Community Corner
Mountainside Schools Celebrate Legacy of MLK
Deerfield and Beechwood closed on Monday; Governor Livingston in session; day marks Dr. King's birthday.
Twenty nine years ago, the United States Congress passed, and President Ronald Reagan signed, legislation designating the third Monday in January as a day to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is a federal holiday, recognized in all fifty states.
The Mountainside school district's two elementary schools, Deerfield and Beechwood, will be closed on Monday, January 16, while Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights will remain open. Bussing will be provided for Mountainside high school students at the regularly scheduled pick up times.
Unlike most Monday holidays, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is not synonymous with one-day sales or a trip to the mall. Rather, it is a day intended for acts of service as well as remembering the life and legacy of the civil rights leader born on January 15, 1929.
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Dr. King's prolific speech "I Have a Dream" has been the topic of daily lesson plans at the Deerfield Middle School, as well as video documentaries shown, and books being read on Dr. King, who was assassinated at age 39 in 1968.
The district's Media Specialist, Sheila Silagyi recommends, "Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier.
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Ms. Silagyi told Patch, "Through stunning portraits and most intriguing illustrations, this book pays homage to an American hero," which makes it a particularly good choice to read aloud to children because of the way it "weaves the author's lyrical words with Dr. King's poetic quotes."
She noted, "Not only will children understand the power of 'words' by reading this elegant book, they will begin to understand that January 15th, is not just another birthday to celebrate, or day off from school on the 3rd Monday of January."
At Beechwood school, Mrs. MacMillan's Kindergarten class drew original portraits of Dr. King on Friday. The artists' renderings were accompanied by what their own dreams are for the world, and will grace the hallways of the elementary school which houses the Borough's youngest students in grades Pre-K to second grade.
