Walking the Halls of Purpose
(Pictured above L-R): Prestige's Michael Loiacono and Kathy Davies, Sallie B. Howard's Dr. JoAnne Woodard, and Prestige's Ariana Holbin
“Why did God not bless me with children of my own?” Sallie B. Howard once asked.
Dr. JoAnne Woodard, a psychologist, Wilson native, and now 78-year-old founder and executive director of Sallie B. Howard Charter School, recalled her response:
“Because God knew you were destined to be a parent to tens of thousands through this school.”
Last week, our team had the privilege of seeing what that prophecy looks like in real time.
Dr. Woodard gave us a nearly two-hour tour of the campus in Wilson, NC. She does not conduct tours. She shepherds them.
Not a single class passed through the halls without her engagement. She encouraged first graders wearing costumes—an astronaut, a young Rosa Parks. She asked students about class. She praised a teacher's heroic handling of an exceptional child. She reassured a student with an injured ankle that she would still dance in the recital. She expected excellence from all.
“These children need to learn how to talk to adults,” she told us. “The best way is to engage them. They need to learn manners.” It wasn’t rehearsed or performative. It was daily discipline.
Today, the campus spans nearly 160,000 square feet and serves more than 1,200 students in grades K–12. But the school began humbly. The story began in 1989 at St. John Church. Inspired by the teachings and vision of Ms. Sallie B. Howard, Dr. Woodard founded the Youth Enrichment Program (YEP), a summer initiative designed to raise the aspirations of at-risk children. For eight years, YEP served more than 400 children each summer and impacted over 3,000 families.
From that church-based program grew one of North Carolina’s most respected charter schools. Their vision has taken students to Africa, Egypt, Cuba, India, and Alaska. It also led to a sister school in India, spearheaded by Assistant Director and Dean of Business, Sandeep Aggarwal.
The walls carry quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. One in particular seemed to capture the spirit of the school:
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
For a school committed to breaking cycles of poverty, crime, truancy, and teenage pregnancy, that line feels like the operating system of the institution.
Members of Sallie B. Howard administration with Team Prestige in front of photos of the beloved and transformational Sallie B. Howard.
Classrooms hum with energy. Preparations were underway for auditorium events. Science labs buzz. Lunch is cooked fresh each day. The building is impressive. The people are unforgettable. You feel expectation. You feel pride. You feel belief.
At the center stands a 78-year-old leader who still knows students by name.
This is why we do what we do at Prestige. Schools like Sallie B. Howard do more than educate children. They upgrade communities. They break cycles.
Their mission is to “provide every child with a world-class education that nurtures their gifts, talents, and intelligences so they become more than they ever thought they could be.”
After walking that campus, I believe them.
Perhaps Sallie B. Howard never had children of her own. Today, thousands of students call her school home. And through that legacy, she became exactly what she was meant to be: a parent to tens of thousands.