Celebrating Black History Month 2025 with a Fabulous Program
What a wonderful Black History Month we had! On March 5, we culminated our celebration – the Elementary Campus auditorium was packed with so many members of our community, young and old, to celebrate Black Excellence, Black Strength, and Black Legacy!
Over the course of a month, the EC Black History Month committee brought their own unique talents and contributed in a variety of ways, from the Black Inventors Museum created by Dana Copeland, Jaquoia Rockmore, Tawanda Morgan, and Mahogany Williams to Trivia Tuesdays by Kisha Rogers & Leslie Jo Tottenham. Thanks in part to a PTCA grant written by Lindy Settevendemie, the entire 5th grade was able to experience an invigorating and inclusive “Wordshop” by Atlanta’s own Soul Food Cypher and all students K-5 enjoyed a POUND session with Ms. Katoya Sumner, who also kicked off the month for us with a solo of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black National Anthem. Teachers, students and staff decorated their doors to celebrate contributions of African Americans to our collective history, and the ANCS Nutrition Team made an excellent meal of creamed peas, turnips and rutabagas, salad, corn batter bread and sliced sweet potato pie, which was a menu from one of George Washington Carver’s bulletins to farmers that he wrote while working at the Tuskegee Institute.
We concluded the month with a fantastic program at the Elementary Campus, both in the morning and the evening:
- Emcee Extraordinaire – Ms. Tawanda Morgan
- “Lift Every Voice and Sing” – ANCS Chorus, Ms. Annette Wawerna, Ms. Nichole Lupo, Ms. Susan Taylor
- Video: Honoring the Legacy – Door Decorations, Ms. Kisha Rogers & Ms. Leslie Jo Tottenham
- Dance Ministering – Lions of Judah Dance Ministry, including Ms. Brianna Holmes
- “Talking Gets Us There” by Amanda Gorman – presented by 3rd grader Sophia Wallace
- Keep Rising – Ensemble of Student Dancers, Ms. Katoya Sumner, Ms. Brianna Holmes, & Ms. Antonia Morales
- Building Our Community: Atlanta Icons – ANCS Students
- Keynote – Teacher & APS School Board Member Alfred “Shivy” Brooks, introduced by 5th grader Idris Carter
- Spoken Word Performance – ANCS Elementary Brotherhood, Mr. Camron Johnson & Mr. Hunter Whitney
- Video: What we love about ourselves – ANCS Students, Ms. Christian Wade
- African Dance – ANCS Middle Campus Ensemble, Ms. Alina Hinton
The committee would like to thank Margaret Kaiser of Grant Park Central EAV for donating pizzas for our student presenters and performers, Jimmy Stapp for letting us borrow his photobooth rig, and all our ANCS folks who stepped up to volunteer and offer support throughout the month AND the night of the amazing event.
In solidarity,
The Black History Month committee 2025: Antonia Morales, Brianna Holmes, Camron Johnson, Cassie Leymarie, Christian Wade, Dana Copeland, Gabrielle Ogunfeitimi, Humaira Afzal, Jaquoia Rockmore, Kristen Datus, Leslie Jo Tottenham, Lindy Settevendemie, Mahogany Williams, Makisha Rogers, Tawanda Morgan, and Shari Lobban
