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Erie City School District spotlights Black History Month programming; inaugural middle-school quiz bowl set for Feb. 22
Summary
District staff described a monthlong series of classroom activities, student-produced videos, artifacts and community events for Black History Month and invited the public to a middle-school quiz bowl on Feb. 22 at Strong Vincent Middle School.
The Erie City School District on Feb. 12 presented an overview of Black History Month activities that the district says are designed to connect students to local history and community figures through classroom lessons, student-produced videos and museum artifacts.
Superintendent Miguel Pulido asked Ken Nixon and Erica Erwin to brief the board on the district's programming. Nixon said the district focused this year on local figures "so that we can draw a direct connection to our local community" and to help students see people they might encounter in everyday life.
Erica Erwin outlined how lessons are structured across the month: one week focused on language and literature, the next on STEM, then art and music, and the final week on political science and social studies. The district has compiled student work, videos and resources on a dedicated webpage at eeriesd.org/blackhistory, which the presenters said will be updated weekly throughout the month.
The board heard details about several public events tied to the month. Nixon invited trustees to the district's first middle-school Black History Quiz Bowl, scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 22, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Strong Vincent Middle School. He also described revised elementary "historical institute" tours for fifth graders, scheduled for Feb. 27, that will lengthen tour time per group to allow more discussion.
Digital media students were highlighted during the meeting. Rob Gibson, a digital media instructor at Erie High School, introduced student speakers who described class projects producing Black History Month videos; ninth grader Marcus Crockett and senior Jabari Taylor spoke briefly about their experience in the program and the videos they produced for the month.
The presenters said the district is partnering with community groups and museums. Nixon noted an earlier visit by the True Black History Museum from Detroit and thanked community-school staff who helped host events. Erwin said the district is maintaining a public list of "trailblazers and change makers" who have contributed to the district.
Ending: The board received the presentations with no formal action taken; the district encouraged trustees and the public to visit eeriesd.org/blackhistory for student work and event details.
