Assistant principal creates school anthem
BY KIM UNDERWOOD
WINSTON-SALEM/FORSYTH
COUNTYSCHOOLS
Thanks to the "Flat Rock
Anthem" video, everyone can get
a glimpse of Flat Rock Middle
being a fme school.
The idea for creating a song
for the school and a video to go
with it came from assistant prin
cipal Daryl Florance. He readily
acknowledges that it grew into
something more through the col
laboration of other adults and the
students at Flat Rock. Eighth
grader Bryaunna Wright, sev
enth-graders Nasier Smith and
Yadhaliz Perez were among the
students Florance invited to offer
ideas for the project.
"It was exciting," said
Wright.
Wright said that when she
thinks about what makes Flat
Rock a good school, she thinks
about how the teachers and others
at the school do their best to help
everyone. For the video, Smith
came up with the idea of having a
scene in which the students work
in the classrooms. Then they start
moving to the music when they
listen to the song over the public
address system.
"We're showing what we
believe in at Flat Rock," Smith
said.
Perez ended up being one of
the students in the video.
Knowing that people would be
watching the video made her a lit
tie nervous. But she thought it
was important for everyone to
know that at Flat Rock, students
behave responsibly.
"The video turned out really
well," said Principal Becky
Hodges. "It's fabulous. Students
relate to it and are excited to see
themselves in it."
Music has been an important
part of Florance's life. He started
singing in church as a child.
"I remember being in the
choir when I was 7 or 8," said
Florence. "My grandmother was
over the choir."
When Florence went to the
University of North Carolina at
Greensboro as a N.C. Teaching
Fellow, he joined the Neo Black
Society Gospel Choir. After he
graduated in 2003 and became a
teacher at Page High School in
Greensboro, he wrote a song
called "Let the Banjo Play",
while teaching his social studies
students about the black roots of
the banjo.
"Ultimately we created a
video in class in which we talked
about the story of the banjo,"
Florence said. "I had so much fun
with that."
After completing a master's
degree in school administration at
Gardner-Webb University in
2013, he was offered the job at
Flat Rock. He began thinking
about possibilities for helping to
instill pride in students and to
increase the profile of the school.
"I wanted to create something
that helped identify what we are
all about," he said.
Flat Rock is one of the many
schools in the Winston
Salem/Forsyth County School
System that has adopted a pro
gram known as Positive
Behavioral Interventions and
Supports (PBIS). By the end of
his first year, Florance had wrote
a song with lyrics that incorporat
ed the PBIS guidelines.
After the song was played at
an assembly at the beginning of
Florence's second year, physical
education teacher Jimmy
Wormack choreographed a rou
tine for the Flat Rock Middle
School Step Team to perform
with the song.
When it was time to create the
video, teacher Noreen Cortez
Harrigan and Sheldon Beatty, a
regular substitute, helped with the
staging.
One of Florence's former stu
dents, Kierre James, also known
as KJ the Kidd, sung on the
video. Florance, his wife, Shonda
and their two children, Damia
and DaShaun, were involved
with the video.
For the direct link of "Flat
Rock Anthem", go to
https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=ixucHsvLNog&feature=yout
u.be. The video is also being
shown on the school system's sta
tion Cable 2.
Submitted Photo
(L-R) Bryaunna Wright, Yadhaliz Perez, assistant principal Daryl Florance and Nasier Smith.
Two students
awarded
book
scholarships
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE ;
Sethos Court 105, an auxiliary of the Ancient Egyptian
Arabic Order of the Nobles Mystic Shrine, Inc. (AEAON
MS), honored two young ladies with scholarships of $250
each to assist the cost of books as they enter into col
lege. Scholarship recipient Brittany Patrick is a graduate
of Carver High School, who is pursuing a Bachelor of
Science degree in Biology /Pre-Med at Johnson C. Smith
University. Amethyst Johnson, graduate of Parkland
Magnet High School, is currently attending North
Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. The
objective of Sethos Court 105 is to work in the community
and assist in serving those who are in need in our commu
nity. Rosalyn Joyner serves as the Illustrious
Commandress.
Submitted Photo
(L-R) Imperial Deputy of the Oasis Erica Woods, PC Veronica Sawyer, Maxine Gwyn (aunt of Brittany
Patrick), Brittany Patrick, Illustrious Commandress Rosalyn Joyner, PC Larn Dillard and Dt. Hattie B.
Fulton, Scholarship Committee Chairperson. Not pictured is scholarship recipient Amethyst ReMae Johnson.
Book Review
Book provides treatment tips to navigating life through depression or grief
BYTERRI
SCHUCHENMEYER
FOR THE CHRONICLE
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