By: Shannon Mann
 
Neuse Charter student Malcolm King knows what he wants to do when graduates, and it’s not for the faint of heart.

​King, son of Katy Wilson of Clayton, decided that instead of going straight to college, he’d do something that tested not only his mental acumen, but his physical and character strengths as well.
 
The 18-year-old enlisted in the Army. While this path may seem typical for many, King is the first in the county in two years to be accepted into Army nursing.
 
Staff Sgt. Michael Green, King’s recruiter, said the young man is the first from the area since 2015 to be accepted into the Army’s practical nursing military occupational specialty.
 
“The MOS is a hard one to get,” said Green. “He scored very high.”
 
“I wanted more out of life,” said King. “I didn’t want to go straight to college just to get out and work a 9-5 job.”
 
King found that his public charter school education with an honors distinction was valuable in helping him land an Army career where few are able to qualify.
 
King explained that the he had to study hard to obtain a good score on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), a military test that helps place the right recruits in the right jobs for overall success. Nursing fields require a much higher score than most other fields.
 
“My honors courses helped me, especially math,” King said. “That was heavily tested on the ASVAB.”
 
King will train as a nurse for nearly a year at Fort Sam Houston in Texas before being given his first duty station, but before he can attend his technical school he’ll be tested mentally and physically at Fort Sill, Okla., for two and half months as part of Basic Combat Training.
 
Jennifer Antongiovanni, an honors and AP high school teacher at Neuse Charter School, knows it isn’t just King’s high aptitude for math that will make him successful in the future.
 
“Malcolm is intelligent and a critical thinker,” said Antongiovanni. “He is also very calm and not impulsive. I think this combination of qualities will make him very successful in the Army.”
 
The career teacher has taught the young man in English II and IV and realizes that a strong academic career can prepare students for more than just college.
 
“He is the first from Neuse Charter to pursue this,” said the teacher. “I’m so very proud of him.”
 
King volunteered to serve a six-year enlistment, but the time commitment doesn’t faze the teenager.
 
“Most of my family was in the Army,” said King. “That tradition goes back to WWI.”
 
As a practical nursing specialist, King will supervise and perform preventive, therapeutic and emergency nursing care procedures under the supervision of a physician, nurse or non-commissioned officer. 
 
The soon-to-be high school graduate will not only be learning a valuable career that translates immediately to the civilian world once he leaves the Army, but he’ll also be earning money for college during his active duty tour.
 
Green explained that King will earn up to $4,500 a year to attend undergraduate classes while in military status and afterwards he’ll have 100% tuition reimbursement through the Post 9-11 G.I. Bill. The G.I. Bill not only provides for tuition, but helps with room/board, books and stipends.
 
“It’s really a great deal,” Green said. “He can use it to finish his undergrad, or put it toward a master’s degree.”
 
Before he turns 24, King could be one of the lucky ones to have a sought-after career with zero college debt, but he knows it isn’t luck that got him here. Hard-work, dedication, commitment and a willingness to serve his nation give him an edge in life that few others will have at his age.  And the worries of potential combat don’t seem to bother the youth.
 
“I don’t worry about being deployed to a war zone,” King said. “We have highly trained Marines, Soldiers and Airmen to protect us from anything.”

SMITHFIELD, N.C. – Officials from Neuse Charter School announced today that its middle school sports programs will compete against Johnston County middle schools starting with the 2017-2018 school year.
Coach Gail Browning, Neuse Charter School athletic director, said the decision came after Kirk Denning, Johnston County Schools athletic director, called her in late February to extend the invitation.
“We were looking for a conference to join and had just been invited to an all-charter school conference,” said Browning, “But competing against schools in our own county, in our own communities, just made more sense.”
The historical decision is the first time in state charter school history that a public charter school will play a full schedule in a traditional public school conference.
“We looked at the schedules and called many charters across the state to discover that while they play a traditional public school here and there on their calendars, it’s unheard of to play a full season against all public schools,” Browning said.
Susan Pullium, executive director for Neuse Charter, said a paradigm shift is underway in how public charters are received and perceived.
“We’re not a threat, we’re just another option for parents in educating their children,” said Pullium. “We’ve been knocking on the doors for a long time to be able to partner with our districted school counterparts to build better, stronger programs for all of our students and that persistence is finally paying off.”
The potential schedule will have Neuse Charter competing against North Johnston, Benson, Selma, Four Oaks, Princeton and Meadow Middle Schools in the upcoming school year. The 10-year-old charter school looks to compete in soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, track and field and cross country.
Possible media availability with athletic directors and Neuse Charter student athletes can be arranged. Interested media should contact Shannon Mann at (919) 268-9621 or shannon1004@yahoo.com

By: Shannon Mann

There’s great debate in the education community on schools of choice. Some see it as an issue of “us versus them”, but two schools in the Smithfield Selma community are trailblazing a new mentality…one of “together we all succeed.”

Neuse Charter School Executive Director Susan Pullium said, “Many people don’t understand charter schools, why we exist or how we fit into the broad educational community. They might think we take resources from traditional public institutions, but on the contrary we serve a viable need for parents and our communities at-large.”

As Johnston County’s first, and currently only, brick-and-mortar, public charter school, Neuse Charter shares many of the same state accountability and assessment requirements as their traditional public school partners, but receives less per pupil funding.

“We operate with freedom from many of the regulations that govern traditional schools,” Pullium said, “But we also operate without many of the resources and that can present a multitude of challenges.”

While Neuse Charter is focused on showcasing an unparalleled academic curriculum for its student body, there are many things the school just cannot do that help build school spirit and community pride.

With the help of their neighbors at Smithfield-Selma High School, the two schools are working together to leverage assets that ultimately benefit both schools and showcase a true sense of cooperation to their student bodies.

“Students in Johnston County are all our students as a community, and what benefits one, regardless of attendance boundaries or schools, benefits all,” said Stephen Baker, Smithfield- Selma High School principal.

In the past year, the two schools have demonstrated a strong ability to work across imaginary lines to better their extracurricular programs.

In January, when the K-12 charter school started working on their spring musical, The Wizard of Oz, they found a surprise collaborator in the much larger school across the street.

“Smithfield-Selma High School’s Band performed a Wizard of Oz show a few years ago,” said Leah Williams, NCS music and band teacher. “They offered to help us by loaning us some props.”

Smithfield-Selma also offered to loan Neuse their auditorium for their last week of rehearsals, but the musical’s munchkin population is bigger than the stage so the students will conduct dress rehearsals in their own school gymnasium before going live at Johnston County Community College’s auditorium on April 6.

“I can’t express how grateful we are that Smithfield-Selma High School would help us in this venture,” said Williams.

In the past, the traditional public high school has only shared a street address and some carpool traffic congestion with NCS, but with new leadership at the helm of the schools, administrators are looking at a partnership to benefit all students.

“Successful schools do not build a community of exclusion, but rather walk the walk of collaboration and partnerships, helping us all improve,” Baker said.

“Both schools exist to educate our youth and make them better global citizens,” said Pullium. “As leaders we must demonstrate the qualities we teach. We lead by example so that these students truly understand what it means to work together for a common good.”

In addition to their collaboration in the arts, the two schools are also partnering in a more competitive arena…sports.

The Neuse Charter Cougars are classified as a 1A athletic school while the Smithfield-Selma Spartans are classified as a 3A school. Their students may see each other as they pass on Booker Dairy Rd, or as they workout on the practice fields and tracks at Smithfield Community Park, but it’s doubtful they’ll ever meet in a conference match or game.

But that certainly doesn’t mean they can’t play each other, or that mindsets can’t shift.

SSS Volleyball Coach Deanna Moore and NCS Volleyball Coach Gail Browning have a long standing friendship and saw an opportunity for both their teams to practice skills and prepare for the season last August.

“We scrimmaged our JV and varsity teams,” said Browning. “This was the first year we have had the scrimmage. The Neuse girls learned a lot and had a great time.”

Browning said the scrimmage also gave officials a chance to practice and hone their skills before season openers.

Browning hopes the scrimmage between the schools is a good first step in Neuse Charter being invited to join the pre-season Johnston County Jamboree, where the smaller charter school would be able to compete with their larger school counterparts from across the county.

On March 29, 2017 the schools will also showcase their girls’ soccer programs as they play each other for the first time in the Spartans’ stadium.

Baker knows the value of the lessons he’s imparting upon his staff and students by bridging the gap between the traditional public and public charter schools.

“I believe we are on this earth to make a difference in the lives of others,” he said. “When I think about what that means; what does it look and sound like, one of the conclusions involves collaboration and partnerships. We will always be stronger when we work together. It is all about the future…our students.”