By Cecil Egbele | Contributing Writer | California Local News Fellow
The morning of Feb. 24 felt more like a festival than a school day. Curran Middle School threw open its doors to celebrate Black History Month with a program that was part showcase, part history lesson, and entirely community-built. Under the theme “Celebrating 100 Years of Black History,” students, teachers, and local organizations filled the campus with performances, cultural activities, and a shared sense of purpose that extended well beyond the classroom.
The celebration also included educational activities across campus. Students participated in games highlighting Black inventors and took part in a scavenger hunt featuring the flags of historically Black colleges and universities.
Assistant Principal Cattrice Toles, known to students as “Swaggy AP,” said the goal was to give students a deeper understanding of culture while making the learning experience interactive.
“From today’s celebration of Black History Month, I want them to take away a celebration of culture and diversity, to understand Black music, activism, and history,” she said. “And to see that Black-owned businesses are part of that culture too.”
She stressed that the event was a collaboration among teachers, staff, and coaches, including community support. “We have several people who come support from Bakersfield City School District and different community partners such as the Davis Foundation, the NAACP and Time for Change,” said Toles.
The Davis Foundation, the NAACP, Time for Change, and the district’s Wellness Center all sent representatives, alongside multiple departments from the Bakersfield City School District. Several vendor booths on campus were run by Black-owned businesses, giving students a chance to engage with local entrepreneurship as part of the day’s activities.
Highlights of the day were the series of student performances, in which young participants used dance, cheer routines, and spoken presentations to express pride in Black history and culture.
For Saniah McKethan, the school’s cheer captain, participating in the event was both exciting and meaningful.
“Black History Month means supporting your culture after everything we’ve come through and how far we’ve come to celebrate together,” McKethan said.
Her team performed a spirited cheer routine as part of the program.
“I feel joyful about today’s event, being able to go out and perform,” she said.
For school president and soccer team captain Dempsey Rosa, the celebration marked a personal milestone; it involved him stepping outside his comfort zone and developing leadership skills. Serving as the event’s emcee, introducing acts and activities to a packed audience was tense yet fulfilling.
“I was really scared and nervous,” Rosa admitted. “But the Proud Academy gave me the opportunity to speak in front of a lot of people, and I’m really proud of myself for doing it.”
Rosa’s reflection on the day’s deeper meaning was direct: “If we don’t speak up and tell people about our history, they will never know what people did in the past for Black people to have rights today.”
Central to the school’s year-round effort is the Proud Academy, an in-school program that meets every Wednesday to engage students in Black history and culture. Toles credits it as the foundation that makes events like this sustainable and replicable.
Toles said one of the most powerful moments of the celebration was seeing students from different backgrounds come together to honor Black history.
She noted that the event reflected the legacy of leaders such as Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Shirley Chisholm, whose work helped pave the way for future generations.
“The big takeaway is looking at how far we’ve come,” Toles said. “Our ancestors would be proud to see students from different cultural backgrounds coming together to celebrate.”
Toles summed up the spirit of the day with her lifelong mantra, which she hopes students will carry beyond Black History Month and into the rest of the school year.
“No excuses,” she said. “Just solutions.”
