Reflecting on making the world better

If there is one principle that Lawrence Woodmere Academy (LWA) takes the most pride in, it is tradition. Every year, one of my favorite LWA traditions, is the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy.

The Friday before MLK day, all three divisions participate in an assembly all about the slain civil rights leader.

This year’s assembly was a multimedia production. A video was presented with various student and teacher interviews. They were each asked the question, “Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream to change the world for the better, what is your dream?”

The answers were intriguing and entertaining. The lower school students mentioned dreams they when asleep. One student mentioned her dream of having so many marshmallows she was the happiest girl in the world. Students in the upper school told everyone they dream of things like world peace, getting into their top-choice colleges and being successful in life.

There were also a variety of memorable student performances. Senior, Gaby Irizarry, and sophomore, Veronica Vaynshteyn, both sang songs that engaged the audience. Veronica’s song spoke about the different the heroes: Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. (Bobby) Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., who, throughout history, all changed the world; and Gaby’s sang lyrics involving our duty to keep the peace in the world.

Senior Lauren Cruz and junior Breyanna Bennett danced to “Who You Are” by Jessie James. Their performance embodied one of MLK’s many messages to the world: Being true to who you are in order to better society.

Assemblies like this play a key role in bringing our school community together because they make us reflect together on the world’s history and open our eyes to how far we have come. If it weren’t for Martin Luther King Jr., LWA would not be the same diverse place it is today. For this man, we can all be very thankful.