The month of February began with a number of tech-savvy online learning opportunities on the TC Satellite Campus through the Learning History through Skype series. Guest presenters included A’Leia Bundles, great-great granddaughter of Madame CJ Walker; Tyehimba Jess, English professor at CUNY, and Mayor Richard Gordon Hatcher, one of the first African-American mayors of a major American city. They all shared the importance of the accomplishments of African-Americans. The event stressed that Black History is American History.
Also in February, the first online conference for students was held on the Satellite Campus and the keynote speaker was Antwone Fisher, author of “Finding Fish,” a memoir of his life that was turned into a movie directed by Denzel Washington. Other presenters were Ifa Bayeza, playwright, lecturer at Brown University and author of “Some Sing, Some Cry,” a novel she penned alongside her sister, Ntozake Shange, author of “for colored girls who considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf” and playwright Jeff Stetson. The theme of the online conference was the Right to Write, owning one’s story and that all people have a story to tell. Students engaged authors through Blackboard Collaborate, an interactive program that allows for interaction in real time and the session is recorded for posterity.
Students who participated will contribute some of their reflective writings to a publication dedicated to giving voice to the everyday story and they are Chloe Brogdon, Mikaela Brogdon, Henry Rodgers, Bre Nee Ruffin, Stephanie Tullis, Milton Medrano, Noe Rivera, Dania Estrada, Kevin Lancto, Mohamed Osman, Ahmed Al Jaberi , Janine Castillo, Fahirah Jackson, Kris Whitehead, Norman Frye, Andrew Bangura, Cierra Boyd, Khadijah Martin, Anthony Pullen, Duvier Reyes, Matthew Walton and Starr Johnson. A special note of gratitude to the IT Department at ACPS, Dr. Hoover, Marya Runkle and especially Dan Foreman, the online conference moderator/troubleshooter/motivator that day.
March 1 was National Read Across America Day and students from TC Satellite once again stepped up and were volunteer readers at Patrick Henry Elementary School. We were delighted when first asked by Mr. Eanes, reading specialist at Patrick Henry to participate in the event. Students who participated were Fahirah Jackson, Kris Whitehead, Tyree Dreher and Noe Rivera. Dr. Wilson, principal of TC Satellite and Mr. Brewington were also guest readers at the school.
McKenya Dilworth-Abdalla is the lead teacher for student engagement at T.C. Williams Satellite Campus