C OMMUN IT Y
section B \iso Sports, Religion and Classifieds march e, 2014
Community
Calendar
Free sign language
workshops
A sign language work
shop series will be hosted at
the Central Library, 660 W.
Fifth St., every Wednesday at
6 p.m. during the month of
March. Barry "Jonny
AppleSign" Geller will lead
the workshops, which are free
and open to those of all lev
els. Call 336-703-3026 for
more information.
"Gospel and Gumbo"
The Delta Fine Arts, Inc.
will hold the "Gospel and
Gumbo" fundraiser today
(Thursday, March 6) from 6 -
8 p.m. The evening will
include networking opportu
nities, good food and dynam
ic gospel music. The featured
vocalist will be Tiquila
Wilson, a 2013 "American
Idol" contestant. The St. Paul
United Methodist Men's
Choir will also perform, and
Christian book authors and
other vendors will be on
hand. The gumbo is being
donated by various restau
rants, including Sweet
Potatoes. Tickets are $15 in
advance or $20 at the
door. Call 336-722-2625 or
visit "www.deltaartscenter.org
for tickets or more informa
tion.
Senior Democrats'
meeting
Mary Dickinson, a candi
date for the N.C. House, will
discuss "Making a Better
North Carolina" at the
Thursday, March 6 meeting
of the Forsyth County Senior
Democrats. The meeting will
begin at 9 a.m. at Golden
Corral, 4965 University
Pkwy. Members and guests
wanting to enjoy the breakfast
buffet will be able to enter the
restaurant beginning at 8:30
a.m. For more information,
call Senior Dems President
Jim Shaw at 336-767-0860 or
email him at
JamesWShawSr@gmail.com.
BBQ fundraiser
Sethos Temple No. 170
Shriners, 2511 Old
Greensboro Rd., will hold its
annual BBQ on Saturday,
March 8 from 11 a.m. - 4
p.m. Plates are $8 and
include BBQ Pork, baked
beans, slaw, a roll and a
dessert. Call 336-682-4136 to
purchase tickets or for more
information.
Colon cancer walk/run
The 4th annual "Get Your
Rear In Gear" 5K and walk, a
fundraiser for colon cancer
prevention and research, will
be held Saturday, March 8 at
BB&T Ballpark. Events start
at 3 p.m. Go to getyour
rearingear.com/winston
salemrace to register. Contact
elwooten@wakehealth.edu
for questions and/or more
information.
See Community on B3
_ _ Photos by Layla Garms
Small r ootprxnt s Steve Vest introduces Speas students to the Romanian team.
The World at Their Fingertips
Jasmine Cordray, Celexia Johnson and Aseelah O'Neal explore the Tereo app.
Lino Hernandez Chavez shows of his technological prowess as Theron Money looks on.
Speas students and staff sample authentic Romanian cuisine.
Local tech company
connects Speas students
with its Romanian office
BYLAYLAGARMS
THE CHRONICLE
A select group of Speas Elementary
School fifth graders got a crash course last
week in technology, office culture and the
global marketplace during a visit to the down
town offices of the Small Footprint, Inc.
The firm builds web and mobile software
applications for learning, play and an assort
ment of other uses. The 10 Speas students
invited to the firm's 22nd floor space in the
Winston Tower building got a firsthand look at
one of its newest innovations - Tereco, an
application that __________
Engagement Manager
Steve Vest designed to
assess teacher perform
ance by using video and
audio feeds to track and
record a wide range of
data. The software,
which is taken from the
Greek verb "to
observe," is already in
use at Summit School,
one of the project's
pilot sites. Vest also
connected the students,
via the video chat pro
gram Skype, with Small
Footprints' office in
Cluj, Romania.
"In the United
States right now, we
have about 12 staff
members, and in
Romania, we have
many, many more,"
Vest told the young
Robless
Farra
sters. l ve asked them to join us today so you
can see the differences between us and them. I
think you'll see that there aren't many differ
ences ... we're so much more alike than we
are different."
Local Footprint employees use Skype
daily to communicate with the 80-member
Romanian team about the company's latest
Web and mobile site design projects and
smartphone and tablet applications.
The Romanian employees and the students
chatted about the work of Small Footprint and
compared notes on their respective home
towns, discussing favorite foods (pizza) and
entertainment sources like the Cartoon
Network, where some of the Romanians got
their first English lessons.
"I think it's very fascinating," 11-year-old
Taliya Lyons said of interacting with the
Romanian team. "1 wish I was there."
Ten-year-old Lino Hernandez-Chavez said
he was surprised to learn how similar the
Romanian culture is to his own
"I thought it was really different from us.
but it's actually kind of the same," said the
aspiring artist.
Speas Principal Robert Ash said the field
trip showed students how technology is mak
ing the world a smaller place.
"We thought this would be an opportunity
for the students to see how much they're inter
acting on a global basis," he said, adding that
he hopes to get Skype accounts up and run
ning for every classroom in the school by the
See Speas on B2
j*SSS^ MM www.wssu.edu/golfclassic
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