“On our Eighth Grade trip to Washington, D.C.,” shares Social Studies Teacher Madison Williams, “we knew that our students would see many different monuments and memorials. However, many of these are tributes to our founding fathers and of a different time period, commemorating people of vastly different backgrounds than our students today. As teachers we wondered, ‘Do our students feel represented when they stand before D.C. monuments, in terms of the students’ accomplishments, hopes and dreams, racial background, age, and gender?’ So, before we left for D.C. to visit these historic places, we primed the students to carefully examine these monuments or memorials and what messages they communicate and to whom. Upon our return, we asked our students to analyze and reflect on what they saw, and to identify gaps in terms of representation in our nation’s capital. We had a conversation with our students about why we visit and study the amazing city of Washington, D.C. while acknowledging that it isn't fully reflective of our society or country as a whole, then or now.”
To encourage further reflection, each student was tasked with creating a monument or memorial to a cause, an event, a person, or an invention of their choosing. Topics were as varied as the students themselves, including a monument to Kobe Bryant and his advocacy for women in sports, Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, Mohamed Ali and his civil rights work, and a memorial to the Chinese laborers who built the intercontinental railroad. In Art Teacher Sally Houston’s class, students designed their monuments and memorials, and many created a scale model. In history class, they completed thorough research about the person or event and wrote an essay about their monument and why they chose the design, explaining the underlying motifs and symbolism that represent their person or cause.
“What I love about this project,” remarks Ms. Williams, “is that it really allows students to research something that interests or is special to them, and also expands upon what we already learned on the D.C. trip, which ultimately makes the learning even more rich.”
Here are some of the student artist statements that accompanied their monuments, plus a complete list of monument and memorial project topics:
Mental Health Matters - A Monument Inspired by Simone Biles
In creating this monument, I strived to reach the hearts of young athletes with big dreams and create a safe space for athletes' thoughts that have been worrying or stressing them out. I also hoped to illustrate the idea, in their head, that taking a break or stopping the sport you have done your whole life won't make you any less of a person and it's okay and human to need a break. May Simone Biles' importance always be remembered and inspire the great minds of athletes.
Perry S. ’28Monument to COVID-19 Nurses
With this monument I hope to bring awareness to all the hard work of the COVID-19 workers that may have been overlooked in the past. I hope that people take away the true importance of nurses in this word and continue to appreciate and be kind to them. I hope that this monument stays with people even after they leave and it stays as a token in the back of people's mind reminding them of the scares the everyday nurses go through and how hard the pandemic was.
Norah E. ’28Monument to Lauryn Hill
In crafting this memorial, I aimed to portray the accomplishments that Lauryn Hill has had, and the things that she has done for the community especially when it comes to the genre of hip hop and rap. She has changed how the world views that genre, and has opened it for women to create new music. I hope that when people see this monument that they take a moment to recognize the amazing things that Lauryn Hill has done for society and how she has changed how music is viewed and listened to.
Eva M. ’28
Complete List of Project Topics
Stephen Curry, Alzheimer's Disease Patients, Michelle Obama, Apollo Astronauts, Malcolm X, Hiram Bingham IV, Marilyn Monroe, Rosa Parks, Kobe Bryant, WWII Nurses, Taylor Swift, Cherokee Victims of the Trail of Tears, Oprah Winfrey, Alexander Graham Bell, John Lewis, Victims of the Dust Bowl, Gloria Steinem, Ruth Bader Ginsburg