Friday marked the last school day of Black History Month, and while our teachers have woven black history into their lessons these last four weeks, it happens throughout the year as well.
Students of all grade levels have participated in engaging projects that introduce or reinforce the role black figures have had in our world, including the areas of literature, art, music, history and medicine. Some examples include:
Re-writing Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech from personal perspective
Creating illustrations that feature the student’s view of what was most important about the speech and why
Studying black artists and their influence on culture
Studying black composers and the influences they’ve had on music
Including the books Hidden Figures and A Raisin in the Sun, along with texts from Frederick Douglass in literacy modules throughout the year
An interactive activity that focuses on black historical figures, where students learn about one person and then engage with classmates as if they were that person
Research and comparison of the impact Gandhi had on the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr, versus the current civil rights movement.
At the staff level, a committee of administrators is working to demonstrate a non-stop commitment that ensures all students leave school fully prepared to succeed in a society that is ever more racially, ethnically and socioeconomically diverse. This is a small but intentional process to research, learn, listen and expand our understanding so that we become better prepared to serve ALL students, and our effort is ongoing.
We cannot turn our backs to the tensions that exist in our nation, even now, even in 2021. But as we turn our calendars to March, our efforts will continue.
Photos:
PCMS students read Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin In the Sun," and focused on what happens when a person's dream is deferred, specifically when it is due to racial and social injustices outside of a person's control. They studied her characters and the conflict they endured due to being black, poor, and in the main character's case, a poor and black woman.
Kindergarten students visited The Imagination Lab in February, and learned about artist Alma Thomas, who is best known for the exuberant, colorful, abstract paintings that she created after her retirement from a 35-year teaching (art) career. She loved painting her garden, and watched changes in the environment around her as inspiration.
In Mrs. Honegger's PCMS art class, students learned about Kehinde Wiley, the artist who painted President Obama's official portrait. His subjects are most often people of color, and his style is to study a classic portrait, replace the subject of his work in the classic portrait setting, then replace the background with something more modern and dramatic.
