Roanoke Daily Herald (Roanoke Rapids, NC) - “Dole visits Gaston College Prep”

By Katy Nicholson
November 30, 2007

GASTON - Brandon Scott waited patiently in the entrance of Gaston College Preparatory School on Wednesday, dressed in a red sweater.

Scott was awaiting the arrival of Sen. Elizabeth Dole, and his choice of clothing reflected his support of the Republican party.

“I'm very excited,” he said. “This is my first time meeting a senator.”

When Dole stepped out of the car along with her Eastern Regional Director Janet Bradbury, she had quite a few hands to shake, including those of principals Caleb Dolan and Tammy Sutton, and Eric Guckian, executive director of KIPP North Carolina.

Since this was Dole's first visit to the school - or any KIPP school - the group started out with a discussion about its humble beginnings as a peanut field and its goal of preparing all students for college.

Dole noted that she supported recent legislation which provided $100,000 for KIPP: Pride High, and that she plans to support future requests for funding.

“I wanted to learn more about what they're doing and obviously, having had the opportunity to support them based on the knowledge that I had and the information that was coming to me and their great success, I wanted to see it firsthand, so this was the perfect opportunity,” Dole later told the Daily Herald of her decision to visit the school.

With North Carolina's high drop-out rates, Dole said she was excited to see such dedicated students and teachers in a rural area. She also said she was impressed with the academic improvement the students have made, as well as the character values they have learned.

“I thought it was just a wonderful idea and I was so impressed with the young people and their enthusiasm and their attention to what they were doing,” she said.

Dole also received a tour by the students.

“I'd like to sit down and be a part of that class this morning. It's fascinating,” she said while observing one of the classes.

The visit was not without some humor. Dole asked seventh-grader Granderson Murphy what he does during his hour-and-a-half commute to and from school.

“Sleep,” he replied matter-of-factly, much to Dole's amusement.

Eleventh-grader Stockton Brown seemed a bit star-struck when she shook Dole's hand.

“My parents very much support you,” she told the senator.

After Dole left, Brown had a lot more to say about the visit.

“It was something I was really looking forward to,” she said. “It's neat to see her support of the school.”

The school leaders said they also enjoyed Dole's visit. “She's definitely inspiring,” Sutton said. “We're grateful that she took time to talk to the kids and give such nice words to them. It's a celebration of their hard work when they know people are invested in them.”