HCSD IDEA Committe

Armenian Orthodox Christmas is celebrated annually on January 6. This holiday has been a part of Armenian traditions for more than 1700 years and has been celebrated in the same way since its inception.This date works to the Julian calendar for Jesus Christ’s birth and pre-dates the Gregorian calendar, which is commonly observed in the West. Armenian Christmas is a public holiday in Armenia and Lebanon and is celebrated by fasting, followed by feasts, including rice, nuts, desserts, and candies.

On Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day, students and parents started their walk from North, South and West, upholding the flags and spirits, adding the color of purple to the town! We appreciate everyone’s participation and great work of our amazing volunteers!

IDEA Coffee booth: Kim Oliff (Board of Trustee president), Zeryn Sarpangal and Sanjana Reddy (IDEA co-chairs) with IDEA Crocker representatives Belonging Carnival this past Sunday! Another amazing event!

Mark the new date for Crocker Belonging Carnival, 10/27, Sunday 10:30am. Looking forward to your participation in the celebration of belonging!

Building Belonging Week at HCSD: school decorations, poster making, parade for Belonging, classroom activities, PE games, library reading, more to come!

Save the Date: Our 3rd annual Building Belonging Week will take place from September 16th to 22nd. This district-wide effort will deepen our students’ sense of belonging, celebrate our district’s diversity, and empower all of us to become more inclusive community members. Look forward to activities for students throughout the week and family events like the Walk-to-School Parade for Belonging on September 17th and the Crocker Community Carnival on September 22nd. More details coming!

Liberty & Justice for All | Many of us learned that the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, marked the end of slavery in the US. However, the enslavement of black people in America continued for two and a half years, before the news of freedom finally reached everyone who was enslaved. On June 19, 1865, enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, became the last to receive the announcement that they were lawfully free. Since then, this date has been celebrated as the official end to slavery and a turning point for our nation. Deriving its name from combining “June” and “nineteenth,” this annual commemoration of the emancipation from slavery was a first step in the struggle for equal rights for black Americans. The process of dismantling the formal structures of white supremacy continued from 1865-1965 (Jim Crow law era), through the passage of the Civil Rights Act (1964), the Voting Rights Act (1965), and the Fair Housing Act (1968). While Congress recently designated Juneteenth an official holiday, the meaning of Juneteenth for black Americans has been a lived reality for 156 years. For more than a century and a half, Juneteenth has served as a touchtone for bearing witness to slavery and its afterlife, a space for mobilization against white supremacy, and a platform for racial justice - a celebration of progress and recognition that there is still much work to do. “Struggle is a never ending process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation.” ― Coretta Scott King

Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day was a big success, deepening our community’s celebration of diversity and racial equity, one step at a time.

Giant thanks to all the local luminaries who came out to join our students on their walks, including: Mayor Krolik, Superintendent Carlomagno, Trustees Chen and Oliff, and Hillsborough Town Council members! 💜

Happy 68th Birthday to Ruby Bridges, who at the age of 6 desegregated New Orleans public schools.