W SPA cheerleaders prepare to pump-up the crowd. Photo* b\ Todd Luck WSPA celebrates in-class successes with pep rally BY TODD I I CK I HI ( MROMC I I __ W in st on -Salem Preparatory Academy (W'SPA) held a loud and lively pep rally last Friday to celebrate the school's victo ries - in the classroom, not on the athletic field. WSPA is a magnet school for grades h-12 that special izes in getting students ready for college. A small school with a mostly African American student bod\ of only 475. WSPA has had a lot to he proud of as of late, according to Principal Richard Watts, who is proud that his school has had the county s highest graduation rate for the last three years. While the average gradu ation rate in Forsyth County is 76:9 percent. WSPA'* rate is 94.5 percent. For the last iwo years. WSPA has also met all of its Adequate Yearly Progress goals for No Child Left Behind and has become a School of Progress under the state's ABCs of Public Education. Watts said the pep rally was held to remind students of last school year's success es and challenge them to do even better this year "I think teachers ha\e a strong vision of what they want to do with the kids, I think students, for the most part, understand why they're here.'' he said "You've got every body on the same page, going the same direction ( then ) the goal is attainable." District Court Judge Denise Hartsfteld was the rally's speaker. WSPA is located in the building of the original Atkins High School, where Hartsfield and many other notables like Togo West Jr.. the former I S. Secretary of Veterans Ml airs . attended high school. She told WSPA stu dcp.tv fh'\\ are ^ on haltowed ground. "(It's) ground thai has been treaded before by peo ple who look like \ou. b\ people who ha\e gone on to he giants in this community and in this world." said Hartsfield. Though aca demics were being celebrated, all the elements of a traditional pep rails were featured, including cheer leaders. who performed before tossing t-shirt pri/es into the crowd of students gathered in the school's gymnasium. A math relay that tested student's algebra skills and a contest featuring questions from the student handbook were also incorpo rated into the event. Students responded enthusiastically as Walts asked them to repeat their goals for this academic vear with him. Junior Jaran Foster, 17, said that the tvpe of enthusi asm displayed at the event isn't unusual at WSPA aca demic rallies, which can be even more boisterous than rallies held for sporting events. "More people are M atts and hasn't been disappointed "(I like) the small classroom, the attention you get from the teach ers (and) the good relationships you have with people," he said. At the end of the rally, students marched outside to release balloons that had index cards attached to them. On the cards, the stu dents wrote down their aca demic goals. Watt said the school's collective goal is to achieve K5 percent proficiency on the ABCs. which measures End of Grade and End of Course results. Reachihg that goal would give WSPA the lofty title of "School of Excellence." Last year WSPA. had the count) 's second biggest increase in reading and math proficiency, increasing 16.7 percent to 62.1 percent. Watts said that the school's small class si/es. with a 1 2 -to- 1 student to teacher ratio, along with the hard work of students and staff, has turned the school's The Chronicle (l/SPS 067-910) vus established b\ Ernest H.' Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is published every Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing Co. Inc.. 61/ N. Liberty Street. Winston-Salem. N.C. 27101. Penodicals postage paid at Winston-Salem. N.C. Annual subscription price is $30.7*. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Chronicle. P.O. Box 1636 Winston-Salem. NC 27102-1636 Students ready their balloons for launch. H SPA studenls Jaran Foster and Greg McClinton. w tool Students hold signs touting their school's academic accom plishments. involved; everybody doesn't play sports." said Foster. "With academics, every body's involved." Sophomore Greg \! numbers around. He also said that WSPA. which only offers honors and Advanced Placement cours es to high school students, has a successful Saturday Academy and after school tutoring available to help students who fall behind. News Clips Jaycees plan 'Farm' fundraiser for The Children's Home The Winston-Salem Jaycees will present its 4th Annual Fun on the Farm from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 22 at The Children's Home. 1001 Reynolda Road. The event benefits The Children's Home of Winston-Salem. Festivities will include live music by Vel Indica. hayndes. a bonfire to roast smores, a silent auction, corn hole and food fresh off the grill. In case of rain, there is an indoor location located at The Children's Home. "The Children's Home represents many years of community service from com mitted individuals working toward fulfilling needs of underprivileged children in Winston-Salem." said Winston-Salem Jaycees' President Suzanne Ferguson. "Fun on the Farm is the Winston-Salem Jaycees' way of contributing to the historic institution of The Children's Home as it evolves to meet the needs of today and the future." Tickets are $5 for children ages four to 12; $10 for adults; free for children three and under. Advanced tickets may be purchased at the fol lowing web site www.funonthefarm.info. Cash, checks and credit cards will be accepted the day of the event. Community Roots Day volunteers needed The Community Appearance Commission, Keep Winston-Salem Beautiful, and the City of Winston-Salem are seeking volunteers to help plant almost 400 trees in the Happy Hill neighborhood on Saturday, Oct. 23, during the 18th annual Community Roots Day. Volunteers are needed from 9 a m to noon. The first 250 volunteers will receive free t-shirts and hats and all volunteers get a free lunch. Volunteers will meet at 9 a.m. at the William C. Sims Sr. Neighborhood Recreation Center, 1 20 1 Alder St. To sign up or for more information, go to www.kwsb.cityofws.org or call City Link at 336-727 8000. School system receives federal dollars Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will receive $19.6 million over the next five years as a grant from the federal Teacher Incentive Fund, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced recently. The school system will use the money to support its locally developed STAR3 program. The program, which stands for School Transformation by Actively Recruiting, Retaining and Rewarding, will provide a combination of incentive pay. coaching, instructional support and professional development for up to 16 schools. "Our student* will be the beneficiary of this wonder ful opportunity," Superintendent Don Martin said. "There are so many factors that affect student achievement, and now we can test whether incentive pay, coupled with additional professional support for teachers , will increase student per formance as compared to an across the board pay increase Dr. Martin with addi tional professional support. We have worked with national evaluators Mathematica Policy Research on another project and have great respect for the expertise that they bring to this project." The Teacher Incentive Fund began in 2006 as a way to support projects that develop and implement per formance-based compensa tion systems for teachers, principals and other person nel to increase educator effectiveness and student achievement. The STAR3 program includes incentives such as $10,000 signing bonuses to attract outstanding teachers in the hard-to-fill subject areas of math, science. English as a second lan guage. and exceptional chil dren. The school system is specifically recruiting teach ers who have met specific criteria related to improve ment in student test scores. | Exercise your muscles and your heart. Join the Y. Marry (pictured) 15 available for adoption ' Donate 10 lbs of dog or cat food and get up to $50 off the joining fee.* Donations benefit the AmMeals program, delivering food to families in need and enabling them to keep their furry friends. 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