Hot summer... cool views
Photos by Alphonso Abbott Jr.
Summer in the City Photo Series
The Winston-Salem skyline can be viewed from many angles. We have seen some beautiful pictures featuring our iconic skyline. But, how lovely is it from this angle
against dusky sky?
Local artist Leo Rucker and art students create murals to
brighten school hallways
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
Students at Carter G.
Woodson School (CGWS)
will have quite a surprise
when they return to class-
rooms next month. With
help from several high
school art students, local
artist Leo Rucker is cre
ating a series of murals
throughout the school.
The murals include
hand-painted portraits of
the school’s founders and
images of well-known
people like Maya Ange
lou, Ruby Bridges, Nelson
Mandela and several oth
ers. There is also a Rucker
original, designed to en
courage students to read.
Rucker, who is a native
of Winston-Salem, said he
was elated when he heard
Photos by Tevin Stinson
Local artist Leo Rucker is leading the mural project at Carter G. Woodson.
about the mural project at
CGWS. He said it was a
great opportunity to help
improve the school and
introduce the students to
something new. Students
have been able to learn
several different tech
niques and styles while
working with Rucker, in
cluding drawing on a large
scale and transferring.
Rucker said math is also
incorporated into the art
lessons through the use of
angles and measurement.
“It’s been wonderful to
be able to share a part of
myself while teaching the
students something new,”
Rucker said. “I think it’s
very important that the
older generation share
their wisdom and what
they know with the young
er generation, so I feel like
with this, I’m just doing
my part.”
Rasheeda Shankle,
who leads Carter G. Wood-
son’s summer learning and
visual arts programs, said
students were eager to
work with Rucker. “There
were a few students who
were signed up to partici
pate in the visual arts pro
gram but they had to get
their grades up, and within
a month we had students
who got their grades where
they needed to be, to be
a part of the program,”
Shankle said.
“It has been awesome
to see students not only in
spired, but actually want to
help. It’s been a great ben
efit to the school as well as
the students.”
In addition to the mu
rals in the hallway, other
renovations are also un
derway at CGWS. The
completed artwork and
renovations are expected
to be completed before
the start of the 2021-2022
school year. When asked
about the mural project
and the renovations earlier
this week, Frank Rios-Per
ez, who recently graduated
from CGWS, said, “It’s
good to see something new
and different come to the
school.”
Carter G. Woodson
is a public charter school
that has been serving stu
dents in grades K-12 since
Steven Evans a rising junior at Carter G. Woodson
helps with the mural project at the school.
1997. The school offers
free tuition and bus trans
portation to and from any
neighborhood in the city.
Rooted in tradition and
evolving to remain com
petitive for the 21st cen
tury, CGWS provides an
academic standard of ex
cellence that differs from
the traditional classroom.
Along with the major core
courses such as math and
English, CGWS also of
fers courses in art, liberal
arts, culture, agriculture,
and sustainable living.