Black History Month is here!
“We recognize that our students need to see and hear positive representations of themselves and their culture regularly, not just during one month of the year.”
DAA honors Black culture throughout the year. You can see this in the artwork displayed around our building, you can observe it in the literature teachers choose to read with students, and you can hear it in regular conversations that we have in the classrooms. Our 5th and 6th grade ELA teacher, Brother Batell, even wears a different graphic tee which encourages social justice every single day, because that is just who he is. We recognize that our students need to see and hear positive representations of themselves and their culture regularly, not just during one month of the year.
However, Black History Month presents the opportunity for a deep dive into Black American history, and we are excited to do just that!
The Black History Month committee has designed a school-wide Black History Month presentation, which all students have begun to work on.
The following are the different grade level topics
:Kindergarten - 1st Grade: Black "Firsts"
2nd - 4th Grades: Black Activists
5th - 8th Grades: Black Organizations, Events, and Movements
School-wide presentations will be taking place February 28. We look forward to seeing what our students have learned this month!
In other DAA news, students will have a free day on Friday, February 16th, while teachers spend the day analyzing school-wide testing data. Though we know that a well-rounded education is about much more than test scores, we are working hard to make sure our students remain as competitive as possible. During data day, teachers consult and collaborate with each other to share best practices for steadily improving student performance. It is a productive team-building time that pays off greatly for our teaching strategies.
This means that from February 16th all the way through February 25th, families have the opportunity to explore the various Black History Month activities and events in the Detroit metro area.
We encourage making the celebration of Black History Month not just a school event, but a family event as well. For information regarding Black History Month events in the Detroit metro area, please visit the links below. More can be found online. This well-deserved break time would be a great time to get out and visit an exhibit, program, or Black-owned establishment. Enjoy!
