1

To learn more about the Chantilly Neighborhood Association, visit:

www.iChantilly.org

t is shaping up to be a wonderful spring in Chantilly. We have already had

some great events and look forward to more in the year to come. As always,

don’t forget to check iChantilly.org for more information on neighborhood

events, meetings and announcements. Also check for announcements on

NextDoor, Facebook and Twitter.

Many thanks to Genevieve Williams and the rest of your Chantilly Board members

for planning another great Spring Fling – Saturday, May 21, 2016 in Chantilly Park. As

always, it’s free to Chantilly members – we ask only that you renew your association

membership. It’s a great event for families, friends, and well-behaved pets to enjoy

a little live music, catered BBQ and a nice sunset. Bring blankets and chairs – and

fingers crossed for good weather!

Don’t forget, the neighborhood association is a 501(c)(3) organization again – consult

your tax preparer about your dues and any donations you care to make. Please check

iChantilly.org/membership

Please plan to attend the next meeting, Tuesday June 14, 2016, 7 pm Chantilly

Hall. Past speakers have included the city arborist, city planners, county greenway

planners, stormwater services, Catawba Riverkeeper, TreesCharlotte and Sustain

Charlotte. Our goal is to keep meetings engaging, relevant and never more than

one hour. Please also let us know if you are interested in serving your Chantilly

neighborhood. See you at Spring Fling!

Chantilly Newsletter

President’s CornerBY RICK WINIKER, CNA 2015-16 Board President

CHANTILLY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION I SPRING 2016

IN THIS ISSUE

Oakhurst STEAM

Academy

Chantilly’s Green Giants

E2D Lemonade Day

2016

Time to Pollinate

Summer Safety

Neighborhood Safety

2

4

6

8

9

10

CHANTILLYNEIGHBORHOOD

MEETINGTuesday, June 14

at 7 PM2101 Shenandoah Ave

Thanks to everyone who came out for our neighborhood cleaup last Saturday

Our new neighborhood school, Oakhurst STEAM Academy, is

a few months away from wrapping up their first year. As with

anything “new” there comes challenges and Oakhurst is no

different. They have worked through a lot but do know there

are still things to figure out. All of that takes time, community

involvement and support. Take for example – Cotswold

Elementary. This was a struggling school but the community

rallied behind it and now it is thriving. Someone has to start. There has to be a first.

I have heard from several parents who have children at Oakhurst and their feedback has been positive. They

understand that it takes time to make a great school and are committed with their support. These families live

in Plaza Midwood, Commonwealth Park, Amity Gardens, Sheffield Park, Oakhurst, and Echo Hills.

I spoke with Jill Smith, Dean of Students at Oakhurst, and she was very excited with what the school has

accomplished so far and extremely enthusiastic about the future of Oakhurst. The 4th graders just returned

from a field trip to Atlanta and the 5th graders will be travelling to DC in May. In February, the school had the

opportunity to experience the Number Drummer, which is a method for learning and performing music through

math and math through music.

STEAM Week is April 11-15 and includes a Health Fair and EOG Assessment Parent Information Session on

Tuesday, April 12th and a STEAM Fair on Thursday, April 14th. These events will take place from 5:30 pm – 7 pm.

A Multicultural Day is in the planning phase and will tentatively be Saturday, May 7th. The next PTA Meeting is

scheduled for Monday, April 18th.

As for the upcoming school year, Ms. Smith states they are pretty well

full with the possibilities of some wait lists but she cannot confirm this

information at this time. The 2nd lottery is open until early June. She

further stated there will probably be 7 kindergarten classes.

Please check out oakhurststeampta.org and learn how you can help

Oakhurst take root.

• Make a taxable donation to help with grade level field trips and

supplies for the school

• Start your Amazon.com purchase from this site under

“Fundraising” and the PTA will earn a percentage of your

purchases.

• Purchase a personalized brick paver to be placed in the courtyard

of the only STEAM elementary school in Charlotte.

• Buy Spirit Wear

Let’s get involved and show our support. The community is what makes a

successful school. Go Rockets!

school news

Oakhurst STEAM Academy

JULIE BROOKHART , Chantilly Neighborhood Association Board Member

2

3

Geoff Haskell, AIA 2341 Laburnum Avenue Charlotte, NC 28205 geoffhaskell@bellsouth.net 704.576.8063

Fit In. Stand Out.

You were drawn to Chantilly for its vintage sensibility, the oak-lined streets

and the way it makes you feel at home.

Your home should reflect that charm. Do it in your own way.

Chantilly’s Green GiantsBY JONATHAN STORY, 2015-2016 Chantilly Neighborhood Association Board Treasurer

One of the most repeated positive

characteristics our neighbors cite when

gushing about the Chantilly neighborhood is

our substantial tree canopy. We are reminded

how beautiful it is every spring when driving

down any of our avenues or streets that are

enveloped by our towering and blooming

Willow Oaks. Unfortunately, many of these

trees are at the end of their life and need to be

replaced for Chantilly to continue to benefit

from the canopy’s beauty and health perks

as well as its ability to provide respite from a

sometimes unforgiving North Carolina summer

sun.

The Chantilly Neighborhood Association has

taken notice and has made the preservation

and restoration of Chantilly’s tree canopy

a 2015 and 2016 priority. Over the last year, we have had Tim Porter, the Assistant City Arborist, speak at

multiple neighborhood meetings and also teach a Citizen Arborist class. During the class, he helped our

residents identify potential problems with their trees and offered sound counsel on what steps they should

take given the location and possible condition of the tree. In addition, CNA has opened up clear lines of

communication with the city and has been able to help coordinate the planting of new street trees in several

locations throughout the neighborhood this past month.

The CNA also has established a relationship with TreesCharlotte. Started in 2012, TreesCharlotte is a

nonprofit partnered with the City of Charlotte that is dedicated to expanding Charlotte’s tree canopy with

the goal of attaining 50% tree canopy by 2050. Achieving this goal calls for planting 500,000 trees over

the coming decades. TreesCharlotte also has been present at several of our neighborhood meetings and

recently held a NeighborWoods event with Chantilly, Elizabeth and Grier Heights. The NeighborWoods event

afforded residents of these three neighborhoods with the opportunity to get up to three free trees for their

property. These were 7-gallon trees of approximately 10 unique varieties. TreesCharlotte, with the help of a

grant from Wells Fargo, gave away more than 290 trees that day with more than 150 of them ending up in

Chantilly!

If you would like to help with or have any questions

regarding the Chantilly Neighborhood Association’s efforts

to preserve and restore the tree canopy, please email

trees@ichantilly.org

our trees

4

5

ChantillyPremier Builder

704.634.8999Info@carolinacraftsmanbuilders.com

www.carolinacraftsmanbuilders.com

our trees

Lemonade Day 2016BY E2D

There are over 25,000 families in the Charlotte Mecklenburg

School system that lack technology access in their homes. The

students in these families don’t have a computer or Internet access

that is essential in today’s classroom. In 2013, a CMS middle-

school student decided something should be done to address this

education gap and E2D, “Eliminate the Digital Divide” was founded.

Since then, E2D, in conjunction with CMS and other community

businesses and agencies, has provided essential home-based

technology for 1,000+ families. This grassroots organization was

formed in the north part of Mecklenburg County and has now

partnered with 9 elementary schools, 3 middle school and 8 high

schools to address the technology needs of students. E2D’s work continues to expand throughout CMS

to accommodate the remaining families that need computers, broadband connectivity, and digital literacy

training in order to close the academic achievement gap.

E2D believes in the importance of empowering children to be a part of the solution to “Squeeze the Digital

Divide.” For the past three years, E2D volunteers and students from the CMS North Learning Community

have led a child-centered Lemonade Stand Campaign to raise awareness and fund solutions for the digital

divide. On May 7, 2016 E2D with support from Google Fiber, will launch a county-wide Lemonade Stand Day

run by the dedicated students and staff at all CMS elementary schools.

Lemonade Day is a wonderful opportunity for all people in the community to rally around their elementary

schools to support students throughout CMS. Parents, neighbors, and community partners can assist

lemonade day efforts in several ways:

• Host a stand in your community, neighborhood, or place of business,

• Provide volunteers at already planned lemonade stands,

• Purchase or provide needed supplies to host a stand,

• Create marketing and advertising opportunities and outlets,

• Visit lemonade stands the day of the event to purchase lemonade and cheer on the dedicated

students and staff.

E2D is committed to the partnership with CMS that will ultimately equip the estimated 24,000+ CMS families

who still do not have digital access at home. E2D’s goal is to provide the educational tools that will make

the students in these families successful in the classroom and ultimately prosper throughout the rest of their

lives.

You can be apart of the solution on May 7th. If you are interested in joining E2D and CMS on Lemoande

Day 2016 or learning more about this organization, please visit www.e-2-d.org or contact Jenny Myers or

Stephanie Shryock, Community Outreach Coordinators at lemonade@e-2-d.org

6

technology

Chantilly… Time to Pollinate!BY KAREN GESTWICKI, Chantilly Resident and Neighborhood Butterfly Highway Coordinator; karen@honeybeerealestate.com

POLLINATE YOUR PROPERTY COMMUNITY CHALLENGE

The goal is to encourage Charlotte neighborhoods to compete for the

most registrations for The Butterfly Highway before August 20, 2016-

National HoneyBee Day!

Pollinate Your Property is sponsored by HoneyBee Real Estate in

conjunction with the North Carolina Wildlife Federation, CROWN

(Charlotte Reconnecting Ourselves with Nature) and The Butterfly

Highway, a statewide conservation restoration initiative that aims to

restore native pollinator habitats. The 6 month series is designed to

educate people on ways that they can impact the environment, creating

favorable habitats for pollinators. The winning neighborhood will receive

a custom Butterfly Highway sign and plaque to display. T-shirts and

native seed packets will be available at each event, proceeds of which

will support The Butterfly Highway and CROWN.

It is free to register your property as a Butterfly Highway Pitstop, once your habitat meets the requirements

of the project. Find those criteria and tips, and register your habitat, at www.ButterflyHighway.org, then

email Buzz@HoneyBeeRealEstate.com to enter your registration in the challenge. No garden or balcony is

too small to make a difference!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

April 16th. Advent Coworking at 1 pm, Butterfly Highway Certification Elements class.

May 21st. NoDa and Pure Pizza Farmers’ Markets, 9 am – noon. Purchase native pollinator friendly plants for

your pollinator garden.

June 18th. Kids Pollinator-Friendly Craft Day at Pure Pizza on Central, 2 – 5 pm.

July 16th. Tour Butterfly Highway certified

properties starting at Shamrock Elementary Garden

from 11 am – 2 pm.

August 20th. Finale party at the old NoDa Brewing

Company taproom from 5 – 9 PM with silent

auction and award presentation to the winning

neighborhood!

For more information, please visit:

HoneyBee Real Estate - www.HoneyBeeRealEstate.com

North Carolina Wildlife Federation - www.NCWF.org

CROWN - www.CrownCharlotte.org

The Butterfly Highway - www.ButterflyHighway.org

butterfly highway

8

Spring into a Safe Summer!BY JILL STORY, BA, BSN, RN, Trauma Nurse Clinician, F.H. Sammy Ross Trauma Center

The weather is getting warmer, the grass is growing and everyone is coming out of winter hibernation!

What does this mean for our Chantilly kids? It means a lot of fun days ahead, but it also means taking a little

extra caution to be sure they stay safe in the months ahead.

Your local pediatric trauma center saw over 1,000 injured children in 2015. Here are some injuries that are

more common in warm weather and a few tips to protect your child:

Lawn mower injuries

Unsafe use of lawn mowers can result in disfiguring and disabling injuries. A good rule to remember is if

you are too young to drive a car, you are too young to use a ride-on mower. The American Academy of

Pediatrics recommends that children younger than 16 not be allowed to use ride-on mowers and children

younger than 12 should not use walk-behind mowers. For adults and older children using a lawn mower,

please remember the following:

• Prevent injuries from flying objects such as stones or toys by picking up objects from your yard prior

to mowing.

• Drive up and down slopes, not across, to prevent mower rollover. A lot of adults are injured this way

as well by being pinned underneath.

• Keep children out of the yard while mowing.

• Never, ever allow children to ride as passengers on ride-on mowers. I know many of us did this as

children, but it is just not worth the risk. Those blades are fast and sharp.

Water-related injuries

Nothing says summer like jumping into a cool body of water! Practice these tips for water safety:

• Always supervise children in or around water. Drownings are the leading cause of injury for children

ages 1 to 4.

• Teaching a child to swim is a lifetime skill that never loses its benefit. Swimming lessons are available

through YMCA, YWCA and local swim clubs. Give your child this gift. It could save their life.

• If you plan to spend some time on a boat this summer, make sure everyone has a properly fitted life

jacket on.

Last, but never least, don’t forget the sunscreen! A serious burn as a child can increase the risk of skin

cancer later in life. Don’t forget those sweet little scalps and ears!

Accidents do happen, but injury prevention goes a long way in keeping our children safe. Charlotte is

fortunate to have outstanding medical facilities, but no treatment could ever be as good as prevention.

Let’s work together to have fun in the sun this summer and keep our littlest neighbors happy and safe!

Sources:

American Academy of Pediatrics

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Carolinas Medical Center, Sammy Ross Trauma Center

summer safety

9

We have had a great start to the new year! For the first quarter of 2016,

(until writing this article today) we have had no criminal activity reported

in our neighborhood. While this is great news, now is not the time to

become complacent. As I recently learned, neighbors on the east side of the

neighborhood reported a suspicious person trying to break into their car in

the early morning hours.

Knowing that with warmer weather we see an increase in criminal activity,

we must continue to do the right things in an effort to protect ourselves. We

must continue to lock our doors (vehicle/homes), secure our belongings (

i.e. lawn equipment, bicycles, strollers), and speak up for ourselves and our

neighbors by calling 911. If we see something, say something! If something

looks unusual or out-of-place, or if someone is acting suspicious, call the

police immediately! By doing these things, I am confident we will continue to

keep crime down in Chantilly.

TRAFFIC CALMING/SPEEDING

On a different note, a concern many neighbors share is the number of

speeders throughout Chantilly. With this, a traffic “speed trailer” will be set

up from time to time, and a CMPD traffic unit will go to work in an effort to

catch speeders.

We can also do our part to assist our local police. If you see a speeder, take

notice. What does the driver look like? What is the color, make, model and

license plate number of that vehicle? You can report this information directly

to our area officer, Dave Padgett, at dpadgett1@cmpd.org or call him at

704/336-2913. By doing this, the police will run a trace on the vehicle, and

pay a visit to the person associated with it.

1010

CNA OFFICERS

2016

PresidentRick Winikerpresident@ichantilly.org

TreasurerJonathan Storytreasurer@ichantilly.org

SecretaryMolly Putnamsecretary@ichantilly.org

COMMITTEE

CHAIRS

Communication &NewsletterSally Jenkinscommunications@ichantilly.org

SecurityKristin Simmersecurity@ichantilly.org

SocialGenevieve Williamssocial@ichantilly.org

BOARD MEMBERS

Julie Brookhart

Brooke Leonnig

Genevieve Williams,

Christie Driscoll

Libby Meiners

Amy Hazelwood

NEXT CLEANUP DAY

Saturday, June 18th @ 9:30AMat the Corner of Bascom & Shenandoah

Neighborhood SafetyBY KRISTIN SIMMER, CNA Crime/Safety Committee