By: Paul B. Johnson

GUILFORD COUNTY — Guilford County Schools has rolled out an audacious, $2 billion plan for the next 12 to 15 years that would lead to new and renovated, modernized school buildings in High Point and create innovative magnet programs, but also lead to the closing of an elementary school in the city.

Superintendent Sharon Contreras and school system leaders detailed the plans in a briefing with The High Point Enterprise on Monday night. The briefing took place before school leaders and Guilford County Board of Education members presented and discussed the proposal with the Guilford County Board of Commissioners at a joint meeting Tuesday morning.

The plan envisions fundamental changes in High Point schools, such creating a series of magnet programs at schools feeding T. Wingate Andrews High School and building a new kindergarten through eighth-grade school to address overcrowding in the Southwest Guilford High School area.

The plan also calls for investments to upgrade High Point Central High School and its feeder schools. Of the proposed $2 billion for the plan, $320 million is pinpointed for the three city high schools and the middle and elementary schools that are in their feeder districts.

The proposal calls for closing 13 county schools and 10 administrative buildings. The only High Point city school on the list for closure is Oak Hill, with its students transferred to other local elementary schools that would be upgraded.

Here’s a breakdown of the impact of the proposal for the three high schools and their feeder schools:

• High Point Central High School area

The proposal would allocate $106 million to address needs at the high school and the elementary and middle schools in the Central area.

The plan would rebuild Northwood Elementary and renovate Shadybrook Elementary, as well as fully renovate High Point Central. Repairs, security and technology upgrades would be made at all Central feeder schools, which include Johnson Street and Fairview elementary schools and Ferndale Middle.

The elementary schools in the Central feeder area would undergo upgrades to take in students from Oak Hill. The elementary school would be closed after rebuilding Northwood and renovating Shadybrook.

• T. Wingate Andrews High School area

The proposal would target $141 million to address needs at the high school and affiliated elementary and middle schools, with an emphasis on magnet programs.

Contreras told The Enterprise at the briefing that parents in the Andrews area have the most interest — based on school system surveys — for having magnet choice programs. So the plan would offer parents four magnet programs and a traditional middle school track for their children.

Kirkman Park Elementary would be rebuilt as a visual/performing arts magnet school with a Spanish immersion program. Montlieu Elementary would be rebuilt as a school with a technology theme, while Penn-Griffin School for the Arts would be renovated into a sixth- through 12th-grade visual and performing arts school as it is now, with a middle school Spanish immersion program.

Wellborn Middle would incorporate the Kearns Academy in a renovated building for a sixth- through 12th-grade gaming and design innovation magnet program. Allen Jay Prep would be repurposed as a local middle school as a traditional option.

Andrews High would be renovated into a public safety and health and biomedical sciences magnet school.

• Southwest Guilford High School area

The plan would allocate $73 million for the high school and its feeder elementary and middle schools.

To address overcrowding at schools in north High Point and southwestern Guilford County, the plan envisions creating a kindergarten through eighth-grade school instead of building separate, new elementary and middle school buildings. The new combination grades school would aim to relieve overcrowding at Southwest and Colfax elementary schools and Southwest Guilford Middle.

Parkview Village Elementary would be renovated to a Montessori school, moving the Montessori program from Triangle Lake Elementary. The switch of Triangle Lake to a traditional elementary school would allow Montessori students to attend a newer school at Parkview.

The plan also calls for repairs, security and technology upgrades at schools in the Andrews and Southwest areas.

School system leaders commissioned a study with the commissioners — completed at the first of this year — that found $1.5 billion in school facility needs. But Contreras said the $2 billion plan includes changes to modernize all schools in the county and address the request by parents for more magnet programs.

If fully implemented, the plan would reduce the average age of a school building in the system from 51 years to 25 years.

The work would be completed in three phases, with each phase taking three to five years. The plan also would eliminate all mobile classrooms in the county school system.

Link to original post: https://hpenews.com/news/12518/gcs-rolls-out-2-billion-plan-to-transform-local-education/

By: Natalie Wilson

HIGH POINT, N.C. — A Guilford County school once in jeopardy of being taken over by the state has made significant progress in less than a year.

Fairview Elementary located in High Point has improved its overall performance after being in the bottom 5 percent in the state with test scores.

“We were able to be in the top 10 percent in growth, we rose proficiency by 10 percent, and we moved from an F to a D on our school report card,” Principal Abe Hege said.

The improvements happened in 10 months.

Professional development and increasing the number of engaging activities contributed to the progress, but staff credits a change in attitude more than anything else.

“We all knew our children could succeed that maybe there were some things that we needed to change and the culture and the passion really ignited things in people that I think they were even shocked that they had it within themselves,” said Pam Greene, Communities in Schools student support specialist at Fairview Elementary.

Hege says the change in culture had a ripple effect when students and staff felt a new excitement.

Fairview Elementary is no longer on the takeover list.

“It was a sigh of relief, but I think it was also just, look what happens when people put their mind to something and put egos aside and say teamwork is what we’re going to do,” Hege said.

Parents are also getting more involved.

This is the second year Fairview has had a PTA under the current administration.

Last year was the first in seven years.

Link to Original Post: https://myfox8.com/2019/11/22/guilford-county-school-once-in-jeopardy-of-being-taken-over-by-state-has-made-significant-progress/

Happy National STEM/STEAM Day! To celebrate we have a new round of Extraordinary Educators we want you to meet. This week we’re introducing you to Nita Canon, Afzal Khan, and Candace Scott. These three teachers are STEM teachers who prepare our students with the science, technology, engineering, and math skills they need to succeed in our community as future innovators, healthcare professionals, researchers, and more. Read below to find out how these teachers inspire creativity and curiosity in their students each and every day.

Nita Canon

“This is what I tell my students… Create a vision in your mind and be passionate about it. Aim to be the best you can be. Not a single day without preparation. Organize and prioritize. Never give up – take every opportunity to learn and be ready to adapt to changes!”

Nita Canon teaches CTE (Career and Technical Education) health science at Southwest Guilford High School and was nominated as an Extraordinary Educator by her principal, Mike Hettenbach.

“Nita empowers students to promote wellness behaviors in their community,” he says.

Nita says that her biggest encouragement and inspiration each day is seeing her students laugh and learn while staying motivated to excel. As the proud mother of several Southwest graduates, Nita is dedicated to see the students flourish during their educational journey in High Point.

“Our vision is to prepare students to be collaborative lifelong learners, and responsible citizens,” Nita says. “Southwest excels not only in students’ academic achievement but in sports, music, arts, and CTE. We are one of six GCS schools working to boost minority student enrollment to AP classes.”

Nita, a former nurse, loves using her experience to demonstrate to her students how what they are learning in the classroom has real-world implications. And Nita has seen that even at the high school level, many of her students are already applying what they have learned in her classrooms to their world.

“A student once shared with me an incident regarding her sister who was complaining of abdominal pain,” Nita says. The student’s sister was sent home from her doctor with some pain medication, but the pain and symptoms became increasingly severe.

“At this point, my student told her mom that she learned from health science class that the symptoms can be indicative of acute appendicitis, and she was eventually rushed to the hospital,” Nita explains. “True enough, after doing a CT scan, her sister had an emergency appendectomy (surgical removal of appendix) that same night! My student later told me that because of that incident, she plans to be a Physician Assistant in the future.”

As the HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) advisor at Southwest, Nita continuously emphasizes community engagement to her students, and together they have volunteered hundreds of hours to projects all over the Triad, like the American Heart Association, the National Down Syndrome Society and Greater Greensboro DS, National Alliance for Mental Illness, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and more.

Check out Nita’s Amazon Wish List!

Afzal Khan

“I learned to build relationships and reflect on nurturing a student to make education relevant.”

As the science teacher at The Middle College at GTCC-High Point, Afzal Khan works with high school students who are taking college courses as they complete their high school requirements.

“As a cooperative, innovative high school, we accommodate learning to suit the needs of all students,” Afzal explains. “Being a late start school with goals of graduating 100% of its students exemplifies how we structure school so that students succeed.”

Afzal was nominated by his principal, Darrell A. Harris Jr., who says that Afzal is, “Eager to support kids through Saturday tutoring and summer remediation – anything that is needed to help.”

Afzal says that his biggest encouragement comes from the handwritten notes and positive feedback his students give him about keeping his classroom environment fun, upbeat, and interesting.

“When students greet you with a smile or leave comments on your desk like, ‘five-star teacher’ or ‘best teacher, funny and knows how to keep class interesting,’ it shows that you are making a difference in their education as they appreciate what you teach them.”

Afzal has also seen firsthand how some of his students need support that goes well beyond the classroom, such as one student whom he discovered was lacking in basic necessities to succeed in school.

“I contacted a student’s parents for academic reasons only to find out that the student is a refugee,” he says. “The student was lacking resources to sustain a balance between education and the family’s survival for basic needs. From this experience I learned to build relationships and reflect on nurturing a student to make education relevant.”

With this above and beyond attitude, Afzal has been responsible for coordinating everything from a Thanksgiving drive for students to give to West End Ministries, to spirit week. He has helped his students display their Pride of the Lions through dodgeball, service learning, and even support on computer and networking troubleshooting at the Middle College, thanks to his PC Technician certification from Microsoft.

Candace Scott

“‘Many eyes are watching young and old.’ Hearing parents of former students say that seeing a young African American teacher inspired them to go back to school to obtain their advanced degree is moving. Living the life that God has set for me and being transparent in my walk has touched more lives than I could’ve ever imagined. Walking in my purpose is what I will continue to do.”

As the math coach and K-5 STEM teacher at Oak View Elementary School, Candace Scott has been serving as an educator for the past 13 years and has already taught over 200 students. Candace was nominated by her principal, Heather Bare, who calls Candace an “educational leader of students and colleagues with heart and commitment.”

Candace says that each day she is excited to walk into her classroom because she sees teaching as more than an occupation, she sees it as her mission.

“Developing creative, engaging instructional experiences for students, and coaching teachers with effective instructional strategies and practices motivates me to continue doing what I have been called to do,” Candace says. “I am on a personal mission to get students excited about learning and implement strategies to instill confidence in their academic ability.”

Candace, who emphasizes community service and engagement in her classroom, has cultivated this mission-focused mindset as a response to the lack of engagement she experienced across the private and public school sector growing up. Rather than become bitter, Candace decided she would pursue a career as an educator to provide students with the experience she wished she’d had.

“Being a product of classrooms with limited student engagement, no sense of community and the lack of confidence in my academic ability, empowered me to be the teacher that strived to change that for every student who entered into my classroom,” she explains. “Building relationships with students and their families is essential in building a positive classroom community.”

Candace says her principal and others at Oak View make it possible for her to execute multimodal and creative classroom activities. With a Maker Space STEM Learning Lab in place, as well as being named an Arts Integration School, Oak View is, in Candace’s words, “committed to educating future leaders!”

“Making the creative connection was key to hooking students into learning experiences. It was not shocking to hear singing, see dancing/movement or even smell cooking from my classroom that all connected to the NC Standards,” she says. “Who said learning can’t be fun yet rigorous and relevant?”

Check out Candace’s Amazon Wish List!

Discovering out High Points,

HP Discovered

Link to Original Post: https://barbourspangle.com/extraordinary-educators-nita-canon-afzal-khan-candace-scott/

By: Cinde Ingram

HIGH POINT — Parents are invited to learn more about college and careers at a Parent Empowerment Summit at Southwest Guilford High School.

“We call it the empowerment summit because this is an opportunity for parents, students and community members to be empowered with an array of information to make healthy and sound decisions for their students,” said Principal Mike Hettenbach. “We welcome not only parents of high school students, but parents of younger elementary and middle school students to be in the know in advance.”

The summit is set for Saturday, Nov. 16, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pre-registration is open now at http://bit.ly/ParentSummitSWHS2019. Onsite registration and a continental breakfast also will be available.

Parents can visit more than 15 vendors and community resource tables at the beginning of the summit and in between sessions. Door prizes from local businesses and child care also will be available. A student’s project reinforcing kindness will help set the tone.

“Typically, parents become less involved with their children’s education as they get older,” said

Michelle Phillips, school social worker. “At Southwest High, we have noticed that the more parents are involved in their child’s education, the more successful the student.”

Parents who attended past empowerment summits have said they wished they could have attended more sessions, Phillips said.

Parents can choose among three 45-minute sessions, with the first session scheduled for 9:15 to 10 a.m., the second from 10:15 to 11 a.m. and third from 11:15 a.m. to noon.

Each session will include a host of varying topics, such as preparing to be a college student athlete, the benefits of taking honors/Advanced Placement programs in high school, finding and applying for scholarships, addressing teen anxiety and more.

There also will be a Q&A with the principal.

cingram@hpenews.com | 336-888-3534 | @HPEcinde

Want to go?

• What: Southwest Parent Summit

• When: Saturday, Nov. 16, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

• Where: Southwest Guilford High media center, 4364 Barrow Road.

• To preregister, visit http://bit.ly/ParentSummitSWHS2019

• For more information, call Michelle Phillips 336-819-2970 or email phillim2@gcsnc.com

Link to Original Post: https://hpenews.com/news/12112/local-high-school-to-host-parent-summit/

By: Cinde Ingram

HIGH POINT — Eight of the 21 High Point City Council and mayoral candidates agreed to join High Point volunteers, businesses, churches and community groups in efforts to improve local schools.

They are just the first projects 14 principals of the 25 High Point schools requested in response to a survey from Vicki Miller, a retired principal. She compiled a list of their project requests and is seeking assistance from anyone willing to help.

“It’s not just council members. Everybody’s talking about all the needs of our High Point schools,” Miller said. “I think if you really want to see our schools improve, step up and that’s why we’re calling it ‘Make it Happen High Point.’ If you want your schools to be better, help with these small little projects that may not seem like a lot to a general person in the community but it speaks volumes to the principal and the staff that the community cares enough to come in and try to help them.”

The projects started Saturday morning at Ferndale Middle School, where volunteers helped retired and current school staff and First United Methodist Church members pressure wash, paint and landscape the school’s amphitheater area.

“What I’m trying to do is be the resource to the community that I didn’t have when I was a principal,” Miller said. “

Some of the school requests do not cost a lot of money but require time and effort. Miller is organizing a growing list of volunteers and encouraging more people to get involved. There are still opportunities for additional groups or individuals. If someone wants to start a project or join a group, they can reach out to the school or the volunteer group for further details.

If a school’s work environment looks good and cared for, it creates a better atmosphere in the building for the staff, students and parents, Miller said.

“If you’ve got paint peeling on walls or landscaping that’s overgrown outside, it just doesn’t make you feel good when you walk in that school every day,” Miller said. “Actually seeing the community come in and support a school speaks to the parents and students as well as it does to the principal and staff. It’s all about showing that you care.”

Four school projects are scheduled for next weekend. Miller said she expects a big project at Andrews to garner a lot of support. Council members Chris Williams and Britt Moore have signed up to help with that project, set for Saturday, Nov. 16, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Our schools are incredible learning centers and we need to, as a community, treat them that way,” Miller said. “We’re educating the people who are going to be leaders in our country. Our schools don’t need any criticism, they need a shot of good community backing and public support. It will go so far if they feel like we’re behind them instead of always pointing fingers at them.”

cingram@hpenews.com | 336-888-3534 | @HPEcinde

Want to help?

The public is invited to join on on several local school improvement projects. To participate, contact Vicki Miller at millerv714@triad.rr.com.

Remaining projects and dates, and those already participating, include:

• Allen Jay Elementary, grounds landscaping. PTA, community, Volvo, Nov. 9, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Andrews High, paint railings in front. Councilmen Britt Moore and Chris Williams, Nov. 16, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

• High Point Central, repairing/replacing blinds, landscaping grounds, resurfacing cabinets. Councilmembers Wesley Hudson and Monica Peters, First United Methodist Church and class of 1960 alumni, Nov. 9, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Kirkman Park Elementary, paint cougar paws front sidewalk, repair/paint cougar statue. Chris Williams, council candidate Michael Holmes, Memorial United Methodist Church, Vicki and David Miller, Nov. 9, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

• Northwood Elementary, paint student bathrooms. William Laney, Joe Blosser, Communities in Schools and Emerywood Baptist Church. Also, redesign/organize reading room, Vicki Miller and Judy Stutts, Nov. 11 (ongoing)

• Oak Hill Elementary, paint railing around mobile units, create spirit rock to replace tree, paint student bathrooms, refinish teacher lounge cabinets. Monica Peters, City Transfer, Martin-Marietta Quarry (date to be determined)

• Oak View Elementary, paint math games on cement play area, paint bear claws on walkways. Oak View Baptist Church. Also, a bike giveaway by Ed Price & Associates (date to be determined)

• Penn-Griffin School for the Arts, paint stripe in hallways. Mayoral candidate Carlvena Foster, William Penn Alumni Associates (date to be determined)

• SCALES Academy, landscaping/inside court plants. Kiwanis Club of High Point. Also, mural painting. Artist Brian Davis and students, Nov. 14 tentative.

• Shadybrook Elementary, flowers outside front doors, paint metal areas under window, paint media center. Oak View Baptist Church, (date to be determined)

• Southwest High, picnic tables and split rail fence. Community Bible, Boy Scout Eagle project, Michael Holmes, Nov. 9, 9 a.m. to noon.

• Triangle Lake Montessori, paint/touch up walls. Council candidates Jerry Mingo and Michael Holmes (date to be determined)

• Welborn Academy, plants at entrance, paint student bathrooms. Council candidate Cyril Jefferson (date to be determined)

Link to Original Post: https://hpenews.com/news/12070/retired-principal-rallies-public-to-improve-schools/