WS Chronicle

By Judie Holcomb-Pack

The Winston-Salem Street School honored 11 students who made the first and second quarter honor rolls on Thursday, March 15, at a luncheon held at Tart Sweets Cakery & Sweet Treats Café. The school, which has an enrollment of about 50 students, honors students who achieve straight As or As and Bs with certificates and lunch.

In the past, lunch has been a trip to a fast-food restaurant, but this year Tart Sweets stepped up to host the students with a special menu of chicken salad croissants and tea sandwiches, a veggie tray, chips and dip, cake squares and mini-cupcakes. In addition, each student received a sugar cookie with an A on it to illustrate their achievement. The reception was held in the elegant meeting room at Tart Sweets.

The following students achieved the honor roll: Andrew Shores, Zhyier Mitchell, Ashley Young, Wesley Kilgore, Talia Ashford, Gabrelle Walker, Jettie Stanley, Shaniya Arzu-Grant, Katia Candlea-Abonsa, Chelsea Young, Avery Sonbert, Holly Pandolfo and David Amaya-Munoz.

The Winston-Salem Street School is an accredited, private, nonprofit, alternative education option for at-risk high school students in Forsyth County. The school targets students who may have had difficulty fitting in at a regular school or may have experienced teen pregnancy that interfered with their education. Classes include English, math, history and social studies, along with electives, such as psychology, the Bible, and personal finance. Upon graduation, they receive a diploma from the Street School, as opposed to a GED certificate.

Students attend classes Monday through Thursday and on Friday they have special programs, visiting guest speakers, or perform community service. They have sorted food at Second Harvest Food Bank, tended to dogs and cats at the Humane Society, read to elementary school students, and tutored students at Awake Church.

Leslie Watt, the director of student services, said, “I have seen a huge transformation in students from when I first interviewed them to when they graduate, not only in their academics, but in their confidence and self-esteem.” She continued, “At the Street School, we believe in them when they come to the school and when they leave, they believe in themselves.”

The students were excited to be recognized for their achievements. Talia Ashford said, “I worked real hard. The hardest thing is not to give up and to tell myself I could do it. My mom was so happy!”

Holly Pandolfo, who was honored for earning straight As, said she achieved this by “coming to school every day and doing my work. Coming to school is like an escape for me. I enjoy it. For a long time I didn’t like school. This school made me like school again.”

Because the Winston-Salem Street School is a private school, they do not receive any funding from the state. Their operating budget comes from the support of businesses, churches, individuals, grants and fundraisers. They will hold the Feet for the Street 5K on April 27 starting at 9 a.m. at Salem Lake Greenway.

For more information on the school or to register for the 5k, go to www.wsstreetschool.org.