James H. Boyd Intermediate School students honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday with a special school-wide ceremony on Jan. 13. Family members and administrators attended the student-run event to celebrate Dr. King’s life and legacy.

The ceremony began with the Pledge of Allegiance and a video presentation about the impact that Dr. King made on history. Students in Suzanne Reilly, Christina Tellekamp and Matthew Lauro’s class presented a biography about Dr. King and each stated a fact about his life and work.  

Fifth-grade students in Amy Chiarello and Jacqueline Musto’s class read an anonymous poem titled “Martin Luther King” and Mr. Lauro’s class presented a game of Civil Rights Jeopardy. Three students participated in the game which educated the audience on topics such as segregation and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In addition, students read excerpts from Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the school’s chorus sang two songs titled, “Martin Luther King” and “We Shall Overcome” led by music teacher Linda Romano and math teacher Linda Scotto.

To conclude the ceremony, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Bossert spoke to the students about Dr. King and asked them to reflect on the question, “has Dr. King’s dream come true?” He encouraged students to respect and accept everyone. “We are all equal despite our differences,” he said.