For many students, the standardized approach doesn’t work. Fortunately, there are people in cities that recognize this and do something about it.
On this episode of The Eddy Network Podcast, I speak Mike Foster, the executive director of the Winston-Salem (NC) Street School. My brother-in-law, Richard Harrington, was the chair of the school’s board for a couple years. His passion for the school inspired me to want to know more. Richard introduced me to Mike. This is how networking for podcast interviews works
I’m impressed by what I learned from Mike. If you want to know how a school like this can be formed in your community, reach out to him. As they say, let do it for the kids.
Mike Foster Executive Director Winston-Salem Street School https://www.wsstreetschool.org/
The Winston Salem Street School (WSSS) is a private alternative high school serving the at-risk youth of the Greater Winston-Salem area of North Carolina. It is designed to meet the needs of students who struggled in traditional schools due to academic or behavioral obstacles, many of whom were expelled or dropped out. The WSSS was created to target these students and offers them the chance to earn a diploma recognized by the State of North Carolina.
The WSSS is a small, “intensive care” educational environment where students can develop and grow. Our student/teacher ratio is 10:1, which allows us to give students the individualized attention they need. We use a holistic approach to education, strengthening students academically, socially, physically and spiritually. Our faculty and staff are dedicated to doing everything within their power to help students achieve, providing them with a patient, loving, and positive educational environment. Our students’ next steps include moving on to college, the military, or into the work force.
While we serve a variety of students, we focus on assisting those students who are the most at-risk of not graduating from the public-school setting. By doing so, the WSSS plays a critical role in reducing the yearly average of students who drop out of the Forsyth County Public School System. Nearly 300 students have graduated our program with their diplomas in the past 18 years. This education helps them move out of the oppressive cycles of crime, poverty, and despair.
The school was founded by David Morgan in 2004, who modeled it after the Denver Street School. It is a member of the National Association of Street Schools. WSSS is governed by community leaders through a Board of Directors.