Given that International Women's Day has just passed by (March 8th), there is a twofold reason for me to feature the activities Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Crane's students engaged in around pioneering civil rights activist Ruby Bridges. Ruby was six years old when she was the first African-American child to desegregate an all-white school in Louisiana in 1960. Although she was afraid, she and her family bravely persevered, furthering the cause of equality in education for all Americans.
Our students read books and discussed the story of Ruby Bridges, then created their own summaries of her story. The attached pictures show how the work was customized for students of varying abilities to express what they learned (some wrote sentences independently, others wrote phrases, and some dictated for adults to put on the paper. The students enjoyed following directions to make cute Ruby frames to hold their written work :)
Advocates like Ruby Bridges hold a special place in our heart here at Horace Mann. Our namesake was a federal legislator and cabinet member who fought for the cause of education for all, starting in the early 19th century. Efforts of people like Horace Mann--and Ruby Bridges 100 years later--eventually lead to rich, inclusive schools like the one we have here at 1215 West Clifton Boulevard. We are grateful for the determined people who paved the way for what we have today!
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