Students throughout the district joined together in a moving celebration of Black History Month. The fifth annual celebration brought students from elementary and high school together in the Performing Arts Center of the high school to perform songs, skits and interpretive dances.
The high school's African Drum Ensemble performed throughout the evening keeping the audience engaged between performances. Their numbers highlighted their talent and dedication to their craft. The ensemble was not alone in the talent field as each performance proved that the district is filled with students with astounding abilities.
The youngest performers from Columbus performed "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" which filled the entire auditorium with plenty of love. Next up was the New Visions Glee Club with their rendition of "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika," followed by a moving presentation accompanied by a slideshow entitled "Because of Them, We Can/Black & Gold." This performance used a slideshow of famous black Americans in history as a backdrop to young students dressed as those historical figures joining the stage as each photo appeared.
Representatives of Dodd sang 'They Live in You" from the Lion King and third-grade students from Bayview Avenue shared their original skit, "A Glimpse into the Life and Legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King," which was narrated in English and Spanish. The sixth grade chorus from Atkinson sang "Glory" and the step team from Archer stepped onto the stage to share their dance, "Stepping into Our Dreams as Leaders." Students from Giblyn harmoniously performed "Because of Them, We Can."
A surprise performance by members of the high school's kickline team used current music as the background for their dance performance and the Freeport High School's Select Chorale performed two songs that had the audience clapping and tapping to their incredible rhythms. When they were done, the other performers from the evening joined the stage for a combined finale that ended the event with energy and pride, showing that history lessons are for people of all ages.
Watch the video below:
