A few desks away, sixth-grader Taylor (pictured above, right) portrayed Gertrude Wade (EDUC ’44, ’46G), who became the first female African American principal in Pittsburgh in 1962, when she led Vann Elementary School in the Hill District neighborhood. Dressed in a dark blazer and pearls, Taylor called Wade a “courageous” woman. “I think she inspired me to not be scared, because she wasn’t scared,” Taylor said.
Taylor’s research, which included Pittwire content, helped her connect Wade’s trailblazing leadership to her own dreams. “If she can become a principal,” she said, “then I can become a veterinarian.”
Not far from Wade’s display stood sixth-grader Muhammad in a Buffalo Bills jersey, representing professional football player Damar Hamlin (A&S ’20). Muhammad said he met Hamlin when the athlete made a recent visit Pittsburgh and gave the young student a brief interview. He enthusiastically recounted Hamlin’s journey from Pittsburgh to the National Football League, including the athlete’s on-field health emergency and recovery.
Teacher Lisa Ross insisted students rely on traditional research methods rather than social media, preparation that gave Muhammad confidence to share Hamlin’s story — and to imagine his own future in professional football. “I know there’s a risk in sports,” he said, but it’s possible for it to come true, echoing his hero’s message to “stay strong.”
Ross, a Pittsburgh native who teaches history, civics and geography, launched Night at the Museum last year to create what she calls “living history.” Once assigned their figures in January, students spent the next few weeks searching for photographs, videos and written accounts to better understand the people they portrayed.
“I wanted them to see and to hear these people, to know that they were and are alive,” Ross said. If she were to choose a figure for herself, she added, it would be former first lady Michelle Obama. “I love her story. I wanted students to see what they were capable of, what they could become.”
Established in 2001, TNA serves more than 200 middle- and high-school students through a holistic, barrier-removing educational model. The faith-based school reports that 100% of its graduates are accepted to college, and when they go, 81% finish within five years.
“The Neighborhood Academy’s programming is designed to cultivate creativity as well as leadership,” said Anthony Williams (EDUC ’20G), TNA’s head of school and a Pitt alumnus who was one of the heroes represented by the students.
“Our school’s vibrant lifestyle offers students meaningful opportunities and for tonight,” said Williams, “they’re embodying the innovators and pioneers they had studied to help them grow academically, socially and personally. They’re literally the next generation, standing ready to carry those stories forward.”