Martin Luther King Jr. March in Topeka, Kansas

Hello and thank you for checking our blog! This is Tony, here with an update on our MLK march! I will add some pictures along with commentary. Let me start from the beginning.

Our class, supervised by the wonderful Denise, was set out in the freezing cold to go on a march in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. Here we have me (far right), Jon (next to me), Danielle (center), Kayla (front) and Joe (far left), all standing at the threshold of the march. We were surrounded by many powerful people, including a state board representative and the Governor of Kansas, Sam Brownback.

We were led down the street by National Guard trainees, wielding in their hands the American and Kansas flags. If you can see the blue sign in the background, that is the Kansas African American Affairs Commision which operates from within the Governor's office.   The streets were particularly clear, and traffic was held to a stop for this march. The march ultimately led us to the first Presbyterian church established in Kansas. WIBW 13 followed us the entire way, broadcasting our march on TV.

At the end of the march, we assembled in a Presbyterian church for a ceremony in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. The church was almost filled completely with people, we were also accompanied by an amazing speaker and a beautiful and talented choir led by a soprano/tenor duo. Governor Brownback spoke in memory of Martin Luther King Jr. There was an African American speaker who knew Martin Luther King III, Martin Luther King Jr.'s son, in college, and stayed briefly with his mother. He was an amazingly talented speaker, it was a shame they did not televise his speach. His name is Dr. Bernard Franklin.  Here are a few pictures from the assembly.

Following the ceremony was an assembly outside the church with free coffee and cookies. After we had spoken to other representatives and students, we were given free shirts and made our way out. It was ultimately an amazing experience and we all had a lot of fun and were moved by the speakers and the wonderful choir. Definitely a memory that will not easily be forgotten.

Martin Luther King Projects

Here in our service learning class we have been working on some things about Martin Luther King, Jr.

So far we have been to the Martin Luther King, Jr day march in Topeka. It was fun because I was around many important people including the governor of Kansas and some senators and represenetives. We marched for a half mile in the freezing temperatures and ended up at a Presybetarian Church in which we had a rally of sorts in which there was music speeches and other intresting stuff.

After the march we decided to research some stuff about Martin Luther King, Jr and make a presentation on him. We figured that we would make a powerpoint presentation about his life, accomplishments, actions, and views. It took a lot of work because we kept having snow days intermixed in our schedule which made our organizing the presentation hard.

When we gave the presentation it was done in front of the whole shcool and Dr. Craft the statewide Service Learning Coordinator. It was a little disorganized but we were clear, loud, and to the point. It was a lot of fun and I would like to do it again.

-Jon B

It's me, JOSEPH!!

AGE-15

NAME-Joseph

GRADE-9th

 Reason for me to be at John Dewey-
I transfered to John Dewey Learning Academy because of my poor choices and misbehavior at my previous home school.


How am i doin' NOW-
I have brought up all my grdes from failing to A's and B's. As for my behavior problems, there aren't any. I'm doin' alot better at my new school. And I like it here.

 Interests, Dreams, Hopes and plans for my future-
Some of my interests are kickin' it with some of the homies and goin' out and having some fun. I also like dirtbike riding, listening to music, and school for a change.
 
Some of the dreams I have are to graduate high school, do something good with my life and maybe go to college or join the army. Some hopes I have are to have a small family some day and have a good paying job to support my family.

Whats important to me-
My family and friends and graduating high school so I can have a high school diploma.

Martin luther king day! "I have a dream"

We recently went to the Martin Luther King JR. march it was really fun. we marched in the cold with about 100 people but we all had fun. i liked all the speeches that was said. my favorite speech is where the guy who lived with Martin Luther King Jr's wife was telling bout his time living there. there was a lot of speakers there that just shows that people do care to make a change and that they all appreciate Martin Luther King JR and what he did. We got our picture taken with the government Sam Brownback. The march was just really fun.

all about me!!!

My name: Kayla
Age: 16
Grade:11
The reason im at JDLA: im here because i was not passing my classes.
Since i came to JDLA: My attitude has changed and i am passing all my classes my grades are A's B's and C's.
Plans for my future: i want to go to college to be a office clerk/secretary.

MY PROFILE

MY PROFILE

AGE: 15

NAME: Jon 

GRADE: 9th

REASON FOR COMING TO JOHN DEWEY: The reason I am at 

 John Dewey is that I was expelled from my home district for one school year.

HOW I AM  DOING NOW: Right now I am doing really well and have great grades and attendance.

INTEREST, DREAMS,HOPES, AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE: Some of my interest are skateboarding, music, science, physics, and tecnology

Some of my dreams are to become a famous musician so my family will have enough money to get by, become the first person to find a cure for cancer, and end both world hunger and poverty.

Some of my plans for the future are to finish college with a degree in technical engineering , get off probation early so I can get my record expunged, and to have a family.

WHATS IMPORTANT TO ME: The only important things to me is my girlfriend Courtney and my family.

-Jon

Fight Violence With Silence (A Greeting From Tony)

Greetings! I am Tony; hacker genius, internet addict, walking dictionary, music freak, and an intricate philosophical puzzle that has yet to be solved. In other words, I'm your average young, pretentious teenager with too much time on his hands who loves loud music and being lazy. I wear skinny jeans, I skate, I have "different" hair, and I have a heavy dependency on Facebook and Monster. My favorite style of music is Hardcore, so my favorite bands would be Asking Alexandria, Bring Me The Horizon, Chiodos, From First To Last, The Devil Wears Prada, Miss May I, Silverstein, and Scary Kids Scaring Kids. However, I'm really into punk, grunge, indie and metal.

I am in John Dewey because my past hasn't been very legal (and we'll leave it at that). I didn't have many friends at my old school and I had serious issues with depression, however I never took out my anger and depression through violence. I have always been and always will be the kind of person who will try to brighten your day, even if I can't brighten my own. I like it here at John Dewey; the teachers are nice, the student populous is small, and the school days are shorter than at my old school. The work doesn't stress me out and I have more time after school to improve my life. I'll only say it once, this is not a school for mental handicaps, it is a helping hand for students who fell to pressure, stress, anxiety, depression, or other impedements of life.