Haywood Community College

Haywood Community College is a small (2,000 students) college located in Clyde, North Carolina, in the western part of the state. The college, which was established in the 1960s, offers Associate's degree programs and online courses in programs such as forestry, fish and wildlife management, and professional crafts. The college's 83 acre campus includes an arboretum, a lake, and a working gristmill constructed by student labor. The school also fields an intercollegiate lumberjack team.

Haywood Early College High School

Infobox High School
name = Haywood Early College High School

motto = Where Dreams Begin
established = 2006
grades = Ninth - Thirteenth grade
principal = Doris Bradley Greene
faculty = 8
students = 100
schedule = blended high school/college format
conference = N/A
colors = Indigo/Platinum
mascot = Wolves
location = Clyde, North Carolina, US
schedtyp =
website = [http://www.haywood.edu Official Site]

Under the leadership and guidance of Vice-President Dr. Michael P. Germano, a long-time educational administrator, attorney, and minister with decades of experience, a grant was written to establish an early college high school in collaboration with the North Carolina New Schools Project, an initiative of North Carolina Governor Michael Easley. The grant was supported through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The school was scheduled to open in the fall of 2006. Dr. Germano selected Dr. John Brian Heath, now an administrator for Walter M. Williams High School to serve as the College's liaison to the high school (http://www.haywood.edu/news/hcc_welcomes_new_haywood_early_college_liaison), while the local school district administration chose Doris Hipps as its first principal without consultation or collaboration with Dr. Germano ("Waynesville Mountaineer", April 8, 2006).

After the departure of college president Nathan Hodges, there was a domino effect of other personnel changes, which ultimately affected those in supervisory positions over the early college high school. Hodges' successor tranferred administration of the early college high school from Dr. Germano to Janice Hoots Gilliam less than two months prior to the opening of the school. This in turn led to the early college high school experiencing substantial staff and faculty turnover during its first year of operation, leaving only Hipps and her secretary remaining at the end of the year. The math instructor left in December 2006 to take a position teaching in a neighoring school district, while the English instructor left in February 2007 to accept a position in another profession. By the end of the year, the college Spanish instructor (now with Mars Hill College), college liaison (now with Walter M. Williams High School), and the high school guidance counselor (who now enjoys a successful career at an early college high school in Michagan) tenure with the early college high school had also concluded. Ironically, all of the staff members who had initially been hired were recruited from outside the school district and region. They were all replaced by existing Haywood County Schools or community college employees. The "Waynesville Mountaineer" provided extensive coverage about concerns about staff and workplace morale, difficulties with staff retention, limited shared leadership and decision-making, and concerns about a lack of support from the college and school district administration ("Waynesville Mountaineer", May 11, 2007; "Waynesville Mountaineer", June 2007).

The early college high school remains in operation under the management of Doris Hipps (now Doris Greene).

External links

* [http://www.haywood.edu Official web site]