The Board of Education recognized 16 teachers from 13 schools who won funding in the WS/FCS Education Foundation's first grant cycle of 2025. Congratulations, teachers!
#wsfcs
The Board of Education recognized community partners involved in the America 250 program during their latest meeting.
The district received a $30,000 grant from North Carolina’s America 250 NC initiative for a project to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026. The project, titled Winston-Salem: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, offers field trips to all WS/FCS third graders at venues like local government offices, the Central Library, the Innovation Quarter, the F.W. Woolworth’s site, the RJR Factory Workers Strike site, and Historic Bethabara Park.
Thank you for helping create these enriching experiences for our students!
#wsfcs
Sawyer Wemyss has known she wanted to be a teacher for most of her academic career, and her own teachers have been a constant source of inspiration. She’s invested a lot of time and effort into her teacher cadet classes at East Forsyth High School and even gave the keynote speech at a teacher cadet state conference. Now she’s off to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and she’s bringing along some indispensable firsthand experience.
“All of the teachers here have been very helpful,” Wemyss said. “It’s great because I can look at them and I might think ‘oh, that was a great lesson – let me steal that!’.”
#wsfcs #SeniorSpotlight
The Board of Education recognized Christopher Pegelow from Carver High School and the Career Center for winning this year's Safe Sober T-Shirt Design Contest during their latest meeting.
Dagget Shuler Law Firm sponsors the competition every year as part of their campaign to reduce drunk driving incidents. Pegelow is the first-ever winner of the contest from Carver High School, and as a junior, he has a chance to compete again next year and become the first repeat winner in around 30 years.
Congratulations, Christopher!
#wsfcs
Nearly 4,000 WS/FCS seniors walked the stage and began the next chapter of their lives during last week’s graduations. Learn more on our website at https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/article/2237630.
#wsfcs #Classof2025
Bence Burton has made his mark as a championship swimmer, a student body treasurer, and an officer for Reagan High School’s very successful DECA program. Now, he’s off to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on the Morehead-Cain Scholarship, one of the most prestigious merit-based scholarships in the country. He says he couldn’t have done it without the opportunities he had at Reagan and the people who wanted to see him succeed.
“Any teacher, any adult, any administrator that you go talk to is just so open and willing to help you,” Burton said. “I’m so grateful for all of the help and all of the advice I’ve had from so many different teachers who have impacted me along the way.”
#wsfcs #SeniorSpotlight
Jayla Williams spent her time at the Early College trying a little bit of everything the school had to offer, from dance to poetry to Spanish to ecology to theatre. She’s going to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with hopes of becoming a therapist, but she’s keeping her options open as she considers her future career. Her Early College experience has made her more confident in herself and more invested in knowing the people around her.
“Early College provided me a space to grow and learn more about myself,” Williams said. “Since this is a tight knit community and the focus is on learning first, I was able to learn while also learning about other people, which in turn teaches you about yourself.”
#wsfcs #SeniorSpotlight
Will Bumgarner never lacks a project, serving as the editor-in-chief of his school newspaper, a tennis player, an organizer for Centenary United Methodist Church’s Love Thy Neighbor Ministry, and even a partner in a landscaping company. He’ll be studying history at the University of Virginia starting this fall. He believes Reynolds High School has been a great place to learn how the world works because it’s full of unique and interesting people.
“You’ll see every type of person and interact with them all,” Bumgarner said. “It prepares you to have good interpersonal skills that will help you later in life. I think it’s a very positive place, and a very real place.”
#wsfcs #SeniorSpotlight
The Board of Education recognized schools that earned Superior ratings at this year's Music Adjudication Performances during their latest meeting.
MPA is a performance test for band, chorus, and orchestra programs that gives teachers and students feedback and a rating, with Superior ratings as the highest achievement. Atkins, Diggs-Latham, Hanes, Lewisville Middle, Mount Tabor, Reagan, Walkertown High, and West Forsyth all earned the distinction this year. Eight music teachers accepted recognitions from the board on behalf of hundreds of students in their programs.
Congratulations to our district's many talented musicians!
#wsfcs
The Board of Education presented 12 schools with Clean and Green Awards during their latest meeting. The Clean and Green Initiative, a partnership with Keep Winton Salem Beautiful and the Garden Club Council, encourages schools to reduce litter, provide environmental education, and beautify their campuses. Well done, everyone!
#wsfcs
Vardhan Ramanathan arrived at Atkins High School without a clear idea of what he wanted to do with his life. He was able to find himself through volunteer opportunities and school programs like the track team and the marching band. As he prepares to leave for New York to go to college, a National Merit Scholarship in tow, he’s grateful for the people he met and the activities he had access to that made it easier to understand what he really wanted.
“I’ve always enjoyed going to school because there are so many different opportunities, especially in public schools,” Ramanathan said. “You can join different clubs and meet a diversity of people, and that’s how I found my place.”
#wsfcs #SeniorSpotlight
WS/FCS will hold plenty of graduations this week, but some of the earliest aren’t for students – they’re for parents and family members who’ve broadened their English skills through the Toyota Family Literacy Program. Learn more on our website at https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/article/2221522.
#wsfcs
The Board of Education recognized winners of the 2025 Maya Angelou Essay Contest during their latest meeting. The contest, sponsored by the Estate of Mr. Guy Johnson and the Dr. Maya Angelou Foundation, encourages WS/FCS juniors and seniors to embrace the creative process and tell the stories that matter most to them. This year's theme was “We Must Not Be Defeated”.
The following winners were presented with scholarships at the meeting:
1st Place - Mikayla Monroe-Johnson, Mount Tabor High School, $5000
2nd Place - Cassidy Craven, Reagan High School, $3000 (Not Pictured)
3rd Place - Lindsey Martin, West Forsyth High School, $1800
Congratulations, writers!
#wsfcs
Ben Grimstead spent four years swimming competitively in high school and eventually became his team’s captain. He’s going to North Carolina State University after graduation, with a little help from the National Merit Scholarship he earned. He feels ready to succeed in the real world because of his teachers at Mount Tabor High School, who he says gave him plenty of chances to think critically and solve problems.
“It’s really helped when teachers have led me to help myself and taught me to deal with problems on my own,” Grimstead said. “When a teacher gives you a trial run and asks you what kind of solutions you can put forward, that really helps me.”
#wsfcs #SeniorSpotlight
WS/FCS’ aspiring authors were starstruck on Wednesday when they got to spend time learning more about their craft with Award-Winning Novelist Pam Muñoz Ryan. Learn more on our website at https://www.wsfcs.k12.nc.us/article/2216255.
#wsfcs
Corey Tuttle is the commander of Parkland High School’s JROTC, which means he’s in charge of coordinating the program’s events, competitions, service projects, and more. He’s joining the United States Army after graduation, and with their support, he’ll be pursuing a degree in criminal justice as well. Leadership roles in JROTC, National Technical Honor Society, and Parkland’s theatre program have empowered him to take charge of his own future.
“High school is exactly what we choose to make it,” Tuttle said. “When you stay focused, you’re able to control what you’re being influenced by, so stay focused, stay full speed ahead, and be smart about your decisions.”
#wsfcs #SeniorSpotlight
The Board of Education recognized 12 students for winning flagship scholarships at their meeting on Tuesday night, as well as 11 more who earned Forsyth Assistant Principals Association scholarships.
The WS/FCS Class of 2025 has earned $85 million in scholarships between them, a testament to the confidence colleges and universities have in the district's graduates. Notably, this is the district's first graduating class to have had their entire high school careers after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Congratulations, seniors - we know you'll keep making us proud!
#wsfcs
Griffith Elementary celebrated students' hard work preparing for EOGs with a pep rally this week. Ahead of testing, students got to play games, parade through the school, listen to music, and see their teachers show off some dance moves. Good luck, bulldogs - you've got this!
#wsfcs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SGJ_nIrZS8
Rubi Cruz De Jesus plans to study ultrasound technology after graduation, starting at Forsyth Technical Community College and eventually transferring to a four-year university. She says she’s glad that her teachers at Carver High School didn’t always go easy on her, especially when it came to forming a habit of meeting deadlines. Even though high school was tough sometimes, she knows she has a community at Carver that she can lean on when she needs them.
“I can always come back here and ask my teachers if I need anything,” she said. “I know they’ll help me.”
#wsfcs #SeniorSpotlight
Northwest Middle School celebrated student citizenship last week with their Teacher's Choice Awards.
Every teacher gets to choose one student out of all of their classes and present some of their highlights for the year at an awards ceremony. Winners receive a gift certificate and attend a special reception with their friends and families. Principal Intern Charmeka Foster says that the event is an important acknowledgement of good will between students and teachers, and that it "shines a light on students who are simply exceptional human beings".
Keep up the good work, Northwest!
#wsfcs
