Academic Programs Supported By Community Volunteers Help Students Succeed
education, kinston mayor buddy rich, lenoir county, lenoir county school district, the advancement via individual determination,
There’s an educational building boom going on in Lenoir County these days.
In keeping with the community’s goal of having a state-of-the-art, technologically advanced school system, voters approved a $69.7 million school construction bond in May 2006.
The money is going to build three new schools in the county and renovate four others. The new buildings – two elementary schools and one that will serve kids from kindergarten through eighth grade – will replace older schools.
First-rate library and media centers will be a hallmark of the new and renovated schools.
“Everything will be state-of-the-art technology and will be a big plus for those schools,” Lidia Guzman, public information officer for the district, says of the new construction.
The district, which has about 9,600 students, prides itself on its innovative approaches to problems in the schools.
In late 2007, district superintendent Terry Cline sent invitations to 200 local churches to attend a faith-based educational summit. Cline asked church leaders to partner with the schools by volunteering their time to help tutor and mentor students and help the schools meet other needs. Kinston Mayor Buddy Rich and other officials attended the event, which was widely viewed as a success. Mentoring programs have already developed as a result of the summit.
Another pride of the school system has been its success with an initiative that targets C-students – kids who typically get lost in mix. The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program keeps those middle-of-the-road students from falling through the cracks.
After four years of the program, the Lenoir County School District graduated its first AVID class in 2008. The 22 graduates appear to have excelled in the program. Many are now entering college, some landing academic scholarships, Guzman says. School officials hope to assist more students through the program in the coming years.
Strong early childhood and pre-K programs are a staple of the school system, as well as initiatives that keep parents actively involved in their children’s academic lives. Project Lead the Way, another success story in Lenoir’s school system, introduces students to the world of engineering, where they can build their own projects.
The close ties the system has to the community sets it apart from other districts, Guzman says. The business community and the Kinston-Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce, in particular, have a strong relationship with the district.
“It’s that partnership and relationship that is one great aspect of our school district,” Guzman says. “We are working hand-in-hand with our entire community.”
Story by Sheila Burke
