School News - Mary Beth Foster, Writer

Celebrating 134 Years of History: Bain Academy

11Jan

By Mary Beth FosterNo Comments

Featured Work, School News

Celebrating 134 Years of History: Bain Academy

Author's note: this article received an Award of Excellence in Journalism from The North Carolina Society of Historians. MINT HILL, NC - On Sunday, May 21, Mint Hill celebrated 134 years of history with the dedication of a monument to Historic Bain Academy. Established in 1889 by bachelor John Bain with the help of Philadelphia Presbyterian Church, the original Bain Academy was a five-classroom building. Atop the two-story building sat the iconic cast iron school bell that called students to class. The school was an immediate boon to the community’s many families, who relied on private tutors or the kindness of local churches in order to provide their children with reading, writing and arithmetic instruction prior to its establishment. Philadelphia Presbyterian mainta...

Queen’s Grant High School Students Accepted for North Carolina Governor’s School

17May

By Mary Beth FosterNo Comments

School News

Queen’s Grant High School Students Accepted for North Carolina Governor’s School

MINT HILL, NC - Queen’s Grant High School is proud to announce that two students have been accepted into the North Carolina Governor’s School, a multi-week summer residential program for gifted and talented high school students integrating academic disciplines, the arts, and unique courses on two different campuses. Junior Sam Turner will be attending Governor’s School for English. “It’s always been one of my strong suits,” says Turner. “It’s always been something that I’ve been interested in, a passion of mine.” “I have people in my family who are writers,” continues Turner, “so I probably derived a lot of my interests from them. I know my writing style comes from my uncle,” he adds, noting that although his uncle currently works in insurance, he’s been a longtime writer...

Queen’s Grant Latin, Italian, World History Students Make Pizza From Scratch

9Mar

By Mary Beth FosterNo Comments

School News

Queen’s Grant Latin, Italian, World History Students Make Pizza From Scratch

MINT HILL, NC - Queen’s Grant Latin and World History Teacher Ben Henkel and Spanish and Italian Teacher Brad McAlister recently brought their classes together for a hands-on, interdisciplinary project: making pizza! McAlister began teaching Spanish at Queen’s Grant last year and added an introductory Italian class this year. “I grew up in Italy,” explains McAlister. “I did all of my elementary and middle school there in the North in a little town called Casale Monferrato. Casale was a big city in the middle ages but lost its value after the importance of the Po river declined.” Queen's Grant High School is a public charter school located in Mecklenburg county that follows North Carolina's “Future Ready Course of Study.” Under this course of study, students entering...

Mint Hill Elementary Selects New Mascot: The Mint Hill Manatees!

12Jun

By Mary Beth FosterNo Comments

School News

Mint Hill Elementary Selects New Mascot: The Mint Hill Manatees!

MINT HILL, NC - It’s official: Mint Hill Elementary School’s new mascot will be the Manatees! Reaching the final stages of construction next to Mint Hill Middle School, Mint Hill Elementary is slated to welcome its first students in the fall. As they began to count down to the grand opening, Mint Hill Elementary asked its future students for help in selecting a mascot for the new school. Nine-year-old Aliyah Ahmed, who currently attends Bain Elementary, put forth for consideration the “underrated” manatee. She’d seen a picture of one on the internet, but she didn’t know much about them. The more she learned, the more she was convinced they were the perfect mascot for her new school. The manatee lends itself naturally to the school's selected colors, sky ...

30Mar

By Mary Beth FosterNo Comments

School News

Independence High School Classes of ‘71 And ‘72 Plan 50th Reunion

MINT HILL, NC - Independence High School’s Classes of ‘71 and ‘72 will celebrate their 50th reunion on April 23 at the Embassy Suites in Concord, NC. Planning a reunion in the middle of a pandemic is no easy feat. Originally planned for April of 2021, the committee made the decision to reschedule for the fall when things began shutting down in the spring of 2021. In the fall, however, the omicron variant arrived on the scene, and the committee was forced to reschedule again. Over a full year from the original date, the reunion is finally set to happen! Kristy Miller Eddelman and Jane Marcel Rhodes, both members of the Class of ‘71, have fond memories of their time at Independence. They recall being taught by a young, diverse and enthusiastic faculty led by Principa...

Mint Hill Arts 13th Annual Student Art Show

7Mar

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Featured Work, School News

Mint Hill Arts 13th Annual Student Art Show

MINT HILL, NC - On Friday, March 4, Mint Hill Arts was packed for the Opening Reception and Awards Ceremony for its thirteenth annual Student Art Show. The gallery’s biggest show of the year offers Mint Hill’s students the unique opportunity to show their original artwork in a real and vibrant gallery. The 2022 Student Show features close to 100 entries from 20 different area middle and high schools as well as entries from homeschooled students. About half of the entries came from Mecklenburg County; the remainder came from Union, Cabarrus and York Counties. 55% of the pieces came from students enrolled in public schools, including 2 charter schools. 25% came from private schools, and 20% of entrants were homeschooled. The student show was judg...

Queen’s Grant Hosts Career Fair for 11th and 12th Grade Students

4Mar

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School News

Queen’s Grant Hosts Career Fair for 11th and 12th Grade Students

MINT HILL, NC - On Thursday, March 17, Queen’s Grant High School will host a career fair for 11th and 12th grade students at Morningstar Lutheran Church “There are so many kids that a four-year college just is not the path for them,” says Queen’s Grant College Counselor Sandy Ubriaco. “Whether they're going to Central Piedmont or taking a gap year, they need to do something. I told them all at our meeting in September: graduation is June 11. June 12 you're either on your way to a four-year, or you're on your way to a specialty school or community college or going to a job because your mama’s couch is not an option!” A mom of three herself, including a current high school senior, Ubriaco understands that every kid has different interests and strengths, and not all of them ...

Queen’s Grant Plans Blended Learning for Fall

24Jul

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School News

Queen’s Grant Plans Blended Learning for Fall

MINT HILL, NC - On July 15, the Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board voted to reopen schools this fall under Plan B Plus Remote. The plan allows for a two-week onboarding period during which students will attend school in-person in small groups before transitioning to full remote learning. Queen’s Grant High School, a charter school located in Mint Hill on Idlewild Road, has a different plan. Under Queen’s Grant’s proposed “Hybrid Delivery Plan,” students can choose to attend in-person classes on campus for two days a week. Students who choose this option will maintain social distance and wear masks while attending their regular full schedule of classes two days a week. The exact breakdown of the week has not yet been finalized, but in coordination with Queen’s Grant ...

Queen’s Grant Lady Knights Honor Ian Kniestedt

24Jan

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School News

Queen’s Grant Lady Knights Honor Ian Kniestedt

MINT HILL, NC - On November 1, 2019, Queen’s Grant Community School faced an unimaginable tragedy when seventh grader Ian Kniestedt lost his 8-month battle with brain cancer. When Lady Knights basketball Coach Don heard of Ian’s passing, he thought about going into practice that Monday and facing his team of sixth, seventh and eighth grade girls, many of whom had been good friends and classmates of Ian’s. “I knew I would be faced with addressing Ian’s death,” says Coach Don. “How did I handle that? And was there something I could do to help them cope with their grief while also celebrating his life? I prayed that God would help me come up with something that was both meaningful and memorable.” Loving. Kind. Caring. Perseverance. Fighter...

Independence High School Students Travel to Argentina

19Oct

By Mary Beth FosterNo Comments

School News

Independence High School Students Travel to Argentina

MINT HILL, NC - On September 22, a group of ten students from Independence High School embarked on a two-week trip to Argentina. The group travelled to Trelew, the largest and most populous city in the Chubut River Valley located in the otherwise sparsely populated Patagonia region at the southern tip of South America. This is the third year a group from Independence has participated in a cultural exchange with students from the Escuela Nueva, a small private school in Trelew. The students from Independence live with families in Trelew and attend school at the Escuela Nueva for two weeks. In the spring, students from Argentina visit Mint Hill and live with the students they hosted in October. “Even though they don’t learn to speak Spanish fluently, they are immersed...