What's New?
We are pleased to announce that Woodland Elementary has been selected as a "GRAMMY Signature Elementary School" by the GRAMMY Foundation, part of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The GRAMMY Signature Program recognizes schools that promote and preserve music education as a key part of their curriculum. The selection process included information about the school's music curriculum, performing repertoire, concert programs, music budget, and other documentation regarding our school. The GRAMMY Foundation selected 100 schools for this honor out of nearly 3,000 schools that applied.
From Hollywood to Atlanta
From The Sandy Springs Reporter
Woodland Elementary arts camp benefited from professional performers
by Gerhard Schneibel
June 27, 2008
Faith MacDonald of Sandy Springs started participating in the Future Actors, Artists, Musicians and
Entertainers (FAAME) camp June 16 hoping for a chance to try on some different personalities.
"I like becoming the other person. I like being able to not just be me, but be somebody else," she
said. "The most fun about that is usually being somebody that is totally different from you — getting
to play somebody that is the exact opposite of what you are."
FAAME camp was held at Woodland Charter Elementary School, where Faith just finished the fifth
grade, through June 27. Her drama club instructor, Pamela-Faith Jackson, recommended that she
enroll in the camp, and Faith said the drama she participated in at school sparked her interest in
pursuing theater.
"I was in the drama club, and Ms. Jackson told us about the FAAME arts camp, and I found it a
really fun idea because I really like to act," she said.
The camp was available to students between 8 and 14 years old, and more than 90 percent of the
campers received with some level of financial assistance this year. One purpose was to give
children an opportunity to interact with theater and film professionals, several of whom participated.
Film and television actor Jermaine Jackson led a workshop on improvisational comedy and another
on children in commercials. The Decatur native also spoke to campers June 20 about his
experiences in Los Angles and the sources of inspiration that gave him the perseverance to make
a career there.
Being an actor "is so amazing because you can see so many different things, be so many different
things. You might get a script for a TV show or something like that, and the more that you're able to
do, the more things that you see, the more things you read ... the better you can be as a whole
person," he said.
"If anybody's got cousins or family in different places and you go and visit them for the summer, or
if you go there for the holidays, maybe they talk different ways, or they say different things, or they
move a little bit different, or they like different types of music. ... That's just being what another
person is. So acting is really just being a real person," he told the campers.
"You've all heard of the actor Russell Crowe? You've seen 'Gladiator'? That's the guy. His accent is
Australian, but he uses an American accent. People [in Los Angles] come from all over the place."
Jackson also told campers it took a long time before he met success as an actor, but "anything you
want in life that's worth having takes time."
Caroline Steed, who recently completed the fifth grade at Woodland Elementary, said she liked
Jackson's speech. She said that participating in the camp has been a positive experience for her.
"I've had a lot of fun," she said. "I like being with my friends, and I kind of like pretending to be
anyone I want to be. It's fun to be yourself, but sometimes maybe you might get bored and you
want to be somebody else, just for a little bit. And I think that's really fun."
Kia Jie Jacobs, who recently completed the fourth grade at Woodland Elementary, said Jackson's
speech was insightful and relaxing to listen to.
"It was just massaging my mind. That's how relaxing it was," she said. "My favorite part about
acting is you just get to be yourself. When I first started acting, I was shy, and now I'm not, because
I grow up each day and I learned that you don't have to be shy or care what other people say."
PRESS RELEASE Feb 02,2009
PRESS RELEASE Feb 02,2009
"Elementary School Pays Tribute to Black History Month with West African Adaptation of Cinderella" Written by award winning actress and producer, Karen Jones Meadows, and directed by Pamela-Faith Jackson, “SALA CINDERELLA” is an adaptation steeped in African tradition that incorporates West African fable and folklore qualities.
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PRLog (Press Release) – Feb 02, 2009 – (Sandy Springs, GA)-Woodland Elementary Charter School (WECS) under the leadership of Dr. Ruth Baskerville, proudly announces its theater production of “SALA CINDERELLA” a West African fairytale, Tuesday, February 10th at 6pm. This special presentation based on the European classic is open to the public and kicks off WEC’s 2nd Annual Black History Celebration.
Written by award winning actress and producer, Karen Jones Meadows, and directed by Pamela-Faith Jackson in association with F.A.A.M.E. ARTS, “SALA CINDERELLA” is an adaptation steeped in African tradition that incorporates West African fable and folklore qualities. “It is such a touching story”, Ms. Jackson reflects. “I expect our audience to really enjoy themselves. This production from our Woodland Ensemble Company is like a pop-up book coming to life spilling color and animation all over the audience.”
In Meadows’ version, the “SALA CINDERELLA” characters seem to travel further and deeper than those that we remembered. Here, Meadows explores themes of inner struggle and the definition of self through faith and positive affirmation in the face of persecution and wrong doings. “Not only does it have a great message” continues Jackson, but the personification of a branch, a boat, animals and a mystical star captures the imagination in all of us making it fun to watch, regardless of age.”
SALA’s celebrated playwright, Karen Jones Meadows, writes for adult and young audiences alike and her plays have been performed in prestigious venues such as Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Negro Ensemble Company in New York, and the Doris Duke Theatre in Hawaii. Meadows has also produced for Comedy Central and Fox Television. Her various works have earned her numerous accolades and awards including The Drama League of New York Playwright Award and The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.
It was through the Association of International Schools in Africa that Ms. Meadows toured the Ivory Coast, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and South Africa as a keynote speaker and workshop facilitator training administrators and teachers through hands-on activities in the use and power of drama curriculums in schools.
Tickets for “SALA CINDERELLA” are $3 and can be purchased at the door. Showtime is at 6pm. Woodland Elementary Charter is located at 1130 Spalding Drive, Sandy Springs Georgia, 30350. For more information or directions, please call 770-551-5890. # # #
SALA CINDERELLA features Kia Jie Jacobs (SALA), whose credits include Cartoon Network, and Theatre of the Stars, Michae Jones (NJERI), Karina Norton (TYI), Shauna Burke (YAA), Gianna Scerbo (BOAT), Gabrielle Armstrong (BRANCH), Nicholas Wright (ELEPHANT), and Jaelin Hakim (Mutope). The show will spotlight dancers from the Woodland Ensemble Company dance team under the direction of Emry Walker and Nelsenia Harrison, as well as, a drum core lead by Maggie Sherwood. Twelve of these Woodland Ensemble Company drama club members are simultaneously practicing for the upcoming North Springs High School production of the WIZARD OF OZ scheduled for March. Our talented design team includes Brad McWhorter (lighting); Malessa Devlin and Charles Wicks (set); and Evelyn Cox and Nancy Gersten (costume).
P R E S S R E L E A S E
F.A.A.M.E. ARTS Camp
Woodland Charter Elementary School
1130 Spalding Drive
Sandy Springs, GA
Contact: Pamela-Faith Jackson
678 428-9391
Antonne Broussard
678 754-0544
F.A.A.M.E. ARTS CAMP 2009 will return to Sandy Springs this summer by special invitation from Woodland Charter Elementary School Principal Dr. Ruth Baskerville. F.A.A.M.E. ARTS CAMP provides intensive performing arts training to an elite group of children, ages 6-16, throughout metro-Atlanta. F.A.A.M.E. is designed to enhance a child’s talents and strengths in dance, voice, and drama. In a small group in-door setting, young performers beat the heat of summer and experience the joy of working as an ensemble to explore the world of musical theatre.
Special guests artists, including Nancy Meyers, Alliance Theatre Resident Teaching Artist are expected to be on hand to provide invigorating acting, improv, and auditioning technique workshops.
Camp hours are 8:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m. for two sessions—June 1-12 and June 15-26. We offer early drop off and late pick up by special arrangement. Go on-line http://faame.weebly.com/ to secure a registration form and learn more about F.A.AM.E. ART CAMP. Space is limited and by audition only.