By Pruett Norris & Elliott Klappenbach
According to AppalachianToday, App State’s Office of Diversity has been partaking in one of my favorite activities: read-aloud! Every month, Jamie Parson, App State’s Chief Diversity Officer, and a special guest––typically an App State alum––will read a book spotlighting a different culture to elementary-aged students at the Elkin and Walkertown Appalachian lab schools. This month, in accordance with Black History Month, the book selected was “Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut” written by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C. James. The goal of the readings, according to Parson, is to help “get students excited about different experiences and different cultures.” Super cute, Office of Diversity!
In local news, the Watauga Democrat reports that the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina has made significant headway in their attempts to protect the headwaters of the John River and surrounding 332 acres. The group is in the process of raising the $4 million necessary to purchase the land, intending to protect the vulnerable wildlife of the area and develop a public use trail to emphasize the natural splendor of the environment. After a recent donation from the Glass Foundation, the Conservancy is at $3,200,000. It looks like it’s not too much farther upstream to swim! I, for one, will look forward to visiting the protected John River area upon the project’s completion.
Nationally, for the first time in the history of the state, a Black woman has been elected to represent Virginia in Congress, according to NPR. Jennifer McClellan, a Democratic state senator for Virginia, won Virginia’s 4th Congressional District seat in a special election. She makes the 30th Black woman elected to this session of Congress, and emphasizes the power of listening across party lines. “The first step is really listening, trying to find common ground where you can and if you can't you just keep pushing until you get to the solution,” she says.
Speaking of listening, listen to our sports update, coming up next!
Yesterday App State baseball had a dominating 16 to 7 win versus high point university. They are riding a record-breaking 4-0 start into their next game on Friday against NC A&T
The basketball season is coming to an end as App State men's basketball team is set to play its second to last regular season game at Georgia state tonight at 7pm.
The women's volleyball team is also in action tonight with a home matchup against JMU at 630
The 2023 NBA All-Star Game has been called 'the worst basketball game ever played' by Nuggets coach Michael Malone
Finally, the weather as ever from Boone Weather DOT COM. We have a beautiful week we’re in the middle of, y’all! We have a high of 67 degrees today, and if that wasn’t enough, Thursday will see a high of 71!