Of all the factors that impact the quality of a student’s education, one of the most important is positive influence from the adults in their lives. A school full of teachers and administrators who make an effort to understand and accommodate their students can achieve not only better academic outcomes, but create a stronger school culture as well. Carver High School prides itself on maintaining that culture, and the proof is in the payroll – their staff is flush with educators who used to be Carver students.

Ingram and Wolfe Rhshanda Wolfe was a cheerleader and a prom queen at Carver before she graduated in 2009. After earning her degree from North Carolina Central University, she got her first job back at Carver as an OCS teacher assistant, and she felt deeply connected to the school as a teacher just like when she was a student. Even when she was moved to a different school after one year, she took her first opportunity to return and become an EC teacher. She just wanted to be home again.

“Carver is really about home and community,” Wolfe said. “The staff here all looks out for each other. It’s about growth and helping each other get to the next level.”

EC Teacher Nykia Ingram tells a similar story. She’s taught throughout Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools at the elementary, middle, and high school levels since 2002, but it’s always been special for her to work at her alma mater. She has pride in the school inspired by a long history of treasured memories, and it’s important to her to be part of the school’s future successes so that the next generation of students can feel that same pride.

“Once you’re a part of Carver, you’re always a part of Carver,” Ingram said. “We have Jacket pride.”

Minor-Oliver and Brown School Counselor Arneathia Brown says that Carver students are stigmatized by people in the wider community who don’t really know the school. However, with so many alumni on staff, the students don’t have to worry about that from their educators. Brown attended Carver from 1979-81 when it was a two-year school and has worked there for decades, even substituting when she had time before becoming a full-time counselor.

Brown says she doesn’t have any interest in working somewhere else. She’s part of a loving family at Carver, and just the thought of leaving is enough to make her emotional. She says that anyone who doubts that Carver is a great place to learn, grow, and develop a community spirit should come work at the school so they can see what they’ve been missing.

“I can tell anybody that if they work in this school, if they come here instead of listening to what else is out there, they’ll see the love,” Brown said. “They’ll see how much we care about these kids… they’ll see how much our kids want to come to school.”

There are countless stories like these among Carver’s staff. Jana Minor-Oliver spent 20 years as an accountant before changing careers and returning to Carver as a career development coordinator. Kenny Anderson serves as an advisor to the student government association, training the next generation of leaders at the school. Akilah Tillman graduated last year and has just started studying education at Winston-Salem State University.

Anderson Tillman hopes her first job out of college will allow her to return to Carver and join the proud tradition of alumnus teachers. Her teachers at Carver and their dedication to their students played a critical role in her decision to become an educator, and she’s looking forward to an opportunity to pay it forward.

“The teachers here inspire a lot of good lessons in us,” Tillman said. “They don’t give up on us.”

Dr. Thyais Maxwell, Carver’s principal, sees plenty of reasons to be proud of the school, but their large roster of alumni on staff is one of the greatest testaments to the school’s strengths. Through academics, athletics, arts, and community, countless people have come to see Carver as a home away from home. Regardless of any outside noise, their culture is proof that they’re doing great things.

“This is the perfect way for us to tell our own story,” Maxwell said. “People coming back and making Carver their choice feels amazing… I’m proud, I’m grateful, and I’m excited for the future of Carver.”

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