Maya McFadden photos
At Friday's Black History Month celebration at Barack Obama School. "What Black history means to me is that I get to celebrate the Black people who made the world a better place," said one student.
Students honored after "caught being STRONG."
Perfect attendance, Black trailblazers, and the ability to gather in-person as a school again were all causes for celebration Friday, at a student-and-staff-led Black History Month event hosted by Barack H. Obama Magnet University School.
The celebration of Pre‑K through fourth-grade student achievements and talents began around 9 a.m. Friday at the 69 Farnham Ave. magnet elementary school.
Each month the school celebrates its scholars’ successes in attendance, academics, and kindness.
The key characteristics that the school aims to instill in its scholars are excellence, respect, and acceptance.
“We want them to get comfortable bringing their cultural differences out and celebrate their individuality,” Principal Jamie Baker-Vilsaint said on Friday.
Principal Jamie Baker-Vilsaint.
During an opening speech about this month’s celebration, Baker-Vilsaint reminded the students that “you are the change-makers.”
Baker-Vilsaint and Assistant Principal Melanie Thomas also presented second-grade teacher Karissa O’Keefe with flowers for organizing the monthly town halls for the past eight years.
O’Keefe said she continues to organize the town halls for the school each month to “get everyone back together” and “be a family.”
She added that the town halls have helped each month for the past eight years to connect students with new administrators and school staff.
Town hall organizer and second-grade teacher Karissa O'Keefe receives thank you bouquet.
The celebration kicked off with a three-minute video compilation of students’ Black history-themed projects that they have completed this month. The video showed a student door-decorating contest and student art made to depict various Black historical leaders.
Students cheered as their work passed on the screen and called out, “That’s ours!” with pride and smiles.
The town hall also aimed to build student confidence and teach students that “fear is the impact of change,” said Baker-Vilsaint.
Thomas and Baker-Vilsaint.
To celebrate students’ improvements and proficiency in the school’s math program i‑Ready over the past month, students were paid a visit by i‑Ready mascot Plory.
Dozens of students received awards for improving their math skills in a month’s time and for being 100 percent fluent in i‑Ready’s reflex math program, which is designed to help students master the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Students also sang a rendition of “This Little Light of Mine” with the help of music teacher Keith Capozzi.
Click here and here to watch videos of Friday’s awards and performances.
i-Ready mascot Plory visits Barack Obama School ...
...students welcome Plory
Throughout Friday’s gathering students also received awards for student of the month, perfect attendance, and for being “caught being STRONG.”
For the STRONG awards, students were celebrated for doing acts of kindness and showing leadership around the school with their classmates and staff.
Students received STRONG Awards for helping their peers with class work, giving a friend a jacket during a fire drill, inviting new students to play with them, encouraging and celebrating other students, and giving up their seats during lunch for others.
This month, 166 students had perfect attendance and were awarded with certificates of recognition.
Scholars get awards for most improved in i-Ready math program.
To close out the hour-long town hall, the schools’ second-graders took the stage to share about Black trailblazers they’re inspired by and learned about this month. Those included Rosa Parks, Bessie Coleman, Ruby Bridges, Madam C.J. Walker, and Booker T. Washington. Some also shared what Black History Month means to them.
“What Black history means to me is that I get to celebrate the Black people who made the world a better place,” said one student.
“Black History is important because Black lives matter,” said another student.
The students ended with a song and dance called “Black History (It’s Yours).”
“Black history, yes it’s yours,” the students sang together.
Students conclude with freestyle dances.
Watch the Friday second grade performance above.
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