Greene County Middle School hosts Black History Month celebration with Rep. Don Davis
Written by Matt Lococo
Snow Hill - On Friday, February 28, Greene County Middle School presented a celebration of Black History featuring Rep. Don Davis (D-NC 1) as a guest speaker for the event. The event was a culmination of events from throughout the month leading up to the “Old Skool vs. New Skool” program that was presented.
GCMS Guidance Counselor Makayla Parks spearheaded the program. Under her leadership, the program was developed into a combination of the “Old Skool” celebration and the the “New Skool” music feature. The program included recognition of the recently named Conference Champion Girls and Boys Basketball Teams. It also featured Coach Alston (GCMS PE Teacher) as the MC leading the kids in fun and recognition of the New Skool vs. Old Skool music contest. The program featured a duet by Mrs. Tammy Elebert (6th Grade Teacher/GCHS Women's Basketball Coach) and Anise Hunter (EC Teacher) singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as a tribute to those who had sacrificed for the cause of civil rights.
Representative Davis spoke about his journey from the Air Force Academy to the Mayor's office in Snow Hill to the NC Senate to now holding the honor of representing District 1. Davis spoke about hard work and walking in the footsteps of those who came before you. When asked what he thought of the pep rally-style event, he stated, “The pep rally at Greene County Middle School was uplifting. The gym was full of energy as students and teachers showcased their school spirit and Ram pride. It was truly inspiring to witness and participate.”
Miss Parks shared, “In any strive for the students of GCMS, I prioritize surrounding them with relative and engaging efforts that promote the concepts of culture, structure, and eternal knowledge that inevitably contribute to their social-emotional learning. Black History Month, Women's History Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Kindness Day, etc. Exposure and engagement with these social and cultural agendas is in an effort to empower their development of awareness, sense of self, empathy, compassion, community-oriented cultures, morality structure, etc."
Phil Cook, principal of GCMS, shared how proud he was of Miss Parks and her efforts to recognize every culture and community within the school. "Our student support services team and Ms. Parks did an outstanding job organizing the Black History Month assembly. It was an inspiring and enriching experience for all students, celebrating history, culture, and achievement in a meaningful way. What a powerful way to close out Black History Month!”
The event was attended by Greene County School Board Members Darius Shackleford and Lesia Batts. Ms. Batts shared, “Black History Month is a celebration of the achievements of Black Americans. The idea for GCMS to celebrate Black History was great. Congressman Don Davis was a great choice as a speaker. I enjoyed the event, and I could tell the students and staff loved it and were inspired. We can’t go wrong with having this celebration annually.”
The event ended with a fun “unity line” featuring Principal Cook, APs Ricardo Arias-Ruiz and Thomas Loftin, and Athletic Director Jayme Tilley. Ms. Parks and Mr. Cook both expressed how they hope an event like this can become an annual thing at GCMS.
Neuse News is a locally-owned small business startup in downtown Kinston. Our goal is to provide free, hyper-local news to Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties. The kind of news our grandparents read in a format fit for today's times.
We provide this by having supportive advertisers and we encourage you to click on their ads, shop with them, and eat with them. Every bit of financial support is important to help us sustain free, hyper-local news.
Please consider supporting Neuse News with as little as $5 one-time or via a monthly option. Every little bit helps us, help you.
