Senior class office emphasizes power in numbers at Saratoga Elementary assembly

Seven senior class officers walked onstage during a school-wide assembly at Saratoga Elementary on March 9, dressed as the numbers 0 through 6. As the children watched the seniors struggle to move in their costumes, they couldn’t help but grin. Then, the skit began, and the ridiculous costumes started to make sense.

Numbers 1 through 5 bullied 0, disparaging him by criticizing that he has no value and is worthless. Suddenly, there was a turn of events. Number 1 approached 0, offering friendship, and the two joined together to become the number 10, showing that there is strength in numbers.

“The kids laughed a lot, clapped and sang along to the song we sang,” senior class representative Jacqueline Schwartz said. “When the numbers came together to make a bigger number, all the kids audibly gasped, which was really cute.”

The schoolwide assembly assembly was inspired by Ruby Bridges, an African American girl who was the first black student to attend an all-white public school in the Southern U.S in 1960. Bridges was confronted with extreme racism, with other students and parents protesting her presence by screaming insults and throwing objects at the 6-year-old child.

“Ruby handled the abuse with bravery and dignity, and her story is an important one that should be shared to ensure we don't repeat our history,” said Saratoga parent Cat Leffew, a local co-leader of Project Cornerstone.

Later in her life, Bridges became a civil rights activist and established the Ruby Bridges Foundation, which aims to promote unity and tolerance within schools.

Project Cornerstone presented Bridges’s story to teach students about the importance of acceptance and to instill values of self-worth and belonging in this year’s curriculum. But Leffew said that her group felt the need to go beyond classroom lessons.

“I wanted to really make a point of helping the children know their worth and that we are all equal and worthy of respect in this world, regardless of any differences we might possess from one another,” Leffew said. “We want them to know that, in fact, our diversity in this community is our strength and we are really very lucky to have the opportunity here in Silicon Valley to get to know people of all races and cultures from all over the world.”

Topics discussed included friendship, self-worth, empathy and equality. Schwartz said that it is crucial to instill such values from a young age and teach children the importance of “acceptance and working together despite differences in appearance.”

Leffew reached out to the Saratoga High Leadership team, asking them in February to present at the assembly. She said that the high schoolers would have a significant influence.

“The skit had a funny spin on what they were trying to get across,” fifth-grader Ana Weinstock said.

Along with the skit, the class office performed a cover of Pharrell Williams's “Happy,” substituting the lyrics with those relating to the assembly’s theme. The presentation was the senior class service project, which is an annual requirement of Leadership.

The class service projects aim to promote the welfare of the community and teach students the importance of service. The senior class thought that encouraging diversity and acceptance would accomplish these goals.

Leffew hopes that the Leadership students will do more assemblies in the future. She said that having high schoolers involved in team building activities for younger students works well.

Through activities and assemblies, Project Cornerstone hopes to create a more inclusive school environment in which all students can feel safe and appreciated.

“We’re called the United States of America so we need to be united,” senior class representative Lillian Zeng said. “People have strength in numbers, and if we stick together we have a lot more power than we do as individuals.”