DURHAM, N.C. – Team Brand Newz wants to send a token of congratulations to students, teachers, Principal Dietrich A.M. Danner and Healthy Start Academy (HSA), for their 10th year of existence in the field of education as you all continue to make a positive difference throughout the African-American community.

Also another BNz thanks to Michelle Gonzales a HSA parent that took the time to talk and recap with Principal Danner and special guest speaker Stedman Graham about the evening and the past year. As a kick-off to the school’s tenth (10th) year anniversary, a Hip Hop Symposium was hosted in February of 2007. Principal Danner said, “We are excited to begin a study of what we call Hip-Hop culture, because that’s the language of today’s students. That’s how they move. They listen to the beats and that’s how they deal with life:”

Featured presenters included Katrina Billingsly, a graduate of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), Cicero Leak, a graduate of North Carolina Central University (NCCU), Michael Wilson, a graduate of North Carolina Central University and Film Producer and Brand Newz host and lead anchor, Christopher “Play” Martin and Dr. Mark Anthony, professor of African-American Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In the last 10 years Principal Danner has reached great achievements through his ongoing efforts to improve the educational opportunities for Eastern North Carolina’s at-risk youth.

Healthy Start Academy teaches kindergartners through eight (8) graders with an overwhelming student body of ninety-eight (98) percent being African-American, almost entirely derived from the surrounding area, which is largely an African-American community.

Healthy Start Academy became North Carolina’s first charter school in 1997. Since opening its doors in 1997, Healthy Start Academy has served the Research Triangle community (Durham/Raleigh) as a leader in public school choice education. But he didn’t stop there immediately he began to make a huge impact not only in the Durham community but also throughout the state of North Carolina. As the original charter school, Healthy Start Academy has set the bar for grade school educational institutions. Since its inception in 1997, the charter school movement has continued to grow in North Carolina. Presently there are ninety-eight (98) Charter Schools that operate within the state.

Healthy Start Academy has made national headlines for its successes in the charter school movement since its’ 1997 birth. Back in 2000, George W. Bush election campaign invited Claudia Daye-Kirkley, Healthy Start Academy teacher and representative to address the Republican National Convention on issues concerning the 2001, No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), or the “Nicklebee” as it is known in the education community.

One-year (1) after Healthy Start Academy, began operating in June of 1998, Principal Dietrich’s student body scored 99th percentile among five (5) million students nationwide taking the Iowa Basic Skills Test.

According to Danner, “Healthy Start Academy focuses on the diamonds in the rough, for the last 10 years they have supplied students with basic educational needs, self-esteem improvement skills, and positive diversion qualities while using the sway of the hip-hop culture.

People please…Get hip to the power of hip hop!