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Education

Kernersville residents believe strongly in the value of a strong education. When Jeff Taylor, a Kernersville native, became the Chamber of Commerce board chairperson, he worked to increase funding for the annual education grant program that now funds classroom projects in all Kernersville public schools. As Taylor passed the gavel to Duane Long, the commitment to education continued with the implementation of a mentoring program called Coaches Who Care.

Mentors from the business community spend 30 minutes weekly with a student. The program is based on the long-term success of the Kernersville Rotary Club’s Study Buddy program at Cash Elementary School. Named “Coaches Who Care,” the chamber mentoring program’s inception began at Kernersville Elementary School and has branched out to include middle and high school students after the accomplishments found in Kernersville Elementary’s pilot program.

“Out of the 41 mentors initially asked to participate, only three turned us down. That is how the Kernersville business community responds to needs in education,” says Duane Long.

Connection with community and the home is emphasized in Kernersville schools. Southeast Middle School Principal Debbie Blanton-Warren explains, “Kernersville schools are still thought of as neighborhood schools with support from parents, grandparents, or extended family members.”

“The strength of Kernersville schools lies in our sense of community. Business leaders, civic organizations, local merchants and community services (for example, police, fire, medical) all work together to provide our young people and their families the support that they need to be successful in our schools and within our town. Kernersville Middle School is very fortunate to have many of these agencies and businesses as business partners,” says Debbie Brooks, principal of Kernersville Middle School (KMS).

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School (WSFCS) system is designed so that parents have choices of schools within their residential zone. The community school may be minutes away, but families have the flexibility of choosing another school if it better suits their child’s academic needs. Plus, the strong magnet schools scattered around the county offer students a variety of educational themes as well.

Union Cross Elementary School (UCES), the largest elementary school in the WSFCS school system, promotes the theme of being “a 21st century traditional academy.” By stressing high expectations for behaviors and academics for not only students but faculty and staff as well, UCES has created a caring school with enrichment in many core and supplemental classes.

Private schools in the Kernersville area offer expanded choices. The highly respected Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School draws students from the entire Piedmont Triad area. Ranked as one of the country’s top 50 Catholic high schools, the academic college preparatory curriculum challenges students, especially given their low teacher-student ratio. Complementing their strong academic performance, Bishop McGuinness has become known as an athletic powerhouse with their girls’ basketball record, boys’ lacrosse success and the strength of their other sports.

For the very young, church preschools and schools such as Brookside Montessori School on Piney Grove Road build a foundation for learning. At Brookside, children from ages 3 to 12 are prepared for lifelong learning through distinctive, stimulating approaches that are fostered through low student-teacher numbers. Private schools in Kernersville include Gospel Light Baptist School (K-12), Bishop McGuinness (9-12), Brookside (ages 3-12), Triad Baptist Academy (K-4), and First Christian Academy (preschool- 10). Interestingly, all of the private schools in Kernersville have students who travel from various towns and counties to attend the stellar programs offered at our private institutions, key evidence that education ranks as a top priority with teachers and administrators.

The Veritas Sports Academy is a new and a unique venture in Kernersville. Targeting high school male athletes, the Kernersville school is the first of 72 planned academies that “assist in the development of students who seek to play college athletics academically, socially, spiritually, emotionally and physically by providing an education in a traditional, college-preparatory setting.” A permanent home for the school will be on Beeson Road.

For post-high school education, the Forsyth Tech Community College (FTCC) Grady P. Swisher Center and the Dudley Cosmetology University are next-door neighbors off Mountain Street near the entrance to Triad Business Park. Both of these schools provide educational opportunities after high school. Dudley is a nationally known school of cosmetology that has long been respected in the African-American haircare industry.

At the Swisher Center, students can take classes preparing for a degree in one of the 184 credit programs. Over 10,000 students enroll each year at FTCC, with many of them utilizing the Swisher Center for small day and evening classes. FTCC also has a strong online program. The Swisher Center is used for educational opportunities such as the annual summer Kernersville Rotary Club Youth Leadership Academy.

Since 1996, the Rotary Club has sponsored a youth leadership academy. The idea was borne out of a desire to send more than two students to the similarly structured district conference for youth held in Greensboro.

“We realized that there were more than two students in our area that would benefit from the experience,” says Arnold King, a club member and organizer of the Youth Leadership Academy. “So we started our own.”

Organizers modeled the academy after the Leadership Kernersville program sponsored by the Kernersville Chamber of Commerce for adults. Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors are selected each spring by guidance counselors and principals at East Forsyth and Glenn high schools. Approximately 50 volunteers give time during the week for the leadership academy’s success.

“(The program) gave me a broader aspect of all Kernersville goes through. It made me appreciate our government and changed my perception about our town,” said East Forsyth High School (EFHS) 2009 senior Paul Itterly.

Through the partnerships that businesses and schools form, the community as a whole benefits from Kernersville’s strong commitment to education.

“Hopefully our students see the value of citizenship and community involvement through the actions of the adults in our schools (parents, volunteers, Kernersville citizens). We could not provide the level of services outside of education if it were not for the support of the town and the adults in our community,” says KMS Principal Debbie Brooks.