Honor student urges
females to defer
intimacy with a male
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
"You have a voice, and you have a
choice about when you should become
intimate with your boyfriend. Time is on
your side. You do not have to rush into
something you arc not ready for," said
Reynita McMillan, an honor student at
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical
State University.
McMillan. 25, was one of the guest
speakers invited to address the Dare to Be
Queen class at Northwest Middle School
this summer.
McMillan came to empower the sev
enth- and eighth-graders in the program to
make wiser decisions about relationships
before things go too far. McMillan shared
statistics about teen pregnancy in Forsyth
County from the SHIFT NC organization
of Forsyth County.
"In the year 2013, the number of preg
nancies among girls ages 15-19 in Forsyth
County was 404. Regarding percentages,
42.1 percent of those young ladies were
African American; 61.7 percent of these
young ladies were Hispanic, and 18.5 per
cent of them were Caucasian. You do not
have to be a statistic.
"When I was your age, about 13, I
made the decision that I would like to wait
until marriage before being sexually active
as part of my commitment to God. You
may not wish to make the same commit
ment I made, but I do want you to know
that the teen pregnancy rate for girls your
age is higher than it should be. You need to
give yourself time to make a sound deci
sion about your relationships," said
McMillan.
McMillan says that she made this deci
sion because her grandmother, the late
Mae Clarida Piggott, and her mother made
this commitment, and they were successful
at accomplishing this goal. Also, her
father, Reynard McMillan, introduced her
to a class in the community called 'True
Love Waits." Attending this class con
firmed her desire to wait until marriage.
She has found it to be a good choice.
"I may not get as many dates as some
young women, but when I look in the mir
ror, I like what I see. 1 enjoy accomplish
ing my goals, and I believe that one day, I
will meet that special someone who is
compatible with me, who takes an interest
in some of the things that are important to
me," McMillan said. "Temptation is
always present, but I try to make wise
decisions about the friends I hang out with.
Hanging out with positive people who are
goal-oriented helps me stay focused on my
best self."
Felecia Piggott-Long, who has taught
the Dare to Be Queen class for four years,
told the girls about a friend who died in
childbirth at the age of 14.
"I asked my mother to take me to the
hospital to visit my friend who was having
a baby. I was in the seventh grade," said
Piggott-Long. "My mother took me to the
hospital to visit my friend, but we were
unable to see her because she had compli
cations during the delivery, and died giv
ing birth to her child. However, the child
lived."
Piggott-Long is Reynita McMillan's
mother.
"My mother told me this story years
ago, but what I remember most is her
description of the funeral. My mother
explained how her friend was dressed in a
beautiful white lace dress in the casket,
and my mothef was a flower girl, and she
also wore a white lace dress," said
McMillan. "My mother never forgot this
lesson, and neither did I. Having a child at
such a young age is not the best choice for
you. Give yourself time to mature. Time is
on your side. Give your boyfriend time to
prove to you that he loves you. True love
does wait."
Maya, one of the students in the class,
thanked McMillan for taking the time to
speak to them about matters of the heart.
"Thank you for allowing us to ask
questions about love and respect. It lets us
know that we do not have to fold under
pressure, and it is OK to wait. Sometimes
it seems like everybody is sexually active,
but this lets us know that young people can
wait until they are ready," Maya said.
Piggott-Long explained that some of
her male students told her that they keep a
"book of bangs" which lists girls they have
been with. Khalie, another student, spoke
up immediately.
"No real lady would want to be in one
of those books," she said.
Photos by Felecia Piggott-Long
Reynita McMillan (center) chats with the girls of Dare to Be Queen about mak
ing wise life choices.
Women's organization, Kimberly Park
Holiness prepare for conference
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Minister Lady Carolyn Edmond,
founder of WISE (Women in Spiritual
Excellence) along with Kimberly Park
Holiness Church will host "Under
Construction: Women at Work"
Conference 2015.
Women's health, both spiritually and
naturally, is a focus of the conference,
with special attention to support the month
of October in observance of Breast Cancer
Awareness.
The conference begins Friday, Oct. 16,
7:30 p.m. with praise and worship featur
ing Sister Margie Jefferson and Sister
Cydnee Hymes, Spiritual Dance Festival
including TestimonyMime Ministries,
Kayla Sorrell, Soloist Cydnee Hymes and
a Christian simulation experience titled
"Getting our Parts Connected" based on
Romans 12:1-6 by Minister Carolyn
Edmond.
On Saturday, Oct. 17, a "Shop to You
Drop" trip to Tanger Outlet in Mebane, for
fellowship and fun is scheduled.
The Sunday, Oct. 18, Women's Day
service at 11 a.m. will be chaired by Sister
Theressa Hymes and Deaconness Katosha
Sorrell. Sister Phyllis Mosley of
Kimberly Park is the 11 a.m. Women's
Day Speaker.
The conference continues at 4 p.m.
Sunday, with Alvin Borders, president and
CEO of How is Your Heart. Borders and
company will present the play, "Dr. Heart
Block Family Practice.". .The.play uses
entertainment to educate on ways to have
a healthy heart. Borders has toured and
presented at various churches throughout
the community to educate the importance
of heart health.
The public is welcome to all events.
Pastor, Elder Robert R. Edmond, Jr. is pas
tor of Kimberly Park Holiness Church.
Old Salem announces opening of
new restaurant
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Old Salem Museums and Gardens
announced the opening of a new dining
option The Flour Box Tea Room and Cafe,
in the historic district.
Located in the lower level of T. Bagge
Merchant (the entrance is off of West
Street), The Flour Box Tea Room and Cafe
offers morning coffee and pastries, casual
lunch options as well as afternoon tea. It is
open from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on
Friday and Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 4
p.m. on Sunday. It is closed on Mondays.
"Old Salem is very excited that The
Flour Box Tea Room & Cafe is now open,
providing our visitors and Triad residents
with more places to eat in the historic dis
trict," said Ragan Folan. President and
CEO of Old Salem Museums & Gardens.
"This is another step towards enhancing
the offerings at Old Salem both for the
community and visitors to our museum."
The Flour Box Tea Room and Caf6 is
owned and operated by wife and husband
team, Milla and Mike Ranieri, who also
operate The Flour Box, a bakery at the cor
ner of Marshall Street and Brookstown
Avenue.
"We are delighted to be part of Old
Salem," said Mike Ranieri. "Our aim is to
provide delicious and interesting food in a
relaxed and pleasant atmosphere."
For more information, visit
oldsalem.org. To contact The Flour Box
Tea Room & Cafe, call 336-201-5182 or
email
theflourboxtearoomandcafe @ gmail.com.
N ?. Arts Council Fellowships application- 1
deadline is Nov. 2
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE __j
The North Carolina Arts Council will
iccept applications for the 2015-16 Artist
fellowship awards for choreographers,
rraft, film and visual artists until Monday,
^ov. 2.
The Artist Fellowship program, now in
ts 35th year, supports creative develop
nent and the creation of new work for
irtists in North Carolina. The Artist
fellowship allows artists to set aside time
o work and to buy supplies and eqliip
nent.
The fellowship award is $10,000.
fellowship guidelines can be found at
ittp://www.ncarts.org. North Carolina
irtists who have been year-round residents
if the state for at least a year immediately
prior to the application deadline may
tpply. Students are not eligible.
The N.C. Arts Council's fellowship
program is one of the country's premier
programs for artists support with fellow
?hip totally more than $4.5 million award
id to more than 600 artists across disci
plines.
The fellowship program is also the
foundation of the Arts Council's support
for artists, including the regional artist pro
gram grants. Creative Capital workshops.
North Carolina Heritage Awards, Artist
Directory and the Mary B. Regan commu
nity artist residency grant. For more details
on the exhibition and programming, go to
www.secca.org or visit the Arts Council's
blog at www.NCArtsEveryday.org.
Applicants will submit the Artist
Fellowship application electronically
using the online application system.
Complete details about the fellowship are
available on the Arts Council home page at
www.ncarts.org.
Any questions about craft, film and
visual arts should contact Jeff Pettus at
jeffpettus@ncdcr.gov or call 919-807
6513. Choreographers should contact
Andrea Lawson at
AndreaJLawson@ncdcr.gov or call 919
807-6511. General inquires can be direct
ed to Amv Hoppe at amvhoppe@ncdcr.gov
or call 919-807-6501.
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WSSU Students Named to HBCU White House Initiative
SPECIAL TO
THE CHRONICLE
Two Winston-Salem
State University students
were named among top
students selected as mem
bers of the 2015 White
House Initiative on
Historically Black
Colleges and Universities
HBCU All-Stars.
Mona Zahir and Kyle
Brown were among 83
undergraduate, graduate
and professional students
recently selected.
The All-Stars were
selected from more than
450 students who submit
ted applications represent
ing 70 HBCUs. Students
were selected based on
their accomplishments in
academics, leadership and
civic engagement.
Zahir, a junior from
Charlotte and Brown, a
senior from Kinston are
both political science
majors.
Over the course of the
year, the HBCU All-Stars
will serve as ambassadors
of the WHIHBCUs by pro
viding outreach and com
munication with their fel
low students about the
value of education, and the
role of the Initiative as a
networking resource.
Through social media and
their relationships with
community-based organi
zations, the All-Stars will
share promising and
proven practices that sup
port opportunities for all
young people to achieve
their educational and
career potential.
Tooth decay remains the most common chronic infectious disease among
children. However, according to the CDC, the combination of dental sealants and
fluoride can drastically diminish the prevalence of tooth decay.
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Contact nturlington@nwcdc.org
336.721.1215