In brief: Refugees welcome, Albemarle bans guns

Refugees welcome Over the weekend, activists gathered in downtown Charlottesville to draw attention to the crisis in Afghanistan, where extremist Taliban forces recently seized control of the government following U.S. withdrawal of troops after two decades of war.  The activists called for the United States and the Charlottesville area specifically to accept as many Afghan […]

Kids who cook: An after-school club teaches kitchen skills and more

On one of the last days of classes before the holiday break, the bell rings at Walker Upper Elementary School, and kids stream for the exits. But Becky Calvert is just getting settled into her “classroom,” a sprawling institutional kitchen with a lot of buffed stainless steel surfaces. “I try to do some of the […]

Pushing for play: The local mom behind an effort to bring a playground to Walker Elementary

By Alexis Gravely Christa Bennett is no stranger to community advocacy.  After earning a master’s degree from King’s College London in international relations with a focus on human rights, she directed an organization focused on ending the genocide in Sudan. She’s worked on community development projects in Rwanda and lobbied the British Parliament. Since moving […]

Curriculum crusade: Spanish as elective perturbs parents

Come this fall, Walker Upper Elementary, which serves the city’s fifth and sixth graders, will drop its Spanish language requirement for a focus on math and science instruction. During a January school board meeting, Principal Adam Hastings said the change, which the school board approved in February, was prompted by “a need for students to […]