In honor of Black History Month, we kicked off February with a series of activities planned for our students. PreK studied fairytales and compared different versions of the same stories. Ms. Sara read Leola and The Honeybears and students compared it to Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Snow Bears and GoldiRocks, which they had previously read. Our kindergarteners began their Black History Month research project by learning and writing about Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks and Bessie Coleman. Third and fourth grade students browsed a virtual Black History Month exhibit hall and chose books to read aloud based on their research. The Student Council chose 10 MLK quotes then ironed them onto new House t-shirts.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, several of our middle schoolers had the opportunity to provide community service in our larger community in honor of the late civil rights activist. Some students spent time shoveling driveways and clearing fire hydrants in their neighborhoods. Others volunteered at the Incline Pet Network by salting walkways, washing windows, stuffing kongs, and most importantly, playing with the animals in need of loving homes! A few purchased and created care packages to donate to the Eddy House in Reno, a nonprofit that helps shed out foster youth and homeless youth.

Our Director of Studies and Diversity Ms. Sara Holm put together a House Activity for our students centered around Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History Month. Students watched a reading of “Love Will See You Through: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Six Guiding Principles” (as read by his niece) and then decorated t-shirts with handprints, signatures, and other drawings. Thank you, Ms. Sara, for teaching our students different ways to honor the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history!