![students holding up signs that say "I have a dream" and each wrote their own ideas for the community.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1768499765/standrewsorg/jfkmgee4l6owhli6hgzp/MLKdayblogpost2-2026.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1768499765/standrewsorg/jfkmgee4l6owhli6hgzp/MLKdayblogpost2-2026.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1768499765/standrewsorg/jfkmgee4l6owhli6hgzp/MLKdayblogpost2-2026.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1768499765/standrewsorg/jfkmgee4l6owhli6hgzp/MLKdayblogpost2-2026.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1768499765/standrewsorg/jfkmgee4l6owhli6hgzp/MLKdayblogpost2-2026.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1768499765/standrewsorg/jfkmgee4l6owhli6hgzp/MLKdayblogpost2-2026.jpg","width":2200}])
MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities: it has been designated a “Day On; and not a “Day Off". This year will mark the 28th anniversary of the National Day of Service. We will honor him in chapel on Tuesday, January 20, and Wednesday, January 21.
Dr. King was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. It was during a visit to Connecticut, where he worked on a tobacco farm, that he saw how peacefully races mixed in the north. They went to the same churches and worked alongside each other in harmony. This created in him even more discord for the segregated south.
When I think about communities of harmony and peace, I am grateful for Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School. Episcopal schools are created to be communities that serve all individuals, regardless of origin, background, ability, or religion. They are created to “strive for justice and peace among all people and [to] respect the dignity of every human being.” This is a core tenet of an Episcopal School.
Our schools are composed of a rich variety of human beings, from increasingly diverse religious, cultural, and economic backgrounds. Episcopal schools are diverse ministries of educational and human formation for people of all faiths and backgrounds. We want our students to live a life of purpose and service, supported by the loving environment that we provide for them on a daily basis.
This was Dr. King’s dream: a school like Saint Andrew’s that fosters love, support, and encourages all students to be in harmony even though they have different backgrounds. I appreciate our wholehearted approach to education. We instill values and skills that last a lifetime and allow students to be their best selves.
A few classes honored Dr. King with in class projects. Pre-K learned about his message that everyone belongs no matter our differences and TK students shared their hopes through “I Have a Dream” posters.
Dr. King advocated for nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice as a means of lifting racial oppression. He organized marches, sit-ins, and other peaceful demonstrations to highlight inequity. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is the only federal holiday that commemorates an African American. As we reflect and celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King, an American civil rights leader,: let us remember his call to serve others and be an ally to all.