GECHS Student Spotlight and School Walkthrough for BOE Members

SNOW HILL — Greene Early College High School students told school board members last week that the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree and explore career opportunities, strong support from staff and a family-like atmosphere are among reasons the school was right for them.

The Board of Education gathered at GECHS on April 12 for a student-led walk-through of the school and presentations on how it has impacted them and their career aspirations. The school, which was established in 2006 and currently has a student body of about 160, allows students to pursue degrees through Lenoir Community College while earning their high school diploma.

Freshman Alyssa Beaman said getting that associate’s degree is why she chose to attend the early college instead of the traditional high school, but it did not take long to realize that GECHS offers much more, she said.

“After this year, honestly even if I weren’t to get my associate’s degree, I would still rather be at this school because the staff is just incredible. They are always there to support you and it doesn’t really matter what you are up to, even if it’s something outside of school, they are always going to be there to at least listen,” Beaman said.

Worried about adapting to life as a high schooler and navigating freshman year, Beaman said she was nervous about not making friends or being picked on for being a part of the new incoming class.

Since coming to the school, however, Beaman said she has found a sense of family among her peers.

“The learning environment is really good because it is a smaller class setting,” Beaman said. “There’s not a single class where I feel like I have a teacher who doesn’t care about their job.”

Junior Tamya Porter said faculty and administrators have helped her champion changes that she and her peers want to see in their school.

“Last year, it all just started as an idea. Me and my friends were like, ‘We want some more inclusivity and we want people to understand where we are coming from.’ This year we all put it together and we have created this Black History Month Calendar to educate students in a fun manner.”

Porter and her peers planned events for specific days of Black History Month that would allow students to learn more about African American heritage.

Events like Hair Day, Historically Black Colleges and Universities Day, a movie day, cookout and a project of Porter’s called “Shades of Humanity” were all scheduled into the school’s calendar in February.

“It was very important to us that we did this because it was shedding light on our cultural backgrounds, and it was helping students to come together with us instead of being an outsider. We care about you and we want you to care about us in the same light.”

Jeidy Tevaian-Lezama, a senior graduating in May, started a chapter of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA).

“I had heard about this club offered at the high school called HOSA, and we wanted to see if we could bring that into this school, too, so many students who share the same passion in the medical field could gather and explore different careers,” Tevaian-Lezama said.

Founding and offering a new club to students is not an easy feat, she said, but the help from teachers, students, and administrators made it possible.

The school’s first blood drive was hosted this past year because the HOSA club was able to organize the event, Tevaian-Lezama said.

“We also were able to do a walk to raise awareness for Heart Health Month and we’ve done things like go on trips to learn more about the medical field,” Tevaian-Lezama said. “Starting a club is not an easy task and I have learned a lot of valuable lessons that will follow me throughout the years and into college.”

Tyreek Jones, the Student Government Association president and graduating senior, said he started his high school career in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was not an ideal way to start.

However, his four years at the early college has fostered his aspirations, goals and opportunities to explore a young professional career. During his time at GECHS, Jones has had the opportunity to join and become an ambassador of the Greene County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, he said.

“What JCPC is, is a Greene County organization that works with juveniles who are kind of troubled–individuals inside of school systems, and they take those individuals and they figure out ‘How can we make this better? How can we make your situation better? What can we do to better support you?’” Jones said.

Being an ambassador to a program that focuses on rehabilitation and behavioral correction in a one-on-one manner has expanded Jones’ idea of leadership, he said. It has highlighted the kinds of issues that students face beyond the hurdles he says are already apparent.

“This school is a family,” Jones said. “This school is so small, the class sizes are so small that people know everyone in this school. There is not a person that I could walk by in the hallway and not know their name. I would say that my students, my members, my peers, my club (SGA), we all work together to hold community events.”

Emma Roberson, a graduating senior who is planning to attend East Carolina University’s College of Education, recently received the Lancer Education Apprenticeship Promise Fellowship (LEAP).

The fellowship allows her to pursue and complete her four-year degree in education and then return to her high school alma mater as an educator.

Roberson said she has always wanted to go into education, and while talking to a mentor or liaison about her future career options, she was met with the opportunity to join the Teacher Preparation Program.

“It just gives me hands-on experience to experience what I am getting myself into,” Roberson said. “Through the early college, I have learned a lot of skills. Through team-building, we (her and her peers) have learned how to work together and communicate.”