Students Celebrate MLK's Legacy Through Acts of Kindness

This week, Junior Kindergarten students are exploring kindness through the lens of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and legacy. On Wednesday, in honor of Dr. King's birthday, the young learners gathered for a special reading of Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King! by Jean Marzollo, a children's book that introduces Dr. King's life and message in a simple, accessible way.

“We’re focusing on Dr. King’s life this week because of his birthday, but also because it connects to our school’s core value for this month: kindness,” said Sarah Marshburn, Junior Kindergarten teacher. “The book does a great job of showing how Dr. King’s dream was rooted in treating everyone with fairness and respect. It really resonated with the kids.”

Working closely with St. Mary's Director of Belonging Nikki Davis, the Junior Kindergarten team ensured the story and discussion were age-appropriate, reflecting the school's commitment to nurturing a sense of empathy and community in its students of all ages.

“We talked about how Dr. King worked for equality and justice, and how he marched to make sure everyone had the same opportunities,” explained Marshburn. “The girls immediately understood the message. They grasped that fairness and kindness are at the heart of treating others well.”

After the story, the class participated in a hands-on activity where they created "Kindness Cards." These cards allow students to recognize and reward acts of kindness they witness throughout their day.
“If they see someone being kind, they’re encouraged to give that person a card to acknowledge that positive behavior,” Marshburn said. “It’s a fun way for the girls to practice kindness actively.”

The students quickly became experts in identifying ways people can demonstrate kindness. “Being helpful!” exclaimed Charlie Keep and Carter Tait. Marian Phillips and Margaret Rickerson pointed to “loving others” as a key example, while CoCo Black and Emerson Pruitt said “sharing with others” showed kindness.

For Eloise Gordon and Vivian Townsend the most important act of kindness was “being a friend to others.”

Reflecting on the broader lessons from Dr. King’s life, Marshburn shared, “We talked about how Dr. King didn’t want anyone to have to fight, and that there are peaceful ways to solve problems.” One of the most powerful moments in the book that stuck with the children was a simple yet profound line: “He asked people not to fight with each other. He said that there were peaceful ways to solve problems.”

“History is inherently complex and layered, making it challenging to introduce to young children,” Davis said. “To make it more accessible, I incorporate the language children use in their daily lives to anchor our conversations and lessons. The Bridge to Caring’s eight traits—respect, responsibility, thankfulness, kindness, self-control, honesty, courage, and cooperation—provide an excellent framework for helping students connect with and understand significant historical events and figures.

This lesson in Junior Kindergarten is one of the many ways students at St. Mary’s are learning about the impact of Dr. King in advance of the holiday on Monday.