THE STUDENT SECTION

From the classroom to the community – students making their mark.

NEVER FORGET BY: DAVID ISAIAH TRIPLETT

A powerful, introspective letter to self, ‘Never Forget’ explores the evolving understanding of black identity, the burden and beauty of cultural history, and the importance of embracing one’s heritage without being crushed by its weight.

Dear Younger Me,

I’m sure you don’t know the true meaning of what it means to be Black, African American, or of African descent. It’s a beautiful thing; not many people understand how spectacular it is to be black, but that’s something you’ll learn once you grow up. The depth of the skin we share is a physical representation of the struggle our people went through, but that’s something you’ll have to learn when you get older.

As you grow in age, you’ll find that people like to gauge their “blackness” off of how much Black history they know, and that’s not truly important. What matters most is what is important to you and what impacts your spirit.

Don’t focus on trying to learn everything about Black history, because that’s not all for you to know.

The depth of our history, like our skin, is dark and scarred, yet beautiful, complex, and deep. People will make fun of our history, like our skin, unaware of what we’ve been through, what we’ve experienced, the winding roots of history that are embellished upon a blank canvas of flesh. The burden of knowledge is too great for a young mind to bear. Instead, focus on losing the hatred you have as a result of ignorance of the past and the way the world works. Don’t let the world mold how you see it. That may not make a lot of sense now, but it will once you’re older.

A lot of people are gonna want to see you dead, a vast amount being people who look like us. I don’t know if they’re victims of their surroundings, or willful ignorance, but not every black man is your friend, the same as every white man isn’t your enemy. Choose your friends wisely; your friends can make or break your future. I know you made the right ones because you got this letter in the first place.

Good luck navigating the world. Your knowledge is not up to others to judge, and neither are your choices in friends. Always remember.

Dear Older Me,

I hope you take my advice. This letter is a little more difficult to write, as I don’t know what you’ll turn out like in, say, 7 years. I can only assume you know more about Black history than me. Although it isn’t necessary to know everything, it’s still important to know your history. Yes, if one person doesn’t know the history, it doesn’t all fade away. And it’s not important because if we ignore history, it’s bound to repeat. It’s important we represent the unsung heroes who weren’t praised for fighting and lost their lives to ensure that our rights were safe. While we celebrate Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, George Washington Carver, Ruby Bridges, Garrett Morgan, and Martin Luther King Jr., everyday individuals deserve representation. The point of doing a noble act isn’t so that you can be praised after you die, but rather so the work you’ve done is remembered. The people who’ve been killed and the ones who’ve been tortured to be made as a warning to keep us in our place are the ones who need to be remembered among the big names. 

Those who disregard their interests to stand up against those who want to keep us down deserve to be remembered. Events like the bus boycott need to be remembered, but the average person doesn’t know about the sit-ins. Moments where the violence spoke louder than our peace, and yet we still pushed on. The freedom riders are those remembered for being harassed simply riding the bus to the South to fight the lack of enforcement of anti-segregation laws. 

I can only assume you know more than I do. Don’t forget: the world doesn’t depend on your knowledge of Black history. It doesn’t gauge your amount of “blackness” to not know the smaller stories. Don’t have the mindset that if you don’t know it, it’s lost knowledge. The world is not your judge, so don’t let them bully you into trying to hold the entirety of our history in your head. Although important, some people carry those legacies and carry them well. 400+ years is a lot of history to understand. Always remember what you know doesn’t make you who you are, but what you choose to do with knowledge because that speaks volumes to your character. 

Always remember.

CLASS OF 2025

Yariselle Andujar
Faith Shaw
Evan Mullins-Vaneste
Gevonte Goins
Messiah Brooks
Andy Santana Misses
Christopher Whitehead
Montie Henderson
Elmer DeLeon Gonzalez
Randy Negron
Deaunte Jennings
Luis Correa
Eric Fernandez
Integritee McCormick
David Isaiah Triplett
Morgan Gadison
De'earis Green
Marc Johnson
Josh Lewis
Jovanni Bearden
Canon Drake
Fabian Zayas Perez
Kylie Turney
Achilleskuran Sain-Wells
Arianna Robinson
Kayla Peterson
Maxwell Campbell
Aliyah Brown
Quinn Schumann
Jayda Pickens
Deonte Stockwell
Yoselin Ruiz Ventura
Daniella Moreno Machuca
Yeimi Paau Cahuec
Kameron Noel
Raphael Kirk
Emitt Dobranic
Harry Di Liberto
Paul Lorenzi
Antoine Blair
Emmanuel Bacote

Graduates not pictured – Chris Lewis, Robert Bradford

WRAPPING UP THE YEAR!

See how our students wrapped up the year with many fun events!

OUR SENIORS SHOWED UP STYLISH AND DANCED THE NIGHT AWAY AT PROM.

THE ARGONAUT CLASSIC

A friendly rivalry between Tim Hatfield and Devon Sheehy led to a game of baseball. Both coaches picked their rosters, held practice and had a hard fought game. When it was all said and done Team Hatfield won in a rout 14-4. We are hoping to continue this event annually.

STUDENTS AND STAFF ENJOYED ANOTHER FIELD DAY

3RD ANNUAL BENJAMIN O' DAVIS SENIOR AWARD BANQUET

This is a night where we celebrate our graduating scholars who have earned an award based on their merits, talent, and extracurricular activities. Every student who attended was nominated for at least one award by their teachers, mentors, and peers. There were also staff awards that were handed out.

AWARD WINNERS

DEDICATED PRESENCE AWARD

  • DE’EARIS GREEN

Finished strong award

  • Antoine Blair

100 hours of service

  • Marc johnson
  • yariselle andujar
  • jovanni bearden
  • daniela moreno-machuca
  • arianna robinson
  • elmer de leon gonzalez

student council

  • Marc johnson
  • yariselle andujar
  • Kylie turney
  • arianna robinson
  • Kayla peterson

“W” Staff Award

  • Tyler Stillings 
  • Zach tolles

Trail Blazer Award

Christian price

exemplar: fab lab

  • Robert bradford

exemplar: Drone

  • kameron noel
  • Luis correa

exemplar: robotics

  • yariselle andujar
  • Jovanni bearded

drone dept. award

  • Canon Drake

exemplar: fab lab

  • Randy Negron

exemplar: fab lab

  • Aliyah Brown

exemplar: fab lab

  • Maxwell Campbell

exemplar: fab lab

  • Yoselin Ruiz Ventura

exemplar: fab lab

  • Elmer de Leon Gonzalez

POAG – Positive contributor

Quinn schumann

POAG – critical thinker

MESSIAH BROOKS

POAG – COURAGEOUS

  • yariselle andujar

POAG – CLEAR COMMUNICATOR

  • MARC JOHNSON

POAG – SELF ADVOCATE 

  • ELMER DE LEON GONZALEZ

ARGONAUTS OF THE YEAR

  • yariselle andujar
  • Jovanni bearded

PINK AWARD

  • ELMER DE LEON GONZALEZ

BENJAMIN O’ DAVIS AWARD

  • YARISELLE ANDUJAR