A Summer Shift

June 2022

Friends,

Here comes summer, the yearly reset for many of us in education. School buildings will see some TLC, with repairs and painting. Teachers will organize classrooms and lessons. Students and families will seek out extra learning opportunities, camps, or vacations.

This time reminds me of those “choose-your-own-adventure” novels; turn to page 34 if you’re going to summer school, page 57 if you’re going to the beach. Summer is like a game of Mad Libs: I want to learn to (verb) during my (adjective) break.

How will you fill in the blank?

For some, the choices seem limitless, with opportunity and adventure waiting down each path. For others, the loss of childcare, regular meals and structure bring worry and frustration. We hear words like summer slide, learning loss and achievement gaps. They are big challenges, and we must work together to tackle them.

Summer means growth for our organization. We are expanding our programming, services and support to students who need it most. We are evolving, and you will notice the changes in small and big ways. I can’t wait to share the exciting new plans that begin with the start of the 2022-23 school year.

I encourage you to take advantage of the space summer offers. Choose opportunities that not only fill in the blank, but fill up your bucket – be it for learning, creation, connection, rest or anything else. Now is the time for growth, for change, to try something new and set bigger goals.

Having impacted thousands of GCS students and graduates elementary school through college with tutoring, career exploration, financial aid and college scholarships, Say Yes Guilford is fulfilling its mission; and we can do more. It’s time to raise the bar, to shift into a higher gear. Join us for the ride.

Wendy

Say Yes Guilford CEO

$1.1 Million in Scholarships to GCS Grads

Say Yes Guilford awarded more than $1.1 million in scholarships to GCS graduates in the 2021-22 school year.

Scholarship awards totaled $1,144,442 including last-dollar tuition awards and opportunity grants to 742 students attending North Carolina public institutions and partner private institutions.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Our First Generation College Student Ambassadors and their families gathered at LeBauer Park to celebrate the end of the school. Say Yes Guilford sends a big congratulations to all our graduating seniors!

Mark Your Calendar!

August 4 - First Day for Students at GCS Early and Middle Colleges
August 9 - First Day for Students on the Extended Year Calendar
August 15 - First Day for Students at Restart Schools
August 29 - First Day for Students on the Traditional Calendar

Victory Drumwright

Say Yes Guilford Scholar

A Guilford County Schools student from the very start, Drumwright moved around a little growing up, following her mom from Bluford, later to Andrews and finally to Northeast Guilford. The daughter of a teacher always knew school came first. “Education is extremely important to us. She’s always told me that she wants me to make sure I do my best.”

With two years at UNCG under her belt, and a lot more to go, Drumwright is grateful for every bit of support she gets. She’s one of more than 700 GCS graduates continuing her education with Say Yes Guilford support. “Being in a single parent household and in a pandemic, financially it’s been really hard, so receiving this scholarship has been such a blessing to ease some of the burden of being in college, helping me pay tuition and books. It’s helped me in so many different ways.”

Read her story.

Rodney Dawson

Alumni for Education

Want to keep your children excited about learning over the summer? Guilford County Schools Alum Rodney Dawson suggests planning a visit to the Greensboro History Museum. The curator of education lives by the motto made famous by former President Barack Obama,“If you think education is expensive, wait until you see how much ignorance costs.”

Dawson uses his life experiences, including his time in the military and his experience in education to teach museum visitors, including students, how their life stories can make a difference in our city and even the country’s history.