So Much Newness!

April 2022

Dear Friends,

Spring is here and with it, so much newness – a lot of it impacts our 6-8th graders. The long anticipated Mobile Innovation Lab is almost ready for its debut in Guilford County Schools, and I can’t wait for you to see it. Middle schoolers will be able to try out careers in science, technology, math and engineering without leaving the school grounds. The bus brings hand-on STEM experience straight to our students, and it’s going to change the way they think about life after school.

Already more than 8000 GCS middle schoolers have begun exploring their futures with the YouScience Career Assessment Tool. We visited Swann Middle School to see how it was going, and you will want to hear for yourself what the students had to say about that tool. Check out the video below.

GCS 8^th graders at Allen, Northwest, and Southwest are part of our first Entrepreneur I Am program. This “Shark-Tank” style competition will give them an opportunity to brainstorm, develop, and market a new product or service. We can’t wait to see what these students present.

Our elementary school tutoring programs continue to support early learners in the classroom and at home. Thanks to a $2 million federal grant, we will be expanding the programs to more students in more schools next fall.

GCS high schoolers are looking forward to graduation, and we continue to support them with career and college exploration tools and workshops. We just wrapped our third annual March Madness Competition and are proud to announce Greensboro College Middle College as the winner.

Say Yes Guilford scholars will be finishing their school year in the next month, and we have workshops for them too. Coming up on April 21, we are offering a free Professional Development Workshop, and registration is open now.

We are energized and ready to serve even more students with the support they need to succeed not just in school, but in life. We are committed to meeting students where they are, shifting and stretching to fill gaps and lift this community. With your support, we will see dramatic growth for Guilford County and everyone who lives here.

Let's do this.

Wendy

Say Yes Guilford CEO

The Mobile Innovation Lab will roll into middle schools this fall.

Mark Your Calendar!

April 12 - Board of Education Meeting
April 14 - Preparing for the Transition to College Workshop
April 15-22 - GCS Spring Break
April 21 - Say Yes Scholar Professional Development Workshop
April 26 - Board of Education Public Hearing on Budget
May 23 - Last Day of School - Early and Middle Colleges
May 24-June 5 GCS High School Graduations
May 30 - Memorial Day Holiday
June 3 - Last Day of School - Traditional Academic Calendar
June 9 - Last Day of School - Restart Schools
June 10 - Last Day of School - Extended Year Calendar

Siobhan Riley

Alumni for Education

Siobhan Riley says she is “a living witness of what can happen if you keep going despite setbacks, roadblocks, rejections, and disappointments.”

Riley graduated from Northwest Guilford High School; she said school was always a challenge. “When I was in the sixth grade, I struggled in English and writing. So much so, that I was taken out of my English class with students who were considered advanced and placed into a class with students who were told that their reading comprehension was not on a high level,” said Riley. “I could have given up but instead I was determined to work hard to both master reading comprehension and ultimately read more books than anyone in class.”

Facing that challenge head on, Riley saw a change begin to happen. “By the time I got to high school, my weakness became my greatest strength," she remembers.

Today, Riley is working as an anchor/ reporter with Spectrum News 1 in Raleigh. “Reaching this point in my career came with a lot of rejections, roadblocks, and setbacks, but with a lot of faith in the fact that setbacks are just a setup for where God is taking you, as well as perseverance and determination, I am right where I feel I was being led,”