Throughout February, ACS students from preschool to high school participated in a variety of special activities and class projects for Black History Month. Bulletin boards, library displays, classroom assignments, and a trivia contest during morning announcements helped shine a spotlight on the history, culture, and accomplishments of Black Americans.

The quiz contest ran for two weeks in February and a total of 8 African Americans were highlighted as well as a quiz question on the 13th amendment. Students were told a fact about an influential Black American and were able to qualify to win a prize by being the first to find their Principal and correctly identify that person. Information about the noteworthy individuals and the 13th amendment were displayed on a large bulletin board in the Multi-Purpose Room.

On February 3, Elementary and Upper School students welcomed chapel speaker Christian Ragland, who spoke on the Biblical principles around diversity and inclusion. “Jesus lived by example and taught us to be kind to each other and to love our neighbors as ourselves,” Ragland said. “If you want to be God’s ambassador, you should not make assumptions about others because they are different from you. Ask questions and find ways to use what makes someone different to benefit the whole.” Ragland is the operations pastor at Lighthouse Community Church in Pleasantville and is Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at AtlantiCare.

 

A variety of classroom lessons and projects highlighted the historical contributions of African Americans and celebrated God’s plan for creating unity from diversity. Below are examples of some of these projects.