A dedicated group of Howard University students is spending spring break helping a school district distant from the Washington, D.C. campus.
Opened in 1875, it was the first high school for African Americans west of the Mississippi, according to a website on St. Louis historical structures.
The students are part of Howard’s Alternative Spring Break program, which sends hundreds of students across the nation and abroad during spring break. A team of 12 is assigned to Sumner High School through Friday, March 11.
“We are shadowing Sumner students wherever the school day takes them,” said Sydelle Davis, a Howard chemical engineering graduate student.
“The success of the HU Alternative Spring Break in St. Louis lies in our ability to connect one-on-one [with] young people and build relationships that will lead to honest and open discussion. Given their own unique Howard University experiences, our students are prepared to field a wide range of questions from pandemic pressures to social justice initiatives.”
Each Howard student has been paired with a small group of Sumner freshmen, sophomores, or juniors.
Sumner Principal Sean Nichols said the school’s Student Government Council advocated for bringing the program to the historic high school in The Ville neighborhood. Opened in 1875, it was the first high school for African Americans west of the Mississippi, according to a website on St. Louis historical structures.
“Sumner is excited and ready to welcome our guests to our school, to our lunch tables, and our school family,” he said. “We are grateful for the opportunity and look forward to the exchange of information as both sets of students share projects and school experiences. It’s an amazing chance to discuss higher education and plans for the future.”
Sumner recently established its “Advocacy, Arts and Action” platform, and Nichols said the Howard Students are part of lively discussions with his students.
“Because they are close in age, the Howard students will almost certainly inspire and energize our students; many of whom continue to be challenged by the effects of the pandemic on educational programs and traditions,” Nichols said.
The Howard students aren’t limited to serving only Sumner.
In the afternoon, some are working with children at the Annie Malone Children’s Home, which is adjacent to Sumner.
Howard students are also working with other agencies and schools in metro St. Louis, and discussing subjects including gun violence, community outreach, youth empowerment, and social justice.
They also visited the Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls, a college preparatory school with a focus on STEM (science technology, engineering, and math) and helping clean-out and replant the school’s community garden.
“We believe in the importance of our girls seeing grown folks that look like them feeding themselves healthy food from their own hands,” said Alisa Bennett-Hart, Hawthorn project coordinator.
The theme for this year’s ASB program is “The Comeback.” In 2020, all travel and programming were suspended due to the risks associated with the coronavirus pandemic.
“In 2021, the students established a plan for virtual civic engagement, a first in the program’s nearly three-decade history,” said Bernard L. Richardson, Howard University executive officer for religious affairs and an ASB supervisor.
“ASB is a learning lab that challenges students’ growth as leaders and requires that they recommit to finding their purpose in the service of others,” he said. “I often share that our students were destined for such a time as this. I am constantly inspired by their perseverance.
Established in 1994, Howard’s ASB program was instrumental in the HBCU being named to President Barack Obama’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction in 2014. The honor is the highest federal award an institution can receive for service learning and civic engagement.
According to Richardson, the program “gained momentum” in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It continued to expand when students traveled to Haiti in 2010 to help earthquake victims. They spent spring break working with orphans and helped rebuild a school in Haiti, launching ASB’s international outreach.
For more information on Alternative Spring Break and how to support the program, visit https://giving.howard.edu/alternative-spring-break.
