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Martin Luther King, Jr. remembered
  
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Greer Elementary holds assembly to honor slain civil rights leader
By Dana Edlund - Staff Writer
In 1963, civil rights advocate Martin Luther King, Jr. stood before over 250,000 people and spoke from his heart. His “I Have a Dream” speech is now one of the most famous in American history.
The speech was the final appearance that brought together one of the most diverse groups to ever band together in protest: black and white, men and women, politicians and actors, students and songwriters, wealthy and poor all converged in our nation’s capitol to bring an end to segregation and racial inequality.
“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood…I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” said King.
Today, school children are taught the basics of who King is and what he stood for. In early grades, children learn his name. In third grade, he is an important part of the famous Americans history lesson. After that, though, it is often hit or miss from school to school, grade to grade, class to class, just how in depth the lesson of King’s legacy is.
Understanding why King is important, what his life’s work was about and what it meant to this country when he was slain is often at the discretion of the teacher and administrators. Vernon E. Greer Elementary School decided to hold an assembly to help the students better understand why we honor King with a day off from school.
Through a slide show presentation, Greer Principal Emily Peckham showed the children how King’s message is similar to the eight great traits the students follow.
“On Monday, we will honor Martin Luther King, Jr. with a holiday,” said Peckham. “We thought it was important to share with you because he was a remarkable man. He showed the eight great character traits you are learning about.”
Caring is shown through being helpful and thinking about how others feel, while respect for others is demonstrated when one is polite, uses nice words and good manners. King showed respect for others when he dealt peacefully with things he did not agree with, said Peckham. Peckham used the sixth grade class as an example of responsibility because they recently developed goals and action steps to achieve those goals.
Honesty, planning and decision-making, and problem solving are all traits that Greer students learned they have in common with King. Citizenship, in which one cares for their community and volunteers to help their area improve, is shown daily at Greer, said Peckham.
Peckham explained to the students that, just like King, they too have dreams. A Greer tradition, dream boards, will begin soon. All students will make a dream board, listing everything from their dream job to the hobbies they plan to do. They will be asked to think about their dreams for education, and they will draw their dream car or home. They will need to list the people they want to meet, and they will have to explain how they will make a difference in the world.
Peckham called student Gabriela Duenas forward. Duenas was dressed in a graduation cap and gown. Peckham explained how Duenas has a dream to go to college, like King. King received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College, his Bachelor of Divinity from a seminary in Pennsylvania and his Doctorate from Boston University.
Peckham informed the students that King received a Nobel Peace Prize because he taught people to solve their problems without fighting. Peckham concluded by reminding the children integrity is the character trait of the month, and one way to show integrity is by doing the right thing.
King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was just 35 years old, the youngest man to ever be awarded the honor. King was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963. In April 1968, King arrived in Memphis, Tenn., to support striking garbage workers. As he stood on the second floor balcony of his motel room on the evening of April 4, he was shot. He was declared dead an hour later, after emergency surgery was unable to save him.
In 1983, then President Ronald Reagan signed into law the bill that created a federal holiday to honor King. In 1992, President George W. Bush signed legislation that declared the holiday to be observed on the third Monday of January, near King’s birth date of Jan. 15.
On Jan. 17, 2000, for the first time, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was officially observed in all 50 states.
The speech was the final appearance that brought together one of the most diverse groups to ever band together in protest: black and white, men and women, politicians and actors, students and songwriters, wealthy and poor all converged in our nation’s capitol to bring an end to segregation and racial inequality.
“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood…I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” said King.
Today, school children are taught the basics of who King is and what he stood for. In early grades, children learn his name. In third grade, he is an important part of the famous Americans history lesson. After that, though, it is often hit or miss from school to school, grade to grade, class to class, just how in depth the lesson of King’s legacy is.
Understanding why King is important, what his life’s work was about and what it meant to this country when he was slain is often at the discretion of the teacher and administrators. Vernon E. Greer Elementary School decided to hold an assembly to help the students better understand why we honor King with a day off from school.
Through a slide show presentation, Greer Principal Emily Peckham showed the children how King’s message is similar to the eight great traits the students follow.
“On Monday, we will honor Martin Luther King, Jr. with a holiday,” said Peckham. “We thought it was important to share with you because he was a remarkable man. He showed the eight great character traits you are learning about.”
Caring is shown through being helpful and thinking about how others feel, while respect for others is demonstrated when one is polite, uses nice words and good manners. King showed respect for others when he dealt peacefully with things he did not agree with, said Peckham. Peckham used the sixth grade class as an example of responsibility because they recently developed goals and action steps to achieve those goals.
Honesty, planning and decision-making, and problem solving are all traits that Greer students learned they have in common with King. Citizenship, in which one cares for their community and volunteers to help their area improve, is shown daily at Greer, said Peckham.
Peckham explained to the students that, just like King, they too have dreams. A Greer tradition, dream boards, will begin soon. All students will make a dream board, listing everything from their dream job to the hobbies they plan to do. They will be asked to think about their dreams for education, and they will draw their dream car or home. They will need to list the people they want to meet, and they will have to explain how they will make a difference in the world.
Peckham called student Gabriela Duenas forward. Duenas was dressed in a graduation cap and gown. Peckham explained how Duenas has a dream to go to college, like King. King received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College, his Bachelor of Divinity from a seminary in Pennsylvania and his Doctorate from Boston University.
Peckham informed the students that King received a Nobel Peace Prize because he taught people to solve their problems without fighting. Peckham concluded by reminding the children integrity is the character trait of the month, and one way to show integrity is by doing the right thing.
King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. He was just 35 years old, the youngest man to ever be awarded the honor. King was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963. In April 1968, King arrived in Memphis, Tenn., to support striking garbage workers. As he stood on the second floor balcony of his motel room on the evening of April 4, he was shot. He was declared dead an hour later, after emergency surgery was unable to save him.
In 1983, then President Ronald Reagan signed into law the bill that created a federal holiday to honor King. In 1992, President George W. Bush signed legislation that declared the holiday to be observed on the third Monday of January, near King’s birth date of Jan. 15.
On Jan. 17, 2000, for the first time, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was officially observed in all 50 states.
