News-Record.com

Thanks for the link, this sentence about says it all. Let's all hope we get to try this one day real soon.

Pursuant to the new board’s policy of community involvement, a survey was ordered to determine the qualities the public desired in a new superintendent. One survey response form advised, simply, ‘Be like E.P. Pearce.’

Pearce is a great name for someone that has done alot for Guilford County-- the very area that has directional names.

I find it interesting that the people that are so opposed to directional names are from either city and have no connection to us poor country people, that have had directional names for 40 plus years. Names that we are proud of, by the way. Back in the day, when all these directional names came about no one of importance lived out in the sticks, so we didn't have alot of names to pick from. Its fine to change, but it is disrespectful to think that we aren't happy with the names that we have. I have always been more concerned about what happenes in the school, than the name. Most children are happy with their school name, no matter what it is... the name might inspire adults, but I don't think kids care at all-- at least young kids; perhaps high school kids care.

I live in the country and I didn't know directional names were so bad untill I was 40 years old. That is when adults in other counties mentioned to me that the names were non-inspiring, non-educational and a cruel joke on the citizens of Guilford County. One solution would be to rename some of the directional schools. I have always opposed that solution. If you put a name on the school, it should stay. That is why the Jesse Wharton name should have stayed at the Pisgah Church facility and not taken to the new school. If this county is to attract abd keep industry, we must put our best face on or we will continue to slide down the slippery slope. A few years ago, we were always above state average in scores. Now, we seem to always be below state average. We have to do something. It costs nothing to try real names.

I agree with Debora on this one. Outsiders moving in do not care what a school is named. They have no idea who the person is that the school was named for unless it is a name like "Lincoln, Washington, MLK"....What people do research are test scores, number of violent incidences and asking their neighbors if they go to their "neighorhood" school. They research individual pockets in the county first. People can go on the Internet and learn all about the High Point Choice Plan and quickly choose Grimsley or Northwest Schools.

Unfortunately for many in the case of North High Point they are still trying to sell their homes. If they report honestly to prospective buyers many must say "home school, Wesleyan, HP Christian". Yes we do have a neighborhood school but aren't allowed to use it."

THANK YOU FOR NOT PUTTING THE SCHOOL BUSES ON THE ROADS LIKE THE LAST TIME WE HAD INCLEMENT WEATHER.

"If this county is to attract abd keep industry, we must put our best face on or we will continue to slide down the slippery slope. A few years ago, we were always above state average in scores. Now, we seem to always be below state average. We have to do something."

Joe's statement says to me that it is all about image. Outsiders will judge us by the "face" that we put on, which is essentially image. This is the same philosophy that Action Greensboro has as indicated by their moneys spent to pretty-up the schools "image". The truth is that the schools' substance is what is lacking, as evidenced by poor test scores, graduation rates, etc. If we spent more time and money improving the substance of our schools, the schools' image would be just fine. The problem is that its easier to cover-up an image than to do the hard work of improving the reality and substance.

You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig, and you can't make a silk purse out of a pig, unless you start with a silk pig.

If you concluded that I am a image person not a substance person, you are all wrong. When you are down, you must work all areas all the time. Nothing less will turn the situation around. I have not given up.

Now Stormy,

If it were Ms. Piggy or Babe or Wilbur it would be a very cute pig, especially with Revlon all day wear lipstick. Actually some of the liberals might like Wilbur with lipstick put I think Ms. Piggy would be best.

The saying you "can't judge a book by it's cover" applies here. We have some schools that are old and dumps with tons of trailers that are some of our top schools, educationally speaking. And then you have the others, what was it, $30 mill renovation of Dudley and it's on Judge Manning's list. You can window dressing all you want but if changes don't come from within, nothing will change. Dudley is finally trying some new things with the uniforms and getting parents involved. Also thanks to their passionate school board rep.

Then there are the High Point schools where the wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round all through the town. You move the students but do not supply any resources to go with these kids. You put resources into the schools these kids left (Andrews) but the school is still struggling. What is there to do next? I would really like to see Mission Possible work but that remains to be seen.

We must work from the inside out to improve education. Nothing will change until we address the desperate need for discipline and enforcement of the rules in our schools. All our children do deserve to have buildings that are clean, safe, free of lead paint and asbestos.

Joe, thanks for not giving up. You have a long uphill climb.