By Carole Parrott
and Kathy Rusher

As president and treasurer, respectively, of the PTSA at Salisbury High School and in light of the recent release of the N.C. Public School Accountability Services Division’s Report Card grade that was given to Salisbury High, we felt that it was important for the community to know the positive things going on behind the school walls that aren’t measurable on a state public test.

Salisbury High School is a gem. We have personally seen the effects of the fabulous administration and staff that have led and currently leads our school. Between the two of us, we have seven children who have either benefited, currently benefit or will benefit from the great things going on at Salisbury High School.

One of our children has already graduated and gone on to graduate from UNC with an undergraduate degree and NCSU with a master’s degree, and we have seen firsthand how prepared she was for college and beyond. The teachers and classes that she had available to her at SHS were the building blocks that made for a great transition into higher education.

At SHS, we currently have 405 students participating in 21 AP courses, the most offered by any school in the county. Salisbury High has consistently been on the US News & World Report’s “Best High Schools” list. Luke Brown, principal of SHS, has become engrained in our community and leads an amazing staff of caring, highly educated and well-qualified teachers who educate a spectrum of children coming from some of the lowest level of poverty to those in families in a high income bracket.

The teachers and staff of SHS truly do support each and every student – no matter what their socioeconomic background. Our school does a great job of providing expectations and goals of all students. To help achieve these goals, the school offers after-school tutoring, online remediation and Upward Bound, a collaborative effort between at-risk students and students at Livingstone College.

SHS is also home to a wonderful STEM Academy, providing some of the highest level of learning in science, math and robotics. Salisbury High School’s STEM Academy is highly regarded as one of the most successful STEM programs in the state.

We also have a great Career and Technical Education program, in which we offer over 25 courses which allow students the opportunity for a hands-on approach to their education. We recently had three seniors named as finalists for the National Merit Scholarships, and our seniors last year amassed a total of $1.6 million in scholarships to colleges around the country.

Our IMPACT program, an organization centered around young African American males in our school, has been extremely successful in providing leadership and service opportunities on campus. We are a well-rounded, academically strong school with a long history of academic excellence. As parents, we are proud that our children are benefitting from everything Salisbury High School has to offer.

Carole Parrott and Kathy Rusher are officers in the Salisbury High PTSA.