As the new Diversity Coordinator, it’s natural that more than one person has asked me what activities the school has planned for Black History Month in the month of February.

Upon sending an email out to faculty to see what they had planned, I received a large number of emails back from teachers who planned a varied number of activities and learning points that will take place at all grade levels.

For example, in the Seventh Grade, Mr. Stewart is having students watch and discuss PBS’ “Eyes on the Prize” while in the Second Grade Ms. Stark has the students give group reports on famous African-Americans.

In all parts of the school, the teachers have independently made diverse and interesting choices on how to incorporate Black History Month in to the rest of the curriculum.

However, I think it’s important as a school that we make sure to recognize two very important things where Black History Month is concerned.

• ·         One, is that we realize that Black History Month can’t be the only time of the year that students are encouraged to think about the positive and pervasive contributions that black Americans have made to our community and to our society at large. Our textbooks, lesson plans, examples used in class should reflect this with every grade, all school year long.

• ·         The second point to remember is that while many people are very knowledgeable about the existence of February as Black History Month, we don’t tend to be as conscious or deliberate about celebrating the history and experiences of other cultures in America.

When Pat Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools, visited Kansas City and spoke to educators about the values that we must teach our children to prepare them for the world, cross-cultural competency was one of those values.

In other words, it’s important that we look at Black History Month as just one of many tools in making sure that our students have as broad and engaged view of the world as they can.

It doesn’t diminish Black History Month to give heightened attention periodically to each of the large number of paths that have intersected to build and grow our society. If anything, it just enhances us all.