BCPS Students Engage In Black Saga Program

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — This school year, Baltimore County Public Schools’ Black Saga program is challenging students to choose who they would like to see featured in a future mural celebrating African American history and culture.

Traditionally, Black Saga begins with a dozen students at each participating school studying facts and then competing in teams of three at in-person school, regional, county and sometimes state competitions. The county competition is generally held during February during Black History Month.

The 2020-2021 program, transformed to function in a virtual and soon hybrid learning environment due to the coronavirus pandemic, invites sponsoring teachers to engage an unlimited number of interested students per school. The students will study a different famous African American each month: U.S. Representative and civil rights activist Elijah Cummings, poet/writer Francis Ellen Watkins Harper, explorer Matthew Henson and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Students will complete activities related to each figure’s life, such as writing speeches (Cummings), writing poems (Harper) and participating in debates (Marshall).

This month, to enrich lessons about Cummings, his widow, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, will share a virtual presentation with students and participate in a question-and-answer session. This event will be Feb. 25.

“Maryland has a rich history of African Americans who have made incredible contributions to politics, music, science, and culture,” said Michael Crispens, BCPS coordinator of elementary social studies. “It is so important for our students to know that many iconic individuals have come from our communities and our own backyard, that we can all be great.”

The program will wrap up in March when students will create a public service announcement promoting their choices for the next mural subject and then vote on the choices. The office of social studies seeks to work with a high school art honor society to then design a web graphic or art mural for the selected leader.

Schools participating in Black Saga during the 2020-2021 school year are:

Baltimore Highlands Elementary
Berkshire Elementary
Carney Elementary
Cedarmere Elementary
Dundalk Elementary
Johnnycake Elementary
Joppa View Elementary
Lyons Mills Elementary
Mars Estates Elementary
Mays Chapel Elementary
Milbrook Elementary
Oakleigh Elementary
Relay Elementary
Stoneleigh Elementary
Villa Cresta Elementary
Wellwood International
Winand Elementary

Catonsville Middle
Cockeysville Middle
Deer Park Middle Magnet
Dumbarton Middle
Franklin Middle
Golden Ring Middle
Loch Raven Tech Academy
Northwest Academy
Parkville Middle
Pikesville Middle
Stemmers Run Middle
Windsor Mill Middle