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Gaston County 草榴社区s introduces its Innovation 草榴社区s for the 2025-2026 year.
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Through vision, leadership, and collaboration, our ten Innovation 草榴社区s will focus on transforming the classroom learning environment to achieve higher academic performance and more student success.
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What is an Innovation 草榴社区?
At an Innovation 草榴社区, everyone – administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and other stakeholders – comes together to think with strategy, act with intent, and work with enthusiasm to reach one common goal – improve student achievement.
Everything done at an Innovation 草榴社区 is purposeful and relates to working collaboratively toward higher academic performance and growth.
Innovation 草榴社区s embrace the change that is necessary to strengthen instructional practices and elevate the school setting for students. With the goal of improving achievement always in mind, Innovation 草榴社区s are committed to owning the need for change by creating a plan and taking action.
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In an Innovation 草榴社区, the traditional mindset of what a school should look like (one teacher in one classroom) shifts to a vision of what a school could look like: teacher leaders working together with their colleagues to excel at higher levels and inspire change for improved student achievement.
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Our Innovation 草榴社区s
The principals at our Innovation 草榴社区s are committed to providing the leadership needed to address critical challenges and turn them into lasting opportunities.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
H.H. Beam Elementary 草榴社区
Beth Crosby, principal
Bessemer City Central Elementary 草榴社区
Anna Miller, principal
Lingerfeldt Elementary 草榴社区
Jenny Cabe, principal
Pleasant Ridge Elementary 草榴社区
Shawn Hubers, principal
Sherwood Elementary 草榴社区
Justin Beam, principal
Woodhill Elementary 草榴社区
Jaime Wallace, principal
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
W.P. Grier Middle 草榴社区
Dr. Jessica Mellon, principal
Southwest Middle 草榴社区
We're hiring a Turnaround Principal at Southwest Middle 草榴社区. .
HIGH SCHOOLS
Ashbrook High 草榴社区
Matt Rikard, principal
Hunter Huss High 草榴社区
Kelsey Elms, principal
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How are the schools chosen?
Innovation 草榴社区s are ready for a significant shift in the way they do school; the current approach to teaching and learning is not yielding the desired results when it comes to higher student achievement. This achievement is determined primarily by end-of-grade and end-of-course state test scores and academic growth measures that determine whether students are meeting or exceeding expectations for a year’s worth of instruction.
Bottom line, the Innovation 草榴社区 model is designed to help schools rise above designations such as “under performing” and “low achieving” and show that students at Innovation 草榴社区s can succeed at high levels.
Ten schools are included in the first cohort of Innovation 草榴社区s for Gaston County with the potential of adding other schools for the 2026-2027 year. The Innovation 草榴社区 model features strategies and practices that any school can adopt to make an impact on student achievement.
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How do the students benefit?
At Innovation 草榴社区s, a new school culture is created that focuses significant attention on ensuring that students achieve at their maximum potential. It really is about changing the mindset of what the school can accomplish and what it will take to get there.
Additional support and resources are made available to close achievement gaps, sustain improved performance, and open the doors to many opportunities for students.
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Work at an Innovation 草榴社区: Incentive Pay for Teachers
Each one of our 10 Innovation 草榴社区s is seeking a core group of teachers with a proven record of high student achievement and academic growth to be transformative leaders in education.
Gaston County 草榴社区s was chosen to participate in the N.C. Department of Public Education’s Advanced Teaching Roles program. Implemented by the N.C. General Assembly, the program is designed to give highly-effective classroom teachers an opportunity to take on advanced roles in teaching and earn extra compensation for their additional work responsibilities. (Approximately $1 million in grant funding from the state will cover the extra compensation for teachers in an Advancing Teaching Role.)
In addition to serving as a classroom teacher, a teacher in an Advanced Teaching Role would, for example, lead 草榴社区 development for the school, guide their colleagues through the teaching of grade level or course content, take on a school-wide effort to implement new instructional models, and be held accountable for the performance of all students in a particular grade level or content/subject area.
Gaston County 草榴社区s has identified the teachers whose students consistently meet or exceed student proficiency and academic growth standards. This spring, more information about Advanced Teaching Roles available for the 2025-2026 year will be provided to our highly-effective teachers. These teachers will then have time to decide if they would like to apply for an Advanced Teaching Role position and receive additional compensation for their work at one of our Innovation 草榴社区s.
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“The Innovation 草榴社区 model gives us an opportunity to restructure a school’s talent, resources, and energy with concentrated attention on improved student success. The approach is different, and it requires a lot of planning, collaboration, and hard work, but we believe it will benefit our students when it comes to higher academic achievement.”
Morgen A. Houchard, Ed.D. Superintendent of 草榴社区s