Minority Scholars Program's service project focuses on books & diversity
By Tyler Foley
By Tyler Foley
Eastern’s Minority Scholars Program is working on a creative, socially distant community service project that they hope will bring joy and learning to elementary school students.
It’s a collection of videos featuring Eastern students and teachers reading children’s picture books with diverse characters and topics. So far, they’ve created 20 videos with books ranging from “Hasta Donde Me Amas?,” “Chocolate Me,” “We’re Different, We’re the Same,” and “Little Leaders.”
Lydia Granados, an 8th grader and one of the club’s co-presidents, said the service addresses race, gender, identity, diversity, ethnicity, and culture.
“The books we read talked about the challenges our society faces and how we can overcome them by helping each other,” she said.
Sarah Tadesse, MSP’s other co-president, added, “We are hoping the students are able to gain knowledge on the differences within our society and how we can come together as one.”
The group is planning to partner with one or two elementary schools whose students will be able to view the videos.
Granados said she decided to volunteer as one of the co-presidents “to be more engaged with the Eastern community and to help others learn about inclusivity.”
Tadesse said, “[MSP] is important because it projects Eastern's differences as well as the diversity.”
The Minority Scholars Program was founded in 2005 at Bethesda’s Walter Johnson High School. According to the main MSP Web site, it was created from “an effort to address the lack of minority students in rigorous classes and extracurricular activities.” Several teachers who were concerned about the problem convened a meeting of a group of African American and Latino students to talk about these issues. From then, a movement led by students took off.
The club expanded to Clarksburg High School a few years later. Then to Wootton and Bethesda-Chevy Chase. Today there are at least 25 high schools and 22 middle schools with MSP programs and they focus on raising diverse student voices, developing leaders, and working with the larger community. One of their most visible initiatives has been a campaign for an “antiracist 9th grade U.S. history curriculum” that represents more diverse perspectives. For example, MSP points out that while the 19th amendment gave women the right to vote, women of color were still disenfranchised. MSP has also been raising awareness through Instagram of the various high schools in Montgomery County Public Schools in which students share their experiences with racism and bias.
MSP meets Thursdays 3:30-4:30 p.m., and the three faculty advisors are Ms. Jasmin Sanchez ([email protected]), Ms. Alicia Hall ([email protected]), and Mr. Obadele Brown., Ms. Hall ([email protected]).
It’s a collection of videos featuring Eastern students and teachers reading children’s picture books with diverse characters and topics. So far, they’ve created 20 videos with books ranging from “Hasta Donde Me Amas?,” “Chocolate Me,” “We’re Different, We’re the Same,” and “Little Leaders.”
Lydia Granados, an 8th grader and one of the club’s co-presidents, said the service addresses race, gender, identity, diversity, ethnicity, and culture.
“The books we read talked about the challenges our society faces and how we can overcome them by helping each other,” she said.
Sarah Tadesse, MSP’s other co-president, added, “We are hoping the students are able to gain knowledge on the differences within our society and how we can come together as one.”
The group is planning to partner with one or two elementary schools whose students will be able to view the videos.
Granados said she decided to volunteer as one of the co-presidents “to be more engaged with the Eastern community and to help others learn about inclusivity.”
Tadesse said, “[MSP] is important because it projects Eastern's differences as well as the diversity.”
The Minority Scholars Program was founded in 2005 at Bethesda’s Walter Johnson High School. According to the main MSP Web site, it was created from “an effort to address the lack of minority students in rigorous classes and extracurricular activities.” Several teachers who were concerned about the problem convened a meeting of a group of African American and Latino students to talk about these issues. From then, a movement led by students took off.
The club expanded to Clarksburg High School a few years later. Then to Wootton and Bethesda-Chevy Chase. Today there are at least 25 high schools and 22 middle schools with MSP programs and they focus on raising diverse student voices, developing leaders, and working with the larger community. One of their most visible initiatives has been a campaign for an “antiracist 9th grade U.S. history curriculum” that represents more diverse perspectives. For example, MSP points out that while the 19th amendment gave women the right to vote, women of color were still disenfranchised. MSP has also been raising awareness through Instagram of the various high schools in Montgomery County Public Schools in which students share their experiences with racism and bias.
MSP meets Thursdays 3:30-4:30 p.m., and the three faculty advisors are Ms. Jasmin Sanchez ([email protected]), Ms. Alicia Hall ([email protected]), and Mr. Obadele Brown., Ms. Hall ([email protected]).