Hickman Mills leads KC delegation to Ghana

By Sara Wiercinski

All photos by Wonder & Tour Africa, used with permission.

From November 23-30, a south Kansas City delegation, led by Hickman Mills C-1 Schools students and leaders, traveled to Ghana in western Africa for a cultural enrichment and diplomatic event.

The group consisted of Hickman Mills superintendent Yaw Obeng, who was born in Ghana, School Board President Irene Kendrick, Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw, Missouri House Representative Anthony Ealy, Ruskin High School Principal Dr. Ernest Fields and Mike Ross who teaches AP African American Studies.

Ruskin High School students Mackenzie Britt, Jaden Epanty and Kayin Ward were selected by school leaders to attend the trip based on their character and strong academic performance.

“We have discussed this trip for a few years,” said Kendrick. “We talk about real world education, and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students to experience different cultures and establish long-term relationships with students from the other side of the world.”

The seven-day tour started and ended in Accra, Ghana’s capital and largest city of approximately 5.4 million inhabitants. The group toured national historic sites including Osu Castle, a former fort for colonizing nations and holding center for enslaved people, along with the Ghana International School, site of a future student exchange program. A trip north to the Ashanti kingdom included touring the Kejetia open-air marketplace and meeting a local chieftain.

“It’s our responsibility to inform students about their history,” said Ross, who also teaches social studies at Ruskin. “The kids were pleased to be exposed to things they learn about in school.”

Last year was the first time Ruskin offered an Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course. Of Ross’ 12 students, all passed the AP exam.

“My class touches on historical themes that are not included in Missouri’s required curriculum,” he said. “Having the opportunity to travel to Ghana for myself will help me paint a picture in class, linking African history to African American history.”

Senior Jaden Epanty reflected on this trip. “Seeing Ghana gave me a broader view of the concepts I have been studying,” said Epanty, “particularly African history and culture, and the impact of European colonization on the continent.”

Funding for the Ghana trip comes from two government grants which provide support for improved teaching and learning in the district: Federal Program Title IIa ($874,020 in total funding for 2024-2025) and the State of Missouri Comprehensive School Improvement Grant ($759,669 in total funding for 2024-2025). Both grants support teacher development through coursework and conferences as well as student experiences such as field trips.

This was Ruskin senior Mackenzie Britt’s first trip to Africa. “The people in Ghana are a lot more welcoming than most Americans, particularly the children.”

Britt’s most memorable experience was touring Cape Castle, one of the many “dungeons” for holding enslaved people along the coastline. “The history behind the place is heavy,” she said. She described seeing the dungeon floors’ centuries worth of buildup from human waste– a powerful witness to the horrors of the transatlantic slave trade.

The trip included meeting the mayor of Accra, the Honorable Elizabeth Naa Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey, with whom Ryana Parks-Shaw’s office is in conversation about establishing a city sister relationship. Of Kansas City’s current 12 sister cities, three are located on the African continent: Freetown, Sierra Leone; Port Harcourt, Nigeria; and Arusha, Tanzania.

Hickman Mills’ Comprehensive Strategic Improvement Plan includes the “Around the Globe” Initiative, which emphasizes global connectivity and real-world experiences.

“There is nothing like being in an historic space to touch the artifacts, smell the environment and observe visually to contextualize information you have only read in a book,” said Superintendent Yaw Obeng. “I am proud that our ‘Around the Globe’ initiative has started so successfully in Ghana, my ancestral home.”

The provisionally accredited district’s 2023-24 Annual Performance Report scores were high enough to merit full accreditation, but the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has announced these scores will not adjust standings this year.

The district is planning a trip next year for students and teachers to Yan’an City in China, a Kansas City sister city and site of another future student exchange program.