The students from Columbus Avenue, Leo F. Giblyn, New Visions elementary schools and Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate School within Freeport Public Schools each honored the life and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in honor of his birthday by participating in several schoolwide activities.
At the Columbus Avenue Early Childhood Center, students in Ms. Julia Jablonski’s pre-kindergarten class colored photos of Dr. King and learned why his birthday is celebrated. Students also read the poem, “My Own Two Hands,” and then colored pictures about their own dreams and wrote words to help describe their pictures.
In Ms. Heather Tollin’s kindergarten class, students had a visual demonstration to introduce diversity and cultural differences. Using different colors and sizes of eggs, students placed two eggs into a bowl and then shared what they noticed about the outside of the eggs. Students then predicted what the inside of the eggs might look like before cracking them open. The students then cracked the eggs and learned that on the inside they were all very similar with no apparent differences.
At New Visions School, students celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by nominating fourth grade students who live out his dream of peace and harmony. One student from each fourth grade class was nominated by their teacher and special area teachers to receive this distinctive award for being excellent citizens of New Visions School by demonstrating being proactive, having a goal, working hard, understanding others, compromising, working together and having a balance in life. Marelyn Ochoa Cruz received the Martin Luther King Jr.’s Peace Award. Her name was added to a plaque, along with a photo which will hang outside of the school’s gym.
Students from the Leo F. Giblyn Elementary School completed a schoolwide at-home project where they worked with their families to cut out or write powerful, positive words inspired by Dr. King and placed them around his silhouette. The silhouettes were then displayed in the gym for the entire school to view. Additionally, the step team, the Giblyn Hot Steppers, created a video performance titled, “Giblyn’s Dream for Equality,” which featured a recitation of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech by fourth grader, Janine Castillo-Gomez.
The students at the Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate School also shared several performances. Fifth graders, Keyarra Thomas-Bradley and Jelani Ballentine read the essays they submitted to the New York State MLK essay contest on the morning announcements, the Atkinson Student Ambassadors read the history of Dr. Martin Luther King Day and the Atkinson Choral students shared a prerecorded performance of their version of “Happy Birthday” by Stevie Wonder.
