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Vol.XXXVIIINo.43 WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. THURSDAY, June 21, 2012
Photos by Layla Garms
Diggs-Latham Principal Donna Cannon sits with Yadira
and David Leal as they enjoy their lunches.
Feeding
o Need
Free summer meals program provides
lifeline for many local families
BY LAYLA GARMS
THE CHRONICLE
Winston-Salem/Forsyth
County Schools and
Chartwells School Dining
Services kicked off their
annual summer feeding pro
gram at 15 sites across the
county this week.
The program is funded
with federal dollars as part
of the National
School Lunch and
Breakfast Program
and has been a sta
ple in the local
community for
years.
Free breakfast
and lunch is pro
vided for any
young person ages
18 and under dur
ing the summer months,
regardless of their family's
income level.
Amanda Mendenhall, the
resident district manager for
Chartwells - which is con
tracted to provide meals at
all WS/FC schools - said
that more than 1,200 meals
were served on Monday, the
first day of the program for
this summer.
"I love being able to
work with kids and knowing
that we're providing some
thing that these kids may not
get elsewhere, especially
during the summer," she
said.
The menu at Diggs
Latham Elementary School
on Tuesday was a crowd
pleaser: hotdogs, tater tots
and fruit punch. Seven year
old Yadira Leal, a rising
third grader at the school,
gave the meal a thumbs up.
"We like to come over
here and eat," said Yadira,
who was accompanied~by
her mother, Lupe Leal and
younger brother David, a ris
ing kindergartner.
Mendenhall
Leal, a native
of Guerrero,
Mexico, said her
children enjoy
coming to the
school for meals,
as they often
encounter friends,
and even relatives,
like Leal's sister,
whose children
also attend Diggs
Latham.
"This program is very,
very good because they eat
something different than
what's in the house," she
concluded. "Right here, she
likes it and it's healthy for
the whole family."
The Leal family was
among the hundreds that
flocked to the school's cafe
teria for lunch this week.
Principal Dr. Donna Cannon
said more than 200 ate lunch
on Monday. She expects that
number to grow when the
BELL (Building Educated
Leaders for Life) summer
learning program opens at
See Meals on A2
On the Mend
Photo by Jaeson Pitt
Local Juneteenth Organizers MUtter Evans (left) and Cheryl Harry lead a tribute to State Rep. Larry Womble
(right) during Saturday's festival at the Joel Coliseum Annex. Womble was sidelined several months ago by an
automobile accident and has largely stayed out of sight. The longtime community advocate and educator was
warmly greeted by a crowd of hundreds. Read more on page Bl.
Classmates celebrate
70th birthdays together
BY LAYLA GARMS
THE CHRONICLE
Fifty two years ago,
members of the Atkins High
School Class of 1960 cele
brated one of life's first
milestones together as they
crossed 'the stage to accept
their diplomas. Members of
the class were back together
last week to celebrate yet
another milestone: their
70th birthdays.
Dozens of members of
the class held a joyous joint
birthday celebration at the
Delta Arts Center. The
moment snuck up on city
native Ernestine Watts, a
retiree who holds the dis
tinction of being the first
African American registered
nurse hired by Forsyth
Medioal Center.
"I guess we're at the
stage of our lives where time
is just flying by," Watts, who
celebrated her 70th birthday
on April 28, said with a
chuckle. "But truly, I feel
like I am in a good place.
Seventy is a good place to be
if you're in good health."
Watts was one of five
Photos by Lay la Garms
Class of I960 members (from left) Mildred Smith, Louella Bailey, Ernestine Watts, Togo
West Jr. and Mamie Douglas.
people who helped to found
the associates degree in
nursing program at Forsyth
Technical Community
College. Like many of her
classmates, she credits
Atkins with giving her a
strong foundation upon
which she built a successful
career.
Her most important les
son?
"Being an individual and
being able to think for
myself and not being influ
enced by a lot of peer pres
sure," said the grandmother
See 70 on A2
Program offers affordable summer outings |
Photo by Todd Luck
Tina Carson hugs her daughter,
Ariana, a program participant.
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The Amazing Summer E.S.C.A.P.E Challenge is designed
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sharp while they are away from the
classroom.
An initiative of Winston
Salem/Forsyth County Schools, the
Challenge matches students with
affordable enrichment programs g
throughout their summer breaks. I
Students are directed to everything I
from reading events and science pro- I
grams to physical fitness programs at |
local rec centers and a popular area
gym.
Frazier
A lot of people are doing things, but do families know
where the activities are?" said Sharon Frazier. the WS/FCS
See Challenge on AS
Best and Brightest
Woods only one of1,600 worldwide accepted to Harvard
BY LAYLA GARMS
THE CHRONICLE
City native Paige Woods is
among an elite group.
The Parkland IB Magnet
High School alumna is one of
only 1,600 2012 high school
graduates accepted to Harvard.
The Cambridge, Mass. based
school, the world's most
revered institution of higher
learning, received 34,000
applications this year from all
50 states and nations around
the world.
Despite being one of the top
Sec Woods on A3
Photos by Layla Garms
Paige Woods will attend Harvard in the fall.
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