6th grade artists used digital photography and design to create a collaborative work, inspired by Amanda Gorman and her poem, "The Hill We Climb." We looked at successful portrait photography and listened to her inspiring words while working. Students used Pixlr editor on their Chromebooks to add unifying elements. We are working to create a large scale display with the help of the Pine Road poster printer.

"When day comes we step out of the shade,

aflame and unafraid,

the new dawn blooms as we free it.

For there is always light,

if only we're brave enough to see it.

If only we're brave enough to be it."

-Amanda Gorman

Students will research the lives of the women behind the novel and feature film Hidden Figures, human "computers" who worked for NASA in the 1960's. They will also learn how essential mathematical calculations are in the success of aeronautical missions. Click on the image at left to learn about Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary W. Jackson.

General Music classes are focusing their daily listening journals on Black musicians, composers, and artists during the month of February. Students are introduced to one song by each artist and learn about their accomplishments and contributions to the field of music. The musicians studied represent a variety of genres spanning over more than a century, including Scott Joplin, Billie Holiday, William Grant Still, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, The Sugarill Gang, Whitney Houston, Darius Rucker, Lecrae, among many others! Students have been submitting requests of Black musicians that they would like to see recognized for future listening journals.

Students were given a choice board and from there they selected 4 or more activities to complete. Activities ranged from writing a poem or a letter of thanks to creating a collage or another work of art in response to a video selection. Students produced thoughtful, creative, and diverse work in response to these prompts.