Bull City Music School in Durham is redefining music education through accessible, individualized instruction and a culturally inclusive curriculum. Founded by Jeanetta Powell in 2017, the school serves students of all ages, including neurodiverse learners. Parents say the program has helped children build confidence, communication, and motor skills while fostering a strong sense of community.
The sixth annual Mystic Highland Games brought Scottish heritage, athletic tradition and community gathering to Mystic Farm and Distillery in Durham. Across the property, visitors watched caber tosses and weight throws, listened to bagpipes, sampled Scottish food and moved between clan tents filled with tartans, family histories and conversation. The event blended competition with connection, giving attendees a chance to step into the sights, sounds and stories of Highland culture for the day.
At the sixth annual Mystic Highland Games, Scottish heritage came alive across the fields of Mystic Farm and Distillery in Durham. Bagpipes set the tone from the start, carrying across the 22-acre property as athletes competed in caber tosses and hammer throws and visitors wandered between clan tents filled with tartans, family crests and centuries of history. For many, the day was less about watching the games and more about finding something personal in them, whether that meant tracing a surname back to the Scottish borderlands or simply stopping to listen to a story they did not expect to stay for.
“I think it takes a lot of courage to leave what's comfortable, to come to the unfamiliar. So I have a lot of respect for international teachers because of that,” Michelle Hayes, the executive director for talent acquisition at Durham Public Schools, said.
The end of the Leandro case marks a major shift in North Carolina’s long-running fight over public education. For places like Durham, the decision brings uncertainty, tighter financial constraints and ongoing questions about how the state will fulfill its constitutional promise to provide every child with a sound basic education.
“I just thought about the amount of entertainment events that are around, and that surely some of them had empty seats at some point,” RootEd in Durham Public Schools chief connector Matt Sears said, “And that utilizing those seats for educators would be awesome.”
Feature story focusing on Book Harvest, a non-profit seeking to provide Durham families with free literary resources.
Written by: Corrie Kelleigh & Tess Alongi
Pilar Timpane’s career is a testament to the philosophy that meaningful stories can be found everywhere, and that strong community makes for successful storytelling. In Durham, she has found a community where those stories are abundant and worth telling.
Enrollment in Durham Public Schools has dropped by more than 1,000 students this year as charter school enrollment continues to rise. The shift is redirecting millions in local funding and raising concerns about the district’s future.
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