Wayne School of Engineering honored for graduation rate
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on October 12, 2014 1:50 AM
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Dr. Steven Taylor, left, superintendent of Wayne County Public Schools, and Gary Hales, right, principal at Wayne School of Engineering, are recognized by the Schools Superintendent Dr. June Atkinson for WSE being one of 43 high schools in the state with a 100 percent graduation rate for 2013-14.
Wayne School of Engineering has been recognized as one of 43 schools in North Carolina to have a 100 percent graduation rate for the 2013-14 school year.
The N.C. Department of Public Instruction honored 12 school districts and 43 high schools for having the highest four-year cohort graduation rate among all districts and schools in the state.
At ceremonies held recently in Raleigh, State Superintendent June Atkinson praised the progress that has been made in recent years to bring the state's graduation rate from 68 percent, in 2006, to the recent record high rate of 83.9 percent.
Wayne County Public Schools' latest graduation rate was 79.5 percent. The rate measures the percentage of ninth-graders who graduate from high school within four years.
Dr. Steven Taylor, superintendent, and Gary Hales, principal of Wayne School of Engineering, attended the event.
WSE, which opened in 2007 with 84 students, is located on the Goldsboro High School campus. It was started after receiving a planning grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The school is unique, Taylor said, in that it offers students a more personalized education through smaller classes and an innovative STEM curriculum that integrates science, technology, engineering and math components. Students are also given the opportunity to complete college courses or seek a two-year degree.
In 2009, WSE was chosen by the N.C. New Schools Project as one of four schools in the state to become a national "learning lab."
In 2012, it expanded to include middle grades and was one of 12 schools nationwide to be studied by a National Science Foundation team for its success as a STEM school.
In 2013, STEM Learning Center courses were introduced to middle grade students. Earlier this year, it began offering Adobe courses to high school students.
Current enrollment at the school is 450 students.
Hales was recognized at Monday night's Board of Education meeting.
Board member, and former GHS principal, Patricia Burden presented the principal with a certificate from the board.
District had officials accepted a similar recognition for Wayne Early/Middle College High School, which had a 100 percent graduation rate for the four previous years.