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Sallie B. Howard Updates School Song 27 Years After Original

(Wilson, N.C.) – June 4, 2024 – Twenty-seven years after the original was composed by long-time band director Paul Atlas, the Sallie B. Howard Music Department has updated the official SBH school song. The new version of the song will be unveiled at the SBH Academy Awards tonight at 6:00 pm, while simultaneously premiering as a music video on the school’s YouTube channel.

The idea to revise the school song came from SBH music teacher Jeremy Herring. Last summer, one of Mr. Herring’s friends – a banker and SBH graduate – asked Mr. Herring for a recording of the school song. No official recording of the song was available, which inspired Mr. Herring to embark on a project to create a new, dynamic version of the song that would capture the spirit of SBH for current and future generations.

“We’re incredibly excited to share with the world a new spin on this beloved classic,” Mr. Herring said. “The SBH song and video are a celebration of our school’s history and values, and we hope it will continue to be a cherished part of our school spirit for years to come.”

The lyrics to the SBH song originated from a student contest hosted by the school in 1997, the year of Sallie B. Howard’s founding. Joyah Bulluck, then a fifth grader, was one of the winning writers. Her words, “Growing and learning at Sallie B” became the opening to the song. Mr. Atlas and SBH student Shane Forrester contributed the remaining lyrics. Mr. Herring added new lyrics to the original to create the modern, Afrobeat-inspired version that’s debuting tonight.

Click here to watch the music video.

Music Production Credits:

Original Composition: Paul Atlas (1997)

Rearranged by: Jeremy Herring (2024)

Music Production/Recording Engineer: Jayvin Finch

Vocals: 4th/5th Grade Chorus

Vocal Production/Additional Vocals: Jeremy Herring

Drumline: Jair Taylor

Music Video Credits:

Video Concept: Mavis Poole

Videographers: Cacho Torres & David Ponce

HS Videographers: Mavis Poole & Jayvin Finch

Video Editing: David Ponce

SBH School Song – “We Love You Sallie B”

Original Lyrics (1997) – Paul Atlas, Joyah Bulluck, Shane Forrester

Revised (2024) – Jeremy Herring

Verse 1

Growing and learning at Sallie B.

Sallie B. Howard’s the school for me

Reading and writing and math, you see

Arts come together at Sallie B.

Chorus

Sallie B. Howard School

Learning’s fun, learning’s cool

Sallie B. Howard School

We love you, Sallie B.

Speak

Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, Excellence

Verse 2

A place to embrace opportunities

Creating a pathway for you and me

Dream it…Imagine…Do anything!

There’s magic that happens at Sallie B.

Repeat Chorus