All PYLUSD campuses celebrate Black History Month

Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District (PYLUSD) campuses joined the nation this February by participating in activities to honor Black History Month. 

Black History Month encourages individuals to reflect on and recognize the influence that Black Americans have had in shaping United States history. While Black History Month was officially recognized by the government under President Gerald Ford in 1976, the origins of this month-long celebration date back to the early 20th century.

“Black History Month was initiated by Carter G. Woodson back in February 1926.  He was the second black American to receive a Ph.D. in history from Harvard,” Wagner Elementary Principal Janice Weber said. “During the Jim Crow era, his mission was to use history to prove to America that Blacks had played important roles in the creation of America and thereby deserve to be treated equally as citizens.” 

Since then, Americans have been highlighting the accomplishments of famous Black Americans as well as recognizing the influence of Black culture on the United States’ diverse population.

Throughout the month, students were encouraged to learn about the groundbreaking events and achievements associated with Black history. PYLUSD school campuses crafted creative and crucial lessons to spread knowledge of Black history to their students. Their activities included reading and discussing texts on historical figures, commemorating noteworthy leaders and events through campus hallway displays, and much more. 

“PYLUSD was truly proud to join the nation in recognizing Black History Month across the district and at all school sites this past February, with a focus on the celebration of the achievements, contributions and the central role of African Americans in U.S. history,” Assistant Superintendent Dr. Linda Adamson said. “These activities are just a sampling of some of the creative ways teachers have come together in previous years to celebrate Black History Month, enabling students to dig deeper with more context while also connecting the past to the present and also gaining a deeper understanding of and response to the world.”

From elementary, middle to high school, students enjoyed an array of classroom projects and activities to focus on the noteworthy changes that this month represents. 

Brookhaven Elementary students and Buena Vista Virtual Academy students learned through their classroom lessons about prominent Black women and men in history like Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Rio Vista Elementary School serves a diverse community, and we are intentional about the ways in which we ensure our students feel noticed, needed, and nurtured. We expect all of our students to see themselves represented in their classrooms every day, but we particularly enjoy celebrating important figures and holidays throughout the year that call us to focus on one of the many groups who have contributed to the American story,” Rio Vista Principal Brandon Frank shared. “Black History Month, for example, is a chance for our students to reflect on the unique contributions that African Americans have made in science, the arts, and other aspects of American society. Rio Vista students learn to be proud of their own histories and family heritage while also celebrating those of others from different backgrounds.”

Student media organizations at Bernardo Yorba Middle School and Esperanza High School featured the important works of Black writers in their newspaper and produced Esperanza ETV video packages on Black History Month.

Administrators and staff came together to produce interesting and noteworthy projects for each grade level to best exhibit the meaning of Black history. 

Principal Weber continued to say, “Black History is American History – part of the American story. Seeing as that today, we are still on the road to truly achieving equality for all, the declaration of BHM, is an intentional opportunity for all students to learn about and honor the progress that has been made, and in addition, acknowledge that there is more work to be done. And so I offer this perspective beyond heroes and holidays and one month out of the year. Our Black students, in fact, all of our students, of every race, ethnicity, language, and culture, should be able to show up as their authentic selves, see themselves in their education, and engage in educational opportunities and experiences as diverse as they are. Their voices, their stories, and the stories of their ancestors need to be lifted and shared. This is what it means to be noticed, needed, and nurtured.” 

Below is a detailed description of each school’s contribution to the district-wide celebration of Black History Month.

Black History Month District-wide Recognition Activities:

Bernardo Yorba Middle School, Kraemer Middle School, Glenview Elementary, Linda Vista Elementary, Rose Drive Elementary, Melrose Elementary, Valadez Middle School Academy, Ruby Drive Elementary, Topaz Elementary, Travis Ranch Middle School, Tuffree Middle School, Rio Vista Elementary	Read daily influential Black American biographies and quotes during daily announcements
Bernardo Yorba Middle School, Esperanza High School	Student media organizations curated biographies on Black writers through student newspapers and Esperanza TV video packages on influential Black American events
Brookhaven Elementary, Sierra Vista Elementary, Glenknoll Elementary, Glenview Elementary, Golden Elementary, Lakeview Elementary, Morse Elementary, Tynes Elementary, Ruby Drive Elementary, Fairmont Elementary, Van Buren Elementary	Lessons and Read Alouds highlighting Black authors and important figures
Ruby Drive Elementary	Choice board celebrating and highlighting Black Americans in each classroom. Classroom activities around Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ruby Bridges
Melrose Elementary	Read alouds centered on influential Black women. Spotlighting influential Black Americans through social media posts and weekly newsletters. Art projects for each classroom highlighting famous Black Americans.
Brookhaven Elementary, Bryant Ranch Elementary, Buena Vista Virtual Academy, George Key School, Glenknoll Elementary, Glenview Elementary, Golden Elementary, Lakeview Elementary, Linda Vista Elementary, Mabel Paine Elementary, Morse Elementary, Sierra Vista Elementary, Van Buren Elementary, Tynes Elementary,	Classroom activities featuring important events along with the stories of prominent Black men and women throughout history
El Camino Real High School	Women’s Studies Class on Famous Black Women in History. Digital Print Classes reviewed design-based Ted Talk by Black graphic novelist R. Alan Brooks, titled, When the World is Burning, Is Art a Waste of Time?
Lakeview Elementary	Grade level-specific activities featuring: Scholastic news with crafts on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., reading stories by Ezra Jack Keats, Brainpop Jr. lesson focused on Black historical figures, discussion of different important figures with poster-coloring activity, Scholastic Lesson titled “Let’s Find Out about Black Inventors,” Scholastic News lesson on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, titled “We Are In This Together,” Weekly Journals and Hero Reports on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s influence on the world, weekly BrainPop videos on famous figures, slidedeck and video on Harriet Tubman, video and interactive notebook on Frederick Douglass, and read alouds of the books, “White Socks Only” by Evelyn Coleman and “Trombone Shorty” by Troy Andrews. Activities also included Readworks articles about Duke Ellington, Readworks on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Scholastic News Readers on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. followed by a comprehensive quiz.
Bernardo Yorba Middle School	Afterschool Zoom event on Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court
El Dorado High School	Black History Month email sent out to school community and flier distributed to all classrooms. Class-by-class Black History Month lessons. Black History Month bulletin announcements and Hawk Talk video.
El Camino Real High School, Esperanza High School, Valencia High School, Yorba Linda High School, Yorba Linda Middle School, Topaz Elementary, Travis Ranch Elementary, Travis Ranch Middle School	Black History Month banners and hallway displays featuring influential figures and historical events
Yorba Linda Middle School	BCTV episodes highlighting black historical figures and influences. Social Science and Language Arts lessons highlighting Black History Month.
Topaz Elementary	Spotlighting important figures during Monday announcements, ‘My Dream Is…’ bulletin board, biography reading of important Black Americans each week with writing activity, posting quotes from famous Black Americans around the classrooms, assigned readings on famous Black Americans with student responses.
El Dorado High School, Melrose Elementary, Travis Ranch Elementary, Travis Ranch Middle School	Black History Month library displays spotlighting books by Black authors and biographies about influential Black Americans
Fairmont Elementary, Wagner Elementary	Reading of Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story, alongside class discussions and lessons
Fairmont Elementary, Glenknoll Elementary, Golden Elementary, Wagner Elementary	Reading of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor for upper-grade students
Kraemer Middle School	School-wide quilting project focused on Black artist Faith Ringgold’s style. Students created drawings that represent their stories and displayed them on the library windows. Grade-specific lessons on ELA works from Black authors, Music Appreciation study of the blues, integrating achievements & contributions in the subjects of Math, Science, Coding, etc.
Glenknoll Elementary	Black History Project for upper elementary students
Fairmont Elementary, Morse Elementary	Document-based questions on Harriet Tubman’s life story
Fairmont Elementary	Student slideshows on Martin Luther King, Jr. Book study on Jackie Robinson. Scholastic News lessons on various historical figures. Lessons centered on Jim Crow Laws, the Civil Rights Movement, and Fannie Lou Hamer.
Golden Elementary	Grade level-specific activities including: Read alouds, leveled readers on 12 historical figures for each student, document-based questions on Jackie Robinson, featured read alouds on famous Black inventors (George Washington Carver) and poets (George Moses Thorton), BrainPop videos on biographies of Black Americans, making a Ruby Bridges flipbook, close reads on historical figures, ReadWorks lesson along with corresponding project on people who change the world, Black history author’s spotlight on authors Jacqueline Woodson and Jason Reynolds where students read about them and answer questions.
Morse Elementary	Civil Rights Movement research essay for sixth graders on those who made a difference. Kindergarten activity about Black inventors.
Van Buren Elementary	Weekly messages from Principal Connie Roe that highlight influential Black Americans throughout history.
Bryant Ranch School	Motivational Messages every Monday, Black History Month Recognition
Woodsboro Elementary	Grade level-specific activities that include: highlighting one Black American each week by reading and discussing this figure’s contributions and positive character attributes, lessons centered on Prominent Leaders, Inventors, famous Black Americans, famous Black sports figures and their contributions, prominent Black musicians, great contributions to the Civil Rights movement, impactful Black women and men, historical timeline from slavery to the Civil Rights movement, American Abolitionists promoting equity and fairness, Children’s books on diversity, Artwork and quilts, Children’s literacy resources on Black History Month in the library. Morning bell work assignments about famous people of color and their contributions along with research activities making “quilt” pieces on their assigned figure. These “quilt” pieces came together to create a classroom quilt of famous Black Americans displayed in the hallway. Fifth graders learned about the Civil Rights Movement while completing corresponding projects. Completed analyses and seminars, dissected sections of the Civil Rights Act, and were assigned specific people/events to research. Participated in the Civil Rights Living Museum on campus for other students to visit and learn.
Wagner Elementary	Black American Research Project to match their Social Studies curriculum with important people in Black history. School-wide initiative to connect Black History Month lessons to class themes: “We are all Learners,” “We are Wildcats – Be Here, Be You, Belong,” “Growing our Hearts and Minds,” “Better Together,” and “Wildcats Shine.” Researched contributions of Black Americans for their Black History Biography Report. Lessons on Mae Jemison, Jackie Robinson, and Garrett Morgan. Scholastic lesson on the Coolest Inventions in Black history. Scholastic newsprint and videos called “Dr. King: Our Beloved Community.” Readings on Ruby Bridges and Jackie Robinson. Reading “Because Of Winn Dixie” by Kate DiCamillo. Writing prompts on Abraham Lincoln.
Yorba Linda High School	Lunchtime activity and promotion of the YLHS Black Student Union, Instagram posts from The Wrangler on influential Black journalists, Poster display in the quad on Black History Month, Black-owned Business Giveaways at lunch, Black History Month trivia during morning announcements, Black History Month Lessons in Language Arts and Social Studies classes.
Esperanza High School	Lunchtime music played each day highlighting Black American culture
Yorba Linda Middle School, Esperanza High School, Kraemer Middle School, Melrose Elementary, Rio Vista Elementary, Rose Drive Elementary, Topaz Elementary, Tuffree Middle School, Valadez Middle School Academy, Valencia High School, Rio Vista Elementary	Social media posts recognizing historical Black figures and influences in many diverse fields of work. These posts included historical figures, musicians, artists, athletes, etc.
Valadez Middle School Academy	Segments on Black Americans’ influence in STEM for Eagle News. Black History doors featuring a hero with research and decorated by each homeroom with related lessons. Day of Service on MLK Day 2022 where Valadez students, staff, and parents give back to the community.
Tuffree Middle School	Department submissions highlighting two to four individuals in their field who have contributed positively in society. Digital posters created by ASB on influential Black Americans. Sharing Black History Month student work on social media and in parent publication, the Falcon Flyer.
Valencia High School	Video segments made for Tiger Tube on the influence of Black American culture in music and popular culture, along with daily announcements. Collaboration among Social Science and Language Arts departments for lessons on Black history mentioning contributions of Black Americans in Math, Science, Business and Tech. Displays made by ASB students in Memorial Garden
Rio Vista Elementary	Parent update emails highlighting Black American contributions. Sharing Black History Month lessons and resources, along with putting a spotlight on Black authors.