By Nicole Sandler
Northside News
Students and staff at Lake View Elementary School celebrated Black History Month in several ways. They decorated the bulletin boards with stories and pictures of famous African Americans, and fifth graders created posters showcasing African American school staff and celebrities they most admire. On Feb. 11, Lake View participated in Read Your Heart Out, an event that coincided with National African American Parent Involvement Day. Nearly 30 parents and community members stopped by to read to students and visit classrooms.
One highlight was a Feb. 29 performance by Lake View’s new Black Girls Step Team at The Progress Center for Black Women. It drew such a large crowd that the performance was moved to the parking lot. A culmination of six weeks of teamwork and practice, it was a fitting celebration of a pilot program that has helped build self esteem among the group of third, fourth and fifth grade girls.
Lake View Community School Resource Coordinator Rachel Deterding proudly described the Black Girls Step Team program and the value it has already added to the community school. “When we look at reading test scores, the numbers can be dismal for our African American students,” she said. Deterding explained that a number of factors contribute to the low reading scores. Many African American students don’t feel a sense of connection within their school community; they don’t see themselves represented at school. Consequently, their academic performance suffers.
One way to address this gap is to create programs that allow students to feel they belong and draw them into activities they might better identify with. Step dancing is one example. A form of percussive dance that uses the body as an instrument, it gained popularity at historically black sororities on U.S. college campuses. Through participation on the team, girls can feel pride in being vibrant black girls, while receiving support and mentoring from black female role models who work at their school.
Lake View’s step team is coached by DeShala Walker, the school social worker, Quintella Cruz, the school secretary, and Tanisha Milligan, a special education assistant. Walker had an interest in creating a program and taught herself how to step dance. She teamed up with Cruz, who had college step dancing experience.
“We see this kind of dancing all the time — students who dance in the hallways and with their friends — and we believed we could channel this creative energy into something productive to showcase the natural talent in our school,” said Deterding.
The team of 10 girls met after school once a week for six weeks to choreograph, learn and practice step dance routines. Through the process, they found a sense of belonging and a shared cultural connection while receiving valuable mentoring from their coaches.
The creation of the Black Girls Step Team fulfills a strategy that meets two of Lake View Community School’s priority areas — building healthy relationships and well-rounded learning.
Deterding said, “We’re seeing how this team serves to build strong relationships not only between students but also between staff and students.” She pointed out that the program also fits within MMSD’s Black Excellence stance, which is the district’s belief in the “brilliance, creativity and bright futures of Black youth,” their families and district staff.
With the team’s final performance now complete, there is discussion of long-range plans. The team and its coaches plan to apply for funding to expand the program to 24 weeks and create a Black Boys Rap Group. Both programs would be available to students from Lake View and Mendota Community Schools.