School District Of New Berlin Honors Black History Month

NEW BERLIN, WI—The School District of New Berlin is honoring Black History Month with different activities planned in February.

“We have a diverse student population, and it is important that all of our students feel supported in our schools. Celebrating Black History Month is one of many ways that we can show that support, and we are excited about all the activities, events and more that our students, staff and schools have happening this February," New Berlin Superintendent Joe Garza said.

Here is a sampling of some of the things going on at each school:

New Berlin West: In celebration and recognition of Black History Month, New Berlin West will be hosting a Black Voices movie series that will explore a variety of issues that impact Americans. Students, staff and families are welcome to watch the film on Tuesday nights and then join a discussion the following night. Links for the film and discussions are shared weekly. The first movie was "Black Panther."

Student Elijah Jandrisevits,16, shared his thoughts with Patch. He said the film had two main themes - one was the importance of culture and the other was the importance of sharing that culture with the rest of the world.

Jandrisevits said that there's a value in realizing that we all bring something to the table. He also said that there are always two sides to every story and the narrative is quite different depending on which perspective you hear.

"We rarely hear the perspective of people of color and that was one of the powerful themes in this movie," he said.

Other activities planned include:

Ronald Reagan: All classrooms are / will be researching and celebrating Black History Month. Each classroom will study an influential individual who has helped shape the world we live in today, and classrooms will be sharing their learning through a display on their choice.

Orchard Lane: In observance of Black History Month, the school is sharing short lessons on its morning broadcast that highlight significant events and important people who stood up (or sat down) for Civil Rights. Last week, the school shared the following lessons: What are Civil Rights? Who was Rosa Parks? How did Rosa Parks’s actions contribute to the Civil Rights Movement?

Elmwood: The school is highlighting Black History Month on its Elmwood Today Show and there is a book display in the main hallways related to BHM and literature.

Eisenhower: On the schools Facebook page, students are doing short video tributes to commemorate the lives of Black Americans who have had an impact on our country's history.

Poplar Creek: Weekly presentations by students on PCTV (the in-school "television" program), full school trivia with prize winners and hallways decorated with the life timelines of influential African Americans.