WS Chronicle

The old saying goes, if you love something set it free. If it comes back it’s yours. If not, it was never meant to be. If that saying is true, then it’s safe to say the Carol Montague-Davis is a Carver Yellow Jacket for life.

Last week, Beverly Emory, superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS), announced that Montague-Davis will be the new principal at Carver, the same place she served as principal from 2004 to 2008.

“Carol is the right fit for Carver High School,” said Emory. “She knows the school, its challenges and success because she has always maintained a close relationship with the school community. With her vast experience, she is the best person I know to lead the school’s improvement plan and innovative programs.”

During an interview with The Chronicle earlier this week, Montague-Davis said she was excited to return to the place where her career started with the local school system.

“I always said Carver would be the only school I would return to before I retire. That’s where my heart is,” she said. “I just have a lot of passion and love for the school and the community that surrounds it.”

In her first stint at Carver, Montague-Davis was instrumental in leading the school’s improvement plan. She also brought new programs to the school, like the Academy of Hospitality and Tourism, which exposes students to a wide variety of opportunities and career paths.

In 2008, she left to take over as the districts instructional superintendent for continuous improvement. Since that time, a lot has changed at Carver. Enrollment is down by about 500 students, two principals have come and gone, an ESL (English as a Second Language) program has been implemented to accommodate a growing Hispanic student population, and in 2010 the school was tagged as a Title I school, which provides financial assistance to schools with high numbers of children from low-income families.

Last year Carver was one of 11 “priority schools” in the local district, which called for an evaluation of the academic programs offered at the school.

Since 2008, Carver has also adopted the Teens for Tomorrow program, and a new academy that allows students to explore computer science and information technology. While acknowledging some of the challenges she will face, Montague-Davis said, with the help of faculty and staff and by rebuilding relationships with the community and Carver alums, she is confident that she can build on the progress already made at Carver.

“It’s a new Carver. We were successful with the old Carver, so now let’s see if we can continue the success that has already started,” she said. “When you work at Carver, you have to believe in your heart that the students can do it. I believe in the old African proverb that says it takes a village to build a child, and that is my plan.”

“One strength that I bring is that the community already knows me,” she said. “So now I’m going to reach back out. I’m excited about working with the community again.”

Montague-Davis is expected to officially make her return to Carver Nation in early July. She said when all is said and done, her goal is to make sure the students at Carver are proud to be Yellow Jackets.

“When someone asks where do you go to school, I want them to be proud to say I’m a Jacket.  I want to get that sense of pride back and make sure Carver is making a difference in the community.”