Scholars had a day full of Motor City fun with lessons about Detroit. The city’s history, prominent figures, Detroit-based companies, music, and food were all topics of conversation in the classroom. Students also represented their Detroit pride with a variety of Detroit apparel.
Students were encouraged to wear their favorite Detroit gear, and plenty of scholars wore their favorite Honolulu Blue shirt.
Staff members got in on the celebration as well. National Coney Island was serving up coney dogs to staff for lunch and added Faygo pop and Better Made chips to round out their meal of Detroit delicacies. Dean of Special Education and Intervention Kristina Smith coordinated with Sharon Matthew-Wise and the school’s food service staff to ensure scholars also had hot dogs to celebrate 313 Day.
Better Made chips was just one of the Detroit favorites seen around school on 313 Day. Staff members enjoyed National Coney Island coney dogs and Faygo pop.
The school, which has outperformed the local district for the last 11 years, wanted to celebrate the community it’s in and promote all of the great things happening in Detroit.
“When we decided to go all in on this celebration, we thought it would be great to give these kids an opportunity to continue to learn about the city that they live in,” Smith said. “It’s an opportunity for them to learn all of the wonderful things about Detroit and be mindful of all the positive things about our community.”
The positives of the Detroit community have extended beyond the city limits. Pieces of Detroit culture are present every day, a fact Smith wanted scholars to understand.
“We wanted to show them that some of these things you eat every day are produced right here in the city,” Smith said. “These companies are here in Detroit. The things we brought in, even if it was just for the staff, it was a matter of letting them know that these things you see in the store are from here in Detroit.”
What a way to celebrate, Warrendale!
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About Warrendale Charter Academy
Warrendale Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Detroit, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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