Dr. Rob Jackson continued his #45SchoolsIn45Days full day visits to all of our campuses at W.D Williams on Thursday.
The building opened in 1980 as Swannanoa Elementary School. The name changed in 1990, when beloved school principal, W.D. “Bill” Williams, retired. The community voted to change the name to celebrate him and his contributions to the school.
“We have a strong partnership with our local Kiwanis Chapter, and they sponsor our K-Kids Club service organization for upper grade students,” said Principal Christy Jones. “This group is led by our school counselor, Kelli Pritchard, and works on several service projects throughout the year, including our food drive for our families during the holidays. Additionally, our Dual Language Spanish Immersion program brings educators from all over the world to teach our students about their languages and cultures. The students in these classes share about these cultures with our traditional classrooms through music and dance performances. This program enriches our entire school community. Finally, we are part of a grant that brings the Leaf Global Arts group and Chorus America to our school for the entire year. Every grade level will collaborate with a local artist to learn a new song and then record it live for Chorus America. This grant also allows two grade levels to perform at the Leaf Festival here in the Asheville area in the fall and spring. It has been an amazing experience for our school!”
So what makes W.D. the Place to Be?
“Our people make this school special,” said principal Christy Jones. “Every staff member is willing to jump in and help every student feel loved and successful. Our community partners reach out to us throughout the year and help fill the needs of our students and their families. The connections made and nurtured here are deep and remain after students leave us. The Swannanoa Valley is a special place to grow up because the people take care of each other.”
