A peer to peer event

This week, a group of ORT students representing the Coalition of Black Students and Allies Club visited their Gr5 peers of the ASH and SAU campuses this week. Through a playful game of Bingo, their objective was to introduce students to some of the many Black people who, in Science, Culture, Politics or Sports, had an important impact and made our lives richer.

Supporting the curriculum

This student-led event was a perfect complement to the curriculum covered by the English teachers. "We are studying Slavery in U.S. History - but throughout the year we use that history of Africans being forcibly brought to America - followed by the freeing of the slaves, to the rise of the Civil Rights movement" explains Eileen Kiebala.  To lead students through this history, students are reading "Leon's Story", a first hand account of life in the South before and during the Civil Rights movement. 

"We read a chapter every week, and this leads to a lot of discussions about the progress made (or not made) between 1865 and the 1950s.  Students answer questions following the chapters and eventually we will discuss "Black Lives Matter" movement in 2020 - to again highlight how much work there is still to do with regard to equality in our country.  This provides a broad perspective on the subject and allows them to do a lot of thinking about the subject on their own and in small groups." adds Eileen.

A powerful moment for our students

The Gr5 students really enjoyed the visits for their older peers. Completely involved in the game that kept them alert and focused throughout the presentation, they realized through the list of names they knew and some they discovered, how much these people influenced their world. They were especially impressed to have this message delivered by other students from their school, something that is often challenging given our organization across three campuses and two bays. It was a great feeling of belonging to one school and being inspired by the leadership skills of these passionate, creative and impressive peers.