Bruce-Monroe @ Parkview Celebration of Learning
Washington, D.C. Students, educators, and families at Bruce Monroe @ Park View Elementary School are invited to the Bruce Monroe Celebration of Learning on March 26 (4:00–6:00 PM) and March 27 (9:00 AM–2:00 PM), a showcase of their 6-week study of Black Lives Matter principles. This is part of a nationwide effort by educators and school communities to ensure that schools are places where Black history, culture, and lives are affirmed and uplifted.
In the Washington, D.C. area, the annual D.C. Area Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action is coordinated by Teaching for Change’s D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice. Educators from more than 100 schools signed up to participate, with over 50 organizations endorsing the initiative.
Bruce-Monroe @ Parkview has participated in Black Lives Matter at School movement since 2018. The Celebration of Learning highlights student projects, lessons, and community engagement inspired by the principles and demands of Black Lives Matter at School. See examples from 2025 and 2024.
Students explore a single principle per grade level over six to ten weeks, integrating literature, art, history, math, and contemporary examples. They reflect on identity, justice, and collective action, and design projects that demonstrate how they enact their principle in daily life. By the time students graduate fifth grade, they have engaged deeply with at least seven principles, revisiting core ideas over multiple years to build understanding and critical thinking skills.
The Celebration of Learning marks the culmination of this work. Students present interactive exhibitions of their projects, explore other grade-level exhibits, and participate in structured reflection to understand how their peers interpret and depict the principles. In the evening, families and community members are invited to view student work and share a meal. As a community, they gather to celebrate the school’s commitment to learning, equity, and collective responsibility.
Nationally renowned early childhood educator Maurice Sykes visited the Celebration of Learning in 2024 (before he passed in 2025) and described the work as exemplary for the skills and habits of mind it introduces in developmentally appropriate ways for each grade – including literacy development, empathy, research, critical thinking, and persuasive writing.
This year’s work takes on heightened importance as educators across the country face growing efforts to ban the teaching of Black history and discussions of racism in schools. The Bruce-Monroe Celebration of Learning affirms the importance of honest education and the right of students to learn about the contributions, struggles, and leadership of Black communities.
Keesha Ceran, deputy director of Teaching for Change, explains,
Bruce-Monroe @ Parkview’s Celebration of Learning puts into practice our tagline of “Social justice, starting in the classroom.” This is the kind of knowledge that has always been under threat and will be even more so in the years ahead. It is a testament to the critical work of educators and families who are dedicated to “teaching FOR change.”
Across the country, thousands of educators participate annually in Black Lives Matter at School organizing, teaching lessons about structural racism, intersectional Black identities, and the long history of Black resistance and leadership.
Event information
What: Bruce-Monroe @ Parkview Celebration of Learning
When: March 26 (4:00–6:00 PM) and March 27 (9:00 AM–2:00 PM)
Where: Bruce Monroe @ Park View | 3560 Warder St NW
Why: To create a space where students teach the community what they have learned about Black history, culture, and movements for justice, demonstrating their ability to analyze the past, connect it to the present, and imagine possibilities for the future.
Media contacts
Keesha Ceran, Teaching for Change deputy director, kceran@teachingforchange.org, (650) 793-1992
Deborah Menkart, Teaching for Change executive director, dmenkart@teachingforchange.org, (202) 294-2703