At Friends School, Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been a long-standing tradition for students and teachers and is used as a day of service and reflection on the wonderful work of King and his legacy. This year, the day included student-run service activities that were around thirty minutes to an hour long, and the day concluded with a meeting for worship to help everyone center after a day of service in honor of the great Civil Rights leader who paved the way for the future of race relations.

Ken Aldridge, QUEST director and MLK coordinator, previously worked at Germantown Friends school and was in charge of their MLK Day teach-in as well. He says that every school runs the day differently and he likes seeing the changes. Firstly, when Ken Aldridge was asked about what work went on in order to prepare for the event, he responded, “I really enjoy gathering the proposals and reading them. Some of the ideas are really interesting and in depth. I also like the idea of the day being run by students instead of adults.” Students who participated in the event also responded very positively to the successful day. “The workshop that the service committee did was really eye opening what people in poverty go through,” said Erica Rodi ’17. “I liked having an opportunity to learn things we wouldn’t normally be learning about.” Rachel Ramirez ’17 agreed, stating: “I really enjoyed the time we took out of the day to dedicate in the memory of Martin Luther King Jr.” Sarah Balick ’17 shared an interesting and thoughtful idea to conclude, “I thought it was put together well and I liked the way that students were able to put together such a good event.”

Next, Mr. Aldridge answered and talked about the rewarding parts of MLK day. He talked about being able to feel good about one’s inner relationship with King’s work and having the opportunity to connect with one another. “It gives students the chance to be with each other through service and also gives them a chance to connect with themselves and think about social justice and peace,” Aldridge said, “We can all think about social justice and peace on a big scale or a small scale.” Mr. Aldridge really hopes that this event will get through to students and they will discover the enjoyment of service. Maybe it will be the beginning of something that will become special in the Friends community.

When asked about some big events coming up this year, Aldridge was excited about interesting lunch and learns coming up and great keynote speakers. “It’s going to be a good year of events,” he remarked. The next topic of conversation was about some of the downfalls of the event. Mr Aldridge enjoys planning the event, however, he was concerned about a couple of points. “I’m worried about both students and adults not being open to conversation,” Aldridge pointed out, “I’m also worried about some people being proactive but not being mindful and thoughtful while doing the service, ” he finished. When asked whether he thought the way they are organizing the event this year will last, Aldridge seemed optimistic. He is hoping to expand the event based on the feedback after this year and for the teach-in to become an event that is a great addition to the Friends community and something that everyone enjoys taking part in. Overall, it seems like Martin Luther King Day at Friends has changed for the better. With higher attendance, hopefully students will become more deeply connected and involved with the teach-in.We hope that Mr. Aldridge will get great feedback that will make next year’s teach-in even better. Together, let us make this day a special tradition for the Friends community.