A special tune for Black History Month

All of Freeport Public Schools unite to celebrate

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The third and fourth graders of the Kindness Crew from Leo F. Giblyn School step team stole the show on Feb. 28. The boys and girls donned red T-shirts, black pants with wheat colored Timberland boots as they stomped their way to the stage. The audience roared into thunderous cheers as the children performed perfectly synchronized footwork and claps.

Every single school in the Freeport Public Schools District participated in the celebration of Black History Month held at The Performing Arts Center at Freeport High School. Parents, friends, teachers, school administrators and elected officials were in attendance and stood as Hailey Brown, a Freeport High School student sang “Lift Every Voice.”

The evening included performances from the Columbus Avenue School’s Kindergarten Chorus who sang, “I Have a Dream,” an ode to the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate School and J.W. Dodd Middle School step team also performed an interpretive step dance to Imagine Dragon’s song, “Imagine.” During their performance a number of photographs of impactful moments in African American history were displayed on the screen, including the black and white photo of the 1963 March on Washington where King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

New Visions School’s third and fourth grade Glee Club sang “Turn Me Around,” a traditional spiritual that also include a celebratory montage of first time history-making African Americans throughout history like Shirley Chisolm, the first African American woman elected to Congress and African American woman to run for president; as well as former President Barack Obama, the first African American president.

The second graders of the World Music Club from Bayview Avenue School put on their dancing shoes and performed a traditional world music African American interpretive dance to “Funga Alafia.”

The older students — J.W. Dodd Middle and Freeport High schools performed musical pieces; Dodd sang “Every Time I Feel the Spirit” and FHS Select Chorale sang a piece from the 1935 opera “Porgy and Bess” by George Gershwin. FHS’s Color Guard also performed an energetic interpretative dance piece to “The Groove You Liked.”

The evening closed with the Atkinson’s performance of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Toward the end of their song, the Mixed Chorus pulled out red and white ribbons and waved them enthusiastically as they sang.