- “The desire of all young people to express themselves”: A Book of VerseAn Insight to Youth “This little book of poetry aims at nothing but to give to its limited number of readers a glimpse of a new phase of the development of the High School students of today.” So begins the preface of A Book of Verse, a collection of poems written … Continue reading
- “The Only Thing You Could Hear in the Hallway Was Her High Heels”: Remembering Dr. Helen Faison at Westinghouse in the 1960sIn the 1960s, Dr. Helen Faison served at Westinghouse High School first as a counselor and then as a vice principal. She was remembered by alumni of the 1960s for setting a tone for behavior in the school. “She was a very tall woman with a very flat voice, but … Continue reading
- “Robbed of the Valediction”: Fannetta Nelson Gordon and the Valedictorian of 1936Denial 1934. Sophia Phillips Nelson graduates at the top of her class — the first Black valedictorian from Westinghouse High School. 1936. Nelson’s sister, Fannetta Nelson Gordon — a gifted student, scholar, and musician — was poised to be the second. The principal had other plans. “He said, after me … Continue reading