Photos by Todd Luck
Students play djembe drums in Ashley's gymnasium.
The rhythms of Africa
come to Ashley Elementary
BY TODD LUCK
THE CHRONICLE
The sounds of Africa were
heard loud and clear last week
at Ashley Elementary School,
as students were introduced to
the resonating tune of the djem
be drum.
As part of the school's
International Education Week,
students got of taste of several
of the world's cultures.
Last Friday was the day to
celebrate The Mother Land.
Individual lessons were held
for each grade level, K - 5,
over the course of the day in
the school's gym. Each lesson
had 25 kids playing drums at a
time as the rest of their class
school, which means the school
focuses on education with a
global perspective. Each hall
way in the school represents a
different continent, and the
whole school is decorated like
an airport, with the doorways
to classrooms acting as the
"gates" to students' internation
al destinations.
This global perspective was
even more focused during
International Education Week,
which culminated with Friday's
drum lesson. The prior Tuesday
was International Reading Day
when guests came to the school
to read a story in a different
language or a story about a dif
ferent country.
On Wednesday last week.
Ashley Assistant Principal
Robert Ash said that, despite its
challenges, the school always
strives to enrich its students.
He said special guests are often
brought in to help expose stu
dents to new things from
around the world. He said the
students always appreciate the
effort and are fascinated by
what they learn.
"Our social-economic level
is a little bit lower than certain
other areas, so with them not
having the opportunity to go
places, we try to bring those
places into the school as much
as we can," said Ash.
Instructor Steve Nalley leads the students.
mates watched from the gym's
bleachers, adding their own
sounds by clapping their hands.
Lessons were led by Steve
Nalley, one of the instructors at
Living Rhythms, a local group
dedicated to preserving the tra
dition of West African music.
The group's director. Bill
Scheidt, earned his certification
in teaching the djembe from
Mamady Keita, a world
renowned drum master from
Guinea who now resides in San
Diego, Calif. Keita has visited
Winston-Salem several times at
Scheidt 's invitation.
Although both Nalley and
Scheidt are white. Nalley said
that the music of West Africa
knows no boundaries.
"West African music is rich
in history and culture." said
Nalley. "(Mamady said) that
'the djembe does not see color,
it doesn't see people's age and
it doesn't see people's gender;
what it sees is people's
hearts.'"
A traditional djtmbe is a
hollowed wooden drum shaped
like a goblet with goat skin
stretched across the top. Most
of the dmms used by the stu
dentswere handmade in Africa.
'Ib Africa, the djembe is nor
mally used to play songs for
celebratory occasions. Nalley
told the students. He led them
in one such song,
"Moribayassa," which he said
often involved a woman danc
ing around the village to cele
brate a problem that she had
overcome. He also demonstrat
ed a different type of drum, the
sangdan, which is part of the
Dunun family of drums.
Ashley is an International
Baccalaureate (IB) magnet
the students were treated to a
martial arts lesson by Mark
Sipipson, head instructor at Tae
Kwon Do United Academy.
Thursday gave the kids a crash
course in Spanish, as teachers
from the Dual Immersion pro
gram, a bilingual
Spanish/English curriculum,
taught students about different
Latin countries. The school
was closed on Monday in
observance of Veterans Day.
Angela Hunt, the school's
IB Coordinator, was in charge
of last week's activities. Hunt,
who helps Ashley teachers plan
lessons consistent with th? IB
curriculum, said an internation
al perspective helps to broaden
students' horizons.
"It's just to give the kids an
awareness and helps them see
that there's way more out there
than what they see every day
here in Winston-Salem," said
Hunt. "It just helps to give
them an understanding of other
people, what their lives are
like, what their cultures are
like."
The student body of Ashley
is mostly minority and largely
African- American, and many
of the students hail from low
income households. As a mag
net school. Ashley gets stu
dents from all over the county,
many come from the surround
ing East Winston neighbor
hood.
"I think it's interesting.
Ashley Elementary is the most
inner city school in Winston
Salem, but when you come in
the doors, it's a totally different
perspective. It's like showing
them there's more, there's this
whole world of opportunity,"
said Hunt.
News
Clips
News PTRP leader picked
Douglas L. Edgeton has
been selected as the new presi
dent of Piedmont Triad
Research Park (PTRP).
Edgeton was selected by the
PTRP board, with the concur
rence of Wake Forest
University President Nathan O.
Hatch and the board of Wake
Forest University Health
Sciences. Edgeton also serves
as executive vice president and
chief operating officer of WFU
Health Sciences.
"Following the retirement
of Dr. Richard Dean, we are
very fortunate to have someone
as capable as Doug Edgeton at
the helm of this major commu
nity initiative," Hatch said.
"The research park holds great
promise for the future of
Winston-Salem and the region,
and Doug has the business
insight and leadership ability to
help move the project for
ward." '
PTRP was established in
the early 1990s, but under
Dean's leadership, since 2002
the park expanded to a total
landmass of about 230 acres in
eastern downtown Winston
Salem, from Martin Luther
King Jr. Boulevard on the north
to Salem Creek on the south.
The park is divided into
three districts - northern, cen
tral and southern. Most of the
development to date has been
concentrated in the central dis
trict, where there are now six
park-related buildings totaling
about a half-million square feet
of space.
The part is expected to be
fully developed over the next
20 to 30 yean. ;
Davis elected regional VP for
honors organization
Dr. Ray J. Davis, associate
dean for undergraduate pro
grams in the School of
Technology at North Carolina
Agricultural and Technical
State University, was elected
Southeast Region vice presi
dent for The Honor Society of
Phi Kappa Phi at the Triennial
Conference in Orlando, Fla.
Davis will be responsible
for working with regional
chapter officers to strengthen
estab
1 1 s he d
P K P
chapters
and with
t h e
national
organi
zation to
install
new
chapters Davis
on dis
tinguished college campuses in
the southeast region. There are
62 such chapters in the region.
"It is an honor to serve this
learned society which pro
motes excellence, scholarship
and service," Davis said.
Downtown 101 session will
be Tuesday
The Downtown Winston
Salem Partnership will hold a
seminar called "Downtown
101" on TUesday, Nov. 27 in its
offices at 500 West Fourth
Street in the Loewy Building.
It will begin at 8 a.m. and end
at 11 am.
Downtown 101, sponsored
by Baldwin Properties, is for
anyone interested in opening a
business in downtown
Winslon-Salem or knowing
more about the downtown mar
ket. The Downtown Winston
Salem Partnership is a mem
bership organization dedicated
to the economic development
and promotion of the center
city.
Presenters will include rep
resentatives of the Inspections
Division and Development
Office of the City of Winston
Salem; the Forsyth County
Health Department; Fire
Marshall's Office; a real estate
professional and a general con
tractor.
There is no charge to attend
the seminar which is held bi
monthly. To register or receive
more information, call 336
354-1500 or e-mail
admin@dwsp.org. .
School Board's Parker
elected to board
School Board Member
Marilyn Parker has been elect
ed to the North Carolina School
Boards Association (NCSBA)
Board of Directors.
She was elected to a two
year term on the board during
the association's recent 38th
Annual Conference for Board
Member Development.
The NCSBA Board of
Directors establishes the mis
sion and goals of the associa
tion and ensures that NCSBA
activities and programs remain
focused on those goals.
In addition to Parker,
other newly elected board
members include Priscilla
Owenby of McDowell County
and Evelyn Wilson of
Edgecombe County.
NCSBA was established
in 1937 as an advocate for
public-school education. Its
mission is to provide leader
ship and services that enable
local boards of education to
govern effectively.
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