It was a race against the buzzer and a celebration of history for Atlanta Public Schools (APS) on Friday.
Students from eight high schools and five middle schools competed in the annual Black History Bowl, showing why Black History matters far beyond the classroom.
“We provide the questions to the teachers and their teams months ahead. They really get together, work at the local level at their schools, and actually participate, actually do the debate, and review the questions,” said Renniah Gay, an APS secondary social studies coordinator.
Friday was showtime at the Mary McLeod Bethune Building.
High school and middle school groups faced off and were quizzed on a wide range of Black History topics, from local roots to national moments.
“My favorite topic to study is the NAACP, the history of the 1960’s and 1970’s, Marcus Garvey, and all these influential figures,” said Best Academy junior Namir Gaskin.
For Gaskin, he said the experience revealed there is always more to learn.
“I definitely need to study a little bit more,” he said. “There’s a lot that I don’t know, and there’s so much that there is so much to learn.”
A first this year, students were motivated by a special guest, Atlanta Falcons Legend and former running back Jerious Norwood, encouraging them to aim high and work collaboratively.
“Each and every kid has the opportunity to express themselves in a group form,” he told CBS News Atlanta, “You will have people in the group that do not agree, and you will have people who do agree, so it’s a way to work out hiccups and individuals in a group aspect.”
APS said the goal goes far beyond memorizing historical facts.
It’s about deeper learning, understanding, and connection.
“We’re so excited to bring that knowledge to them so that they can understand that the African diaspora is very wide, how they benefit ,and how other communities benefit from these contributions,” said Gay.
Therrell High School and Marting Luther King Jr. Middle School won their respective competitions this year, each taking home a trophy.
