The Voice of Philly

Creative Expressions Poetry Jam

2010-03-12T13:11:00.005-05:00

As the co-director of the Creative Expressions program, I was amazed by the talent we experienced at out first poetry jam, I felt moved and humored but most of all inspired by the pieces these students put together at such short notice. Please enjoy the video and hopefully you will be as impressed as I was. Thank You!

-Da'Me "D-Wav" Harris

SPHS Student Lead Music Program

2010-03-12T12:19:00.008-05:00

Bred out of necessity, and lead by our own students, EW's South Philadelphia High School HiStep music program is (addressing a desire to continue the very successful music program last lead by Mr. Paul Dunnaville). Because of the success of the EW 09' summer music program, students have continually inquired about a music program for the 2nd trimester and two students Da'me and Justin have stepped up to fill the gap. Da'me and Justin are currently leading the music program and facilitating various lessons, while developing their own leadership skills. Here is something they said about the program.

-Mr. Mike

Creative Expressions: Free Your Mind is the first ever student-run program of EW SPHS HiStep. It all started in the second semester of the 2009-2010 school years. I, Da’Me “D-Wav” Harris and my partner Justin “J-Rock” Robinson thought it would a great idea to start a small-scale record label for the business portion of our program. Justin and I love to write and perform music and we thought it would be cool to have students like us have an organization to call their own. We wanted to have a music production program that encompassed more than just singing but also included rapping, producing, poetry, photography, cinematography, marketing, recording, and songwriting. Hence, Creative Expressions was born and has been booming since its establishment. As the appointed leaders of the program we have helped our peers to advance their skills and break out of the personal shells using music as the medium. Justin does the producing and I do the writing and vocals and together along with the student we do great music in a positive way. It’s been a learning experience for Justin and I and we love having the freedom to do amazing things with music. Thanks to the faith our EducationWorks superiors have had in us we have done awesome things and plan to continue for as long as possible. 410{D&J} and EducationWorks do one thing!

-Da'Me "D-Wav" Harris

Project H.O.M.E Talent Show

2010-03-10T11:26:00.021-05:00

On December 22, 2009 the students of the EducationWorks HiSTEP after school program at South Philadelphia High School, decided to focus our efforts on eradicating homelessness in Philadelphia and as a result, our Youth Service Council decided to support Project H.O.M.E.

We ran a clothing drive throughout the semester that collected over 700 articles of clothing and had a Talent/Fashion show at the end of the term that raised over $800 in donations.

The project for the media program was to have the group collaborate with fellow students to complete a behind the scenes documentary which chronicled the development and planning, as well as the execution, of the fashion/talent show itself.

With the assistance of Ms. Aginah, a fashion design/merchandising student the fashion group designed several unique pieces for the show. This included, but not limited to, gummy bear bracelets and earrings, Mardi Gras masks, custom made shirts and other pieces of jewelry.

A check for $800 was presented to the staff of Project H.O.M.E. Also the students received a chance to tour the facilities, speak with staff members and get a real understanding of the organization and what it means to our city.

Below are the pictures from the show. To view additional pictures go to

http://www.facebook.com/pages/EducationWorks-South-Phila-High-School/183295204860

410{D&J} Perform Live at The Villa

2009-12-17T13:48:00.004-05:00

Two of our students Da'me and Justin performed live at the "Villa's Sound Check" on 12/4/2009. This event was their first time performing as a group. Here are some reflections about their experience.
-Mr. Mike

In preparation for our performance at the Villa we teamed up with Mr. Mike from EducationWorks in order to establish business cards. We did this so we could help our groups professionalism and network with other artists and associates. We also alerted all of our friends at EducationWorks to attend and show their support. We arrived at the show ready to do our thing and we were told that we could have more than one slot. We were very excited and decided on the spot what 2nd song we were going to perform. Even before the performance we were mingling with other artists as well as the D.J. We danced and Mr. Mike recorded all of the fun. We enjoyed watching other artists, but we were anxious to do our thing. So when we finally got our chance we had to show out and represent for our EducationWorks program. We got a very positive reaction from the crowd and appreciated the opportunity to perform at the Villa. Overall, it was a great experience and we hope to have many more during our growing music career.
-Da'me and Justin

South Philadelphia High School-Project H.O.M.E.

2009-11-19T13:52:00.009-05:00

Recognizing the need for material assistance, specifically to the poor, the South Philadelphia High Youth Council and staff approached Project H.O.M.E. and set up a clothing drive to benefit the homeless. Over 300 articles of clothing were collected, and the students are very apprecaitive of the oppertunity to give back to the community. Here are some pictures and comments from the students who were involved.
-Mr. Mike
My name is Haleem and I am helping the Youth Council collect clothing to give to the homeless. I personally think giving back to your local community shows your character, responsibility and ability to care for other people. I’m giving back because theirs nothing like seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they know they are being cared for and knowing that you are working to help people in their time of need.
-HaleemWhy do I think giving back to the community is important? It’s important because giving back reminds you where you are from and who you are. Giving back to the community is also good because you can help the poor. Giving back reminds us that we are all human and sometimes need help. We all are equal, whether African American, white, and so on. It also makes you feel good because you are doing something right to make the world a better place.
-Katrice

Students at Power 99

2009-11-06T12:04:00.010-05:00

Two of our students, Justin and Da'me, we invited to Power99 for a interview about their new song, Mr. Airline. Here is some commentary from the students about their experience and don't forget to check out the students other songs on the "student myspace music page" link on right.
-Mr. Mike

410{D&J}
Da’Me “D-wav Da Prince” Harris & Justin “JROCK*” Robinson

During our time as a group we have had many memorable moments. Our most recent one is when we got the opportunity to be on our local radio station, Power 99 fm. In order for this to happen we had to submit our song to the stations website under the “new uncover and discover” section of the site. When we first submitted our song we did not expect it to be played on the radio, however, about a month later we got a phone call and e-mail notice stating that on Friday, October 30th, we would receive two pre-recorded interviews followed by our song being aired on the radio. We were very excited and grateful for the opportunity, so immediately we had to tell all our family and friends.

On the day of the interview we prepared by asking each other potentialrview. When we first entered the building we were overwhelmed, and once we got inside the radio studio we couldn’t we were there. We met Mikey Dred and Uncle O (The HotBoyz) and they briefed us on how things go. After that we pre-recorded our interview at 8:25pm that would be later on aired at 9:00pm. When we were done we took pictures with the The HotBoyz and one of Power 99’s DJ’s, DJ Diamond Kutz. Overall, our experience from the day of the call, to the day of the interview has been a mind-blowing adventure. We hope that this radio exposure was the first step in our journey to be successful.
-Da'me and Justin

South Philadelphia High Mural

2009-10-29T11:46:00.005-04:00

The EducationWorks Mural, symbolic of the Superman logo, was inspired by the Youth Council of the South Philadelphia High after school program. This Mural was painted by Evan (Youth Council President), with assistance from Emanuel and Jared. This mural represents each and every student that has or will join EW and become part of the EW family. As for its continued use, it will now function as the logo for the South Philly Blog.
-Evan, Youth Council President

Moore College of Art and Design

2009-10-23T09:19:00.011-04:00

On Wednesday 10/21/2009 the students who are part of the after-school program at South Philly High went on a college tour of Moore College or Art and Design. We also had fun walking to Moore, stopping by LOVE park, and finishing up with "The Comcast Experience," at the Comcast Center. Here are some pictures and posts by the students who attended the tour.
-Mr. Mike

Today was a wonderful experience for me and my peers; we took a tour of Moore College of Art and Design. This college was home to many inspirational students who stayed on campus at this college for women. Our tour guides were very professional, friendly and provided their information in a very orderly manner. The creativity of the students attending Moore was just completely breath taking. We witnessed the hard work first hand as we quietly peeked into the classrooms. Ultimately, this trip to Moore College of art and design was a success that gave everyone a taste of art in its truest forms, leaving me eager to return. -Kahlil (Lil)

Today was a good experience for the students who are a part of the after-school program at South Philadelphia High. We were able to view all different types of artistic expression including sculpture, drawing techniques, and photographs. I find it enjoyable to get a glimpse of the process of making clothes, fine art, and 3D design. We were also able to stop by the Comcast center, which housed a very large LCD screen in the lobby. Overall I really liked the tour and I would like to return to Moore College of Art and Design to view the upcoming fashion shows. -Alkeem "The Prince of Dance"

We went to Moore College of Art and Design and saw so many wonderful things. I learned about clothes and how they were made. They actually used looms, wow. We also learned about photography as well as the process of making art from things that people would normally throw away. This is a strong all woman’s school. This proves that women can do anything! Every step we learned something positive and that how our minds should be-positive.
-Celeste

From all of us at South Philly High and EducationWorks, we would like to thank the Moore College of Art and Design for their hospitality.