Jerretta Wilson News Today

At first glance, Anthony Swann’s fifth grade classroom is no different from any other. Students sit at their laptops on a recent December morning, completing reading assignments as the Rocky Mount Elementary teacher walks around the room answering questions. A white Christmas tree gives the room a festive feel, and books line the nearby shelf. Student-made art hangs along the back wall. But take a closer look — and listen — and you’ll start to notice more. The art? Those are...

At first glance, Anthony Swann’s fifth grade classroom is no different from any other. Students sit at their laptops on a recent December morning, completing reading assignments as the Rocky Mount Elementary teacher walks around the room answering questions. A white Christmas tree gives the room a festive feel, and books line the nearby shelf. Student-made art hangs along the back wall. But take a closer look — and listen — and you’ll start to notice more. The art? Those are...