Art by Alexis

02/18/2026

This is my mother, Sandra Smith!
And she is wonderful!
Not only was she the first Black and the first woman to serve as the Assistant Superintendent for Newton County Schools, she was:👇🏽
👉🏽The first female and first Black female to be the Assistant Principal of Thomson High School of the McDuffie County School System.
👉🏽The first Black and the first Black female to serve as the Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Staff Development of the McDuffie County School System.
👉🏽The first Black female Director of one of the State Department of Education’s (Georgia Department of Education’s) Regional School Improvement Service Centers.

Thank you, Sherri Partee and the Newton County School System, for giving my mother her “flowers!!”👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Thank you, Mother, for being a great Mother!!❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for giving me the Nesquik chocolate milk (out of the freezer) to keep it cold!! And for putting it in the tall Tupperware cup!😁🤗
(Who remembers Tupperware???🤣🤣)
Thank you for running in the yard with the clothes over your head (for the clothesline) to make me laugh (singing, “Fly! Fly away!”)🤣
Thank you for making us laugh with the Hanson Cars at Six Flags!!

I love you, Mother!!
Thank you for paving the way for us!
You are truly a Trailblazer🙏🏽
Repost 📸 Newton County Schools!

As we continue honoring a century of Black history—past and present—Newton County Schools is proud to recognize the trailblazers who helped shape leadership in our district.

Today’s Black History Month spotlight honors Ms. Sandra Smith, Newton County Schools’ first African American assistant superintendent and the first high-ranking Black female in district leadership. Serving as Assistant Superintendent for Personnel from 1994 to 2006, Ms. Smith paved the way for future deputy superintendents and division chiefs, helping expand representation at the highest levels of district leadership.

Her service marked a significant milestone for Newton County Schools and reflected the growing impact of Black women in executive educational leadership. Through her work in personnel and human resources, she influenced the recruitment, support, and development of countless educators and staff members across our system.

We are proud to recognize Ms. Sandra Smith’s legacy and the doors she helped open for future generations of leaders.

Stay tuned as we continue highlighting Newton County Schools trailblazers throughout Black History Month.

02/11/2026

Teen dating violence is not an easy topic to hold, but it is a necessary one. Across Georgia, young people are navigating relationships in a world that often teaches them to ignore their instincts, silence their discomfort, or mistake control for love. Too many teens are carrying experiences they don’t have language for — moments that felt confusing, heavy, or simply “not right,” but were brushed aside because no one ever told them what healthy love should feel like. This issue exists because you deserve clarity. You deserve truth. You deserve to know that love should never make you feel small, scared, or controlled. And if something in your world has crossed a line, you are not alone, and you are not to blame. Use this link to read more: https://daylightinc.org/2026/02/10/sending-love-light-for-february/

05/25/2025

*Sound on!* 🔈**Remembering *George Floyd!** This painting is entitled *Contributing to the Cause*
I painted it in 2020, watching the George Floyd riots in Atlanta *in real time* on the TV in my Art studio…
It was all I could do. I figured I’d use my talent to contribute somehow to speak out against the injustice: where he was killed – murdered – *LYNCHED* in broad daylight (on May 25, 2020) — where an oppressor kept a knee on his neck for over 9 minutes — while he slowly suffocated.

There was no due process….

This painting is Oil and Cold Wax on cradled wood panel:
Title: *Contributing to the Cause*
Size: 18”x 24”
Medium: Oil and cold was on Cradled wood panel

This is my own fist….
See on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZOR5yhQiGsY?feature=shared

12/06/2024

It was so good to see Tim'm T. West again after Duke University! We reconnected through the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, where I took my students yesterday — on a trip for the Black Student Union at my school!! Tim’m and I attended Duke University together, and he was able to help make this trip possible!
I am “passing the mantle” to the Black Student Union at my school — making them aware of their history, so they will be equipped to navigate this world today!
Tim’m — you are still radiating that “sunshine energy!”
Forever Duke

07/11/2024

This is my progress on the hair! Sound on! 🔈Thanks for watching!✌🏽