Principal Sheilah Meyers: Making Great Strides at Guilford Elementary/Middle

Submitted by Shana McIver

At GHCC, our public eduction program staff build a school’s assets by mobilizing business and community partners to invest in a school environment that welcomes and serves the whole community. Since 1998, we have collaborated with partner schools throughout Greater Homewood to leverage resources for those school communities. Through this extensive network of partnerships, we promote a sense of shared purpose among school and neighborhood stakeholders. Last year, we worked with over 100 partner agencies and leveraged $1.5 million in resources and volunteer hours for approximately 4200 students in eight public partnership schools.

Good public schools are essential for healthy, thriving neighborhoods. None of this good work could be accomplished without support and acceptance from school administrators. We would like to take this opportunity to spotlight and commend one of our very innovative and committed principals, Mrs. Sheilah R. Myers. She's the principal at Guilford Elementary Middle School (one of GHCC's two Community Schools) and has made significant strides at the school since arriving in 2006. GHCC congratulates Sheilah Myers for stepping up to the challenge, reforming Guilford and accepting our invitation to partner in meeting the needs of children and families.

Mrs. Myers is amongst the many urban educators who answered the call for exemplary urban school leadership through the New Leaders in City Schools Maryland program. In 2008, she encouraged her entire school community to adopt the program's motto -- "Together, we will make a difference!" -- and with this belief and strategic planning, Guilford made AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress). Staff, students and other stakeholders were confident that with the right positive synergy, "the sky was the limit" for academic success. In 2009, Guilford's school family approached learning and removal of barriers to achievement with the same rigor as the previous year. As a result, the school made AYP for the second consecutive year and was one of seven City Schools to exit school improvement status.

Mrs. Meyers remains passionate about ensuring excellence for all children and insists that her staff to do the same. Mrs. Myers expects Guilford to be a learning community where educators inspire a quest for learning and community members/partners are proud to acknowledge it as one of the best schools in the city.

"There is still a tremendous amount of work to be done ... until all our children are achieving at high levels, until we reach advanced levels of academic performance, until we become a Blue Ribbon school, our work is not done." - Principal Sheilah Myers.