WS Chronicle

To get more acclimated with the district last week, Dr. Angela Pringle Hairston kicked off a community listening tour at Old Richmond Elementary School.

Hairston, who officially began her stint as superintendent of Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools earlier this month, said the purpose of the listening sessions is to get a firsthand account of some of the issues within the district, as well as some of the bright spots.

“There’s only so much information you can get from the data,” Hairston said. “There’s only so much information you can get from test scores and report cards. It’s very important as a group that we are able to share openly, not just about the challenges but some of the things that are working.”

Before joining WS/FCS Hairston worked more than 30 years in public education in Virginia and Georgia. Most recently she served as superintendent for Richmond County Schools in Augusta, Georgia. Before that, she served as region superintendent for DeKalb County School District. Hairston also has experience as a principal, assistant principal, and a teacher.

During the first listening sessions on Thursday, Sept. 19, teachers, parents, and others with invested interest in Old Richmond Elementary and the district as a whole raised questions on a number of topics including; the breakfast/lunch in the classroom initiative, curriculum, and staff training, just to name a few.

Dr. Hairston’s series of community listening sessions continued on Wednesday, Sept. 25 when she visited North Forsyth High School. The next listening session is scheduled for Oct. 3 at East Forsyth Middle School. All sessions are free and open to the public.

For more information and a complete list of schools Dr. Hairston will be visiting go the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools website.