The application for the current school year is closed. The application for next school year will open in the summer for students in grades 6-10.
On Friday, April 24th, Chick-fil-A at Thruway Shopping Center offered free meals to our Class of 2026 Scholars who attended the Senior Honors Celebration at Truist Stadium. We're grateful to partner with a local business that supports our organization's mission and celebrates our Scholars' accomplishments along with us!
This March we received the exciting news that our Scholar, Madison, was chosen to participate in Disney Dreamers Academy at Walt Disney World!
Every year the program receives thousands of applications from across the country but only accepts 100 students. A few key elements that make a potential Dreamer stand out include intellectual curiosity, a love for learning and creativity, compassion, facing obstacles with poise and maturity, a generous spirit and optimism about the future.
Each spring, 100 exceptional young people arrive at the Disney Dreamers Academy with ambition, excitement and hopes for the future. The Disney Dreamers will return home with the motivation, guidance and skills to help make those dreams come true. - Learn About Disney Dreamers Academy
The Crosby Scholars Team is so proud to celebrate Madison's achievement in being named a Disney Dreamer. Madison shared the following highlights with us after her time at Disney Dreamers Academy this spring:
Top 5 memories (In no particular order because everything was amazing)
Things I learned at Disney Dreamers Academy
Thank you again for your support. I'm excited to continue my journey at Crosby scholars as a Junior.
-Madison
TWO COMMUNITY NONPROFITS JOIN FORCES TO CREATE ADDITIONAL
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR GIRLS IN FORSYTH COUNTY
WINSTON-SALEM, NC (January 8, 2025) – LEAD Girls of North Carolina is kicking off the new year with an exciting partnership creating additional leadership opportunities for middle-school-age girls in Forsyth County. LEAD Girls and Crosby Scholars have established a new dual enrollment program enabling participants in LEAD Girls to also join Crosby Scholars.
“We are thrilled to join forces with Crosby Scholars as we both work to help students achieve, lead and contribute,” said Joy Nelson Thomas, Founder and Executive Director of LEAD Girls of NC. “As a community, we want to be pouring all of our available resources into lifting up these young people – our future leaders, lawyers, engineers and teachers.”
Thomas worked closely with Crosby Scholars President and CEO Mona Lovett to develop the new program.
“Through this program, we’re reaching even more young girls as they enter their formative school years,” said Lovett. “We’re instilling in them the confidence and leadership skills that will pave the way for them to realize their potential as they pursue their career and college aspirations. Our partnership with LEAD Girls strengthens the work we’re doing to ensure these young students have a continuum of services throughout middle and high school.”
LEAD Girls has identified more than 300 of its middle school participants as well as LEAD Girls alumni currently in high school who are eligible for the dual enrollment program. They will join the more than 140 LEAD Girls already participating in Crosby Scholars.
LEAD Girls board member Jasmine Pitt also helped shape the new program through her personal experiences as a Crosby Scholar during her middle and high school years.
“Leadership development programs like LEAD Girls and Crosby Scholars create life-changing opportunities for young people in our community whose potential may not match their available resources,” said Pitt, a graduate of Wake Forest University School of Law and attorney with Akerman LLP in Winston-Salem. “With this innovative dual enrollment program, more LEAD Girls participants can take advantage of Crosby Scholars’ unique career and college exploration programs and expanded spaces for community service.”
ABOUT Crosby Scholars
Since 1992, Crosby Scholars has provided Forsyth County students in grades 6-12 with career and college exploration, admissions and financial aid workshops, advising services, college campus visits, community service opportunities, cultural experiences, and over $980,000 in scholarships and Last Dollar Grants for college tuition annually. Crosby Scholars now serves more than 10,000 students each year and has assisted over 35,000 Forsyth County students for college and for life.
Crosbyscholars.org
ABOUT LEAD Girls of NC
Founded in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 2015, LEAD Girls of NC focuses on serving girls whose resources do not match their limitless potential as they work toward becoming productive citizens and active leaders in their communities. LEAD (Learning Everyday Accomplishing Dreams) uses an evidence-based curriculum in partnership with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and through community-based programs to encourage and mentor girls to aspire and achieve greatness academically, emotionally and creatively. LEAD envisions a world where every girl has the confidence, social skills and leadership ability she needs to become an independent, financially stable woman. Change a girl. Change a community. Change the world. Leadgirls.org
Hurricane Helene has left a significant impact across Western North Carolina. For anyone in need of immediate assistance, from housing support to mental health resources, here’s a list of services available to help you recover and rebuild.
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Recovery is a shared journey. By reaching out to these resources, you can access the support and services needed to move forward. Please share this guide with friends, family, and community members who may need help.
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Kathryn Crosby, a woman whose dedication and passion for education transformed the lives of thousands of students through the Crosby Scholars Program. Kathryn was the heart and soul of our organization, a guiding light whose vision and commitment have left an enduring mark on our community.
From the beginning, Kathryn believed in the mission of the Crosby Scholars Program. She understood that education is a powerful tool for change and worked tirelessly to ensure that every student had the opportunity to succeed. She eagerly awaited updates on the number of students we served, the colleges they attended, and the milestones they achieved. She celebrated every success as if it were her own.
Kathryn’s impact went beyond encouragement. She personally reached out to sponsors, expressing her gratitude and reinforcing the importance of their support. Her warmth and sincerity inspired others to join our cause, amplifying the reach and effectiveness of the program. Even when health challenges prevented her from attending events in person, she remained engaged, sending heartfelt video messages that uplifted everyone involved.
To ensure her legacy continues, Kathryn established a renewable scholarship as part of the Crosby Scholars’ $10 million Achieve. Apply. Afford Campaign. This scholarship, awarded annually to five graduating Crosby Scholars, is a testament to her foresight and commitment to opening doors for young people.
Her family continues to uphold her legacy. Her daughter, Mary Crosby, graciously stepped into the role of hosting the Crosby Scholars Invitational, while her son, Nathaniel Crosby, shared touching memories of their mother and father at our Breakfast of Champions.
Kathryn’s grace, intelligence, and compassion were evident in everything she did. She had a unique ability to connect with people, making them feel valued and inspired. Her elegance and poise endeared her to all who knew her.
We are forever grateful for Kathryn’s contributions. She often thanked the staff, volunteers, and supporters who helped the program thrive, but it is we who owe her our deepest gratitude. Her vision and dedication have opened countless doors, and her spirit will continue to guide us as we work to fulfill her dream of empowering youth through education.
Kathryn Crosby was a cornerstone of the Crosby Scholars Program. We honor her memory and celebrate a life well-lived.
Rest in peace, Kathryn. Your legacy lives on in every student whose life you have touched.
Whether you just enrolled or are a returning Scholar, there are some requirements we ask you to complete each year. These tasks will prepare you to be a responsible and sharp student. Knowing what they are will help you to stay on top every year. Here is an outline of how the Program looks during the school year:
We also encourage every single one of our students to avoid receiving out of school suspension, which will result in the dismissal of the student from the Program for the year.
Leadership Council members represent their schools and help find innovative ways to promote and encourage fellow Crosby Scholars at their school complete their requirements. Some of their duties include:
2025-26 Due Dates
Grade 12: February 2, 2026
Grades 6 - 11: April 1, 2026
Crosby Scholars are required to complete two (2) hours of community service each school year. Scholars must submit the digital Community Service form through CrosbyConnect.
Submitting your Community Service Form is easy! No signatures required and no paper form needed!
To submit your Community Service Form:
Need ideas for service? Please click on the Community Service Opportunities button to the left to view both virtual and in-person opportunities.
Call our office at (336) 725-5371 or email us:
Community Service may not be performed at for-profit organizations or businesses. Due to our nonprofit status, we are unable to accept community service with a specific candidate or political party as community service. Crosby Scholars staff reserves the right to determine if an activity fulfills its community service requirement.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to promote your community service activity to more than 11,000 Crosby Scholars! Please click Partner With Us to submit your Community Service opportunity to be posted on our website.
We are thrilled to introduce the students who have been selected to serve on the Leadership Council. This group of students ambassadors share our values of leadership, integrity, and service, and we are confident that they will do a great job representing our student body at Crosby Scholars.
Join us in applauding:
Atkins High School
Early College of Forsyth
East Forsyth High School
Glenn High School
Kennedy High School
Middle College of Forsyth
Mt. Tabor High School
North Carolina Leadership Academy
Parkland High School
Quality Education Academy
Reagan High School
Reynolds High School
Walkertown High School
West Forsyth High School
Your dedication and passion for the Crosby Scholars Program and our community are truly inspiring, and we are grateful for your willingness to lead your fellow peers to do the same!
Richard Watts lives by a powerful motto: “Believe in yourself and believe in your dreams. If you can do those two things, there is nothing that can hold you back.”
Watts, who serves as the assistant director of Crosby’s AAMPED (African American Males Pursuing Educational Dreams) program, holds unwavering faith in his students and their potential. He states “AAMPED gives me the opportunity to express to kids… believe in yourself and believe in your dreams. I am going to help you and your family figure out that pathway, whatever it may look like.”
Watts credits his passion for giving back to key role models and mentors in his journey, such as a faculty advisor at Wake Forest who played a paternal role in his life. “He would take me off campus on the weekends, I would be with his children, be a part of his family; when I couldn’t go home for Thanksgiving I would come to his house for Thanksgiving dinner. I have learned through him and some other people: give back.”
Growing up in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Richard Watts drew early inspiration from his parents, who, despite not completing high school, worked tirelessly to provide for their five children. Watts also speaks to the blessing of a high school guidance counselor who encouraged him to aim high and apply to out of state universities. “I got accepted to Wake Forest and they gave me a better financial package. I needed money, they gave me almost a free ride, and so I said ‘I’m going to Wake Forest.'”
In his life, Watts has elevated passion over ambition. Upon learning of his acceptance at Wake Forest, his friends and family attempted to dissuade him from pursuing a teaching career.After graduating from Wake Forest, Watts became an 8th grade social study teacher, and was rewarded with a long and meaningful career in education; “those are some of the best memories I ever had; I got all my students in my cell phone just about, those 10 years were great times.”
Watts’ career is a testament to his motto. His time at Crosby Scholars has followed a thirty-two year stint in education, where he served as a teacher, assistant principal and principal in the WSFCS school district. In addition to his work with AAMPED, Watts now serves as a member of the WSFCS School Board, and continues to pastor his congregation of thirty-six years at Rickards Chapel AME Zion Church.
The common thread in Watts’ many roles? Servant leadership: “You can be a leader by serving, and I’ve always tried to do that; all three of these roles I consider to be ministries: helping people, helping young people, and serving the community.” Richard Watts isn’t one to chase opportunities; they seem to chase him. Many of Watts largest career milestones, such as becoming a pastor and assistant principal, were the result of answering the call of his community. These ‘positive blessings’ as he calls them, have both shaped his path and touched countless lives.
Offering encouragement to young people, Richard emphasizes self-belief: “find what it is that excites you, what inspires you – It may not be college; it may be work after high school, it may be military, but whatever that IT is, pursue it…that is going to lead you to other opportunities.”
Whatever students choose, he encourages them to follow their hearts and have open conversations with their families about their aspirations, “eventually find your passion, and just go for it.”
Story by Haley Dyer
