The Black Student Union is holding events to celebrate Black History Month and Black culture in general. The student body is encouraged to get involved and better educate themselves by taking away knowledge they didn’t know before.
The Black Student Union is advised by social worker Rashonda Coffee and English teacher Caitlin Stephens.
On Feb. 13, a movie night was held in the auditorium screening “The Six Triple Eight.” The movie follows a cast of all black women who served overseas during WWII.
“It has really good reviews, and it was very inspiring to watch,” student liaison Cassius Ranger said. “It is a historical drama, based on a true story, about all black female troops during World War II who were overlooked and snubbed a lot of the time, and finally were given a big role to play.”
The movie began at 5 p.m.
A bake sale was held during lunches for students to participate. Papers containing facts about famous black historical figures, pins and bracelets were handed out as well.
“Mrs. Stevens’ mom made fudge and that was a huge hit,” Coffee said. “Along with our bake sale, we had black history facts attached to all of the things we sold.”
The bake sale took place during the beginning of the month of February.
A game night was held that highlighted Black history trivia in the student commons from 4-7 p.m. on Feb. 19.
“Lots of games were available for the students to play,” Coffee said. “We had food, a lot of kids bringing friends with them and a good time. It allowed students to bond, have fun and learn.”
The Black Student Union is encouraging students to participate in a scavenger hunt throughout the school.
“On all of the different TVs around the buildings, you’ll see questions,” Coffee said. “We ask that you take a scratch piece of paper, write down your answer to those questions, and, once completed, you will bring them right outside of the library during your lunch where we will be having a sundae dinner.”
Students will create their own ice-cream sundae after answering 10 questions correctly. This will take place Tuesday, March 4.
Edits were shown in history classes and over the morning announcements to challenge students to notice day-to-day inventions created by Black individuals.
“I think a lot more people could get educated on knowing the people, knowing the history and knowing who created what,” club treasurer Julian Pringle said. “We had a skit for that. We did a day without black inventions. The ice cream scoop was one of them and the door handle.”
With his mom [Coffee] advising the club, Pringle is involved as much as he can be. He also creates edits for MLTV and contributed in the making of the black inventors skit.
Co-adviser Stephens reflects on how the skit impacts students and society today.
“I feel like one goal is to make sure that we put [Black history] front and center,” Stephens said. “It’s a constant reminder to people that their day-to-day lives would look very different if not for the contributions made by these African American inventors. These African American people helped do a lot for civil rights and helped do a lot to contribute to our everyday lives.”
The Maniacs partnered with the Black Student Union to welcome students to wear gold and white on Feb. 21. The colors represent the African Union flag.
The club attended the 2025 African American Read-In focusing on Black authors’ works that aim to spread Black joy and representation to young readers. It took place at the Penn State campus on Monday, Feb. 24.
The Black Student Union is open for anyone to join. It is completely free, and students are encouraged to join the Google Classroom and get involved. The classroom code is hfce4mq. They have meetings once a month after school.
Adviser Coffee and student liaison Ranger describe their intentions for the events.
“I think the biggest thing I want to instill in the kids is that you don’t want to assume the answer,” Coffee said. “If you have a question, if you have an idea, speak up and ask. It is not limited to any sort of race or gender, so anybody is able to join and get involved. We want to spread kindness and positivity, but also awareness of Black culture, what that looks like, and how that might differ from other cultures. In order for others to know about it, we have to educate them, so it is important for them to show up.”
“I think people should be more open to listening and hearing Black people and Black voices,” Ranger said. “It’s nice to listen and do your own research. Of course, not everyone’s going to educate you, so do your own research with good sources. I think one of the best ways you can do that is just asking, clarifying and trying to learn about people’s experiences.”
