Parents, siblings and friends filled the gymnasium at Arrowpoint Elementary School in the Hazelwood School District as pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students showcased their knowledge and talents in celebration of Black History Month.
“And the Beat Goes On” included student performances of music, dance and literature. The event opened with a choir of third, fourth and fifth-grade students leading guests in “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Throughout the evening, students recited quotes from iconic African Americans such as Dr. Maya Angelou and Booker T. Washington, as well as a variety of quotes and phrases from famous celebrities and athletes from the 1990s to the present.
Dance as an expression of culture was highlighted by a trio of boys portraying The Temptations with “My Girl,” and the school’s step teams performed a routine.
A group of fourth-graders recited “The Negro Mother” and “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes. Following the poem, fifth-graders presented a PowerPoint entitled “Unsung Heroes through Black History.”
Children wearing Mardi Gras-style masks that they created sang “When the Saints Go Marching In,” and a group of second-graders shared their version of an autobiography of Michael Jackson.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., first-grade students performed the “Martin Luther King” song, holding hands as the song ended. Kindergartners performed “Martin’s Big Words” and the pre-kindergarten class performed “Sing about Martin.”
The school nurse and three students sang “Wind Beneath My Wings” to end the show.