WS Prep
frompmfcAl
"There's a lot of history
in that building and we
' want to respect that histo
ry," said Helms. "I think
partly because we were
working on this thing in the
summer, we haven't heard
very much. We're really
interested in hearing what
the community where it's
at has to say, whether it be
positive or negative, we
want to hear it."
WSPA was started in
2004 by a partnership of
the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, WS/FC
Schools and WSSU to cre
ate a small school for first
generation college stu
dents. It currently has 450
students in grades 6-12.
Watts said on test scores,
the school is not meeting
proficiency and didn't meet
growth for the first time
last year. Changes are
being implemented to help
with that, such as a daily
reading seminar, teaching
students how to be better
note-takers and implement
ing well-designed lesson
plans.
But test scores aren't
the only way to measure
success. Walking through
the hallway, one can see the
graduation rates for each
school year proudly dis
played. It was 87.2 percent
for the 2015 graduating
class. It's typically been
above 90 percent and was
100 percent in 2012.
Also, along the halls is
another way the school
measures its success:
home-made college pen
nants with the names of
WSPA graduates who were
accepted into those col
leges. Watts said 80 percent
of WSPA students make it
into college.
"I hear parents coming
back and sharing with us
that 'if it wasn't for this
school my child would not
have gotten into college,'"
he said.
The school's building
was first opened in 1931 as
Atkins High School. It was
one of four black high
schools during segregation
in Winston-Salem. Notable
Atkins graduates include
former Secretary of
Veterans Affairs Togo
West. The building housed
Atkins Middle School after
the high school closed due
to integration, and the
Atkins name now lives on
in the Atkins Academic and
Technology Magnet School
on Old Greensboro Road.
Many still associate the
building with the old
Atkins, especially Atkins
alumni like Annett Wilson,
who chairs the reunion
steering committee for the
Atkins Class of '71, the old
Atkins' final graduating
class.
"It's the pride of the
African-American commu
nity, especially those of us
who attended, just because
of the legacy education, as
well as the' teachers who
cared about us and nurtured
us," she said.
Wilson has mixed feel
ings about the discussions
to move WSPA. She said it
would benefit the students,
but she would lament the
building no longer housing
a high school. Her class
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actively supports WSPA
with monetary donations,
giving a dependability
award to a student at grad
uation and recently holding
a fundraising golf tourna
ment in partnership with
the school. She said if
WSPA moved, she's unsure
which school the class
would support, but said it's
possible the alumni might
stick with WSPA if the
school still had a need.
There are currently four
versions of the school bond
before the school board,
ranging from $552 million
to $268 million. Helm said
the board will likely chose
projects from the different
options for the final bond.
The moves for WSPA
and Hanes are among the
priority projects that are in
all versions of the bond.
Other priority projects
include new schools for
Konnoak Elementary and
Lowrance (which would be
on the campus of Paisley
IB Magnet School),
improvements for Mount
Tabor's stadium, renova-.
tions for Kennedy High
School and a new middle
school at a yet to be deter
mined site to relieve over
crowded middle schools.
The school board will
be getting feedback from
the public this fall and will
hold bond forums in
January or February after
narrowing bond projects
into one list. Helm said the
goal was to present the
final approved bond to the
Forsyth County
Commissioners in April to
be placed on the 2016 bal
lot.
_j . m m"iii
Photos by Teven Sicnsen
Over 100 young boys signed up for the Male Mentoring Program during the
Citywide Community Day on Saturday, Sept. 12.
Program
from page A1
health and dental screen
ing.
The Rev. Lamonte
Williams, pastor of Diggs
Memorial Church, is the
director of the local My
Brother's Keeper Project.
Williams said it is impor
tant that we take care of our
youth because they are our
future.
"We are all invested in
our youth one way or
another," said Williams.
"They are the future, so it's
important the we turn the
narrative around for young
black men in this country.
The numbers show that
they are at a disadvantage,
and we want to change
that."
Williams said he
became the director of the
project because he had
been having a similar men
toring program at Diggs
Memorial since 2010.
"At my church, we had
a similar mentoring pro
gram, so when President
Obama made the
announcement of the initia
tive, it made sense that I
would step into the leader
ship role because I had
already been working on
something similar."
Williams and the
Minsters' Conference
believe that no matter who
you are, what you look
like, where you come from.
what your circumstances
are, if you work hard and
take responsibility, then
America is a place
where you can
make something
out of your life.
Jasmine Clark
of Winston-Salem
said she is glad the
initiative was
launched because it
can help her son ?
one day reach his I
goal of going to I
college.
"It's always
good to see programs like
this, especially for young
black males," said Clark.
"We need more programs
like this one. If we don't
help our boys, nobody
will."
During the Community
Day, young boys could reg
ister for the My Brother's
Keeper male mentoring
program and talk to differ
ent mentoring agencies in
the city.
Williams said he is
grateful for school superin
tendent Dr. Beverly Emory
for all she has done in sup
port of the My Brother's
Keeper project. According
to Williams, Emory
encouraged
assistant princi
pals and coun
selors at local
schools to help
register males
for the program.
A number of
assistant princi
pals attended
the Community
Day and are
working with
school coun
selors to see which students
should register for the pro
gram.
"We know we had over
100 boys to register on
Saturday," said Williams.
"We are still getting calls
today from local schools
and a number of people
who are interested in the
program.
For more information
on the My Brother's Keeper
male mentoring program,
contact Williams at 336
528-4570 or 336-724
3060.
Williams
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