March 08, 2024 - Phoenix Jacquet, an eighth-grade student at World Language Middle School, is setting a remarkable example of the portrait of a graduate at Columbus City Schools through her creativity and dedication to academic excellence.

Throughout the District, our schools host exciting, collaborative, and historically accurate celebrations for Black History Month. These occasions allow staff to enable students, such as Jacquet, to exercise their creativity and leadership abilities. Staff allow students to guide group activities, lead discussions, collaborate with peers to organize tasks, and meet deadlines.

"Jacquet had a vital role," said Marcia Davis, assistant principal at World Language Middle. "Her example was very influential among the other students. She [was able to] spur the kids, who may not have been as engaged, to get to work."

In the way a favorite teacher can inspire, sometimes outstanding students can serve as a bridge to reach students that educators cannot. Jacquet served as an inspiration to have voices heard, acting as a language bridge to ensure everyone could feel welcomed regardless of their origin. 

Simple language bridges like Jacquet's flyers were in most spoken languages at World Language Middle School, ensuring inclusivity and representation. Jacquet did not stop with flyers; she also crafted special Black History Month t-shirts, stickers, and logos for WLMS, celebrating African American culture and accomplishments within our school community.

"Students need to get information in their language, no matter if there are two or three of them," Jacquet said. "Just because the majority is Spanish, of course, that is helpful, but you should not ignore all those people because there is a smaller population."

Beyond her contributions to diminishing language barriers and creating beautiful graphic designs, Jacquet and other planning committee members also devoted countless hours to planning the Black History Month celebration assembly; some even played roles during the performance. 

Dedication and meticulous attention to detail from students like Jacquet around the District have been instrumental in creating memorable and meaningful events that celebrate Black History for students and staff alike.

"Many of our students are naturally creative and gifted," said Christopher Mobley, school counselor at World Language Middle School. They are creative in different ways, intellectually and artistically; we need more situations where the staff and teachers allow students to come to the forefront."

When presented with the opportunity, it is clear that for WLMS and other schools around the District, allowing students to shine continues to pay off. Davis, Jacquet, and Mobley all echo the same testaments of collaboration and creativity as the most powerful tool to ensure that programs like Black History Month celebrations will continue to be successful for the years to come. 

For WLMS and the District, Jacquet's and the Black History Celebration committee's work is a testament to the values of creativity, inclusivity, and academic excellence that Columbus City Schools strives to instill in its students. Jacquet and students like her are a positive force in their schools and exemplify the portrait of a graduate here in the District.

The District further highlighted the collaboration needed to plan the Black History Celebration, the performers, and more.