Wheatley Community School's Black History & Culture Fair

On February 25th, Phillis Wheatley Community School (formerly John Dibert Community School), had a very special event in honor of Black History Month - A History and Culture Fair, organized by Ms. Sarah Bliss and her 6th Grade Scholars. 

Since the beginning of the school year, students have been looking forward to black history month. The fair provided students the opportunity to study one person in depth while also learning from each other by creating and presenting their projects. Some in-class research time was provided, but the majority of the work was done on their own time, over Mardi Gras break nonetheless! 

Students were integral to the event's success, helping to set up, take down, distribute tickets, and collect votes. If students weren't presenting, they were giving tours to parents and the Pre-K to 2nd grade classes that attended. The historical figures studied ranged from the well known (Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubman) to the lesser known (Angela Davis and Meadowlark Lemon). It was an amazing experience for students, parents, and the whole Wheatley community; seeing kids teach guests about their history and take so much pride in what they learned was really inspiring. The projects went above and beyond what Ms. Bliss expected, and she plans to make sure The Black History Month History & Culture Fair becomes a February tradition at Wheatley. 

Congratulations to winners of the prizes, which were were given in 3 categories: 

Presentation - Kiara Bell (Ella Fitzgerald)

Lookalike (dressed up as historical figure) - a tie: Francisco Williams (Ray Charles) and Chavone Zeno (Katherine Dunham)

Project Excellence - Dascia Cofield (Mamie Smith)

For more pictures of the History & Culture Fair, click THIS LINK  

Celebrating Successes at FirstLine

On Friday February 13th, while all our scholars slept in for the beginning of their Mardi Gras break, FirstLine’s staff gathered together in the gym at Arthur Ashe Charter School for a network pep rally! The Theme for the Pep Rally was: The Mystic Krewe of FirstLine presents: The FirstLine Renaissance. In true Krewe tradition, the celebration started with a parade. Each school put together a float that their staff members marched in behind. As the brass music blared and the schoolteachers stomped, the Mardi Gras spirit was infectious throughout the gym. A healthy competition among schools ensued, where they were judged in (3) categories. Everyone showed their FirstLine spirit as they acted out the key messages of the FirstLine Renaissance: Body, Mind and Spirit. After the competition, it was time for the main event of the pep rally: The Inaugural Big Chief Awards.

The Big Chief Awards were created to spotlight teachers and staff who exemplify FirstLine’s core values of Learning, Results, Collaboration, Service, and Fun (the secret value). At the awards ceremony, awards in each area were presented, with (2) winners taking home the service award. The names of the award winners were kept a surprise until the video presentations revealed the winner. When the names of the winners were announced, huge cheers erupted in the bleachers, and winners were prone to being swarmed with hugs and adoration from their peers. As they made their way to the spotlight at the center of the gym, the Big Chiefs (who the awards are named after), were there to present them with a beautiful glass sculpture created by local non-profit organization Ya-Ya.

Big Chief Award Winners (l to r): Carolyn Trask, Julia Dezen,
              LaJean Hunter, Sivi Domango, Kaitlyn Gaddis, Eileen Bunton

The awards ceremony inspired all FirstLine employees and reminded us of why we do what we do. It showed us just how much we can achieve, and how much stronger we become when we group together as a network. But above all, it showed us that even though everything we do is for the scholars, none of it could happen without the staff. We would like to congratulate the inaugural Big Chief Award Winners on a job well done! Thank You for all that you do!

The Ramona Luke Big Chief of Service Award (Two winners): Carolyn Trask, Langston Hughes Academy, Social Worker; LaJean Hunter, Joseph S. Clark Preparatory High School, Front Office Administrator

The Darcy McKinnon Big Chief of Collaboration Award: Sivi Domango, Arthur Ashe Charter School, Co-Director

The Anthony “Doc” Recasner Big Chief of Learning Award: Eileen Bunton, Samuel J. Green Charter School, Literacy Integration Specialist

The Brenda Benoit Big Chief of Results Award: Julia Dezen, Samuel J. Green Charter School, Fourth Grade Teacher

The Kelly Miranda Big Chief of Fun Award: Kaitlyn Gaddis, Phillis Wheatley (formerly John Dibert) Community School, Kindergarten Teacher

To view all of the Big Chief Award video presentations click THIS LINK.
For photos, click THIS LINK.