Turning Point Academy director Anita Ware honored as she retires; program cites graduation gains

Dr. Anita Ware, executive director of innovative programs and Turning Point Academy, was celebrated by the Cleveland County Board of Education on Dec. 8 as she announced her upcoming retirement at the end of the month.

Ware told the board Turning Point serves 154 students this school year, including 77 traditional middle- and high-school students, 64 School‑to‑Work students and 12 students in a degree program for pupils with individual education plans. She described the program as trauma‑informed, emphasizing behavioral supports and individualized postgraduation plans that connect graduates with jobs and community college pathways.

"We help them find a job and keep a job," Ware said, summarizing an explicit objective of the School‑to‑Work pathway. Ware traced the program’s roots to a 2016 initiative and a 2022 pilot that expanded the model to multiple grade levels. She told the board the program has graduated students across multiple cycles; the transcript cites 112 graduates through the School‑to‑Work pathway and other cumulative figures she said were part of ongoing reporting.

Ware also described curricular supports, partnerships such as the Capturing Kids' Hearts affiliation and a recent renovation of a former carpentry room into classroom and professional-development space for School‑to‑Work students.

A board member who spoke afterward called Ware a "visionary," noting she helped create Cleveland Early College High School and other programs that the speaker said strengthened both academic and social‑emotional supports. The board acknowledged Ware’s retirement and thanked her for what members described as years of service to Cleveland County Schools.

The board did not take formal action on Turning Point at the Dec. 8 meeting; members praised the program and noted Ware's retirement will take effect at the end of the month.