Extraordinary Leaders – Schools In High Point

January 19, 2022 0 Comments Schools in High Point Extraordinary Leaders Extraordinary Leader Florence Elementary School, GCS ..., Guilford County Schools, High Point Schools Partnership, HPSP,

Extraordinary Leader: Chiyanna Young

The High Point Schools Partnership had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Chiyanna Young, principal of Florence Elementary School. Young received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in School Counselling from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She was a school counselor from 1999 to 2015 during school she spent most of her career in High Point at the elementary level. Young has served a year at Dudley High School, a year at Cone elementary as well as working at Montlieu and Shadybrook elementary. After her time as a school counselor, Young obtained her second Master’s degree from High Point University in Educational Leadership.

During her time as an administrator, Young served as the assistant principal of Penn Griffin, Ferndale Middle, and Florence Elementary before becoming the principal of Florence in 2018. She is currently at the University of North Carolina to earn her Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Young loves working at the elementary level because of the staff and the general joy surrounding the age group she works with.

When asked about programs she wanted to highlight, Young was very proud to discuss the revitalization of their PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) program. Based on reinforcing good behavior, students can earn “Cowboy Bucks” to spend at their PBIS prize cart at the end of the month. Students can buy different prizes at different prices to encourage good behavior on any scale. Florence uses the acronym GREAT [Goal-driven, Respectual, Exceptional, Accepting of others, Trusting] to guide its students’ behavior goals. Young mentioned one of her favorite prizes through this program was a Kona Ice day where the truck came on campus to encourage students. The prizes for this program are provided through grants and PTA support.

Recently, Young has been very focused on staff mental health. She decided to replace certain staff meetings with “Wellness Days” where teachers can either walk on the track or do yoga at the school. Young also mentioned that every month there is some staff incentive (such as free lunch or missing a duty) to keep staff motivated. Young emphasized how much stress her staff is under during these challenging times so she wanted to do whatever she could to help her teachers continue to be their best.

Thank you Chiyanna 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.

January 12, 2022 0 Comments Schools in High Point Extraordinary Leaders Extraordinary Leader GCS, Guilford County Schools ..., High Point Schools Partnership, HPSP, Oak View Elementary School,

Extraordinary Leader: Bennie Bradley

The High Point Schools Partnership had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Bennie Bradley, the new principal of Oak View Elementary School. Bradley graduated from the Nurnberg American High School, a Department of Defense school, before attending the University of South Carolina. It was here that he obtained his undergraduate degree in Marketing and Management. Bradley came to the Greensboro area after an advisor at his alma mater encouraged him to move there. Once in the area, he worked at Staples as a traveling sales and operations manager.

Bradley ended up in a stationary position at Staples located in High Point. The managers at this branch were involved with a program called Reading is Fundamental. It was this program that first brought Bradley into schools when he was paired with Fairview Elementary to read with students. From here, he was encouraged to pursue a career in education. He was brought in as a long-term substitute teacher to Fairview before being recruited by Otis L. Hairston Sr. Middle School where he was a business teacher for 8 years. Bradley then went on to teach at Ben L. Smith High School for one year. In this year he was also their Teacher of the Year. It was the principal at Smith that encouraged Bradley to become a principal.

Starting at the Piedmont Triad Leadership Academy, Bradley was an admin intern for a year at Cone Elementary. After a job became available at Southwest Middle School he became an Assistant Principal there for 5 years before becoming the principal at Guilford Preparatory Academy. During this time, Bradley also served as the head coach for the High Point Blaze Track Club (an AAU youth track and field organization) for 11 years. Through this team, students gained scholarships for higher education as well as trained for the Junior Olympics.

Bradley came into his principalship with the mission of asking “what can we do to serve our community?” It was this question that led him to form a partnership with Oak View Baptist Church. Recently Bradley was joined by Oak View Elementary staff and their families to the church to help make Samaritan Packages and collect shampoo bottles for a women prisoners group. Bradley is eager to continue nurturing this mutual partnership.

Oak View Elementary is also proud of its Pre-K program. They have both Exceptional Children (EC) and general education classrooms. Bradley had the opportunity to visit a classroom the other week where the students were making lemonade as a part of their science unit. The teachers in their preschool classrooms come up with creative ways to engage their students in the learning material. These activities include inviting the High Point Fire Department during Fire Safety Month and painting pumpkins during the fall. There is a focus on creative play throughout the year to involve students in a number of productive skills.

The final program that Bradley wanted to highlight was a student club focused on the “Battle of the Books” activity led by Ramon Martinez (Oak View’s Media Specialist). Students in elementary and middle school get to focus on the books that they are required to read for this competition; they must be prepared to answer questions regarding this text. Bradley is so excited for this opportunity to extend students’ learning that he pledged to read all of the books the students read.

Thank you Bennie 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.

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.

December 29, 2021 0 Comments Schools in High Point Extraordinary Leaders Extraordinary Leader GCS, Guilford County Schools ..., High Point Schools Partnership, HPSP, The Middle College at GTCC High Point,

Extraordinary Leader: Angela Polk-Jones

The High Point Schools Partnership had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Angela Polk-Jones, principal of The Middle College at GTCC – High Point. Ms. Polk-Jones comes from a single-parent home and grew up in the projects of Greensboro as the youngest of 7 children. As a result, she can relate to many of her students that come from similar backgrounds. The love and support from her mom and siblings empowered her to attend the University of North Carolina at Greensboro-UNCG to major in Elementary Education and minor in Childhood Development. However, academics was not Angela’s only focus because she also played basketball for the Spartans. In addition to going to the Final Four her junior year, she was a Kodak All-America player and held UNCG’s highest-scoring record for both men and women for numerous years. She is in three Hall- of- Fames and was selected as one of North Carolina’s Top 100 Female Athletes of All Time

Upon graduation from UNCG, Ms. Polk-Jones went on to teach and coach for eight years as a 4th Grade teacher at Millis Road Elementary and head girls’ basketball coach at Grimsley High School, her alma mater. For two and a half years she left GCS to become an Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at UNCG but realizing where her passion was, Ms. Polk-Jones resumed her role as a teacher in GCS and spent the next five years as a Special Education teacher at Bluford Elementary School. She then returned to UNCG to begin her Master of School Administration before becoming an Assistant Principal at Eastern Guilford Middle School for two years. She was also the Assistant Principal at Aycock, now Swann, Middle School for four and a half years. From there, she was hired as the inaugural principal to start the MC at UNCG where she was principal for almost eight years and earned numerous accolades for the school, including the only high school in the country to earn a Gold Level recognition as one of America’s Best Urban Schools from the National Center for Urban Schools Transformation. Before taking over the helm of the MC at GTCC HP, she was principal at the Early College at Guilford for almost two years and is currently entering her 2nd year as principal of the Lions.

Ms. Polk-Jones encourages pride in her students with a focus on college, career, and life readiness. She believes in getting to know the stories of her students in order to help them see their full potential. She also believes in bringing all stakeholders together to give students real-world experiences by creating opportunities through shadowing, internships, and clubs; such as the Arts, Robotics, Writing, Career Exploration, Cultural Diversity, Fitness and so much more. Students get to choose what they want to participate in and the benefits go far beyond book knowledge.

The same success that Ms. Polk-Jones has experienced in athletics, is the same level of success she strives to instill in her students and staff as an educator. Winning is an attitude that Ms. Polk-Jones brings to the table whether she is on the court or in the classroom. It’s always “Game Time”!

Thank you Angela 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.

December 22, 2021 0 Comments Schools in High Point Extraordinary Leaders Extraordinary Leader Fairview Elementary School, GCS ..., Guilford County Schools, High Point Schools Partnership, HPSP,

Extraordinary Leader: Abe Hege

The High Point Schools Partnership had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Abe Hege, principal of Fairview Elementary School. Hege has spent all 14 of his years in education as a member of Guilford County Schools. Before becoming a principal he taught for 6 ½ years in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade at Welborn, Swan, Southeast, and Allen Jay Prep. He became the Dean of Allen Jay prep for a year and a half before becoming the assistant principal of Fairview for 10 months. After this, Hege became the principal of Fairview, where he is starting his 4th year. During this time Hege coached girls basketball for 7 years.

Originally from Charlotte, Hege began his educational journey at Central Piedmont Community College before transferring to the University of North Carolina Greensboro where he graduated with a degree in English. Due to this fact, Hege was a lateral entry teacher (someone who didn’t graduate with a degree in education) through the GCS ACT program. Hege went on to earn his Master’s in School Administration from Gardner-Webb University.

Hege shows a great sense of pride whenever he talks about Fairview. He discusses this community as a “growth school” with an “opportunity culture”. Hege says that he is fortunate to have multi-classroom leaders who highlight effective and qualified teacher-coaches who help the leaders of the school. Fairview recently received the Innovative Partnership Grant (IPG), they are planning to use the money to infuse STEAM (Science. Technology. Engineering, Arts. Math) in all aspects of K-5 education. This money will also be used for teacher training and parent involvement. Hege emphasized that this is all under the umbrella of a neighborhood school; Fairview is a public school as opposed to magnet schools that have a STEAM focus.

Fairview has seen great success with teacher retention in the past year with 90% of their teachers returning this year. Hege believes that this shows both teachers’ positive feelings towards the school and towards their students. He also pointed to the incredible skills of his staff that brought them to 3rd place in relation to other restart programs. Hege is expecting significant gains coming this year as all of his teachers are licensed and qualified.

Hege also wanted to highlight the changing culture of Fairview. From a student behavior standpoint, there were 30 behavior referrals in 2019 as opposed to 491 in 2015 and 4 Out of School Suspensions in 2019 as opposed to 95 in 2015. He says this is done through connecting with kids and pointing to his teachers as the leaders in this. Hege also highlighted that the first parent group was started under his administration. He deemed this the “Fairview Association” so parents wouldn’t have to pay a fee to participate, a practice that often excludes many parents from getting involved in schools.

Fairview is a 1-1 technology school that includes all students. Beyond this, the school has been undergoing a major change to ensure its learning spaces are conducive to 21st-century learning. This includes brand new furniture and dry erase tables for all 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade students, bought with a grant from the High Point Community Foundation.

Thank you Abe 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.

December 15, 2021 0 Comments Schools in High Point Extraordinary Leaders Extraordinary Leader GCS, Guilford County Schools ..., High Point Schools Partnership, HPSP, Montlieu Academy of Technology,

Extraordinary Leader: Kimberly Scott

The High Point Schools Partnership had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Kimberly Scott, principal of Montlieu Academy of Technology. Scott is originally from D.C but moved to the triad for school. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro before continuing on to Greensboro College to receive a Masters in Elementary Education and then High Point University to receive a Masters in Educational Leadership. From here she went on to become a High School biology teacher before following her assistant principal to Montlieu where she has been for the past 15 years. While at Montlieu, Scott has served as a science coach, magnet coordinator, Assistant Principal, and now principal where she is entering her 7th year.

When asked about the great programs going on at Montlieu, Scott told us about their STEM (Science.Technology.Engineering.Math) Lab. This lab is mainly run by their magnet coordinator. Students can enjoy such activities as engineering, robotics, and coding class while engaged in this space.

Another area that Scott wanted to share with the community was their Monthly Character Breakfasts. This event is designed to celebrate students who go above and beyond in their daily expectations. A great celebration that has been limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scott still wanted her students’ to be properly celebrated so she informed us that these events will begin to be streamed to family members. Scott also wanted to highlight the many community partners that make this event possible. This great celebration comes at no cost to the school as community partners donate all that the students need.

Thank you Kimberly 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.

December 8, 2021 0 Comments Schools in High Point Extraordinary Leaders Extraordinary Leader GCS, Guilford County Schools ..., High Point Schools Partnership, HPSP, Parkview Village Elementary School,

Extraordinary Leader: Crystal Gaymon

The High Point Schools Partnership had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Dr. Crystal Gaymon, principal of Parkview Village Elementary. Gaymon is originally from Thomasville, NC. She is a North Carolina A&T graduate with a Bachelors’s and Master’s degree in Elementary Education. She attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she received her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations in 2017. Gaymon taught 1st and 2nd grade for 6 years at Falkener Elementary and served as a curriculum facilitator for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools for 4 years. After this she was Assistant Principal of Irving Park for 6 years before becoming the principal of Parkview in 2017; this is her 5th year at this school. All of this rounds out to be an impressive 21 years in education.

Outside of school, Gaymon spends time with her two children. One daughter is 23 and is working on her Master’s of Business Administration. Her other child is 8 years old and a current 3rd grader. They enjoy puzzles, fishing, crafts; all of which allow for soothing thought time to get lost and decompress.

When asked about what she was proud of, Gaymon pointed to her Arts Department. They are working on a Fall Magnet Performance that is coming up in December. This department has had to get very creative with the ways they put on this performance. Parkview Village Elementary is an Expressive Arts Magnet School so projects like this are very important to students.

Thank you Crystal 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.

December 1, 2021 0 Comments Schools in High Point Extraordinary Leaders Extraordinary Leader GCS, Guilford County Schools ..., High Point Schools Partnership, HPSP, Shadybrook Elementary School,

Extraordinary Leader: Kendrick Alston

The High Point Schools Partnership had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Kendrick Alston, principal of Shadybrook Elementary School. In his second year with Guilford County Schools, Dr. Alston is eager to learn about all our city has to offer. He served 13 years in his previous district, 5 of those years were spent teaching in a Title 1 school with a 97% poverty rate. Dr. Alston has taught as a 5th-grade math teacher and has served as Assistant Principal in a Title I/High Needs/3rd-5th grade school. His principal experience before Shadybrook includes serving in a Prek-5th and Prek-2nd elementary school. During the 2020-2021 school year, Dr. Alston served as one of the Assistant Principals at Allen Middle School here in GCS.

Though Dr. Alston has worked in a number of challenging environments, he has left each with an unwavering belief that, regardless of student background, all students can learn through quality instruction. As a new member of the Shadybrook staff and community, Dr. Alston feels that it is important to learn about the history of this great school and community, while also looking forward to embracing the evolution of our school and community dynamics. This belief inspired his goal of learning about his community to understand what resources are available for the students and families.

Alston told us about so many great projects and goals that have been circulating the halls of Shadybrook. The first was a book club for 4th-grade transitional students. This is a chance for students to get more practice reading books that are of interest to them in a safe and encouraging space. Dr. Alston shared a goal he has been prioritizing that focuses on consistent language and frameworks between grades. During their “SOAR” time, students across grade levels will be engaged in different focus areas. These include teacher groups, independent reading/writing, vocabulary development, and access to technology instructional resources. Dr. Alston and the staff will be working collaboratively to identify ways that the school can continue to align best practices across all grade levels for the betterment of all students. In addition to these efforts, Dr. Alston told us how a tutor position paid for by Title I funds, will now serve as an Early Learning Interventionists and provide small-group intense help to ensure all students progress together.

Thank you Kendrick 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.

November 24, 2021 0 Comments Schools in High Point Extraordinary Leaders Extraordinary Leader GCS, Guilford County Schools ..., High Point Schools Partnership, HPSP, Triangle Lake Montessori,

Extraordinary Leader: Pamela Ford

The High Point Schools Partnership had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Dr. Pamela Ford, principal of Triangle Lake Montessori. An Alamance County native, Ford received all four of her degrees in Education-related fields. She received her undergraduate and one of her master’s degrees from North Carolina A&T and her other master’s degrees and doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Ford has had a decorated 26 years in education serving students as a teacher, technology facilitator, curriculum facilitator, Assistant Principal, and now Principal both at the Elementary and Middle school level.

Ford is passionate about the idea of education saving lives. She believes that school should be a safe and positive environment for all students; it can give them a different look on life. Ford believes in accepting students as they are and helping them reach their full potential, much like her students did for her. She wants all of her students to know they have a place in her school.

When asked about great things going on in her school, Ford pointed right to her media specialist, and HPSP Extraordinary Educator, Janita Jackson. Jackson has been instrumental in the student engagement surrounding their “Maker Lab”; this is a part computer lab and part maker space. Jackson is also spearheading a virtual book fair where adults can use a custom e-wallet to purchase books for their students. Ford also mentioned their annual literacy night will now be a drive-through maze for students to enjoy. Jackson was also responsible for helping to secure and utilize grants from the High Point Community Foundation and ESSER Funds.

In addition to these great projects surrounding literacy, Ford also mentioned their new outdoor classroom space. She is hopeful that this will provide a positive learning environment and space for outside guests to come in and share safely. In addition, Ford highlighted Triangle Lake’s involvement in Go Far.

Thank you Pamela 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.

November 17, 2021 0 Comments Schools in High Point Extraordinary Leaders Extraordinary Leader GCS, Guilford County Schools ..., High Point Schools Partnership, HPSP, Kirkman Park Elementary School,

Extraordinary Leader: Jamal Crawford

The High Point Schools Partnership had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Dr. Jamal Crawford, principal of Kirkman Park Elementary School. Crawford is a Boston-Native who, after living abroad in Japan while serving in the Air Force and spending a year in Texas, found his way to the South and decided to stay. He moved to Charlotte at the start of high school and continued on in the Queen City receiving all three of his degrees at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. This is Crawford’s 21st year in Education and his 16th year as a building-level principal. He has taught at the high school level in Charlotte, served as an assistant principal for 5 years, and is currently in his 9th year at Kirkman Park.

Crawford, like many other principals in Title I schools, has had to adjust to major budget cuts. Kirkman Park lost over $17,000 in its annual budget and had to continue serving students with the reduced funds. Crawford decided to use a large portion of the Title I budget he did have to hire a Parent Coordinator who works alongside Communities in Schools. Their goal is to increase family engagement school-wide. This position works with the Parent Teacher Organization and writes grants to support students and teachers. In the short life of this position, Kirkman Park has already received grants to supplement their clothing closet as well as funds for a library replacement project.

Another area that Crawford was happy to highlight was Kirkman Park’s Spanish-immersion Program. This program will be further supported and developed by the upcoming SMART school bond. The local school system is looking into expanding this program to local middle and high schools so students can stay in High Point and receive this unique learning experience.

In addition to this program, the teachers of this school have proposed a school-wide book read. They will be reading The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies. Supporting this project is the wonderfully supportive librarian that serves the students of Kirkman Park. Librarian, Mary Nifong, also engages students by introducing kids to coding, 3D printing, and their “Maker Space” activity center.

Thank you Jamal 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.

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