Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - In a small town like Cherryville, it doesn't take long for news to travel fast. By Wednesday afternoon, many community members were already making plans to attend what they believed was the W.B. Beam Intermediate Community Forum. That was until word circulated that it was never officially scheduled in the first place.
At the City Council meeting held on April 13, 2026, Mayor Wade Stroupe wanted to relay information that he had received to the Cherryville community. The information he shared was about how Gaston County Schools was planning to host a Community Forum at Starnes Auditorium, located next to W.B. Beam Intermediate. Within hours, the information spread throughout the community. This led to the Association of Cherryville Ministers organizing a community prayer, which was later canceled.
Due to the importance of this so-called "forum", W.B. Beam Intermediate staff began preparing for the event earlier this week. Principal Lynn Whitesides sent out a voicemail to notify parents about the event.
Now, with just six weeks left in the 2025-2026 academic year, staff members still don't know if they will have jobs, and parents are unsure where their rising 4th and 5th graders will attend school.
Days later, on Wednesday, April 15, the information reached Gaston County Schools Chief Communications Officer Todd Hagans, and an email was sent to Heather Holt stating that no Community Forum event had ever been planned.
This email has been provided below:
"Good afternoon. I hope you are doing well. I understand you have a social media post about a community forum on April 21; this is not accurate. Gaston County Schools has not scheduled a meeting yet. When we do, we will be sure to share the information with the community. Thank you, and please let me know if you have any questions." - Todd Hagans, Chief Communications Officer.
Even though Starnes Auditorium will be closed on Tuesday, April 21, the Gaston County Board of Education will meet on Monday, April 20, to discuss the future of W.B. Beam Intermediate School.
After the most recent Town Hall Meeting conducted by the mayor on April 6, a group of individuals are working to save W.B. Beam Intermediate School. This group is actively working to approach the school board with appropriate questions. The group consists of the following community members:
...along with two unnamed community members. You can email your questions, comments, and concerns to the group at this email: SupportCherryvilleSchools@gmail.com
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