Well, folks, we’ve done it again! This week we welcomed 50 new learners to our community. At New Harmony, we have a tradition called “Root Camp” during the first week of school. Root Camp is a chance for the whole community to get to know one another, our neighborhood, and ultimately get students started on becoming diverse problem solvers rooted in their communities who are informed by a greater social and environmental context.
Some highlights of Root Camp include but are not limited to…
9th graders visiting Dauphin Island
10th graders visiting Tunica Falls
A neighborhood scavenger hunt
Creation of whole community norms
Introductions to advisory
A Q&A with new and returning students
…and more!
HARMONY HIGHLIGHT:
LaShaunda P. René
New Harmony High’s
Parent Board Representitive
LaShaunda René is the Board Representative for Parents at New Harmony High. She is your line of communication to our school board. We are deeply invested in integrating parent voices in our community, so without further ado, meet LaShaunda!
LaShaunda is a non-profit, community development professional based in New Orleans. LPR is a graduate of International Business and French Studies from Dillard University of New Orleans and of Public Administration from Walden University of Minneapolis.
LaShaunda is the Manager of Business Services and Program Development for TruFund Financial Services, a National Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). A focal-point for her work is growing and sustaining quality programs and services for small, minority and women-owned businesses. She believes that entrepreneurship, supported by capacity building and access to adequate and affordable capital are critical pathways to prosperity and economic development in rural and urban communities.
LPR loves a good cause and her family, which includes a husband, 3 daughters and a son. She is a lover of all things natural, travel, art, food, astrology and the unexplored. In her free time, LaShaunda writes and dreams of a future where all children are born in communities where safety, education and economic security are the rule not the exception.
LaShaunda is passionate about New Harmony because she is a parent and community member who believes in the schools work to support the concept that learning happens everywhere, that learning looks different for everyone and that all students deserve to access education in ways that are meaningful to them and appropriate for their learning styles and educational needs.
You can find profiles on all board members by visiting our website, here.
