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Volume39,Number4 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, September 20, 2012
QEA
leader
opens new
school
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The man behind the success of Winston-Salem's
Quality Education Academy (QEA) is putting his
weight behind another charter school.
The College Preparatory and Leadership Academy
of High Point, or The Point, opened in August, becom
ing one of the first new charters to open after the
General Assembly voted to lift the 100-charter school
cap in North Carolina.
QEA opened in the 1990s and was one of the
state's first charter schools.
Simon Johnson co-founded the
school, which is known for
high academic achievement.
More than 90 percent of
QEA students passed end of
grade tests in the 2009-10
school year and more than 80
percent of them passed in 2010-'
11. Johnson said his next goal
for QEA is for 100 percent of
his students to go on to pursue
higher education. As a consult
ant at The Point, he has equally
lofty goals for Guilford County
students.
"I just wanted to do some
thing to make a difference, par
ticularly for the children who
were coming from my commu
nity and similar communities,"
he said.
The Point is currently locat
ed inside the massive Christian
City Church in Greensboro,
Simon Johnson
I I IBM I
MicktlU Johnson
which is providing it with full
facilities, including an auditorium, lunchroom and
about a dozen classrooms. Plans are in the works to
get The Point its own permanent building in High
Point.
The Point's school leader, similar to a principal at
a traditional public school, is Johnson's daughter-in
law, Dr. Michelle Johnson, who brings 15 years of
experience in both public school and higher education
to the new charter.
"Parents in our community in High Point wanted
us to start a school here ... because they wanted a dif
ferent choice for their children, some of them were
commuting to Winston-Salem to QEA and they
thought the community could benefit from a charter
school in the area,"'said Michelle Johnson, a former
QEA teacher whose daughter attended QEA and now
attends The Point.
There are currently 14 staffers and 113 students at
The Point. Michelle Johnson says the school will take
all who apply to enter the school until its reaches its
capacity of 250 students.
Charter schools are still controversial. Some
believe that they take students and funding from tradi
See Charter on All
(WEN OCCASION
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Church tdmark couple's 50th wedding anniversary and 25th pastoral anniversary in style
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St. Peter's ClEuirclv^nd VS^rld Outreach Center's Bishop James
and Rev. JoyceHashtfciH b$ celebrating their 25th anniversary as
pastors of the mega-church and their 50th wedding anniversary this
weekend.
St. Peter's, which has 4,200 members and sits on a 79-acre cam
pus on Old Lexington Road, tends to do things big, and the double
anniversary celebration is no exception. The couple will renew their
vows during a 5 pan. gala Saturday at the Benton Convention Center,
and on Sunday, services at the church at both 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. will
feature a string of special guests, including the Hashes friend, Bishop
TD. Jakes, who will headline the evening service. Entertainment will
be provided by Joshua Rogers, Jessica Reedy and Crystal Aikin - all
See Hashes on A9
Photo by Todd Luck
The Hashes
stand in the
main sanctu
N ary at St.
V e t e r ' s
Church and
World
Outreach
Center.
ZaneSpeaks
Elusive author draws hundreds of local fans
BYLAYLAGARMS
THE CHRONICLE
Fans of bestselling author Zane got a
rare opportunity to come face-to-face with
the reclusive erotica writer last week.
More than l6o people packed the sec
ond floor of the Central Library last
Thursday evening to hear the New York
Times bestselling author dish about her life,
her work, and of course, her books, which
have sold millions of copies around the
world. Her local appearance came during a
nationwide tour to promote her latest,
"Zane's Z-Rated: Chocolate Flava 3."
"I'm enjoying it," the mother of three
and Washington, D.C. area resident said of
the two month long tour, which also includ
ed a stop in Greensboro last week. "It kind
of lets me know I'm on the right path with
what I'm trying to do, which is empower
women in every aspect of their lives. It's
exciting."
Zane, who adopted her pen name as a
means of staying anonymous when she first
began writing short erotic stories online, is
also a publisher with more than 90 authors
signed to her imprint and executive produc
i
Above: Zane fields questions.
er of the Cinemax series "Zane's Sex
Chronicles." A new show, "Zane's The
Jump Off' is slated to air on the cable net
work in January, and her debut novel.
"Addicted," which she published herself in
May 2000, is currently being made into a
major motion picture starring Nia Long and
Boris Kodjoe.
Carolyn Woods, supervisor of the
Popular Library Department at Central,
extended an open invitation to Zane, one of
her personal favorites.
"You are our rock star author," Woods
told the author before the start of the pro
gram, which had to be moved from the
library's auditorium to accommodate the
massive crowd. "You look like every
woman. I'm glad you are who you are. As a
full-figured woman, I love showing the
world that we've got it going on, too."
For an hour, Woods and audience mem
bers peppered Zane with questions on a
variety of topics, to which she responded
with candor, giving the event the feel of a
conversation among friends.
The author thrilled the audience by
revealing that she has strong ties to the Twin
City.
"My mother and several aunts attended
Winston-Salem State University," she said
SeeZaaeon AS
Photos by Layb Garms
Top: The crowd listens as Carolyn
Woods chats with Zane.
Partners in Anti-Crime
I" W ... 1
Photo by Layla (terms
Mayor Allen Joints (left) is one of several city leaders who are
helping Pastor Lamonte Williams better his community
through a new coalition. Read more on page Bl.
Prayer warriors gather for Womble
BY LAYLA GARMS
THE CHRONICLE
State Rep. Larry Womble received an outpouring
of support from friends, colleagues and well-wish
ers Tuesday evening, during a
prayer rally at his home church,
Bethlehem Baptist.
Late last year, Womble, serv
ing his ninth term in the North
Carolina General Assembly, was
involved in a tragic car accident
that left him in critical condition
and the driver of the other vehi
cle, David Carmichael, dead. The
feisty legislator, known for cham
pioning causes such as the Racial
McKissick
Justice Act and compensation for state eugenics vic
tims, chose not to seek re-election in the state's 71st
District because he is still recovering from his
See Worabte on A10
FIkmm by Lajrlft Oarni
NAACP President S. Wayne Patterson and Rev. Daryl Napper
greet Rep. Larry WombU as he is escorted into the service by
his caretaker, Tracy Ingram.
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