The Comeback: An evening of stories from Memphis educators and students

RSVP to attend Chalkbeat’s event on Aug. 24.

The event title, “The Comeback: An evening of stories from Memphis educators and students “ is displayed in white text against a blue backdrop. Next to the title is a photo of a storyteller from a previous event.
Join Chalkbeat, New Memphis, and Spillit for an evening of true stories from Memphis students and educators on Aug. 24. (Photo Xzavier Bonds for Chalkbeat.
Graphic Lauren Bryant / Chalkbeat.)

Time: Aug. 24, 6-8:30 p.m. CT

Location: 409 S Main St, Memphis, TN 38103

A new school year is starting following what was meant to be a comeback year for America’s schools — a return to classrooms and rebuilding of communities after months of remote or hybrid learning, disconnection, and uncertainty.

And for many schools, it was a comeback year, at least for a while. Schools fully reopened for in-person learning. Vaccines were available for teens and would soon be for children over 5. Districts mapped out how to spend an unprecedented amount of federal COVID relief money.

But the buildings that swung open their doors to students in the fall of 2021 were changed — as were the students and educators who filled them.

Join New Memphis, Chalkbeat Tennessee, and Spillit for an evening of stories from students and educators that speak to the theme “The Comeback,” on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 6-8:30 p.m. at 409 S. Main Street in Memphis. New Memphis will also announce its new class of Educators of Excellence. Special thanks to our editorial partner for this event, The Daily Memphian.

Doors open at 6 p.m., and light refreshments and drinks will be provided. This event is free to attend, but RSVP so we know you are coming. Celebrate the start of a new school year with us by listening to these powerful stories.

Storytellers include:

  • Omolola Ajayi, seventh grade teacher at Wooddale Middle School
  • Shreya Ganesh, senior at White Station High School and Bank of America student leader
  • Athumuni (Arthur) Niyokwizigigwa, sophomore at Central High School and student leader with the Refugee Empowerment Program
  • Curley Harris, dean of students at Promise Academy Spring Hill
  • Natalie Nixon, senior at Houston High School and student leader with BRIDGES
  • Josh Czupryk, director of academic operations at University Schools
The Latest

Will schools have to proactively notify parents about student gender identity decisions, or could they wait for parents to ask? Those and other questions are still up in the air.

The school board decided on a group of finalists, who will interview with the mayor and board members.

Parents, teachers, and students oppose plans to close or combine several of the schools, saying they are valued alternatives to neighborhood schools

Some Memphis board members want to establish a bipartisan accountability council to help guide district decision-making. The proposal comes over a year into the state GOP-backed effort to take over the district.

There are multiple contracts between Newark Public Schools and Driscoll Foods authorizing the district to spend up to $12 million with the food supplier.

The flap between DJ Torres and Xóchitl Gaytán brought to mind a contentious era of the Denver school board a few years ago.