Photos by Layla Garros
Small Footprint CEO and Founder Richard Star ets (back row, center) with Small Footprint staff members (from left) Tom Oliphant,
Danielle Lamphier, Brian White, Rob Robless an d Steve Vest, Speas Principal Robert Ash and students (back row, from left) Yahzarah
Wall, Jasmine Cordray, Aseelah O'Neal, Celexia Johnson, Jamie-Lyn Poe, Taliya Lyons, (front row) Brian Martinez, Michael Jimenez
Dorantes, Lino Hernandez Chavez and Theron \ foney.
Speas
from page BI
end of the school year. "...
The biggest thing (we're
trying to teach) is cultural
acceptance and knowing
that there's more to society
than Winston-Salem and
North Carolina. They need
to be aware that we live in
a global society and if
we're going to have good
jobs and be good members
of our society, we have to
be culturally accepting."
Reem Farra, an
English-as-a-Second
Language teacher's assis
tant, said the Speas stu
dents worked hard to bone
up on their understanding
of Romanian culture and
customs in preparation for
the trip.
"They were really
happy and excited about
this," related Farra, a native
of Syria. "They tried to get
as much as much informa
tion about Romania as pos
sible. so they could repre
sent themselves well, and I
think they did."
In honor of the occa
sion, the students san ipled
Romanian food prej tared
by a Speas staffer. The
field trip, which was
extended only to high per
forming Speas stu dents
who have exhibited good
behavior and leadc srship
skills, was arrange d by
Vest and his wife C 3inna,
who serves as a testin ,g and
curriculum coordinai or at
Speas.
"With Speas being a
global studies school and
them working globally (at
Small Footprint), we
decided this would be a
great experience for the
kids to see how software
transcends globally,"
Ginna Vest said.
As his work environ
ment demonstrates, having
an awareness of cultures
around the world is of
increasing importance in
the business world, said
Dr. Rob Robless, a native
of Malaysia and the vice
president of Enterprise
Services for Small
Footprint.
"I've worked with
companies from all over
the world," said Robless,
who previously navigated
the global marketplace as
an employee of General
Motors and American
Airlines. "...There's a lot
of value to having a global
understanding."
In Romania, students
often aspire to technology
driven careers such as soft
ware engineering, but here
in the United States, such
ambition is far less com
mon. said Small Footpiint
CEO and Founder Richard
Starets, who spent 16 years
living and working all over
Eastern Europe. By host
ing students ffom Speas
and other area schools,
Starets is hopeful he can
spark a greater interest in
STEM (science, technolo
gy, engineering and math)
careers among local youth.
"Here in the U.S., we
still need to work hard to
make math and science and
technology an important or
key element of our educa
tion and steer kids that
way," he noted. "...If I can
help make that happen,
then that's what we want to
do."
Speas, which is home
to a diverse student body,
adopted a global studies
theme this school year. The
school recently hosted an
International Day featuring
foods, performances and
presentations reflecting
cultures from all over the
world that drew over 500
attendees. Ash said. The
veteran administrator said
he is hopeful that the Small
Footprint trip is the first of
many experiential learning
projects the school takes
on.
"I appreciate Small
Footprint giving us the
opportunity to have our
kids come in and experi
ence this," Ash said.
"They're even excited
about just the view, the
conference room, that kind
of thing. Just the experi
ence has been a big thing
for them."
Steve and Ginna Ves t organized the outing.
Hairston
Aggie wins
USDA essay
contest
SPECIAL TO THE
CHRONICLE
Simone Hairston, a sen
ior majoring in dietetics
at North Carolina
Agricultural and Technical
State University, was
among 20 juniors and sen
iors from universities
across the country to win
the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's "Agriculture
as a Career" essay contest.
Hairston received an
expenses-paid trip to the
USDA's 2014 Agricultural
Outlook Forum, themed,
"The Changing Face of
Agriculture," in Arlington,
Va. from Feb. 20-21.
"It's a great, great
honor," she said, adding
that her essay described her
belief that, "agriculture is
the basis for everything.
Nutrition and agriculture
are closely related."
Hairston, a research
scholar and participant in
A&T's multicultural schol
ars program, said the
potential for a rewarding
and stimulating career in
dietetics is one reason
Hairston decided to enroll
in the School of
Agriculture
and Environmental
Sciences. She hopes to
focus her career on child
hood nutrition's relevance
to obesity prevention.
In addition to focuses
on nutrition and dietetics,
the School of Agriculture
and Environmental
Sciences has programs that
lead to an array of other
careers.
- Habitat
for Humanity
of Forsyth County
www. habitatforsyth.org
Welcome,
Collegiate Challenge!
We are honored that Habitat for Humanity International has chosen our affiliate to host the
25th Anniversary celebration of the national Collegiate Challenge program March 2-8.
About 100 students from 9 schools will build 4 new Habitat houses in the Boston-Thurmond
neighborhood, the target community of our Neighborhood Revitalization program.
Presenting T VVVj A *1
Sponsor: i i _
Community ? m ? "m j u ^
Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
KS The CHILDREN'S Home wjjj?7
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aMTQKUlM.IK
THE A
^BUDD HOME^BUILDEHS
GROUP ASSOC:IATION OF WINSTON SALEM
(am Peon* ? Smart terv** Building Professionals
Villa nova University has sent several teams to Habitat Forsyth since 1999
and is returning as part of the 25th Anniversary celebration.
Participating Schools:
Coe College / LaSalle University / Villanova University
University of Florida / St. John's University
Susquehanna University / Vanderbilt University
Southern Polytechnic State University
Milwaukee School of Engineering