Schools

Bristow Middle School Celebrates Diversity

Occasion honors the day its namesake purchased his freedom.

The event was called "Happy Birthday Bristow!" as a nod to the school's namesake — an African man who bought his own freedom from slavery in West Hartford more than 200 years ago. But at its core, it was a celebration of diversity for the town's smallest and youngest middle school.

Hundreds of parents and students filled the auditorium Monday for an evening of student performances, starting with a video about students learning the Hindi word for "hello" — namaste — as part of a community initiative by the group Hello! West Hartford. Among Bristow's 423 students, 24 different languages are spoken, according to the evening's program.

Principal Andrew Morrow then introduced student performers, including the school's select choir group Voices of Bristow, students who read a poem in English and Portuguese, a student who performed an Indian classical dance, and a variety of students from 's Cultural Fusion club, who performed songs and dances.

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"I believe that our diversity is our defining asset at Bristow," Morrow said.

Morrow told the audience that administrators wanted to celebrate the diversity of the school, which draws from all 11 elementary schools in town through a lottery, and decided to combine it with a recognition of the school's namesake. The man known as Bristow purchased his freedom from Thomas Hooker around the start of the American Revolution and lived in West Hartford for years afterward.

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"Bristow signifies the American story," Morrow said.


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