2016-2017 Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year & Scholarship Awardees
Heather Barto-Wiley - teaches English 1, Honors Shakespeare & AP Literature and Composition
How did you get to Reynolds?
After I graduated from college I interviewed with Mr. elrod for a position teaching English. He didn't have an opening for the fall, but he ended up calling me in January of 2004 when he had a teacher leave. I was hired to teach English l and two sheltered classes for ESL students.
How did what you had heard about RJR match with what you actually found at RJR?
I knew very little about RJR before I started teaching here. I am from Michigan, but I remember being in awe of the beauty of the school. When I first arrived I was also nervous about the size of the school because I was afraid I might get lost…which I did.
What is an average day at school like for you?
My average school day starts with my English 1 standard class that includes a majority of ESL students. We read and discuss novels and work on our writing. I also teach Honors Shakespeare during the second B class period. We have read and discussed 10 of Shakespeare's plays this year. In the afternoons I teach AP Literature and Composition to seniors.
What are the courses you instruct at RJR?
English 1 standard for ESL students; Honors Shakespeare; AP Literature and Composition
How would you size up the RJR student body?
The student body of RJR amazes me every year. They are hard working, thoughtful, and diverse in their ethnicity, beliefs, and socioeconomic status. I am in awe of how talented they are and how many extracurricular activities they are involved in. One of the amazing things about RJR is there is something for everyone.
What is your family life like?
I am married to another RJR teacher, Christofer Wiley, who is the History Department head. He and I met while teaching at RJR 13 years ago. We have two beautiful children: a six year old girl named Selah and a 2 year old boy named Marcus.
Why did you go into teaching as a career?
I come from a family of educators. My father and grandmother were both teachers and my great grandfather was a Superintendent, so naturally I did not want to be a teacher. After college I thought I would teach for a few years and go on to get my doctorate in English. Then I started teaching and realized it was my passion and joy. I knew then that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.
What are your goals and aspirations?
In the past few years I've been presenting at the National Conference for English Teachers and CTE. This year in November I'll be presenting at four different sessions at this amazing conference. One of my biggest goals is to apply to work on one of the committees for NCT E that reviews proposals for the national conference. I am also hoping to become an AP grader for the AP Literature exam.
Anything else you want to tell the RJR alumni?
This is my 14th year at RJR and I love this school with all my heart. I am so proud to have been chosen as this year's Teacher of the Year. It was an honor to have been one of four finalists for the Winston Salem/Forsyth County Schools Teacher of the Year.
Karen Stokes Morris - Arts Magnet Director
How did you get to Reynolds?
I was a member of the class of 1986, but I had to fight to get there. I lived in a neighborhood that had been redistricted as Mount Tabor, and my junior year was the first one when high schools went back to having four grades in them. I was grandfathered into being able to attend Reynolds because I had been at Brunson, Wiley, and Paisley through the gifted program back when each student had an I.E.P., and my paperwork had the progression of schools typed on it. My younger brother’s’ paperwork however did not, so ours was a house divided with my sister and I attending RJR and my brother attending Tabor.
My parents graduated from RJR in 1960 and 62. My in-laws graduated in 1954 and 57. I feel like I've always been a part of Reynolds. My mother was a cheerleader and her high school friends were part of my childhood. Stories from their time “Amid the Pines” were part of my family lore.
When my own family moved back to Winston Salem from Decatur, GA in 2000, we attended some ball games, I had a Dancing Boot, and my husband had played basketball and tennis at RJR as a student. Although we live in the Tabor district, our children chose to attend RJR. In 2007 when RJR received the MSP federal grant to become an arts magnet school my oldest child was a junior and my youngest was in kindergarten. At a PTSA board meeting one night, Dr. Paschal and Angel Caudell presented the vision for the arts magnet school. I was there as a PTSA board member, and applied for one of the part time positions on staff. I've been working at RJR ever since.
How did what you had heard about RJR match what you actually found at RJR?
Reynolds is a much different school now than when I attended, and when we were known as society hill. When our oldest was looking at high schools we were told that RJR was going downhill and that we should consider the new high school that was opening that year (Reagan), our neighborhood school (Tabor), or a private school. When we toured, though, we found that RJR was full of passionate teachers, interesting students, and a diverse student body that was being used as the strength I believe it is. I was afraid that once I started to work there I would see “the warts” and would not be impressed. I was wrong. My children have thrived at Reynolds. Of course I see the things that can be improved, and I see the people working together trying to improve them for all students. I see the community of learners, of teachers, of administrators, of support staff, and of parents/alums/community members working together.
What is an average day at school like for you?
There is really no average day for me. I am funded as a 75% employee, but I am at school nearly every day all day (and nearly every PTSA board meeting, SIT meeting, arts events, school-wide event, and many of the athletic events). My days include meetings( with RJR staff, students, parents, community organizations), writing grants, driving school buses to field trips, touring interested families, creating materials for recruitment and marketing, writing arts integrated lesson plans, helping with school-wide events (Festivals, performances, Class Day, Thanksgiving Assembly, Graduation, etc.), networking with community organizations to plan experiences that benefit students and the community groups, working with teachers and support staff etc. I manage many social media sites for the school (RJ Reynolds Arts on Facebook, RJRarts on Twitter, rjrarts.weebly.com for our blog), and I post something new most days. I'm also in the halls during class changes, helping to monitor and making relationships with students, meeting with students who need assistance with something, working with students on college questions/applications (especially arts intensive students), working with teachers to get the supplies/connections they need to make their lessons, engaging and relating to the magnet focus that is selected each year (this year is Access, last year was Innovation). Because I have no daily classroom duties this year, I am used for testing and other needs frequently.
How would you size up the RJR student body?
These students are so interesting! However you define diversity, we have it represented at Reynolds. And the students have so much to say about our world. They want to make connections, to learn to make the world a better place. At the same time, they are teenagers (and many of them have very difficult home lives) - they are angsty, need motivation and connection, and thrive on relationships. I love being around them, and I learn from them every day. I feel privileged when a student confines in me or completes a creative project that shows a part of themselves. I'm so very proud of them.
What is your family life like?
I am the middle of three children and grew up in Winston Salem. I married my high school sweetheart (John Morris) who works at Novant Health and teaches at Guilford College. We have four children (Ali -Class of 2009…a teacher in D.C., Justin - Class of 2012…a musician in Asheville, Rachel - Class of 2016…completed her first year at UNC Asheville and studying psychology, and Maddie - Class of 2020…fully participates in the arts magnet program at RJR). We lived in Greensboro, Asheboro, Ann Arbor, Washington, DC, and Decatur, GA before coming home to Winston-Salem. We love raising a family here and love being close to our own families.
Why did you go into teaching as a career?
I have wanted to teach as long as I can remember. I love being around children and started working with elementary aged students. I studied elementary education and mathematics during my undergraduate work at UNC Chapel Hill and UNC Greensboro. I worked with third graders who were at least two years below grade level, and children at Amos Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital before coming to Reynolds. I worked on a Master's degree in Special Education and Administration, and taught in preschool elementary and middle schools. While my husband was in law school and our children were young, I stayed home to raise our family, volunteered and worked part time in preschools. I'm glad to have returned to education as a career. I love the relationships that are built through education; I love helping people discover their interests and talents (and helping them make plans to pursue them). When I needed to become certified in something at the high school level in order to keep the job at RJR in the Arts Magnet Office, I took the Math Praxis. At times during the past 10 years at RJR, I have been a math tutor and has taught Math 1, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and Geometry when needed.
Why did you want to teach as well as be RJR's director of the arts magnet program?
When Reynolds became an Arts Magnet school, I had four children in four schools and was very active in all of them. I was ready to be able to put my efforts into one school and return to education as a career rather than a volunteer position. Magnet schools have Academic Excellence and diversity/Equity at the center of their organizational structures. These are passions of mine. Although I grew up dancing at the Academy of Dance Arts, playing the violin under the tutelage of Minnie Lou Raper, and attending community theater, I did not think of myself as an artist. I was hired as part of the Arts Magnet Team at first to work with community engagement, student service learning, and arts integrated math/science lesson planning. I have grown and learned through my time with the magnet program that we are ALL artists, and that being creative and making connections is part of what everyone is called to do.
What are your goals and aspirations?
I hope to be at Reynolds in the roll of Magnet Director for many more years. When I'm ready to slow down from daily work in the school, though, I would like to either work with other schools who are using the magnet approach or the arts as a school reform model OR work to the local nonprofit. I currently work through the state of north Carolina's A+ Schools Program with schools across the nation who are part of the longest running organization using the arts for school reform. I am a regional liaison in North Carolina and worked with schools during the summer training. I am also one of 20 national merit readers for the Magnet Schools of America organization, working with other magnet schools who write merit award applications as a way towards continuous improvement. I present at local state and national conferences each year. Next year I will co-present with Debbie Randolph from SECCA in New Orleans and Wilmington about our collaborative project last year that involved 2200 RJR students going to the Dispatches exhibit and creatively responding to the current events involved in that exhibit.
Anything else you want to tell the RJR alumni?
Thank you for all your support and your good thoughts. We appreciate you. Come to see us. Tour the school. Organize the school tour as part of your reunion weekend. We hear some negative things about education in North Carolina these days and funding is down and challenges are up. However great things are happening RJR and we'd love to involve you in any way you would like.
Mrs. Leslie Alexander - RJR Principal
What schools in the Winston Salem Forsyth County school system did you work at before coming to RJR and what was your job description at each and how long were you at each school?
I started at Glenn High School where I worked as an English teacher for five years. I then went to school and earned my Masters in Library and Information Studies. I worked as a Media Coordinator at Union Cross Elementary School for two years, at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School for two years, and at East Forsyth Middle School for three years. During that time I went back to school to obtain my administration license. I was a Curriculum Coordinator at Paisley IB Middle School for a year, and Assistant Principal at Wiley Middle School for two years, a Principal at John F. Kennedy High School for three years. I'm now on my third year as Principal of RJ Reynolds High School.
How did what you had heard about RJR match with what you actually founded RJR?
I heard that RJR High School was a diverse high school, and that their art program was amazing. I found both to be true. I love the diversity at Reynolds High School. That is one of the main reasons I was attracted to Reynolds. I am continually amazed at the quality of the art program here at Reynolds. Our teachers and our students are phenomenal. I am not the most artistic person so I am in all of what our students are able to accomplish.
What is an average day at school like for you?
I am not sure there is an average day. Every day I start with a plan of what I need or want to get accomplished. However, with a school of almost 1,800 students you really can't plan exactly how the day will go. I try to be proactive and not just reactive. I try to attend teacher professional learning team meetings and visit classrooms. However, my To Do List usually does not get accomplished until teachers and students leave the building.
How would you size up the RJR student body?
Having worked at many different levels and at many different schools in our county, I find that students have more similarities and differences. Students want to be heard, feel respected, and be accepted. They need boundaries even though they may not always like them. Our students are perhaps more accepting of other students because they have to get accustomed to working with students from many different backgrounds. I believe that is a huge benefit of the RJR experience.
What is your family life like?
My husband also has a demanding job that keeps him very busy, so our lives can be very a bit crazy. We are a blended family, and I have five daughters ranging in age from 25 to 14. In fact, our youngest will be at Reynolds next year. We have two chihuahuas that we adore named Poncho and Bubba.
Why did you go into academics as a career?
I originally intended to go to law school. However, when my daughters were young I began to substitute teach and really fell in love with education. I believe it is such an important field. Having a job that you feel benefits society like education does helps to keep you motivated to do the best you can.
Why was RJR the only high school you were interested in being a principal at?
I fell in love with RJR when I was an Assistant Principal at Wiley Middle School. I fell in love with the history and the story of the Reynolds family, and Katharine Reynolds in particular. I feel it is an honor to be able to play a role in the history of this school. I take that responsibility seriously, and work very hard to help Reynolds to be the best school it could possibly be.
What are your goals and aspirations?
I am not sure of my goals beyond Reynolds High School. This is the first time in my life where I don't have a specific goal set for my next career move. I am actually enjoying that feeling and the peace that goes along with being very happy as Principal of Reynolds High School.
Anything else you want to tell the RJR alumni?
I would like them to know that the Reynolds of 2017 is not the Reynolds of the past. Our student body has changed in many ways. However, we are just as great a school as we have ever been. I would like them to know how important it is that they stay connected the rentals involved in its future. The dedication of the rentals alumni is truly unlike anything I've ever seen. Their dedication to this great school makes me humbled and reinforces me to me the importance of being helping Reynolds be the flagship school has always been and should be in our community.
Emily Graves
What did you like and dislike academically about RJR?
I really appreciated the quality of the teachers at Reynolds, and how well versed they are in the subjects they teach. The rigorous standard I was held to made me a much better student. However, I would have appreciated more availability for tutoring around my busy extracurricular schedule.
What after hour school activities did you participate in?
I was drum major in the marching band and I participated in several other clubs including RASCals, FilmCclub, Young Independents, and Latin Club.
What did you like and dislike socially about RJR?
I love how accepting the campus and the people were as a whole, and the opportunities and events that were presented at Reynolds. I disliked how under-represented certain groups were (both in the newspaper in the yearbook). It always seemed like you had to know somebody to get a feature. They weren't a random unique selection of students, and I'd like for that to change
Who was (or were) your favorite teacher(s) and your coach(es), and why?
My favorite teachers are Mrs. Kirkland (who I knew as Ms. Henderson) and Mr. Clevenger. Mrs. Kirkland and I share the same quirkiness, which I love about her, and Mr. Clevenger was always there for me whenever I needed someone to talk to (and he also got me more interested in the social sciences which is what I plan on going into as a career).
What did an average day at RJR entail?
An average day in my senior year consisted of getting to Reynolds at lunch time, because I had Career Center classes in the morning. I’d eat lunch, walk all over campus to get to my classes, and talk to fellow students and teachers that I’d known for three or more years.
What will you best remember about going to Reynolds?
I think I will best remember the auditorium actually. It’s a beautiful building, and I’ve performed in it so often. I have wonderful memories associated with the auditorium.
What was the favorite class you took (and why), and what was the hardest class you took?
My favorite class was definitely Shakespeare in junior year, taught by then Ms. Henderson. My best friend was in that class with me, and we just always had such a good time. Shakespeare’s woks have always been very interesting to me, and we got to read and watch different interpretations of them, and we even threw a couple of Elizabethian-era themed parties! The hardest class I took was Pre-Calculus, my sophomore year, because I just couldn’t understand what was being taught, no matter how much tutoring and explaining I received.
What would you change at RJR (if you could)?
I would change how the students’ voices are heard. I had several friends voice concerns about things like discrimination, and resources, and safety, and it seemed like they were never listened to or taken seriously.
Is there anything else you want to tell the RJR Alumni about the 4 years you spent at Reynolds High School?
I really did love my time at Reynolds, even if I was occasionally frustrated, and I will definitely come back to visit!
Logan Miller
What did you like and dislike academically about RJR?
I enjoyed being academically challenged at RJR. Each challenge differing from one class or even teacher, to another. The challenges helped me push me not only to pass a test, or even the class, but to thrive in the class and fully understand the topic at hand and the course as a whole. What I didn't enjoy were how some of the classes focused solely on an upcoming test and that academic excellence meant doing well on the test rather than understanding the courses material.
What “after hours” school activities did you participate in?
I was on the varsity swim team, the academic team, Crosby Scholars, Spanish Club, National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Tri-M (National Music Honor Society), and the Kiwanis Key Club.
What did you like (and dislike) socially about RJR?
I enjoyed the diversity of the student body at RJR. t allowed for students of different races, religions backgrounds, and cultures to communicate with one another, allowing the students understanding of the world to expand. There wasn't really anything I disliked socially at Reynolds.
Who was (or were) your favorite teacher(s) and coach(es), and why?
My favorite teachers were Mr. Bragg (Chemistry), Mr. Allen (Seminar English 2), Ms. Bussolati (Seminar English one), Ms. Barnes-Griffith (Honors Pre-Calculus), and Sonora Akinto (Spanish 4). These teachers were all passionate about the subject they taught. The passion allowed them to create strong student-teacher relationships which helped students to understand their subjects and become passionate about them. My swim coaches, Tyler Shepard and Ms. Jones) were able to create a high energy and positive environment during practices and meets that allowed the swimmers to flourish in their swimming abilities while also creating positive relationships with them.
What did an average day at RJR entail?
A day at RJR would entail echoing conversations in the halls, friendly faces of students and teacher, elegant art hanging in the halls and courtyards, crowded stairwells, the smell of food engulfing the halls when the foods class practices a recipe, and music filling the air when chorus/orchestra/band practices outside.
What will you remember best about going to Reynolds?
When thinking about my past four years at Reynolds I think my best memories would be singing the alma mater on the way back from swim meets. Singing the alma mater with my teammates created a feeling of unity and contentment, no matter if we won or lost the meat.
What was your favorite class you took (and why), and what was the hardest class you took?
My Honors Chemistry class I took sophomore year was one of the most intriguing and complex classes I took at my time at Reynolds, making it my favorite class. It focused on how different chemicals allowed for specific reactions and interactions with one another, as well as other chemicals. This was incredibly interesting because I enjoyed learning how things function and interact. The most difficult class I took would have been my AP Literature and Composition class, as English has always been a difficult subject for me throughout my educational career.
What would you change about RJR (if you could)?
I would change the school's focus from attaining high test scores to helping the students to have an in-depth understanding of the subjects they are taking. In the past four years at Reynolds I started to notice the common ideology in many of the teachers and administration officials that higher test scores equaled to higher intelligence and understanding. This ideology does not make sense, if the teachers weren't pressured to receive high test scores, this pressure results in the students memorizing the material rather than learning and understanding it, which is very critical in their future careers. I would also like to change how the arts are viewed at the school because although Reynolds is an Arts Magnet School, I feel I feel the arts are still looked down upon to a certain extent while athletics are placed on to an “alter” of sorts. Giving respect to the athletics isn't a bad thing because they deserve respect. I just want to arts to receive the same respect.
Where are you going next year (school-wise), and what will you be majoring in (if you know)?
I will be attending Clemson University and plan to major in Materials Science and Engineering, as well as minoring in Chemistry and Music.
Is there is anything else you want to tell the RJR alumni about the four years you spent at Reynolds High School?
Although there were some bumpy patches during my time at Reynolds, I sm extremely grateful to have attended. Out of all the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, I think Reynolds is one of the top high schools and was best choice for me to attend.