Teall Properties Group employees turned out in full force on Wednesday to beautify five Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools campuses ahead of the new school year.
TPG is a sports sponsorship company that works with high school athletic and activity programs. The business has 88 employees spread across 30 states who come together in Winston-Salem once a year for a company-wide retreat. For many years, part of the retreat has been a day of service at various WS/FCS campuses. CEO Mike Wolfert has three children who graduated from the district, and in addition to building a business around amplifying school sports programs, he sees these volunteer efforts as essential opportunities to support local students.
“We don’t fund our schools enough,” Wolfert said. “Our job at TPG is to bring in some revenue for these schools that will help them build the next generation of leaders.”
There was plenty to be done at the selected campuses, including mulching, weeding, planting flowers, cleaning up sports fields, painting signs, organizing closets, and more. Carver High School Principal Dr. Thyais Maxwell says the beautification efforts will send a powerful message to students when they return to campus this fall that there’s a lot to look forward to in the 2025-26 school year.
“School is supposed to be a place that’s bright and beautiful and that you’re excited to go to,” Maxwell said. “Sprucing things up can make a big impact.”
Director of Community Engagement Terry Matthews says that community partners like TPG are essential tone setters for the district’s culture. Volunteer events like these offer a breath of fresh air to a school that doesn’t strain its financial resources or require staff members to spread themselves thinner. Knowing that there are people in your neighborhood who are willing to put in the work to help students succeed is reaffirming of WS/FCS’ mission.
“It means that our community has faith in our schools and in our students,” Matthews said. “We’ve got a lot of good people around here who want to support public schools.”