The High Point Schools Partnership had the privilege of sitting down and talking with Shayla Savage, principal of Welborn Academy of Science and Technology. Savage has had an impressive 20 years in education that all stemmed from her upbringing in Eastern North Carolina. She moved more locally to attend North Carolina A&T where Savage received undergraduate degrees in social working and special education. She went on to obtain a Master’s degree in School Administration and is currently attending the University of North Carolina Charlotte to earn her Doctorate on the School Superintendent track. Somewhere in the midst of all of this, Savage was married, had two kids, and fully immersed herself in the world of education.  

After moving to the High Point/Greensboro area Savage began teaching and never left. She was a teacher at Ferndale Middle and Weaver High before entering the principal fellowship. From here, Savage was the principal of Union Hill Elementary for 5 years, Assistant Principal at Welborn Academy for 4 ½ years, and is now on her 2nd year as principal of Welborn.

Welborn Academy made headlines when they were awarded the Innovative Partnership Grant and Savage wanted to share more about how those funds were working for her students. Welborn was able to fully fund a full-time nurse and school therapist with grant money to support physical and emotional well-being. These positions lead to the overall goal of the grant money which was to focus their school around Social Emotional Learning, or SEL. The school participates in the Research Triangle Institute Partnership for SEL to best support this goal. As beneficial as this grant has been, Savage says her main goal this year is to focus on the reculture and rebranding of Welborn in light of COVID-19 learning loss. She says Welborn is fortunate to be participating in an online tutoring program with local students to help supplement some of this loss. Though this curriculum-based tutoring program is beneficial for her students, she says that their emotional health cannot be overlooked after these trying years.

Thank you Shayla 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.