On February 28, Confluence Academy-Old North held its annual African American Read-In as a celebration of Black History Month.
Guest readers were invited to spend time in classrooms to read to students, talk about their jobs and get a moment spend time in the community. This year’s guest readers included volunteers from The Little Bit Foundation, AT&T, staff from the Confluence administrative office, and officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. More than 20 officers dedicated time to read. Chief Sam Dotson stopped in to say hello, and encourage students to read and do well in school.
Det. John Leggette opened the program by singing the national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.
Ashley Rhodes, parent coordinator at Old North, said the annual read-in is an opportunity for students to experience positive role models from the community.
The school provides plenty of books, both fiction and non-fiction, with main characters who are black, or books written by black authors, and books that focus on the history and culture of blacks in America and from around the world.
Before the read-in, a select group of fifth-grade students hosted a living history museum to portray influential African Americans, and there was a performance by the Old North Praise Dance team.