Allen Jay Elementary School – Schools In High Point

January 5, 2022 0 Comments Schools in High Point Extraordinary Leaders Allen Jay Elementary School Extraordinary Leader, GCS ..., Guilford County Schools, High Point Schools Partnership, HPSP,

Extraordinary Leader: Carla Flores-Ballesteros

The High Point Schools Partnership had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Carla Flores-Ballesteros, principal of Allen Jay Elementary School. Originally from Mexico City, Flores-Ballesteros attended the Modern American School before moving to Kentucky. Once in the United States, she finished High School at Paducah Tilghman. From here, she attended Murray State University for 2 years before moving back to Mexico. Here, she attended Universidad Ibero Americana and began teaching ESL. Flores-Ballesteros landed in North Carolina after her husband was relocated here for work. Once in NC, she attended Greensboro College and focused on Spanish in the K-12 classroom.

In the classroom, Flores-Ballesteros taught Spanish immersion for 10 years at Jones Elementary School. She focused on mainly math, spending half of her years in 3rd and the other half in 4th grade. At this school, her focus was Spanish Immersion but she also provided support for the students on the traditional side. followed her students to their other classes to support them in English as well. From here, Flores-Ballesteros became a Principal Fellow and obtained her Masters in School Administration, as well as her Education Specialist Degree, from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She became an administrative intern at Grimsley High School, assistant principal at Western Guilford Middle before coming to Allen Jay Elementary in 2017. She is currently working on her Doctorate of Education.

Flores-Ballesteros has received a great deal of recognition for her work at Allen Jay. She had been nominated for Principal of the Year every year in her four full years at the school. Three of those years she was a finalist and this year she won Elementary Principal of the Year.

When asked about the successes of her school, Flores-Ballesteros was excited to share some details about Allen Jay’s two dual-language programs. These programs started about four years ago and have prospered under her leadership. In the first dual-language immersion program offered in Spanish, students receive half of their instructional time in English and the other half in Spanish. This is an opt-in program so it is open to any student in Allen Jay’s district who wishes to participate. Both native speakers of English and Spanish are encouraged to join. This group of diverse students allows for them to learn the target language from one another. The school also offers the same model as the Urdu language, the national language of Pakistan.

The Urdu program is not just meaningful to the Allen Jay family, it has received national recognition. They are the only school in the country to offer a program of this nature. School personnel has also presented at national conferences to demonstrate their co-teaching model. Allen Jay utilizes the 3L program for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to support their English Language Learners. This program implements a push-in model (where the ESL teacher comes into the general education classroom) during Language Arts times. The program also builds off of the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) curriculum in lower grades and the American Reading Company (ARC) curriculum in upper grades to support the students in grade-level content.

Flores-Ballesteros also wanted to highlight the diversity she sees as a great strength in her school. Allen Jay is one of the most diverse in the county and that has created a close-knit school community. Staff enjoy working with one another and stay at Allen Jay as long as they can. The relationship among school personnel shows when they work together to meet the needs in the community. To support not just their students, but their families as well, all materials sent out from the school are translated into Spanish, English, and Urdu. These models of inclusion and accessibility have secured Allen Jay as a beloved neighborhood school.

Thank you Carla for sitting down and talking with us. We look forward to continuing to talk with and highlight different High Point principals and all the good going on at their school.

September 13, 2021 0 Comments Schools in High Point Extraordinary Educators Allen Jay Elementary School Extraordinary Educators, GCS ..., Guilford County Schools, High Point Schools Partnership, HPSP,

Extraordinary Educator: Florence Joyner

Florence Joyner, Allen Jay Elementary School, awarded High Point Extraordinary Educator by the High Point School Schools Partnership at High Point Country Club, High Point, N.C., Friday, August 20, 2021. (Lynn Hey photo)

2021 Extraordinary Educators: Florence Joyner

Great communities have great schools. High Point Schools Partnership creates impactful connections between our schools and the wider community to ensure students and their families are supported and can reach their full potential in High Point schools.

Part of High Point Schools Partnerships’ mission is to improve the image of our schools through storytelling. Who better to tell the stories of High Point’s schools than the people experiencing it first-hand? In this series of eight articles, we will highlight our 2021 High Point Extraordinary Educators as we dive deeper into what keeps them motivated in the face of constant challenges.

Florence Joyner

Florence Joyner has worked at Allen Jay Elementary School for the last 4 years.

Carla Flores-Ballesteros, Allen Jay Elementary School’s principal, nominated Ms. Florence Joyner as AJE’s 2021 Extraordinary Educator because Joyner “closely collaborates with the classroom teachers to provide systems of support for her students and to personalize learning for them.”

Ms. Joyner’s students “consistently meet or exceed expected growth from the beginning to the end of the school year” and she “communicates with parents effectively and provides resources to help them support their students.”

Ms. Joyner wants her students and families to know that this level of achievement is only possible when working together “as a team.” Ms. Joyner points out that as a team, there is “a shared goal and a shared commitment of giving seeds of knowledge, curiosity, encouragement, love, nurturement, and advocacy for our scholars,” which is truly what makes them thrive. It takes a whole village to raise our children, not just our educators.

Q: What inspired you to become an educator?

A: I was inspired to be an educator when I was reflecting on myself as a student. I wasn’t the brightest student, I was so afraid of asking questions and even speaking in class. So, as a student, I struggled. I wanted to become that voice for students who oftentimes (though unintentionally) get overlooked. I wanted to make sure students with disabilities knew that they too, can learn. I wanted to be that voice of encouragement and I wanted to be an advocate.

Q: What’s your teaching/leadership style?

A: As an EC Teacher, I am flexible in my teaching style. I am also very reflective. I find that I must be a reflective teacher in order to figure out new ways to teach my students. My students learn on different levels and have different abilities. As their EC Teacher, it is my duty to develop ways to teach them where they are and present them with realistic challenges and goals to allow them to grow academically, mentally, and emotionally. I also assure them that I am with them every step of the way.

Q: Do you have a classroom motto or philosophy you abide by? Why?

A: A quote that has stuck with me is “Every child deserves a champion–an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they be the best that they can possibly be.” This quote speaks volumes to an EC Teacher, as sometimes students with learning disabilities get discouraged and don’t realize their potential. Students need to know that even on their “not so good” days, their teacher is not going to give up on them. As an educator, I will continue to push and encourage my students to reach the next level. Having a true connection with students is important. With an established connection, they will begin to understand that when we insist on presenting them with challenges, it’s for them to grow and flourish.

Q: What’s your favorite part about every day?

A: I would have to say the best part of my day is when I get to witness student growth. Whether it’s academically, behaviorally, emotionally, or even when I get the pleasure of seeing my student ask questions about what they have read, or express curiosity about a topic discussed in class, it shows me that they are reflecting and wanting to learn more.

Q: What’s your most memorable moment as an educator?

A: I have many memorable moments as an educator, but one type of moment sticks out. It’s really several moments rolled into one. It would be the pride and excitement I see on my student’s faces when they earn an award with their non-disabled peers. Whether it’s A/B Honor Roll or Classroom Reading Awards, the look of achievement on their faces is simply priceless.

Ms. Florence Joyner says Allen Jay Elementary School is “a very diverse school” that “feels like a family.” Everyone works together as a team to put the needs of their scholars first and ensure students thrive as lifelong learners. She finds her students and the community-focused atmosphere of Allen Jay Elementary is what truly makes her stay even in the face of challenges.

Thank you so much to Florence Joyner for your dedication to High Point’s students. Congratulations on being selected as your school’s 2021 Extraordinary Educator!

To find out more about High Point Schools Partnership and our work, please visit our Facebook page and check out our page on Guilford Education Alliance’s website.

Article written by High Point Schools Partnership Staff

Select Your Criteria Below to Find Your Perfect School

High Point School News