Square Pizza

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

This week's updates focus on remote learning and ensuring families have access to computers and reliable internet. Also, sharing more about our new podcast episode with Ricky Singh.

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

This week's update covers:

- Making sure all your students and families have the required resources for remote learning.
- Practicing converting lesson plans to online learning platforms.
- Our District/Charter Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXb_IdRUMzE&t=2s

See you next week!

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

Today's guest is Mr. Ricky Singh, who is doing great things in Charlotte. 

This was actually one of the very first podcasts we recorded, which is evident at points, so please give us some grace (or at least a laugh) while we navigate through!

We talk to Ricky about how hip hop has influenced his life and how he used hip hop as a tool in after school programs, and of course, about his main gig now, as a founding member of the leadership team of Charlotte Lab. He's currently in the process of launching Charlotte Lab High School.

Since we spoke with Ricky, he's done some amazing community organizing and engagement work through public murals in Charlotte in tandem with the Black Lives Matter movement and large-scale mural in Uptown Charlotte, as well as on the westside along Beatties Ford Road in reaction to a shooting. 

Since our chat, Charlotte Lab High School also found a permanent home in South End. Congrats!

Find Ricky on Instagram @MrRickySingh for updates on his community work, and @CharlotteLabSchool for school updates.

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

Talking school re-entry options and a new video from our initiative focused on district/charter collaboration and family empowerment.
.
Leave us a comment and let us know what you think.
.
New video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXb_IdRUMzE

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

Welcome back to another episode of the #SquarePizzaPod. Today's episode feature Maurice "Mo" Green, the Executive Director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, a family foundation that's invested over 600 million dollars in NC over 80 years. 

Mo shares with us about:

- a time he was roasted (it was all in good fun don't worry)

- how the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation is responding to the COVID pandemic

- some of the truly incredible and innovative initiatives the ZSR Foundation is currently supporting

Check out more about ZSR here.


More about Mo below:

Maurice “Mo” Green is the executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation – a private, family foundation that has been a catalyst for positive change in North Carolina for 80 years and invested $608 million into the state. Mo works alongside Trustees and staff to spearhead the Foundation’s efforts to improve the quality of life for all North Carolinians. He also works with leaders in various sectors to respond to challenges and opportunities, and generate strategies that will advance the future of North Carolina. Soon after joining ZSR in March 2016, Mo, Trustees and staff embarked on a yearlong strategic assessment and planning process to evaluate and examine the Foundation’s approach to grantmaking and broader work. As part of this process, the Foundation launched a statewide listening and learning tour called “Mo Wants To Know,” where Mo, Trustees, staff and ZSR’s Community Leadership Council traveled across the state hearing directly from state leaders, local leaders and community members about trends and challenges, as well as opportunities, successes and ideas for making North Carolina a better place. Under Mo’s and the Trustees’ leadership and guidance, the yearlong process resulted in an emerging direction for the Foundation, a set of core values and All For NC, the Foundation’s Framework for Grantmaking and Learning. Prior to coming to ZSR, Mo completed more than seven years as superintendent of Guilford County Schools – the third largest school district in North Carolina. In that position, Mo led the process of completing the district's first-ever strategic plan, and launched a second, both of which have resulted in notable outcomes such as increased graduation rates and other impressive student achievements, both academic and non-academic. Before Guilford County Schools, Mo joined Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in 2001 as general counsel. In 2006, he was named chief operating officer and later moved into the role of deputy superintendent. Mo began his career as a lawyer in private practice after doing two United States judicial clerkships. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics and a law degree, both from Duke University. He has received numerous accolades over the years and has served in prominent leadership roles on a number of boards across the state. Mo is a longtime resident of North Carolina. He is married and has two children.

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

Shouting out James Ford and the NC Board of Education for pushing more equitable Social Studies standards. 

Discussing School Re-Entry plans and the importance of prototyping before going live. 

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

We're back with another episode of the #SquarePizzaPodcast. Today we're in conversation with Aaron Walker, the Founder, and CEO of Camelback Ventures, an accelerator that develops early-stage, underrepresented entrepreneurs. 

In this episode we talk:

• Sneaker culture and style
• Aaron's path to founding Camelback
• and the open letter he penned on racism in philanthropy, Read it here

More about Aaron:

Aaron Walker is Founder and CEO of Camelback Ventures, works to identify, develop and promote early-stage untapped entrepreneurs with an aim to improve education and eventually close the generational wealth gap. Aaron is on a journey to live in the spirit of his baseball hero, Jackie Robinson, who said “a life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” With this ethos, Aaron taught ninth grade English in West Philadelphia, put together deals for companies large and small as a lawyer, and supported new ideas to improve education as a portfolio director for the NYC Fund for Public Schools. Aaron is humbled to say that he graduated from the University of Virginia and Penn Law School. He also knows that this doesn’t entitle him to anything and is ready to earn his keep.

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

Diving deeper into school re-entry options & providing thoughts on July 4th.
.
CMS School Re-entry presentation: https://go.boarddocs.com/nc/cmsnc/Board.nsf/files/BR4V697F2D55/$file/Back%20to%20School%20-%20School%20Board%20Presentaiton%206-27-20%20(2).pdf.
.
More at: http://scherm.co/

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

The #squarepizzapod can be found on our website and anywhere you listen to podcasts.
.
http://scherm.co/squarepizza/

Support the show

GIVEAWAY - send us a message and let us know your favorite thing about the Square Pizza Pod. We are giving away SchermCo swag to the first three people that send us a note!

Thanks for joining for another episode of the #SquarePizzaPod. We're joined by Carrie Cook, the Founding ED of GreenLight Fund Charlotte. At Greenlight Carrie is incubating and scaling innovative organizations with proven impact to address unmet community needs—we'll get into what that looks like for the Charlotte in the episode. 

We also talk through how Carrie is taking on Charlotte's affordable housing crisis one real estate project at a time and some of the insights she's gleaned as she's grown this passion project.

Carrie is a #boss (see full bio below) and we could have chatted for hours. Learn more about Greenlight Fund here and follow Carrie on IG here.

Bio:
Carrie B. Cook is the Founding Executive Director of GreenLight Fund Charlotte. In her role as founding ED, Carrie brings together stakeholders from philanthropy, nonprofits, private sector, government and community leaders to invest in solutions and drive measurable results that improve opportunity and mobility for low-income Charlotteans. She will incubate and scale innovative organizations with proven impact to address unmet community needs.

Carrie previously worked for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, as the VP of Talent Development and Economic Growth. While at the chamber, she helped lead the campaign to pass the largest school bond in Mecklenburg County history – a nearly billion-dollar campaign for 29 high need public school projects. Carrie’s career also includes roles with the United States Senate, and AmeriCorp as a Public Ally Fellow.

Driven by curiosity and a sense of adventure, Carrie set out on a journey to visit every continent with her Mom. They did just that in 2017 after returning from Antarctica, and exploring more than 25 countries around the world over a decade. She believes these travel experiences connecting with people, ideas and cultures around the world shape her ability to live on purpose and do meaningful work.

Carrie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Master of Public Administration degree with a focus on Education Policy and Economic Development from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a graduate of the Business Management for Nonprofit Leaders program at Wake Forest University, School of Business.

Carrie is committed to empowering people and solving complex problems both locally and globally. In 2011 Carrie received the Young Public Administrator of the Year Award from the National Forum of Black Public Administrators, and in 2012 she was selected as one of nine leaders under 30 in Charlotte for the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community. Carrie was recognized as the 2013 Emerging Leader Woman of Achievement by the YWCA Central Carolinas for her commitment to empowering women, eliminating racism and promoting social justice. The United Negro College Fund recognized Carrie with their inaugural Maya Angelou Young Leader Award in 2016 and in 2018 she received the Woman of the Year Award from the Mecklenburg Times.

A passionate, experienced social entrepreneur, Carrie founded EmpowHERment, Inc. in 2012 – a nonprofit organization committed to mentorship, talent development and advocacy for girls and women.

Carrie is an active member with several organizations and boards including Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Junior League of Charlotte and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Advisory Board. Carrie is grateful to live, serve and play in her hometown of Charlotte, NC. She credits her faith, family, community and sense of humor for an incredible life journey.

Support the show