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Scavenger hunt makes history engaging
Katie Stalter


During the month of February, Miriam High School students studied up on Black history - and engaged in friendly competition with their peers - through a scavenger hunt created by teacher Karen Cross.

Inspired by the bulletin board she designed, the activity encouraged students to work individually or in teams to research and complete challenges that expanded their knowledge of Black history and other cultures.

One team created a poster board and a 3-dimensional piece of art. Others spent quite a bit of time writing long answers to questions. They were all proud of their work, and they received prizes at the beginning of March for completion, as well as gift baskets for first and second place for both the regular and advanced scavenger hunts.

Cross said she was working on the bulletin board for Black History Month, and she wanted to make it interactive. She wants Miriam students to understand that African-Americans are more than slavery and the negative things they see and hear in the media, and also that Black history is American history.

“I hope our history teachers were able to make connections with the students about certain people and events that bridge American history teachings with Black history happenings in such a way that they could see how the two are intertwined – and should be taught as one history with all its flaws and triumphs,” she said.

“For instance, the Harlem Renaissance intrigued White musicians, and there was then a conscious merging of white and black musicians in bands. It made people have a social consciousness that they hadn’t had before. The Harlem Renaissance was the foundation for the Civil Rights Movement.”

Students Bryce and Nathan, both sophomores, worked together and won first place among the advanced scavenger hunt participants, going above and beyond with a poster and a sculpted piece.

Bryce said he didn’t know a lot about the subject of Black history prior to participating in the scavenger hunt, and he liked the idea of the challenge. “I work a lot better when there’s a competition,” Bryce said. “It’s easier for me to focus.”

The Black History Month scavenger hunt successfully blended learning with fun, offering students an engaging way to explore Black history and its connection to broader American history.
 

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