TROPZIE W. McCLUNEY

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR


Media Specialist – Washington Elementary School – 1970

Administrative Intern - 1981- 1982

Assistant Principal – Elizabeth Elementary School – 1982 

Principal - Township Three Elementary School 

Principal -Community Math Academy – 2008-2014

Executive Director – Community Math Academy – 2014 – Present


AWARDS

• Principal of the Year-Cleveland County Schools
• Cleveland County’s Chanel 33 Unsung Hero
• Athena Leadership Award 2016
• Commission for Women for Distinguished Leaders
• Negro Women’s Club Woman of the Year
• Consultant/Mentor Community Engagement PAST
• Cleveland County Schools Diversity Committee
• Destination Cleveland County Board
• Friends of the Library
• Cleveland County Children's’ Home Board
• United Way Fund Distribution Committee


PRESENT

• Cleveland County Foundation Board
• Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
• JH White& Maggie McMoore White Scholarship Board
• Sunday School Teacher/Musician
• Church Assistant Secretary

Community Math Academy

Address

400 W. Marion St.
Shelby, NC, 28150, US

704-476-8042 [email protected]

About us

The Community Math Academy (CMA) is the most unique and cutting-edge math organization in North Carolina. It was founded and birthed in 2008 in Shelby, NC, to support the Close the Gap Initiative in Cleveland County. Test scores evidenced a significant gap between minorities and other ethnic groups. We have worked together with our public and private partners for 13 years. The Community Math Academy was birthed and founded in 2008 by community leaders who became aware of the enormous minority academic gap in Cleveland County schools. These revelations moved them to create a program to support students struggling in math and decrease the academic gap.

Our purpose is to help students develop a positive attitude toward math, increase their math skills and increase their math concepts. Over the past thirteen years, the CMA has served over 2000 Cleveland County students ranging from rising 3rd graders to rising 8th graders. The initiative was born from a desire to improve classroom and grade-level performance.

The CMA is held for three weeks during the summer before COVID-19. With a certified staff of teachers, social workers, and principals, we intend to return face-to-face in 2022. Cleveland County School staff selects students who struggle in math and advanced math opportunities, not CMA. These scholars are a very diverse group, and to date, 87.1%-90% are from families that participate in the free and reduced lunch program, and some are considered homeless.

Parents attend Family Engagement sessions. These sessions empower parents to take charge in their students' educational lives, as the Math Academy is based on engagement and holds high expectations for students and families.

Since its beginning, an additional week for students to participate in enrichment camps includes Robotics, Science and Physics, and Coding. Parents are supportive and active in their children's participation during enrichment camps.

With assistance from Cleveland County Cooperative Extension and produce donated by Cleveland County local farmers, 5th and 6th-grade students create a "mock market" with a given budget. Our 5th and 6th-grade students purchase items, assemble baskets, and deliver the LOVE BASKETS to food distribution centers and agencies within the county as a "Giving Back to the Community" effort. This program teaches children about budgeting, buying in quantity, and assigning a dollar value to what they purchase. In addition, 3rd and 4th graders collect canned goods as a part of their" Giving Back to the Community." In 2019, we collected more than 1550 cans to distribute to areas in need throughout Cleveland County.

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