Teaneck Schools Celebrate Black History Month

• Benjamin Franklin Middle School students are participating in a school-wide essay contest, "Breaking Barriers." Each student will be using one or more of Jackie Robinson’s Nine Values to write about a barrier he or she has faced. Later in the month, Teaneck High School students will share their Black History Month program with the BF students.
• Students at Hawthorne Elementary School are making school-wide announcements with messages from black leaders, and engaging in morning discussion about the messages. Students will also submit essays in a contest on the topic if: What would you use your powers of speech for if you were as strong an orator as Dr. King? 
• Students, staff and parents at Bryant Elementary School recently pitched in to create 160 care packages for homeless families in Bergen County, as part of their “Call to Service." Principal Leslie Abrew and Guidance and Outreach Counselor Aneisha Jackson worked with classes to create “Blessing Bags," which were delivered to treatment facilities.
• Teaneck High School: Nathaniel Briggs, son of Eliza Briggs, gave two presentations to approximately 600 students regarding the Briggs vs. Elliott case. The discussion included his upbringing in South Carolina and his family’s journey with regard to the integration of the schools.To culminate the month, the Black Youth Organization (BYO) will perform their tribute to Black History Month.
• At Thomas Jefferson Middle School, daily announcements that highlight Black History Month describe how the month came about, and celebrate the pride of achievements of African Americans from outside and within the school. Fifth and sixth graders will compare and contrast a book that they have read about Ruby Bridges with the movie of the same name. The 7th and 8th grade students, during their seminar classes, are watching the movie “Selma” and discussing how the Civil Rights movements.
• Whittier students will read biographies and autobiographies of African Americans who have distinguished themselves in their chosen fields. They will research where and when they lived to better understand the political, social and cultural world they enhanced.
• Students in all grades at Lowell School are studying African American activists through reading, research and presentations A school-wide concert will culminate the studies.

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