William & Mary students will get a glimpse into the lives of their contemporaries living in Cuba when two Cuban student documentarians visit campus on Sept. 20.
Documentary filmmakers Maria Elisa Pérez and Duniesky Cantón Fernández, students at Cuba’s Instituto Superior de Arte, will show their film on living conditions in Cuba and engage in a panel discussion at 7 p.m. Sept. 20 in Room 201 of William & Mary’s Tyler Hall.
Their visit is notable because their film, which depicts the conditions of public housing in Cuba, was approved by the Cuban government to be shown in the United States.
The film shows life in one of the public housing units, called “solares,” in Havana. The solares are typical old houses or apartment buildings adapted into multi-family living spaces; in the film, the solares was formerly used as slave quarters and horse stables.
The solares are overcrowded and frequently ridden with violence. Families have lived there for generations without access to modern services or appliances.
The students created the film in a journalism training program organized by an American University professor last December. The course complemented a similar course offered to AU Abroad students, and allowed the Cuban and AU students to collaborate. AU extended the opportunity to host the students, whose film was judged as most compelling, to William & Mary.
It’s inspiring to think these students, who have grown up in an atmosphere where criticism is stifled, will have a chance to bring a view of life in Cuba to Williamsburg. The screening and panel are free and open to the public. The program is sponsored by the college’s Middle Passage Project, the Latin American Studies program and the Wendy and Emery Reves Center for International Studies.
Summit Christian Adds iPads to Curriculum
Another private school in the area has replaced outdated computers with new iPads.
Last spring, Summit Christian Academy’s school board voted to expand and enhance the school’s technology applications for teachers and students. On Aug. 30, high school students received iPads to use during class activities and to complete homework.
Teachers received training over the summer on how to implement apps into their classroom activities, how to use the iPad to manage classroom data and how to increase interactivity between teachers and students through technology. One teacher, Liz Kilpatrick, plans to use her iPad to show students detailed pictures of microscopic organisms.
Before the iPads were released, students participated in a training session, signed release forms and were given iPad covers.
Walsingham Academy also introduced iPads to its classrooms this year, issuing the tablets to all students
Bailey Field Scoreboard to be Dedicated Today
A new scoreboard at Bailey Field, home to the athletic events for York County high schools, will be dedicated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6:45 p.m.
In December 2011, the York Foundation for Public Education, Inc. approached TowneBank to seek sponsorship for a new scoreboard. TowneBank committed to fully funding the project.
Members of the foundation will be joined by TowneBank representatives for the ceremony.
WCA Thanks Farm Fresh for Assistance
Williamsburg Christian Academy preschoolers recently welcomed the manager of a local Farm Fresh with a hearty thank you.
Walter Boyette, store director for the Norge location, was invited by Preschool Director Michelle Flanagan so her class could thank him for the items the classroom bought with the proceeds of a school-wide collection of Farm Fresh receipts.
In addition to thanking Boyette in person, the class signed a poster with their hand prints to send to Farm Fresh’s corporate offices.
