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Black History Month

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Katrina Sims, our Career Development Facilitator, introduced our students to a "Living History" exhibit featuring other students posing as Black leaders who made history.

Jackie Robinson
First Black to play Major League Baseball in the Modern Era.
Rosa Parks
Refused to give up her seat on the bus and became known as "the First Lady of Civil Rights."
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King
Civil Rights activist and Nobel Prize winner, along with his wife who founded the King Center and continued advocating for Civil Rights after her husband's assassination.
President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama
44th President and first Black President. His wife Michelle Obama is a published author and often ranked as one of the most admired women in America
Thurgood Marshall and Shirley Chisholm
Thurgood Marshall was the first Black Justice of the American Supreme Court. Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives.
Misty Copeland
First black woman to be promoted to principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre
Eartha Kitt
Actress, singer, activist. Three-time Emmy Award-winner and Two-time Grammy Award-winner
Madam CJ Walker
Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist said to be the "First Black Woman Millionaire" in America
Kobe Bryant
Pro basketball player who helped lead the LA Lakers to five championships.
Mar Jemison and Ron McNair
First Black woman to travel into space. She was a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. McNair was an astronaut and physicist who died aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Wilma Rudolph and Jesse Owens
Rudolph became a world-record-holding Olympic sprint champion. Owens won four gold medals in track and field at the 1936 Olympic Games.
Katherine Johnson
Katherine Johnson was a mathematician who was "the computer" who helped NASA safely place the first astronaut in earthly orbit.
John Lewis
John Lewis was an activist and politician who served in the US House of Representatives, elected from Georgia.
Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass
Malcolm X was Muslim minister and human rights advocate who articulated concepts of race pride and Black nationalism. Douglass was an abolitionist, orator, newspaper publisher.

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans. In 2023 we spotlighted many of our own graduates who have contributed so much to Dreher's history.

A'va Dukes
A'va Dukes was "Miss Blue Devil" and in the Homecoming Court of the Dreher Class of '15. A'va earned a BA at Clemson and an MA at The Ohio State University. She has stayed in Ohio to work in Marketing and Communications.
Adam Dillihay
Adam Dillihay is Class of '08. He holds BAA from Francis Marion and MBA from Webster U. He played soccer at both Dreher and Francis Marion. He served as Director of Admissions at Allen U and has extensive experience in sales. He is now Partner Adviser at Salesforce in San Diego.
Adrian Rhett
Adrian Rhett graduated with the Class of 1994. He is still the smiling man he was in the '94 Yearbook. We so appreciate his work as custodian that he was named last year's Dreher's "Classified Employee of the Year."
Alex English
Alex English graduated in 1972 with All-State honors. He went on to stellar careers at USC and in NBA and is named to every Basketball Hall of Fame. His #22 Dreher jersey was retired in 2020. https://scafricanamerican.com/honorees/alex-english/
Alexandria Fripp
Alexandria Fripp, Class of '14, was a QuestBridge match with Colorado College. She attended on a scholarship and earned a BA in Psychology, going on to add two masters from University of Arizona - Library Information Science and Mental Health Counseling. Ally now works in Library Services at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona.
Alphonso Baker
Alphonso Baker graduated in Dreher Class of '04. His BA is from USC. He is co-owner of Bkreative Media Solutions, a graphic design firm. He also has patented “The Outdoor SOC Light," all the while working for Toyota as Connected Technologies Operations & Planning Manager.
Ariel Asouzu
Assistant Principal Ariel Asouzu is a 2007 graduate of Dreher. She previously served as school counselor at Dreher, was appointed Assistant Administrator at Crayton Middle School, and returned to Dreher for the 2022-2023 school year as an Assistant Principal.
Bradford Lemmons
Bradford Lemmons, "Coming Home King" for Class of '14 and multi-sport athlete, played football at Furman where he earned a BS in Health Care Administration. He holds a Masters in the same field from USC and now is Administrative Fellow at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System.
Brianna Harris
Brianna Harris - "The Friendliest," according to her Senior Superlative - graduated with the Dreher Class of '15. She was in the Dance Company and Homecoming Court. She went on to USC where she was in the Carolina Coquettes Dance Team. She now studies at MUSC.
Brittany Matthews
Brittany Matthews graduated with the Dreher Class of '07. She earned a BA at USC and is a certified Leadership Coach, Mobile App Developer, and Social Media Influencer. She founded Premier App Solutions, LLC, one of the only African American woman-owned mobile app developers in SC.
CammWess
CammWess, known as Carmeron Wesley when he graduated from Dreher in 2015, went on to attend Winthrop College before he put his senior year "on hold" to compete in The Voice 2020. His incredible talent earned him place fourth under the tutelage of John Legend.
Cassius Rojas
Cassius (CJ) Rojas graduated with the Dreher Class of '18. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama in Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical Engineering. He is now employed as a Manufacturing Engineer at Lockheed Martin
Chelsea Wilson
Chelsea Wilson graduated in the Dreher Class of '17 and played on Dreher's championship basketball teams. She earned her BS in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University. She is a Field Engineer with Corning Optical Communications where she travels nationwide to implement the company's products.
Christopher Asuzu
Dr. Christopher Asuzu, '09 Dreher grad, earned a BS in Biology cum laude at College of Charleston. His medical degree is from MUSC. He was a resident in internal medicine at Duke University Hospital and is the rising chief cardiology fellow at Emory University.
Christopher Hickman
Christopher Hickman, Dreher Class of '08, earned BS in Psychology at Powers College of Business at Clemson. His JD is from Pepperdine Law and his subsequent MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. He is now with MBA Leadership Development Program at Vanguard in Philadelphia.
Constants Adams
Dr. Constants Adams is a 2008 alumna of Dreher where she was both Class President and Homecoming Queen. She graduated from USC with honors, attended MUSC, and served as Clinical Chief Resident in obstetrics & gynecology at Northwestern. She practices Ob/Gyn in Chicago.
Corey Jenkins
Corey Jenkins was a three-sport athlete and All-American who graduated from Dreher in 1995. He was a first round draft pick by the Red Sox and after baseball played QB at USC. He now brings his experience in college and NFL pro ball back to Dreher as our head football coach.
Curtis Sharp
Class of '05 Dreher graduate Curtis Sharp earned 3 letters in basketball & football & 2 in track. Sharp played football at US Naval Academy, where he earned BS in Economics. He has served as navigator on USS San Diego, Recruitment Officer, Division Officer, & Navy Department Head.
Damien Jackson
Beloved Dreher math teacher and football and track & field coach Damien Jackson passed away in 2021. He was senior class vice president of Dreher Class of 1996. All-Region in both football and track and field, Coach Jackson played football at Presbyterian College.
Deyaska Spencer
Deyaska Spencer graduated in Dreher Class of '01. She studied at Spelman and earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science (emphasis in Public Policy) at USC. Her law degree is from North Carolina Central University School of Law. She has a private practice in Columbia.
Dr. Lonnie Randolph
Dr. Lonnie Randolph is a 1968 graduate of Dreher and earned his degree in optometry from the Southern College of Optometry in 1977. He led the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP for 14 years and was elected into the Richland One Hall of Fame in 2019.
Dr. Nina-Serena Burkett
Dr. Nina-Serena Burkett graduated in the Dreher Class of '05. She received her medical degree at MUSC and completed residency at Georgetown University. She completed a vascular neurology clinical fellowship at the National Institutes of Health and is board certified in neurology.
Farrington Huguenin
After graduating from Dreher Farrington Huguenin played football and earned his bachelor's degree in Business/Corporate Communications from University of Kentucky. He played pro football and is now a business analyst and insurance professional.
J'Mya Brown
J'Mya Brown, Class of '17, earned BA in Organizational Leadership/minor in Dance from Temple and MBA from LSU. J'Mya was two-year captain and choreographer on Temple Diamond Gems Dance Team. She teaches dance in Evansville, Indiana.
Jaleel Jefferson
Jaleel Jefferson, Class of ’14, won the Gates Millennium Scholarship, fully funding his subsequent education. He graduated from the University of South Carolina Honors College and is now completing at PhD in Neuroscience at University of California, Davis.
Jennifer Asouzu
Jennifer Asouzu is Dreher class of '14. She holds BA in both Theatre-Performance and Communication from College of Charleston. Her earned her Master of Education (M.Ed.) from USC. She now serves as Assistant Director in the Office of New Student Orientation at USC.
Jhileiya Dunlap
Jhileiya Dunlap, Dreher Class of '16, was the 2016 SC Gatorade Player of Year. She helped Dreher win 3 basketball championships in 5 years. At Gulf Coast State College she won a national championship. Later she played for for Ole Miss and Troy. She has returned to serve Dreher as as assistant coach and monitor.
Joshua Alexander
Joshua Alexander "danced his way through Dreher" and graduated in 2011. He still hasn't stopped dancing. His credits include Bad Boys of Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, Glee, Hairspray Live, World of Dance, and 2022 Super Bowl choreographer and dancer.
Joyelle Newton
Joyelle Newton, Class of ’11, was a LEDA (Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America) scholar. Her degree in chemistry is from Davidson. She studied at Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory and is a registered nurse at Duke University Medical Center.
Kasey Parker
Kasey Parker graduated in 2016, having been twice named the Gatorade SC Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year, in recognition of her athletic and academic excellence and exemplary character. She helped Dreher win the State 3A championship in 2015. Kasey went on to play soccer at UNC.
Kaydra Duckett
Kaydra Duckett, Class of '14 Student Body President, "Most Athletic," 3A Player of the Year, State Champion Basketball Player, Homecoming Court, played basketball at USC and Coastal Carolina. She earned a BS in Information Technology and is an Information Specialist at Advanced Digital Data in Atlanta.
Kelly Brooks
Business teacher & Chair of Career & Technical Education Department at Dreher is Class of 1990 grad Kelly Brooks. She lettered for 4years in both basketball and track & field, earning All-American honors. She is co-chair of FBLA, NTHS, and has coached 3 state champion track teams.
Keturah Jackson
Keturah Jackson graduated from Dreher in 2005, having twice led Dreher basketball to #1 ranking. She was 2004 SC Gatorade Player of Year and was named SC Class 3A "Miss Basketball." She played basketball for Duke and is now an assistant coach of Northeastern women’s basketball.
Kiara Williams
Kiara Williams graduated with the Dreher Class of 2008. She earned a BFA in Visual Communication Design from Winthrop. Kiara is a published author with an eight volume Anime series "The Electric Rose" available on Amazon!
Lakesha Tolliver
Lakesha Tolliver graduated with the Dreher Class of '03. She earned her BS and Masters in Sport and Entertainment Management at USC. She played basketball for Dreher and for the Gamecocks. She is a Technical Manager at Rapid7, a Tampa firm specializing in cybersecurity.
Laurence Thompson
Laurence Thompson, Dreher Class of '17, holds a Bachelor's in Broadcast Journalism from USC and an MBA from Columbia International U. He is now Assistant Director of Athletic Communications at Lipscomb University in Nashville.
Madison Williams
Madison Williams, "Best Dressed," Cheerleader, Homecoming Court, & Senior Class President, graduated in 2014. She earned a BS in Psychology at Clemson and Masters in Counseling at USC. She has returned to teach Special Education at Dreher.
Niani Feelings
Niani Feelings is an alumna from Dreher's Class of 2013. She earned a BFA from Boston Conservatory and is on the first national tour of Mean Girls. Niani is a dancer, choreographer, singer, and teacher.
Pastor Darrell Jackson
Honorable Darrell Jackson, Sr., graduated in Dreher Class of '75. He holds a BA from Benedict and an MA from Columbia International U. He has served in the State Senate since 1993. He is businessman, pastor of Bible Way Church, and recipient of numerous Honorary Doctorates.
Raymond Perkins
Raymond Perkins was Student Body President in senior year, 2008-09. He has BA in mathematics & economics from Morehouse and completed PhD in Operations Research & Financial Engineering at Princeton. He is Senior Research Scientist in People Analytics & Workforce Strategy at Meta.
Shana Thomas
Shana Thomas graduated from Dreher in 1997 as Student Body President. That year she was recognized as the National Coca-Cola Scholar from the state of South Carolina. She has a BS in Business from the College of Charleston and a certificate of journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has won various awards in the field of journalism. She currently oversees media and public relations for a government in Metro Atlanta.
Stacy Carlos
Stacy Carlos graduated with the Dreher class of '12 and earned a $30,000 scholarship to Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). He holds a BS in Computer Science and Biotechnology from RIT. He works as a senior software engineer at Blackbaud.
Theresa Guinyard
Theresa Guinyard is a proud member of the Dreher Class of 1989. While at Dreher she lettered for four years in track and field. She has returned to again make her mark on the school by serving as our Building Supervisor.
Vanderbilt Singleton
Vanderbilt Singleton earned a Bachelor of Music at Winthrop and a Master of Music from University of Alabama. He now studies at West Virginia University toward his DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) in Music Performance. He is professional trumpeter, playing with many different orchestras.
Victoria Bailey
Victoria Bailey, Dreher Class of ’15, received the Capitol Rotary Scholarship. She attended the College of Charleston and graduated with a BS in biology, with a concentration in molecular biology. She is in her fourth year of medical school at MUSC.
Vinez Lyde
Vinez Lyde graduated with the Dreher Class of '17 having earned a gold medal in the 200-free relay and a fully-funded Stamps Presidential Scholarship to Georgia Tech. She graduated from Georgia Tech with a BS in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and now is an Associate Supply Chain Engineer with PepsiCo.
Zelig Williams
Zelig Williams acted and danced at Dreher until graduation in 2014. He earned a BFA in Commercial Dance from Pace University. His Broadway credits include MJ the Musical, Hamilton, and an international tour with Hugh Jackman.
Zhuri Solan
Zhuri Solan, Dreher Class of '15, earned a BS in Materials Science and Biomedical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon. Her Masters in Bioengineering is from University of California, Berkeley. She is a Production Engineer and Platform Owner at Invitae in San Francisco.

Career Development Facilitator Katrina Sims and School Counselor April Finley organized a Black History Month Assembly with the message "Lift Every Voice."

Among the highlights:

**The program was enthusiastically emceed by seniors Kennedy Z. Williams and Dorthanius Slade.  

**Dreher Singers (Zoey Hughes, Jazmen McDaniel, Kyerra Housey, Jza'Brion Jackson, Zachary Franks-Hopkins, Hezekiah Webber, Dothanius Slade and Quenia Taylor) performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing," often referred to as "The Black National Anthem."  

**Under the baton of Nathan Tucker the Dreher Orchestra played a piece by Creole violinist and composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner who rose to heights in French society as a composer during the time of Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution.

**Senior Class Vice President Kyerra Housey recounted the history of Black History Month.

**Senior Zoey Hughes performed an interpretive dance to Maya Angelou's reading of her own poem, "Still I Rise."

**Dana Morgan and Kennedi Sanders danced to the song "Drop."

**Several spirited groups lip-synced and danced to favorites from Motown. Among them were Kaitlin Williams, Kennedy Williams, Jasmen McDaniel, and Brianna Sims lip syncing as "The Supremes" and Devin Frazier, Brandon Matthews, Caleb Timmons, JaQuan McClinton, and Lamont Brabham as "The Temptations."  We also heard from Tammi Terrell, Marvin Gay, and Stevie Wonder!

**The Dreher Singers closed with the spiritual, 'Ride On, King Jesus."

 

Deyaska Spencer
A true highlight of the assembly was the appearance of Deyaska Spencer, proud member of the Dreher Class of '01.  Senior Caleb Timmons introduced Ms. Spencer who is a personal injury attorney with her own law firm and is Vice-chair of the Richland County Democratic Party.. Ms. Spencer's dynamic delivery and inspiring message held the audience's rapt attention.  Her wise advice to Blue Devils is to understand that "success is the friend of hard work."