Alamance-Burlington School System

🌟 This National School Counseling Week, we celebrate our extraordinary ABSS school counselors who help students THRIVE! Did you know? ALL our counselors hold master's degrees, and 67% have dedicated 5+ years to our students - some serving our community for 30+ years! They bring diverse professional backgrounds and expertise to support the WHOLE student through: ✨ Academic excellence 🤝 Social-emotional learning 🎯 Career planning 💪 Mental health & wellness 🏆 Student leadership Our counselors create safe, welcoming spaces where every student can grow and succeed. To our dedicated ABSS school counselors: THANK YOU!

👩‍🍳 The kitchen came to the classroom as Press Coffee+Crêpes transformed an ordinary school day into a French culinary adventure at Elon Elementary. Fourth graders watched in anticipation as owners Brett and Darian DeVries handcrafted an array of mouthwatering crêpes, from classic Nutella and Berries and Crème to their popular French Toast creation. The highlight was a special off-menu treat - a Crème Brûlée crêpe made exclusively for this annual celebration of La Chandeleur. This was all eaten quickly, but fortunately for us one student captured it all on her camera! 📸

🍴 Fresh NC produce was available to all students this week thanks to the Local Food for Schools grant. Don't they look good? Clearly these Williams High School students were thrilled! Thanks to these amazing farms for providing the apples and strawberries for our students: 🍏 Every Crisp Apples from Lively Orchards (Flat Rock, NC) visithendersonvillenc.org/businesses/lively-orchards 🍎 Gold Rush Apples from Perry Lowe Orchards (Moravian Falls, NC) perryloweorchards.com 🍓 Fresh NC Winter Strawberries from Lewis Nursery and Farms (Rocky Point, NC) lewisfarms.com The Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program helps schools purchase local foods for school meal programs while supporting local farmers. https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food-to-usda/lfs

🎪 Breaking playground news! Garrett Elementary students are loving their new space! Today we unveiled their brand-new playground, completing Impact Alamance's decade-long initiative to transform play spaces across ABSS! We're deeply grateful to Impact Alamance for their vision and commitment to our students, and thank the Gator's PTO for their generous donation toward this wonderful new playground. The students' joy, laughter, and excitement said it all as they hopped, bounced, climbed, and zoomed around the new features! This playground marks a historic milestone as the 20th and final installation in Impact Alamance's decade-long commitment to enhancing ABSS elementary school playgrounds. Since 2016, they've invested over $1.1 million to transform play spaces across our district. Each of the 20 completed playgrounds represents a commitment to children's physical and social development, creating safe spaces where imagination, friendship, and healthy activity flourish.

#ABSSAlert | All schools will operate on a one-hour delay tomorrow, Friday, January 24. This time will allow our buses to prepare and begin driving during daylight hours. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we navigated this week’s schedule. We are excited to welcome students back to school tomorrow! 🌅

#ABSSAlert | Due to current conditions and out of caution, all schools will be closed for students on Thursday, January 23. There will be an optional staff workday. We apologize for the late notice and appreciate your understanding.

#ABSSAlert | Due to weather conditions, January 22nd will be an optional workday for staff. Alamance-Burlington Early College will be closed for students and there will be no athletics or after school activities.

#ABSSAlert | Due to a winter storm shifting toward our area, we expect winter weather in the Triad later this afternoon. As a result, Early College will release students at 3:00 PM today, and all athletic practices and events are cancelled. Staff at all sites may also leave at 3:00 PM and can coordinate with supervisors to make up time.

Dr. Fleming went live on the air this morning with Brad Jones to share some recent ABSS highlights! Check out our Story for a behind the scenes video!

Snow content is officially trending! 📱❄️ Nothing gets our comments section buzzing quite like a weather update! We've collected some of the best student responses that perfectly capture the snow day spirit! #SnowDayVibes #ABSSHighlights

Due to the snow and ice left on the roads from Friday evening’s winter weather, the district will be closed for students on Monday, January 13th. Staff have the option to work if they are able to travel safely. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we prioritize the safety of our students and staff.

#ABSSAlert | The district will have an early release on Friday, January 10th. We anticipate that we will begin to see afternoon winter weather in the Triad and this release time will allow buses to run routes and return safely. Please plan accordingly as this schedule change impacts the following: -Elementary schools will dismiss at 11:30 am. -Middle and High schools will dismiss at 12:45 pm. -Afterschool care will be canceled. Athletic events scheduled for the remainder of the week and through the weekend will also be canceled. Want to help with early dismissal efficiency? If possible, picking up your bus rider would assist our transportation team. Thank you for your understanding and flexibility. Enjoy the winter weather and stay safe! ❄️

We have some exciting news! De'Ana Tyson, a mathematics teacher at Western Alamance Middle School, has been named a finalist for the 2025 NCCAT Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Beginning Teacher of the Year Award. This prestigious recognition highlights her exceptional dedication and impact as an educator in mathematics instruction. One finalist will be honored as the 2025 NC Beginning Teacher of the Year after a comprehensive selection process by a panel of judges. As part of this achievement, finalists will attend a professional development week at the Truist Leadership Institute in Greensboro, N.C., from March 24–28, 2025. The winner will be announced during a special ceremony on March 27, 2025, at the Elliott University Center auditorium at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. We are incredibly proud of De'Ana's accomplishments as an educator and her dedication to teaching, building relationships, and inspiring greatness!

Happy New Year! After a snowy start, it was wonderful to see our hallways and classrooms full of energy today! Welcome back and here's to a fantastic 2025!

#ABSSAlert | Due to the low temperatures predicted this evening and the potential for isolated icy spots on the roads, all ABSS schools and offices will operate on a 2-hour delay for students and staff tomorrow, Tuesday, January 7. This means buses and schools will run two hours later than their normal start times. There is no change to the afternoon dismissal.

#ABSSAlert | Due to current weather conditions, ABSS will remain closed for students and staff on Monday, January 6, 2025.

#ABSSAlert | Due to current and forecast weather conditions, all ABSS schools will operate on a 2-hour delay on Monday, January 6. Buses and schools will run two hours later than their normal start times and there is no change to the dismissal time. Please continue to monitor email and social media for any additional updates.

The Hawfields Middle School AYLA (Alamance Youth Leadership Academy) Cohort has demonstrated exceptional leadership and community service through their recent Give a Kid a Coat clothing drive. From December 5-20, students collected 1,252 clothing items, including coats, pants, shirts, and other essential apparel. This represents a remarkable increase from last year's collection of 99 items! AYLA students took initiative in promoting the drive, creating promotional materials and encouraging participation throughout the school community. The collected clothing items will be distributed to support students at Hawfields Middle School, Garrett Elementary, Alexander Wilson Elementary, and Southeast Middle School. Special thanks to the AYLA students for their outstanding effort, to Social Studies teacher and AYLA leader Ryan Leonard for his guidance, and to all the families, staff, and community members who donated clothing items. Their collective efforts will help meet the clothing needs of our students this winter and beyond!

Today we celebrate the incredible Athletic Directors who work tirelessly to create opportunities for our student-athletes to excel both on and off the field. Your dedication to fostering excellence, sportsmanship, and character development makes a lasting impact on our community. Leading the way is our exceptional District Athletic Director Todd Davis, whose unwavering commitment to student success sets the standard for excellence. Through his visionary leadership and genuine care for young athletes, he continues to elevate our entire athletic program to new heights. And a heartfelt thank you to our outstanding school Athletic Directors: Middle Schools: ⭐ Broadview Middle - Adam Watkins ⭐ Graham Middle - Bernard Fuller ⭐ Hawfields Middle - Lavar Marsh ⭐ Southern Middle - Cecilio Mitchell ⭐ Turrentine Middle - Allen Wolff ⭐ Western Middle - Nicholas Coller ⭐ Woodlawn Middle - Alec Dement High Schools: ⭐ Cummings High - Cherie Pettiford ⭐ Eastern High - Brad Costa ⭐ Graham High - Kyle Ward ⭐ Southeast Alamance High - William (BJ) Condron ⭐ Southern High - Stephanie Smith ⭐ Western High - Sean Quinn ⭐ Williams High - Robert (Bob) Grant Your leadership inspires excellence, builds character, and creates lasting memories for our student-athletes. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to athletics and education in our community!

Congratulations to Alexander Wilson principal Ashley Westmoreland – now Dr. Westmoreland! – on completing her doctorate. What an awesome accomplishment, a testament to her perseverance, dedication, and unwavering commitment to educational leadership.