In a new place with new people this summer, Mahagani Hazel found that the first few days at the Sand Hills Community Center Summer Youth Program were the toughest.
“I was kind of in my shell,” said Mahagani, a Richmond Hill Middle School student, on June 5. “The last couple of days I’ve started to open up, and I feel other people have as well.”
The group of students had just finished their music session with Tony Aaron Hambrick, who went over the lyrics of Des’ree’s 1994 single, “You Gotta Be”, which the students will perform at the end of the camp session June 12.
He also evoked laughter from the students as he revealed that under his baseball cap, he was indeed bald. It had been a running joke for the week as students wondered if he had hair under his hat. They had to earn points by doing well in activities to find out that answer, and when they reached 100 points, the cap came off.
The students have built a sense of camaraderie through small moments such as that one and others throughout the week.
Mahagani wasn’t the only one who felt a little shy early on. Alonna Butler, a Garrett Elementary School fifth grader, also felt reserved at first, but she broke out of her shell by making friends and having fun.
“This is a brand-new experience for me, but I learn a lot of things every day,” she said.
Music is only one piece of the program founded by Karen Brown, an Augusta native whose career included becoming a Dance Theatre of Harlem legacy artist and the first African-American woman to lead a large, historic classical ballet company in the United States, serving as Artistic Director of Oakland Ballet from 2000 to 2006,.and supported by instructors such as Russell Joel Brown, C. Keith Brown, A. Nick Brown and Baruti Tucker.
Other components include financial literacy, entrepreneurship and leadership.
A poster on the wall highlighted a theme for the two weeks, an acronym for RICH (respect, integrity, character and heritage).
Hambrick said heritage was important and was incorporated by bringing in those he referred to as “community elders” who are sharing words of wisdom and life experience with the students.
“They’ve given them some good information to help them on their journey through school and throughout their lives,” he said.
Throughout the two weeks, the 10–14-year-olds are creating projects that will highlight what they’ve learned in each of the programming areas.
“Everything that we’re doing — all the music, all the dancing, what we’re teaching them is that it should have a purpose. Our gifts and talents should inspire others, motivate others, spark curiosity and bring people together,” he said.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
