National African American Parent Involvement Day Observed in All District 116 Schools
Each school in Urbana School District #116 opened its doors to welcome parents and students to the annual National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) February 11, 2008.
According to the NAAPID website, the day is designed to “(1) create a dialogue between home, school and community, (2) provide a conducive learning environment where children and parents can feel comfortable with educators and vice versa, and (3) assist educators, superintendents and other officials in being receptive to parental input and support.”
All District 116 buildings had special events and activities for students and parents for NAAPID, and there were several highlights to the day. At Urbana High School there was a special program featuring music and a keynote address from District 116 Superintendent, Doctor Preston Williams, Jr. Over 90 participants joined staff and faculty for a pizza lunch, followed by parent visits to classrooms. At Washington Early Childhood School there was a special assembly where students performed songs with their own, hand-made instruments. There was also a special “soul food” dinner later that night. Thomas Paine hosted a spaghetti lunch for the parents and had an assembly where the fifth graders read poems by Langston Hughes or shared their dreams. Guest speaker Joe Omo-Osagie from Nigeria brought drums, danced and sang with the kids. Martin Luther King Elementary hosted a luncheon for parents, and they were invited to tour their child’s classroom.
For more information about NAAPID, please see www.naapid.org.