D27 Showcases Black History at Waterside

By Katie McFadden

February marks Black History Month and with 2026 marking the 100th anniversary of celebrating Black history in the U.S., on Tuesday, February 10, Rockaway and Broad Channel’s schools showcased all that they’ve learned in their Black Studies curriculum, at an event that brought together 15 schools under one roof at Waterside School for Leadership.

On Tuesday, members of the New York Edge Scholars’ Academy dance team high kicked to beats, the Scholars Step Club stomped and clapped to the beat of their own steps and the Scholars’ jazz band harmonized tunes by the Jackson 5 all on the auditorium stage at Waterside, while in the gym, students from 15 schools showed off various interactive projects they worked on to educate guests on Black Studies subjects, from more well-known ones like Harriet Tubman and Barack Obama to the lesser known stories of Ida B. Wells, Nat Turner, the Hellfighters and more. It was all part of the Black Studies Showcase.

The showcase was the result of District 27’s incorporation of NYC Black Studies as part of the Study of the World curriculum, a companion to the Social Studies curriculum. According to Dr. Mariya Korobkova, an instructional specialist for District 27, “Black Studies is the study of the world through the experiences, contributions, and histories of people of African descent. In District 27, we view it as a companion to existing curricula, not a replacement. It is intentionally designed to fill historical and cultural gaps that are often missing from traditional instruction, helping students develop a fuller, more accurate understanding of the world around them.

“This year, Black Studies is being piloted in schools across Rockaway and Broad Channel, with teachers integrating the curriculum into social studies, literacy, and project-based learning.”

The showcase on Tuesday was the culmination of all of that work, presented in a way for students and staff from 15 of their 19 participating schools to come under one roof, to see what they’ve been working on.

District 27 acting superintendent Melissa Compson visited Waterside on Tuesday to see the results herself. “Over the course of this year, we have 19 schools who are involved in thoughtfully planning and implementing Black Studies and provide time and space for teachers to collaborate and have professional learning, so today there are 15 school of those 19 represented. Our mission is to implement the Black Studies curriculum into all 50 of our District 27 schools, so we can use what we learned this year to support moves forward for next year.”

And she was proud of what she saw. “I know the blood, sweat and tears that go into planning. This comes with a lot of hard work and dedicated students, and I know after looking through the showcase and at all of the projects and speaking to the students, the students are internalizing what they’re learning and thinking about how they can use what they learned into their everyday lives, and that’s what education is about.”

Dr. Cassy Ford, a parent of a hard-working sixth grader at Scholars, was proud to see the fruits of her daughter’s labor come to life through Scholars’ dance team’s performance. “Typically, after school programs don’t have things that come together in a showcase like this, so being able to witness the day to day of what they’ve been practicing, it’s a proud moment,” Dr. Ford said. “I like the fact that they’re bringing a lot of schools together and I love seeing representation for Black History Month.”

Najah Gall, principal of Waterside, was equally proud to see it all come together in her school building. “I’m excited to see the children excited to be here and expose what they’ve learned. I’m proud of how this turned out. I love the live performances and seeing the K-2 students interacting with the learning stations,” Gall said. “This really matters to us as a community because representation matters. When students see themselves in the textbooks they read, they automatically understand that they’re standing on the backs of giants and it shapes their behavior and improves their engagement, so this is amazing to see firsthand.”

Lauren Triplett, principal of P.S. 197 The Ocean School in Far Rockaway, brought nine of her second and third grade students to experience the showcase. “I think it’s so important for our students to know where they came from in order to know where they’re going,” Triplett said. “I highlight diversity, and this is another way for our students to find out about their culture and the culture of others and this is a great opportunity for our schools to come together, be united as one and just show the true diversity of Far Rockaway and District 27.”

Scholars’ student E’Nesha, a choreographer for the New York Edge Scholars Dance Team, was proud to show off what the dancers have been working so hard on. “To be a part of the program allows me to express my culture. My team gets to show the best that they can be. I teach them that nobody is better than another. We’re all gonna look like one, and be one, so just have confidence and show yourself and have your own swag.”

Nyree Whitaker-Roth, president of the Black Caucus of the Council of Supervisors and Administrators, an organization that provides support to the leaders through professional development, said the showcase was just the start of something bigger. “This program was wonderful. I think it can be applied to all schools. Every child I spoke to today, they were excited. They were able to tell me all about the things they have learned and created, so I hope this program continues to go a long way throughout NYC schools. The majority of our students are black and brown, so it only makes sense that they have a curriculum that reflects where they come from. Black history is something celebrated every day.”