Colonial School District: Diversity Poetry Project Begins With Plymouth Elementary

Press release from the Colonial School District:

2021-03-09

Students and staff at Plymouth Elementary School (PE) came together to present the poem "Diversity" by Ahmad Cox as a video in celebration of Black History Month.

Each class at Plymouth Elementary performed a line from the poem.

The poem is accompanied by Plymouth Whitemarsh High School Senior Nathan Cideciyan playing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" on the violin.

Click here to watch the video.

PE Acting Principal Kylene Phillips and Assistant Principal Kelly Udovich introduced the poem in a read-aloud for the students. Then each class learned and recorded a line of the poem, and the lines were pieced together into a video.

"COVID has made it really difficult to engage in community-building activities, so seeing the entire school community come together for a virtual poetry reading is something really special," said Ms. Phillips. "The poem really got to the heart of our efforts this month, in that it's about recognizing the wonderful and beautiful ways people are diverse and the importance of learning to be 'human together'."

During Morning Meetings and other activities throughout Black History Month, PE students explored different countries and languages spoken in Africa and learned about the contributions of local Black people, including Neijae Graham-Henries, a nine-year-old from West Philadelphia who holds the record for being the youngest female barber, and Micah Harrington, a ten-year-old entrepreneur whose lemonade is sold at a number of coffee shops and markets in Philadelphia.

The children also shared images like self portraits or hearts to accompany their line.

The school worked with Gerald James, Colonial School District's Diversity, Equity and Instruction Officer, who helped plan the poetry project and other activities.

"It's been a pleasure to work with all of the buildings to create special moments for Black History Month — and to kick off our video poetry series at Plymouth Elementary," said Mr. James. "While each month allows for celebrations that focus on the contributions of different people and cultures, I'm most looking forward to incorporating diverse voices from many different backgrounds into our students' everyday experiences in the classroom."

Click here to watch the video.

Mr. James will be taking the diversity poetry project to all seven schools in the District.

For other news and information about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts in Colonial, click here to visit www.colonialsd.org/diversity.

This press release was produced by the Colonial School District .The views expressed here are the author’s own.