Whitney Young High School 50^th Anniversary Planning

I met with the administration and the art department about incorporating more textiles within the Whitney Young High School 50^th anniversary event planning. I was given directives: Because the school colors were orange and blue and the mascot was a dolphin, anything I created had to be orange and blue and/or have a dolphin. A drawing was made using a pen and computer paper by administration which had a capital “W” at the top of the page, a capital “Y” at the bottom of the page and a number “50” in the middle of the page which was supposed to be gold. We discussed multiple textiles projects. Me being me, I wanted to develop every last one of them, as I felt myself just coming to life at the creative brainstorming think tank I was immersed in.

I contacted Whitney Young High School alumni, their family and their friends. Some said they had no idea that the school was having a 50^th anniversary celebrations and were excited to share in the festivities by yarn bombing a car. During the four years of working with my patient, I worked at Whitney Young High School as a one-on-one nurse and was paid for my services as a nurse only.

I grew up reading Marva Collins’ books and watching the CBS movie about her life. Everyone around me had great respect for the personal sacrifices she made for her students. I did not see myself doing anything differently. I thought that this is what educators did. Certainly, nurses also did the same thing. I had a beloved aunt who had a Ph.D. in English who taught high school for 45 years. Each year, she took her students on a trip somewhere: New York for the Broadway shows, Orlando for Disney World. She was even the English teacher to Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens.

Further, even though my family is not affluent, but we have always believed in the value of an education. I grew up watching my parents fund raise for the elementary school I attended. That behavior was modeled to me and I thought fundraising for school was something that was normal and what everyone did. The Whitney Young High School 50^th anniversary yarn bombing was a literal labor of love.

The Whitney Young High School yarn bombing project raised $1,000.00 for the school.