During the month of February, each Division held a special Assembly celebrating Black History Month. On February 21, Middle School students processed into the Assembly Room accompanied by a lovely piece on the piano played by a MS peer. They program began with an introduction from a Class 6 student, who shared the history and significance of the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which was then sung by members of the MS Chorus.
Next, members of Class 7 Junior Council took turns at the mic celebrating prominent Black individuals. It was shared, for example, that Zora Neale Hurston was the author of several notable works including the powerful novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. Other members spoke about Aimee Allison, founder of She The People, and dancer and choreographer Judith Jamison, who spent 15 years with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and was honored by former First Lady Michelle Obama in 2010.
Class 6 Teacher Elvis Alves also took a turn at the podium to share his original poem “Paradise.” Middle School’s Black affinity group, SHADES, followed, reading aloud “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman. To conclude the Assembly, the MS Winter Dance Club performed beautiful excerpts from Alvin Ailey’s “Revelations,” which they’d learned under the expert guidance of Dance Teacher Jamia Jordan.
At their Assembly the following week, Lower School students took part in Black History Month themed trivia that was led by Class 3 students and covered the many influential figures they’ve been learning about this year. The girls were also treated to their own performance of “Revelations” by the MS Dance Club.
During the Upper School Assembly, students held their own round of Black History Month trivia with categories including historical facts, the arts and current media. Among the questions asked were: “Which famous Black figure invented the traffic light?” (Garrett Morgan), “Who Wrote ‘The Entertainer’?” (Scott Joplin) and “Which actor won a Golden Globe Award, Critic’s Choice Award, and an Emmy all in one week? (Ayo Edebiri). Students from BLAC, the US student affinity group, rounded out the program by leading their classmates and teachers in a fun group dance.
