Phone: 919-934-5191, ext. 5118
Email:
Degrees and Certifications:
Bachelor of Science in Teaching English, Speech, and Theater from Southwest Minnesota State University (1991) Master of Arts in Speech Communication from Minnesota State University, Mankato (1997) AIG Certification from Campbell University
Mrs. Gwendolyn (Gwen) Sullivan
Phone: 919-934-5191, ext. 5118
Welcome back students and families to the 2021-2022 school year. I am honored and proud to be a part of SSS Sparta Nation! After spending 12 years teaching middle school at Selma Middle and Wendell Middle, I finally "graduated" to teaching on the high school level again as of Fall 2019. The 2021-2022 school year is my 3rd year as a SSS Spartan and my 27th year overall as a teacher. I will be teaching English II this year, as well as coaching the SSS Spartan Slam Poetry club. Check it out! We will be meeting the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month, during the 2nd Spartan Success time (9:09-9:44). All meetings will be in my classroom, 2108.
I started my teaching career in Minnesota, where I was born and raised. I taught high school English, speech, theater, and journalism in Minnesota for 4 years. Then, I studied for and received my Master of Arts Degree in Speech Communication from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Do you recognize the name of the town Mankato? That probably means you were a fan of the Little House on the Prairie books or the "Little House" TV show from the 1970's. Mankato was the closest "big" town to Laura Ingalls Wilder's home town of Walnut Grove, which is also a real town in Minnesota.
From 1997 to 2003, I taught college-level speech communication classes at both Minnesota State University and South Central Community College. I started my own communication consulting practice called Communication Innovations, and my husband Douglas and I had 2 children. We moved with our pre-school aged children 4 times within a 3-year period before finally landing in the Smithfield-Selma area of Johnston County, where Douglas grew up and was a graduate of Clayton High School. We now consider Smithfield our "hometown," and our children are both adults and graduates of SSS--time flies!
I look forward to meeting even more people in this heartwarming, SSSTRONG community! I especially look forward to meeting YOU: students, parents, and community partners! I am ready to continue rising to the challenge of helping our young adults become the skilled, principled, and mentally & emotionally STRONG men and women who will lead us through the rest of the 21st century!
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JCPS to Utilize New Website for Bus Updates
Our district is launching a new portion of our website to further communicate bus delays and replacements with our families. We encourage those who have a student who utilizes our transportation to get to or from school to visit www.johnston.k12.nc.us/busdelays for updates on our school bus routes beginning Tuesday, January 18.
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ACCESS testing for English Language Learners
North Carolina schools are required to administer ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 to all students identified as English Learners (ELs) in the spring of each year to determine their progress in learning English. Each student is tested in four areas: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. This assessment helps us monitor their English language development.
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Updated COVID-19 Quarantine Guidance
Our district is continuing to follow the guidance and recommendations from the Johnston County Public Health Department, the CDC, and the Strong Schools NC Toolkit, and we will now adhere to a 5 day quarantine period for students or staff members who tests positive for COVID-19. This is a change from the previous 10 day quarantine time.
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JCPS offering Test to Stay Program
Johnston County Public Schools is participating in the Test to Stay Program, a voluntary study with Duke University and the ABC Collaborative. Due to that participation our students now have more options if they are deemed a close contact to a positive COVID-19 case while at school.
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JC Board of Education approves 2022 JCPS salary schedule
The Johnston County Board of Education voted unanimously to approve the 2022 Johnston County Public Schools salary schedule at their regularly scheduled Dec. 14 meeting.
