One student starts a discussion on Black History Month

AMENIA — February is Black History Month, but few school districts in the Harlem Valley reported specific curriculum or events on the topic. Many schools leave it to individual teachers to discuss the importance of the month with their students. Fourteen-year-old Paige Crane pursued the topic on her own. A student at the Kildonan School in Amenia, which specializes in teaching students with dyslexia, Paige undertook a project on Martin Luther King Jr., displaying slides with information about King in the gym. She emailed students asking for their feedback.“Students can write about who was their favorite person from Black History Month,” Paige said. “They can do a visual web [presentation], write a short poem or stories. They can use any quote such as ‘I have a dream’ like Martin Luther King Jr. did in his speech. They can answer the question ‘What is your dream?’ I hope that I get a lot of feedback to see what students think about it. When I get the feedback I’m going to hang them around my slides, and we can have a visual discussion.”Paige said the reason she did this project was to find out more about King and his impact on history; she also wanted to know what her classmates thought.“I think learning more about Martin Luther King Jr. and more about Black History Month is important and everyone should know about this,” Paige said. “I think it’s important because we were not there back then and we can find out new things.” Literature Teacher Lindsay Hughes worked with Paige on her project and said that Paige wanted students to learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. but also other historically important African American figures who may not be as well known as King.“I think that it’s important for students of all ages to be aware of how people in their past have impacted their way of life,” said Hughes. “We often think about ideas such as slavery and the civil rights movement, but we sometimes lose focus of how it’s the individual who has the ability to change society through words, actions and dedication.” Hughes said she hopes students respond creatively to what they find important about the month and learn things they didn’t know before.“We are looking to inspire students to think about what their ‘dream’ is for themselves and their society, to understand the importance of advocating for a cause,” said Hughes.