And Thats a Wrap on Black History Month!
What an outstanding month we’ve had Recognizing, Remembering and Celebrating Black Leaders from all over the world! Some of our staff members, Jessi, Simon and Sophia, worked tirelessly to provide such incredibly engaging content and activities for every class here at CGS. As we had 4 themed weeks planned with different educational books and crafts, the last 2 weeks of February have been focused on celebrating Black Inventors and Athletes. We had the pleasure of 4 special guests visit our school and talk about some of our Black History Month themes!
We had the amazing pleasure to virtually welcome Simon’s cousin, Olympian Medalist Kubet Weston, to talk individually to all of our CGS classes about being a prominent Black Canadian Athlete. Kubet talked about the importance of continuously going for our dreams and how working towards our goals takes courage, dedication, and consistency. She talked about the experience of being the first Black female Olympic Rower and how the support and encouragement of her friends and family aided in her overall confidence, and drive towards her greatness. She asked all the students to share what their current dream jobs are, as manifesting it out into the universe is the first step.
We had another fun morning learning about different Black inventors with special guest, Miss Cypriana, who is a current Balloon Animal & Shapes inventor! She talked about the techniques, difficulties and struggles of the craft, and of how much hard work it took to learn this skill set and become an expert in just under 2 years. She got some students to attempt to create and invent their own balloons, and she also sent everyone home with their very own animal!
Our students got the chance to try a new instrument from another guest speaker Chris-Beth, teacher Jessi’s sister. She came to talk about Black Excellence and Real-Life Black Superheroes from all around the world. She spoke about past and present Black Superheroes and about their success stories, like the black female lead scientist of the discovery of the Moderna Vaccine for covid-19, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, and the inventor of the musical instrument the Steel drum, Winston “Spree” Simon. Chris-Beth brought in a small steel drum to demonstrate how it works and gave some students the opportunity to try it out themselves. They had a lot of fun creating their own tunes and expressing themselves.
We kept the celebrations going with a visit of dance instructors from Playocity who provided us with in person African Fusion Dance Workshops! All the students got to express themselves on the gym dance floor by learning some new African Fusion inspired dance moves. They put it all together for a routine to dance to by the end of each workshop. It was a great new experience that all the students loved participating in.
Black History is more than a month. There are so many books and resources to share that represent Black people and other people of colour. As teachers, parents, and caregivers we should live in the now and be aware of what is happening around the world. We should be more aware of what happens to people of colour and be ready to learn and unlearn what we think we already know. The stories of Black people are more than just what has happened in the past it’s about lived experiences that need to be heard.