Speaks about the importance of education at his alma mater Princess Anne High School, Receives Key to the City of Virginia Beach.
Virginia Beach: Pharrell Williams returned home to Virginia Beach to headline Z104’s Shaggfest Saturday and spent the day encouraging local students in his From One Hand to AnOTHER program and his alma mater Princess Anne High School to make their dreams reality. Pharrell honored at High School homecoming event with Key to the City and a state proclamation to make June 7 Pharrell Williams Day in the state of Virginia.
Pharrell’s first stop was Parkway Elementary, one of nine sites where his educational charity, From One to AnOTHER hosts after school programs and Summer Innovation Camps offering a STEAMM curriculum (Science Technology Engineering Art Math and Motivation) to underserved children. There, Pharrell met with students who had just completed FOHTA’s Think Green program in which students identified future career goals and how they would employ environmentally sustainable practices in those careers.
From there, Pharrell headed to his alma mater, Princess Anne High School to kick off From One Hand to AnOTHER’s partnership with Everfi, Inc, the leading critical skills education company. Beginning this summer, EverFi will provide digital learning opportunities for students taking part in FOHTA’s Summer Innovation Camp. Over 600 third through eighth grade students will take part in the program and utilize Ignition - Digital Literacy & Responsibility™ and Vault - Understanding Money™, two EverFi digital learning experiences designed for elementary school students. The Ignition digital learning experience helps students live and succeed in a world filled with computers, helping them understand the skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow. Vault helps increase students’ knowledge and build the foundation for making good financial decisions at a young age.
The Princess Anne event was attended by 800 students, administrators and community officials, and included Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms and state delegate Ron Villanueva. The school band, where it all started for Pharrell, played “Happy” as he entered the gymnasium. Pharrell spoke on the importance of education, and honored his teachers, in particular his Band Teacher Alan Sharps, who was also in attendance. “Often times you hear celebrities say…’My teachers never thought I was never gonna be anything or they told me I couldn’t do it…so, look at me now.’ But that wasn’t my experience. My teachers here at P.A. kept telling me I could.” Pharrell encouraged kids to “Pay attention” in school. “This is what I want for all of you, I want you to have the same encouragement that I did. The one thing I would encourage you to do is never say ‘wanna’ just say ‘gonna.’ Because it works. Put it out there, figure out what the blueprint is…and you can do it.”
The event closed with Virginia Beach Mayor Sessoms presenting Pharrell with the Key to the City and the Governor’s office issuing a proclamation naming June 7 Pharrell Williams Day in the state of Virginia.
Of his organization, From One Hand to AnOTHER Pharrell said, “Children are filled with so much possibility and potential, but it’s critical that we surround them with opportunities to learn, to be creative, and to have access to passionate teachers and mentors. If we’re going to develop a prepared workforce and the future leaders of America, we need to make these kinds of critical learning opportunities possible. What Everfi is doing is aiding in that effort, teaching kids in a different way in which they will remain interested, because curiosity is at the heart of every lesson.”
Pharrell also called for higher wages for teachers and pay equality between women and men teachers.
About Pharrell Williams
Redefining cool for a new generation, Pharrell Williams is a creative force, using music, fashion, and design to express his distinctive style. From his beginnings as a teenage prodigy and multi-instrumentalist in Virginia Beach back in the early ’90s, through enough hits to earn him Billboard’s Producer of the Decade in 2010, to his current status as multi-media superstar, Williams has never stopped creating. Starting his producing career as one half of The Neptunes with Chad Hugo, Williams has helped create such classics as Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” Jay-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U (Give it 2 Me),” Britney Spears’s “I’m A Slave 4 U,” and Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You.” With over 100 million copies of his productions sold, his music sounds like something no one else has thought of just yet. He’s also created a new way of looking at established stars like Snoop Dogg, Madonna, and even the Rolling Stones. Over four albums, Williams and Hugo along with Shae Haley created an unpredictable hybrid as part of the alt-rock/hip-hop group N.E.R.D. The music industry has honored Pharrell with 7 Grammy Awards (including 2004’s and 2014’s “Producer of the Year”) and ASCAP’s prestigious Golden Note Award in 2012. He also received a 2014 Academy Award Nomination for his original song “Happy” featured in the animated film Despicable Me 2. “Happy” remained atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart for ten consecutive weeks, peaked at #1 on iTunes in 103 markets worldwide, and is the lead single off of his new album “G I R L.” Pharrell’s second solo album “G I R L” was released on March 3, 2014 to rave reviews. His prolific body of work also ranges from designing a sculpture with Tokyo-born artist Takashi Murakami to accessories and jewelry for luxury goods brand Louis Vuitton, to t-shirts for Japanese mega-brand Uniqlo, to adidas sportswear and to the forthcoming perfume collaboration with Comme des Garcons. Pharrell’s work in the humanitarian field is an extension of his humble success. In 2008, he founded From One Hand To AnOTHER (FOHTA), a foundation focused on supporting the Pharrell Williams Resource Centers’ learning programs for underserved youth in at risk communities across the nation. This past March Pharrell partnered with the United Nations Foundation to celebrate the International Day of Happiness inspiring individuals all over the globe to demonstrate their unique “happy.” Now, with his latest venture i am OTHER — a multi-media creative collective that serves as an umbrella for all his endeavors, including Billionaire Boys Club & ICECREAM apparel, textile company Bionic Yarn and a dedicated YouTube channel — Williams’s vision continues to push pop culture forward. This fall, Pharrell will continue to spread this vision and happiness as he heads out on a 20-date “Dear G I R L” tour across Europe.
About From One Hand to Another
From One Hand To AnOTHER is a 501 C3 Not for Profit Foundation established by Pharrell Williams for the sole purpose of supporting STEAMM learning programs developed for underserved youth between the ages of 7 and 20 in at risk communities. FOHTA’s mission is to “Change the world one kid at a time by providing them the tools and resources to meet their unique potential.”
About EverFi Inc.
EverFi, Inc. is the leading education technology company to teach, assess, and certify learners in critical skills. EverFi’s education learning platforms include Financial Literacy, Student Loan Management, Digital Citizenship, Cyberbullying, STEM Readiness, Entrepreneurship, Alcohol Abuse and Sexual Assault Awareness. The company is already powering a national movement in 50 states that enables adults and students to learn using the latest technology, including rich media, 3D gaming, simulation, social networking, and virtual worlds. With backing from some of technology’s most innovative leaders including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Twitter founder Evan Williams, and Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, EverFi has built the most comprehensive critical skills platform and has certified over 7 million students. Learn more at www.everfi.com.
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