Ask almost any teacher why they teach and they’ll probably share that they love seeing the moment when a student goes from a listener to a learner. Call it a “lightbulb moment,” or an “aha moment,” or the moment when “it clicks,” the men and women who empower our students to connect the pieces of their education to the real world devote their lives to these moments. Today’s Extraordinary Educators, Adrian Salter and Barb Collins both believe those moments are what make their work in the classroom so worthwhile.

Adrian Salter

Adrian Salter, fifth grade math teacher at Allen Jay Elementary celebrated her 25th anniversary this past year at AJE. Her devotion to the AJE community and students is what motivated her principal, Carla Flores-Ballesteros, to nominate Adrian as an Extraordinary Educator.

“Adrian has had boundless energy in her service of AJE students, families, and colleagues for the last 24 years,” Carla said. And Adrian pointed to the source of that energy when we spoke with her.

“A student was finally making progress with a particular math concept,” she recounts. “One day I made a mistake while demonstrating how to solve a problem. She not only realized my mistake, she then solved the problem correctly. She was so excited, and I was so proud.”

Along with her supportive coworkers, Adrian also points to the individuality and energy of each student as a motivator for her.

“I love the students,” she says. “I teach the same subject three times a day. Each lesson is different because of the knowledge, energy, and personalities students bring to class. They make school interesting; it is never boring.”

After 25 years at the same school, Adrian shares her passion for AJE and the way its diversity strengthens every member of its community:

“Allen Jay is a member of a very diverse community. We are proud of our diversity. Embracing our differences allows us to learn about and from one another thereby, making us an even stronger community.”

Barb Collins

Barb Collins is a kindergarten teacher at Northwood Elementary. After receiving Teacher of the Year honors in 2018, Barb was nominated by her principal, Susan Steen, as an Extraordinary Educator. She, like Adrian, also prizes the moments when learning clicks into place for her students.

“I think any moment when you see a student make that connection in learning, the “I got it” and the smile and pride that they show is memorable,” Barb says.

As a teacher that helps our youngest students just beginning their educational journey, Barb notes that she is most excited when she is told that she is encouraging, patient, and consistent with her students.

“A student of mine, that has graduated from college, when visiting told me that I always made him feel special and that he could do anything he wanted in life,” she says.

Every day, she is motivated knowing that each day holds something new – both for her students and herself. And at the heart of her teaching journey in High Point, she believes that our schools are filled with deeply caring people.

“Northwood is composed of some very caring people,” Barb says. “People that care for the children, parents and the community. They go above and beyond daily to try and meet the students’ needs, both educationally and personally.”

Link to Original Post: https://barbourspangle.com/extraordinary-educators-adrian-salter-and-barb-collins/

By: Cinde Ingram

HIGH POINT — Leadership High Point class members who sponsored an outdoor classroom at Welborn Academy of Science and Technology say they hope it will inspire other schools to offer classes outside.

The innovative classroom in the school’s courtyard has sparked excitement about learning in a different environment, said Principal Ashauna Harris.

“We’re really excited and trying to think outside the box — literally outside the box,” Harris said after the outdoor classroom’s formal unveiling on Wednesday. “It’s engaging material, but sometimes the setting changes your mindset. Our teachers and our students love coming out here.”

For example, students enjoyed working on art projects in the courtyard area now furnished with picnic tables, benches and flexible seating. Math teachers added the outdoor classroom to work on math projects.

“The outside learning environment gives them additional opportunities other than just the four walls of a classroom,” Harris said. “It pushes them to be more engaged, more interactive and more involved in their learning.”

Each year, the Leadership High Point class organized by Business High Point-Chamber of Commerce is responsible for choosing one community effort to support, said Amber Williamson, director of leadership and program development.

“Typically, it’s through sweat equity, but this group went a step further and secured sponsors,” Williamson said. “Essentially, the whole class rallied behind it because of the meaning for it. This space was literally a blank canvas that the kids weren’t really able to utilize and they didn’t have an outdoor space that they could occupy for learning or eating.”

Williamson described the current Leadership class as being full of talented individuals. She noted class member Raven Jefferson, Communities in Schools coordinator at Welborn, served as a strong advocate for her school and the students.

Class member Ryan Verstat, who works for Samet Corp., took the initiative to get a city permit to ensure the outdoor space could be developed as a classroom. “That was one level that typically hadn’t been done when it came to a class project,” Williamson said.

“With the amount of electronics and screen time there is nowadays, to get people outside is a good thing — to learn and be out in the sun and the fresh air,” Verstat said. “I think it speaks for itself if you see how often they use it and hear from the teachers how excited the students were to be able to come out here. There was clearly a need for it.”

Class member Whit Holbrook drew the design plans for the innovation classroom.

“Once we got the design approved by the class, he was able to help us get the list of materials we would need for the design to come to fruition,” Edie Williams, a Leadership class member, said of Verstat. “He was pivotal in getting all of the raw materials, nails, a lot of the tools and everything that we needed to do that. We had to go out and ask for donations.”

Jefferson presented an extra $570 donation to the project during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. High Point University donated umbrellas to provide shade for the picnic tables. Class members volunteered over three weekends to pull the outdoor classroom together.

Because of instances where more than one class wanted to use the outdoor classroom at the same time, the school now asks teachers to sign up in advance, Harris said.

“Our next step is we’re looking to create an interactive classroom and we’re looking for different donors to support that cause — flexible grouping, flexible seating, and nowadays they’re using bikes in class,” Harris said. “We’re trying to make sure we keep their minds moving, to keep them engaged and active. Because they’re teenagers, their minds are moving a thousand miles a minute. This is the first step to moving us in that direction.”

Link to Original Post: https://hpenews.com/news/13008/welborn-students-take-learning-outdoors/

By: Cinde Ingram

GUILFORD COUNTY — As they dove deeper into the $2 billion longterm Guilford County Schools facilities master plan on Thursday, members of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education joint facilities planning committee discussed priorities and funding options.

Phase 1 of the plan focuses on full rebuilds and renovations of aging schools most in need and is expected to cost more than $1.12 billion, according to the recommendation. Phase 2 would tackle the remainder of school building needs and is projected to cost $918.7 million.

“That’s the basic logic: Let’s take care of our worst first,” said David Sturtz, a partner with school planning firm Cooperative Strategies. “That sets up our ability to do the other kinds of projects” in the second phase.

Superintendent Sharon Contreras made an alternate suggestion of dividing the project into three phases, and said the school system can prepare a plan based on that option.

“Our thinking behind Phase 1 and Phase 2 is there is legislation at the state level to allow for a half-cent sales tax that could generate enough for half of this project to be completed, if that is the will of the joint committee,” Contreras said. “However, if that does not come to fruition, we could also consider three phases.”

She asked whether the school board and commissioners would be willing to ask the local legislative delegation to support a half-cent sales tax for Guilford County. Commissioner Chairman Jeff Phillips said he had discussed that with Rep. Jon Hardister earlier Thursday morning.

“He indicated to me that he would get to work on it right away to find out why it stalled in the lastest session and help move it along as best he could in the House,” Phillips said. “To clarify, currently we’re able to put a quarter-cent sales tax, should Board of Commissioners choose to do so, on the ballot for voters to consider here in Guilford County.”

If voters should approve it, that it would generate about $19.5 million each year. Voters have said no at least four times in the past 15 years or so, Phillips added.

“This modification, should it approved by the General Assembly, would allow us to move up to a half-cent sales tax, if the voters agree, and also permit the Board of Commissioners to designate (its use),” Phillips said. “As we’re looking at how to pay for whatever we decide to do relative to a potential bond passage in the future, that’s certainly on the table.”

Addressing overcrowded schools also was clearly a priority, but committee members were split on how many phases to divide the project into and how many years the plan would take to accomplish. They will have to figure out the sequence of the projects within each phase so students and staff aren’t moved without facilities being ready for their return, Sturtz said.

The committee agreed to meet again at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. That will be after the full Board of Commissioners has the chance to delve deeper into the issue at its next regular meeting on Jan. 16.

“There’s a lot to be determined,” Phillips said. Commissioners have looked at funding Phase 1 in the $700-$750 million range “from a fiscally responsible perspective and feel like that’s a number we might be able to absorb without impacting property taxes to a great degree,” Phillips said.

Guilford County Schools Chief Operations Officer Scott McCully said extending the work over more years will likely lead to higher costs because of inflation.

“The intent here is to look beyond playing whack-a-mole with facility needs,” Sturtz said. “This is a shot in the arm to get ahead of the curve, and then you can maintain” to prevent the situation from recurring for future generations of students.

Future generations also were on the mind of Commissioner Skip Alston, who attended the meeting but does not serve on the committee. He said he would prefer the school board make a recommendation based on their needs rather than how much they think the county is able to pay. He also wants the boards to consider asking business leaders to participate with funding since it impacts economic development and future workers.

“I would be more aggressive with it,” Alston said. “I would call for a plan of $1 billion and then three years after that a plan of $500,000 and three years later another $500,000 to go ahead and do it in six years rather than 10 years. Because another generation of kids should not be bearing these unnecessary repairs. If our kids are our priority, we should act like they’re our priority.”

School system Chief of Staff Nora Carr said the conversation seems to be shifting from whether the school facility needs are real to how the county can move forward to address them. “There’s a lot of ground that still needs to be covered in a relatively short period of time, but having a joint facility committee, getting the information of this in time and discussing the information are all steps forward,” she said.

Link to Original Post: https://hpenews.com/news/12978/committee-studies-school-funding/

By: Cinde Ingram

HIGH POINT — Southwest Guilford High School’s Leadership Class arrived early on Friday despite the risk of inclement weather to host its annual Adapted Curriculum Holiday Party for middle and high school students in special needs programs.

Guilford County Schools had a two-hour delayed start, but the seniors in Leadership Development teacher Tracy Repko’s class showed up early to provide food, games and crafts and to await the arrival of Santa.

“Our kids at this school are very inclusive,” Repko said. “These kids are very included when they walk down the hall, and everyone loves them.”

At least one student in the hallway stopped Santa to ask for earbuds.

“It’s awesome. I get a lot of high fives, knuckle bumps and some hugs,” said Jesse Cross, who dressed as Santa. “They’re all excited. Even the kids in the hall were when I came in. They’re not at the party, but they’re all having fun.”

The Leadership Class volunteers at Shadybrook Elementary School as afternoon reading and breakfast buddies, and at Florence Elementary as breakfast buddies throughout the school year, Repko said. Students also conduct fundraising campaigns for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and St. Jude Children’s Hospital. They have helped at the Salvation Army Gift for Kids stocking campaign and by ringing bells at several locations.

“They volunteered all fall at the Miracle League for Special Olympics and for the fall High Point bowling event, which is why they love to do this party for our Adapted Curriculum classes,” Repko said. “I have been doing the Leadership Class since 1999 and we love to participate with these activities and events.”

Natalie Primavera said her class had made the decision as a group to host the holiday party for the students they help throughout the year.

“This just makes it more special,” she said. “I love seeing their reactions. Them smiling makes me smile. I makes me feel like a good person really. And preparing for it is just as fun.”

Carly Cook, who assisted Primavera handing out hot chocolate with marshmallows, agreed the holiday party was both a fun event for attendees and an opportunity for Leadership Class members to feel good during the holiday season.

“It’s festive and brings cheer to everything,” Cook said.

Diya Patel helped students decorate reindeer brownies with cookie icing, pretzels and red M&Ms.

“It’s very cool to do this because I can make other people happy,” she said.

Link to Original Post: https://hpenews.com/news/12860/southwest-leadership-class-throws-party-for-special-needs-students/