CMS Superintendent , Dr . Clayton Wilcox
CMS Superintendent , Dr . Clayton Wilcox
Dr . Clayton Wilcox , new superintendent at CMS
Five new opportunities in CMS By Dr . Clayton Wilcox
Every new school is a great reminder of the possibilities and potential in every student – and of the Charlotte- Mecklenburg Schools commitment to unlocking the gifts and talents in every one of the kids entrusted to us . This fall has been rife with occasions celebrating exciting new opportunities for our students : In October , we dedicated five new or renovated schools , most of them funded by the 2013 bond . All five schools opened in August .
These schools expanded the choices and personalized education available to our families this year . I want to share some information about each school and the special programs .
The first dedication was the new Renaissance West Science , Technology , Engineering , Arts and Math ( STEAM ) Academy . This school on Charlotte ’ s west side represents the future of public education in many ways – it is the result of a collaboration by our district , the Renaissance West Community Initiative , the Charlotte Housing Authority , the federal government and private donors . It is the first school of its kind in North Carolina – but I don ’ t think it ’ s the last .
I believe the Renaissance West STEAM Academy has the potential to become a national model of what ’ s possible when we work together to support the education of our kids .
The second dedication was another first for North Carolina : John Taylor Williams is now the first secondary Montessori school in the state . The program – one that many of our parents have been requesting for a long time – began last year at Sedgefield Middle when 24 ninth-graders started high school in a Montessori program .
Many of those students have been in a Montessori program since kindergarten . The Montessori method of teaching children originated in 1907 , when an Italian physician named Maria Montessori opened her first school .
Dr . Montessori ’ s school focused on developing the whole child – physically , socially , emotionally and cognitively . Her school had multi-age groups to allow children to learn from each other , as well as from the teacher . Her students made guided choices about what they wanted to study .
These were radical ideas at the time because education was an unyielding , rigid process in the 1900s . Conformity was prized above all things . But today , 110 years later , the value of Dr . Montessori ’ s approach is widely recognized . We want our children to grow in all ways , not just academically . So this first Montessori high school in North Carolina is an important milestone for our district .
Word II , this school will teach elementary students about creating technology . It ’ s a fitting tribute to an African-American woman who helped launch John Glenn ’ s flight into space . It ’ s also timely – their story was told in the recent film “ Hidden Figures .”
Vaughan and her colleagues made significant contributions to American advances in space . They also broke down barriers , proving that they had the intelligence and the determination needed to get a tough job done . The Dorothy J . Vaughan Academy of Technology is proof that barriers can be broken and that the most robust work force in any setting is a diverse one .
Also in mid-October , we dedicated the new J . M . Alexander Middle . This school will help us provide wider opportunities for International Baccalaureate study to our students . IB is a rigorous and effective curriculum that helps to develop global citizens -- students who have a worldwide perspective and deep knowledge .
That ’ s the kind of education we want our students to have . It will help prepare them for the workplace of the 21st century . We don ’ t know what that workplace will look like – technology is changing our world so quickly ! – but we do know that our students will need to be agile and nimble to succeed . J . M . Alexander provides the kind of collaborative , open learning spaces that our students need and deserve – the kind of environments that will help us prepare them to succeed in the 21st century .
Finally , at the end of October , we dedicated the newest middle college high school in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools : Merancas . Located on the Merancas campus of Central Piedmont Community College , it ’ s the fourth middle college high school in CMS . Like the other three , Merancas is an honors program for grades 11 through 13 . Students who enroll can earn as much as two years of college credit while they are still in high school .
Also like the others , Merancas is a partnership between our district and a local college providing a terrific opportunity for the students . The students will take their remaining high school classes at this campus but can take their college classes at any of the Central Piedmont Community College campuses .
The Merancas campus is home to the public safety and transportation system programs . It ’ s named for the Charlotte-based Merancas Foundation , founded by Anke and Casey Mermans . The couple moved to Charlotte from the Netherlands in the 1960s and established a photography company . They created the Merancas Foundation to support nonprofit organizations that assist at-risk populations in our community , with a focus on improving academic achievement by children and fostering economic independence for adults .
Each of this five schools has a unique way to engage and interest kids . All five are also an important reminder that we care about our students and their families . We are privileged to serve more than 148,000 students every day and we want to earn the trust of our families by providing the best education possible . I am proud of these new schools and I hope our whole community will recognize their value .
Dr . Clayton Wilcox is the superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools .
We dedicated another exciting school in mid-October : the new Dorothy J . Vaughan Academy of Technology . Named for one of the early “ human computers ” hired by Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory during World
2 • November / December 2017 • Parent Teacher Magazine