On February 1, our first-grade students on the Downtown Campus were our Lower School Chapel leaders, sharing their dreams for a better world.

Their presentation was inspired by the Rev. Dr.  Martin Luther King, Jr., especially his celebrated “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered at the March on Washington, Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. It was a wonderful way to begin Black History Month, and to conclude our month-long Chapel exploration of MLK’s vision of the Beloved Community.

In class, first graders learn about desegreation in America through the story of Ruby Bridges. In 1960, as a first grader herself, Ruby advanced the cause of civil rights when she became the first student of color to attend an integrated elementary school in Louisiana. Every day for a year, she was escorted to school by four federal marshals, walking past picket lines and adults shouting racial slurs at her. In 1964, artist Norman Rockwell celebrated her courage with a painting of Ruby, making her way to school. This story is deeply moving to our first graders because they see themselves in Ruby, a young girl of similar age. They also read and learn about MLK’s I have a Dream speech, celebrating how their lives have been made better by civil rights leaders of the past, and dreaming of the world they’d like to help build for the future. 

After this engaging lesson, each student wrote and illustrated his or her specific dream, which they shared in Chapel. What they dream of is beautiful: equity and inclusion; mutual kindness; a well-cared-for planet, and a peaceful world.

Thank you to our first grade teachers Emily Anglund, Robyn Endress, and Veronica Pascuzzi for leading students through this important project. Please enjoy this video of our “I Have a Dream” Chapel, and may we all be inspired by our young dreamers!