Cordova Villa students participate in annual Black History Month program
Mary Hawkins, a long time Cordova Villa Elementary second-grade teacher, coordinated her final Annual Black History Month Program for the school this week, which has provided students the chance to perform for their peers, school staff and families for the past 24 years.
Hawkins is retiring this year. She has taught for the Folsom Cordova Unified School District for 26 years, with a total of 40 years as a teacher in her career.
Hawkins said she created the annual program to instill a sense of pride in African American students at the school and to teach black history to all students at Cordova Villa Elementary.
During the performance, students read poetry about civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and sang a song written jazz legend Louis Armstrong. Students performed a dance inspired by the stepping traditions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. And they learned about many other influential African American leaders such as Thurgood Marshall, Dr. Ben Carson, Barack and Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Langston Hughes to name some of the many people honored.
Hawkins also coordinates the school's Black Culture Club voluntarily on campus and invites all students to participate in its weekly meetings, as well as coordinates the Cordova Villa Choir in the district's Spring Chorale each year.
Take a look at some of the photo highlights of the school's Black History Month Program.