by Sidney Griffin, AIA Central Virginia President
I had the honor of sharing a stage with a TON of talent at Walker Upper Elementary for their Black History Month presentation. I and a few dozen other Black business leaders were invited to talk to 5th and 6th grade students about what we do in our professions. Our panel included artists, doctors, educators, entrepreneurs, musicians and administrators like Charlottesville’s Mayor Juandiego Wade, Chief Academic Officer Katina Otey, and Dr. Royal A Gurley, Jr, Charlottesville Superintendent of Schools!
The participants and I could feel the excitement upon coming into the school during a lively lunch period where students greeted us with smiles and waves. Before making our way to the stage, we enjoyed warm welcomes from a few special education classrooms we stepped into. The Walker Jazz Band gave us an awesome soundtrack to our arrival on the auditorium stage, accompanied by John D’earth who is a frequent volunteer at Walker. It was certainly a special treat for us jazz enthusiasts!
After the assembly, I visited two classes to talk about the role of architects in our communities, my personal path to architecture, and gave live drawing sessions to show how architects think and work through problems visually. The students had amazing questions - I think there were a few future architects in those classrooms! Thank you, Walker Upper Elementary for a most rewarding afternoon!
