By Jackie Ayres
What is the name of the African-American senator running for president? Which African-American invented the programmable remote control? Who was the first and only black principal of Woodrow Wilson High School?
If you ask a Park Middle School students these questions, they should know the correct answer.
The school has received national recognition for its Black History Month program under the leadership of teachers Quincy Madison and Pamela Moore.
At the end of Black History Month, Madison entered his school in a national contest by submitting a portfolio including a DVD and photos of the school’s activities.
“Our school won first place in the nation for everything we did,” Madison said proudly.
Other winners earning national recognition included schools from California and New York.
“These are really large places in comparison to Beckley ... so we were really elated. It’s absolutely wonderful,” Madison said.
As part of the program, students were given 25 black history questions each week. If they answered all 25 correctly, they received $10 and an entry in a drawing to win an iPod.
“It’s important to let students know what has happened, not only nationally, but locally. We have a rich history and we need to pass on that legacy. That’s what was really great with the local questions — kids had to go out and ask people,” Madison said.
“We encouraged students to get their families to help them find the answers to the questions. This project got the black and white community talking — that’s what it was all about,” Madison said.
During the month, an assembly was held to name the Park library after Thomas Evans, the first black principal of the school.
They also decorated bulletin boards and served a special black history lunch.
“The cooks participated in this. Each week we had what we call a soul food lunch,” Madison said.
“It was good. We had fried chicken,” seventh-grader Selina Macias said.
Fellow seventh-grader Isaac Fadiga is happy his school honored Black History Month and says he’s excited to celebrate again.
“It’s important to celebrate Black History Month to remind us of what black people actually brought to this country,” Fadiga said.
The school received $300 for winning first place, and Madison says, “It was a really great learning experience.”
The school plans to enter the contest again in February, the month annually when Black History Month is celebrated.
— E-mail: jayres@register-herald.com
