About Anderson Academy
Our Mission
The mission of Anderson Academy is to offer a stable, emotionally supportive, educational environment for children with the goal of empowering each child to achieve his or her true academic and social potential.
Our Vision
At Anderson Academy, our vision is to become a model school for academic achievement and approach learning with openness, individuality and supportive feedback.
Why Choose Anderson Academy?
At Anderson Academy, every student has the support and opportunity to rise to their full potential. With a strong foundation of academic excellence, social-emotional growth, and a nurturing community, we help students build confidence and resilience. Here, they don’t just learn—they thrive, take flight, and soar toward a bright future.
- Small Classes: Individualized attention in classrooms of just 10-12 students.
- Social-Emotional Learning: Teaching resilience, confidence, and community.
- Innovative Instruction: A mix of direct, interactive, and experiential learning.
- Inclusive & Supportive: Open to all, with priority for students connected to foster care or the child welfare system.
- Future-Ready: Preparing students for academic success and life beyond the classroom.
Tailored Learning for Every Student
At Anderson Academy, we recognize that every child’s learning journey is unique. By using a variety of teaching methods, we empower students to build skills, explore their interests, and gain the confidence to navigate their own path forward.
- Direct Instruction – Step-by-step skill-building with expert teachers
- Experiential Learning – Hands-on activities, field trips, and real-world applications
- Interactive Learning – Discussions, teamwork, and collaborative projects
- Independent Study – Encouraging self-growth through guided personal projects
Board of Directors
The board meets monthly virtually or on the campus of Anderson Academy (1001 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27104). Parents and community members are welcome to attend online or in person. Those wishing to attend online may request the meeting link by emailing at info@andersonacademyws.org.
Katheryn Northington
Katheryn Northington is a former educator, a former board member of a tuition-free preschool, a former board chair and current board member of Crossnore Communities for Children, has an MBA in Finance and is a strategy consultant with nonprofits. Katheryn’s skillset positions her well to launch a governing board, establish board committees, build a positive relationship with future school leadership, grow support for the school’s vision and mission, and recruit additional leaders to support the same. Katheryn has served on the School Improvement Team at three of her own children’s schools over time and is familiar with parent engagement from that perspective. Enabling meaningful parent engagement when the school has students whose parents are local will be a priority. Foster family engagement will also be important to the school’s success; children experience family and school in a multitude of forms.
Chris Gentry
Chris Gentry has served as the Director of the Family Support Network of Greater Forsyth since 2004. This program offers a multitude of support services to families who have children with special needs, including onsite hospital/NICU support, parent training and mentoring, support groups, educational advocacy, sibling programs and information and referral services. Chris has over 35 years of experience serving families of young children with a focus on quality early childhood experiences and environments. She has worked in public and private school settings, as well as with North Carolina’s Smart Start Initiative providing technical assistance and training to child care providers and parents. Her educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from UNC-Greensboro, Pastoral Care and Hospital Chaplaincy from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and certificates in nonprofit management from Wake Forest and Duke Universities
Esharan Monroe-Johnson
Esharan Monroe-Johnson has a B.A. in Religion from Wake Forest University and a MS in Community Counseling and an M.S. in Couple and Family Therapy from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has counseling experience working with children in an outpatient setting and in a day treatment school setting. Esharan has worked in a non-profit organization since 2017 and has over 5 years of non-profit leadership experience. As the Executive Director of Love Literacy in Winston-Salem, Esharan is regularly working to reach, teach, and advocate for struggling readers by training tutors, educators, and parents to use the research-based best practices of a multisensory, structured literacy approach. Esharan looks at literacy as a game changer; literacy skills are key predictors of future educational attainment and economic stability. She believes that all children in our county deserve the opportunity to succeed and her favorite part about working in the community is being a part of an organization that works to positively impact the lives of the most vulnerable children by providing them with the necessary literacy skills to have a successful future.
Brett Loftis
Brett Loftis, in his role as CEO of Crossnore Communities for Children, engages regularly with and coordinates services for children served by the Marjorie Williams Academy. Brett’s former work includes child advocacy, where Brett spent most days negotiating with school systems to meet their legal obligations and provide appropriate resources for children. As such, Brett is well familiar with school administration, successful school leadership practices, and particularly the trauma-informed approach that CCC will employ. Brett also oversees the Marjorie Williams Academy, is a parent of current students there, and provides trauma informed care training to schools through the CTRC.
Regina Hall
Regina Hall is the Executive Director of Boston Thurmond United, and is a seasoned community relations professional with experience in public sector and non-profit organizations. She has a demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong relationships with community and business leaders, key stakeholders, and local, state, and federal agencies. Regina is a proven fundraiser and has secured millions of dollars in grant funding and corporate sponsorships.
Shana Heilbron
Shana Heilbron serves as the Vice President of Community Engagement at Crossnore Communities for Children, where she is responsible for building strategic partnerships and fostering community involvement across North Carolina. She joined Crossnore in 2022 and works out of the Winston-Salem office. Prior to her role at Crossnore, Shana held positions in development and marketing, including her tenure as Director of Development and Marketing at The Centers for Exceptional Children in Winston-Salem and the YWCA of the National Capital Area in Washington, DC. She is a recognized leader in the community, having been named a Triad Business Journal 40 Under 40 recipient in 2020. Shana is also actively involved in local organizations, serving on the boards or advisory councils of Smart Start of Forsyth County, Novant Health Women’s Council, My Brother’s Keeper Winston-Salem, Thriving Together Champions Table, among others. Her commitment to community engagement and development has made her a valued figure in Winston-Salem’s non-profit sector.
Before calling Winston-Salem home in 2016, Shana spent 14 years in Washington, D.C. and is a native of Shaker Heights and Oberlin, Ohio. She is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and is a board member and congregant at Temple Emanuel Winston-Salem.
Jeremy Burnett
Jeremy Burnett is a former educator, a former board member at Forsyth Country Day School, a current board member at Salem Montessori School, and a current board member at the Marjorie Williams Academy. Jeremy’s connectivity with the Williams Academy Board is of particular relevance as the Crossnore Community Charter School will operate under a model shared by the Williams Academy. Jeremy’s prior board experience included committee work overseeing and hiring the headmaster of a large independent school; as such, Jeremy has experience with performance management for both schools and school leaders. Jeremy’s days as an educator and an extended season as a literacy tutor equip her with experience and perspective regarding curriculum, instruction, and assessment that will support future school leadership as the team engages more deeply in school design.
Meet the Principal
Meet the Principal
Rashawn Meekins comes to Crossnore after a long career as an educator, leader, and consultant with Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools, where she most recently served as assistant principal at Cook Literacy Model School. Prior to her position at Cook Literacy Model School, Meekins served as a dean of students, a school improvement grant coach, a literacy coach, and a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Coordinator.
Meekins received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Winston-Salem State University, a Master of Teaching degree and special education from Salem College, and a post-master’s degree in school administration from North Carolina A&T State University.
“My vision for Anderson Academy is that it will be a model school for how education is done differently,” Meekins said. “We will not only focus on academics but also the social-emotional wellbeing of students. Our school will address the needs of the whole child as well as the needs of all scholars based on their individuality.“
Contact
Rashawn Meekins
Anderson Academy Principal
(336) 703-9292