Students and staff at the Excel Academies and Safe Achieve Academy, part of the Chicago Public Schools’ Option Network celebrated Black History Month by taking part in several special activities

Leadership at The Excel Academy of Roseland held their first annual Black History Month Trivia Competition and luncheon that highlighted Black culture, history and food. Students and staff also participated in the Urban Trivia challenge, where teams answered questions on Black television, film, music, sports and other topics.

For the students, it was an opportunity to showcase their knowledge of Black culture, while building genuine camaraderie among their peers. They also enjoyed a catered luncheon before heading into the final round where the game came down to a tie-breaker. While only one student team could be crowned the winner, all students won a trip to see “Creed 3” and lunch at Beggars Pizza in honor of their great sportsmanship.

To wrap up Black History Month, students from each Excel Academy campus: Englewood, South Shore, Roseland, and Southwest, and Safe Achieve Academy competed in the campus-wide ninth annual Black History Month Quiz bowl.

Hosted at Excel Academy of Englewood, the Jeopardy-style event tested students’ knowledge on Black history and encouraged them to buzz their way to success.

“The Quiz Bowl and trivia challenge offered students a fun, engaging way to learn Black history, while also connecting with their peers during practices leading up to the big day,” said Kevin Sweetland, regional director, Excel Academies/SAFE Achieve Academy.

Congratulations to this year’s Black History Month Quiz Bowl first-place winner, Excel South Shore and second-place winner, Safe Achieve Academy!