news-record.com

I have a confession. The first time I walked into Stokesdale Elementary School nearly three years ago, I wanted to cry.

When we decided to move here from Florida, I'd done my homework. There's a lot to consider when choosing a new hometown, but as the mother of three, the most important was the schools, and Guilford County ranks among the best in the state.

We loved the area, Summerfield and Oak Ridge in particular, and that's where we focused our search. We visited the local schools and were satisfied with what we saw.

Finding the perfect house was no easy task, but we finally found what we were looking for. As soon as we drove into the neighborhood, we knew it was where we wanted to live. As we sat in the kitchen looking over the spec sheet, I noticed that under elementary school, it listed Stokesdale. I was confused; the house was only a few miles from Summerfield Elementary, so I assumed that's where my kids would attend.

Before we put in an offer, we needed to check out the school. I pulled it up on the Internet, and while their math and reading proficiency scores weren't quite as good as Oak Ridge or Summerfield, it certainly wasn't enough to make me reconsider.

Built in the 1980s, the school was small, outdated and showed its age. There was no front office or reception area, just a small room off the hall of the main entrance.

We began our tour at the library, which was tiny and dark with tarps covering some bookshelves because of a leaky roof. There was no art or music room, so these activities were brought to students in their classrooms on a rolling cart.

As we continued, my heart was sinking. We were led out of the main building and greeted by rows of beige trailers. Then there was the "cottage," a kind name for a building with chairs and chalkboards that dated back to the school's origins in the early 1920s.

Suddenly, an inner snob I didn't even know I had bubbled to the surface. How could I send my kids here? I probably wouldn't have thought much about the school's appearance had I not been spoiled by the new school my kids attended in Florida.

When we got back in the car, my husband and I started to think about our own upbringings and the reasons we wanted to move here. We had both grown up in rural areas in New York and Connecticut and had attended grade schools in one-stoplight towns, not much different from Stokesdale. We were tired of Florida's crowding and traffic and wanted to give our kids the kind of laid-back country childhoods we both recall so fondly.

We had to remind ourselves of the lessons we so earnestly teach our children -- things such as "Don't judge a book by its cover" and "It's not what's on the outside but what's on the inside that counts." Words of wisdom indeed.

It may not have been the prettiest school, but the staff had certainly made up for that and completely won us over with their Southern hospitality. They ranked well academically and had little faculty turnover, which for us spoke volumes about this tight-knit community.

So, in January 2006 my kids reported for their first day at Stokesdale Elementary. I had been very active in Florida PTA, so taking a board position was a priority.

I attended my first PTA meeting eager to share ideas from my prior experience. I'd imagined that with such a rapidly growing and changing population, they would be eager for new ways to meet their changing landscape. What I got was "Well, aren't you just full of ideas, bless your heart," which according to my best friend, a Greensboro native, loosely translated means, "keep it zipped, Yankee." I was disillusioned and hurt. For the sake of my kids, I kept a stiff upper lip, volunteered less with PTA and more in their classrooms and tried to make the best of the situation.

During the next school year, the transformation of Stokesdale began and was something to behold. Much-needed bond money finally came through. The trailers were hauled away, the "cottage" leveled, and a beautiful new building was built. As the student body grew and diversified, so did PTA, and that's when things really started to evolve. The newly elected PTA president and board not only welcomed new ideas, but encouraged them. They have transformed Stokesdale inside and out.

The most amazing group of dedicated parents has been recruited to volunteer and head committees.

They have spent countless evenings and weekends painting cafeterias, hallways and the media center. Beautiful murals adorn the front office and hallways and more are in the works. Gardens have been planted and a variety of after-school programs are in place.

Kudos to all these selfless people who give their time and energy with no agenda except to benefit the school and its students. Stokesdale has officially gone from ugly duckling to beautiful swan.

I know what you're thinking: "What happened to 'Don't judge a book by its cover?'" The truth is, we all need a little bling. When we look good, we feel good; and when we feel good, we perform better.

I think it makes us all smile to know that Stokesdale's outside now matches the beautiful people and stories inside.

Nancy Duffy is a mother of two Stokesdale Elementary students and a Northwest High student.