Last month, mentor groups at Summit K2 created masterpieces in celebration of Black History. Throughout this process, students learned a lot about Black history and the influential African Americans of our past and present.
Students worked with their mentor groups arranging displays to honor Black History Month. They each decorated their doors to share creative portrayals of honor, culture, and of the African American heroes who changed the world. In return, the students in the mentor groups with the best judged door would win a mentor group celebration.
Armani Gaines reveals, “I learned a lot of new names that I didn’t know as far as… Black History month people. Betty Watters and Chuck Berry, I’d heard of them, just never really knew who they were.”
Alena Silva shares, “I learned interesting facts that I didn’t know before. I learned about… people and what they’ve done, while making the poster.”
Anthony Tongvanh commented, “I learned more about Boots Riley and his contributions to… raising awareness about Black History.”
Samantha Rocha notes, “I didn’t really know any of these people and this whole month helped me expand my knowledge.”
Students in Ms Jojo’s mentor group enjoyed working together on the project. They took the opportunity to build community within their classroom. They liked that the outcome of their collaboration was displayed on the door, perfect for everyone’s viewing. For some students, it was the first time they participated in such a meaningful project within their mentor groups.
Overall, students at K2 seemed to appreciate this contest. Delina Kasa, a ninth-grader in Mr. Timo’s mentor class says, “I liked how… different ethnicities and countries all came together to make the patterns and designs…I liked that it has representation for everyone.”
When asked what their thoughts on Black History Month were, most students provided approving responses.
Delina Kasa said, “I like how it gives an opportunity for every African American to share their perspectives.”
Jaylen King also voiced his opinion, stating, “It’s good that we have it because…say if we didn’t have this, then some people still wouldn’t care…It wouldn’t really stick out as much if we didn’t have a month. It’s good to have Black History month because it helps give some light to people of color who dealt with [challenges] or are dealing with them now.”
Alenna Silva seems to agree with them, asserting, “I think it’s great. I think an entire month dedicated to Black History and learning about it is great.”
However, some students had a different perspective.
Peyton Smith shares, “It’s not as good as it used to be. When I was younger I used to cherish it more…If you think about it, it’s just their [people in power] way of giving us something. It’s the shortest month of the year. If they really cared, they’d give us something better. In my opinion, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. They’re still my people, and I’m still gonna fight for them.”
