WSSU Band bound for Atlanta for coveted Showcase
CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT
Winston-Salem Stale
University's Red Sea of Sound
Marching Band has accepted an
invitation to the Honda Battle of
the Bands Invitational Showcase.
The coveted competition will
Magrudtr
take place in
Atlanta's
Georgia
Dome on Jan
29, 2011. The
Red Sea of
Sound will
join bands
from seven
other histori
cally black
schools -
Virginia State
University's Marching Trojan
Explosion, South Carolina State
University's Marching 101,
Albany State University's
Marching Rams Show Band.
Jackson State University's Sonic
Boom of the South, Bethune
Cookman University's Marching
Wildcats, Clark Atlanta
University's Mighty Marching
Panthers and Tennessee State
University's Aristocrat of Bands.
Honda Battle of the Bands has
been called the world's largest and
most highly anticipated HBCU
musical event and scholarship pro
WSSl1 Photo* by Garrett Garnu
The Red Sea of
Sound Marching
Band performs in
the heart of the
Winston-Sale m
State campus on
Tuesday to cele
brate its invitation
to the Honda Battle
of the Bands
Invitational
Showcase.
gram of its kind. The program,
which will mark its ninth year in
2011 , is a platform to highlight and
showcase the heritage and show
manship of the HBCU college
marching bands and an important
facet of HBCU culture - music
education.
Representatives from the
Honda Battle of the Bands organi
zation were on the WSSU campus
Tuesday to formally invite the
school's band.
"We are pleased to be a part of
this prestigious showcase of Black
college heritage," said Dr. Michael
Magruder, WSSU director of bands
and associate professor of music.
"This is a milestone for the WSSU
Marching Band and we are grateful
to all of the fans around the coun
try who voted for us. We will work
to represent WSSU well in
Atlanta."
As one of the eight winning
band programs chosen to partici
pate in this year's Invitational
Showcase, WSSU will be awarded
$20,000 by American Honda for its
music program. In addition, the
band received a $1,000 grant for
its participation in the pre-qualify
ing Celebration Tour.
Through this program.
American Honda annually awards
a total of $205,000 in scholarships
to HBCU music programs. Since
the program's inception, an excess
of $1 million in grant money has
been bestowed to black colleges.
Schools
from page AT
Martin said.
In order to meet the parameters
of the closure model outlined by
the federal government. Atkins
must reassign its students. Helm
said. Students in its current resi
dential area would be divided
between Parkland. Glenn and
Carver, which is expected to see a
significant drop in enrollment once
the new Walkertown High School
opens in the 2011-12 school year.
Currently, about one third of the
Atkins population - roughly 240
students - hail from outside the
Atkins district, Martin said. The
school has a capacity of 1,000.
Students who wish to attend Atkins
may apply as magnet school candi
dates.
"We're certainly hoping Atkins
is going to be successful as a coun
tywide magnet." the superintend
ent stated. "...I think a lot of peo
ple will want to return to Atkins
and we want them to return."
Joe Childers would serve as
principal at Atkins under the new
plan. Dr. Martin said. Childers,
now the principal of the School of
Computer Technology at Atkins,
moved to Atkins at the start of the
2010-11 year from Hanes Magnet
Middle School. Hanes, which is
situated in a similar demographic
area, has seen considerable enroll
ment success, and Martin is confi
dent Childers will generate enthu
siasm for the Atkins curriculum as
well.
"He's been the principal of a
very successful magnet school,"
Martin said of Hanes, which grew
from 600 to more than 900 stu
dents during Childers" tenure.
"There have been hundreds and
hundreds of kids that have flocked
to Hanes."
School Board member Vic
Johnson believes the changes will
bode well for Atkins. Johnson, an
alumnus of the original Atkins
High School and a strong propo
nent of the new school's construc
tion. said he would support the
proposed changes at Atkins.
"1 think it's for the betterment
of the school," he said of Atkins. "I
think it's to increase the enroll
ment at Carver and trying to
File Photo
Several plans are on the table for Atkins.
increase the attendance at Atkins
... we've got kids from all across
the county that could benefit from
this program."
System officials also asked the
Board to consider changing two
existing schools: Konnoak and
Brunson elementary schools, to
magnet curriculums. Konnoak
would retain its residential popula
tion, but would add an internation
al focus that will feed into the
International Baccalaureate pro
grams at Paisley and Parkland.
Brunson would adopt a STEM
(science, technology, engineering
and math) focus that would feed
into Hanes - which houses the
Project Lead the Way pre-engi
neering program - and Atkins.
Brunson would become a dedicat
ed magnet beginning with its
kindergarten class, meaning it
would gradually give up its resi
dential population to nearby Cook
Elementary. System officials hope
to combine both schools in a new
building on the Cook campus with
funding from a future school bond,
with construction starting as early
as the 2014-15 school year if the
bond is passed.
Adding the two elementary
schools to the system's growing
list of magnet offerings would
complete the outstanding magnet
strands, allowing students to
choose any available magnet cur
riculum and follow it from kinder
garten through high school. Helm
said. Bolstering programs in the
lower grades could lead to better
attendance at the high schools they
feed in the years to come, he
added.
The board will be asked to
make a decision about all of the
schools in question during their
Nov. 23 meeting. If the board
approves the changes, Atkins
would become one school at the
start of 2011-12 with magnet
enrollment opening in January
2011.
Photo* by Lsyla Firmer
Left: Ram Reps
from left: Wesley
Smith, Lorenzo
Kornegay and
Morgan Davis.
Right: Josh
Lennon works
with a student.
Rams Rep
from pagt A 1
Kornegay writes on the
group's facebook.com fan
page. "We're changin' that."
The organization, which
seeks to "promote school
unity, pride and spirit
through creative activities,"
quickly grew to encompass
residence hall step teams
and volunteer service,
attracting more than 65
members to its ranks. The
group prides itself on its
inclusive nature and regular
ly recruits freshmen mem
bership.
"Starting out, it was just
something to do," Kornegay
explained, "but once we
started to see we could actu
ally make a difference (in
the community), we wanted
to expand on that."
This school year, the
Ram Reps began volunteer
ing at the William Roscoe
Anderson Jr. Recreation
Center (formerly Reynolds
Park) down the street from
the school. Center Director
Bryant McCorkle said he
encouraged the Ram Reps to
get involved in tutoring
some of the more than 60
children who flock to the
center every afternoon. It
was a task that McCorkle
and his staff had previously
Back row: (left to right ) Josh Lennon. Wesley Smith. Demetria Alexander and Morgan Davis. Front Row: (left to right)
Ebony Hunt. iM.Sesha Scott, Sony Sheffield. Shamika Saddler and Vanessa Mapp.
handled on their own.
"I told them, 'I need
some help; I need some vol
unteers.' I recruited them
and they got involved,"
related McCorkle. who has
helmed the center for more
than a decade. "When you
have students that are eager
to give back, you must uti
lize that. You must give
them the opportunity to see
their vision through."
Around IS Ram Reps
now visit the center Monday
through Thursday, to tutor
20-2S youth in various sub
jects. McCorkle says their
presence has made an
impression on the children.
"They've pretty much
been consistent. It makes a
whole lot of difference when
you've got somebody who's
consistent," he said. "It
means a whole lot (for the
kids) to know their tutor."
The Ram Reps are plan
ning to start a youth step
team that will perform dur
ing basketball games at the
center, and are looking to
add more activities, such as
a powder puff football game,
in the spring
"We like to build leaders
as Ram Reps." Kornegay
explained. "We're trying to
provide opportunities for
you to grow as a person.
When you come down here
and work with the kids, that
gives them an opportunity to
shine."
Ram Rep Morgan Davis
coined the group's slogan.
"Who Next?" to encourage
both the youngsters and fel
low Ram Reps members to
strive to be the next great
thing.
"We want our members
to take back something more
than a degree when they
graduate," related the junior
sports management major.
"We don't need the degree to
come down here and help
the little kids out."
Wesley Smith, assistant
director for Affairs for the
group, said working with the
children has been a reward
ing experience for him.
"It helps you experience
the full college experience,"
related the sophomore, nurs
ing major. "It helps you
appreciate the fact that
you're in college, that you
were given a chance to be
successful at this point and
time
For more information
about Ram Reps, visit
www. face book .com .