Oakland – February is ending with a flurry of excitement across OUSD as numerous events happen on Friday and Saturday. The events include celebrations of Black History Month, a celebration of one aspect of the Islamic religion, and a celebration of eating vegetables. Plus on Saturday evening, the Oakland Athletic League is hosting the league Boys and Girls Basketball Championships.
Friday, February 28 is the belated celebration of World Hijab Day at West Oakland Middle School. The purpose of the event is to encourage women of all religions and backgrounds to wear and experience the headscarf worn by Muslim women around the world to gain a better understanding of its purpose and meaning. Students will get to try on hijabs, wear them for part of the day, and learn from people who wear them everyday.
At Cleveland Elementary on Friday, an exciting annual event will enable students to sample the so-called fruits of their labors, the school’s garden-grown vegetables. It’s called Soup Day, and students will pick vegetables that they grow in the garden, they will prep them, and then staff will cook soup using these vegetables. In this program, the students not only learn how to garden, they also learn about the way things grow and how plants and animals are interconnected. They also study the environmental impact of their choices, such as buying food that has to be transported from faraway places. This event is similar to Cleveland’s Salad Day, which you can read about in this press release.
Friday is also the last school day of Black History Month, and Prescott Elementary, the oldest elementary school in Oakland, is holding its 47th Annual Walk Through Black History Assembly. Students will learn and celebrate the history of African Americans in our country and in Oakland.
On Saturday evening, February 29 four basketball teams will face off in the Oakland Athletic League and CIF Oakland Section Basketball Championship Games. First, it’s the reigning Girls Division 3 State Champion Oakland High Wildcats facing off against the reigning Division 4 State Champion Oakland Tech Bulldogs. Then, the Boys Championship Game also features the Oakland Tech Bulldogs taking on the Oakland High Wildcats. Come on out to the Merritt College gymnasium to cheer on all of these extraordinary student-athletes!
Media is welcome at all events.
WHAT: World Hijab Day Celebration
WHEN: All day, starting at 8:30 a.m., Friday, February 28
WHERE: West Oakland Middle School, 991 14th Street
WHAT: Annual “Soup Day” Celebration
WHEN: 8:30-11:15 a.m., Friday, February 28
WHERE: Cleveland Elementary School, 745 Cleveland Street
WHAT: 47th Annual Walk Through Black History Assembly
WHEN: 1:00 p.m., Friday, February 28
WHERE: Prescott Elementary School, 920 Campbell Street
WHAT: Oakland Athletic League Basketball Championships
WHEN: 5:00 p.m. – Girls; 7:00 p.m. – Boys, Saturday, February 29
WHERE: Merritt College Gymnasium, 12500 Campus Drive