MVCSD holds Juneteenth celebrations

Schools across the Mount Vernon City School District celebrated Juneteenth and learned about the significance of the date during the week of Monday, June 17, 2024. Students made signs, walked in a parade and had lessons about the history of Juneteenth.

At Graham School, scholars put on a production for a night of art, melody and the beats of African drum and dance on Monday, June 17. Students from each grade were able to showcase their talents in different ways. 

Fourth grade students opened up the show with a special trumpet performance, playing “Mary Had a Little Lamb'' and “Duke’s Place” by Duke Ellington. The show continued with various types of dances, including modern, hip-hop and African dances performed by students from the second through eighth grade. Third graders also performed on their recorders, and second grade students sang a special rendition of “Feelin’ Alive”, while kindergarteners rocked the maracas on stage.

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Hamilton School held an outdoor celebration on Tuesday, June 18, which was a culmination of different educational lessons the school has been doing for the past two weeks. At this celebration, students did activities and games such as inflatable basketball, tin can alley, face-painting, cornhole and playing in a bouncy castle. Students and teachers wore the Juneteenth colors of red, white and blue.

“I’m part of the Cultural Heritage Committee, so every year we plan events around cultural dates and celebrations, and so Juneteenth is a part of our year long celebrations,” said Veronica Cordero-Turner, a reading specialist at Hamilton.

Students also partook in a competition in which they made educational posters for Juneteenth. 

“I believe this is the whole spirit of Juneteenth: togetherness, moving forward, celebrating culture, celebrating freedom,” said Hamilton Principal Marc Molina. “It’s just another way from an educational standpoint of addressing the whole child with these sorts of activities. We’re just lucky to have wonderful staff, wonderful parents, wonderful PTA to help us put this all together.”

This event was held to bring the school community together and teach the children about freedom in the spirit of Juneteenth. It was organized by the Juneteenth committee, being first planned in September by Lisa Morris, reading and literacy teacher at Hamilton. 

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At Benjamin Turner Academy, students had a week of classes to learn about Juneteenth. They created posters, fliers and kites to commemorate Juneteenth. The purpose of these lessons was so that students could understand the historical significance of the celebrations. 

“I learned about people’s freedom,” said Mohamed Diallo, third grade student at BTA. “The thing that I like about it is everybody coming together and celebrating.”

On Tuesday, June 18, students at BTA walked in a Juneteenth parade holding their homemade signs. The whole school community walked in the parade, which culminated in a celebration where everyone ate fruit and cake. 

Students at Mount Vernon Honor Academy also learned about Juneteenth with videos and lessons about the holiday. They also colored flags and drew and wrote about how they will celebrate Juneteenth. They will have more lessons and celebrate with a Juneteenth picnic on Thursday, June 20.  

Throughout the District, other schools had lessons and celebrations to commemorate the holiday as well.

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