Every winter students across Chatham County can be found crafting secret plots, fictional heroes, and imagined worlds. Not to cause mischief, but to hone their writing skills as they work on their masterpieces for Chatham County Schools’ Young Authors program. Between January and March, all students in grades K-8 are

The Chatham Education Foundation (CEF) is proud to announce its Fall 2025 CEF Teaching Grant recipients. From musical instruments and STEM kits to interactive literacy tools, Chatham County students will soon have access to a wide range of hands-on, engaging learning resources—thanks to the generosity of CEF donors. This year,

The Chatham Education Foundation and Chatham County Schools are searching for dedicated regular volunteers for six of our elementary school libraries. As budgets tighten and regulations on library materials increase, we are counting on our community to support our schools! Read on for the job description and application information. Elementary

Caroline Murrell (in red), our amazing SECU Public Fellows intern, spent her summer supporting Chatham students and teachers through CEF projects like Books on Break, CEF Teaching Grants, and book donation boxes. As a Chatham County native, this work was especially meaningful to her—and to us! Following is her reflection

When Marsha O’Hare, a science instructor at Chatham County Schools’ ONE Academy, began the school year, her classroom was far from complete. “We were lucky to hire Mrs. O’Hare,” said ONE Academy’s principal, Melody Dark. “She is an experienced science teacher who understands science is best learned through engaging, hands-on

With a grant from the Chatham Education Foundation, Perry Harrison Elementary and Moncure Elementary were able to come together for the first time on March 5, 2025, for an in-school field trip called Science Fun for Everyone. First grade students were all given their own individual science kits and they

Lindsay Gaines, an English teacher at Chatham Central High School, purchased equipment for her students to create podcasts with a grant from the Chatham Education Foundation. Called Podcasts and Possibilities, this project is allowing her students to listen as consumers and also create as producers. As she explains, students in

Sherry Thurman is a middle school teacher of exceptional children (EC) at Bonlee School. Her daughter, Leann Dunn, is an EC teacher at Chatham Central High School. (Students in the Exceptional Children program may have a disability or are gifted but need special education services.) Together, the mother/daughter duo submitted a grant

Each year, the Chatham Education Foundation awards Creative Teaching Grants to teachers across the county seeking to bring innovative resources, not available through the district’s budget, to their students. This year, CEF received 31 applications–a record number–totaling more than $36,000. CEF was able to fully or partially fund 29 of

Ms. Bredenberg, a dual language teacher at Jordan Matthews High School, used a Chatham Education Foundation Creative Teaching Grant to purchase copies of a bilingual story book about the mythical kingdom of Arendelle to go along with “Frozen Storytime.”  Frozen Storytime was part of Jordan Matthews High Schools’ North Carolina