Durham Dr
Garner, NC 27529

If you are in IB, GMHS might be worthwhile. If not, good luck. The principal was largely unknown to the students and has not created a positive climate at all. The morale was terrible among the teachers. The administration repeatedly set policies, just to ignore them and then create another one. Understandably, no one took them seriously. Graded work was supposed to be returned within two weeks, but it rarely was. The response? Give them THREE weeks! And the teachers still didn't make that deadline. The teachers seem totally defeated because of all the behavior problems and disrespect. In turn, there was little respect shown to well-behaved kids - all my kids listened to day in and day out was criticism. It's a battle everyday just to get kids to pay attention, but when administration won't take quick and consistent action, it will never get better. If the kids just want to play on their phones and be disruptive, find another place for them and let the rest of the students actually learn something in peace. GMHS staff acts hopeless and dispirited.In attempting to get kids to pass, much of the work is dumbed down. Tests are almost always multiple choice and can be re-taken. Honors teachers assigned lots of projects and papers, most of which contributed zero to learning and mastery of content. It seemed almost like the teachers competed to out-project each other with something they found on the internet. Then, most of the teachers didn't even read the lengthy reports they required. They would be handed back eventually with no notes - just a grade. How does that help? Because the teachers didn't want to have to make new tests, often the kids would just be told their grades. There was no "going over the test" to make sure the students understood. We were told that anyone could sign up for honors classes - that the school could not control this - which is why they were such a circus. Even with IB, we were told, wcpss didn't want to exclude anyone, so kids who weren't strong enough academically to do the work plagued the program. Maybe 5 of 25 would read an assigned novel. There was no rigor in any of the classes other than IB and AP classes. The IB teachers were much better teachers but even they were hypercritical of students. It was completely counterproductive. Beautiful new building but halls and stairwells are SO undersized, they are DANGEROUS. God forbid there's an emergency! We couldn't wait for our kids to graduate. So disappointing.

The administration (Principal Butler) does not follow WCPSS Board Policies. He is a horrible example of leadership for these kids and their parents (disrespectful, dismissive, condescending) and his staff (the retention at this school is dismal due to his lack of professionalism and understanding of educators needs). Since the students have no leadership, there is no structure. There’s no discipline or consequences for these kids. These kids know they have no leadership, no structure and zero consequences. The kids run the school without any regard for authority because there isn’t any. The educators need help. The educators who do remain are trying their hardest to teach, but when the kids act out in their classroom, they know if they remove the students from the classroom those same kids will be back within 5 minutes because there isn’t anyone properly disciplining them. The fighting between students at this school is out of control. The bullying goes unchecked because according to Principal Butler, they’re “one-off situations.” This school is an absolute mess without any possible future of improvement, at least under the “leadership” of the current administration.

As part of the PTA board, I have volunteered at varying capacity at Smith. The teachers and staff do a great job to make my kids want to go to school each day. What I love the most about this school is the student diversity. My kids have evolved at Smith both academically and emotionally and are very cognitive of the different cultures around them

This school is a terrible choice for parents and students looking for a supportive teachers. Teachers will rarely listen to or try to understand a student's point of view. The administration will ignore many student concerns without any investigation unless parents interfere. Many of the work handed is just busy work and rarely has an impact on student learning. There are some helpful teachers but there are even more cruel teachers. It's incredibly hard to fix grades that a student didn't deserve without parental interference. The courses offered are very restrictive as well.

I have had an amazing experience as a student at this school. This has made me not only ready for college but also the professional world. Throughout my four years here I was able to grow and learn through the help of the incredible students and staff. I can't wait to see what Wake STEM becomes.

While we have had a few bumps getting our boy engaged, the leadership have been great partners with looking at options. This school is a college prep school so there is not an emphasis in the Arts, but more a focus on core curriculum. We love that there are male teachers teaching our boy as they provide examples of strong role models. We love the uniforms!

All teachers are very attentive and helpful especially Principal Baker during this pandemic. We are very lucky to belong to a school who treats the children as their own.