- Buffalo Thunder Rolls Thru D.C. to Honor Black Civil War Soldiers [E.L. Haynes PCS is mentioned]
- Southeast D.C. Middle School to Teach Half of Courses Online Next Year
Buffalo Thunder Rolls Thru D.C. to Honor Black Civil War Soldiers [E.L. Haynes PCS is mentioned]
Examiner
By Don Baxter
May 27, 2012
Every Memorial Day weekend, while Rolling Thunder roars through downtown D.C., members of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club have a ride of their own – “Buffalo Thunder.” Hundreds of motorcycles rode through the streets of inner city D.C. neighborhoods in tribute to African-American soldiers and veterans.
The ride began in Landover, MD and ended with a tribute at the African-American Civil War Memorial – blocks from the Howard Theatre.
Civil War service for freed people of African descent in America began in 1862, when Congress passed the Militia Act. Two months after President Lincoln signed the Act into law, the first regiment of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) officially joined the Union Army.
Soon after, 200,000 black soldiers signed up for service in the Army and Navy. Colored troops received less pay than their white counterparts did and old uniforms and equipment became standard issue.
Despite the discriminatory treatment, thousands continued to volunteer and serve.
Wilbert Keaton, a member of the mounted unit of the Maryland Buffalo Soldiers, rode his horse “Sarge” during Buffalo Thunder. People – especially children – tend to be fascinated with horses, which gives the unit an opportunity to educate the public about the mounted soldiers who served after the Civil War.
“America probably wouldn’t be what it is without the contributions blacks made,” Keaton stated. “That’s why we represent the Buffalo Soldiers, because we appreciate the sacrifices they made.”
The history of the Buffalo Soldiers and the USCT remains much of an enigma to school-aged children – and much of America – primarily because it is not included in the curriculum of many schools.
“We need to know something about our history,” said Barnett Long, a 20-year retired Army veteran and member of the Buffalo Soldiers MC of Central MD. “We need to pass this legacy down to our children. Our kids are forgetting about our history, black African-American history.
“So we continue to represent our community and teach our African-American kids about where we came from and what we’ve done to make a tremendous contribution to this country.”
11-year-old Nile Smith, of E. L. Haynes Public Charter School in the District, served as one of the Civil War re-enactors during the ceremony at the memorial. Nile said he enjoys bringing Civil War history to life and educating his peers.
“Some kids at my school enjoy the historical aspect of this,” Nile said. “I think they enjoy it because they’re going back in history, getting to learn more than what you might learn from books or from a teacher talking to you. You get real hands on experience.”
Nile also noted that he benefits from the lectures given by dedicated people like Dr. Frank Smith and said this about his overall experience; “It’s helping me to become a better person … a better educated person.”
Under the leadership of former D.C. councilman Dr. Frank Smith and General Colin Powell, the Civil War Memorial was dedicated in 1998. Dr. Smith recalled that the need for the memorial grew from a sense of responsibility to educate the public about the contributions of black soldiers.
“We wanted to correct a great wrong in history,” Smith explained. “You can read the History Book of America, American History, Civil War History, there’s nothing in there about black soldiers.”
The centerpiece of the memorial, located at 10th & U St. NW, is “The Spirit of Freedom” statue, sculpted by Ed Hamilton. The Wall of Honor surrounds the statue on three sides and lists the names of 209,145 black soldiers and sailors on 166 plaques, arranged by regiment.
Across from the memorial is the African-American Civil War Museum, which serves to communicate the stories of the USCT through artifacts, documents, photographs and seminars. Admission is free.
The museum receives funding solely via donations. To make a donation, read more here.
Southeast D.C. Middle School to Teach Half of Courses Online Next Year
The Washington Examiner
By Lisa Gartner
May 28, 2012
A Southeast D.C. middle school is planning to teach half of its coursework online next year in an effort to boost proficiency levels at the struggling campus.
Kramer Middle School is planning to use funds from local and federal grants to create online courses in math, science, English, social studies and other subjects. The courses "offer rich, multimedia content" and give students "real-world scenarios" while providing places for students and teachers to connect about areas needing improvement, school officials announced Thursday.
"This is not just technology for technology's sake," said Principal Kwame Simmons. "We have been very intentional about what research says drives learning. We chose strategies to improve learning not just by one or two grade levels but by multiple grade levels."
At least 70 percent of Kramer students are behind grade level currently. Nineteen percent of students showed proficiency in reading on the D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System last spring, along with 29 percent who made the grade in math.
The school is hoping to reach 64 percent proficient in reading and 70 percent proficient in math by 2014. Simmons said he believes the new online model will make it possible to increase proficiency by 13 to 15 percent each year.
Scores improved by 2 percentage points in reading and 11 points in math over 2010.
Kramer already employs some online instruction, which Simmons said has helped some students accelerate quickly in just two and a half months.
Yon Chung, an eighth-grade teacher at Kramer who teaches these courses, said the program "frees me up to talk about softer, more tangible stuff or things that [students are] struggling with."
Kramer has scheduled an open house on Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m. to show the new technology to the community.