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October 2, 2018 0 Comments Schools in High Point Uncategorized
Southwest Guilford High School basketball players celebrate championship win while teammate recovers in hospital

HIGH POINT, N.C. — There was a mix of emotions at Southwest Guilford High School on Monday.

Players returned to class after their championship game this weekend.

“Everyone is coming up to you and saying congratulations,” said Miles Taylor, a basketball player at the school.

While they receive the praise, classmates are also sending their prayers.

“It’s been pretty emotional and we’re fighting for him,” said Cameron Thompson, a teammate.

Head basketball coach Guy Shavers told us Monday that Christian Martin is awake, talking a little bit, but he is pretty disoriented.

“He is trying to put it all together and put it into perspective,” Shavers said.

He says the senior basketball player is still recovering from hitting his head. It happened when he missed a dunk at a basketball game more than a week ago.

Since then, Christian’s classmates and community members have rallied behind him, even hosting a fundraiser.

“When he was gone everything was different,” Taylor said. “The games were different. The practices were different.”

To get his players motivated before the championship game this weekend, Shavers said he shared some good news he got from Christian’s mom.

“She sent me a text that he opened his eyes and he asked for a quarter pounder with cheese,” Shavers said.

“It lifted our spirits… letting us know that he’s awake and kind of active a little,” said Keyshaun Langley, a teammate.

Now after taking the win, they’re looking forward to the day Christian can come back and share his personality with them again. It is already starting to come back.

“Just this morning I got a text from his mom and he makes this like Scooby Doo type face so I said I’m going to do my little impression when I get the chance because I just love Scooby growing up. I can’t wait to mess with him a little bit like that,” Shavers said.

Shavers says Christian will likely be in the hospital for a couple more weeks for observation.

A GoFundMe account created for him has already raised more than $10,000.

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October 2, 2018 0 Comments Schools in High Point Uncategorized
UNCG student helping kids learn to play the violin

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Dixie Ortiz still remembers hearing the violin for the first time in the fifth grade.

“I was just so, so captivated and amazed by the sound. I thought it was just the coolest thing,” she said.

The more she learned through her school orchestra program in Florida, the more she wanted to improve her technique.

However, learning outside of school presented its own set of challenges.

“We rented a violin from a local music store and I remember that I wanted to do things like go to music camps, and take lessons, and all these extra things, but I asked my mom and we couldn’t afford those things,” she said.

Ortiz says she continued to practice and watched different techniques on YouTube.

Her hard work would earn her a spot in a top music program.

“I asked my high school orchestra director where he thought some of the best music education programs for string teachers were in the United States and he told me that UNCG was one of those places,” she said.

Ortiz is currently a senior studying music education at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

She’s also a student teacher at Penn Griffin School for the Arts.

She wants to see more children have access to the arts to discover their gifts as she did.

“I just want to help and be someone who’s there and someone who’s available and accessible to give instruction,” Ortiz said.

Some of Ortiz’ academic research has included studying the impact of mentorship between elementary and high school students.

Ortiz aspires to play the violin professionally and become a teacher.

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October 2, 2018 0 Comments Schools in High Point Uncategorized
Guilford County Schools to launch 6 pilot signature academies next year

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Big changes are coming to Guilford County Schools. Specialized learning groups, called academies, will be coming to six campuses.

The pilot academies are going to be focused on specialized subjects like biomedical sciences and engineering.

It took three months of planning and there are still some unanswered questions, like how students from across the county will get to each school.

“The hope is we’ll be able to offer students access to all of the choice schools in the near future,” said Dr. Kathleen Dawson, the chief innovation officer for Guilford County Schools.

There was a heated debate when deciding on the six academies at high school campuses in the county at the school board meeting Thursday night.

The board voted to test out the academies at Smith, Southeast, Northeast, Kearns, Western and Academy at Smith high schools.

“I wish we could take a little more time. Dot our Is and cross our Ts and make sure we’re getting it done right,” said Linda Welborn, the District 4 Representative for the Guilford County School Board.

Welborn was the only member of the board to vote against the academies, pointing out that the lack of transportation to the six schools prevents some students from taking advantage of the specialized learning programs.

“Everyone knows if we can’t provide transportation it becomes an equity issue. That’s the whole reason we provide transportation for our magnets, because everyone can’t get to that particular magnet if they don’t have transportation,” she said. “Everyone does not have a parent who has the time or finances to have a car and transport them.”

Dawson, who is leading the program for Guilford County Schools, admits that not every student will get to enroll if they can’t find their own transportation.

“So for those who have access, they will be able to attend,” she said. “But those who don’t, at this time, it won’t be a choice for them unfortunately.”

Dawson says the school district is working on a way to change that.

“The district is collaborating with the cities of Greensboro and High Point to see how we can partner with them to have their systems be able to offer our high school students’ routes to take them to school,” Dawson said.

Welborn believes this is just one sign the school system is moving too fast on such a big project.

“There is huge momentum to get more kids graduating and into career technical education and I’m all for it,” she said. “We can make this happen, I just don’t know if we can make it happen quickly.”

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August 2, 2018 0 Comments Schools in High Point Uncategorized
Governor Cooper Celebrates New Regional Workforce Development Initiative $3.2 million state grant will support apprenticeships and training in four Triad counties

The Triad area will get $3.2 million for more job training opportunities in Alamance, Guilford, Randolph and Rockingham counties, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The state funds have been awarded to the Eastern Triad Workforce Initiative, a public-private partnership that will provide apprenticeship and on-the-job training.

Governor Cooper praised the effort as a positive development for the region and noted its alignment with NC Job Ready, his statewide initiative to help prepare North Carolinians for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

“Initiatives like this one hold great promise to meet employers’ needs, prepare young people for in-demand careers and connect people already in the workforce with better paying jobs,” Gov. Cooper said. “To get North Carolina job ready, we need even more leadership and cooperation between the private sector, educators, workforce development professionals and community groups.”

Governor Cooper’s NC Job Ready strategy has three core principles: skills and education attainment, employer leadership to remain relevant to evolving industry needs, and local innovation to take great ideas and apply them statewide.

The new state funding to the Eastern Triad Workforce Initiative (ETWI) will support the development and implementation of pilot apprenticeship programs in targeted industries throughout the region. Funds will be used for training materials, apprenticeship employment costs and curriculum development.

Led by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, ETWI partners include local chambers of commerce, K-12 school systems, community colleges, apprenticeship programs and the three workforce development boards that serve different parts of the region.

Local NCWorks Career Centers will help recruit employers and prospective employees for on-the-job training and will support that training. These efforts are designed to provide local industries with solutions to their workforce challenges, including a lack of applicants, even for jobs that pay well.

A survey of North Carolina employers, recently released by the NCWorks Commission, found that 50 percent of employers who tried to hire in the past year had difficulty filling at least one position. Just over half of employers cited applicants’ lack of relative work experience, while just under half said that their hiring difficulty stemmed from job seekers’ lack of technical or occupation-related skills.

Read more about the Employer Needs Survey here.

Apprenticeships and other work-based learning programs are considered key to addressing such challenges and building strong talent pipelines. The ETWI joins similar efforts by North Carolina’s community colleges, workforce development boards, the N.C. Department of Commerce and other organizations to expand worker access to the training that employers need.

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January 19, 2018 0 Comments Schools in High Point Uncategorized
Tapping apprenticeships to address the skills gap

In June 2017, Connecticut’s Capital Community College (CCC) launched a new apprenticeship program—one focused on insurance.

CCC partnered with insurance corporation The Hartford on the Insurance Claims Operations Registered Apprenticeship, a one-year program that allows apprentices to earn $15 an hour while gaining on-the-job training. They also participate in insurance-related instruction, mentoring and academic coaching.

Students who successfully complete the program will transition into a full-time job. In addition, they earn an associate degree, a non-credit certificate in insurance claims operations, 12 college credits, a state adjuster’s license and the Connecticut Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship certificate.

It’s not your typical program when it comes to apprenticeship, but it’s exactly the kind that congressional leaders want to learn about. And their interest was piqued when CCC President Wilfredo Nieves outlined the program during a panel discussion January 18 on best practices in apprenticeships that was organized by organized by House Democrats.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut), who convened the event, touted apprenticeships for their ability to tackle one of the most critical issues today: bridging the skills gap. She said it’s time to “shift our thinking,” to not only focus on degrees, but on in-demand skills. Not having a degree shouldn’t disqualify someone from having economic security, DeLauro said.

Nieves’ testimony echoed DeLauro’s sentiments.

“The apprenticeship model changes students’ lives by giving them opportunities to enter good jobs and receive academic, mentoring and financial support to complete their college degrees,” Nieves said.

Nieves, the only community college representative on the panel, was joined by The Hartford’s Jodi Greenspan. The apprenticeship program came about in part because The Hartford was seeking new “diverse, talented employees,” and “we had untapped potential student workers at community colleges near our office locations,” Greenspan said.

The Hartford is the first U.S. insurance company to have a Registered Apprenticeship with the federal government, according to Greenspan. The program has expanded to Arizona, and may continue in Florida. And success has spurred CCC to launch two new apprenticeship programs in 2018: food service and hospitality management and financial services cyber security.

A missed opportunity

At Aon, a provider of risk-management services, hiring requirements had disqualified students from City Colleges of Chicago, and that was “a missed opportunity for us,” said Bridget Gainer, vice president of global public affairs.

“We were ignoring an entire talent pipeline that was literally staring us in the face,” Gainer said.

Aon looked at its entry-level positions and evaluated which ones truly required a four-year college degree and which required it “because that was what we’d always done,” Gainer said. Many of those positions had high attrition because “people didn’t need the degree, so they were not staying in a job that didn’t really demand it,” she said.

The company partnered with Harold Washington College to create an apprenticeship program that would reduce turnover, increase job satisfaction and help the community. Aon has two-year tracks in information technology, human resources and its core insurance business.

Other companies, such as Accenture and Walgreens, have joined with Aon to scale up the program. The goal is to have as many as 500 or 1,000 apprentices in 2019.

Raising the profile

Microsoft is making use of apprentices to ensure people have the right skills for evolving technology jobs. The company has a registered apprenticeship partnership program with Apprenti, part of the Washington Technology Industry Association. The Apprenti program “is a pipeline for under-represented groups to gain training, certification and placement within the tech industry,” explained Portia Wu, Microsoft’s director of workforce policy.

Microsoft has made more use of apprenticeships in Europe, and Wu pointed to the UK model as an interesting example of public-private partnership. Private companies play a part in developing government-recognized standards. The government provides funding to support apprenticeships.

“Standardization, consistent public support, and a broad business understanding of apprenticeship’s return on investment are critical components of that success,” Wu said.

But while apprenticeship programs are standard in Europe, they’re harder to find in the United States. Increasing access to programs is a “key challenge,” Wu noted.

She joked that she can easily find five tacquerias close to her with an internet search, but can’t find apprenticeships that way. That’s a big negative in an age where people are used to getting immediate information.

“Particularly outside the union context, there is no clear, transparent marketplace or centralized hub where individuals can find, learn about and even rate registered apprenticeships,” she said.

She suggested that listing available apprenticeships in one location and making it easier to apply would help “expand the breadth” of jobseekers looking to learn about apprenticeship opportunities, as well as help employers by expanding the pool of candidates.

Banding together

Machine Specialties, Inc. (MSI) is a small manufacturing company in North Carolina. Most of the 150 employees are highly trained – but they’re aging.

“This new idea of paying for education and training youth seemed like a good avenue to try and looking into the future could be a way to achieve that pipeline of a skilled workforce that every employer needs,” said Tammy Simmons, vice president of human resources and marketing at MSI.

Rather than going it alone, Simmons worked with other local companies to register and implement youth apprenticeships. They formed the Guilford Apprenticeship Partners (GAP). North Carolina has its own apprenticeship department that assists employers with registering with the U.S. Department of Labor and helps connect them with other companies that are doing similar programs, so the consortium of companies was able to quickly implement the apprenticeship program.

GAP began with six companies, and has grown to include 26 companies offering youth apprenticeships. Tracks now include training for field technicians, HVAC and electricians.

The successful model has been shared with other counties, resulting in two other youth programs from other communities have been launched with success.

Still going strong

While apprenticeships in the technology and insurance industries are fairly new in the U.S., the United Association, a union that represents plumbers, pipefitters, sprinkler fitters, welders, and heating and cooling technicians, has used apprentices since 1889. UA currently has nearly 45,000 apprentices in local programs. Part of the success is due to industry partners.

“Our apprenticeship program works because together we have a joint vested interest in seeing our apprentices receive the education that they need to learn a skill that will enable them to earn a living,” said Chris Haslinger, UA’s director of education and training.

Though the industry has changed, “our apprenticeship model allows us to adapt to what is needed in the industry,” Haslinger said.

State-of-the-art training centers and use of the latest technology, such as virtual and augmented reality, have been incorporated into classes without government funding or at a cost to those attending.

Myth-busting

Despite all the success stories around apprenticeship programs, though, there are still challenges.

Many employers, as Gainer pointed out, still look to the four-year degree as a qualification for employment. But a degree doesn’t necessarily lead to success.

“Grit is an important factor,” The Hartford’s Greenspan said. “If they have that, they don’t need the college degree.”

Participants in The Hartford’s apprenticeship program receive mentoring and training in corporate culture. They’re evaluated with the same metrics as traditional hires.

“At the end of the day, we are not a charity; we’re a business,” Greenspan said.

And an apprenticeship doesn’t necessarily preclude someone from getting a four-year degree, according to Haslinger.

“It’s not an either/or,” he said.

Priorities going forward

Legislators in attendance asked panelists what the federal government could do to help boost apprenticeships. One answer: funding.

Incentivizing apprenticeship programs by offering temporary financial assistance makes it less risky for both the business and the apprentice, Gainer said.

The American Apprenticeship Grant Initiative helped CCC and The Hartford provide tuition assistance for participating students. Tuition can be a barrier to entry for many students.

DeLauro pointed out that the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) program allowed efforts to help people get on the path to economic security to “gain momentum.”

“TAACCCT grants helped us change our direction and our ability,” Nieves said.

That $2 billion program is winding down, though, and it’s unclear what type of funding apprenticeships will receive in the fiscal year 2018 budget.

Another way the government can help: “Enforcing good standards,” Gainer said. Becoming a registered apprenticeship with the federal government should be a sign that a program is high quality.

Helping to raise the profile of apprenticeships is important, too. Gainer suggested that legislators convene meetings with employers in their home districts to talk about implementing apprenticeship programs.

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January 13, 2018 0 Comments Schools in High Point Uncategorized
Groups aim to give High Point schools a unified voice

By Holly West

ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER

HIGH POINT — A group of High Point movers and shakers is starting an effort to raise the profile of local schools and connect them with all the resources the city has to offer.

Matthew Thiel, first vice president of advancements for Wells Fargo Advisors in High Point and one of the group’s organizers, said there are lots of organizations and businesses that have partnerships with one or two schools. The new group hopes to work on bigger picture projects that encompass all 25 Guilford County Schools in High Point.

“If we can be somewhat of an umbrella bringing these pieces together, that’s what we want to do,” Thiel said at an organizational meeting for the group last Wednesday.

The group, which doesn’t yet have a name, is a steering committee of the Guilford Education Alliance. It has four areas of focus: partnerships, marketing and advocacy, strengthening academic programs and facilities improvements.

In addition to starting new initiatives, Thiel said he hopes the group can show people how many good things are already going on in High Point schools.

“The general perception is not as good as it could be,” he said. “I don’t believe it’s fair.”

The committee is piloting its efforts at four schools: Fairview Elementary School, Northwood Elementary School, Ferndale Middle School and High Point Central High School.

Its first project is already on the horizon. Guilford County Schools was recently awarded a grant for a K-8 summer reading camp. However, it needs somewhere to host the camp, and that’s where the steering committee comes in.

Attorney Jim Morgan, a member of the committee, said the project is a good example of how the group can work with Guilford County Schools.

“They have ideas,” he said. “We can make them happen in High Point.”

Multiple GCS officials are on the steering committee and are working with the group on what they call a “shared vision.”

The group is in the process of applying for several grants to kick-start its efforts.

Another item on the top of their agenda is hiring a part-time coordinator who can help handle day-to-day operations.

Committee members stressed that they are not trying to take the place of other groups working in the schools, but to fill in in areas that aren’t being addressed.

Member Rev. Joe Blosser, a trustee of the High Point Community Foundation and the Robert G. Culp Jr. Director of Service Learning at High Point University, said the group wouldn’t, for example, try to replicate the network of support services being mapped by Say Yes Guilford. In fact, two Say Yes leaders are on the committee.

“We’re hoping to say, here are the gaps,” Blosser said. “We want to look at the big picture and advocate for public schools throughout the city.”

As it works on a plan to start achieving its goals, the committee is looking for businesses, nonprofit organizations or individuals who would like to contribute.

Anyone who would like to join the steering committee or start a partnership with local schools should contact Guilford Education Alliance Executive Director Winston McGregor at 336-841-4332.

hwest@hpenews.com | 336-888-3617 | @hollyrwest

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High Point School News
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