Louise Cabaniss Elementary – Cabaniss is hosting Ayubu Kamu Kings and Queens “Drums of Africa Performance” on February 15th at 9:00 a.m. and 9:35 a.m.

Charlotte Anderson Elementary – February 24th: Black History Program – Dream It/Achieve It/Believe It

8:30 – 9:30 a.m. – Pre-K through 1st Grade
- Pre-K: Read a Poem
- Kindergarten: Read a Poem
- 1st Grade: Read a Poem
- Staff Member: Story Teller
2:00 – 3:00 p.m. – 2nd Grade through 4th Grade
- 2nd Grade: Introduction – Why we celebrate
- 4th Grade: The dream lives on
- 3rd Grade: Wax Museum
- 4th Grade: Conclusion – Dance or Music

Kenneth Davis Elementary – Davis will be have a black history performance 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m., February 17th, in the cafeteria, to honor famous black musicians through the years. There will be about 100 kids participating in the program.

Carol Holt Elementary – Carol Holt Elementary is focusing time on studying the accomplishments in the arts, sciences and political realms of influential African-Americans. Part of their morning announcements during the month of February will be devoted to Black History facts and personalities.

Martha Reid Elementary – Clair Sybrant, Reid Librarian, will be spending a week talking about African American authors. During the morning announcements, the campus will be reading mini-biographies of African Americans who have make a significant contribution to our world.

Thelma Jones Elementary– Students and Staff invite parents and community members to join them for a program at 2:00 p.m., Friday, February 24th. The guest speaker will be Louise Hawkins, a former student.

Mary Jo Sheppard Elementary – During the entire month of February Sheppard will have a student from each class (grades 1-4) who will present an African American historical figure on their live announcements. February 17th – 9:00 a.m., the campus will have a Black History Read In with African American readers from around the community.

Cora Spencer Elementary – Spencer Elementary will have many art activities to celebrate Black History Month:

Kinder will create an example of African folk art called a Khamsas. They originated in Morocco and are used as good luck charms shaped like a hand. The children traced their hands on foil then cut them out and decorated the hand with markers and jewels.
First graders are studying famous and influential African Americans all next week. They will be researching these individuals as a class. Each day students will write a short report as a class and make a literature/art connection. They will be recording the information on the Promethean Board as they use KWHL charts, thinking maps, and Safari/Discover Education as reading/writing tools. Students will also use a few expository texts to gain more information. Spencer students are studying: Maya Angelou (poet), Garrett Morgan (inventor), Rosa Parks (civil rights leader), Alfred Cralle (inventor), and Dr. Mae Jemison (astronaut). The projects and writing will be displayed in the first grade hallway near their “diversity” crayon box.
1st & 2nd grades created a story quilt based on the works of Faith Ringgold. Each class will have a completed story quilt.
3rd grade created a Drapo Dazzle piece based on Haitian art. They drew a tropical picture and used pastels to add color. They cut, glued, and bedazzled the piece on black construction paper.
4th grade created a piece that originated in Ghana by the Ewe. The pieces use an Asimevo pattern that consists of various types of Kete cloths. The students created line patterns with many symbolic colors using pencil, marker, pastel, and crayon.

Roberta Tipps Elementary - Roberta Tipps’ students will participate in a Multicultural Parade on campus on February 24th, at 8:30 a.m. The parade will incorporate students dressed as famous African Americans. Parents and community members are encouraged to attend. The Roberta Tipps’ library blog is currently dedicated to Black History Month.

Mary Lillard Intermediate - School wide activities: Daily announcement highlighting famous Black American’s throughout history. Also, the school has various classroom activities planned including: Physics Fair highlighting black inventors, Poetry unit on Langston Hughes, Civil Rights sculptures, Novel studies such as “The Watson’s go to Birmingham,” and “Bud, Not Buddy,” and Daily Civil Rights Trivia.

Mary Orr Intermediate – The Multicultural Club of Mary Orr Intermediate School will celebrate the Twenty-Third Year of the National African American Read-In. Orr will be hosting this literacy event for the tenth consecutive year on Friday, February 17th at 8:30 a.m., during the morning throughout the school. Guest Readers from Mansfield ISD and the entire Mansfield community will be sharing literature written by African American authors to students in their individual classrooms.

Cross Timbers Intermediate – During the month of February, each morning, Students will do a five minute presentation during the morning announcements at the campus. The presentation will be about African Americans who have made contributions.
T.A. Howard Middle School – The campus will have daily announcements including black history facts and local events.

Danny Jones Middle School – During the month of February, DJMS has been reading quotes and short biographies of famous people in African American history. Certain core classes have been assigning lessons with themes centered on Black history and culture. The Black History program at DJMS will be held on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Worley Middle School – Tuesday, February 21st, 6:00 p.m. in the Worley Cafeteria. This program will celebrate the contributions African Americans have made to the world over time. Students are so excited and prepared to share with the community what they have learned. Adult sponsors are Earl Addison (science teacher/coach) and Divona Phillips (ELA teacher/coach).

Summit High School - Summit High School is giving a Black History fact during announcements each day. They have also had two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) visit their campus on Friday, February 10th during A lunch. The colleges were Tougaloo College and Paul Quinn College. They were on stage in the Commons visiting with students and giving out information. This was in conjunction with Bethlehem Baptist Church.

(Please note: This listing was compiled from information provided by the schools. Every effort is made to ensure accuracy. Information will be updated as new information becomes available.)

February is celebrated as Black History Month - an annual celebration that has existed since 1926.

Much of the credit for Black History Month goes to Harvard Scholar Dr. Carter G. Woodson (pictured at right). In 1926, Woodson organized the first annual Negro History Week, which took place during the second week of February. Woodson chose this date to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln -- two men who had greatly impacted the black population.

Over time, Negro History Week evolved into a four-week-long celebration of African American History. Because of the variation in terms used, February is also known as African American History Month, Afro-American History Month and Black Experience Month.

February has much more than Douglass and Lincoln to show for its significance in black American history. For example:

• February 23, 1868: W. E. B. DuBois, important civil rights leader and co-founder of the NAACP, was born.

• February 3, 1870: The 15th Amendment was passed, granting blacks the right to vote.

• February 25, 1870: The first black U.S. senator, Hiram R. Revels (1822-1901), took his oath of office.

• February 12, 1909: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded by a group of concerned black and white citizens in New York City.

• February 1, 1960: In what would become a civil-rights movement milestone, a group of black Greensboro, N.C., college students began a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter.

• February 21, 1965: Malcolm X, the militant leader who promoted Black Nationalism, was shot to death by three Black Muslims.