Overview of the 5th Grade Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.:
On Friday, January 13th, approximately 1300 fifth grade students from the Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls School Districts, as well as Holy Family Catholic School, attended programs about the civil rights movement and the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The students watched “The Right to Dream,” a Living Voices program about the civil rights movement told from a first person perspective as an actor performs against the backdrop of archival film, photos and sound bites from the period. Students from the schools performed dance numbers and together the students, teachers and parents in attendance sang songs about action and change. Prior to the event, students wrote their own dreams in the style of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, used to create a paper chain which was displayed along the bottom of the stage. The Human Rights Education Institute is grateful to the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations, North Idaho College, the Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls School Districts, and the Idaho Humanities Council for their assistance in making these programs happen.
We invite the public to join us for a public viewing of “The Right to Dream” on Wednesday, January 18, at 7:00 pm for a repeat performance of the program shown to the local 5th graders. Parents are encouraged to attend with their children, aged 5th grade and older. This event may not be suitable for younger children. Suggested donation: $5.00, students free.
The paper chain created by the 5th grade students will be on display at the Human Rights Education Institute through February. Every one of those dreams has the potential to come true. Some were inspiring: “I have a dream that someday our society will join together to help homeless families, homeless beyond their control, to live like any other family in the nation.” Some were funny: “I have a dream that the California drivers center gets better.” (I’m guessing this student has heard complaints about drivers from California and dreams of a way to solve the problem!) And some were heartbreaking: “I have a dream that I can see my dad again.” The dreams varied from economic topics (quite a few students dream of lower gas prices) to health topics (curing cancer or diabetes) to the right to dignity (no more bullying). We were impressed by the thought that many of the students put into their dreams, from clean water for everyone to world peace. We invite others in the community to add their link to our chain to create a kindness chain unlike any other.
Photos
Coeur d’Alene School District Students Body Sox Dancers
Coeur d’Alene School District Student Dancers
Coeur d’Alene School District Student Dancers
Coeur d’Alene School District Student Dancers
Dior Davenport of Living Voices, as Ruby in “The Right to Dream”
Post Falls School District Student Dancers
Post Falls School District Student Dancers
Post Falls School District Student Dancers
Post Falls School District Student Dancers
Post Falls School District Student Dancers
Post Falls School District Student Dancers
Sally Sorenson, Music Teacher, Skyway Elementary, Coeur d’Alene School District
Sally Sorenson, Music Teacher, Skyway Elementary, Coeur d’Alene School District