As Black History Month comes to a close, don’t forget to encourage students to visit the Training School/Union Kempsville High School (PACTS/UK) Museum, located directly inside the Renaissance Academy. The museums lends insight to guests of any age about the time in local history when PACTS/UK was the only school providing a secondary education for African-American children in Virginia Beach.

Museum exhibits tell the story of PACTS/UK during its years of operation from 1938 to 1969. The facility contains information panels, videos of former students, digital yearbooks and plenty of artifacts. There’s also a scaled-down replica of the school’s second auditorium, using wood from the old stage and wooden seats from the original auditorium.

To book a field trip, call Shirin Spencer, museum director at 757-648-6006 or email her at sspencer@vbgov.com.  If you can’t take a field trip, the history of PACTS/UK can come to your classroom. The school’s historical committee composed of former teachers and students will speak to classes and groups to tell the story of the school they still love.

To invite a speaker, contact Yolanda Jones Howell, public relations coordinator, Department of Media and Communications Development, 757-263-1202.

You can also learn more about the museum by watching this video from VBTV’s Access Virginia Beach:  http://bit.ly/WNw07t