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Piedmont Community Charter School Archives - North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools

Apr 23
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Gastonia charter school wins $10k innovation award

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Congratulations to Piedmont Community Charter School! The Gastonia charter school’s Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy is the recipient of a $10,000 grant, one of just two schools across the country to receive the award.

We share more from Piedmont Community Charter below:

Congratulations to our PCCS High School Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy! Only two schools were awarded a national grant of $10,000 by Coca-Cola in partnership with Chick-fil-A — and Piedmont was one of them!

The Coca-Cola Sustainability Innovation Challenge encouraged students to develop a vision for a “world without waste.” From the hundreds of applications received, Piedmont’s proposal to construct an Aquaponics System for our school was awarded this grant. This initiative will have a lasting impact on our students! What an incredible achievement by our PCCS Chick-fil-a Leader Academy members led by Ruthie Howe and Breezy Howe. Let’s hear it for them!

Read more from PCCS in this Facebook post. Piedmont Community Charter School is a Coalition member school.

Above photo courtesy of PCCS.

Oct 10
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Gastonia charter school partners with local PD on school safety

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Jennifer Killen, the head of school at Piedmont Community Charter School, attends a ribbon-cutting ceremony in September 2025 launching the Gastonia Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center. Killen is pictured third from left. Photo courtesy of Piedmont Community Charter School.

Piedmont Community Charter School (PCCS) is collaborating with the local police department to promote school safety. PCCS, a college preparatory charter school that serves students in grades K-12, is the first school in Gaston County to integrate its security system with the Gastonia Police Department’s new Real Time Crime Center (RTCC). An announcement from PCCS described the RTCC as a “state-of-the-art facility designed to strengthen public safety with real-time intelligence and technology.”

Jennifer Killen, the head of school at PCCS, spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony last month for the RTCC. The program, she said is for emergency response and prevention only, but will provide a “swift coordinated response should an incident ever occur.”

Here are her remarks below:

At Piedmont Community Charter School, we are committed to providing a safe and orderly environment where every student can learn, grow, and thrive. We believe that a secure campus is essential for fostering academic excellence and building strong character. This year marks our 25th Anniversary serving families in Gaston County.

Today, I am grateful for our partnership with the Gastonia Police Department that further solidifies the school’s commitment to safety. Our collaboration with the Real Time Crime Center represents a significant step forward in our campus safety and security measures.

By integrating our school’s existing security systems with this center, we are creating an additional layer of protection for our entire school community. This means that in the event of an emergency, the Gastonia Police Department will have immediate access to critical information, allowing for a faster, more effective response. This initiative is designed to deter potential threats and to provide a swift, coordinated response should an incident ever occur.

It is a testament to the Gastonia Police Department’s dedication to community well-being, and we are grateful for their willingness to collaborate with us.

Our commitment to privacy remains paramount. This program is for emergency response and prevention only, and all data will be handled with the highest level of security and in full compliance with all laws and regulations. The purpose is not surveillance but protection.

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Dr. Taylor and Asst. Chief Brogdon for their vision and partnership. This is a momentous day for our school and for the safety of our students and staff.

Read more in this post from Piedmont Community Charter School or from WCNC. Watch a video from Queen City News about the RTCC.

May 30
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Coalition Member Schools in the News

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We have some exciting news to share about recent recognitions of Coalition member schools!

Two charter schools receive county-wide honors

Piedmont Community Charter School was recognized as “Best Charter School” by the Gaston Gazette’s “Best of Gaston” awards. Holly White, the elementary school principal was the winner in the “Best Principal” category, while Dawn Johnston was honored as “Best Teacher.” David Benfield, a middle school principal, earned finalist recognition for “Best Principal.”
Community Charter School earned finalist recognition for “Best Charter School.” Monica Dellinger was a finalist for “Best Principal.”
Read more about the awards from the Gaston Gazette.

Monica Dellinger (second from left) celebrates recognition through Gaston Gazette’s Community Choice awards. Photo credit: Community Charter School, Facebook.

One charter school’s approach to ‘second chances’ garners media coverage

Central Wake High School is the subject of a recent feature article from The Carolinian. Central Wake serves students ages 16 to 21 who are at risk of academic failure. Read the article here.
Congratulations to these outstanding Coalition member schools!
Aug 29
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2023-24 Back-to-school charter facts

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Across the state yesterday, many students headed back to school for the first day of the 2023-24 school year. At a number of public charter schools, students had already begun the year. In honor of the official launch of the 2023-24 school year, the Coalition yesterday distributed a press release with key back-to-school charter facts. Among them:

  • 211 public charter schools are operating in North Carolina this year. This figure includes seven new charter schools.
  • Over the past decade, there has been a 172% increase in public charter school enrollment.
  • In the 2022-23 school year, 77,000 student names were on waitlists for public charter schools. Over 137,000 students attended N.C. charter schools.

The Coalition asked schools to send in 2023-24 applicant/waitlist information in Spring 2023. Some highlights:

In the release, Lindalyn Kakadelis, the executive director of the Coalition, said:

Public charter schools are an incredibly popular choice for North Carolina families, and demand continues to grow. Charter schools are public and free to attend. Through innovative curricula like drone pilot licensing programs, manufacturing certifications, and more, public charter schools offer something different.

Read the Coalition’s back-to-school press release.