The month of February was filled with DCSS Black History Month celebrations as students saluted many heroes throughout history.
Kindergarten students at
New Manchester Elementary celebrated the month by
“PicturingBlack History.” In this creative endeavor to honorBlack History Month, students immersed themselves in the legacies of prominent figures through research and photography.
Kindergarten scholars were asked to recreate a photo of a famous black figure or historic event. Additionally, they worked with their parents to research and write facts about the influential figure they represented.
New Manchester Elementary School Principal Taniya Clagette was thrilled by the enthusiasm students showed in finishing this project.
“Our students and their parents really took this project to another level! I was so impressed with the finished products. Our Eagles soar in all that they do,” expressed Principal Taniya Clagette of New Manchester Elementary School.
Holly Springs Elementary students shined in their recent performance saluting Black
History Month! The evening program encouraged full student participation, where many of the young performers dressed up as prominent African American figures, sharing their inspirational quotes. Additionally, the accomplished dance team graced the stage with elegant moves that wowed the crowd.
“The icing on top of the cake was the fifth-grade students' presentation of musical talent spanning the decades,” said Media Specialist Kerry Harbin. “It was delightful to see the student's personalities shine through their lip sync performances,” she added.
The evening of March 1 at
Beulah Elementary School was the culmination of a month-long celebration of Black History. The first part of their celebration included the themed event Black History ABCs, which consisted of 26 students creating a living wax museum. Each participant researched and created a display board that mentioned important facts and
contributions about their famous African American figures. In addition, students enthusiastically dressed up in costumes, bringing their characters to life.
Museum visitors perused the school hallways, pressing a red button at the 26 stations. In response, students delivered brief speeches about their characters.
The second part of Beulah’s program included two selections from the Beulah chorus under the direction of Mrs. Escobar. The audience also received a special treat from the Bee Squad and Beulah Step Team, where they performed several routines and presented a poetry selection on Harriet Tubman.
To conclude the event, a special guest speaker, DeAna Jo Vivian, Executive Director of The C.T. Vivian Foundation, spoke about her father-in-law's work as a civil rights activist during the Martin Luther King Era. She shared a short presentation with students sitting on the edge of their seats. Following the delivery of her captivating message, she closed things out by distributing prizes to those who could correctly answer questions about her presentation.
At
Chapel Hill Elementary, under the direction of STEAM teacher Sally Reese, students celebrated important individuals that are important to history by reading books about them and by participating in an activity that represented each person.
Kindergarteners learned about Raye Montague as they read the book 'A Girl With a Mind for
Math'. She was the first African American Woman to lead a project in ship design for the U.S. Navy. They completed a project on buoyancy by creating a boat that would float and hold cargo.
The first graders and third graders read the book 'Martin's Big Words' and completed projects about Martin Luther King Jr. The first graders created a podium that MLK might have used when giving his “I Have a Dream” speech, while the third graders used graph paper to create one of his big words.
Second, fourth and fifth graders learned about famous African American women who were involved in the Race to Space. Second grade studied Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to go to space. They created a rocket booster launcher and read the book “Mae Among the Stars.” Fourth graders read the book “Counting on Katherine” and created a model of the Apollo 13 to represent Katherine Johnson's role in bringing the Apollo 13 safely back to earth. And fifth grade students read the book “Hidden Figures” and created a coding map to represent how Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christin Darden were instrumental in helping the astronauts during the Space race.