Anderson Academy: The city’s newest charter school
This is part of a series highlighting non-traditional schools in Winston-Salem
TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
While more than 50,000 students attend the 80 elementary, middle and high schools that make up Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WS/FCS) there are a number of alternatives to the traditional public education in the area. Over the next few weeks The Chronicle will be highlighting some of the alternatives in the greater Winston-Salem area including charter schools that are publicly funded and independently operated, and private schools that are privately funded.
The first stop on our tour of non-traditional schools takes us to the city’s newest charter school – Anderson Academy. Located on the campus of Crossnore Communities for Children, 1001 Reynolda Road, Anderson Academy is a tuition-free charter school for kindergarten through fourth grade this year, with plans to be K-8 in the future. The school is named in memory of Dr. Stephen G. Anderson, a beloved Winston-Salem physician known for his generous spirit and outstanding work in the medical field.
Seeing a need in the community for another option for students who are below grade level in the traditional setting, Crossnore raised funds during its Promise of Home campaign to support the renovation and startup costs associated with Anderson Academy. As a public school, continued funding comes from both public and private support.
Anderson Academy is structured to foster a nurturing learning environment that embraces both trauma-informed practices and principles of equity. This approach aims to: recognize and support students who may have faced challenging experiences, create a safe and supportive atmosphere for all learners, and promote fairness and equal opportunities for success. By weaving together compassionate understanding with a commitment to fairness, Crossnore strives to empower every student to thrive academically, emotionally, and socially.
In a press release, Katheryn Northington, Anderson Academy’s board chair, said the student experience at Anderson Academy will be focused on experiential learning. “With an average class size of 10 students, Anderson Academy will offer student-driven instruction and a unique and intentional learning environment that is adaptive to students’ needs,” Northington said.
“The student experience will be project-based and focused on experiential learning that promotes critical thinking and real-world problem solving.”
Rayshawn Meekins was named the first principal of Anderson Academy last October. Meekins received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Winston-Salem State University, a master’s degree in teaching and special education from Salem College, and a master’s degree in school administration from North Carolina A&T State University.
Before taking her current position, Meekins served as assistant principal at Cook Literacy Model School. During her tenure with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Meekins also served as a dean of students, a school improvement grant coach, a literacy coach, and a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) coordinator at Kimberley Park Elementary School. For nearly a decade, she has also participated in the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools program in different capacities.
Shortly after being named principal, Meekins said her vision for Anderson Academy is that it will be a model school for how education can be done differently. “We will not only focus on academics but also the social-emotional well-being of students. Our school will address the needs of the whole child, as well as the needs of all scholars, based on their individuality,” Meekins said last October in an article published in The Chronicle.
”As a school, we will engage in trauma-informed practices in which all students and staff feel safe, welcomed, supported, and empowered to fully participate in what Crossnore’s School has to offer,” she added. “Learning will look different at Crossnore. We will use research-based practices to differentiate instruction in smaller classroom settings. Our school will be a place where an ongoing, inquiry-based process allows for the necessary teamwork, coordination, creativity and sharing of responsibility for all students, and where continuous learning is available to educators as well as students.”
To learn more about Anderson Academy, visit https://andersonacademyws.org/.
