Close to 100 people gathered for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at Pleasant Valley Elementary School, including students, parents, teachers, school administrators, local first responders and township officials.
The Harrison school district teamed with the township’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Advisory (IDEA) Board for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service at Pleasant Valley Elementary School on Jan. 20.
Close to 100 people gathered for the day, including students, parents, teachers, school administrators, first responders and township officials. The event was split into two parts, the first a ceremony in the school cafeteria to honor King’s legacy and the values he hoped to spread, and the second the service portion of the day.
“Dreams do come true,” said Rachel Holloman, of the IDEA Board. “Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King had many dreams, and more than a few came true. His notable accomplishments included winning the Noble Peace Prize for his efforts in securing civil rights for African Americans in a non-violent manner. His commitment to human rights and civic activism still speaks volumes in our everyday lives.”
“He believed that all people are created equal,” observed Pleasant Valley’s principal, Karen Russo. “All people. It doesn’t matter what grade level you’re in, if you’re a boy or a girl, what color your eyes, hair or skin is, if you’re tall or small, if you’re a teacher or student, we all are people.
“We need to treat each other with respect and kindness.”
Students in the third through sixth grade appeared on stage in the cafeteria and read stories with themes similar to those King preached about, as well as some of his speeches. State assemblyman David Bailey was in attendance for the day and spoke of studying King in depth when he was a student at Penn State.
“Some of the things he wrote in letters resonated with me,” Bailey recalled. “Some of the things in your home that he brought to bear is when you’re sick and you’re running a temperature and you’re not feeling very well, what do your parents bring to you? They bring you a thermometer to test your temperature. And that’s what thermometers do, they take the temperature in what’s happening in your body.
“But they don’t change the temperature,” he added, “they just take the temperature. The more important thing in your home is the thermostat. Thermostats change the temperature in your house. They either make it a little colder or they make it a little warmer. That’s what Dr. King wanted to be, the thermostats, changing the temperature of our society, changing the temperature of what’s happening.”
The service portion of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service involved students, parents and teachers making snack bags for families of ill children at the Ronald McDonald House in Camden. Down the hall from the cafeteria was the music room, where students made cards with words of encouragement for those same families. There was also a storybook area in the school’s gymnasium where students read stories about King and his ideals.
“I think the most important thing for the kids to take away from this is that there is something that everyone can do to contribute to our community,” said IDEA board chair Sarah Zuba. “From the youngest to the oldest, from the smallest gesture to the biggest, we all have something to give.”
