Christiana Norris Middle School is one of our newest schools, opened in 2020. This school is located in a small but prosperous village named Banko. The village is more than an hour away from the paved road…down a VERY bumpy dusty road. We partnered with this village because we were so impressed with the community spirit — the village raised their portion of the school costs by cultivating common fields of cotton to raise the funds together.
24/25 Mali Rising priority projects at Christiana Norris Middle School: Intensive Teacher Training campaign, principal support, Inspiration Scholar support, and Hope Grant entrepreneurs.
Zoom in on Banko & Christiana Norris Middle School
The red pin is in school yard….zoom in!
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Clothing has always had an important place in our society and in our African communities. Through textiles, we tell a story and we highlight the culture of a country. For the young women we work with in Mali, creating clothing can also be a path to an independent future! How is that possible you ask ? For young women (and men too !) become a tailor is a respectable job in Mali and it allows you to be your own boss. This makes it an attractive dream for many of our students. Bana is one such student.
As we start to get closer to the end of the school year, I’ve been talking with our teachers about the Chalkboard Art Contest. This is a chance for teachers to show off how they use the primary teaching tool in a Mali classroom — the chalkboard. Our teachers create beautiful maps, diagrams, and more to help students learn. I asked one of our teachers, Mr. Mariko, to share his thoughts on the contest and the value of chalkboard art.
Lamine Mariko is an incredible science teacher at Christiana Norris Middle School. But don’t take my word for it – his teacher peers made that clear when they gave him a big round of applause at our most recent Teacher Peer Meeting!Lamine Mariko is an incredible science teacher at Christiana Norris Middle School. But don’t take my word for it – his teacher peers made that clear when they gave him a big round of applause at our most recent Teacher Peer Meeting!
Banachako Kante is a 9th grader at Christiana Norris Middle School in the rural village of Banko. Banachako has a practical plan for her future, rooted in education and informed by an understanding of the job market that reflects a wisdom well beyond her 14 years.
At a recent peer meeting we had the chance to talk with two teachers from one of our newer school – Christiana Norris Middle School in the village of Banko. Teachers are what make a school a life-changing place, so great teachers are key to our students’ futures. Get to know two of Banko’s teachers just a little bit through these mini-profiles from our chat.
I wanted to share some great photos from a recent Teacher Peer Meeting with teachers from two of our more remote schools. Because these teachers have a harder time connecting with some of our events, we hosted a two-day event just for them at a centralized location and it was a big success.
