Clarke Central High School Black History Month Program Coordinator Jaclyn Brown sings during the 2024 BHM Program on Feb. 28, 2024, in the E.B. Mell Auditorium. Brown began coordinating the BHM program at CCHS three years ago. “I kind of leave it open to whatever people want to do. I sent out a message and I said, ‘Who wants to be a part of the program?’ and (then) they come in, tell me their ideas and we try to go with it as long as it’s appropriate,” Brown said. Photo by Isabelle Duncan
Jaclyn Brown, CCHS’ Black History Month Program Coordinator, shares her insight on this year’s program which will happen on Feb. 19.
Social Media Staffer Isabel Blankenship: Why did you choose to bring back this program three years ago?
Clarke Central High School Black History Month Program Coordinator Jaclyn Brown: I graduated from Clarke Central back in ‘96. We always had a Black History (Month) program every year, so when I came here as a teacher five years ago, I was like, ‘Why don’t (we) have (a) Black History (Month) program?’ Then, (CCHS faculty) was like, ‘Will you do it?’
IB: Can you talk about the process for planning the program?
JB: (The committee will) get together in December, January and sometimes November depending on how the year goes and I send (an) email to all the teachers and I just say, ‘Do y’all have ideas about what y’all want to do?’ We discuss them and then I’ll go to admin for approval to make sure it’s something that we can actually do. Whatever idea anybody has, we run with it.
“I want more student involvement, because it’s for y’all, so I want the students to have more of a say (on) what goes into the program. Even with the speakers, (I want students) to be like, ‘I wish this person could come and speak.’”
— Jaclyn Brown,
CCHS Black History Month Program Coordinator
IB: Who is the speaker for this year’s BHM program?
JB: This year, our speaker is Valdon Daniel. He was (an) assistant principal here at Clarke Central when I was a student. He went on to be principal at Burney Harris (Lyons) Middle School. He grew up in Athens (and) he and his wife were both educators (in the) Clark County School District system.
IB: How did you decide to have Valdon Daniel as the speaker?
JB: I reached out to several people in the community or who are involved in Athens who may have graduated from Clarke Central that are doing successful things. I try to bring those people back. (Since) I’m from Athens, it makes it so much easier to have that connection when reaching out to people. Also, the administrative team here at Clarke Central is a part of the selection process. So (CCHS Principal Dr. Swade Huff) was excited to hear about Mr. Daniel, because Mr. Daniel was an assistant principal when he was here.
IB: What else have you coordinated to go alongside the BHM program?
JB: This year we have a couple new things that we added in. Last year, we had Spirit Month, and I thought that was overkill. That was a little bit too much, even though it’s the shortest month of the year. I thought we just need to just focus on one week. So we’re only gonna do spirit wear for the week of the program.
An infographic displaying the 2025 Black History Month celebrations is shown above. This year, Clarke Central High School BHM Program Coordinator Jaclyn Brown added a Movie Night to enhance the celebration of BHM at CCHS. “We’re excited to have that new addition. Some things are different, and so we’re looking forward to having that this year,” Brown said. Infographic by Isabel Blankenship
IB: What are some other additions to the program?
JB: JROTC has partnered with us (to do something) just like the Hispanic Heritage Month (Festival), where they have different foods to try. So Tuesday (Feb. 18) will be first lunch, Wednesday (Feb. 19) will be second and third lunch and Thursday (Feb. 20) will be fourth lunch. Students in the (JROTC) department are going to bring in soul food, and you’ll be able to taste it during your lunch while supplies last.
IB: Who will all get to attend the program?
JB: That’s the tricky part. Of course, the people who are participating with their classes and the people who are on the committee get first dibs. I just sent (an email) out to them, (asking) how many people are in (their) class. Everybody can’t be there because we only have a 500-600 (people) auditorium. I’m just going to send (an email) to the rest of the teachers, and if they check their email, they get in, (if) they don’t, they don’t get in. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles, but we’re going to have a live stream, so if they can’t be there in person, they can still watch it online.
IB: Overall, what do you hope students take away from the program?
JB: Exposure, pride (and) learning something new. Of course, they don’t know Mr. Daniel, so listening to his story (will be) a positive impact on African American males. We have a lot of students (that are) not doing academically well, but to see someone who was an educator, a Black, strong man coming from this community and seeing how he was able to be able to give back to his community (will be impactful). I’m excited about that component of it, any positive influence is a good influence.
IB: Moving forward, how do you hope this program will continue to grow?
JB: I want more student involvement because it’s for y’all, so I want the students to have more of a say (on) what goes into the program. Even with the speakers, (I want students) to be like, ‘I wish this person could come and speak.’ I would love to hear from students on what they would like. They always say they enjoy the program, but I want y’all to be a part of the process more.
