Precious G. Folston

Precious Folston, Board Member – Asheville City Schools

By Johnnie Grant

Precious G. Folston was recently appointed to the Board of Asheville City Schools. A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Folston was educated in the public school system of the city, attending Claxton Elementary School and graduating from Asheville High. She furthered her education by attending Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

Ms. Folston is married to Antonio Folston, also an Asheville native, and they share their home with four beautiful children – all successful students within the Asheville City School and Community (A-B Tech) College Systems. The Folston’s eldest daughter will soon be attending Western Carolina University.



Ms.
Folston is currently employed with Universal Health Services as a
Community Service Technician. “The main aspect of my position is to
work one-on-one with individual youth, helping them to transition back
into the school system,” says Folston. “My objective is to guide and
navigate these students in positive directions… helping them to
monitor their behaviors, encouraging them to stay focused and to be
successful students and independent people. I teamed up with adults in
the community: case workers, foster parents, and school counseling
staff. We collaborated together to make sure our efforts are
successful.”


Being a Teen
Pastor for many years, Folston has counseled youth on the importance of
moral-social behaviors and the importance of education. “What perplexes
me is to see school-aged children out in the community when school is
in session,” says Folston. “I would make school visits (with parental
and administrative permission) to some of the youth I oversaw in my
ministry. I noticed that some students were behind academically, and
they were not in school consistently – some students had dropped school
completely. With the staggering dropout rates among minority males, we
must find ways to curtail this upward trend by fostering relationships
with these youth and their families.”


“Their overall
well-being concerns me,” says Folston. “Some of our students lack the
necessary life and coping skills. I have found that some (youth) have
no one to mentor them through life, and this is where we all must rally
to support them! This will help our youth see the value in themselves,
and of living a wholesome, productive and meaningful life. We must get
out in the community to find out why our youth are dropping school and
what the underlying issues are. If they are dropping out, where are
they? Are they at home, sitting on the bed, or on the corner? Are they
working to help support the family? Is there a sick family member that
needs attention?


We ultimately
need to know why the students are not in school. We can’t correct a
problem if we don’t know what it is that needs fixing! As a school
board member, I will help to implement strategies and plans to help
these students stay in school.”


“As we move
through the 21st Century, we are looking to employ educators that are
passionate and want to help in offering our students a quality
education. However, this can not be done solely by these educators,”
say Folston. “It takes a collective effort… parents, ministers,
mentors, and the community. I would like to think we all can make a
difference.”