By Alena Brimmer
Photo by Elizabeth Sepanik
During the summer of 2023, the past paid Willow a visit in the form of Sylvia Nuchurch Branch, a former Alcee Fortier student who officially integrated that school (now the Willow High School) in 1961 at the age of 6.
Every year, in honor of Black History Month, our school participates in a door-decorating competition. In this activity, each advisory group is challenged to come up with an important idea/person of color to represent their classroom. Last year, Mr. Diaz and Ms .Johnson’s paired advisory class decided to represent Ms. Sylvia Branch.
“My freshman year, my advisory planned on making a door decoration, and we planned on either decorating our door after Naomi Osaka or Sylvia Branch, but we never got to it,” says Mauro Nunez, a junior in Mr. Diaz’s advisory, “So when it came time to do it again my sophomore year, I felt that instead of celebrating our typical icons in black history, we should show appreciation to someone whose impact is overshadowed and underappreciated, but also still affects us to this day.”
And so they chose to represent a very local figure. In fact, she couldn’t be more local as a former student in this building we now call the Brimmer Campus of the Willow School.
The Diaz-Johnson advisory class was able to bring their idea to life with hard work, time, and teamwork. They created a door that truly exemplified the accomplishments and meaningfulness of Sylvia Nuchurch Branch.
Ms. Sepanik, Vice Principal of Willow Middle School, was extremely amazed by the creation. She snapped a picture of it and sent it to Branch. During the summer, Branch was in town with her family and asked to come and see the artwork.
“She came to the school, and her family was here, and she talked to us about her experience in 1961. It was really moving,” said Ms. Straight, Vice Principal of Willow High School.
“As a whole, we were honored that she came to see our door, and we talked about it on the first day of school,” Mr. Diaz said. “The kids were moved, and the fact that it’s still being displayed this year speaks to the great work of the students.
The advisory groups plan on keeping in touch with Branch and hope to have her back as a guest on multiple occasions. “We’ve signed cards to send as a thank you gift from both advisories. We’d love to have her back, and hopefully we can make that happen sometime this year.”
