By: Hazel Hurlbut 

   This year TPA held its first Black History Month Assembly, and it was a big success! 

   The event was senior Mariah Gunnison’s idea, and she took charge in most of the planning process. She got the idea from the Spanish Club, which put on an assembly for Hispanic Heritage Month, so she thought it would be a good idea for TPA to also have a Black History Month assembly. 

   At first she did not know what to do, but with the help of various Youtube videos and Tiktoks as well as conversations with her friends and family, she was able to brainstorm ideas. She says, “The general preparation was the easiest part of the entire process, but I definitely had a lot of help.” Dr. Porter handled asking Mayor Woods to attend and Mrs. Magaña helped Mariah put together and finalize the agenda. 

   She also created a montage that worked its way through history. She began with the earliest known photos of slaves and ended with Kamala Harris being sworn in as the Vice President.

   Mariah also wanted to highlight Black students and Black voices at the assembly, including her own! During the presentation, she sang “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. She rehearsed it the morning of with Mrs. Turley; however, she said she “was still very nervous to perform it in front of the school.”

   Mariah was not the only student that participated. Dr. Mitton’s 6th grade class sang spirituals, and senior Sienna De São José gave a presentation. 

  Overall, the assembly was a huge success. It was planned wonderfully and had many great components. Hopefully, TPA can make this a tradition and continue to do similar assemblies in the future.