How a San Jose Catholic School Lives the Gospel Through Black History Month
- Jessica Paige Glenn
- Feb 26
- 5 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
At St. Victor School in San Jose, Black History Month is more than a celebration. As a Catholic school rooted in Gospel values, we see this month as an opportunity to honor dignity, legacy, and faith in action.
Throughout February, our students explored the lives of Black artists, inventors, activists, and saints. Their learning culminated in a school-wide Black History Month assembly that showcased art projects, research, and reflections from preschool through eighth grade.
As a faith-based private school in San Jose, we believe history is not just something to study. It is something that shapes who we are called to become.
How Our Catholic School Celebrates Black History Month
Each class prepared a project inspired by influential figures whose lives continue to impact our world.
Preschool: Bold Creativity Inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat
Our preschool students learned about Jean-Michel Basquiat and created their own versions of his crowned dinosaur. Even our youngest learners discovered that art can be expressive, symbolic, and full of personality.
Kindergarten: Courage Through Ruby Bridges
Kindergarten studied Ruby Bridges and created collage posters reflecting her bravery. Through her story, students learned that standing up for justice has no age requirement.
First Grade: Masks and Cultural Identity
Inspired by Loïs Mailou Jones, first graders explored the history of masks in African culture and created their own designs to honor African American heritage and identity.
Seventh Grade: Kente Cloth and Community Storytelling
Seventh grade learned about Kente cloth and how its patterns communicate identity and story. Students designed their own Kente-inspired cloths, sharing messages about their school community and the values they hold dear.
Eighth Grade: Black Catholic Saints and Living the Gospel
Eighth graders reflected on Black Catholic saint candidates including Pierre Toussaint and Thea Bowman. Through newspaper-style articles, they examined how faith, resilience, and service shaped these holy lives.
In studying Black Catholic saints, students saw that diversity has always been part of the Church’s story — and that living the Gospel often requires courage.
Second Grade: Innovation and Madam C.J. Walker
Second graders learned about Madam C. J. Walker — one of the first self-made female millionaires in America. They reflected on perseverance, leadership, and what it means to create opportunity through determination.
Third Grade: Storytelling with Faith Ringgold
After studying Faith Ringgold, students created paper quilts inspired by her storytelling style. Their artwork demonstrated how creativity can communicate powerful messages.
Fourth & Sixth Grade: Color and Collaboration with Alma Thomas
Fourth and sixth graders worked together after learning about Alma Thomas. Using color sticks, they created vibrant abstract pieces inspired by nature — celebrating joy, collaboration, and movement.
Fifth Grade: Gee’s Bend and the Journey to Freedom
Fifth graders explored the quilting traditions of Gee's Bend and the symbolic patterns connected to perseverance and the Underground Railroad. Their quilt squares reflected hope, courage, and the journey toward freedom.
A Message on Legacy: Who Are We Becoming?
When Dr. Tijan White, the Director of Educational Opportunity Program at San Jose State University, stood before our students at the Black History Month assembly, he asked our students to name famous black people throughout history. The teachers were impressed when Louis Armstrong got a shoutout. He began with perspective.
Black history, he reminded them, is not just American history — it is world history. It is the story of pioneers who broke ground, created opportunity, and made space for others to rise.
But he didn’t stop there.
He asked our students to consider something bigger: If every pioneer stood on the shoulders of someone before them…Then who are you standing on? And who might one day stand on yours?
He urged students to “pay homage to the pioneers — the people who broke ground and made space for others to be great themselves.” In a world that often celebrates individual success, his message reframed greatness as something communal. No one rises alone.
Then he turned the focus toward our students — not as future adults, but as developing leaders.
“As young people today, you can’t always see what you have to offer the world. But if you live long enough and put enough effort out, there’s no telling the contributions you may make to your community, your family, or society.”
In that moment, Black History Month stopped being about the past. It became about all the possibilities that the future holds.
It echoed the line from Hamilton: "What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.”
That is the heart of Gospel-centered education.
We do not teach our students simply to achieve for themselves.We teach them to build something that blesses others. To see their gifts as service. To understand that leadership is stewardship.
Black History Month, in a Catholic school, is not only about honoring those who came before. It is about forming the kind of young people who will create space for others after them.
And that formation begins now.
Living the Gospel in Action
At St. Victor School in San Jose, Gospel values are not theoretical. They shape the way students learn, lead, and serve each day.
Black History Month is one example of how those values come alive in our community. As students study African and African American history, they are invited to reflect on dignity, perseverance, justice, and responsibility.
At St. Victor, those Gospel-centered commitments guide our school culture:
Respect for the dignity of every person
A commitment to service and justice
Faith in action through community engagement
Leadership rooted in compassion
Our celebration of Black History Month is just one example of how Gospel values come alive. Students do not simply learn about history. They reflect on legacy, justice, perseverance, and faith and then, they are called upon to live the lesson.
For families in the Bay Area searching for a values-based private school in California, we invite you to explore how Catholic education at St. Victor forms students who are:
Because education rooted in the Gospel doesn’t just prepare students for high school. It prepares them to serve the world.
More Than a Month — Formation for Life
Black History Month at St. Victor School is not an isolated lesson. It reflects our broader mission to form:
Children of Faith
Lifelong Learners
Caring and Responsible Citizens
We do not “weed out” students to protect a number. We lift them up. We help them see that their story matters — and that they are part of something larger than themselves.
Because one day, they too will plant seeds.
And someone else will stand on their shoulders.
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