This year, Culture Club at Scotlandville Magnet High School (SMHS) and Capitol High School (CHS) empowered students to transform their campuses and communities through creativity, collaboration, and hands-on learning. The program provided students with the opportunity to explore the intersection of art, agriculture, and sustainability, leaving a lasting impact on their schools and personal development.
At SMHS, students immersed themselves in the world of graffiti art, designing their own lettering styles, crafting custom alphabets, and even transforming them into digital fonts for sale. Their graffiti installation now adds bold energy to the school’s weight room. Beyond art, they explored culinary creativity by learning how to make sushi and embraced urban farming by revitalizing the mural garden at the school’s entrance. Students also painted personal symbolism portraits, created relief carvings for the African American Museum, and played a key role in Fall Fest logistics, including running a popular henna tattoo booth. Their hard work culminated in a field trip to the Louisiana Art & Science Museum (LASM), where they explored the King Tut exhibit, learned about engineering, and created their own amulets and cartouches.
CHS students also had a transformative year, leaving their mark on campus and in their garden. Under the guidance of Yasmyne Wells of Just Growing Here, they built and painted seating for their outdoor space, harvested fresh greens, hibiscus, and herbs, and crafted vibrant garden signs. The Culture Club Garden Beautification project provided students with a deeper understanding of farming and its relevance to everyday life. They explored the benefits of growing their own produce, learned the principles of farm-to-table living, and gained insight into how agriculture can evolve into a sustainable livelihood.
The artistic journey at CHS included mastering wildstyle graffiti techniques and painting a front entrance ground mural that proudly proclaims, “If no one has told you they love you today, BABY WE DO,” a daily message from their administration. These projects, led by Morgan Udoh, exposed students to various art techniques, styles, and mediums, fostering their creativity and self-expression.
Looking ahead, students from both campuses will continue their urban farming and public art explorations in the spring. Digital media students will join forces as the official photography and videography team for the MLK Festival of Service, capturing the spirit and stories of their shared community work.
Culture Club continues to thrive as a space where students learn, grow, and leave lasting legacies on their schools and beyond. Through a blend of agriculture, art, and innovative education, this semester’s efforts have expanded the minds of future leaders and thinkers while fostering pride in their schools and communities.
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