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Madonna in the classical painting, Madonna and Child, by Michelangelo, and Cassandra Shepherd posed as the child. Blue Boy by
Thomas Gainsborough and The Gleaners by Jean Francois Millet were all executed professionally and expertly – costumes and all.

Even the narration was perfect.

This production was an early introduction to the arts that prepared me for my college Humanities courses. It also groomed me to

become the Founder and Artistic Director of Tajiri Performing Arts School and Museum of Sanford, Florida, in 1988.

During my last year at Hopper, Mrs. Inez Bacon was my sixth-grade teacher. She was a great educator who prepared us superbly for

the transfer to seventh grade, although I don’t remember a graduation at Hopper. I guess it wasn’t important to me at the time. I

believe my concentration was on the fact that I would be leaving Hopper, the confines of my mother, and would be out of her
clutches. I was so happy to attend our high school, Crooms Academy, which had students in the seventh through twelfth grades;

however, I soon learned that my mother had good friends at my high school, too! One was my godmother, Mrs. Eloise Eubanks. In

fact, she was the wife of our elementary school Principal, Mr. Lucius Eubanks. She taught business classes – Typewriting and
Shorthand – at Crooms Academy. So, in the final analysis, my mother still had eyes on me.