Two weeks ago, we blogged about Lisa Pineiro, CEO of Technical Services Inc., as a heads up about her effort to recruit more females to the construction and contracting industry.

On Saturday, we brought you the full story about her work with female students over at Southern High School.

In case you missed it, there was also an audio slide show.

The Durham schools will hold a forum at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 to talk about increasing parental involvement in the schools.

This is the first "Kitchen Table Conversation" of the 2008-09 school year. The two-hour event will be held at Shepard Middle School at 2401 Dakota St.

Facilitators and Spanish interpreters will be on hand to help with the discussion. Refreshments will be provided.

Participants are asked to RSVP to Carrie Johnson, DPS Public Affairs Office, at 560-3652 or email carrie.johnson2@dpsnc.net

The school board has hired Kendra O’Neal-Williams to be the new principal at the J.D. Clement Early College High School program based at N.C. Central University.

She replaces Nicholas King, who has accepted a position with Northampton County Schools.

O’Neal-Williams, who is a Durham native and graduate of Northern High School, most recently has served as assistant principal of Riverside High School for two years. Before that, she was a principal intern at W.G. Pearson Elementary School.

Former Gov. Jim Hunt got a standing ovation from a crowd of business leaders and educators early this morning as he challenged them to do more for Durham’s children, including mentoring and tutoring.

Hunt was the headliner at the annual State of Durham’s Children breakfast, held at the American Tobacco campus near downtown for $20 a head. This year’s speakers focused on involving businesses to improve education and job preparation.

“We need a lot of volunteers to introduce these children to careers,” Hunt implored. “Let ’em learn what it’s like and get excited about it. Help them understand why it’s important to study... Help them go somewhere.”

W.G. Pearson Elementary School has received LEED certification, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

Pearson, a magnet program located at 3501 Fayetteville St., is the state's second elementary school to receive the rating, according to a news release.

The rating comes from guidelines specifically for schools from the U.S. Green Building Council. Pearson's current look was designed by Moseley Architects.

Though Southern High School has a separate Construction and Architectural Design Academy within the school, few female students end up participating.

But the field can be rewarding and lucrative. Lisa Pineiro, CEO of Technical Services Inc., wants to encourage female students to explore the field.

Pineiro (pictured here) has recruited more than a dozen Southern cheerleaders to spend the next three Thursdays learning how to use hand tools in carpentry.

Once they complete their basic training, they'll assemble playground equipment for a Habitat for Humanity house next month.

Pineiro, who lives in Bahama, says if other students see the popular cheerleaders -- often the girliest girls at school -- to explore a field that's traditionally seen as a man's world, then maybe more young women will catch on.

Schools in Durham dismiss two hours early today for teachers to meet in their Professional Learning Communities.

This happens on four Wednesday afternoons each semester. Regular afterschool programs will operate, but Encore! afterschool for middle schoolers does not meet on early release days.

The remaining dates this semester are: Oct. 15, Nov. 19, Dec. 3.

For more information, visit the Durham Public Schools, or call Theresa McGowan at 560-2082.

School officials could soon get 26 acres to build an elementary or middle school from a South Durham developer.

Southern Durham Development Inc. is looking to bring a dense, mixed-use development to a 164-acre spread of land off N.C. 751. Developers hope to offer 1,200 residences, commercial space, as well as a brand new school.

At a meeting Thursday afternoon, the school board will review a resolution to accept the land if it's offered.

This plan is also known as the Boylan tract, according to Steve Medlin, Durham's planning director. The Boylan project is already being protested. (More here.)

Patrick Byker, a Morrisville lawyer representing the developer, was not immediately available to answer questions about the possible deal, including how much the land is worth.

School open houses, for the most part, begin today.

This is a chance to meet teachers, principals, sign up for the PTA and make sure your child has all the necessary supplies.

For a complete listing, see the Durham Public Schools list.

The Durham Public Schools have now posted their bus routes to the district's Web site.

(This should come as relief to some of the parents who have been panicking about not knowing what they were.)

Transportation Director Scott Denton warns, though, that the bus routes continue to be tweaked throughout the school year, mostly in the first two months of school, because of new students registering for school or deciding to ride the bus.

Other handy information, from high school schedule checks to dress codes, and from supply lists to athletic participation forms, are also available at the district's back-to-school Web site.