In a cafeteria teeming with students, staff, and family members, Kelly School students of all grade levels took to the stage recently to celebrate Black History month with presentations, posters, speeches, and songs. The event, split into two assemblies for students in PreK-2 and grades 3-5, took place during the school day on Friday, February 27, marking the culmination of an annual month-long focus on Black history.
Presentations covered a wide range of topics, including prominent Black historical figures, the civil rights movement, and social-emotional learning topics. Across grade levels, the presentations had one thing in common: Each was student-led and student-voiced, with the goal of educating peers and visiting family members.
For the staff who organized the assembly, seeing students engaging thoughtfully with one another is what it’s all about.
“When we are purposeful about learning Black History, we’re able to have really important discussions about identity and equity, and it really helps to build empathy in the classroom,” explained Elise Abreu, a grade 5 teacher and member of the Kelly School Culture and Equity Committee. The committee, made up of staff members across multiple departments and grade levels, is responsible for organizing the assemblies for Black History Month and other cultural celebrations.
Kelly’s youngest learners in PreK and kindergarten stepped up to the stage to share a few facts about such notable historical figures as Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King Jr. For many of these young students, this was their first experience addressing an audience through a microphone—made a bit less intimidating with assistance from their teachers. Students also shared a lot of the work they completed over the month, including art projects and informational posters about historical figures.
Older students gave more robust presentations, passing a microphone back and forth to read essays, share their thoughts, and explain their class projects. Grade 4 students shared their paper “quilt,” a collaborative project in which each student completed a biography of a relevant historical figure of their choosing. Making their own decisions about whom to research was part of what made this project impactful, the students explained.
For the Kelly School Culture and Equity Committee, seeing students engaged in learning makes this event a success. The committee hopes to keep growing their events, which cover a broad range of cultural themes.
“The committee has been in place for a few years now,” said Carolyn Foote, another committee member and reading interventionist at Kelly School. “Our focus is on educational celebrations that uplift our students. This is our second year doing a Black History Month assembly, and it’s at the end of the month so students can share what they learned. We also celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month in the fall, and will be celebrating Holyoke’s Irish history next.