Syniyah Nevaeh Byrd has been missing since Wednesday evening (May 24) around 8pm. She was last seen in the vicinity of Trade Street, possibly near Northwest Blvd. It is unknown if she left that area on foot or was picked up by someone, and may have possibly taken the bus from the area.

At the time she was wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt and black shoes. She likely has a black and tan backpack and/or a Nike knapsack. The child is thin and considered tall for her age and has short black hair.

Ms. Byrd is only 12 years old. Her mother and siblings are seeking the public’s assistance in locating Syniyah. The photos below have been provided by the family. A missing person’s police report has been filed, and anyone with information about Syniyah’s whereabouts are asked to contact the WSPD non-emergency number at 336-773-7700.

Youth Grantmakers in Action (YGA) recently announced eight grants totaling $2,460 at their annual grant celebration event. These grants will support projects to help the youth of Forsyth County come together to make a difference in our community.

2017 Grant Recipients

• East Forsyth Key Club: $100 to host a spaghetti dinner to raise funds to purchase sports equipment and food for a summer program
• Fine Arts: $300 for a fundraiser that showcases the talents of local youth
• Grace Church Youth Worship/Ministry Group: $350 to provide nutritional information to youth and encourage better eating habits
• Reagan Black Achievers: $260 to host a leadership event for 60 elementary school students
• Reagan High School Young Black Male Achievers: $500 to provide a scholarship to a senior Young Black Male Achievers member
• THETA Program and Scholarship Fund: $350 for a high school theatre awards gala created to raise scholarship funds for a theatre summer enrichment program
• Top Teens of America: $100 for a community walk to raise awareness about St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital
• Winston-Salem Youth Advisory Council: $500 to assemble care packages for military youth

YGA is a diverse group of youth ages 15-18 from all over Forsyth County who meet to gain leadership experience, represent the youth of the community, and grant money to youth-led community projects that will have a positive impact on the community.

A program of The Winston-Salem Foundation, YGA was formed in 2005 from the vision of Dr. Nathaniel Irvin and the financial support of Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. Since its first round of grants was made in 2006, YGA has granted over $21,000 to youth-led community projects.

The following was provided for your information by the Sawtooth School for Visual Art

The Sawtooth School for Visual Art’s Summer Arts Immersion program is one of the finest visual art experiences in North Carolina. Bringing talented rising 9th-12th grade arts students together with professional artists and educators, they offer exceptionally creative and high quality art studio classes tailored for students with a passion for visual arts. Small class sizes combined with tailored instruction offers students the ability to explore an art for appropriate for the novice or for those with some experience.

The program runs June 19th through July 21st, with no classes the week of July 4th, from 9:00 AM–12:00 PM and/or 1:00–4:00 PM as one week half-day studios. Students may sign up for multiple classes to receive a multiple class discount.

Studio Offerings:
Drawing
Painting
Digital Photography
Digital Arts
Metals/Enameling
Glass
Wood
Ceramics
Animation
Comic/Manga/Graphic Novel
Sculpture
Printmaking
Fiber Art

Check out full listing of classes and register here.

Studio sizes are limited and will fill quickly so register early to increase your chances to be in the classes of your choice.

Need based scholarships are available. Additionally, sign up for two or more classes and receive a $10 discount per class when you call 336-723-7395 to register and use promo code SAI2017.

Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools are looking for wonderful employees in all areas. They need teachers, specialists, child nutrition team members, social workers, counselors, bus drivers, maintenance, therapists, sign language professionals, custodial services, and much more for the upcoming school year.

The WS/FCS Recruitment Fair is one stop shopping for anyone interested in working with the WSFCS system. The fair will feature representatives from all schools and all departments. Candidates can meet with district administrators and other leaders, fill out applications, learn about the benefits, even be offered employment on the spot. This is also the place for current employees to learn about transfer opportunities and meet with recruiters from nearby graduate programs to learn more about advancing their degree.

The WS/FCS recruitment fair will be held Saturday, May 6, 9 A.M. – 12 P.M.  at the LJVM Coliseum.

 

Area job seekers are also invited to attend a job fair sponsored by Forsyth Tech, Winston-Salem Urban League and Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, which will be held in Goodwill on University and will include representatives from more than 10 local employers.

This job fair will be held on May 9, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 2701 University Parkway, Employers scheduled to attend include: Astistree, Ashley Furniture, ComforCare Home Care, Herbalife, Salem Bakery Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, UNC Chapel Hill and Truliant Federal Credit Union and Novant Health to name a few.

Job applicants should come dressed for an interview and bring copies of their resumes. For more information, contact Goodwill Career Connections at 336-724-3625.

 

cover image from https://studentedge.org/

The following was provided for your information by Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

The hum of a mower and the smell of fresh-cut grass are telltale signs of spring. However, before cranking up the mower and string trimmer, be sure to include an ounce of prevention with those quarts of oil and gallons of gasoline.

Each year, approximately 317,210 people nationwide are treated for various injuries resulting from lawn and garden tools, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Many of these injuries can be prevented when using proper safety precautions.

“Spending time in the garden or working in the yard can be a great way to enjoy the outdoors, reduce stress and get physical activity, said Michael Fitch, M.D., professor of Emergency Medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. “Whether you’re a beginner or expert at outdoor chores, it’s important to be aware of the many dangers and hazards that can be presented.”

Fitch also advises against giving young children rides on mowers or tractors- as the child may fall off and be injured. Giving rides may also lead to children approaching the mower during operation without being seen.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, safe gardening and lawn tips can also include:

Pre-Start Inspection:

* Check for loose or damaged belts on mowers or trimmers.

* Ensure all blades are secure, balanced and covered.

* Be aware of any fluid leaks.

* Walk the area to be mowed and remove debris such as rocks, sticks, bottles, etc.

* The chute of the mower should be pointed away from people, animals, buildings and traffic.

Lawn Mower Safety:

* Never allow children under the age of 12 to operate a push mower and children under 16 should not operate a riding lawn mower.

* Keep young children and pets indoors and supervised at all times when any outdoor power equipment is being used.

* Do not mow near drop-offs, ditches, embankments or steep slopes. Use a string trimmer to cut grass in these locations.

* Stay alert for anyone who may enter the mowing area and always look down and behind before and during using reverse.

* Slow down when turning and make wide, gradual turns, especially when mowing on slopes. Mow up and down slopes, not across.

Dress to Protect:

* Wear safety goggles, gloves, sturdy shoes, socks and long-sleeved shirts and long pants.

* Protect hearing by wearing ear muffs or ear plugs when using machinery.

* Use insect repellent containing DEET.

* Wide-brimmed hats, sun shades and sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher can help prevent sunburn and skin cancer.

 

Those working outdoors also should stay hydrated with water, take breaks often and pay attention to signs of heat-related illnesses.

“By practicing safe yard habits, you can drastically reduce your risk of injury or injury to others nearby,” said Fitch.

Historic Preservation Month is being observed in May with lectures, walking and trolley tours of historic sites, the unveiling of two new local historic markers and more.

Events began May 2 with the first of four guided “Trail Mix” walking tours in Bethania with a trek along Bethania’s historic Orchard Trail. This trail walk will be repeated May 13 at 9 a.m. Trail walks along the Reuter trail are scheduled for May 16 at 1 p.m. and May 27 at 9 a.m.

The Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission will unveil a historic marker at 3 p.m. May 7 for the Samuel and Sarah Stauber Farm at 6085 Bethania-Tobaccoville Road. A historic marker about the Brothers Spring and the African School in what is now Happy Hill Park will be unveiled at 1 p.m. May 20 at the park. The unveiling will be followed by a tour of the Happy Hill neighborhood by Cheryl Harry, the director of African-American programming for Old Salem.

On May 18, the Commission and the Black History Archives of Winston-Salem will host a trolley tour of the historic residences along East 14th Street. Trolley tours will also be held May 20 along the old streetcar routes in Winston-Salem, and of the expanded Old Salem National Historic Landmark.

And on May 25, the Commission will hold an architectural tour of downtown Winston-Salem at noon, beginning at Mission Pizza Napoletana, 707 N. Trade St.

Also on May 25, Preservation Forsyth will present its 2017 Preservation Awards at 6:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 520 Summit St. Margaret Smith, a retired Wake Forest University professor, will be the featured speaker.

Also during Historic Preservation Month:

• Old Salem will hold “lunch and learn” programs at noon on Wednesdays in May in the James A. Gray Auditorium in the Old Salem Visitors Center, 900 Old Salem Road.
• Historic Preservation Month Event in Clemmons May 6th and 13th from 8:30a.m. – 12 noon at the Clemmons Village Hall (3715 Clemmons Road) Learn about the history of E. T. Clemmons “Hattie Butner” stagecoach at open houses in the village hall (taking place at the same time as the Village of Clemmons Farmer’s Market.)
• MESDA, 924 S. Main St., will hold a program on the evolving “period” room at 2 p.m. May 12. Admission is $20.
• The Kernersville Historic Preservation Society will hold a tour of St. Paul’s pre-Civil War black cemetery at 6 p.m. May 15 at 711 S. Main St., Kernersville; and on May 23 Korner’s Folly, 413 S. Main St., Kernersville, will present Benjamin Briggs, the executive director of Preservation Greensboro, speaking on historic preservation at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $5.
• Soprano Laura Ingram Semilian will sing songs from the 1800s at 6:30 p.m. May 16 at the Walkertown Branch Library, 2969 Main St., Walkertown.
• Reynolda House Museum of American Art will host a free tour of the Reynolda House grounds and gardens at 2 p.m. May 19.
• The Rural Hall Historic Train Depot and Railroad Museum will hold an open house and family day from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 20 at 8170 Depot St., Rural Hall; and the Rural Hall Historical Museum will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 20 at 145 Bethania St., Rural Hall.
• Bethania will host a lunch and learn on “Bethania: Wachovia’s First Planned Community,” at noon May 31 at the Bethania Visitors Center, 5393 Ham Horton Lane, Bethania.
• Salem College will host presentations by its historic preservation and public history students at 6 p.m. May 9 in the Club Dining Room of the Refectory, 601 S. Church St.

For more information about Historic Preservation Month events go to CityofWS.org/HRC or contact Michelle McCullough at 336-747-7063.

To view a downloadable calendar of events, click HERE.

Historic Preservation Month activities are presented and coordinated by Preservation Month Partners, a collaboration of the Forsyth County Historic Resources Commission, Old Salem Museums & Gardens, Preservation Forsyth, Reynolda House Museum of American Art and the Town of Bethania.

Winston-Salem Writers||Peter Venable

The Hour Before

At Blackwater Baptist cemetery,

behind the loose-shingled steeple

a massive cedar shades                                

lichen-capped tombstones

bent askew by centuries

of blistering heat and pitiless ice

as I wait beneath, bough-shaded,

 

for the service under a blue tent

some seventy feet away where her body

rests in its wooden cocoon.

 

Dragonflies surf heatwaves

as sweat soaks my collar and tie.

 

Strange

how spacetime curves into that

black hole singularity

under the coffin,

 

and how the vision of her smiling face—

beatific—beams through the tears to come.

 

 

5 a.m.

From the deck

I sense a million tiny eyes probe mine

behind silhouettes of trees and shrubs.

 

The dank air whirls with spirals of light

and a crescent moon blushes

under dawn’s pink ruffles.

 

 

Spooning

Spooning submerged granola

under strawberry yogurt

in a wine glass is like—nothing! 

Any simile profanes.

 

Spooning granola

under strawberry yogurt

is pure metaphor—transporting me,

spoonful after spoonful

 

as I shut my eyelids

 

munching, slurping, tasting, swallowing

 

until I scrape up the last crunch

 

and lick

 

the last

 

pink

 

drop.

 

Peter Venable has written both free and metric verse for over fifty years. He has been published in Prairie Messenger, Torrid Literature Journal, Third Wednesday, Windhover – A Journal of Christian Literature, Flying South 2016, and others. He is a member of the Winston Salem Writers. Visit him at petervenable.com

Founded in 2005, Winston-Salem Writers is a group of writers who write fiction, non-fiction, plays and poetry, and who care about the art and craft of writing. They offer programs, workshops, critique groups, open mic nights, contests and writers’ nights out for both beginning writers and published authors. For more information, click HERE.

The sleek new AFAS Center for the Arts, located at the corner of Liberty and Seventh streets, will officially open to the public on Saturday, May 6. The local nonprofit organization Art for Art’s Sake (AFAS) commissioned the 14,500 square foot, three-story building, which was constructed over a period of 15 months.

The Center’s official opening will be celebrated with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2:00 p.m. on May 6, accompanied by live music, food trucks, ARTivity on the Green mural wall painting and family activities, from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

This latest addition to the city’s burgeoning Arts District consolidates several AFAS activities and locations that were previously scattered throughout downtown. The building houses AFAS’ headquarters, as well as Red Dog Gallery, Unleashed Arts Center and Studio 2, a jewelry studio. There are also 10 artist studios available for lease at affordable rates.

The Center’s location – adjacent to ARTivity on the Green art park – extends the Arts District’s footprint into a previously underdeveloped area of the city.

Harry Knabb, AFAS chairman and chief executive, said the new headquarters underscores AFAS’ continued commitment to the Arts District and the city’s arts community overall, while also ensuring the viability of AFAS for generations to come.

ARTivity on the Green and the AFAS Center for the Arts have both been made possible via generous grants – primarily one from the Thomas J. Regan Jr. Foundation – and both projects have enlisted the professional skills of several local businesses; STITCH Design Shop and Frank L. Blum Construction Co. served as the architect and general contractor for both projects, respectively.

The following was provided for your information by the Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem

The public is invited to join the Women’s Fund of Winston Salem and party with a purpose! On May 11, the organization is hosting their annual Fund Do event. Join in for a night of great food, prizes, and more – while you help build economic security for ALL women and girls in our community.

The event will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer and entertainment, and tickets are $35.  The party will be held at the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts downtown.

The Fund Do Party is a live and online fundraising event where each person can use their smart phones or other devices to interact with friends online, create awareness, raise funds and win great prizes. Essentially, it’s a high-tech cocktail party that elevates fundraising to a new level.

Each ticket holder or online guest will receive a link via email to their own personal fundraising page through which he/she can support The Women’s Fund, ask friends for support, compete for prizes and share the message. Your fundraising page is a resource for you to sell tickets, collection donations and spread the word about our event. They’ll keep score and see who can make the biggest impact on our community.

The competition starts NOW and runs through the night of the Party on May 11. Sign up now and start your fundraising and most social competition!

The more credit and/or points you have, the better chance you have to win one of the fabulous prizes.  The more you share, the more you support women and girls in our community!

For more information or to purchase tickets, click HERE. If you can’t come in person, you can still interact with the group on social media, and see the action online! Don’t miss this amazing night, May 11th from 5:30-7:30pm- connect with the Women’s Fund of Winston Salem, today!

Established in 2005, The Women’s Fund of Winston-Salem seeks to improve the lives of women and girls by building a community of female philanthropists who provide grants to local programs and initiatives that address the social issues impacting women and girls in Forsyth County. Since its founding, The Fund has raised and awarded grants totaling $1.3 million to local nonprofit organizations.
Please visit our website for more information.

Proceeds from the event will be used towards advocacy and education efforts in our community to help address systematic issues identified in our report, A Second Look Through a Gender Lens: The Economic Security of Women and Girls in Forsyth County 2015.
For example, our report shows that poverty has increased since our 2010 report for women in Forsyth County.

Learn more at WomensFundWS.org.

The following was provided for your information by the Winston-Salem Police Department and the City of Winston-Salem

Barry D. Rountree, Winston-Salem’s chief of police since 2013, announced that he will retire Sept. 1, having served the citizens of Winston-Salem for 29 and a half years.

“I have had a very rewarding career,” Rountree said. “I have been able to serve in nearly every sworn position in the department, and now it is time to turn the reins over to the next generation of leadership.”

Rountree started his career as a police officer on Jan. 25, 1988. He was promoted to senior police officer (today’s rank of corporal) in 1992, sergeant in 1996, lieutenant in 2000, captain in 2004 and assistant police chief in 2007. Over these years he served in the Field Services Bureau, the Investigative Services Bureau, the Support Services Bureau, and the Professional Standards Division.

Rountree said he has been blessed to have served without any serious injuries. “Many have not been as fortunate as I and suffered serious injuries,” he said, “and during my career with the police department I have seen eight coworkers lose their lives while serving. They are a constant reminder to all police officers of the risks they take to ensure the public safety.”

Rountree is a North Carolina state-certified Basic Law Enforcement Training general instructor and holds an Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate from the North Carolina Criminal Justice Education and Standards Training Commission. Rountree has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Winston-Salem State University and a master’s in public affairs from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Rountree also is a graduate of the Administrative Officers Management Program at North Carolina State University and the Municipal Administration program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Rountree said he is most proud of trying to make the Winston-Salem Police Department better for employees, and for improving service delivery to the citizens. “We have worked diligently to improve community relations and promote WSPD’s ‘brand,’ ” he said.

City Manager Lee Garrity said that Rountree had done a remarkable job of leading the police department. “With a steady hand and a firm belief in serving all, Chief Rountree has enhanced public safety while avoiding the community-trust challenges that other communities have faced,” he said.

Garrity said he will begin the process to select the next chief by consulting with the mayor, members of the City Council, police employees and community leaders.