Stand Up, Step Up

October is Anti-bully Month and Violence Prevention Month.  Each year, the school system plans an anti-bully walk at which students and faculty from all over the county "stand up, step up" against bullying.  This year, our art students painted a banner for students to hold as we walked and created posters to hang on the kindness wall.  Our honors chorus also performed.

 

Dixie Classic Fair 2014

We are always excited in the fall for the Dixie Classic Fair Art Exhibit.  This year, we had 23 students with art work in this show.  All grades were represented from kindergarten through fifth grade with a variety of art from still-life drawings to paper masks to non-objective designs and gadget printing.

Literacy Night

On Thursday, September 25, administration, students, and parents gathered for the annual Title 1 Parent Compact Meeting and Literacy Night.  Grade Levels throughout the school planned and presented sessions to parents that taught them skills and strategies on how to help their children with reading.  We also had two sessions in the Arts Wing that discussed literacy: "What in the World is Music Literacy" and "Art Literacy for Everyone."  We discussed Art and Music integration in the classroom as well as reading integration in the Arts Class.  We also discussed how to be "literate" regarding Art and Music Theory.

Congratulations

Congratulations are in order for several members of the Arts Team.

Mr John Powelson, our 2013-2014 orchestra teacher, was named our school level Teacher of the Year.

Mrs Amanda Gordon and Miss Amanda Stevenson, our art teacher and dance teacher, were nominated for the A+ Educator of the Year Award through the A+ Schools Program.

School of Distinction

During the 2014-2015, our faculty, students and staff were so honored to receive the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts School of Distinction in Arts Education Award.  This award was given to 5 schools in North Carolina, and this award recognizes the commitment of the school to arts education.  Our magnet program is at the core of all we do here, and our arts programs drive much of what happens at school!  Earning this award was such an exciting time as we were featured on news broadcasts on WXII and WFMY2 as well as covered in stories in the Chronicle, Journal and school system blog.  Pictured above was our Specialists/Arts Team for the 2013-2014 school year.

Spring Extravaganza 2014

The Annual Spring Arts Extravaganza is always a big event during youth art month to wrap up the year.  Teachers prepare a display of art that reflects all the students have been learning and creating throughout the year.  In March of 2014, we were fortunate to have almost 30 students with art work on display in the Spring Extravaganza at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts in downtown Winston-Salem.  Several of these students were able to attend the event.

This was the first year that the Extravaganza was sponsored by Modern Automotive.  They juried the exhibit and chose two winners for each level, (elementary, middle and high,) to be awarded as winner or honorable mention for that level.  Our very own Yarixel Reyes was named Honorable Mention Winner for the Elementary School Division for her pastel portrait.

Our school as a whole was awarded 5 gold seals for the exhibit.

Congratulations to all our student artists for their hard work.

Salem College Fine Arts Center Show 2014

Every year in January, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System and Art Department partner with Salem College to hold an elementary student art exhibit and reception in the Salem College Fine Arts Center.  It is one of the most formal events of the year for elementary art students.  We were very excited to have 6 students with art work in this show.  

Below is a sample of student work exhibited in this show.

Dixie Classic Fair

Diggs-Latham was very excited to have 26 students exhibit art in the Dixie Classic Fair this year.  

We won 7 ribbons.  Congratulations to:  

1st Place Winners: Robert Morgan, Laike May and Mayar Eldeeb

2nd Place Winners: Malik Rose and Heidi Rodriguez

3rd Place Winners: Yarixel Reyes and Jeremiah Batista

 

 

Thank You, Volunteer

Diggs-Latham is very excited about the connections we have developed with our community volunteers and partners.

The first volunteer of the year for the Art Studio was Mrs. Delores Smallwood. This is Mrs. Smallwood's 2nd year volunteering at our school. So far this year, she has helped in organizing and setting up the art studio. Last school year, she was involved in classroom setup, fall festival activities and other school events, and her family was an advertisement sponsor for the school yearbook. Mrs. Smallwood is retired from BellSouth; she has 2 children and 5 grandchildren who are products of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System. Her husband is a local pastor and business owner. Other than volunteering at Diggs-Latham Elementary School, Mrs. Smallwood spends her free time with her family and friends and is involved with activities in her church and community.

Volunteers truly make a difference!

New School Tee-Shirt Design

Congratulations to 5th grader, Jerry, for his work on the new school tee-shirt design.

If you have not ordered your school tee-shirt, see PTA for an order form.

Tiger Pride!

Band/Orchestra Concert

The Band/Orchestra Concert was a huge success. Band and orchestra students in grade 4th and 5th showcased all they have learned this year. Some students even explained the different parts of their instruments and how they work to create a sound.

Mr. Spencer explained what the band has learned this year.

Mr. Powelson introduced the Orchestra students.

Fifth grade orchestra students 'danced' during their performance of "We Will Rock You".

"Diggs-Latham Goes Cross Country"

Dance/Drama Concert

The Spring Dance/Drama Concert was an original production by our dance teacher, Amanda Stevenson, entitled "Diggs-Latham Goes Cross Country." Third graders were the dancers, and select students in grades 4th and 5th served as the speakers, who were a group of people stranded in an airport lobby. These travelers were from San Francisco, Las Vegas, Seattle, New York and Honolulu, and they all showed stereotypical characteristics of the culture of each city. Ms. Stevenson choreographed a dance, representative of each city.

Updates on the Bench

The Bench Project is coming along. Several students have worked on painting the details in the arms and under the seat. Today, we started the design on the seat of the bench.

Click here for pictures.

For more information on the Bench Project, see our previous blog post here.

Black History Celebration

On Friday, March 2, staff, students, parents, and many visitors from the community gathered in the school auditorium for a Celebration of Black History. In attendance were two granddaughters of Mr. Diggs, one of the leaders whose name we have in our school name. Also in the audience, we were pleased to welcome School Board Member Jill Tackabery and reporters from The Chronicle and the Winston-Salem Journal.

The Celebration included a welcome by Mrs. Gordon, introduction by Mr. Stover, and "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the Negro National Athem, sung by Ms. Ingram. Keynote Speaker, Thomas Barksdale, a local youth minister and motivational speaker, challenged students to work hard and do their best. Stephen McCloud, a local church leader, recited exerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King's speech, "I Have a Dream." Students participated in a Wax Museum of famous people, a dance by the school cheerleaders, and a Zumba performance by 5th graders with Miss Stevenson. The Celebration ended with the entire student body singing "Free at Last," under the direction of Ms. Farthing. Special guests enjoyed refreshments immediately following the event.

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed." -Booker T. Washington

The Bench Project

Dr. Clarice Graham Carter was a former teacher of Diggs and Latham Elementary Schools. In August of 2011, she held a reunion for her students and was given an award for her accomplishments. As a gift and legacy to the new Diggs-Latham School, Dr. Carter generously donated money to purchase a bench that will be placed in our school for the sole purpose of a special place for a child to sit, perhaps with a mentor, teacher, or volunteer, and think about and reflect on their special characteristics and character.

Click here to see photos of the bench going through the design process with our art teacher, Mrs. Amanda Gordon, and several art students.

Magnet Fair

Diggs-Latham Students were a hit at the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Magnet Fair on Saturday, January 7. Students performed a parody of "America's Got Talent." In "Diggs-Latham's Got Talent," we had our host, Nick, a panel of 3 sarcastic judges, and peformances by band, orchestra, the dance ensemble, visual artists, and chorus. It was a fun and entertaining show, and the students were full of energy to show off what goes on and what they learn in their Arts classes at Diggs-Latham Elementary Magnet School for Arts and Global Studies.

Holiday Musical

December 8, 2011

"A Bear-y Merry Holiday"

Performed by Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, First & Second Grades

Directed by Mrs. Farthing, the Music Teacher

A Collaboration of the Specialist Team

Contests

Holiday Card, School Tee-Shirt, Festival Stage

Art students have been very excited about the recent drawing and design contests held in the Art Studio. Grades 2nd through 5th created pen and ink drawings to enter in the annual Superintendent's Holiday Card Contest. Grades 3rd through 5th worked on drawings to be entered in a contest for a new school tee-shirt design. Grades 3rd through 5th also designed a possible cover for the Festival Stage Postcard to go out in 2012. The contest theme was "A New Year in Winston-Salem."

Check back for an announcement naming contest winners.

Teacher of the Year Banquets 2011

Annual District Banquet

Annual PTA Banquet