(Article by Riley Groves, SPS Communications/Marketing Intern) -- The Sapulpa High School student body gathered at Shaw Auditorium last Tuesday to celebrate diversity at the 2022 Cultural Awareness Assembly.
Students heard songs, speeches, and stories that celebrated African American history and culture.
Hosted by SHS Junior Terry Gaddis, the assembly included performances from individuals from the Sapulpa community and surrounding areas.
Joyce Bruner sang a beautiful rendition of “The Wind Beneath My Wings” in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Ricky Bruner, Sr. recited Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech for the audience; and Ricky Bruner III recited an excerpt from King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop."
Reverend Jamaal Dyer from Friendship Church in Tulsa talked to students about the importance of Black history and Black History Month, marked every February.
At the conclusion of the assembly, SHS Men’s Basketball Coach Ricky Bruner, Jr. was welcomed to the stage. Bruner talked about the Booker T. Washington Bulldogs, Sapulpa’s all-Black high school from the 1960s. He explained that in 1949, the Bulldogs won the state championship in football. He then presented SHS Principal Seth Shibley with the Bulldogs championship trophy to display in the halls of Sapulpa High School.
Sapulpa High School’s chapter of the NAACP organized the assembly for students and staff.