News

Students Celebrate MLK Day With Self-Reflective Discussion

January 31st, 2019

Russell Weatherspoon of Phillips Exeter Academy addresses South Kent School students.

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” -Martin Luther King, Jr.
 

This past week, the students and faculty at South Kent School worked together to plan a day to honor and celebrate the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his ideas on race, justice, and peaceful protesting.
 

The day started with the delivery of the keynote address by Mr. Russell Weatherspoon of Phillips Exeter Academy. He led the boys in a discussion on unity, trust, and the meaning of justice. Students responded with fruitful discussion on their ideas, including the negative impacts of stereotyping, the willingness to branch outside of their own culture, and respect.

Then, students were divided among several groups to engage in different topics, all with ties to Martin Luther King Jr. and his values. These classes were discussion and activity-based, led by student and faculty teams! Some of the topics included, but were not limited to: “Allegory of the Cave and the Letter from Birmingham Jail,” “Why do we put labels on people?,” “The value of diversity on campus,” “Nature or Nurture: How perceptions of race are shaped by society,” and protest posters of the 1960’s.

The celebration ended with a gospel chapel service with visiting guest Michael Brown, who created a special service tailored to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.
 

Students and faculty reflected on the day with comments such as: “I learned that we are all more similar than what meets the eye” and “I especially liked our guest speaker and appreciated the message he shared with our community.” One faculty member noted the values of self-reflection: “The boys assessed their reality and the experiences that shaped their reality.”

View photos from the Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration on our Facebook page!