Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro
High Point Central High was announced as this year’s winner of the Hubert B. Humphrey Jr. School Improvement Award on Wednesday during the annual State of Our Community event sponsored by the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce.
We are thrilled to announce and congratulate our 2024 scholarship recipients. These exceptional students have demonstrated remarkable academic achievement, leadership, and a commitment to their communities. From future educators to budding international relations experts, writers, scientists, and community leaders, each recipient embodies the values and aspirations our scholarships seek to support.
By addressing financial needs and rewarding excellence, these scholarships not only alleviate the financial burden of education but also inspire students to make a positive impact in their communities. This support helps build the next generation of leaders, ensuring a brighter future for students and the broader community.
Their hard work and dedication have earned them this well-deserved recognition, and we are excited to see the positive impact they will undoubtedly make in their future endeavors. Join us in celebrating their achievements and wishing them continued success on their educational journeys.
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro awards $12,000
Southeastern Guilford High is this year’s winner of the Hubert B. Humphrey Jr. School Improvement Award. Superintendent Oakley presented the award on Tuesday during the annual State of Our Community event sponsored by the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce.
The Humphrey Award is designed to “enhance a comprehensive school improvement plan that supports collaboration and leads toward improved student achievement.” A selection committee reviews certain academic metrics and considers how each school plans to engage the community, serve diverse student populations, and improve student outcomes.
Principal Christopher Scott took the helm of Southeast before the 2022-2023 school year. Throughout the year, he and the school’s new administrative team utilized input from stakeholders to honor the history of the school, address concerns from stakeholders, and implement research-based high-yield strategies to support staff and students. The strategies played a role in improving the graduation rate, lost instructional days, and teacher retention.
“I am proud of the Southeast Guilford High School team and the leadership of Principal Scott. Over the last year, they have implemented a robust set of strategies to improve academic performance while supporting the well-being of students,” Superintendent Oakley said.
The school will receive $12,000, which it will use to focus on student support. The school plans to update the space students use for E-therapy sessions and install sensory boxes for students in each administrator and counseling office. It also plans to use the money to support its attendance plan and improve the transition from middle to high school by hosting quarterly meetings for first-year students and their families.
Hubert B. “Hugh” Humphrey was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation from 1981 until he passed away in 2003. Revered by fellow trustees and staff, Humphrey also served as legal counsel to the foundation. In November 2003, the trustees created the Hubert B. Humphrey Jr. School Improvement Award to honor his dedication. The Foundation established a fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, which is used each year to support the cash award.
About Guilford County Schools
Guilford County Schools, the third largest school district in North Carolina and among the largest of more than 14,000 in the United States, serves nearly 70,000 PK-12 students at 126 schools. With approximately 9,800 employees, GCS works in partnership with parents, businesses, colleges, and the community to deliver an education that connects student interests and skills with the careers and economy of our future here and around the world. We provide educational choices to meet individual student needs in culturally diverse citizenship and new opportunities to help our students grow. For more information, visit the district’s website at www.gcsnc.com.
After my husband and I moved to Greensboro in 1985, I soon learned of the fight for civil rights that took place right here in my newly adopted town. One person, in particular, was Dr. George C. Simkins, Jr., who was a community leader and civil rights activist. Born in Greensboro in 1924, Dr. Simkins was a well-known and respected dentist. In 1955, he and several other black men were arrested for trespassing after they played nine holes at the all-white, municipal Gillespie Golf Course. The men appealed their convictions to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled against them in a 5-to-4 vote. Rather than integrate Gillespie, the city closed the course, reopening seven years later with Dr. Simkins the first to tee off.
Most notably, Dr. Simkins was involved in a court action to desegregate Moses Cone and Wesley Long Community Hospitals. You can find a permanent reminder near Cone Hospital where a plaque describes the role Dr. Simkins played in this landmark case.
In 2010, Dr. Simkins’ friends and family chose the Community Foundation as a home for The George C. Simkins, Jr. Scholarship. To date, almost $200,000 in scholarships have been awarded to high school students of color. This scholarship is a permanent reminder that there was once a brave, dedicated African American who was committed to equality and would surely be proud to see that his legacy is being honored in this way.
Connie Leeper, Donor Services Manager
There was a study done decades ago that discovered that children who thrived after traumatic events had one thing in common: An adult who was a constant positive presence in their lives. Upon hearing this, one of our more prominent nonprofit leaders remarked,” Where is my adult? I need that too!” We all need that “Adult” in our lives we can turn to for guidance and support. One of the tenets of the Guilford Nonprofit Consortium is that good training for nonprofits must be supported by opportunities for individual coaching and mentoring. While the Consortium offers forty different “classroom style” training events each year, much of the benefit of that training are the hundreds of hours of mentoring, coaching, and support that is built into every event.
The Executive Leadership Academy is a year-long leadership development program that allows participants to attend training at the Center for Creative Leadership. After a battery of online assessments, participants meet for day-long seminars on developing their own leadership skills. Supporting the training is a program that gives each nonprofit leader an individual coach to work with during the training to implement what they’ve learned. Participants are also placed in small “Peer Coaching” groups where they learn how to coach and support each other in their development. Many of these Peer Groups continue to meet years after the Academy is over.
In 2020, Triad Coaching Connection, an organization of local professionals in leadership and organizational development, partnered with the Consortium to provide 24 nonprofits with individualized coaching to help them navigate the early days of the pandemic and economic crisis. These professionals volunteered their skills and support to help local nonprofits keep the doors open in those early dark days.
One of the most valued Consortium programs is our Executive Director Roundtable Series. This is a “closed door” meeting for the Executive Directors of nonprofits where they can safely and confidentially discuss the challenges they face in their day-to-day work. Topics may include human resources issues, relationships between Directors and their Boards, financial management, and fundraising. There may be no topic at all! During the pandemic, many roundtables were just opportunities to check in with each other and offer mutual support.
The staff of the Consortium spend much of their time mentoring and supporting nonprofit professionals. The Consortium Director met with 289 individuals from 136 different organizations in 2021. They may have heard from Board Chairs asking, “How can I get this Board member to participate in meetings?” From Executive Directors they heard, “How do I lead my organization through Strategic planning?” The young nonprofit professional asked, “Can you help me develop the skills I need to build my career?” The most common request for help came from the committed community member who asked, “How do I start a nonprofit? Should I?”
There is the old adage “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” This is the heart of the work of the Guilford Nonprofit Consortium. We do indeed train people, but more importantly, we help build the relationships that make training work. We help find that “Adult” that our nonprofits need to thrive.
Could you be an “Adult” for one of our local nonprofits? Organizations that rescue animals, mentor youth, develop our economy, provide the Arts, feed the hungry, ensure affordable, safe housing, and many other causes need your support. One of the best ways to share your talents is by serving on a nonprofit board. The Consortium can help you find that nonprofit that needs your help and shares your values. We will even offer you training on how to be an effective board member.
January is National Mentoring Month. We usually associate mentoring with providing young people with personal, academic, or professional support. This is important, but our nonprofit community needs those same supports. Consider being an “Adult” for a nonprofit by offering your skills in accounting, human resources, events planning, fundraising, or any of the myriad of ways that you can help. The Consortium can help you find that “right fit.” Contact us at guilfordnonprofits@gmail.com and start building those relationships.
Steve Hayes, Director Guilford Nonprofit Consortium
