Tez’Ziah Ransford recently marked the end of her elementary school journey with a walk across the stage at John H. Ketcham Elementary School in Southeast and her acceptance of awards for excellence in math, music, socioemotional learning and soccer.

For Tez’Ziah, the road to middle school hasn’t been without its ups and down.

“It’s been a long time [with] different principals, different students, teachers leaving and a lot more,” Tez’Ziah told The Informer. “Every year I have a mentor that I can talk to and tell, and they can help me … explain my feelings.”

Tez’Ziah also reflected on another aspect of her burgeoning academic career: the random, but relevant, Black history facts she learned while sitting at the feet of Emma P. Ward, a substitute teacher who spent much of this school year

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