“Keep on Keeping on”: Boys from the Circle of Excellence Speak on Their Educational Experiences Before and During the Pandemic by Bryce Davis Bohon and Jamarr Hoskins
“Justice. It’s being fair to everyone, Treating us the same. It’s standing up for someone or something. It’s fighting for the people.” – Bryce Davis Bohon (2015) The following features the experiences of two middle-school Black males on their participation in the Circle of Excellence, a community program in St. Louis, Missouri promoting STEM education. The first student attended public school and began homeschooling before the pandemic, while the second has attended public and private schools. As they share their experiences in the program, they reflect upon challenges and highlights of their educational journeys. My Circle of Excellence Experience by Bryce Davis Bohon In the Circle of Excellence, we learned how to play a math game called Equations. We also participated in the FIRST LEGO League, won its Robotics Best Project Award, and took coding classes. In the Circle of Excellence, I have done many awesome things like presenting at a conference in Hawaii. I also made new friends and learned a ton of new things. Because there is no other group like it, I think creating more places like the Circle of Excellence would benefit Black boys. Why? When I went to public school, I was the best reader in my class. But I noticed that all the other Black boys were in lower-level reading groups. Also, at my old school, there was a program called LEAP for talented and gifted students. There were no Black boys or girls in the program. I think this is unfair, because the smartest kids I know are Black, and I think the school did not respect or care about that. 205
