Education

Editorial by Rob Gettys

Have you noticed that the older we get, the more we talk about the olden days and even relish the idea of meeting up with our “long-lost friends” again? Were things that much better back then, or is it that our memory and nostalgia makes it seem that way? Oftentimes, the things we remember most from our childhood can seem larger than life, and returning to them can seem less glamorous as we had once imagined.

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

The Pine Forge Academy (PFA) choir’s motion picture This is My Black was recently nominated for a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Award in the Outstanding Breakthrough Creative category.

The musical, featuring the PFA choir, depicts the struggle and triumph of black teenagers in today’s time. It has been featured at several film festivals throughout the United States.

Mrs. Laura Short, the teacher of the Freshman Life Skills class, invited me to meet with the young men’s section. The semester, themed “Do Hard Things,” includes discussion of challenging subjects and practical handyman skills. I admit, we drifted from the suggested topic, as I shared my personal rehabilitation journey from COVID-19 pneumonia. I had been home for 15 months, after being discharged from a 3 1/2-month hospital stay.