community were recognized at a public ceremony on June 3, 2009 at City Hall. A standing room only audience of over 200 attendees joined the celebration that also honored two lifetime achievement recipients. Read more

 

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Reading to End Racism Readers Make Great Impact on Reducing Racism in Schools

May 29, 2009

This past year, Burlington elementary schools participated in a community initiative called Reading to End Racism. All of the District elemntary schools (Wheeler, Champlain, Edmunds, J.J. Flynn, C.P. Smith, and Barnes) held their school-wide events that involve readers from our local community to help our kids address racism and discrimination in proactive ways. This community-school partnership creates an opportunity for students to listen to new literature, hear personal stories and join age-appropriate forums to explore and explain racism. 1632 students and 55 community members (including our mayor, city council members, and the police chief) participated in this year’s program.

This project is a collaborative effort by the Burlington School District, The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and VARAT (The Vermont Anti-Racism Action Team). Read more

 

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Burlington School District Joins in Celebrating Award-winning Social Equity Investment Project

March 23, 2009

Dr. Balón joined Wanda Hines, Coordinator of Social Equity Investment Project, and Vicky Smith, Director of King Street Youth Center, for a recent edition of “Live at 5:25” on Burlington’s Channel 17. The episode marked the achievement of The Social Equity Investment Project’s selection as runner-up recipient of the 2009 National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO) City Cultural Diversity Award. On behalf of Hines, the City of Burlington was honored and recognized at the NLC Congressional City Conference Celebration Diversity Breakfast on March 16, 2009 in Washington DC.

Panelists discussed ethnic and culturally diverse issues which impact the quality of life for all communities. Dr. Balón noted that about every one in six students in the Burlington Schools do not claim English as their native language, a significant number that parallels the over 50 dialects and langauges spoken by families within the city’s schools.

 

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Past stories (2008)