Last Friday, Northeast Elementary School hosted our annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly.
The event began with a silent march to the multi-purpose room while listening to the “I Have a Dream” speech playing over the intercom. Together in the multi-purpose room we heard the conclusion of the speech which inspired the room to erupt with applause.
As an encore to Dr. King’s message, the 5th grade stood on the risers at the front of the room and recited the most impactful portion of the speech. Their words resonated in the gym and spoke to us.
A mindfulness activity conducted by Ms. Kupperman, kicked off the ceremony and prepared our minds and hearts with a simple message “peace starts with me”. My opening remarks focused on the importance of shared experiences and how they strengthen our relationships. When we create positive memories together, we forge a common story grounded in belonging.
To help in this celebration, each grade level had a part in the assembly. The kindergarten took the stage for the very first time and sang “There was a Man”. The 1st grade performed “We Believe in the Dream”, which was authored by our very own Mrs. Gary. The 2nd grade recited “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me at All” followed by the 3rd grade sharing an original poem “Hope, Peace, Love”. Finally, the 4th grade emulated Maya Angelou with their rendition of “Still I Rise”.
Each year when in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. we learn a lot about him and add to our existing knowledge. It is also important for our students to understand that there are many other historical figures that embody the message and vision of Dr. King. Some of these other notables were inspired by him and others served to be inspirations for him. This year our theme was “Keeping the Dream Alive”, and our notable figure was American sculptor Augusta Savage. Ms. Savage fought for the rights and opportunities of black artists and highlighted black history through her work. Notably she was commissioned to create a sculpture for the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Her statue “The Harp” was inspired by the song “Lift Every Voice”. The Harp became one of the most visited sites at that World’s Fair. After the event, tragedy struck when she could not afford to relocate the statue. Some individuals who did not support the idea of featuring a black female artist, destroyed the sculpture along with a lot of her work. Popular belief is that this was an attempt to erase her success from history.
Last week before the assembly I met with each grade to teach them about Augusta Savage. My goal was to help students make a connection between Augusta Savage, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and our theme. It was important to share with them that while we are all inspired by Dr. King and hold him in revere, he too was inspired by people that led him to his mission and share “The Dream”. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was only 10 years old at the time that Augusta Savage had her sculpture “The Harp” on display. I punctuated the lesson by saying that just as they are sitting in school right now being inspired by others, one day we might be learning from their lessons of success.
It is now a tradition for our school to work on a school-wide project connected to our learning. In addition to my mini-lesson on Augusta Savage I led Northeast students and staff in creating a school-wide painting. Every person in the school used a sponge brush to add to the artwork and sign their names. No one was able to see what the painting would look like and could only contribute to a small section.
At the assembly, to personify Ms. Savage’s story, I invited Northeast Elementary School’s New Jersey Governor’s Service Professional of the Year, Ms. Lorrie Hunter to the stage for an interview. In my discussion with Hunter, the school learned that outside of spending 28 years of her life in education, she is also an author and an artist, who has written 8 children’s books. Ms. Hunter helped us make connections between why preserving art is important. She stated, that like a book, artwork tells us a story that we can learn from. Her reflections on Augusta Savage’s sculpture being destroyed helped us to understand why keeping Dr. King’s dream alive is so important. A climatic moment was when Ms. Hunter assisted me in revealing the completed school-wide painting of Augusta Savage.
After the big reveal and to honor Augusta Savage, Mr. Dey and a group of our chamber singers led us in the singing of “Lift Every Voice.” A heartfelt moment was listening to the students continue to sing this song as they were dismissed from the gym.
As the Principal of Northeast Elementary School, I need to share how proud I am of our community. We came together last week in support of each other and modeled for our children that in the face of adversity a positive path forward is possible through a common vision. For the students they now have this paining as a reminder of the beauty that can be achieved when we work together in harmony. Our new symbol of togetherness will be on display in the main hallway across from the main office. Please don’t hesitate to stop and look when you visit.
