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One of the most exciting times in education is the start of a new school year and the return of our teachers and students. There is a contagious enthusiasm surrounding the entire school community as we look forward to making new friends, participating in challenging and rigorous educational activities, and engaging in critical thinking throughout the year.

I’m pleased to share that our repertoire of exceptional academic programs will continue to grow this year. The 2018-19 school year will mark the second year of the Asheboro High School Early College Academy and our Dual-Language Immersion program will extend into the second grade at Balfour Elementary and first grade at Lindley Park Elementary.  Our Career and Technical Education program will continue to expand opportunities for high school students to obtain certifications in agriculture, finance, manufacturing, and information technology as well as many other areas.

Each year I find myself even more amazed by our students’ accomplishments. Just this past year, our seniors earned over $7 million in academic and athletic scholarships. The talent of our students who participate in our cultural arts program rivals professional actors and musicians. And, our graduation rate continues to exceed the state average year after year. The Class of 2018 had a graduation rate of 92.6 (unofficial) – incredible! Our sustained high graduation rate is one of the reasons why Asheboro City Schools was named a top 10 school district in North Carolina. We are delighted to welcome several new teachers to the Asheboro City Schools family. In our highly-selective recruitment process, we sought out talented and positive individuals who are gifted and will help our students realize their full potential. Our new and veteran teachers have engaged in professional development throughout the summer. These sessions have been geared towards delivering instruction that is both problem and project-based. Our educators have the power to be change-agents for each and every student in Asheboro City Schools.

In addition to new teachers, we are pleased to introduce two new principals for the upcoming school year. Ms. Ann Evans, former assistant principal at Charles W. McCrary Elementary School, is now the principal of Guy B. Teachey Elementary School and Lisa Hayes, former assistant principal at Donna Lee Loflin Elementary School, now serves as their principal.

Also new this year will be changes to the start and end times for our middle school students. North and South Asheboro Middle schools will begin the day at 8:20 a.m. and end the day at 3:20 p.m. This change seeks to promote student safety through alleviating traffic congestion at the intersections of Walker Avenue and Church and Park Streets.

In collaboration with the Asheboro City Board of Education and Smith-Sinnett Architecture, district leaders continue to focus on maintaining our facilities. Our Maintenance and Facilities Department has done a tremendous job completing projects during the summer months, ensuring our schools are ready for students to engage in their best learning. Families can rest-assured knowing our facilities are well-maintained for every season of the year. Even more exciting is the Asheboro High School Renovation and Expansion project. We look forward to sharing progress throughout the school year with our families and community. The renovation will update the existing infrastructure at Asheboro High School and the addition will provide a state-of-the-art learning facility, equipped with 15-18 new classrooms, an expanded area for our band program, and increased core capacity for our growing student population. We are grateful to the Randolph County Commissioners for their continued support of this project.

Delivering rigorous instruction is just a piece of how we care for our students. Our teachers understand that their roles include providing for the social, emotional, and physical needs of our students. As a part of a strategy for addressing needs, we’re pleased to provide a free universal breakfast at each school in Asheboro City Schools. This program helps prepare our students for daily learning. This is just part of what makes Asheboro City Schools such a special place. We’re more than a school district. We’re a community.

As we look ahead to this new school year, we remain committed to providing the best educational resources for our deserving students. Our primary focus is teaching skills our students need to excel as 21st Century learners, workers, and citizens. We will continue our work with families and the community to ensure that our students are academically proficient, effective at communicating, collaborating, and thinking critically and creatively, and are globally aware, independent, and responsible.

We hope you will join us as we continue to make the best school district even better!

Thank you,

Terry W. Worrell
Superintendent
Asheboro City Schools