To celebrate the amazing legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., each art class at Brooklet Elementary School was recently given the opportunity to express their understanding of his importance to our world.
Through art, the students were able to discuss, write, and draw all that Dr. King's life represented. Among the words that they chose were courage, peace, kindness, love, unity, and freedom. Each student was encouraged to use many colors in their art to represent Dr. King's belief and practice of inclusiveness of all colors. The students' artwork was turned into a mural at the school.
"I was walking down the hall on Monday, and this mural stopped me in my tracks. I've watched as more and more artwork from our elementary students has been added to the collage," said BES QUEST teacher Joey Harvey. "I've stepped back and looked at the whole thing -- the beautiful colors and awesome portrait. I've gotten closer to look at some of the pieces: hope, faith, peace, and love. They understood the assignment, and it gives me hope."
The painting of Dr. King that anchors the mural, as well as the drawings created by the students, were made out of a composition of newspapers representing his lifelong fight for freedom of speech.
"This was a rewarding and enlightening experience for both me as a teacher and for each student of BES to have focused, intentional discussion about how this historical hero impacts our lives still today," said BES art teacher Lauren Fowler. "I am so proud of the contributions the BES students made and grateful to have the opportunity to celebrate such and amazing hero who taught us to never give up, 'fight' peacefully, and continue to dream."
Charlie King, a 4th grade student at Brooklet Elementary, had this to say, "Doing this project made me feel good. It made me think about how he changed schools and how we can all live a good life equally together."
Fifth grader Gabby Allen created an image of Dr. King as an angel.
"I thought about drawing the angel because he is in heaven, and I wanted to thank him for giving us freedom," she said.
"I am so blessed to have the opportunity to teach each student every week. It truly shows the impact that we as educators can have," Fowler added. "Each of the exploratory teachers see all 820 students every week! Thank you to Mark Petkewich, STEM teacher, and Tasheina Canty-White, music teacher, for the help and encouragement on this project."
