Mural honors the history of
Depot Street
Last week representatives with Innovation Quarter and Inmar Intelligence unveiled a mural on East 7th Street honoring the legacy of Depot Strreet. 1 he mural was
painted by local artist Leo Rucker.
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
Earlier this week In
novation Quarter and In-
mar Intelligence unveiled
a street mural designed to
honor the history of the
Depot Street neighbor
hood.
The striking mural
commissioned through
Innovation Quarter’s iQ
Community Labs and un
derwritten by Inmar, is
located on East 7th St.,
between Patterson Ave.
and Research Pkwy., and
was created by local art
ist Leo Rucker. The mural
features more than two
dozen people or buildings
that reflect the rich history
of Depot Street.
During the late 19th
and early 20th centuries,
the area surrounding the
former R.J. Reynolds
manufacturing facilities
was known as the Depot
Street neighborhood. De
pot Street (now Patterson
Avenue) was one of the
first prestigious Black
neighborhoods in Win
ston-Salem and remained
as such with institutions
like the Clark S. Brown
Funeral Home, Patterson
Avenue YMCA, and Gol-
er Memorial AME Zion
Church having a contin ¬
ued presence.
Prior to the ribbon cut
ting ceremony on Tuesday,
Dec. 1, Rucker, who has
painted several pieces lo
cated across the city, said
the Depot Street piece is
one of his favorites be
cause it brings back so
many memories. Rucker
said he fondly remembers
walking to his uncle’s
house that was on Depot
Street. “This has a per
sonal, more intimate feel
to it,” Rucker said, while
standing next to the mural.
“This is personal to me
because I grew up in part
of this community. I knew
some of these people ... I
had an uncle who lived in
a duplex house that was
right here when I was
seven years old. I used to
walk from 14th Street to
here ... that was just our
thing to do.”
Although he is famil
iar with the neighborhood,
Rucker said a lot of im
ages on the mural were
made possible by people
sharing stories with him.
When asked how it feels to
be able to introduce people
to the history of Depot
Street, Rucker said it’s ex
citing. He said the mural is
perfect for the location.
See Mural on A3
Big changes on the horizon for local middle schools
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
With a new school
scheduled to open in the
Lewisville area, renova
tions at Philo-Hill, and
proposed redistricting,
next month the Winston-
Salem/Forsyth County
Schools Board of Educa
tion will have some big
decisions to make when
it comes to local middle
schools.
Construction for the
new Lewisville Middle
School located on Robin
hood Road near the in
tersection of Lewisville-
Vienna Road, was part of
the $350 million bond ref
erendum approved by vot
ers in 2016. The school is
expected to be finished be
fore the start of the 2021-
22 school year and will
hold about 800 students.
District leaders will have
the option to choose be
tween two different rezon
ing options, both of which
will reduce overcrowding
at Jefferson and Meadow
lark Middle Schools.
According to Homan
Atashbar, director of stu
dent assignment, Lewis
www.wschronicle.com
ville Middle School will
not enter the SCHOOL
CHOICE PROGRAM
until the 2022-23 school
year; during the 2021-22
school year, students will
be assigned to the school
by residential zone. All
students will be expected
to attend Lewisville Mid
dle school with the excep
tion of Sth grade students
who opt to “stay-in-place”
in accordance with their
2020-21 residential as
signment.
The district is also
looking to move residen
tial students from Hanes
Middle School to a school
closer to their neighbor
hoods. Currently Hanes
is located in the southeast
portion of the county, but
residential students that at
tend the school are from
the north.
“We’re going to try
to redistrict the students
back to their geographic
area and allow students
that are around the Hanes
building right now to have
a residential school around
where they live,” Atashbar
said.
Atashbar said if the
changes are approved,
students at Hanes in the
STEM Magnet Program
and HAG Program will
remain assigned to Hanes.
All residential students
currently attending Hanes
will be assigned to Mineral
Springs Middle School be
ginning with the 2021-22
school year. And Hanes
will have a new residen
tial boundary around the
school’s current location
in the southeast portion
of the county. Students
will also have the option
to choose between other
schools in the Southeast
Zone: Southeast and East
Forsyth Middle Schools.
Students attending
Philo-Hill Middle School
should expect changes
next school year as well.
Renovations for Philo-
Hill were also included in
the 2016 bond referendum
and include a complete
makeover to the existing
gym, dining area, and ad
ministrative building. The
project will also increase
the student capacity to
800 with the addition of a
new three-story classroom
wing.
Constinction is sched
uled to begin in the spring
and be complete before the
start of the 2022-23 school
year.'
While the work is be
ing completed, Philo-Hill
will close temporarily and
students will be assigned
to Winston-Salem Prepa
ratory Academy or Hanes.
Upon completion of the
project, Philo-Hill will
reopen as an arts magnet
school with a residential
zone.
For the past two weeks
the district has held drop-
in listening sessions to
hear from the community.
The WS/FCS Board of Ed
ucation is expected to vote
on the redistricting lines
and the future of Philo-Hill
during the frill board meet
ing scheduled for Jan. 26.