EastForsythHighSchool District History
Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WSFCS) is located in the central Piedmont of North Carolina. The school district operates 44 elementary schools, 19 middle schools and 17 high schools. The structures of the schools are vintage that ranges as far back as 1926 to 2011. The district serves 52 thousand students and is growing close to the rate of two percent per year.
The school system employs about 7,600 people, including 4000 classroom and part-time teachers. Students are also served by 420 bus drivers, 575 food-service workers, 300 housekeepers, and a network of administrators, principals, guidance counselors, psychologists, social workers and other staff.
The district vision states, “The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County System fosters educational excellence as all students prepare to become successful citizens.” The districts mission statement is “The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System provides all students with educational opportunities that ensure they become responsible, productive, global citizens. The districts value states: We believe that
•Every individual has worth and value.
•High expectations provide opportunities for each student to achieve maximum potential.
•Respect for human diversity is vital to accomplish our mission.
•Respect for human diversity is vital to accomplish our mission.
•A safe school environment is necessary for learning.
•Continuous improvement guides decisions at all levels.
•Access to emerging technology allows students and staff to interact and compete globally.
•Advocacy for all students is the responsibility of the school board, parents, school personnel, and community.
•A high standard of professional excellence is displayed by school personnel.
•Parental involvement is the direct correlation to student success.
•Citizens expect the Board of Education to exercise good stewardship of all of its
resources.
The districts strategic plan is divided into five goals. The first goal area is creating global competitive students. This goal is to ensure every student achieves academic proficiency by the end of each grade level (k-12) on an assessment designed to measure relevant and rigorous curriculum. The second goal is to prepare every student to live as a productive citizen in our globally competitive society. The second goal area also includes 21st Century Personnel. This goal emphasis the recruiting, hiring and retaining qualified personnel for all positions. The third goal area is safety and caring schools. The district plan is to cultivate an atmosphere to support student learning, provide necessary resources to ensure safe school campuses and provide a caring school climate. The fourth goal area is 21st Century systems. The plan is to provide operational systems that enhance our educational objectives. The fifth goal area is to collaborate with partnerships by strengthen high student achievement through community and parental collaboration.
The current board members include Chairman Jane Goins, Vice-Chairman John Davenport, and other members are Buddy Collins, Victor Johnson, Irene May, Jeannie Metcalf, Elisabeth Motsinger, Marilyn Parker and Jill Tackbery.
The county budget for the school year 2011-2012 was $575.3 million while EFHS budget was 275,000.00 a year.
The county demographics for the 2012-2013 school year was 43% of the student’s were white, 28.8 percent were African-American, 21.6 percent are Hispanic, 3.9 percent are multiracial, 2.3 percent are Asian and less than 1 percent are American Indian or Native Hawaiians/Pacific.
In 1969, after a decade many students in the districts attended racially mixed schools. Although in 1969, 28% of its students were nonwhite. All but ten of its 68 schools had enrollments that were 90-100 % white ornonwhite. In 1970, as a result of a desegregation order, the district school became nearly racially balanced with only two schools in either 90-plus %. During 1969 to 1971, the percentage of black students attending 90-plus % nonwhite schools fell from 84% percent to 3%.
In 1995, a newly elected school board decided to shift to a “School of Choice” plan. This plan allowed parents to express their preferences for schools within their part of the district, guaranteeing them one of their top three choices. This presents a major challenge in diversifying the student population in my school. My school has one of the highest majority student enrollments in the district (64%) and has experienced an increasingly majority and socioeconomically isolated population. The teaching staff is also in the majority for core classroom teachers(98%). Unfortunately, this trend is increasing as less minority teachers are going into education or seeking employment at more diverse schools.
EastForsythHigh School
In the early 1960’s, Winston Salem city schools elected to merge with the Forsyth County School System, creating a building surge that saw five high schools constructed by the decade’s end. The school committee consisted of Chairman Tam W. Church, Vice Chairman Moir H. Whicker, Secretary Mrs. E.R. Mahood, and other members included, Cecil Sisk, R.T. Bauguess, and James Thore. The first of those schools to open was EastForsythHigh School. This brought the communities of Kernersville, Glenn and Walkertown together. EFHS was the front runner in the 1960s building “boom” for the district. North Forsyth opened in 1963, followed by West in 1964, Parkland in 1965 and MountTabor in 1966.
One of the most unique things about the school is the layout. This layout is similar to a college layout with a courtyard. East features 11 buildings that are linked by a 600-foot covered path known as “the breezeway.” The school address was East High School Route3, now the address is 2500 West Mountain Street. The first of those schools to open was EastForsythHigh School. Prior, each of these small towns had their own high schools and viewed each other as bitter rivals.
In September of 1962 a new era for the entire school had begun. The new high school held many surprises, excitement and drudgery and confusion for the students attending (Aquila, 1963). Soon, all the students were enjoying the high school life. All three communities did co-exist, thanks to East Forsyth football team. The teams went 9-1 and were the 3A Champions. Large crowds attended the football games on Friday night in their new stadium. The games were explosive with wild cheering, horn blowing and the familiar round of “Dixie.”
EFHS first principal was Fred E. Lewis. He was known as having a winning and friendly personality. His strong belief in the “family” and encouraged the student to be responsible. The belief in the “family” has continued with his predecessors of principals that includes Jim Wilheim, Gene Moore, Debbie Brooks, Judy Grissom, Kirk Tedford, and the current Patricia Gainey.
Mr. A.D. Wood was the assistant principal in 1962. East now has three assistant principals. The secretary was Geri Musten and she had 14 student office assistances. East now has a financial secretary, a data operator, and two administrative assistance. The guidance director was B. C. Thompson. The current guidance department consists of four counselors, an administrative assistance, and a registrar. East had 40 faculty 500 students ranging from 10th through 12th grade in 1962. Currently there are 110 faculty members and 1865 students ranging from the 9th grade to the 12th grade. East Forsyth has continued to grow alongside the town of Kernersville. In 2010, EFHS was the largest in the district with approximately 2000 students, the most in the county. To mange the growth of the school and the county, the school underwent a nine million dollar renovation. The renovation was done by architect, Wesley Curtis Jr. of Walter Robbs Callahan & Price. The new building holds a media center, administrative offices and 16 classrooms. This was completed in 2006, the year I became a mathematical teacher at EFHS. The school’s baseball complex also got a makeover in 2011, as crews added a field house, concession equipment, landscaping and more seating. In 2012, WalkertownHigh School opened and the enrollment at EFHS went down to approximately 1800 students. EFHS demographics from all white in 1962 to the current data for the 2012-2013 school year is 64% of the students are white, 19.9 percent are African-American, 11.6 percent are Hispanic, 2.6 percent are multiracial, 1.5 percent are Asian and less than 1 percent are American Indian or Native Hawaiians/Pacific.
The school of Choice Planassigns students in the East Zone the first choice to come to EastForsythHigh School. The middle schools that feed into EFHS are East Forsyth, Kernersville, and Winston-SalemPrepAcademyMiddle Schools. East Forsyth Middle and WinstonSalemPrepAcademy are equity + schools. Equity plus schools are schools are determined by the percentage of students who receive free and reduced priced lunches. More than 50% of these students receive free or reduced price lunches. EFHS is not an equity + school. Due to the demographic change our School Improvement Team has developed goals for our school to include a better understanding of poverty, literacy, and student achievement.
Celebrating 50 Years
On Thursday, December 12, 2012 EFHS celebrated their 50th birthday with a birthday party with a cake, confetti, sparkles and the chorus leading the “Happy Birthday” song as faculty, staff, students and community members song along. The celebration also included a small plane flyover by one of their senior students working on her pilot’s license. As the plane swooped over the football field alumni, students and faculty threw blue-and white confetti into the air. The school also started a hall of fame; ten members would be inducted at a gala dinner. Gainey credits the Kernersville community for the school’s longevity and success.
Community Context
The town of Kernersville population is 23,452 residents, and ForsythCounty population is 358,137. The town has seen a 25% growth over the last 16 years. It is ranked the 38th largest town in North Carolina, while Winston- Salem is ranked number 4. The racial demographicsare 78% white, 13% Black or African American, 2% Asian, 7% Hispanic or Latino. In ForsythCounty the demographics is 68% white, 27% Black or African-American, 2% Asian and 12% Hispanic or Latino. 35% of the population in Kernersville is between the ages of 40-64. The average mean household income is 51,282. The average housing value is 127,000. Kernersville economic is based on 33% manufacturing, 23% retail, and 17% wholesale trade. Kernersville has a medical center, which opened in 2011.
The town of Kernersville is a great place to live, work, and play. I have been a resident of Kernersville for over 20 years. The mayor of Kernersville, Dawn Morgan, visits EFHS regularly. The town of Kernersville provides a small town atmosphere with the larger city amenities available in minutes. The community of Kernersville values education.
“Eating for Education” occurs three times during the summer, participating restaurants will donate a portion of their proceeds to the Chambers to help raise money each year to fund special projects for local schools. The Teacher Grant Program is an effort to provide a unique educational experience for students. Funds from this program provide supplies and materials for local schools.
-Salem economy is experiencing a shift away from tobacco, furniture and textiles to knowledge-based enterprises such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and life sciences.
References
(2010,). USA.com.ForsythCounty Population and Races. Retrieved from
(2013,). Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Retrieved from
Aquila. (1963). Kernersville: EastForsythSenior High School.
Aquila. (1967). Kernersville: EastForsythSenior High School.
Aquila. (2012). Kernersville: EastForsythSenior High School.
Clotfelter, C. (2004). After "Brown": The Rise and Retreat of School Desegregation. Princeton, NJ: PrincetonUniversity Press.
Fain, T. (2012, July 1). ForsythCounty schools resegregated, but opinions differ on whether that's a problem. Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved from
Kernersville Chamber of Commerce. Discover Yourself In Kernersville. Retrieved from
Scroggin, S. (September 1, 2008). Segregation by Default in Winston-Salem Schools. . Retrieved , from
Interviewed: Patricia Gainey, Sandra Shophshire, Betty Ann Brandis, and Walter Johnson.
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