P.S. 279 Honors Yesterday, Celebrates Today
By Skye Holly

Students at P.S. 279 entertained parents, staff and visitors with a dazzling Black History Month extravaganza in the school's auditorium last week. Photos by Skye Holly

Dozens of parents and school staff members, plus a few community leaders, filled the Public School 279 auditorium to capacity last Thursday even-ing for the annual Black History Month Extravaganza. The show also included a preview of the school's up-coming spring performance of "Bye Bye Birdie."

The East 104th Street elementary school recently received a grant from the Parents As Art Partners program, which brings arts education to city schools. A workshop on "African Mask Making and Storytelling" served as inspiration for part of the performance, as students shared what they learned about particular regions in Africa and used storytelling and pretending to enhance the Social Studies curriculum.

While various classes sang and talk-ed about legendary African-American leaders, the teachers in particular seem-ed to cheer more whenever students demonstrated personal interests and abilities. Students spoke or sang about famous faces in Black History that in-spired them. They also honored present day heroes that for some included parents and siblings, a few of whom are in the military.

Assemblyman Nick Perry was im-pressed with the energy and quality of the program, as well as all the hard work the teachers and students put into it. "They can all be history makers," he commented.

The Black History Extravaganza showed that some of P.S. 279's favorite African-Americans are its own students.

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