THE GREEN ARCH
MARCH 2020
PAGE 3
Perspectives
Archmere Celebrates Black History Month Natalie Gildea ‘23 STAFF REPORTER This February, people all over the United States acelebrated Black History Month. Here at Archmere, there are opportunities for students to celebrate diversity and interact with people from all different backgrounds. The Diversity Inclusion Club (or Dive-In, as it’s commonly known), moderated by Ms. Huffman, hosted several events that encouraged students to broaden their horizons and learn about African American culture. For instance, Archmere offered art lessons about prominent African American artists, played music written by important African American musicians at lunch, and announced fun facts about African Americans who have made great achievements throughout history on the morn-
ing announcements. Ms. Huffman emphasizes the importance of promoting Black History Month at Archmere. “Diversity and inclusion is not about singling out different groups of people as separate,” she says. “It’s about putting everyone on the same level and believing that each one of us has something amazing to offer.” The students in the Dive-In club are also passionate about celebrating diversity at Archmere. “It helps us understand other people’s backgrounds better,” says freshman club member Chichi Emedoh. On Thursday, February 6th, Archmere held a showing of the movie The Nomads to kick off Black History
Month. The film tells the true story of a African American teacher who started a rugby team at an underprivileged high school in North Philadelphia. The Nomads, which received the Audience Award at the Napa Valley Film Festival, taught students about respecting others and helped them gain a wider perspective of the world around them. In addition to watching The Nomads, Archmere students raised money for the “North Philly Nomads” rugby team whose story the film was based on. “I think [the film] helped spread awareness because the players had success in a hindering environment which is the case for many African Americans,” says junior Kani Green.
ARCHMERE VOICES: WHAT DOES BLACK HISTORY MONTH MEAN TO ME? Jihan Bailey ‘22 STAFF REPORTER
Icyss Hitchens ‘23 STAFF REPORTER
To me, Black History Month is a time for the black community as a whole to celebrate how far we have come as a race. It’s a time to appreciate our ancestors and be thankful that we are where we are today. Instead of focusing on how much more we have to do in order to become greater, we take a moment to think about how our ancestors could only dream of being where we are in society today.
When I feel discouraged by racial issues, my Mom always tells me, “you are living your ancestor’s dreams. They could only dream of having the same opportunities as you.” This makes me grateful for the life I live and the society I have grown up in because it could be far worse. My background and my race’s backstory make me who I am today, and I am determined not to let my ancestor’s hard work go in vain.
As you may know, February is Black History Month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time of recognition for central roles of blacks in U.S. History. To me Black History Month is a month where my ancestors and other important African-Americans’ achievements are acknowledged and honored. February is also a month, where men, women and children learn information that schools don’t teach. For instance, did you know that Rosa Parks was
not the first African-Americans woman to refuse to give up her seat to a white passenger? On March 2, 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks’ incident, a 15-year-old girl named Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Analyzing how the Archmere Community responds to Black History Month, I have noticed that there are not many events already in place for recognizing influential African-Americans. Due to this discovery, I’ve
decided to take action and try to start traditions for Archmere. For instance, we are reading one fact a day for the month of February about Black History over the announcements. Also, we are playing music at lunch by African-American artists about the struggles that they have gone through. I hope to take this issue to our administration and aspire to include Black History in the school curriculum for History and other subjects.
*Information for this edition was current at time of the paper’s intended printing in early March 2020. These articles were written and edited prior to the dismissal from the school campus due to the threat of the Coronavirus pandemic.* Fear of the Corona Virus Sweeps The Nation Isabelle Hanlon ‘21 and Emma Villaverde ‘20 SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR, C0-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF In recent months, news has spread like wildfire regarding a disease known as the Coronavirus that has struck several Chinese cities and islands, and is now active throughout the world. The disease is believed to have originated by animals, such as camels and bats, in Wuhan, China. Those working with the infected animals can contract the disease, and ultimately spread it to other humans. Symptoms of the disease can be mistaken for those of a common cold or the flu, but if not treated in time, the Coronavirus can result in kidney failure, pneumonia, and even death. Each country throughout the world has taken significant precautions and action plans
in hopes of slowing down the spread of the novel coronavirus. The Coronavirus was first noticed in humans this past December in Wuhan, a city in southeastern China. The market that was believed to be the center of the disease’s transmit, has since been closed, yet more and more people are being diagnosed everyday. According to John Hopkins University, there are 113,584 confirmed cases and 3,996 throughout the world.* Chinese and other officials throughout the world have attempted to stop the rapid spread of the disease by shutting down major modes of societal life such as transit, subways, ferries, and markets. Italy has also taken serious actions
by placing the whole country on lockdown with 60 million people. However, this has not restricted the spread such that the death rate and diagnosed cases are increasing by the minute. Countries such as Italy, South Korea, and Iran have experienced the greatest number of cases and death rates within the last month. Currently in the United States there are now 607 cases and 26 deaths.* The first case in the United States was confirmed in Washington state after a man returned from the city of Wuhan extremely ill. Government officials have been debating on different means of preventing the spread of the disease from both within the States and across the
nation’s borders. School districts have closed, some college classes have begun online, music festivals have been cancelled, and people have replaced handshakes with elbow bumps. President Trump has signed an $8.3 billion emergency bill that will go towards Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and more to help prevent, research, and control the disease. Other means of prevention include “quarantine stations” in public places such as airports or other places where a mass population of people would be passing through. So how can we protect ourselves from the disease? A key component in preventing the
disease is the same for the flu and other viruses: hand-washing! While the virus does spread at a quick rate, it is very important to frequently sanitize hands and surfaces and to keep hands away from the face. What makes the virus highly contagious is that most patients do not know they have the virus until about five days after the virus has entered the body. Within these five days however the disease is very contagious. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, common symptoms may include those of a common cold: runny nose, cough, and fever. However it is important to stay calm, take proper precautions, and not to panic.
