Each "NPS Shout Out" highlights the fantastic learning and hard work that is taking place in our schools each day!
Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Policy. Equal opportunity is the bedrock of American democracy, and our diversity is one of our country’s greatest strengths. But for too many, the American Dream remains out of reach. Entrenched disparities in our laws and public policies, and in our public and private institutions, have often denied that equal opportunity to individuals and communities. Our country faces converging economic, health, and climate crises that have exposed and exacerbated inequities, while a historic movement for justice has highlighted the unbearable human costs of systemic racism. Our Nation deserves an ambitious whole-of-government equity agenda that matches the scale of the opportunities and challenges that we face.
It is therefore the policy of my Administration that the Federal Government should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. Affirmatively advancing equity, civil rights, racial justice, and equal opportunity is the responsibility of the whole of our Government. Because advancing equity requires a systematic approach to embedding fairness in decision-making processes, executive departments and agencies (agencies) must recognize and work to redress inequities in their policies and programs that serve as barriers to equal opportunity.
By advancing equity across the Federal Government, we can create opportunities for the improvement of communities that have been historically underserved, which benefits everyone. For example, an analysis shows that closing racial gaps in wages, housing credit, lending opportunities, and access to higher education would amount to an additional $5 trillion in gross domestic product in the American economy over the next 5 years. The Federal Government’s goal in advancing equity is to provide everyone with the opportunity to reach their full potential. Consistent with these aims, each agency must assess whether, and to what extent, its programs and policies perpetuate systemic barriers to opportunities and benefits for people of color and other underserved groups. Such assessments will better equip agencies to develop policies and programs that deliver resources and benefits equitably to all….
Virtual college fairs in February and March
Click here to go to the Big Future Days website.
2021 MLK essay contest winners are announced!
Here are the winning 2021 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. essay contest winners!
The Norwalk Public Library, Norwalk Public Schools and the Norwalk Branch NAACP teamed up to encourage students to honor Dr. King through the essay contest. Elementary, middle and high school students wrote about the pillars of Dr. King’s legacy.
To watch the video of students reading their essays click here or on the video above.
Elementary School Essay Winners
First place: Riley Wiggins, Columbus Magnet School, grade 3; second place: Ariana Brown, Kendall College and Career Academy, grade 5; third place: Guadalupe Trejo Reyes, Kendall College and Career Academy, grade 5.
Middle School Essay Winners
First place: Joalys Rosario, Roton Middle School, grade 6; second place: Shanice Daniels, Roton Middle School, grade 6; third place: Isla Tucker, Roton Middle School, grade 6.
High School Essay Winners
First place: Denali Baker, Norwalk High School, grade 12; second place: Ava Massucco, Brien McMahon High School, grade 9; third place: Joanna Susan Gentle, Norwalk High School, grade 9.
National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman recites her poem "The Hill We Climb" at the inauguration
“…We are striving to forge a union with purpose, to compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters, and conditions of man and so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us / We close the divide because we know to put our future first / We must first put our differences aside.”
“…We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it / Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy. / And this effort very nearly succeeded / But while democracy can be periodically delayed, / It can never be permanently defeated. / In this truth, in this faith we trust. / For while we have our eyes on the future, / History has its eyes on us.”
"…The new dawn blooms as we free it for there is always light if only we're brave enough to see it, if only we're brave enough to be it."
Multilingual parent webinar on Immigration Law
The "Field of Flags" represents the American unable to attend the Presidential Inauguration
The National Mall was lit last night by the "Field of Flags" from the Presidential Inaugural Committee — "approximately 191,500 U.S. flags of varying sizes, including flags representing every state and territory, and 56 pillars of light," representing "the American people who are unable to travel to Washington."
