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District schools mark Lunar New Year and Black Heritage Month; board proclaims February Black History Month
Summary
Gilbert Heights and West Powellhurst elementary schools presented materials and activities the district is running for Black Heritage Month and Lunar New Year. The board read and proclaimed February 1–28 as Black History Month in the David Douglas School District with demographic and graduation statistics included in the proclamation.
District elementary schools presented cultural programming and resources at the Feb. 13 David Douglas School Board meeting, and the board issued a formal Black History Month proclamation for February.
Gilbert Heights presented a Black Heritage Month project centered on resources from Oregon Black Pioneers and highlighted local examples of Oregon Black history, classroom lesson plans and student‑led announcements. The school also promoted a Black Excellence showcase scheduled Feb. 21 at the high school and shared teacher‑led staff learning opportunities drawn from the Seen On Radio podcast series.
West Powellhurst instructional assistants described Lunar New Year classroom activities including a virtual tour of Beijing, a third‑grade virtual field trip, art projects and distribution of red envelopes. Staff said the school used arts, read‑alouds and hands‑on activities to teach students about Lunar New Year customs and the Chinese zodiac.
Black History Month proclamation
Board Chair Gabriela Silvania Lopez read a district proclamation declaring Feb. 1–28, 2025, as Black History Month (the proclamation text was read into the record). The proclamation included the following district statistics cited in the reading:
- 12.7% of enrolled students identify as Black American, an increase of 2.6 percentage points over the past 10 years. - 2.95% of the district workforce self‑identified as Black American, an increase of 0.65 percentage points over the last five years. - Black American students in the 2023–24 high‑school four‑year cohort graduated at 66.3%, compared with the district all‑student cohort rate of 69.4%.
Why it matters: The presentations illustrated school‑level efforts to center cultural heritage in curricula and celebrations. The proclamation documents demographic shifts and the district’s commitment to equity and partnerships to improve outcomes for Black students.
Next steps: Schools encouraged community attendance at scheduled events and said resources (lesson guides, Oregon Black Pioneers traveling trunks, local exhibits) are available for classroom use.
