New Schools Superintendent Brings Fresh Perspective to School District
education, guilford county schools, maurice green, schools,
You can be anything you want to be. That’s the message teachers and parents often give to young people. Maurice “Mo” Green has the life story to prove that it’s true.
From working in his family’s candy store in Georgia to graduating from Duke University with a law degree and becoming a successful attorney, Green has always strived for excellence. Now, he brings that same determination to his new position as Superintendent of Guilford County Schools.
“The three themes that are the cornerstone of our strategy are focusing on our children, becoming unified as a district and looking for excellence in all that we do – the staff, the community and the students,” Green says.
His unorthodox path to becoming the top education official in the county has given him many unique advantages, according to Alan Duncan, chairman of the GCS school board.
“Mo brings the analytical thought process of a lawyer who spent years working in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district,” Duncan says. “He has a wonderful ability to listen to all parties and to be inclusive, and he has a management style of coming to a decision after getting input from all interested parties. Those managerial traits and obvious passion for education make him an extremely attractive superintendent.”
And it was that passion that caused Green – the father of two – to leave the field of law for education. “At the end of the day, it was because of the opportunity to work directly with children and be a part of their growth into adulthood,” Green says.
The Guilford County School system serves more than 71,000 students in 120 schools. From 21st Century Community Learning Centers and Mandarin Chinese instruction to the International Baccalaureate program and AP classes, the school district offers students many innovative programs.
Two outstanding new programs/schools are the Aviation Academy at Andrews High School and the GCS Newcomers School.
The aviation industry is one of the fastest growing fields in the Triad area, and students can graduate from the Andrews Aviation Academy with up to 30 hours of college credit in the discipline.
With approximately 6,000 English language learners enrolled in Guilford County Schools, the GCS Newcomers School is a place where recently arrived immigrants and refugees can learn the ins-and-outs of the American school system and American culture. The goal of the school is to help these newcomers succeed in school and in life – something Mo Green understands very well.
Story by Kimberly Daly
Photo by Ian Curcio
