Construction of new Lowrance school,
other bond projects to start in 2017
'
Watts
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
County bonds projects
will begin next year with
the construction of a new
Lowrance Middle School
and replacements for two
other schools.
In November, voters
ratified a $350 million
school bond, a $65 million
Forsyth Technical
Cpmmunity College bond
and $15 million county
parks bond. The county
will issue its first allocation
of $1073 million for bonds
to be used next year, with
more allocations to come
over the next eight years.
"It really is a decade
commitment to improve
schools," said County
Manager Dudley Watts in a
county briefing last week.
Many education proj
ects begin next year. One
will be a new school for
Lowrance, which made
headlines in 2015 when
concerns over pollution at
its former site caused both
it and Hanes Middle to
relocate. The school is cur
rently located at Atkins
Academic and Technology
High School, but was in
need of a new building
before the toxicity scare.
The new Lowrance will
be built on the campus of
Paisley IB Magnet School,
which will also have a
replacement school there
that'll break ground next
year and increase the
school's capacity form 627
students to 1,027.
Konnoak Elementary,
which was cut from the last
bond, will have a long
overdue replacement that
will incfease its capacity.
Ground is expected to be
broken on these projects by
April and they should be
completed by 2019.
The school system will
also begin equipping all
schools with new technolo
gy, which is expected to
take six -years. They will
include interactive boards
and computers for all class
rooms and a 3-D printer for
every media center.
Assistant Superintendent
Darrell Walker said that
this will put all classrooms
on the same footing.
"It'll allow us to bring
some equity to every
classroom in the district,"
he said.
The school system will
also start various mainte
nance and capital projects
that will span eight years
and begin traffic and safety
improvements at various
schools that should be
complete by 2018.
Projects will also begin
for county parks in 2017,
like renovations at Union
Cross, Walkertown and
421 River playgrounds.
There will also be architec
tural and engineering
design work done for the
many bond projects at
Tanglewood Park.
Playground renova
tions at all county parks are
expected to be completed
by 2019. Tanglewood's
projects are expected to
begin in 2018, with most
scheduled for completion
by 2022. Construction of a
multi-use agricultural
event center is expected to
begin in 2021, with its final
phase scheduled for com
pletion by the end of 2024.
Forsyth Tech's projects
are not scheduled to break
ground until 2018. This
includes Oak Grove Center
renovations, which are
scheduled for completion
in 2019, as well as the cre
ation of hangar and class
room space for an aviation
program at Smith Reynolds
Airport, which is expected
to be completed in 2020.
Construction of the new
Learning Commons on
campus is expected to run
from 2020-2022 and the
expansion of the
Transportation Center on
Patterson Avenue will be
from 2022-2023.
Future start dates for
school system projects are:
? Six additional pre
kindergarten classrooms
and a new middle school
on Robinhood Road in
2018.
? Philo-Hill Magnet
Academy renovations and
Easton Elementary School
addition in 2019.
? Security cameras at
various schools, Wiley
Magnet Middle School
expansion and a replace
ment school for Brunson
Elementary in 2020.
? Renovation of North
Forsyth High School and
purchase of land for a
future school in the eastern
part of the county in 2021.
? Additions to Griffith
and Ward elementary
schools, renovations at
East Forsyth and Kennedy
high schools and construc
tion of a new middle
school at State Farm in
2022.
? The design for the
replacement Ashley
Academy will be done in
2023.
Kelly
IFB
from page Al
currently helping others get
their certification. He's
preparing nine other IFB
employees, including three
blind employees, for the
test with weekly review
sessions and a study guide
he prepared himself.
Bowens said he's glad
to be an IFB employee, and
Photo, by Todd Luck
IFB Optical employee
Damarrious Bowens
recently became the
third visually impaired
person in the country to
earn American Board of
Opticianry (ABO) certi
the lawsuit possibly shut
ting IFB Optical worries
him.
"It makes me uneasy
because I'm working very
hard at the job I'm doing
and I have the opportunity
to grow at this job," he
said.
Legacy
from page A7
children from low income households to shoot for the
stars. While teaching at Philo-Hill, after his tenure as
NCAE president, Ellis spearheaded a step team, a book
room for students, and other programs.
Those who knew him well say Ellis always put chil
dren first.
"He dedicated many years of his life advocating for all
children to make certain they revived the best education
possible," said current FCAE President Rhonda Mays.
Before voting unanimously to rename the classroom in
his honor during the school board meeting on Tuesday,
members of the school board talked about the impact Ellis
had on the hundreds of students he came in contact with
over the years. Board Vice Chairman Robert Barr, who
worked with Ellis in the early 2000s, said if anyone could
reach priority or low performing students, it was Ellis.
Longtime board member Elizabeth Motsinger said
Ellis had tremendous courage and wasn't afraid to say
what needed to be said.
"Every one of us can leam a thing or two from
Rodney," said Motsinger. "He showed us how to be fierce
and yet kind in our protection of our children."
Superintendent Dr. Beverly Emory said what
impressed her most about Ellis was his willingness to
return to the classroom after serving as NCAE president.
She said that says a lot about what kind of person Ellis
was.
Emory also thanked the staff at Philo-Hill for helping
make Ellis' dream a reality.
"Of all the things he could have done, he chose to
return to Philo-Hill, that was the place he wanted to be,"
continued Emory. "He had this vision of things he wanted
to do for students - a step team, this book room and no one
should ever be hungry."
"Many of Rodney's visions have come to be, and his
legacy will live on. We appreciate everything he has done
for this district."
A special ceremony to honor Ellis is expected to be
held at Philo-Hill next week. According to Emory, the
staff at the school has been working for months to prepare
for the event.
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IFB Optical, which fills prescriptions for more than 240/100 veterans annually, could be affected by a law
suit over AbilityOne contracts.
Winston-Salem native
Vincent Wilkins per
forms during poetry
night at the WJl.
Anderson Center.
Photo* by Timothy Ramsey
There were over 20 acts
that came out to per
form for a packed room
poetry night at the WJl.
Anderson Center.
I Poetry night
organizer
Teaune Vinson
performs a piece
during poetry
night at the WJt.
Anderson
Center.
W.R. Anderson rec
center offers poetry night
BY TIMOTHY RAMSEY
THE CHRONICLE
The Winston-Salem
Local Organizing
Committee (WSLOC)
sponsored a poetry night at
the W.R. Anderson
Recreation Center last
Thursday, Dec. 8." The
event was the brain child of
Teaune Vinson, who spoke
with Effrainguan
Muhammad, facilitator of
WSLOC and local repre
sentative for the Honorable
Minister Louis Farrakhan
and the Nation of Islam,
about the idea, and it took
off from there.
The WSLOC was
founded as a result of the
10th and 20th anniversaries
of the Million Man March.
Local organizing commit
tees are designed to unite
African-American commu
nities in that they are not
focused on any one specific
religion. The goals are to
promote, organize and
mobilize African
Americans to operate inde
pendently outside of gov
ernmental agencies.
Vinson said she reached
out to people via social
media about the event and
had a high number of
responses. She reached out
to Bryant McCorkle, direc
tor of the WH. Anderson
rec center, and he was more
than happy to help her.
There were many indi
viduals who came out and
recited their original
poems. The theme of the
night seemed to be the
uplifting of the African
American community and
embracing the culture.
"People got up there
and were vulnerable and as
long as you can be vulnera
ble with someone you can
always build a relation
ship." said Vincent
Wilkins, a poetry night par
ticipant. "It's hard for peo
ple to be vulnerable, espe
cially when they are talking
about their real lives, and
that's what resonated the
most with me."
"I never want someone
to be in awe of me when I
perform," Wilkins said. "I
hope that they think and go
home and unlock the treas
ures that are within them.
It's therapeutic for me and
hopefully someone can dig
within themselves to see
what they can find."
Vinson says since the
event was such a success,
she definitely plans on
holding another poetry
night.
'Tin a very artistic per
son and in my heart rin a
singer, writer and poet,"
said Vinson. "I was very
pleased with the turnout
and the level of conscious
ness and content is exactly
what we wanted. The pur
pose was to promote
awareness and conscious
ness in one another so that
we can be doers of our
words."
Vinson said she wants
to build upon die first poet
ry night by possibly adding
music.