Virginia S. Wilson
North Carolina School of
Science & Math
A founding faculty member of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM), Ginger Wilson has served this unique school as the Dean of Humanities as well as an Instructor of History and Social Sciences for over 28 years. Her excellence in the classroom and innovative administrative leadership have shaped the Humanities program into a co-equal partner-in terms of quality of instruction, variety of course offerings, and ongoing student interest-with the highly touted science and mathematics curriculum there.
Earning each of her academic degrees in History and Education from Duke University (A.B., 1962 / M.T.A., 1963 / Ph.D. 1975), Ginger has spent her entire career as a teacher and teaching educator in the Durham area. Following her initial professional experience with the Durham Public Schools, she joined the in the state's pioneering effort to transform secondary education at NCSSM, the nation's first public residential high school devoted to science, math, and technology. She has maintained her ties to Duke as well, teaching gifted younger students in the Talent Identification Summer Residential Program (TIP) and serving as an Adjunct Professor in both the Undergraduate Education and Master of Arts in Teaching Programs.
Committed to improving Social Science instruction, Ginger in her first year at NCSSM designed the school's initial interdisciplinary course-Wisdom, Revelation, Reason, and Doubt-a literary and historical study of Western Culture, establishing the model for a variety of interdisciplinary, team taught courses that highlight the Humanities curriculum. When NCSSM began its now extensive Distance Education Program, Ginger was the initial Humanities Instructor to take part, translating her Advanced Placement United States History course into interactive video format for broadcast to high schools across the state.
Yet from the first, Ginger has extended her interest and impact on secondary instruction well beyond her popular classes at NCSSM. She has been actively involved on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Council of the Social Studies (NCCSS) since 1981, serving variously as President, Membership Chair, and currently Editor of the Council's newsletter-Tar Heel News. She led in the transfer of control of the annual North Carolina State Social Studies Conference from the Department of Public Instruction to the Council, and has overseen its dramatic growth to the participation of over 1,000 teachers today.
Ginger has served as Project Director for two one million dollar United States Department of Education Teaching American History grants-Learn More / Teach More (2002-06) and The Embodied Presidency (2006-09). Each involved the collaboration of area university faculty with NCSSM Instructors, in providing professional development and enrichment opportunities for social studies teachers across North Carolina.
In association with such national organizations as the National Council of Social Studies and the National Consortium of Specialized Secondary Schools in Mathematics, Science, and Technology, Ginger has conducted workshops and presented papers at professional conferences throughout the United States. She has long been involved with College Board, as a consultant and reader for the Advanced Placement United States History Exam. And through her multiple publications and journal articles on social studies instruction and gifted education, Ginger has promoted the very best in educational practice for NCSSM and our state.