At Springfield High School, we are intentional in our efforts to recognize all who contribute to the culture of our school. I talk a lot about our culture of caring and respect for others. I talk, too, about celebrating the role models who paved the way for all of us to realize hopes and dreams without barriers. This week, I would like to congratulate Springfield High School teacher/African American Club advisor Bonita Adams and each of the students who helped stage the impactful assemblies during Black History Month. The assemblies were attended by our juniors and seniors. Assistant Principal Andrew Screptock provided the technology assistance, so the assembly could be live-streamed for the rest of the student body in their classrooms.
Again this year, our students researched and reminded their peers of the contributions of several African Americans. Included were tributes to:
•Sidney Poitier who passed away this year. Mr. Poitier broke the color barrier by being the first African-American movie star to receive an Academy Award.
•Mary McLeod Bethune. She opened the first hospital for blacks in Daytona Beach, Florida, and opened one of the first schools for black girls. She later founded Bethune-Cookman College, which is a historically black college and university (HBCU).
•Dr. Marie Maynard-Daly was the first African-American woman to receive a doctorate in chemistry in the United States. She conducted studies on cholesterol, sugars and proteins to increase understanding of how foods and diet affect the health of the heart
•Dr. Gladys West used math to create an accurate mathematical model of the planet, and her work became the basis for modern global positioning system (GPS) technology
•Kizzmekia Corbett used science to become one of the world’s leading young viral immunologists. Her team was the first to successfully identify things about COVID-19 that led to the development of the Moderna mRNA vaccine
These are just a few of the people chosen by the students and Mrs. Adams to include during our February 25 assemblies. Consider the impact of great Americans such as Thurgood Marshall, Katherine Johnson, Mae Jemison, Lewis Latimer, Henrietta Lacks, Serena Williams, Jackie Robinson and Claudette Colvin. Claudette was only 15 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white person. This happened nine months before Rosa Parks. She also played a role in ending segregation on buses.
The new SHS Stomp n’ Shake team also made their debut by performing. Many HBCU black sororities and fraternities have Stomp n’ Shake teams. Daija Miller is the coach of the team at SHS. Mrs. Bonita Adams and Miss Emem Emah are the advisors.
