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A very special Black history activity has been taking place at Perth and District Collegiate Institute (PDCI) thanks to students in the Grade 7 French Immersion Class. They’ve launched a real-world learning project that will see large cutouts of prominent Black Canadians displayed at the Perth Museum and the Ontario Provincial Police East Region Headquarters in Smiths Falls. In addition to the displays, QR codes will be placed next to each cutout that will link to a student-created podcast episode of the person’s life and accomplishments.

The students, along with their teacher Megan Connolly, have been exploring and researching various Black Canadian change-makers throughout the school year. One of the tools that helped inspire this project was the bilingual “ABC’s of Canadian Black History” kits from BlacBiblio. The kits contain 26 carefully designed lesson plans, fostering awareness and acknowledging the presence and contributions of Black Canadians. The kit includes cards that feature a person, place, or event for every letter of the alphabet.

As they began exploring the cards, the students were shocked by how many individuals they didn’t recognize, and began brainstorming ways they could bring their stories to life in the community.

Historical figures selected for the project include political pioneer Lincoln Alexander, human rights crusader Harriet Tubman, legendary cowboy John Ware, sports trailblazer Willie O’Ree, and more.

To tackle the task, students split themselves into groups to handle artistic design, project management, podcast development, accounting, communications, event planning, documentation and social media marketing. Students organized fundraisers and reached out to local businesses to help cover the costs of the project and equipment needed.

“At the start it was us learning about all the historical figures, but over time it became less about simply learning about them, and more about promoting inclusivity in our communities and where we live,” explains Grace Hayward, one of the students involved in the project.

“[This project] was different because we had to do a lot of research and recording, but it was really fun in the end because it wasn’t like we were doing regular schoolwork,” added Nate McRae.

During a recent visit to the classroom, “ABC’s of Canadian Black History” kit co-creator Linton Garner was touched by the enthusiasm of the young learners. “They’re going to introduce these characters to a lot of people who never knew about them. I’m almost speechless about what they’re doing. Leave it to the creativity of kids to find different ways to do things!”

“It’s fantastic to see kids come out of their shells and utilize their strengths,” said Connolly. “It starts as a history deep dive with rich curriculum connections, but it evolves into real-world learning with very transferrable skills. There’s space for each student to excel and thrive personally while still learning about history and the value of inclusivity. It’s been a very inspiring project with many opportunities for teamwork, problem solving and more. I’m so proud of them!”

Students are currently putting the finishing touches on their podcast episodes and are planning an exhibit launch event at the Perth Museum on May 14 at 5 p.m. A second copy of the exhibit will be on display at the OPP East Region Headquarters in Smiths Falls in the coming weeks, with local officers excited about bringing the students’ work to the community.

“We were honoured to meet with the students, and to talk with them about Black History Month and their projects,” said Inspector Kerlous Tawdrous, Detachment Commander of Lanark. “Their work reflects excellent research skills, and the projects are a wonderful example of how inclusion can be part of everyone’s lives. I’m particularly proud that the project kits were purchased through the Proceeds of Crime Grant that focuses on anti-hate education and the creation of inclusive and safe communities.”

Looking forward to next year, Connolly plans to use the kits to once again spark important conversations with a new group of students. “I’d love to have the students use the kit as a template to create cards of their own. It would be really interesting to see students research more modern Black trailblazers and see what they come up with!”

SOURCE: Upper Canada District School Board.