Wenonah Elementary School earned full accreditation in spring as a Waynesboro school after years of struggling to attain the state requirements.
Principal Abby Arey presented to Waynesboro School Board last week the community partnerships which enabled Wenonah‘s 245 students, 86 percent of whom are disadvantaged, to reach accreditation as a school.
“I’m proud to announce as of spring and it was announced in September, Wenonah was fully accredited, which is a big accomplishment for us. We’re so excited. But, that really would not be possible without all of the people who worked for the Wenonah community,” Arey said.
A male mentorship program began last school year with 15 students mentored by men in the local community. Arey said that 35 students now participate as well as “lots of Waynesboro alumni, which I think is pretty great.” The program encourages students to build positive relationships with men in the community.
During Genius Hour, held the first Friday morning of each month in Wenonah‘s cafeteria, students are exposed to different topics, including cooking, nature, American Sign Language, ballet, sewing, The Wayne Jr. and Home Depot. According to Arey, the idea of Genius Hour is used at other public schools. Genius Hour also provides students with ideas of what they might be interested in for extracurricular activities in high school or for a career path as an adult.
“I wanted to provide experiences for them that were meaningful,” said Arey, whose favorite addition to Wenonah since becoming principal in 2022 is Genius Hour. “That they might not otherwise have the knowledge of or have access to or be able to afford.”
During a Genius Hour in November, students duct taped Arey to a wall in the gymnasium after she promised them they could if they collected 500 items to donate to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. Students collected 601 items for donation.
On Thanksgiving Day, through partnerships with the Waynesboro Moose, civic organizations and local churches fed 80 Wenonah families. The Waynesboro Moose donated 31 turkeys and 45 hams. More than $10,000 has been raised to provide gifts for 187 Wenonah children for Christmas.
Winter Market Gift of Giving provides students, with the help of volunteers and Grace Christian School, opportunities to create gifts for loved ones.
“For a lot of our students, they don’t have an opportunity to go pick out something for mom, dad, little brother, sister, grandma,” Arey said. This year’s Winter Market began last Wednesday. “So we brought that opportunity to the school.”
Rack Room Shoes has donated $7,000 to Wenonah for students to purchase new shoes. Last school year, students were able to shop in the spring for a second pair of shoes.
Other community partners include Amazon, Grace Christian School, Waynesboro Kiwanis, Waynesboro Elks and many more.
“Amazing support from these groups that just do a lot to make school the happiest place for the kids,” Arey said.
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Rebecca Barnabi
