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Ravens Celebrate Black History Month in Myriad Ways

February is Black History Month, and this year students, teachers and student-run groups all across campus explored the people, events, institutions and inspirations behind the many contributions and rich legacy of Black Americans.

Here's a re-cap of some of the projects, activities and presentations that were part of the observance of Black History Month on campus.

Lower School

Kindergarten

Meg Ellis shares the Black History Month research project kindergarten students did in collaboration with their classmates and Winston Library staff. Read all about their journey of discovery on Hub: The Innovation and Research Blog.

First Grade

Inspired by the virtual visit of award-winning author Derrick Barnes, Karrah Lewis's first-grade class shared their own positive affirmations. This project helped students look inward and see themselves — and it is something you can do at home! When looking in the mirror, look deeply into your own eyes and see that joy and wonder inside of you. You may be moved to write something positive on a piece of paper, like something we read in the book: "I am a difference maker," "I am hilarious," or "I can help," or "I bring joy with me." Enjoy this video of first-graders' positive affirmations!

Fifth Grade

In fifth-grade Language Arts, students immersed themselves in a Black History Month escape room where they used clues to conduct research and solve "Who Am I?" questions about influential people such as Shirley Chisolm, Baynard Rustin and Claudette Colvin. Students made connections to Black Americans they already know about and learned more about the activists, organizers and world-changers who inspired them.

Middle School

During advisory, Middle School students researched influential Black Americans and created a brief Google-slides presentation illustrating their findings. The presentations were posted outside of each classroom so students could learn about each person as they walked the hallways. Learn more about Stevie Wonder and Mary Church Terrell in these student-created presentations.

Upper School

The Ravenscroft Baton

During the week of Feb. 23, students in SPEAK (Students Promoting Equity And Kindness), My Brother's Keeper and Nubian Queens took over the Ravenscroft Baton, Ravenscroft's "day in the life" Instagram account, to explore Black History Month and spotlight important events, institutions and people. Each day, students created the content and found photos to share with the community.

  • On Monday, students introduced Black History Month and provided a brief history on how it became a month-long celebration.
  • Tuesday provided a look back, with a photo of a newspaper headline right after the "Brown vs. Board of Education" Supreme Court case and a powerful photo of Ruby Bridges (right), the first Black student to desegregate an all-white school.
  • Students focused on famous black artists and actors on Wednesday, highlighting their respective impacts on their industries.
  • On Thursday, students gave a brief history on HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and influential representation in today's world.
  • To wrap up the week, students introduced two authors in the science fiction world.

See all of the Baton's Black History Month posts here.

Ravenscroft Coffeehouse Performances

The student leaders of the Ravenscroft Coffeehouse partnered with SPEAK and the Ravenscroft Baton to livestream a celebration of Black music. Students performed songs from pioneering musicians including Alicia Key, John Legend and Bob Marley. Listen to the performances here.

Library Recommendations

Throughout the month of February, staff in the Winston Library and the Keim Center library shared their recommendations of books that celebrate Black lives. Winston Library staff even recommended some podcasts about Black changemakers.