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Next Phase of Say Yes Education Program Ready To Launch In Guilford County

Students and staff celebrate during a pep rally at Ragsdale High School after Guilford County was named the next Say Yes To Education community on Sept. 17, 2015. KERI BROWN/WFDD

The Say Yes to Education partnership with Guilford County Schools is moving into its next stage, which involves online surveys and a lot of feedback from parents.

Guilford County students are the first in the South to benefit from the Say Yes to Education campaign.

Last year, more than 2,000 Guilford County High School graduates received scholarships from Say Yes to attend college. District and organization officials recently selected twelve “launch” schools to begin the next phase of the program. Parents at these schools are being asked to fill out online surveys. Paper surveys are also available.

Tony Watlington is a regional superintendent with the district. He says the information will be used to create support plans for each student.

“These wrap around supports can range from healthcare services to food services, legal aid, reading and math tutoring, and in some cases financial assistance, so it's important.”

Watlington says participation is voluntary and the information will remain private.

The parent survey launches on Thursday.  Information sessions will take place Tuesday evening at High Point Central High School and on Wednesday evening at Smith High School.

According to Donnie Turlington with Say Yes Guilford, so far, they've raised around $42-million in private pledges and commitments towards their $70-million goal.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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