Ashoka
Ephesus Elementary School is committed to serving every child, every day, and in every way. In order to bridge the achievement gap, the school is dedicated to setting high standards for all students, providing them with the support they need to meet the high standards, ensuring that instruction is culturally relevant, meaningful, and engaging for all students. The curriculum and instructional techniques at Ephesus are differentiated to meet the need of the students’ diverse strengths and learning styles. Moreover, children and their families are actively engaged and fully developed as partners in the school community and in the educational experience.
Marne Meredith
Marne grew up in the rural Mississippi Delta near the small town of Clarksdale. Her father farmed cotton and soybeans and her mother taught high school English and Latin. Marne lived a racially segregated existence. She attended Millsaps College, a small liberal arts school in Jackson. Marne enjoyed service projects and began to explore issues of race in her coursework and in her life. She moved to NY after college and began working in the social work field, before attending graduate school. Marne worked in the foster care system and with schools as part of that experience. She later moved to Massachusetts and worked in a day treatment program for adolescents with mental illness. Marne eventually became an educational liaison between schools and social services for students in residential programs for mental health and behavioral issues. Her family later moved to Chapel Hill, where my spouse is a sociology professor at UNC. Marne knew when coming to Chapel Hill that she wanted to be a school social worker. She has always been drawn to education. Marne believes in closing the achievement gap is one of the most important civil rights issues of our day. She is passionate about educational equity. One change experience she had was when she first began working at Ephesus. The school had a negative relationship with a public housing neighborhood in its zone. There was distrust and assumptions made about the neighborhood and families. When Marne met with the coordinator of the family resource center, she recommended Marne talk to the matriarch of the neighborhood. The matriarch recommended that she make herself visible and talk to people. Marne went door-to-door visiting families of students, introduced herself, and asked how she could help them. Over time, Marne built trust with the families and helped them with various issues. She did summer art projects with the students, had parent meetings, and hosted bingo events for the entire community. Marne ultimately learned from the families and children through time spent with them. She ensured that families knew that the school and she cared about them and that their success matters. Marne has empathy for people of color because of assumptions that she thinks society makes about them. Marne had to help students work cross-culturally and to learn to value and celebrate their uniqueness while being inclusive. She wants to promote positive racial identity and help children develop grit and empathy. Marne wants to be part of making the world a better, more inclusive place for all
children.