Grace and Mercy at UNC’s Memorial Hall

Grace and Mercy at UNC’s Memorial Hall

Although more than 200 Confederate monuments have been removed across the country since 2019, the slabs of Confederate names in UNC's Memorial Hall still stand, rendering the Carolina Performing Arts ' presentation of Grace and Mercy an act of justice in and of itself.

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All or None (Parents, Cut Yourselves Some Slack)

All or None (Parents, Cut Yourselves Some Slack)

This article was first published by the News and Observer in February, 2012. When people say, “It goes by so fast,” I usually respond, “If only it weren’t all or none.” If only we could stretch these early years to double their duration and half their intensity. It’s wonderful, but it isn’t easy. And we parents shouldn’t be so hard on ourselves.

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Ukraine, Green Tea, Saving Young, and the Return to Live Theater

Ukraine, Green Tea, Saving Young, and the Return to Live Theater

This is what I would have posted on Facebook today if I were not weening myself off Facebook. From facilitating your teenagers’ contributions to their Roth IRA’s (incredibly important if they are ever to have retirement savings) to naturally controlling high blood pressure (or not), this post has several informative nuggets you’ll be happy you consumed.

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Lydia R. Diamond’s Stick Fly at Playmaker’s Rep is Thought Provoking and Entertaining
Arts, Relationships, Published Melissa Rooney Arts, Relationships, Published Melissa Rooney

Lydia R. Diamond’s Stick Fly at Playmaker’s Rep is Thought Provoking and Entertaining

Stick fly is perhaps Lydia R. Diamond’s most well-known play among New York audiences, thanks to its 2011-12 Broadway Season produced by singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. But how does this play about an affluent African American family on Martha’s Vineyard stand up 10 years later, during a pandemic, and in the state of North Carolina? Quite well, going by Playmaker’s Repertory Company’s current production…

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When it Snows in Dixie
Travel, Relationships, Community, Music, Essays Melissa Rooney Travel, Relationships, Community, Music, Essays Melissa Rooney

When it Snows in Dixie

We hesitantly scheduled a ski-trip to Wolf Ridge Lodge near UNC-Asheville, where my son is in school, and anxiously watched the weather as the date approached, knowing full well that snow in NC is always a toss up. Snow storm Izzy hit the night we arrived in Asheville; and, despite the driving calamities we encountered, the “country skiing” couldn’t have been better…

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One Year Since Jan 6, and Still No Consequences for then Commander in Chief
Government and Accountability Melissa Rooney Government and Accountability Melissa Rooney

One Year Since Jan 6, and Still No Consequences for then Commander in Chief

We managed to score last minute tickets to the Holocaust Museum, where we spent hours reading through the horrifying evidence of genocide on display. The subtlety of Hitler's intentions preceding WWII and how his propaganda methods shielded the German population from recognizing and impeding them are undeniably similar to the methods used by former president Trump and his supporting legislators.

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Petition Against the State's Override of Durham's Nomination for Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor

Petition Against the State's Override of Durham's Nomination for Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor

Phoebe Gooding is an incredibly qualified BIPOC woman who the Durham Soil and Water Conservation District unanimously nominated for a recently vacated position on the board. In an unprecedented move, the state Soil and Water Conservation Commission chose not to appoint her and instead appointed another old white man with farming roots. This article is an appeal to readers to sign the petition in opposition of the state’s override.

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Give your kids the gift of practical STEM education while supporting a Community Public School

Give your kids the gift of practical STEM education while supporting a Community Public School

To help educate the students and school community about the “stormwater control measure” installed on the big playground at E.K. Powe Elementary School (in Durham, NC), I've created a picture book containing before, during, and after photographs with text explaining the reasons and mechanisms behind the changes. Best for grades 4-7, it educates readers of all ages about the importance of sustainable landscaping, collaboration, and grants.

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Regarding Durham's Capital Improvement Plans (2021)

Regarding Durham's Capital Improvement Plans (2021)

We must make more existing outdoor spaces and playgrounds -particularly those at public schools - environmentally sustainable in terms of stormwater management. Too many of them, particularly in underserved schools/communities are being flooded or washed away in ever increasing rain events, polluting our streams, rivers, and lakes, which effects low-income citizens far more than those who can afford to drink bottled water.

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Grounds Maintenance at Durham Schools? Call BETC!

Grounds Maintenance at Durham Schools? Call BETC!

This article addresses Durham Public Schools’ Bionomic Educational Training Centers or BETC program, which *pays* occupational course of study (OCS) students and teachers to install and maintain raingardens and other sustainable landscaping on school campuses and private properties: https://www.dcomanagingforresults.org/environmental-stewardship/bionomic-educational-training-center].

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Covid Camping and Bear Hounding

Covid Camping and Bear Hounding

During our 14-day quarantine after contracting Covid, my 5th-grade son, husband and I went camping in West Virginia and got educated in ways no classroom can provide. Despite our generally positive assessments of the Mountain Mama, our introduction to “bear hounding” was the lesson that stuck most…

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My Covid Followup

My Covid Followup

Since my post a few weeks ago about my family contracting COVID (and the disturbing revelation that negative Covid PCR tests are wrong at least 20% of the time), a lot of people have asked me what it was like to have COVID as a doubly vaccinated 50-year-old. Here's my best attempt at putting it into words:

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Thanks, Durham, I needed that! (EK Powe Elementary School Playground Dedication)

Thanks, Durham, I needed that! (EK Powe Elementary School Playground Dedication)

This morning was the dedication of a 3-years-long stormwater-control and playground redesign project at EK Powe Elementary School, on the edge of the Watts Hospital Hillandale Neighborhood in Durham, NC. It is the result of collaboration between the EK Powe PTA and Principal, Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association, Durham Matching Grants Program, Durham Public Schools…

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