Feb. 24, 2023 - Track and field, basketball, tennis, football, boxing, and the list goes on - students at Northview High School celebrated black athletes of all backgrounds during the schools annual Black History Month celebration. 

“This year's theme is sports,” said Brian O’Connor, principal. “Students and staff can walk throughout the school to view displays outside each classroom and listen to students give presentations about their selected athlete.”

9th graders Jalena Miller and Olivia Owens presented on track and field athlete Florence Griffin Joiner, also known as Flo-Jo. 

“When preparing for the presentation, I learned a lot about the Olympics,” said Miller. “I thought there were only gold medals, but there are actually all kinds of levels like gold, silver, and bronze. I also learned that you can win a medal more than once.” 

“I had never heard of Flo-Flo before we started researching,” said Owens. “But I was inspired to learn more about her because I like to run too. My mom also does nails, so that stood out to me about her.”

Other athletes who students highlighted include Rory Flack, Muhammad Ali, Earl Lloyd, and Steph Curry. Alyssa Conley’s class discovered that Curry’s favorite pregame snack is popcorn, so they offered popcorn as a treat to students and staff who visited their display. Teacher Beth Boyer had a rack of clothes from Africa for students to try on. 

“We wanted to give the students who stopped by something to do while they looked at our door,“ said Boyer. “So we came up with the idea of having clothes for them to wear. I lived in Senegal for four years and have a lot of clothes from the country. We also had a photo booth. It’s been fun!”

Conley says the Black History Month celebration is needed because it can give students a glimpse at their own potential. 

“It shows the students that they can do anything that anyone on the walls are doing and be whoever they want to be when they grow up.”