Students Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday
New Visions School students celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday with a schoolwide assembly that centered on Dr. King's inspiring words and the events that moved him.
"Dr. Martin Luther King was a great man; that's why we honor him today," said New Visions Principal Renee Crump-Dedmond to the students and parents in her welcoming address. "If you're like me," she added, "you're proud to be from Freeport, a diverse community that celebrates our differences and our similarities."
In honor of Dr. King, Jodi Dispigno's and Kerry Sambus' first-grade classes sang Barbara Klaskin Silberg's "I Have a Dream," with added narration to emphasize the message of the song. Michael DeGennaro's and Gabriela Farruggio's fourth-grade dual language classes acted out their Reader's Theatre interpretation of "The Dream" by Susan Peterson, followed by a rousing rendition of Stevie Wonder's musical tribute to Dr. King, "Happy Birthday."
The highlight of the celebration was the introduction of new student recognition awards. Each fourth-grade class nominated one classmate to be honored for demonstrating the exemplary qualities of Dr. King. The highest award level was bestowed upon Jayda Pollard of John Woodward and Lambrini Kavadias' class. Jayda's name and picture are now on a special plaque that will be displayed in the school.
