Charlotte Latin students have often attended the annual conference at the Dubois Center of UNC Charlotte, sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools. This year, however, three Upper School students made a more significant impact. 

The theme of the conference this year was “Words Matter.” Jolin Cheng ’26, Yaretzi Pacheco Ramirez ’28, and Lynn Zhao ’26 — with the encouragement and guidance of Vernette Rucker, Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion — put together a teaching plan for Middle School students that prioritized listening and reflection, and then received the high honor of being chosen to put it into action on the day of the conference.

Their plan, titled “Small Words, Big Impact: Using Stories to Build Community,” employed analysis of a familiar children’s book (Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud) to make their message clear. Zhao explained, “We kept mentioning the idea that what you say is important, but how you say it is also really important.” Pachecho Ramirez said that they were inspired in part by Upper School Librarian Allison O’Rear, who last year made a series of presentations centered on the picture book Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, using it to demonstrate how different critical lenses could yield penetrating results, even with books that initially seem frivolous.

At this year’s conference, Latin’s trio were the only students leading a workshop. Pacheco Ramirez said she found the hands-on experience particularly rewarding: “This was a great learning opportunity for me to see how these kids interact with each other and see what I could do to help them. It cemented the idea I have that I’d like to go into a field where I can teach and help.”

Zhao commented, “It’s one thing to know information — it’s another thing to convey it. When you get into the nitty-gritty of actually doing that with kids, you learn how hard it is.”

Cheng added, “I enjoyed speaking with Middle School students, who are stepping out of their comfort zones to think in a more complicated way. They’re about to become young adults. I really enjoyed hearing their perspectives, because I sometimes forget that at one point I was also a Middle Schooler.”

Congratulations, Jolin and Yaretzi and Lynn! Your school is proud of you!