May this be the day

We come together.

Mourning, we come to mend,

Withered, we come to weather,

Torn, we come to tend,

Battered, we come to better.

Tethered by this year of yearning,

We are learning

That though we weren’t ready for this,

We have been readied by it.

We steadily vow that no matter

How we are weighed down,

We must always pave a way forward.

This hope is our door, our portal.

Even if we never get back to normal,

Someday we can venture beyond it,

To leave the known and take the first steps.

So let us not return to what was normal,

But reach toward what is next.

What was cursed, we will cure.

What was plagued, we will prove pure.

Where we tend to argue, we will try to agree,

Those fortunes we forswore, now the future we foresee,

Where we weren’t aware, we’re now awake;

Those moments we missed

Are now these moments we make,

The moments we meet,

And our hearts, once all together beaten,

Now all together beat.

Come, look up with kindness yet,

For even solace can be sourced from sorrow.

We remember, not just for the sake of yesterday,

But to take on tomorrow.

We heed this old spirit,

In a new day’s lyric,

In our hearts, we hear it:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

Be bold, sang Time this year,

Be bold, sang Time,

For when you honor yesterday,

Tomorrow ye will find.

Know what we’ve fought

Need not be forgot nor for none.

It defines us, binds us as one,

Come over, join this day just begun.

For wherever we come together,

We will forever overcome.

Amanda Gorman

Thank you to our NC Department of Public Instruction Partners for Visiting YCS! Fantastic discussion and sharing of ideas.

Dr. Jeni Corn, Office of Learning Recovery

Julie Pittman, State Superintendent's Teacher Advisor

Mebane Rash, CEO/Editor-in-Chief, EdNC

Dr. Jeremy Gibbs, NCDPI Regional Support Services-Western Region

Dr. Richard Lewis, Office of Learning Recovery

High school juniors are invited to apply to serve as a Student Advisor on Superintendent Catherine Truitt's Student Advisory Council. If you are interested in state education issues, advocating on behalf of your fellow peers, and serving as an advisor to decision-makers in K-12 education, this opportunity is for you!

Advisory members meet monthly and serve a two-year term that concludes at the end of senior year of high school. At the conclusion of each year, advisors will present a proposal to address an evolving state education issue to the Superintendent among other state leaders.

The deadline to apply is February 7. Learn more and apply here.

Are you interested in working with exceptionally talented, intellectually engaged high school students in a thriving learning community this summer? If so, come join the NC Governor’s School! NCDPI has openings in a variety of positions ranging from Instructors to support staff to Teacher Assistant/Counselors (TACS).

Being on staff allows you to play a role in a life-changing summer for amazing students. It’s an opportunity to work with students in an environment where creativity and curiosity are valued and learning takes place without the pressures of grades or tests.

The summer session will be from June 12-July 15 for staff (June 18-July 15 for students) and will be at two campuses: Meredith College and Winston-Salem State University.

NCDPI will be reviewing applications and conducting interviews through an on-going process. Position availability, job descriptions, and application are available here. If you have questions, please contact Rodney Allen at ncgovschool@dpi.nc.gov.

February is Financial Aid Awareness Month! As part of Financial Aid Awareness month, NCSEAA and CFNC are pleased to bring you the "How to Pay for College" webinar series. Students and their families are often confused about how to bridge the gap between family funds, financial aid and the total cost of paying for college. Funding a college education shouldn’t be a mystery. Having a better understanding of the funding landscape can help families build a sound plan so students can focus on their studies.

The first webinar of the series, on February 2 at 6 p.m., is How to Pay for College where participants will learn how many families and students pay for college. Experts will also share insider tips on lesser-known sources to pay for college.

Learn more about the webinar series and register here.

Campapalooza is a 5-day academic summer camp for rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors. They will live on campus, have their meals in the University cafeteria, and spend their days engaged in exciting academic activities with our University Faculty!

The QR code provides a link to a form where students can choose the camp topic they are interested in and connect with the faculty.