This week, two East Chapel Hill High School students traveled across the country to speak at a national conference.
Freshman Kevin Degraffenried and junior Maria Portillo were chosen to speak at the School Improvement Network Innovation Summit in Salt Lake City. They were the only two students who presented.
“The focus of the conference and what they wanted the students to address is the idea of powerful learning in schools,” Bunner said.
They are both part of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City School’s Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate program, a support system for minority students that offers many services, including tutoring, leadership development and college and career preparation.
Both students are also part of Minority Student Achievement Network, a national effort to eliminate achievement gaps, and Youth Leadership Institute, a leadership group organized by the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate program.
Both students addressed all conference attendees – about 400 educators from across the nation – and participated in a student panel.
Teresa Bunner, academic support specialist for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools’, said she talked the students through their nerves. “I told them, ‘You can do this. I wouldn’t ask you to do anything I didn’t think you could do.’”
Portillo’s speech focused on the importance of connections between teachers and students and how teachers can help students feel more comfortable. Portillo also works with Bunner throughout the year to help teachers become more effective.
Portillo said that during the panel, she and Degraffenried focused on “how to help teachers create culturally responsive classrooms that meet the needs of all students.”
Once the speeches were over, both students felt a mixture of relief and accomplishment.
“It was a great experience,” Degraffenried said.
“I learned so much from it,” Portillo said. “I’ll be more confident in the future going up and speaking to a lot of people.”
The students were back to school Thursday with new lessons from their experience.
“This conference helped me realize I want to do something I’m passionate about,” Portillo said, adding that she’d like to pursue forensics or English when it’s time to consider a career.
