Brianna's Bulletin: November 2025

Hi, ya'll,

The holiday season for me is typically filled with lots of family time, decluttering a space or two, and great food. This year, things will be different because of the absence of my grandmother, who passed away this summer after her battle with cancer.  

Celestine M. Hargrove is known for creating ways to care for children. She was a retired special education teacher, first lady in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and avid crafter. She used her gifts to help mold three generations of Hargrove children. In fact, she once served as my substitute teacher in middle school, and I narrowly missed getting assigned detention in the process.

Her prioritizing children in and around her life led me into the classroom as an educator, internalizing her reverence for the field and believing the profession to be mission-critical to building tomorrow’s leaders. I could go on and on about my grandma, but she was a southern grandmother who was a giant to many while only standing 5’2”, enough said. I’m grateful to be part of her legacy that cares for our most vulnerable, our children. Of the lessons I learned from her, the one that resonates most is that when we invest in our children, the return is always worth it. 

If you’re like me and my family in this season, navigating some firsts without a loved one, I’m sending you love and light. If you’re looking for a tangible resource to support your well-being, check out the Thrive Guide we created to help along the way. My grandmother’s love cannot be replaced, but I know it continues to grow through this work that I’m called to.

As I reflect on her legacy, I am reminded once again why the work we do at the DPS Foundation matters so deeply. My lifelong devotion to children is a blueprint for what we strive to build here at the Foundation: an ecosystem where every student is supported, seen, and surrounded by opportunity. Investing in our young people is the heartbeat of this organization, and it is how we carry forward the legacies of all those who poured into us.

Today, as we launch our end-of-year campaign—our most important effort of the school year—I invite you to be part of this shared work. Find your own “why” for supporting public schools, and join us as we uplift stories of our students, our educators, and our community. Together, we can build what is possible for every child in Durham.

‘Til More,

Brianna Kennedy

Interim Executive Director, DPS Foundation