County school students lead MLK celebration
Published 8:05 am Friday, January 17, 2025
Artwork created by Warren County Public Schools students sits on display during WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Dr. Martha Sales, Dean of Students and Vice President of Student Experiences at Western Kentucky University, speaks during WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Students in the combined Warren County Public Schools choir sing “Ride on King Jesus” during WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Students in the combined Warren County Public Schools choir sing “Ride on King Jesus” during WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren Central High School student Nishobora Josephine and South Warren High School student McKinley Heard emcee WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Members of Moss Middle School’s Afro Dance Team perform a routine to a reciting of an African Spiritual song and “Precious Lord” voiceover during WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Members of Moss Middle School’s Afro Dance Team perform a routine to a reciting of an African Spiritual song and “Precious Lord” voiceover during WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
A group of Warren County Public Schools students recite the Shining Star Poem by Casey Jarrell during WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren County Public Schools Superintendent Rob Clayton speaks during WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren High School ninth grader Marim Abead wins the high school essay category of the 11th annual MLK Celebration essay contest during WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
WCPS Alternative Program tenth grader Malachi Belk wins the digital art category of the 11th annual MLK Celebration art contest during WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren Central High School tenth grader Nori Boone wins the high school art category of the 11th annual MLK Celebration art contest during WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
Warren East Middle School eighth grader Lorena Dudaric wins the middle school art category of the 11th annual MLK Celebration art contest during WCPS’ 11th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at South Warren High School on Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
BY DAVID MAMARIL HOROWITZ
david.horowitz@bgdailynews.com
Students led the majority of Warren County Public Schools’ hourlong program Wednesday evening for the school district’s 11th celebration honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
“This event’s important to me because MLK fought for us to be here,” said South Warren High’s McKinley Heard, one of the two Black students who led the celebration’s opening. “Without him, we wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t even be here speaking. I probably wouldn’t be here talking to you for today. So this is why this event is important.”
Added Warren Central High’s Josephine Nishobora, “As a member of the African-American community, I think it’s extremely important that everyone learned about one of the great leaders who helped get us to where we are today.”
The celebration has become primarily and increasingly student led, according to Tracey Young, WCPS’s director of grants and community outreach. The WCPS MLK Planning Committee and the community-based WCPS Equity Council were instrumental in organizing it.
Among other programming, several students spoke about how school-based programs helped them grow as leaders and learners; winners and runners-up were announced for art and essay competitions; the district choir, comprising more than 100 students, sang multiple works; the afro dance team performed an original dance; and Martha Sales, the dean of students and vice president of student experience at Western Kentucky University, delivered the keynote speech. They evoked enthusiastic applause, and several standing ovations, from a crowded South Warren High School auditorium.
All events surrounded the evening’s theme, one of MLK’s iconic statements: “Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.”
“We felt like that encompasses what we also are trying to do in Warren County schools,” said Will Spalding, a member of the WCPS MLK Planning Committee.
Added Young: “Everything was intentional to that message.”
She pointed to the district’s diversity — encompassing more than 90 birth countries and 102 languages.
“I think that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision was to unify people — and you look around this room, and there’s people from all backgrounds and representing diverse populations, and so it’s just always heartwarming,” she said. This event “brings diverse groups together, and they love and pour into each other, and we’re teaching our kids to do that, and they’re teaching us to do that.”
Sales, the keynote speaker, expressed to the crowd a need to fight intelligently for equality, unity, peace and justice.
“It is so disheartening to me that even in 2025 we are fighting for quality unity, peace and justice,” Sales said. “We have to learn to fight intelligently. We have to learn to fight with great character. That’s the true goal of education. And I really believe that we can teach and reach more, many more, if we do.”
