WS Chronicle

After teaching in local public and charter schools for over 15 years, Dr. Jennifer M. Sherman’s dream of having her own business has become reality. Just before the holidays, more than a dozen people came together for the ribbon cutting ceremony for Sherman Academy.

The mission of Sherman Academy is to increase proficiency levels in reading, math, and build a solid learning foundation to develop mastery of content for students and to prepare them to become tomorrow’s leaders today. When discussing the non-profit a few weeks ago, Dr. Sherman said Sherman Academy is more than just a school. “It has been a lifelong dream of mine to start Sherman Academy but I didn’t want it to be just a school. The focus and the goal of Sherman Academy is to start a new education system, not another school,” Sherman said.

In addition to her experience as a teacher, Sherman also has a master’s degree in teaching from Salem College and her doctorate in educational leadership /curriculum & instruction from High Point University. She also has a degree in business information systems from Winston-Salem State University.

Sherman said what drove her to start Sherman Academy was seeing so many students being promoted to the next grade who were unprepared. During the ribbon cutting ceremony Sherman told the story of a local high school student named Bobby who was preparing to graduate, only to find out that wouldn’t be the case.

A month before graduation, Bobby received a letter stating he was number 62 out of 122 students in his class. A few weeks after that Bobby received another letter that said he was not on course to graduate. The next day Bobby’s mother went to the school and was told by administrators and teachers that for four years, her son had not made a grade higher than a “D” and his GPA was a 0.18. “All four years of high school he failed all of his classes except for three,” Sherman said.

“As you could expect, Bobby’s mother was upset. She said she never saw a progress report, a report card … she was upset and all they could do was say ‘Ma’am, we’re so sorry but he will not be able to graduate.’”

Currently Bobby is working toward obtaining his GED. Sherman said that Sherman Academy is designed to make sure students like Bobby and his family have the attention and support they need.

“Bobby is a student who fell through the cracks of education. He was passed along from grade to grade to grade,” she continued. “Sherman Academy is what we call a safety net. We are that safety net that catches students that fall through the cracks of education. We have an after-school tutoring program where we can tutor students who have fallen behind and we help build a solid foundation for new learners.

“Sherman Academy is building a foundation without any cracks.”

For more information on Sherman Academy, visit www.shermanacademy.org or call 336-271-1517.