Roanoke Valley Schools Committed to Providing a Top-Notch Education
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Teachers‚ administrators and parents in the Roanoke Valley are unified in their commitment to a quality education for area youth.
Yet their goals are met through four separate school districts: three in Halifax County plus Northampton County Schools.
The largest system in Halifax County is Halifax County Schools‚ with 15 schools and 5‚650 students enrolled. Halifax County Schools employ 450 teachers.
Twelve of the 15 schools are rated as “high performing” on the state’s ABCs of Education assessment‚ which is based on standardized testing.
“We are committed to giving our boys and girls the best education possible‚” says Superintendent Willie G. Gilchrist. “We want every one of our schools to be known throughout the state as a school of excellence.”
Halifax County Schools have put more computers in the schools and connected more classrooms to the Internet than the state average‚ with 99.2 percent of classrooms connected and 2.68 students per instructional computer.
The Roanoke Rapids Graded Schools district was originally chartered in 1907. Its high school‚ now on the National Register of Historic Places‚ was built to the tune of $500‚000 in 1921 – a time when the average cost of high schools was $50‚000.
“We recently invested $500‚000 of competitive grant funding in the original senior building to refurbish the front window structures and make safety accommodations in the auditorium‚” says schools Superintendent John Parker. “We are in the process of obtaining $1.6 million of Qualified Zone Academy Bonds to do further improvements to the senior building.”
Today‚ the district is comprised of two elementary schools‚ one middle school‚ one high school‚ one pre-K center‚ and one alternative learning center‚ with approximately 3‚145 students enrolled in all schools.
The Weldon City Schools district recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.
“The founders of this district wanted to bring attention to the place education has within this community‚” says Kitty Thomason‚ executive administrative assistant.
This city district is comprised of one pre-K school‚ one elementary school‚ one middle and one high school‚ serving approximately 1‚150 students altogether. Kathi H. Gibson‚ who joined the system in July 2003‚ is the district’s first female superintendent.
Northampton County has approximately 3‚204 students enrolled in six elementary‚ two middle and two high schools.
The system is adopting a new reading program this fall‚ says Superintendent James W. Pickens Jr.
“We want every child in the system reading on grade level‚” Pickens says. The district is so committed to its goals that it will spend between $250‚000 to $275‚000 per school‚ Pickens says.
The new reading program is not the only innovation being implemented in this system‚ says Susie Johnson‚ director of community/school relations and student services.
A new teacher recruitment tool known as the BEST program‚ Beginning Education Support Training‚ has recently kicked off‚ she says.
Story by Pam Sherborne
Photo by staff
