By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

This Saturday, the first Chapel Hill-Carrboro teacher supply store providing free classroom materials to district teachers will open its doors.

The store – a joint effort by the Public School Foundation and the East Chapel Hill Rotary Club – provides teachers with $100 vouchers, which they can use for free supplies at the store.

According to Allison Worthy, vice president of the Public School Foundation, the foundation surveyed teachers and parents and found that teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies and often need supplies donated by parents.

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Crossing guard James Burnette, know for his on-duty high fives, said it doesn’t feel much like January. “It’s been hard to figure out how to dress for it,” he said of the warm weather during a recent pause between the end of the day for McDougle Elementary and McDougle Middle.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP and Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance leaders are calling for change and improved achievement for black students in Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools.

Group leaders, community members and school officials met Monday at St. Joseph CME Church to discuss the achievement gap between black and white students.

Prior to the meeting, the groups distributed a report card to school officials outlining failures in 11 categories, including eliminating the minority achievement gap, decreasing the dropout rate of black students and more.

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Ronnie Jackson, counselor at Estes Hills Elementary School, recently received a certification from the American School Counseling Association.

Jackson received the Recognized ASCA Model Program certification, which is given to school counseling programs that show evidence of delivering data-driven, comprehensive services.

Jackson is the first counselor in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district to receive the designation.

The Parent-Teacher-Student Associations of Carrboro, Chapel Hill and East Chapel Hill high schools will sponsor a Parenting Healthy Teenagers Forum on February 4 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Chapel Hill High School Hanes Auditorium.

The forum will feature a panel of experts who will present information and answer questions regarding alcohol, drugs, obesity, toxic foods, anorexia and health screening.

The forum is open to the public.

Carrboro Elementary School staff and families donated more than 90 gifts to Carrboro Elementary families in need through the school’s new Helping Cubs program.

Through the program, Carrboro Elementary staff and families can help Carrboro Elementary families in need by gathering food, furniture, clothing and more. In addition, staff, parents and students purchased gifts for 47 children, with at least two gifts for each child.

East Chapel Hill High School will conduct its annual tour and information session for private school students and their parents on January 11 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

The school holds a tour for private school students because a large number of students in the area who attend private schools until eighth grade enter East Chapel Hill High School for ninth grade.

The information session will be held in the East Chapel Hill High School Slant Room, located through the lower-level entrance near the bus parking lot. East Chapel Hill High is located at 500 Weaver Dairy Rd.

Eighth graders and parents interested in attending the tour must RSVP by contacting Kathy Nelson at 969-2483, ext. 397.

The Town of Chapel Hill Parks & Recreation invites youth in grades 9-12 to join the Chapel Hill Youth Council.

The Youth Council provides an opportunity for young people to participate in local government and to learn skills in leadership and responsibility. Members will work with other groups to carry out programs that benefit youth as well as the community and to represent the youth of Chapel Hill in civic matters.

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By Frank Heath
Sports Writer

Only the North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team could have figured out a way to win this one. At Clemson’s berserker Littlejohn Coliseum, in a contest that had been dubbed there as the “biggest game ever in the state of South Carolina,” UNC faced a deep, aggressive and fired-up — not to mention flat-out-good — Tigers squad Sunday night and somehow clawed its way out of the place alive.

That’s even after Carolina discovered that its usual solid methods for taking apart opponents — depth, speed, rebounding and Tyler Hansbrough — were not quite doing the trick.

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North Carolina Hall of Fame head coach Sylvia Hatchell broadcast her first weekly radio show of the season at Tyler’s Taproom on Monday. The show, which can be heard Mondays at 8 p.m. each week through the end of the season on WCHL 1360-AM, will feature the coach taking calls from fans about the 2007-08 Tar Heels. Fans can enjoy the show live from Tyler’s.

The Carrboro Recreation & Parks Department is sponsoring two C.L.A.S.S. (Children Learning Athletic Sports Skills) for kids and their parents. The program is designed for children 4 to 6 years old. The goal of the program is to introduce the fundamentals of different sports to the participant and parent. Parent and child will be encouraged to practice the skills learned at home. Parent participation is a major part of this program.

The basketball program will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (6:15pm-7:15pm) from March 4th to March 20th. The baseball program will be held on Saturday mornings (9:00am-10:00am) from April 5th to May 10th.

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The Carrboro Recreation and Parks Department is currently accepting volunteer coach’s applications for the 2008 Youth Baseball Program and for the 2008 Youth Girls Volleyball Program. Coaches must exhibit the ability to organize practices and communicate effectively with players (ages 6-15 years old), parents, and Recreation Department staff. They must also exhibit the ability to teach proper playing skills, fundamentals, sportsmanship and provide an enjoyable atmosphere at practices and games. Deadline for applications is Friday, January 18th. To receive a volunteer coach’s application or additional information, please contact the Recreation Department at 918-7364.

Free sports physicals will be offered to Chapel Hill-Carrboro high school athletes on January 28, from 4:15-6:30 p.m., at Chapel Hill High School.

Students should wear t-shirts and shorts and bring a physical form with the health history section completed and signed by a parent or guardian. Forms are available at high school athletic offices or online at the high schools’ websites.

Student athletes are required to undergo a physical examination prior to participation in school athletics. The physicals will be valid through January 27, 2009. The event will be held in Chapel Hill High’s Building B in the Commons.

The Carrboro High School Athletics Booster Club will meet Monday from 6-7 p.m. in the Café Commons at Carrboro High School. The meeting is open to the public .