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ENRICHMENT!
Flu frenzy
Regional superintendent sets bar high for student achievement
WHO’S NEWS
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H1N1 shot clinic has large turnout
Before you read...
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First in a two-part series examining Guilford County Schools’ new enrichment zones and their role in helping low-performing schools.
Yaohang Li, assistant professor in computer science at North Carolina A&T State University, is the recipient of a five-year $400,000 Faculty Early Career Development grant from the National Science Foundation. The award is one of foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacherscholar.
Inside...
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Scenes from the event. 2A BY DAVID NIVENS ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
GUILFORD COUNTY – Lewis Ferebee learned a few things about school performance while principal of Fairview Elementary School. And the tall man who runs a clean desk at his Greensboro office is taking what he learned to his new job as superintendent of the Enrichment Region created by Guilford County Schools Superintendent Mo Green. The region was created to focus resources on low-performing schools. Ferebee said he always has had an interest in helping students achieve t h e i r RAISING best. “That THE BAR gives me exciteGuilford County m e n t Schools a n d enrichment enjoyregions ment,” ■■■ Ferebee s a i d . “That drives me.” Ferebee supervises and guides the performance of nine schools, including three in High Point: Montlieu Math and Science Academy, Welborn Academy of Science and Technology and T.W. Andrews High School. “I want excellence for all our kids,” Ferebee said. “That is our mission. I am busy supplying that support and resources. If we have a positive learning environment, learning will take place.” Ferebee said he expects to spend about two days a week at the High Point schools. “They know me,” he said. “We have a connection, and we have made time to get into the schools. With only nine schools, we have more time to work with the principals and teachers.” At Fairview Elementary, where more than
BY PAM HAYNES ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
DON DAVIS JR. | HPE
Lewis Ferebee, one of Guilford’s regional superintendents, was principal at Fairview Elementary several years ago. 96 percent of students were eligible for free and reduced-priced lunches, students improved to meet 100 percent of Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, targets for four consecutive years. “The school was one of the lowest performing in the district,” Ferebee recalled. “We made tremendous progress, and I was able to help develop other leaders.” Ferebee has a staff of experts and coaches to help school principals and teachers. “We have technicians and support staff that the other districts don’t have,” Ferebee said. “They will help with performance on the state
tests and in the academies and early colleges.” Each enrichment region high school has a career academy. “Our young people today require an end in mind to keep them motivated,” Ferebee said. “They need motivation and interest to come to school.” For the classrooms, Ferebee wants to train teachers to be the best, recruit the best teachers and then provide time for them to develop the best practices to improve performance. “We don’t study and recover our best procedures enough,” Ferebee said. dnivens@hpe.com | 888-3626
Green: Zone critical for improvement BY DAVID NIVENS ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
GUILFORD COUNTY – Guilford County Schools Superintendent Mo Green helped to charter an enrichment region while deputy superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and transplanted that organization to the Guilford
County Schools to boost the performance of low-performing schools. “The work of the enrichment region is critical to what we want to do,” Green said. “Some of these schools are in the low-performing category. This organization allows a concentra-
LEWIS FEREBEE
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Age: 35 Native: Columbia, S.C. Teacher: Elementary teacher, Newport News (Va.) Public Schools Administration: Assistant principal in Granville County Schools before joining Guilford County Schools in 2001; former instructional improvement officer, serving as the chief instructional leader and manager for a division of 13 schools Education: Bachelor’s degree in elementary education from North Carolina Central University; master’s degree from George Washington University; seeking a doctorate in educational administration and supervision from East Carolina University Awards: Principal of the Year, 2006-07. Family: Wife, Edye Ferebee; one son, Bryce, a pre-K student at Washington Montessori
ZONE, 2A
HIGH POINT – An increased fear of catching the flu this season was evident as hundreds of people began forming a line at Guilford Technical Community College Saturday morning about an hour before its H1N1 flu vaccination clinic opened. The school offered H1N1 vaccinations and seasonal flu shots to college students, children and pregnant women only from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at its Medlin Center. About 6,000 doses of the vaccine were available. “Our student body is in the high risk group of catching the virus,” said Mary West, a special assistant to the vice president of student learning and success. “We wanted to protect them as well as our staff’s children.” West said the clinic was open to the public because the school is a part of the community and therefore wanted to assist its citizens. Genna Carter, of Colfax, waited in the line with her three children, including her 4-year-old daughter who already has battled the H1N1 virus this year. “I don’t want them to get sick like that again,” Carter said. “I want to protect them. It’s worth the wait (in line), but I wish their pediatrician had had access to the vaccine.” Other mothers shared similar concerns as they decided whether their children would receive the vaccine in the form of a shot or a nasal flu mist. Seasonal flu shots were also available for children ages four to 18. “Everybody says it is a good preventative,” said Amy Odell, a Jamestown resident who brought her 4-year-old daughter and 2year-old son to the clinic. “From what I’ve seen on the news, this line isn’t that bad. I’ve known people who have had H1N1, and I think this is worth the wait.” Connie Lawson, a health educator with the Guilford County Department of Public Health, said the event ran smoothly, despite the large turnout. “It’s actually a short process once you get through the door,” she said. “We had hoped for a large crowd, and people have told us it has been very organized. We want to use every last drop of the vaccine that we have.” Emergency medical personnel were on-site in the event of a vaccination reaction. phaynes@hpe.com | 888-3617
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INSIDE
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HELP NEEDED: Holiday meal organizers seek support. 1B OBITUARIES
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Avis Bunting, 82 Ruby Kindley, 79 Mary Pierce, 86 Sarah Potts Albert Shaw, 86
Obituaries, 2B
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