January 2021 Big Post: Remote Learning With Ghana/MOST IMPORTANT: Happy Birthday Martin Luther King Jr.

To start off the big post of January 2021, I would like to share with you these three videos from Oiada International.

Both videos explain remote learning with Ghana during this time of the pandemic.

Use the link to transfer you to the first two videos. After the link, the third video already displayed on the page.

At the end of 2020, Mr. Wronko’s students, Jaiden Tyler, Dain Salazar, and Jazier Crawford presented their Google Slide Presentations on “Why there was slavery in the North” to Papa Williams’ students at the Solid Rock Foundation School in Ghana.

Why there was slavery in the North

Mr. Wronko’s students showed that slavery happened in places such as Philipsburg Manor near Sleepy Hollow, Van Cortlandt, and New Jersey.

After explaining why there was slavery in those locations the students explained their overall interpretation on whether the North was truly representing an end to slavery during the time of the American Civil War.

The students then went on to answering Mr. Williams’ students questions regarding this topic.

After the presentations, all students discussed their hobbies, culture, holidays, and the Christmas Star that appeared on December 21, 2020 when Jupiter and Saturn aligned in the sky to form a brilliant point of light.

History and culture of Africa

This session now led into the first session of 2021. During this Ghana session, Papa Williams gave Mr. Wronko’s students an awesome presentation about the history and culture of Africa.

Black Panther

During his presentation he explained how a lot of the ideas in the movie The Black Panther came from Eastern Africa. He also went into the Biology of the Black Panther animal which all my students found to be very interesting. He informed that the character of the Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman, acted like the living animal with his actions during the movie. This part of the presentation made me reflect on Chadwick Boseman, who recently passed away, and the show with the White Tigers of Siegfried and Roy, both now deceased.

Artifacts in Africa

Papa also showed how in Africa there were artifacts which were discovered made out of rock. These artifacts showed the faces of past kings.

He also mentioned that there was a false rumor that artifacts that were discovered in Africa were actually from the Lost City of Atlantis.

Besides the artifacts, Mr. Williams explained how gold was found in Africa and was used in many things of today such as in cell phones, in the dental and medical profession, and within space equipment.

Papa also shared how it was possible that the idea of the Rhinoceros in the movie The Black Panther got the idea of using animals in combat from the Carthaginian General Hannibal who used elephants against the Romans.

In closing, there was so much in this presentation, I believe the link I gave on the top would give his overall presentation.

After Papa Williams’ presentation, my students thanked him for everything he shared and the session was able to fit in one final presentation from my student Jaiden Tyler.

Presentation from my student Jaiden Tyler

Jaiden presented his paper on how the Amistad Incident and the outcome of the Amistad Court Case furthered the cause of the Underground Railroad. After Jaiden’s presentation, Papa shared with us a person who recently passed away by the name of Bishop William Henderson and his connection with the Underground Railroad. Papa told us to research Mr. Henderson and this was what I found in The Challenger Community News. The Challenger Community News stated, “The 85-year-old spiritual icon began preaching in the streets at William and Bennett  at a young age. He was then known as ‘Brother Billy.’ He ultimately devoted his life to the Michigan Street Baptist Church and teaching about freedom and the role that the sanctuary played in helping former enslaved Africans escape to Canada through the Underground Railroad in the 1800’s.”

Below images from the two Ghana Sessions.

Recently, my Advanced Social Studies Student, Neissa Alexandre, created this awesome timeline for her project of A Better America. To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, he was the center of Neissa’s timeline project. Happy Birthday Dr. King and your hard work still being seen today with now Kamala Harris being our first Black and South Asian vice president. With her and Joe Biden being elected, it showed that regardless of all the challenges we may face as a nation, people of all races come together to make it right. 

During this time of remote learning the following students not only worked on why was there slavery in the north but also created a Google Slide presentation on who was Rome’s Best Emperor. For this project they ranked the worse to the best emperor of Rome as well as compared a Roman Emperor who dealt with a plaque to our current situation of how Covid 19 was being handle. Students: Evelyn Salmoran Caballero, Diamond Harris, Ziamir Robinson, Marely Hernandez Garcia, Ny’Rique Hester, Efrain Lopez, Deysi Noyola Merino, Carlos Rivera, Yarelis Cortes Vidal, Tytiana Morris, Pierre Sanaha Vilsaint, Miracle McBride, Lesly Montoya, Ja’Shawn Gadson, Kailyn Campbell, Jose Ace, and Christian Galindo-Dolan.

Students work:

emperor project Aulus Vitellisu at Asbury Park High School

Commodus

Caesar Augustus

Nero Diamond Rome