Lower School's 2025 MLK Assembly
This year's MLK Assembly was a celebration of song, dance, and storytelling.
Picture this. Mid-program during Lower School’s annual MLK Assembly, one jaunty 3rd grader steps in front of her preK-4th grade peers in the Dream Choir to conduct a rousing rendition of “We Shall Overcome.” Enthusiasm takes over and the group follows her lead with emphatic windmill arms, twisty hips, jazz hands—and, of course, strong voices that evoke the gravity of the person about whom they are singing.
During this year’s honoring of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr—celebrated through song, dance, and storytelling—the sense of community was palpable. Parents cheered, faculty and staff helped the program flow with enthusiasm, integrity, and fun, but most importantly, participating students made the assembly sing. Literally.
The anchor of the program, the Dream Choir, was founded 11 years ago by choir founder and Lower School teacher Amie Wallace and is made up of a devoted group of faculty, staff, and students who for the month prior practiced during their recess time. “It warms my heart every year to see the energy and excitement the kids put into this assembly. They look forward to it so much and I think, too, that the students revel in getting to know kids in other grades as well as some of their teachers outside the classroom,” said Wallace.
Lower School Principal Adele Paynter, who smiled as she called the assembly “beautiful chaos,” added that because the students learn about MLK in their classes, the assembly is not only a lively celebration, but also a way to honor and underscore their burgeoning knowledge.
Emily Stopa, the mother of a 2nd grader, said that her daughter had always been shy, but “look at her now! She loves being a part of the Dream Choir.” Stopa added, “She came home the other night and proudly announced that she had been given a speaking role in the assembly. She was over the moon.”
Along with student-presented quotations and facts about King, dances, and songs, the program also included a spirited call and response. Feeling the music course through their bodies and minds, the Dream Choir sang out various calls and then, one at a time, students ran out to lead the corresponding response, waving signs that spelled out phrases like “It’s our turn!”; “Love!”; and “We dream a world!”
Paynter thanked everyone involved in making the assembly a success from Wallace and her Dream Choir, 3rd grade teacher and choreographer Cleo Roseboro, and Lower School music teacher Matthew Stensrud to all the behind-the-scenes staff in Facilities and Tech—and of course, the students.
When asked what their favorite part of being in Dream Choir this year was, several students, without missing a beat, replied, “The dancing, of course.” One student who had been in the audience, tilted her head to ponder the question about her favorite part of the MLK Assembly, then said, “I liked watching the dancers but I especially liked watching the grown-ups singing along with the kids. That was so funny!”
“The MLK Assembly is a great way for the community to come together and truly live peace-testimony through song and dance,” said fourth grade teacher Monica Hasan, a Dream Choir member and an integral part of the faculty and staff who bring the assembly to fruition. “And, of course, to celebrate Dr. King.”
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