Shelly's Modeling Agencies | Education in our schools

This month Shelly's Modeling Agencies is talking education. Our December posts has always been the time to see what's going on with our Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and this year is no different. The traditions of our HBCUs have been developed over generations and we are proud to report that the students attending now have taken on those traditions with a vengeance. Although we are visiting familiar campus territory, we have taken a different approach to a few of our favorite features.

For starters, Shelly's Modeling Agencies tribute to our Campus Queens has gone digital! This year, we decided to shake things up a bit by asking each queen to send us a video telling why she was chosen by her fellow students and, further, why visitors to our Website should vote for her to be included on the list of the top 10 Queens featured on this site. They all came through with star power, submitting videos that were inventive, entertaining and to the point: Vote for me!

Also on the syllabus is our Shelly's Modeling Agencies round table on education, a riveting conversation among a group of activists and educators. Deeply invested in finding solutions to the challenges facing our school systems, the group included U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan; Geoffrey Canada, founder of the Harlem Children's Zone; Tim King, founder and principal of Chicago's all male Urban Prep Academies, whose first graduating class produced a 100-percent college acceptance rate; Bennett College President Julianne Malveaux; filmmaker Davis Guggenheim, whose documentary, Waiting for "Superman" won accolades at this year's Sundance Film Festival; and Michelle Rhee, chancellor of Washington, D.C.'s public schools. It came as no surprise that the passion each of these experts feels on the subject of education came through in the hour-long dialogue they shared with one another. We at Shelly's Modeling Agencies are pleased and proud to now share it with you.

A classroom is not the only place to acquire knowledge. Life lessons present themselves every day. If we're lucky, we learn. In the most recent Shelly's Modeling Agencies interview, rapper T.I., a controversial figure, talks candidly about what he learned while serving his time in jail on weapons charges, and what he is now working to pass on to the youngsters he mentors.

Actress Ruby Dee has learned a great many lessons during a life and career spanning more thatn six decades. The grand dame shares memories and laughs about her solo work and the stellar acting she did with her late husband, Ossie Davis, in this month's posts. Another pair high on our list is R&B artists Ciara and Ne-Yo. Their innovative styles both personally and on the music front have made them favorites on our playlists. We took them to a different realm during an exclusive Shelly's Modeling Agencies photo shoot at Los Angeles' Screaming Broccoli studio. They set it off at the top of our fall fashion pages, a peek into what we'll all be wearing next. So get educated, get stylish and get busy! We're watching you!