Olayinka Spellman had been in our building since kindergarten and will be staying with us for high school next year. Last week at the 8th grade promotion ceremony she had this to say about her experience:
Good Morning Students, faculty, and families. We are here today to celebrate the great work of the class of 2019. As a student body we exemplify the BCS core values of Kindness, Courage, Open Mindedness, Responsibility and Persistence. Everyone of these characteristics are vital to becoming a successful leader in the future. I have always believed that someone becomes who they are not only because of how they were raised but also because of the experiences they’ve had and what they are exposed to.
BCS is a unique learning environment that provides students with opportunities to foster positive relationships with their teachers. These bonds help increase trust and respect in the classroom. Every teacher I’ve had here at BCS has left a positive impact that has helped me to develop into the person I am today. Whenever I felt overwhelmed, I knew I could come after school to speak with my teachers one on one and plan how I would improve. If ever I felt like there was any material I didn’t understand, I wasn’t afraid to email my teachers for clarification. Throughout middle school, I have truly learned how to advocate for myself, which is something that I struggled with.
I have become a determined outgoing risktaker with the core value of courage as a helping hand. The courage I have acquired here has also become something that has positively benefited my life outside of school. I have learned to embrace all parts of myself; I have been taught and continue to believe that you should be who you are. This school celebrates individuality, helps create an awareness of the outside world and encourages each student to fight social injustice. When the words, “I can’t breath,” echoed from every computer screen, BCS put a loudspeaker to it. We dove into the issues of stereotypes, biases, institutional standards and turned them on their heads. From battling back high stakes testing to fighting racial inequality, BCS is like no other. In 8th grade ELA we explored current case studies of racial injustice and our own ethnic identity. Through these studies I began to think deeply about who I am as a young black person. They say if you want to hide something from a black person put it in a book… so I read plenty. I won’t let the color of my skin allow people to think they know me. I won’t let myself or my woes create broken links in my race. Black and stupid are often cuffed together so I use knowledge as the key to free myself and the future of my people. I am black, but I wish I could be blacker so I can shock people even more. I run to the sun, so I can brown some more. Southern black girl breaking out the box ya ‘eard?
I feel as if I could potentially be the first female President and this school allows me the space to do so. For that, I say thank you to my home and school family.
