NAAPID Showcase of Talent to be held at Saline High School

Ellen Ewing Peforming Arts Center will be home to a free dinner and talent show Monday night.

The National African American Parent Involvement Day Dinner and Showcase of Talent begins with a reception hour, at 6:30 p.m., hosted by the Southwest Washtenaw Consortium Culinary Department.

The talent show starts at 6:30 p.m.

Students from kindergarten through grade 12 will perform. There will be a magic show, a poetry slam, a performance by the high school dance team and a middle school guitar act.

Each year, the event is hosted by a different school in Washtenaw County. 

“Last year the event was at Skyline High School in Ann Arbor. Each year, it rotates to a different participating district. Currently, we have Willow Run, Ypsilanti, Lincoln, Milan, Ann Arbor, and Saline participating,” said Steve Laatsch, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services in Saline.

The National African American Parent Involvement Day was founded in 1995 by the principal of Roberto Clemente Student Development Center in Ann Arbor, Joseph Dulin. Dulin was inspired by that year’s Million Man March in Washington D.C. and looked for a way to reach out to families in his own district.

NAAPID is a call to action to get parents—all parents in general and African American parents in particular—more involved in their children’s education. 

The National African American Parent Involvement Day website includes this quote from Dulin:

“Every parent wants their child to have a better quality of life than they themselves had. It is the American Dream; and for many African Americans, this dream has not been realized as a result of their child’s failure in school. Education is the key to success and parents are teacher’s greatest allies."