On May 21st, Wilson Young Black Scholars had their 2nd annual black student assembly. Young Black Scholars is a club that black students can join to feel a sense of belonging at Wilson High School. This club has many opportunities for black students, including going on field trips and attending many school events. Senior Elon shared how “YBS was the first club that made me feel happy to be black, and I felt part of such a big community within my own people.”
To start the assembly, Mr.Evans, the head sponsor of YBS, lit up the crowd with lots of energy. Principal Caverly then came out and shared how black students didn’t feel a sense of belonging at Wilson, and her goal was to make every single student feel like they belonged. After students shared feedback on Pulse surveys, the overall sense of belonging for black students was 44%.
“YBS gave me more opportunities to be a leader and opened me up to experience my community outside of school,” stated Imani Chatman, a senior at Wilson. Activities director Mrs. Fekjar came out, pulled out two chairs, and asked the crowd for volunteers to play Pop the Balloon. Students ran top speed up the stairs, sat on the chair with the balloon on it, and tried to pop it. Once the balloon was popped, the next person came up and did the same until everyone in the group had finished.
Mr. Evans then came back out, lit up the crowd with energy, and gave out YBS merch, such as shirts and hoodies, to students. The assembly played a video on the projector of a recap of YBS this school year and showed them at school events and sports events. Freshman Taylor Golden shared, “I really enjoy having a club where I can be around kids who are like me. I enjoy having those field trips and assemblies with people who are like me”.
Principal Caverly stated that Wilson had taught her how to serve and better understand black students so that she could create a sense of belonging. After receiving feedback, black students shared how they felt they lacked respect from peers and adults. Principal Caverly did not like hearing this and wanted to change that, so Wilson hired new football coaches, the first African American head coach at Wilson. YBS then announced their homecoming king and queen and honored students with awards for those whose hard work has paid off. Students had an opportunity to fill out a Google form and enter a raffle to win a free laptop. Winners were announced and were given the laptops after the assembly. To end the assembly, YBS announced their 2025 YBS representatives.
