MASON — Mason High School students have expanded the Black History Month section on the Web site at this predominantly white school.

        In 2000, students in Darla Watkins' Web design class launched the Black History Month section.

Web site compilers David Hicks (left) and Jim Matthews did some research for Mason High's Black History Month feature. Both are juniors. (Gary Landers photo) | ZOOM |

        This year, juniors David Hicks, Jim Matthews and Nick Schappacher and senior Thomas Calvin Wernick fine-tuned the section, which now features profiles of 20 African-Americans, quizzes and students' comments on racism.

        Students in the 18-member class learn Web design skills, which they apply to the site, Ms. Watkins said.

        “That's certainly an excellent opportunity to make them aware of African-American contributions, and those have been significant,” said Norma Davis, president of the Cincinnati NAACP.

        Mason High's student body is 91.6 percent white and 2.9 percent African American. David Hicks said he learned much about African-Americans.

        “I got to research 20 black people,” said David, whose profiles include Gwendolyn Brooks, the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize for poetry, and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

        “Some of the people, you know who they are, but you don't know exactly what they did.”

        Jim, who developed the quizzes, said that researching African-American history strengthened his resolve against racism. “(The project) has given me proof to stand up and use it against other people to fight racism,” said Jim, 16.

        Mason High offers an elective for seniors on multicultural literature, but does not require any classes dedicated to minority issues, according to English teacher Sejal Jhaveri, a first-generation Indian-American.

        Ms. Jhaveri is adviser to the Genesis club, a 15-student group dedicated to promoting cultural awareness at Mason. She applauds the black history section on the Web site.

        “Kids have asked me, "Why don't they have Asian history or anything other than European history?'” Ms. Jhaveri said.

        “(Students) get to see that other people have contributed to what they have today.”

       The Mason High School Web site, www.masoncomets.org, will offer the black history section indefinitely. The site has a Women's History Month section in preparation for March.
       

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