A4 October 18, 2018
The Chronicle
BUSTA’S PERSON OF THE WEEK
Carter High School has the Advantage
Submitted photo
“You can leave the Dis somewhere else. Don't Dis
us" says Principal Donna Horton Berry of Carter
High School.
Submitted photo
Carter High School staff members wear red for education and Women's History Month.
BY BUSTA BROWN
THE CHRONICLE
"We say no to dis-advantage and yes
to seeing the advantage," said Donna
Horton Berry. Horton Berry is the princi
pal at Carter High School in Winston-
Salem. Some describe Carter as a high
school for disadvantaged students, but
Horton Berry disagrees.
"We teach our students to see the
advantage of having a pure and uncondi
tional love, and to have something that
beautiful is far from a disadvantage," she
said.
Save the date of Oct. 25 and come
meet the staff at their Port-A-Pit Bar-B-
Que fundraiser from 11a.m. - 2 p.m. on
campus at 851 Highland Court in
Winston-Salem. The fundraiser is to sup
port their "No Dis" campaign. "We try not
to have any Dis, because when you see
disability, you might not recognize the
ability. We look for honor instead of dis
honor, harmony instead of dis-harmony,
we're all about the ability. You can leave
the Dis somewhere else. Don't Dis us,"
Horton Berry said affectionally about her
students.
I pulled into the school’s parking lot, it
was raining, and time for parents to pick
up their children. This was a beautiful
sight to see. I saw adults sharing umbrel
las with each other, taking turns escorting
the students and each other to their vehi
cles. I saw smiles, hugging goodbye, and I
heard plenty of “I love you.”
Principal Horton Berry was right. I
witnessed nothing but pure and uncondi
tional love at Carter High School. I could
n't tell the difference between the teachers
or parents.
As I was smiling and enjoying my
view, so was Principal Horton Berry.
"That's what our staff, students and par
ents give each other daily here at Carter
High School. I see this every day as I walk
the halls and visit the classrooms," she
said.
I asked Horton Berry about her feel
ings about being the principal for Carter.
"I can't believe it,” she said. “I'm in awe
that anyone would put such faith in me, to
let me be responsible for children that
share themselves so openly with us every
day.”
I spoke with some of the staff mem
bers, who said Horton Berry is a very
intelligent and talented principal who
could have worked anywhere in Winston-
Salem, but she chose Carter, so I asked her
why.
"I feel like my personality is well-
suited to working in an environment that
requires some extra patience. I'm really
good at figuring things out and finding
creative solutions to things. When you
work with students that have some chal
lenges, you have to teach work at a differ
ence pace to see then' abilities, and that’s
something I was born to do," she said.
“The staff is awesome as well. They made
me feel as if I were a part of the Carter
family. Our staff is to be giving of them
selves. I make sure I choose people that
are infinitely patience, compassionate and
caring."
Some of the students are at Carter for
seven years, which doesn't happen in a tra
ditional high school. "So our students are
more than students to us; they become
family members,” Horton Berry said.
Assistant Principal Shawnna Penn
shared why she loves being a part of the
Carter family. "I love to see the kids run
ning to get here with smiles on their faces.
I love seeing the teachers laughing and
enjoying what they have for our students,
and most of all I love the innocence in our
students and how excited they are about
learning. Our students give their all in
spite of what they have going on, and
that's what life is all about."
Carter started off as South Park High
School on South Main Street in the ’70s as
a specialized school that had some voca
tional components, like auto body, a print
shop, and more for students that had to
graduate from high school with a trade.
Horton said as time changed, the popula
tion at South Park changed.
"Kids with some different learning
abilities began attending the school for the
hands-on curriculum. In the ’90s, the
school became more specialized, and then
in 2009 we opened this beautiful new
building that is now called C. Douglas
Carter High School."
I asked what are the joys of working
with the students at Carter.
"They come in the building excited
and ready to win," said Horton Berry.
That winning spirit transfers to athlet
ics. The C. Douglas Carter Wildcats won
the Special Olympics Basketball State
Championship, has a state campions
cheerleading squad and the volleyball
team took third place to add to the many
trophies in the huge case in the hall. They
have lots of activities such as holiday
dances, and prom during spring.
Checkout the rest of my interview
with Principal Donna Horton Berry on
The Chronicle’s YouTube channel at
Winstonsalem Chronicle.
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