News and Updates
Every day brings a new opportunity for Say Yes Guilford to create new partnerships and expand services to more families. We invite you to keep up with our services, workshops, events and successes.
Say Yes Guilford Opens Registration for 2021 Virtual Tutoring Program
TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2021 – Say Yes Guilford is proud to again offer our Virtual Tutoring Program to Guilford County Schools’ students. The tutoring is free and open to any GCS student in kindergarten through eighth grade. Parents can register online now at sayyesguilford.org. Tutoring begins January 25.
Federal Work-Study students at GTCC, NC A&T, UNCG and Greensboro College will join GCS Service-learning students and community volunteers to work with students up to three times per week through the spring semester. All tutors will complete a GCS approved background check prior to working with students.
Sonya Thompson enrolled her twin daughters in the Say Yes Guilford Virtual Tutoring Program last fall. “It has been amazing,” she says. “Not only did she help Kennedy; she helped me be able to help Kennedy, so I was very thankful.”
Say Yes Guilford is using three distinct tutoring programs to address the needs of students: HELPS for 2-5th graders needing help with reading, one-on-one general tutoring for other elementary students’ needs, and A+ Test Prep and Tutoring for middle schoolers.
- HELPS (Helping Early Literacy with Practice Strategies) pairs 2-5th grade students with a Federal Work-Study Student for 15-minute tutoring sessions three times a week. Say Yes Guilford previously used HELPS in schools during the 2019-20 school year, and every student involved showed growth in reading proficiency.
- Community volunteers and GCS service-learning students will help elementary students improve their skills in math, science, social studies and homework. Tutoring sessions are one-day a week in one-hour intervals.
- Say Yes Guilford contracted with A+ Test Prep and Tutoring to provide tutoring to middle schoolers on Monday afternoons 4-6pm. Students will meet in groups with opportunities for breakout sessions for extra help.
Sessions will take place one-on-one via Google Meet, and parents can register students for up to two hours of practice per week. Tutoring begins January 25 and will continue through the remainder of the school year.
Say Yes Guilford is committed to providing access to support services and scholarships designed to prepare Guilford County Schools’ students for success in college, career and life. Since its inception in 2015, Say Yes Guilford has awarded over 10.3 million to GCS graduates, and our partnership with more than 100 private colleges and universities provided another $18.2 million for a total impact of over $28.5 million.
Say Yes Guilford scholarship registration is open for GCS seniors through June 1, 2021.
GCS Student Newsletter - Volume 1, Edition 2
Say Yes to College 2020
OCTOBER 23, 2020 – Fall is prime time for college exploration and application completion. To help high schoolers navigate those processes, Say Yes Guilford is proud to bring back the fall college expo with a virtual twist. Families are invited to Say Yes to College: Virtual College Expo Thursday, October 29 3-4:15pm.
University partners will share admission requirements and tips for submitting a competitive application. There will also be time for questions. Partners joining the virtual college expo include:
- Greensboro College
- Guilford College
- Guilford Technical Community College
- High Point University
- NC A&T State University
- UNC Chapel Hill
- UNC Greensboro
- Wake Forest University
Registration is required for this free event at sayyesguilford.org/college-expo.
Since its inception in 2015, Say Yes Guilford has awarded over 10.3 million to GCS graduates, and our partnership with more than 100 private colleges and universities provided another $18.2 million for a total impact of over $28.5 million. Say Yes Guilford registration is open for GCS seniors through June 1, 2021.
Say Yes Guilford is committed to providing access to support services and scholarships designed to prepare Guilford County Schools’ students for success in college, career and life.
Elizabeth Paul Joins Say Yes Guilford as VP of Donor Impact
OCTOBER 16, 2020 – Say Yes Guilford is pleased to welcome Elizabeth Paul as Vice President of Donor Impact. Paul joins Say Yes after three and a half successful years as the Director of Development at UNCG’s Bryan School of Business and Economics.
Growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, Paul set her sights on a career in law. She earned her undergraduate degree at USC Columbia, and her law degree at the Charleston School of Law, but it was politics, not law, that started her on her fundraising career path. After fundraising for statewide and mayoral races back to back, she became a full-time fundraiser first with Trident United Way and then with Sea Island Habitat. “Access to education has always been a common thread throughout my work: in politics, in my non-profit roles, and of course at UNCG.”” She moved with her family to Guilford County in 2017.
Say Yes Guilford conducted a nationwide search and found the best candidate in our backyard. CEO Wendy Poteat calls Paul the right person at the right time. “We are thrilled to have Elizabeth on our team. She brings experience, community understanding and most importantly a passion for educational access that all of us at Say Yes Guilford share.”
As the daughter of a long-time public school educator, Paul says the opportunity to work for Say Yes Guilford was one she couldn’t let pass. “We have the unique opportunity to fund something that is going to transform lives today and generations of lives in perpetuity. Who wouldn’t want to get behind that?”
Paul shares her time with her husband, two young boys and beagle, Patches. She officially begins her new role with Say Yes Guilford on November 2.
Since its inception in 2015, Say Yes Guilford has awarded over 10.3 million to GCS graduates, and our partnership with more than 100 private colleges and universities provided another $18.2 million for a total impact of over $28.5 million. Say Yes Guilford registration for GCS seniors is open through June 1, 2021.
Say Yes Guilford is committed to providing access to support services and scholarships designed to prepare Guilford County Schools’ students for success in college, career and life.
Tutoring Connects Students and Helps Parents
By Mary Helen Jones Greensboro | Sep. 17, 2020
GREENSBORO, N.C. – This year has turned parents into teachers as kids go through virtual school.
Sonja Thompson has twin girls in fourth grade, Katie and Kennedy. They’re enrolled in a virtual academy, but Thompson was concerned about math.
She didn’t want them to be behind when they went back to in-person school, so she looked for a tutor. She found Say Yes Guilford.
Say Yes Guilford is offering virtual tutoring for kindergarten through eighth grade students. It’s free, and the tutors range from high school students, to college students, and other adults around the community.
Thompson says the tutoring has helped her daughters but also taught her new ways of teaching. She’s no longer relying on memorization to teach multiplication.
“Because that’s how I learned. But that’s not how these kids learn today, they learn by grouping, and I saw that with her tutoring with Kennedy that grouping is easier for Kennedy, so now I’m going to tailor the way that we go over multiplication,” she says.
High school students earn service learning hours for their time.
Caroline Cross is a junior at Grimsley High School and is also tutoring a fourth grader in math. It’s her first time being a tutor, and she likes when she's able to help the math lightbulb go on for her student.
“Her mom told me that before I started helping her she wouldn’t really want to do her math, but now that she like understands what’s going on, she’s more inclined to practice it and do it,” Cross says.
Thompson says she’s thankful for all the tutors involved and for the program, because she thinks everyone can use all the help they can get in 2020.
GCS Student Newsletter - Volume 1, Edition 2
Say Yes to College 2020
OCTOBER 23, 2020 – Fall is prime time for college exploration and application completion. To help high schoolers navigate those processes, Say Yes Guilford is proud to bring back the fall college expo with a virtual twist. Families are invited to Say Yes to College: Virtual College Expo Thursday, October 29 3-4:15pm.
University partners will share admission requirements and tips for submitting a competitive application. There will also be time for questions. Partners joining the virtual college expo include:
- Greensboro College
- Guilford College
- Guilford Technical Community College
- High Point University
- NC A&T State University
- UNC Chapel Hill
- UNC Greensboro
- Wake Forest University
Registration is required for this free event at sayyesguilford.org/college-expo.
Since its inception in 2015, Say Yes Guilford has awarded over 10.3 million to GCS graduates, and our partnership with more than 100 private colleges and universities provided another $18.2 million for a total impact of over $28.5 million. Say Yes Guilford registration is open for GCS seniors through June 1, 2021.
Say Yes Guilford is committed to providing access to support services and scholarships designed to prepare Guilford County Schools’ students for success in college, career and life.
Elizabeth Paul Joins Say Yes Guilford as VP of Donor Impact
OCTOBER 16, 2020 – Say Yes Guilford is pleased to welcome Elizabeth Paul as Vice President of Donor Impact. Paul joins Say Yes after three and a half successful years as the Director of Development at UNCG’s Bryan School of Business and Economics.
Growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, Paul set her sights on a career in law. She earned her undergraduate degree at USC Columbia, and her law degree at the Charleston School of Law, but it was politics, not law, that started her on her fundraising career path. After fundraising for statewide and mayoral races back to back, she became a full-time fundraiser first with Trident United Way and then with Sea Island Habitat. “Access to education has always been a common thread throughout my work: in politics, in my non-profit roles, and of course at UNCG.”” She moved with her family to Guilford County in 2017.
Say Yes Guilford conducted a nationwide search and found the best candidate in our backyard. CEO Wendy Poteat calls Paul the right person at the right time. “We are thrilled to have Elizabeth on our team. She brings experience, community understanding and most importantly a passion for educational access that all of us at Say Yes Guilford share.”
As the daughter of a long-time public school educator, Paul says the opportunity to work for Say Yes Guilford was one she couldn’t let pass. “We have the unique opportunity to fund something that is going to transform lives today and generations of lives in perpetuity. Who wouldn’t want to get behind that?”
Paul shares her time with her husband, two young boys and beagle, Patches. She officially begins her new role with Say Yes Guilford on November 2.
Since its inception in 2015, Say Yes Guilford has awarded over 10.3 million to GCS graduates, and our partnership with more than 100 private colleges and universities provided another $18.2 million for a total impact of over $28.5 million. Say Yes Guilford registration for GCS seniors is open through June 1, 2021.
Say Yes Guilford is committed to providing access to support services and scholarships designed to prepare Guilford County Schools’ students for success in college, career and life.
Tutoring Connects Students and Helps Parents
By Mary Helen Jones Greensboro | Sep. 17, 2020
GREENSBORO, N.C. – This year has turned parents into teachers as kids go through virtual school.
Sonja Thompson has twin girls in fourth grade, Katie and Kennedy. They’re enrolled in a virtual academy, but Thompson was concerned about math.
She didn’t want them to be behind when they went back to in-person school, so she looked for a tutor. She found Say Yes Guilford.
Say Yes Guilford is offering virtual tutoring for kindergarten through eighth grade students. It’s free, and the tutors range from high school students, to college students, and other adults around the community.
Thompson says the tutoring has helped her daughters but also taught her new ways of teaching. She’s no longer relying on memorization to teach multiplication.
“Because that’s how I learned. But that’s not how these kids learn today, they learn by grouping, and I saw that with her tutoring with Kennedy that grouping is easier for Kennedy, so now I’m going to tailor the way that we go over multiplication,” she says.
High school students earn service learning hours for their time.
Caroline Cross is a junior at Grimsley High School and is also tutoring a fourth grader in math. It’s her first time being a tutor, and she likes when she's able to help the math lightbulb go on for her student.
“Her mom told me that before I started helping her she wouldn’t really want to do her math, but now that she like understands what’s going on, she’s more inclined to practice it and do it,” Cross says.
Thompson says she’s thankful for all the tutors involved and for the program, because she thinks everyone can use all the help they can get in 2020.