Students at Cottageville Elementary School presented a Black History Month program. The program celebrated Excellence, Culture, and Legacy.
After the opening and welcome, students of all grades (1st-5th) presented skits and recitations about notable Black Americans and their contributions to American history.
The first performance was given by the kindergarten class. Kindergarteners were the first presenters educating about the inventor of the stoplight. Mr. Garrett Morgan, a Black American from Cleveland, Ohio, invented the first “three-position traffic signal”. After witnessing a serious traffic collision, Morgan decided something had to be done to improve the safety of people on the road. Morgan’s stoplight system featured green for go, red for stop, and yellow for slow down. The use of the stoplight system was demonstrated by a student driving a PowerWheels pink convertible and she drove forward, slowed down at yellow, and stopped at red. The students also informed the audience that Morgan also invented the gas mask. Another kindergarten class presented information about Claudette Covin. Ms. Covin refused to give her seat on the bus before Rosa Parks. Her refusal to move from her seat resulted in her arrest where she was found guilty of assaulting police officers. The community was angry about Colvin’s treatment, and some stayed off the buses. Kindergarteners simulated Colvin’s refusal to give up her seat and a boycott of the buses with chants of “don’t ride the bus!” Colvin became one of four plaintiffs in Browder vs. Gayle which ruled Montgomery’s segregated bus system was unconstitutional. Ms. Colvin died of natural causes in January of 2026. Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama accompanied by former Vice-President Joe Biden and the Second Lady Jill Biden who introduce themselves to the audience. The kindergarten presentation ended with a song entitled “We Need Peace.”
The Pre-K’s presentations consisted of answer question posed by the emcee and if answered correctly the student picked a toy. The questions ranged from, how many stars are on the American Flag and name two states in the United States of America.
The 1st through 4th grade classes gave presentations on :
1st grade: Martin Luther King, Jr. (Civil Rights Activist), Simone Biles (Olympic Gymnast), and Barack Obama (Former President of the United States of America)
2nd grade: Bessie Coleman (Aviator), Garrett Morgan (Stoplight), and Lonnie Johnson (Inventor)
3rd grade: NBA starts Stephan Curry, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan
4th grade: Trailblazers of Aviation—Emory Malick, Bessie Coleman, and Charles Anderson
The 5th grade class presented a mock television show interviewing notable Black Americans. Two hosts and a cameraperson “interviewed” Nelson Mandela (South Africa first democratically elected) and Dr. Gladys West (Mathematician/GPS).
The finale of the program was the CES Dancers who performed an excellent dance number to “Revolution” by Kirk Franklin and The Family.
