LWA Antics

Highlighting the impact of human rights and MLK

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Lawrence Woodmere Academy is very diverse. Students are exposed to different types of people and cultures. This being the case, students thought that a human and animal rights week would be beneficial. Held before winter break, and each day of the week alternated between women’s and minority rights, children’s and disability rights, and LGBTQ rights.

Each day, students were given a quote relating to the day’s topic and a video to enhance students’ comprehension of the rights and why they exist. LWA’s Helping Hands Club, the school’s service learning group, conducted the week-long event. Lilli Albucker, one of the club’s leaders, created many posters that were displayed in the library. The posters had hand-drawn, thought-provoking images and quotes. One of the posters was inclusive of all types of people: “We welcome all religions, sizes, sexes, ethnicities …” It is important to make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable in our family-like school environment.  

Piggybacking on the recent theme of human rights, students and faculty are gearing up for our annual Martin Luther King assembly to be held on Jan. 12. The assembly features vocal performances, dance performances and poetry readings. The school consists of three divisions, a lower school with grades ranging from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade, a middle school with grades six to eight, and an upper school with grades nine to 12. A main theme in our school is inclusion. All three divisions are encouraged to take part in the assembly. The lower school usually reads a story aloud, middle school students usually sing a song, and the upper school sings and reads student-written poems. The motto of last year’s assembly was “We Stand Together.”

LWA is a very connected community; many refer to it as a family. It is very important to our school that we address important topics such human rights and remember people such as Martin Luther King Jr. He continues to be an influential person, as his fight for civil rights remains a touchstone for all human rights.

Margaret Tucker, who is also one of the Helping Hands Club’s advisers, put together last year’s assembly and will be conducting this year’s as well. “We stand together was not only our motto but a movement that brought pride to our students and faculty,” Tucker said. “The feeling of unity has remained in the halls from the 2017 MLK assembly. Only great things can come from celebrating such a great man.”

This assembly is one that is very much anticipated by both students and faculty. Lawrence Woodmere Academy strives to inform its students about important subjects by holding events that underscore their significance.