Central High School on Oakes Celebrates Black History Month through Literacy Project

The library at Central High School on Oakes is displaying books ranging from biographies/history, verse, realistic fiction, and picture books all telling the stories of African Americans throughout history. The displays are part of a literacy project, the Black History Month Button Checklist, hosted by Librarian Mrs. Sophia Flores inviting students to read at least two books from each of the categories to earn a Black History Month badge. 

By participating in this optional project, Bobcat freshmen can make book selections which place them into the shoes of American Americans across history including books like “Ron’s Big Mission” by Rose Blue which is based on the life of Ron McNair, an astronaut who flew on the space shuttle Challenger. Mrs. Flores hopes projects like these will open the doors for students to build lifelong literacy skills and inspire a love for reading by finding topics and novels that inspire them to pick up another book. 

“Mrs. Flores is always looking for meaningful ways for students to interact with texts that may not be on their reading lists,” said Angela Pidgeon, SAISD Director of Differentiated Instruction and Special Populations. “This reading challenge helps promote diverse texts that enable students to gain understanding of the world around them. I want to participate in this challenge myself!”

The project does not stop as February comes to an end, students will still have an opportunity to participate throughout the year by reading the selections within the Black History Month Button Checklist to receive the badge. Additionally, Mrs. Flores hopes to continue to expand this project, including this upcoming March in celebration of International Women’s Day by highlighting novels written by women and celebrating women’s history. 

This February, events and activities in honor of Black History Month took place on many of our campuses to highlight the contributions of African Americans to our nation and local community. San Angelo ISD is proud to celebrate all the ways our students are smart and the many differences that make our students uniquely gifted. To stay up-to-date on San Angelo ISD, please visit the SAISD website at www.saisd.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.