Celebrating Black Excellence: A Month of Inspiration at Ritenour
Ritenour students and staff celebrated Black excellence with creative learning experiences, throughout February as part of Black History Month. In addition to classroom activities, below are some highlights of events, projects and speakers from each Ritenour building.
Buder Elementary students from every grade level rocked a packed house in the school gym on Feb. 27 as they belted out songs from The Wiz as a culminating Black History Month assembly for families. Music teacher Ginger Edwards brought out the best in the Buder Bobcats on stage. Third grade teacher Josie Chapman did an amazing job of helping prepare students to take the mic between grade-level performances with cultural highlights of Black history.
Iveland Elementary’s annual schoolwide Black History event for families engaged each grade level in different aspects African American culture. The performance, which took place on Iveland’s school’s stage this year instead of Ritenour Auditorium due to winter weather canceling the original performance, included outstanding drumming, singing, dancing and student speeches. In addition, fifth-graders showcased art projects that they worked on throughout the month.
Kratz Elementary’s the third-graders opened a school assembly on Feb. 25 with a Kratz cheer they wrote based off the nation’s first private Historically Black College (HBC), now called Central State University in Ohio. The students then performed music from various Black musicians from different eras of American history, including drumming to Aretha Franklin’s song, “Respect.” A select group of fifth-graders ended the event by singing and dancing to original verses they wrote to a popular hip hop song, “Shabooya.”
Marion Elementary fifth-graders brought Black history to life with their Living History Museum. Each fifth-grader researched a legendary African American, created a project board with facts about that person and then dressed up and shared a 1-2 minute summary of their famous person. They impressed both students and their own families with their knowledge about trailblazers like Super Soaker inventor Lonnie Johnson, former Vice President Kamala Harris, singers and songwriters like Bob Marley and Michael Jackson, actresses like Butterfly McQueen, ballerina Misty Copeland and sports superstars like Serena Williams, Mohammed Ali, Kobe Bryant and so many other historical legends who inspired others to become changemakers.
Marvin Elementary focused on children's literature. Teachers shared stories written by Black authors or books with African American characters through physical or online read alouds. At the end of the month, students did book reviews of their favorite stories. Throughout the month of February, morning announcements featured Black history facts and different songs from the 1960s to the present.
Wyland Elementary’s all-school assembly featured students singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” drumming to Michael Jackson, and powerful speeches, including “I Have a Dream,” as well as tributes to important Black figures throughout history. Wyland staff also led a read-aloud from the book, “The Undefeated,” by Kwame Alexander and Kadir Nelson. A select group of fifth graders showcased their newly-learned skills during an exciting Stepping performance, which blends African folk traditions of synchronized stepping, clapping and cheers, and is rooted in the African American fraternities and sororities.
Hoech Middle School closed out Black History Month with an artifact fair and student performance on Feb. 28. Students from four different Husky Time classes showed off skillfully designed artifacts that celebrated famous St. Louis music icons Josephine Baker and Ike and Tina Turner, as well as St. Louis entrepreneur and philanthropist Annie Malone, and the historical significance of the St. Louis Urban League. In addition to performances by the HMS choir, orchestra and band, the school’s cheerleaders closed out the assembly with a few cheers they performed during basketball season.
Ritenour Middle School’s National Junior Honor Society created two large murals in the school’s front hallway. One inspired students to add their dreams to a board that featured Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech and the other pulled inspirational quotes from famous Black Americans.
Husky Academy students were inspired by three Ritenour High School alumni who overcame obstacles to become successful.
Kionna Wells, an RHS 2000 graduate, shared her inspiring journey of navigating the responsibilities of young motherhood in high school to advancing her career at Boeing and ultimately launching a successful business called Posie Pots, a company that 3D prints innovative self-watering planters using eco-friendly, corn-based plastic.
Miistro (Reggie Terrell), a dynamic artist, producer, and musician, shared his story of making it into the music industry since graduation from RHS in 2011. Miistro has worked with some of the biggest names in hip-hop, including Nelly, Hitman Holla, Mo3, Young Scooter, Luh Kel, and Swae Lee. His production skills are also featured in the world of gaming, having contributed to the soundtrack for EA's Immortals of Aveum.
Garrett Willis, RHS class of 2013, culminated Black History Month on Feb. 28 by sharing the triumphs and challenges of working in real estate.
Ritenour High School’s Game Changers ended Black History Month by hosting a successful vendor fair for local black-owned businesses on Feb. 27. More than a dozen businesses run by Ritenour students, alumni and staff participated in this year’s fair. The evening event also included outstanding performances by the RHS Jazz Band, Vocal Flex and select string orchestra members. A big shout-out to the following black-owned businesses that participated: Sweet Treats by Yani, Kolors Inc., Cookies and Bracelets by Madison Miller, Scentsy Wax, Snacks and Things, Cookies and Sweets by Megan Curtis, Custom Items and Wreathes, Colored Me Whipped, Sugar Star, Gifts by Tiffany, Yellehs Catering LLC and Frost on a Pound.