The John Cooper School kicks off Black History Month with a grand celebration

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Students and faculty of The John Cooper School recently banded together in unity to kick off Black History Month with an evening celebration and commemoration featuring music, food, speeches, and a room-sized exhibition filled with Black history talking points, trivia, and presentations.

Woodlands Online attended the festivities and talked with Dr. Stephen Popp, Head of School.

“It’s an important celebration of this Cooper community, the African American community, and the important legacy and contributions of this generation and generations that have come before us that are inseparable from and integral to American history,” Popp told Woodlands Online. “We are proud to highlight the numerous contributions in culture, art, history, and music and to have a tremendous community celebration at this school.”

Attendees of all ages attended the ceremony, with equal numbers of staff, students, and parents. Popp beamed with pride at the student engagement.

“Our students are really the crux of tonight’s programming with their reflections that inspire us. So too are our wonderful parents who are really the reason this happens year after year; their dedication, creativity, and commitment is truly inspiring, and they make this event happen alongside Ashley Bryson here,” he told Woodlands Online.

Bryson is the Upper School English teacher and Diversity Coordinator who was instrumental in the success of the event. She joined The John Cooper School for the 20116 - 2017 school year, hitting the ground running and hasn’t stopped yet.

“Tonight is a culmination of a lot of hard work, a passion project of our parents, but also a celebration of this exhibit that will be running through the entire month of February and that highlights the contributions of the African American community to our county, our state, our country, and the world,” she told Woodlands Online.

Members of the public are encouraged to come by the school to sign in and check out the exhibit, and to learn more about classes, curricula, and more.

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