Dear Selwyn Elementary School families,

Selwyn Elementary School shares its South Park campus with Alexander Graham Middle School and Myers Park High School. Our 212-acre campus was established in 1959. Since then, our school has expanded and transformed to meet the needs of our growing community.  

Traditions have always been a hallmark at our school. Selwyn students participate in programs such as Selwyn Celebrates the Arts, grade-level field trips sponsored by our devoted and active PTA, and Nature Trails and Tales. Selwyn also has monthly character-education assemblies in which different grade levels perform skits to highlight a specific character trait and individual students are recognized for displaying the trait. This has been a wonderful way to bring our community together and reinforce our shared values.

Selwyn has recently adopted the Personalized Digital Learning (PDL) philosophy, which focuses on the whole child taking ownership of his or her learning. Learning Environment, Instructional Design and Learner Ownership are the three pillars of this philosophy. Selwyn staff members implement PDL by conducting Morning Meetings, providing flexible seating, and differentiating instruction to meet the individual needs of the students.  In addition, Selwyn has successfully launched the Extensions Program for our three classrooms with students who have an array of developmental needs. Both of these new initiatives illustrate how our school embraces the importance of meeting the needs of the whole child and our school community.

Selwyn's outstanding instructional program includes a committed staff, enthusiastic parent involvement, a climate conducive to learning and the expectation of success for all of our students. Selwyn Elementary has just been approved as a Common Sense School, an honor that recognizes our efforts in teaching digital citizenship to our students and engaging the entire school community in this important discussion. This recognition also acknowledges our school's commitment to helping students think critically and using technology responsibly.  In addition to receiving the Common Sense recognition, Selwyn also received the CMS Digital Citizenship recognition for providing the digital-citizenship curriculum to more than 90 percent of our students.  Students in all grade levels learned how to remain safe, responsible and respectful online.

Let me tell you a little about myself.  I have been in education for 23 years. I have a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and an administrative certification from Winthrop University. I also have a master’s degree in early childhood education from Francis Marion University and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of North Carolina Charlotte.

Prior to being appointed principal at Selwyn, I served 14 years as an assistant principal at Selwyn, Rama Road, and Idlewild elementary schools. I was also a classroom teacher for eight years at Idlewild and Dewey Carter elementary schools.

I look forward to working with you and your student. Thank you for choosing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Selwyn Elementary.

Dr. Sharone Harris, Principal