Here at R.J. Reynolds High School, November always enunciates some of the best qualities of our school culture, namely the Thanksgiving Assembly, Food Drive and the iconic club fair known as, “Reynolds-sance.”  These three events engage the entire student body in a unanimous spirit of giving, while being opportunities for students to show their school pride and hang out with their friends on the last day before Thanksgiving Break.

Thanksgiving Assembly

The Thanksgiving Assembly was jam-packed with events and showcases of school talent in its hour and a half program slot.  Appearances were made by the RJR Jazz Band, A Cappella, guest speaker Endia Beal and various students facilitating the entire event.

The Jazz Band provided the music between transitions and kept the assembly going when nothing else was happening with entertaining tunes such as Song of San Miguel, Basin Street Blues and All of Me.

Student Government officials such as President Zeke Duncan, Vice-President Strode Blanchard and Secretary Grant Collins also made appearances to introduce speakers, as well as announce the winners of the Food drive competition between clubs and class.  Moreover, these SGA officials along with others introduced a variety of student-led performances such as Meg Nielsen, who performed “G.R.A.T.I.T.U.D.E,” by Macy Blum and A Cappella who performed, “I’m Not The Man,” by Ben Folds.

The guest speaker was none other than Endia Beal, Director of the Diggs Art Gallery at Winston-Salem State University, a member from the RJR class of 2004 and a recent inductee into the RJR Arts Hall of Fame. Her speech focused around the school theme of “Perspective,” and showcased her photography that touched on a myriad of topics like being a black woman in an office setting, the environment surrounding Yale University and much, much more.

Food Drive

The Key Club food drive once again yielded thousands of cans from across the school to those in need, a true testament to the giving spirit associated with this time of year for RJR.  While a multitude of clubs and classes participated in the food drive, only one from each could take the coveted trophy.  Those lucky two were the Girls Council and Ms. Jones’s Math class.

“I have been the adviser [of Key Club] for 5 years at RJR high school.  I really try to instill the value of helping others into our club by encouraging our members to go throughout their neighborhoods and ask them for donations,” AP U.S. History teacher John Clevenger recalls how he engages the Key Club to participate in the Food Drive every year, as well as maintain the spirit of student leadership around the event, year after year.

Mr. Clevenger, while contributing to the thousands of cans collectively accumulated through all of the clubs, also received the honorable teacher dedication in the RJR 2017-2018 Black and Gold Yearbook during the Thanksgiving Assembly.  He, along with many other club advisers and teachers, help every year to make sure that the food drive is a well participated collective act of community service.

“I think it’s invaluable that the food we collect as a school helps feed our community for several months.  The only changes that I hope to see is that every year I hope we are able to collect more and more food for our community,” Clevenger said.

Reynolds-sance

During what would have been fourth period on any other day was an annual showcase of clubs that invites students, teachers and faculty to engage with one another along a spectrum of activities such as pool noodle fencing, actual fencing, eating Krispy Kreme donuts, placed in jail or being followed by mimes.

“Reynolds-sance,” as usual, was a blast.  Clubs by the dozen were present, sprawled out from the outside eating area to the Arts building.  Everywhere you looked, there was a club and people walking and talking with their friends enjoying the “Reynolds-sance” atmosphere.