Students Making an Impact on Their Community

62 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. stood at Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and delivered a speech called “I Have a Dream” which brought about a change, a change for the better that people still honor today. As a tribute to all that he did, the yearly Martin Luther King Day of Service was held on the 22nd of January after class at Windermere Preparatory School. This event took place from 2:00-6:00 pm in many of the high school classes. Each club or honors society had a classroom that they used to set up a community service activity for the other students to participate in. Any high school student was able to participate in these activities to receive service hours. To graduate, every student at WPS is required to have at least one hundred hours of service and this event was a useful way for them to continue to get the hours they need, while bettering the community. Friends were able to go and perform these activities together without having to leave school. 

There were 22 service activities to help with that were accompanied by food and music. There was a food truck selling a variety of refreshments, an example being ice cream. There was also a band located in a classroom facing the drop-off circle that played many popular songs and artists, Nirvana for instance. The guitars and drum were played by Alex, Jax, and Rowan, as students were able to go around completing service activities. The students had the option to stay in one room the whole time or if they wanted to, change service activities throughout the event. There were many unique service activities, an example being that the Latin club held a Valentine’s Day letter writing event for seniors. Many students stopped by this room to write kind messages and draw themed pictures for the seniors. Other service activities included making blankets to be donated, packing food, and knitting toys to be given away. In all, almost two hundred students participated in this event to help those in need.

The entire MLK Day of Service is held in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and the positive impacts that he was able to bring about. He was able to help so many people during his lifetime and his influence still continues to this day. He helped to establish the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to bring equality to all people, regardless of their race. Because of all the good that he brought, the Day of Service is held at WPS in remembrance of all that he did and to continue to honor him by helping others. Through honoring his memory, the students were able to do their part and positively impact their community and those around them.