The Chronicle
EDUCATING LEARNERS TODAY...BUILDING GLOBAL LEADERS TOMORROW
Black History Month at Clear Stream
Events and Contests
The story of Black History Month begins in 1915, half a century after the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States. This was the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. By 1926, college campuses chose to call it Negro History Week and celebrated it during the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The event inspired schools and communities nationwide to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and lectures.
In the decades that followed, mayors of cities across the country began recognizing the event. By the late 1960s, thanks in part to the civil rights movement and a growing awareness of Black identity, the event evolved into Black History Month. President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Black History Month is now an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Since 1976, every U.S. President has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history.
On February 26, 2024, The Bright Star Players will perform African Folktales and Songs of Freedom in honor of Black History Month.
Apple Cohort at Clear Stream
This week at Clear Stream Avenue School, teachers who are participating in the Apple Cohort had the opportunity to meet with AJ Parks, a representative from the Apple organization, to discuss ways to further enhance their craft through the use of Apple apps. Participants first met with the representative to discuss current curriculum topics and develop a plan of action on how to best meet the needs of their students. The following day, AJ and the participating teacher team taught and showed students how to implement 21st Century skills through the use of Apple Numbers, Pages, and Keynote! Students were highly engaged and eager for Mr. Park's return visit in the spring!
Former Student Invents Robot
Former Clear Stream Avenue student conducted a research project on Robotic Assisted Teaching last week in Ms. Sloan's classroom. The project aims to provide a platform for 3rd grade students to incorporate learning through the integration of Robotics within the classroom. The project’s goal is to determine how well students learn from a robot as compared with a traditional instructor. Matthew James created, built and designed the robot himself. He coded the program and even made the robot arms using a 3D printer. Each student participated in the project while learning a math lesson taught by the robot named Learn X and then the student was tested. Data collected will determine how effective the robot was at teaching new math concepts.
Matthew is no stranger to technological success. In 2021, when he was a 6th grader at Clear Stream, Matthew was the New York State Merit Winner for the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. The Competition asks students in grades 5-8 to identify an everyday problem in their community or the world and submit their ideas for a solution in the form of a one to two minute video explaining the science behind their solution. Matthew created a robot that reminded his grandmother, who was ailing at the time, to take her medicine, determine her blood pressure and test her heart rate. We look forward to seeing how well this young man does in the future.
Playing Telephone
In Science class, our first grade students were investigating how sound travels through string and air. First, they analyzed the sound waves with a plastic cup attached to a string. Then, they combined the string and cup with a partner to model a string telephone. Finally, they were asked to speak in the cup with the string loose and then with it tight. Students learned that sound travels through string whether it is tight or not. The tighter string sends sound waves better. The children had to explain why this is the case. Our young engineers systematically analyze materials and processes in order to improve or modify designs. Communication engineers are particularly focused on sound and creating technology to transmit sound long distances with little loss in clarity. Our students are learning how to think critically.