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Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service

 

For many students around the country, Monday, January 20 was a day to sleep-in, play and enjoy a day-off from school. But for a group of 70 parents, teachers, staff, students and grandparents from the Waldorf School of Garden City, the holiday was an opportunity to serve their community and honor the life and teachings of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Photos courtesy of Iwonka Piotrowska.

As part of the nationwide “King Day of Service,” the group of volunteers spent the day collecting trash and cleaning the grounds of the Tanglewood Preserve in Rockville Centre, New York. A beautiful 17-acre natural habitat that contains several peaceful ponds, streams, and nature trails, the Preserve is located at the Center for Science Teaching and Learning. (The site is also the location for one of Waldorf’s two satelite Parent-and-Child classes.)

“We had good weather and a great turn out,” said Keelah Helwig, a Kindergarten Teacher at Waldorf and chair of the School’s Diversity Committee. “Our MLK Day of Service gave us the opportunity to be in nature, demonstrating care and respect for the earth, attributes that are cultivated at our School through our rich curriculum. The event truly honored Dr. King’s legacy – an opportunity to work hand-in-hand with the very young (and the not-so-very young) in service to our community.”

In 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, designating the King Holiday as a national day of volunteer service. Instead of a day off from work or school, Congress asked Americans of all backgrounds and ages to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy by turning community concerns into citizen action. The King Day of Service brings together people who might not ordinarily meet, breaks down barriers that have divided us in the past and leads to better understanding and ongoing relationships.

For more information about the Center for Science Teaching and Learning, click here.

For more information about the King Day of Service, click here.


Posted in Waldorf News